Chapter 108: I Do Not Plead Guilty
Lin Huai tucked the blank death certificates into her backpack, holding only Wang Dachui’s completed paperwork as she stepped out of the flower shop.
The proprietress stood by the doorway keeping watch. Seeing Lin Huai emerge unscathed, she asked in a low whisper, “How did it go? Is it all settled?”
Lin Huai nodded, offering a warm smile. “Thank you, auntie. You’re very kind. I hope we cross paths again in the future.”
With a polite wave goodbye, she stepped onto the main street to seek out the Yakshas.
The moment she showed herself, the patrolling guards spotted her. The spectral pedestrians scattered in terror, melting away from the sidewalks in seconds. Several menacing Yakshas materialized out of thin air, surrounding her with raised tridents.
The lead guard stepped forward, his gravelly voice echoing with cold authority. “Player Bone Ashes Mixed with Rice, you have murdered a resident of the City of Wrongful Death, directly violating our sacred laws. You are to be imprisoned and punished. Do you plead guilty?”
A faint smile touched Lin Huai’s lips. “I do not plead guilty.”
Before the guards could strike, she held out the freshly inked document alongside her undertaker work permit. “Take a look for yourselves. Wang Dachui was never a wronged soul. His allotted lifespan had expired, and he was struck down by heavenly lightning as divine retribution for his wicked deeds.”
She lifted her chin, her tone crisp and confident. “I am an official undertaker, authorized by Sister Hanba of the Crematorium to execute this sentence and dispose of his remains.”
Stunned confusion washed over the Yakshas’ ugly faces. They leaned in close, craning their necks to examine the official seal and the bold calligraphy on the certificate.
Low, panicked murmurs broke out among them:
“This document… it looks completely genuine. That sharp handwriting definitely belongs to that terrifying woman, Hanba.”
“Nobody crosses Hanba and lives to tell about it. If she sent an undertaker, we had better drop this right away. With an official death certificate, everything is completely legal…”
“Right, let’s just pretend we arrested the wrong suspect. Let’s get out of here before things turn sour…”
Just as they turned to leave, Lin Huai called out, “Hold on a moment.”
Her smile widened, though her eyes were ice-cold. “You might be off the hook, but I have a few questions for you.”
“If Wang Dachui was never a wronged soul, how did he enter the City of Wrongful Death in the first place? Who permitted him through the gates? How much bribe money did you line your pockets with? Do General Ox-Head and General Horse-Face know about your corruption? Does King Yama himself know?”
She took a slow step closer, her voice ringing clear through the empty street:
“Furthermore, while Wang Dachui ran rampant through your streets, abusing and extorting other spirits, why did you do nothing? As official patrol envoys of the underworld, are you simply going to neglect your duties?”
Her seven rapid-fire questions fell like thunderclaps, leaving the guards thoroughly humiliated, their heads hanging low in terrified shame.
The lead Yaksha dropped his trident and began begging for mercy. “Please, little sister—Sister Bone Ash! Have mercy, don’t report this to the higher-ups! How about this: we’ll give you an official clearance token right now so you don’t have to complete any more tedious quests. You can head straight through Ghost Gate Pass. We will grant you VIP clearance all the way!”
Lin Huai nodded slightly, knowing when to pull back. Her tone softened into easy friendliness. “Oh, come now, we’re all colleagues serving the underworld. Why treat each other like strangers?”
She patted the air reassuringly. “Brothers, consider yourselves lucky that I was the one who uncovered this today. If another official had stumbled upon your little secret, wouldn’t you be facing severe consequences? Most folks aren’t nearly as understanding as I am, right?”
The Yakshas nodded vigorously, sweating cold bullets. “Yes, yes, absolutely! Sister, you are by far the most reasonable person we’ve ever met! We’ll arrange an express escort to Ghost Gate Pass for you right this second!”
Lin Huai waved her hand dismissively. “There’s no hurry. I still have to pick up a few things from the Golden Jade Pavilion and the Hundred Flavors Tower. More importantly, I have teammates who haven’t finished their assigned tasks yet. I need to wait for them so we can cross the gates together.”
The Yaksha caught her drift instantly. “That’s no problem at all! Just give us their player IDs. Whether they finish their chores or not doesn’t matter in the least—we’ll grant your entire squad express clearance through Ghost Gate Pass!”
Lin Huai patted the lead guard’s burly, red-skinned arm with an approving grin. “Good brothers. The next time we cross paths, drinks are on me.”
Remembering the cruel five-year-old specter who had deliberately set her up, Lin Huai paused. “By the way, there was a little girl at the clothing store earlier named Wu Zhaodi. How did she die?”
Since Lin Huai had stated the child’s true mortal name without hesitation, the Yaksha became even more convinced of her high-level credentials. Pulling out an administrative ledger, he thumbed through the records and read the summary aloud:
“Ah, that child. Her residence permit in the city expires in three years, after which she will be transferred through Ghost Gate Pass.”
Lin Huai frowned slightly. “She will only be eight years old in three years. How did she lose her life so young?”
The guard explained in a flat, detached voice, “She was destined to die at the hands of her birth mother as her karmic debt in this lifetime. But after her parents divorced, she was awarded to her father instead. Her father beat her constantly. One day, he lied, telling her he was taking her to visit her mother. The girl was overjoyed, thinking she was finally escaping to a better life.”
He continued without a shred of emotion, “Halfway down the road, she grew thirsty and asked him to buy a bottle of water. Enraged, her father beat her savagely, tied her behind his motorcycle, and dragged her face-down against the asphalt for two kilometers, abusing her until her breath stopped.”
Lin Huai felt her blood boil with sickening anger. Yet the Yaksha beside her remained entirely unbothered, reciting the horrifying abuse as casually as if he were reading the daily weather report.
Seeing her clench her fists, the guard scratched his horns, genuinely perplexed. Did undertakers handling the dead still carry so much emotional baggage?
He let out an awkward chuckle. “Sister Bone Ash, don’t take it to heart. Tragedies like this happen every day in the City of Wrongful Death. Besides, she’s already dead—what is there to be angry about?”
He added, “Both of her parents have already met brutal ends through karmic retribution. Her mortal feud was settled long ago. But the child couldn’t let go of her hatred, so she chose to linger here, tricking passing travelers just to vent her lingering spite.”
Hearing that the girl’s killers had already faced their punishment, Lin Huai felt her anger slowly ease into a quiet, heavy sorrow. Although the child had used her as a weapon to trigger a city-wide bounty, Lin Huai could no longer hold a grudge against her.
She thanked the Yakshas, turned around, and retraced her steps back to the clothing store.
The second she vanished around the corner, the lead Yaksha whipped around and roared at his squad: “What is wrong with you useless fools?! How could you let a soul whose time was up sneak into this city?! Can’t you open your damn eyes while on duty?! Is money the only thing you can see?! Do you want your heads chopped off?!”
Back outside the battered clothing store, the little girl was still lingering by the broken doorframe. Even though she had framed Lin Huai, she had stayed behind, almost as if waiting to see whether her victim would actually return.
Seeing Lin Huai walk up alive and completely free, the child showed no panic. The horrifying, twisted gashes across her skin faded, returning her to the delicate, fair-skinned appearance of an innocent child.
She smiled faintly, her dark eyes hollow. “You’re quite capable, Big Sister. Did you come back to kill me for lying to you?”
Lin Huai did not answer. She walked forward in silence, knelt down on the stone steps, and gently pulled the small, fragile girl into a warm embrace.
“I’m not angry,” Lin Huai murmured softly against her hair. “And I don’t blame you.”
Thinking about how the child’s trap had inadvertently landed her five blank death certificates and a direct pass from the city guards, a bittersweet smile touched her lips. “If anything, I ought to thank you. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise.”
She released the girl, remaining crouched at eye level, her gaze gentle and calm. “I took care of that wicked man just like you asked. So, do you have a quest token for me, little one?”
