The Xiangqi sight was ethereal, revealing only translucent colors, yet the outline of the City God Temple was crystal clear. It occupied a larger area than the "melon shed" and its shape was similar to Li Jingxiang's Leiyin Temple on Qipan Mountain. The architecture appeared ancient but showed no signs of decay, with bricks and tiles completely undamaged.
At the entrance of the City God Temple stood a large banner, much like the one at Liangshanpo in Water Margin, except it bore the inscription "Ling Zhao San Fu" instead of "Enforce Heaven's Will." Its meaning was unknown. Because of the transparent vision, I could also see the back of the banner, which bore four characters: "Have you arrived?" This was rather chilling.
Within the temple, a ferocious-looking deity statue was enshrined, possibly Yama, the King of Hell. Below the statue, a table and a chair were placed. A man in attire resembling a Song Dynasty official was sleeping, slumped over the table. On one corner of the desk lay a stack of books with yellow pages, the color of burnt offerings, likely registration books. Beside them stood a brush rest holding three very thick brushes. On the other side of the table sat a striking wooden clapper.
Compared to the sleeping figure, this was the "Judge."
Upon hearing my summons, the Judge awoke. He was a middle-aged man with a goatee. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, glanced at Zheng Bingbing and me, and grumbled, "Reporting so early in the morning... How did you die?"
As he spoke, the Judge grabbed the roster, flipped it open with his left hand, and picked up a brush with his right, preparing to record.
His action startled me considerably. If my name were recorded, would it signify my death?
"Hey, hey, Esteemed Judge, we're not here... to die. We're Yin Messengers." I quickly explained.
"Yin Messengers?" The Judge, perhaps myopic, leaned closer, squinting to get a better look. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He flung the brush, which landed on the Yama statue behind him, and sheepishly ducked under the table!
The front of the table was covered by a thick white cloth. Normally, a ghost reporting in would not be able to see under the table. However, my Xiangqi sight was incomplete, with a bug that allowed for X-ray vision, thus I could see his movements. The Judge fumbled at his waist for his "Soul Summoning Token," flipped it over, pressed a button, and whispered, "Hello? Find my boss! Boss! Boss! This is bad! Two living Yin Messengers have arrived! Living Yin Messengers! I'm scared to death... How would I know what they're here for! Are they here to arrest me... Oh, okay, Boss! I understand!"
After the call, the Judge tremblingly crawled out, returned to his chair, and eyed me warily. Suddenly, he grabbed the striking wooden clapper and slammed it down, making me jump. "What are you doing? Startling me like that!"
The Judge's gaze flickered as he appraised me, then he feigned composure and said, "You two! Which department are you from?"
"Didn't I just tell you? Xie Bi'an's subordinates."
"Xie... the Eastern Depot's Ye Bushou, what business do you have in my Western Depot's territory?"
"Ye Bushou?" I frowned. What was going on? Weren't we Yin Messengers? Why were we called Ye Bushou?
"Nothing much, just passing by, specially here to pay my respects to the Esteemed Judge," I said.
The Judge was clearly startled again, clutching his waist token tightly in his left hand. "Well... this subordinate's place has nothing to be paid respects to. You should attend to your own business!"
"Our business is precisely to pay our respects to you," I said.
The Judge broke down. He slid out from his chair and knelt on the ground with a thud. "Esteemed Ye Bushou大人! Please forgive this subordinate! This subordinate should never have, should never have, should never have accepted that unscrupulous money!"
What nonsense was this?
"Sir, please get up and speak, can you?" I stepped forward to help the Judge, but he retreated in fear.
Just as I was about to ask what was going on, I heard a female voice from the cornfield behind us: "Esteemed Ye Bushou大人, please don't trouble this brother."
I turned to look. It was a woman also wearing a Song Dynasty official's uniform. Although the robe was loose, it couldn't conceal her good figure, which was practically bursting forth.