Ji Yuan’s two lines of poetry similarly moved the Land God. He was still gazing at the white deer, and saw that it actually bent its two front legs and knelt in front of the Land God.

“Oh, no, no, Miss Bai Ruo, please get up quickly. I promise to complete your request, but I must warn you, even if your master and I go together, the City God of the Capital Prefecture may not agree!”

The Land God grabbed his rattan cane and held it in front of the white deer, lifting it up to prevent her from kneeling again. After all, she was an immortal deer, and her master still stood to her side. This was too inappropriate.

Although Bai Ruo could no longer kneel down, she was nonetheless overjoyed when she heard the Land God’s words.

“Thank you for being willing to help me, Lord Land God. This lowly one only hopes to see Minister Zhou once more. If the Lord City God is truly unwilling to show mercy, I will comply, even if my soul is refined on the spot. I will not blame the Lord Land God for a single thing!”

Bai Ruo firmly remembered Ji Yuan’s previous words. It was alright to kneel for a while, but she must not put any pressure on the Land God. She needed to have a sincere heart that clearly indicated, ‘your willingness to help me is a great favor, and I will be grateful without complaint.’

The white deer spoke sincerely, and the Land God nodded after listening. He took another look at Ji Yuan and the immortal sword floating behind him, then comforted the white deer.

“Set your heart at ease, little white deer. Even if the City God is truly hard-hearted, it is no big imposition for your master and I to keep you from harm!”

It was not easy for animals to achieve enlightenment, and even fewer animals had the opportunity to follow a true Taoist master. Although the white deer’s state of mind lacked some teachings, she was completely sincere. This sincerity was rare even among all sentient beings.

The Land God felt this particularly deeply, even more so than Ji Yuan. To some extent, he might even be the god who was most unwilling in this world to see the white deer’s Taoist foundations be severed.

The Land God looked at Ji Yuan standing beside him. He believed that, as her master, Ji Yuan would certainly not ignore the white deer.

‘This man is unpredictable but so polite. With his relaxed and casual temperament, it’s no wonder that he could teach such a strange deer woman.’

The white deer was surprised at the Land God’s statement, and thanked him. Naturally, Ji Yuan, as the “master,” could not be negligent either. He, too, stood up from his seat and bowed to the Land God to express his gratitude.

“Thank you for your generosity, Lord Land God. Coming here at this time was somewhat of a ruse of self-injury,¹ and I hope the Land God will forgive me!”

“Mr. Ji, there’s no need to be so polite. I have listened to a good and sincere story. This is no loss for me, it’s just a matter of a little dignity; I have no use for that. Let us head to the underworld now!”

“Wonderful, let us set off now!”

Ji Yuan agreed immediately. Bai Lu was even more excited.

Of course, what the Land God meant by setting off did not mean walking out of the mansion, whose grounds were covered with loess² and tree roots; instead, the Land God lightly tapped on the ground with his rattan cane.

On Ji Yuan and the white deer’s side, they merely felt slightly dizzy, as if they had turned weightless for just a moment, before they appeared outside of the City God Temple on the Temple Administration Lane with a flash of yellow light.

The City God Temple was located on the Temple Administration Lane, while the Land God Temple was located on the western side of the city, with seven or eight districts between the two. The Land God’s act just now was so powerful that even the City God, who was also a god of the prefecture, could not move him from the spot, even with his incense power. He was truly worthy of being a god.

When they arrived outside the City God Temple, Ji Yuan looked at the Land God, and the other party smiled at him.

“Mr. Ji, will you let me speak?

“That couldn’t be better!”

This was indeed much better than Ji Yuan speaking first.

The underworld was at its most active at night. As they were talking, a ghost messenger had already appeared. He naturally recognized the Land God; this person who next to him who could chat and laugh so freely with the Land God must be no ordinary individual.

“I greet the Land God and Immortal. May I ask, what brings you here?”

The Land God raised his rattan staff and pointed it at the white deer, who was glowing with light and carried a unique spiritual aura.

“It’s not a big matter. We have brought the criminal who had escaped two days ago. However, it is not a demon or evil creature, but rather this immortal’s lost mount, the Immortal Deer. At present, I have come with the immortal to confess these crimes. I hope the officials here might inform the Lord City God!”

The ghost messenger was immediately shocked. The entire underworld had heard of the previous incident, so of course he knew about it as well. But when he looked at the white deer again, he found that there was not a single speck of evil aura at all. Instead, it was quite spiritual, and obviously that of an immortal beast.

“Please wait a moment, Lord Land God and Immortal. I will go inform the Lord City God immediately!”

The little ghost didn’t dare say that he was reporting this matter to Judges; it was obvious that the City God had to step in in-person. However, despite what the little ghost claimed, the most he could do was meet with a Judge.

Inside the City God’s underworld, the Civil and Martial Judges all looked in surprise at the ghost messenger who had come to report.

“The Land God arrived with an immortal? Was the immortal deer our criminal from a couple days ago?”

“That’s what the Land God said!”

The Civil and Martial Judges looked at each other.

“No wonder the daytime patrol mentioned that the monster had endured their attacks but didn’t fight back, even while fleeing. I guess it restrained itself when it was cultivating immortality.”

“First go and report to Lord City God. We cannot make a decide on this matter!”

“Very well!”

The two judges got up and headed towards the main hall of the underworld…

A moment later, the Land God, Ji Yuan, and the white deer, were all welcomed into the underworld.

The City God of the Capital Prefecture, along with the Civil and Martial Judges and the two daytime patrol officers, waited for them at the entrance to the underworld. They moved to the City God underworld’s main hall together, without any indication of treating them like criminals.

The main hall building was similar to what Yin Zhaoxian had described before. It was not much different from the temples outside of the Capital Prefecture, aside from the furnishings.

This was the first time that Ji Yuan had entered the legendary underworld. Besides the eerie aura, he could also sense all kinds of resentment and hostility swirling around in various places. The white deer was also visibly nervous.

After a while, at least twenty of the twenty four great divine officials had assembled.

The City God sat in the main seat, and the Land God and Ji Yuan sat beside him. All the others stood. This situation made Bai Ruo feel even more uneasy. She frequently glanced to Ji Yuan and the Land God, the latter of which continued winking at her to reassure her.

Ji Yuan and the Land God had exchanged numerous glanced. They both understood each other’s position, and were afraid of being rejected outright. The chances of this happening were quite high at the moment.

The City God of the Capital Prefecture looked like a middle-aged man with a jade-like face,³ and wore a tall hairpin crown. He was extremely elegant. After exchanging polite greetings with the Land God and Ji Yuan, he solemnly inquired about the case.

The Land God and Ji Yuan looked at each other once more, and the former spoke first.

“The story begins when I let the monster escape. At that time, when the monster disappeared under the soul-binding net, I knew that there must be a master who was helping her… Then, I met Mr. Ji…”

While the Land God narrated, Ji Yuan added to the story from time to time, and the two worked in unison to slowly explain the cause and effect of the whole tale.

The chief officials of the various divisions under the City God would discuss in low voices and exchange glances from time to time, while the City God often frowned and pondered.

“What do you think?”

After a long silence, the City God asked his chief officials.

“The law cannot be violated, and those who deserve punishment should still be punished. However, our underworld is not a heartless place, and extenuating circumstances should be considered!”

“That’s right, evil must be punished, and good must be rewarded, without delay!”

“That’s right, that’s right. Zhou Niansheng’s good deeds in life are also inseparable from his bond with the immortal deer!”

“Exactly. Even at such a critical moment as on that day, this deer did not hurt any underworld officials at all. This truly shows its kind nature!”

“Ah, it is also precious that you are willing to endure the pain of soul refinement for your husband!”

……

From the Punishment Division, to the Rewards Division, to the Yin Yang Division, the head officials of each division all concluded that, although the law was strict, they could show leniency outside of it.

Bai Ruo was not stupid. Whenever the head official of a division spoke up to plead for her, she would bow her head to the other party.

The City God looked at his subordinates from the various divisions, all of whom unanimously sympathized with the white deer, and a smile appeared on his lips. Perhaps he usually came across as too majestic, making these subordinates think that his heart was truly made of stone?

“Alright, enough!”

As soon as the City God spoke, all discussions ceased. Ji Yuan and the Land God sat upright with a little nervousness. Bai Ruo lowered her head, and did not dare to look up at the City God.

“Two hundred and sixty blows of the Soul Tempering Whip as punishment. If you can hold on, I will allow you to go to Zhou Niansheng’s underworld residence to accompany him.”

As soon as the City God finished speaking, everyone around him was astonished and horrified.

“Hiss… Two hundred and sixty blows, Lord City God… This is too severe…”

“Yes, Lord City God, this white deer will be beaten to pieces!”

All the head officials of the underworld pleaded for mercy. Although Ji Yuan and the Land God did not quite understand, they knew that this punishment was definitely very severe.

However, the City God smiled and raised his hand to stop the chatter, then looked at the white deer in front of him.

“Your cultivation is not too bad, and your demon core must be solid. However, I can tell you that your core can only withstand two hundred blows from the Soul Tempering Whip at most. After that, each additional blow will be a matter of life and death. Do you still want to see Zhou Niansheng?”

The City God stood up and approached the white deer.

“If you regret it now, for the sake of the Land God and Mr. Ji, I will forgive you and let you leave! Bai Ruo, tell me, do you still want to see Zhou Niansheng?”

The Land God gazed at the white deer’s eyes, and thought that something was wrong. He wanted to stand up and speak, but Ji Yuan held his arm and shook his head at him.

Sure enough, there were tears in Bai Lu’s eyes, but she spoke decisively.

“I do!”

“Hahahahahaha…Okay, then Zhou Niansheng has twenty-six years of his yin afterlife. You will receive ten lashed every year. If you can’t bear it, you can leave. How about it?”

The City God declared after laughing.

All the ghosts and gods in the hall were stunned for a moment, but Ji Yuan and the Land God were the first to smile. Seeing that Bai Ruo was still in a daze, Ji Yuan hurriedly told the white deer:

“Why don’t you thank the Lord City God for showing mercy?”

The white deer only reacted after hearing his words, and knelt down. Then, she transformed into a woman in white, and continued kowtowing to the City God. Then she expressed her sincere gratitude to Ji Yuan, the Land God, and the heads of various divisions. Her mind was clear, and she looked even more spiritual with her joy and gratitude.

T/n: This chapter fought me literally every step of the way T_T

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate, hope you had a good holiday! Comment with your favorite food that you ate/wish you ate. Mine was brussels sprouts because for some reason everyone can magically cook veggies way better on Thanksgiving

1. A tactic by which one intentionally puts themselves at a disadvantage/injury to gain sympathy for a better outcome
2. Loess is a loosely compacted yellowish-gray deposit of windblown sediment that covers the ground. Like sandy rock
3. i.e. clear, delicate, smooth skin

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read