Chapter 97: The Legalist School

“This is Xu Zi Quan. Greetings to both of you!”

The young man turned around, no longer paying any attention to the hungry ghost. He tidied his clothes with solemn decorum. Each of his movements was precise and meticulous.

“I am a Taoist priest, self-styled as Wu Ming. The gentleman beside me is the Prefect of Heitai Yin City. If Senior Xu wishes to accompany us, why don’t you come up and chat?”

Wu Ming glanced at Wei Shanchu, who gave him a subtle nod. Wu Ming immediately responded accordingly.

“In that case, I shall trouble you!”

Xu Zi Quan boarded the carriage and knelt behind the wooden table. His back was as straight as a spear, and when his eyes met Wu Ming’s, they instantly surmised each other’s identities.

“Indeed, this person practices the Legalist magical arts of the Zhou Dynasty’s world!”

Wu Ming felt reassured inwardly.

After all, he had spent time in the spirit and ghost world and knew that the power structure here was far less developed than in the Zhou Dynasty, and Legalist magical arts were completely absent.

The appearance of such an individual here was self-explanatory.

The mission had been ongoing for so long, yet at last, he had encountered another reincarnation cultivator.

“Moreover… this person’s mastery of rhetoric has truly attained the realm of ‘words spoken become laws’—he must be a top-tier, direct-line seed contender and a key cultivation candidate of this generation’s Legalist school!”

Wu Ming stole another glance at Xu Zi Quan, his mind stirring again.

The Legalist school of the main world took it as their mission to govern the world through criminal law and discipline. They drew from various sources and learned from ancient spirit mediums and great shamans, developing a unique “spoken incantation” technique that complemented their philosophy, forming a distinctive Legalist magical art. This gave rise to a unique system of incantation practitioners and legal magistrates.

Legend had it that the highest realm of the Legalist school could cultivate to the point of “holding heavenly decrees in one’s mouth” and acting as Heaven’s agent of punishment. Every action they took would contain the laws of heaven and earth, unstoppable and mighty!

“Isn’t the current leader of the Legalist school in the Zhou Dynasty Cui Jue? I wonder what relationship he has with Xu Zi Quan?”

Wu Ming’s eyes flickered with thought.

Cui Jue was also a rare genius of the Legalist school in a hundred years. It was said that when he was young, he once served as the county magistrate of Diao Huang County.

One day, a woodcutter went up the mountain to cut firewood but was devoured by a tiger. The woodcutter’s widow was overwhelmed with grief and cried out for justice in court. Cui Jue immediately issued an order, sending officers with talismans to summon the tiger.

The officer recited the talisman before the Mountain God’s temple and placed it on the altar. Immediately, a tiger rushed out from behind the temple, took the talisman in its mouth, and allowed itself to be bound with iron chains and brought to the county magistrate’s office.

Cui Jue listed the tiger’s crimes of killing people, and the tiger nodded repeatedly. Finally, he declared, “Eating human lives is an unforgivable crime.” The tiger then dashed its head against a stone step and died.

After the tiger’s death, the original Mountain God’s temple also collapsed, and the deity ceased to exist. It turned out that the tiger itself was the Mountain God. Although a deity, it couldn’t resist its habit of eating humans. When faced with Cui Jue’s legal authority, it could only obediently come down the mountain and die!

After this incident became widely known, Cui Jue immediately gained great fame. In his middle age, he ascended to become the leader of the Legalist school.

Compared to Cui Jue in his time as a county magistrate, Xu Zi Quan was naturally still inferior, but he was by no means insignificant. Given time, he would surely become a towering figure in the Legalist school.

“I also wish to visit Heitai Yin City. Many thanks to the noble deity!”

Xu Zi Quan bowed again to Wei Shanchu, but under the cover of his sleeve, he stole a glance at Wu Ming, filled with doubt and unease: “This person is definitely also a reincarnation cultivator, but why do I feel a tremor in my heart when I see him? Could it be that this person carries an extremely noble fate mark, or perhaps comes from a noble family with immense status?”

“The law does not reach the high officials; the rites do not descend to the commoners!”

Although Xu Zi Quan was the rising star of the new generation of the Legalist school and unafraid even when facing Wei Shanchu, he felt instinctive apprehension when encountering Wu Ming.

This was an intuitive feeling cultivated over years of specializing in criminal law.

Although the Legalist school’s spoken law magic could punish ghosts and spirits without fail, it was closely tied to one’s own cultivation and also interacted with one’s fortune.

Strictly speaking, if Cui Jue had not been a county magistrate at that time, whether his legal authority could summon a guilty mountain deity with just one decree would have been uncertain.

Moreover, if one’s own cultivation was insufficient and one acted recklessly, the backlash would be extremely severe!

At this moment, Xu Zi Quan felt that with his refined legal magic, he was unafraid of Wei Shanchu, but if he tried to punish Wu Ming, there would certainly be a backlash!

He was greatly puzzled: “Looking at this young man’s appearance, he seems to have only moderate fortune and status, and even faces decline in middle age. His fortune isn’t particularly grand. Why is this so?”

Since the Legalist school has such limitations, it is essential for its disciples to study techniques like physiognomy.

Xu Zi Quan had studied under a master for many years and had gained some proficiency, yet now he was deeply perplexed.

He didn’t know that although Wu Ming’s dragon energy was hidden deep within the Suizhou Pearl, after using it multiple times, a few traces of its essence still lingered on him, making him extraordinary.

Wei Shanchu stopping the carriage to invite him, and Xu Zi Quan’s sense of unease, were all due to sensing this faint trace.

It was just too weak, leaving even them unable to articulate the reason.

“Fate brings us together like drifting water meeting by chance. How could the two of you not share another cup?”

At this moment, Wei Shanchu smiled and raised his cup to urge them to drink.

“How could we refuse?”

Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan exchanged glances, smiled, and drained their cups.

…

As the carriage went deeper, the surrounding scenery kept changing.

The thick grayish-black mist gradually transformed into pure gray. Even the land was no longer a desert but was now covered with grasses and shrubs, showing signs of life.

Moreover, the further they went, the more intense the glow of the City God became.

“This should be the place…”

Wei Shanchu chose a spot, ordered the carriage to stop, then flicked his sleeve. Hundreds of white glowing points drifted down, transforming into rows of white figures who kowtowed on the ground: “Thank you, noble deity, for saving us!”

“Enough! You should cultivate diligently, accumulate good deeds, and wait for the City God’s decree for reincarnation!”

Returning to the carriage, Wei Shanchu explained to Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan: “These wandering souls were followers of the City God in life. After death, they fell into the underworld. It is our duty to guide them… Unfortunately, there are too many of them now. We must settle them one by one and wait for the City God to use his magic.”

With a sigh, the carriage continued moving forward.

Wei Shanchu looked troubled. He drank three cups in a row, then suddenly slammed his cup down heavily: “The Black Mountain Lord recklessly sets up his own realm, luring in living souls and tormenting them. It’s truly despicable!”

This sudden noise startled both Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan.

Xu Zi Quan immediately asked, “With the Black Mountain Lord acting like this, is there really no one to stop him?”

“Who can stop him? Who would?”

Wei Shanchu gave a bitter smile: “Since the great change in the heavenly Dao, both the underworld and the human world have been affected. Now, those who have truly succeeded in cultivation are rare, and the two of you are already exceptional. Here, only our City God can slightly counter the Black Mountain Lord and protect his followers. Others are simply powerless…”

“With the desire to slay the traitors but lacking the strength to do so. What can one do?”

After a long sigh, he realized he had spoken out of turn, raised his cup again, and said, “I’ve been reprimanded many times for talking nonsense when drunk, but I still can’t break the habit. I’ll drink three more cups as punishment!”

“The great change in the heavenly Dao?”

The wine entered his mouth, turning into threads of spiritual energy, but Wu Ming’s mind was elsewhere. He caught onto a key phrase from the deity’s words: “Could this be the deeper truth of the spirit and ghost world?”

…

Even though Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan were mentally prepared, when they first saw Heitai Yin City, they couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

What appeared before them was an immense city beyond words!

The city walls were jet black, towering dozens of feet high. From afar, they resembled mountains yet were perfectly flat. Along the edges of the walls flowed a river over ten zhang wide, its dark waters surging with the faint silhouettes of giant black serpents.

“This Heitai Yin City spans hundreds of miles, with a population of a million, all protected by our City God!”

Beside them, Wei Shanchu proudly introduced: “The city moat is guarded by the Black Water Serpents. There are thirty-six major gates and seventy-two minor gates, collectively known as the Hundred and Eight Ghost Gates. Each is patrolled by ghost soldiers and officers, and entry and exit require legal currency…”

This legal currency naturally referred to the paper money burned in the human world, which also contained faint incense power, serving as the hard currency of the underworld.

Of course, for Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan, as long as they consumed a little spiritual power, the legal currency they could obtain would be as vast as mountains and seas. Therefore, they didn’t place much value on it.

As they spoke, the carriage had already crossed the suspension bridge and obediently entered the city through one of the minor gates shaped like a giant demon’s gaping mouth.

Wu Ming noticed that on the river surface, facing the massive serpent’s shadow below, the black horses were trembling with their tails tucked between their legs. Obviously, it would be impossible for them to leap over as they had before.

Although this demon city gate was one of the seventy-two minor gates, it was still built on an enormous scale, towering into the sky. The official road inside the city was wide enough to accommodate more than ten carriages driving side by side.

Looking around, Wu Ming saw continuous rows of houses and fields, each occupying an extremely vast area.

Compared to the human world, land in the underworld wasn’t particularly valuable, as spirits could all live comfortably in spacious dwellings.

“Both of you are honored guests. Please come first to my residence to rest. I will go to the City God to report and then apply for an audience for you!”

“Thank you!”

Since Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan were newcomers, they naturally agreed.

After a short ride, the carriage stopped in front of a grand mansion covering dozens of acres. A group of people came out to greet them, calling out “Master.”

As Wu Ming stepped down from the carriage, he realized that although this was called a residence, with its golden pillars, pavilions, and towers all gleaming like palaces, it was truly magnificent.

“I will go directly to report to the City God. You must properly entertain our honored guests. Do you understand?”

Without entering his own home, Wei Shanchu gave instructions directly. After Wu Ming and Xu Zi Quan disembarked, he hurried toward the city center without delay.

“Esteemed guests, please come this way! We have already prepared a small banquet. We humbly request your presence!”

A butler-like figure with a smiling face approached. White vapor surrounded him, clear and translucent. Though it emitted little light, there was also minimal dark energy.

“Thank you for your trouble!”

Wu Ming glanced around and noticed that most of these servants were crafted from paper effigies burned in the mortal realm. Of course, apart from this butler, there were also a few genuine living souls—likely family members from the human world.

“I have been traveling for a long time and am quite tired. I don’t need a banquet. Please show me to a side room!”

Xu Ziquan cast a meaningful glance at Wu Ming and spoke directly to the butler.