The two messengers of death immediately fell to the ground. Their heads kowtowed loudly as they begged the judge that Jiang Li had transformed into.
“Lord Judge, this shrew is unruly. She obstructed us several times on the way, which is why she came late. Please forgive her!”
“Lord Judge, please forgive us!”
The two messengers of death were extremely afraid because the person in front of them was not easy to deal with.
Jiang Li did not speak immediately.
At this moment, a line of ink words appeared on the long blank scroll in front of him.
“Those who are not good enough at their job will be beaten 50 times and deep-fried for 15 minutes!”
This was probably reminding him how to proceed with the script.
However, if they were late, they would be beaten up and fried. This was the rule of the Netherworld. It was really strict and terrifying.
Jiang Li thought to himself that he was lucky. Fortunately, he did not choose between “Leave Quickly” and “Innocent”.
If he shouted the word “Innocent”, he would definitely be tortured like the person below.
Even if he chose the messenger of death, he would suffer a beating at the beginning and be tortured.
Once he could not withstand it and forcefully broke through, he would be attacked by the stage and suffer huge damage.
Either way, it could not be considered good.
“The two of you were incompetent and missed the time. How dare you use this as an excuse to escape punishment!”
“Left and right, beat them up 50 times and throw them into the pot to fry!”
Jiang Li did not stand on ceremony with them. He directly acted like a judge and issued a harsh punishment on the spot.
The 18 cultivators standing on the left and right immediately separated four people from each side. They sandwiched the two messengers of death and picked up the staffs of water, fire, wind, and lightning, only beating the two messengers until they cried out.
At the side of the hall, a pot of boiling oil was also boiling.
After each person was struck 50 times, the buttocks of the two messengers of death had already flattened into a thin piece of paper. They lay on the ground weakly and could no longer move.
Then, they were lifted up and thrown into the pot of oil. As soon as the oil was added to the fire, the skin was already soft.
Then, the ghost messenger melted like dough in the pot, turning into a charred mess.
The punishment of the Netherworld was so severe. It could only be more or less.
In order to prevent disturbing the judge’s investigation, they even thoughtfully closed the lid, causing the painful struggling to stop abruptly.
Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction before continuing to look at the woman below.
“Who is the criminal below? Tell me your name!”
Jiang Li stretched out his hand to grab the wooden block at the side and suddenly slapped it again. He shouted with widened eyes.
“Lord Judge! I’m innocent! I beg you to show mercy. I’m…”
Granny Nether Mountain, who was pretending to be the pipa woman, put on a fearful expression and cowered as she shouted that she was wronged.
“How dare you! Who are you to cry out in front of the Judge!”
“Someone! Get the knife bed!”
The woman dressed in white prison clothes and covered in blood below had just finished speaking when she was interrupted by Jiang Li’s bold words.
Then, the ghost staff soldiers on both sides brought over a knife bed and placed it in front of the pipa woman.
“A mere criminal is not worthy of talking to the Judge! Roll on this knife bed first!”
The woman below also revealed a trace of shock. Why was the development of the script different from what she had imagined?
However, before she could think further, she was pressed onto the bed.
The four ghost servants grabbed her hands and feet and pressed them on the bed, rubbing them back and forth.
The sharp blade bed slashed through her heart, liver, spleen, and lungs, cutting off a pile of flesh.
After rolling around 20 times and reaching the level of cutting potatoes, they put her down from the knife bed.
After the woman got off the bed, she looked weak.
However, Jiang Li knew that this method would definitely not affect that person.
The other party was just putting on an act.
However, from this, it could be seen that the rules of this scene were equal. Even Granny Nether Mountain had to abide by the rules. Otherwise, she would be punished.
Now that he had the status advantage, perhaps he could try to force the other party.
Jiang Li, who had a huge stomach and was leaning calmly, sat up straight.
“Since you’ve rolled over the knife bed, tell me what happened.”
“If you dare to lie to a Judge, hmph, your punishment will be even worse!”
The woman put on a weak appearance, raised her head, and began to narrate miserably.
She sang:
I had my origin in the capital,
My home was in the southern red-light district.
At the age of thirteen, I became learned in pipa,
In the performers’ circle, I was the one with top-notch distinction.
At the end of my performance, even music masters would offer their compliments,
With make-up my visage would sicken many a courtesan with jealousies.
Young men of the capital’s noble hills would rush before me to riches proffer,
For every tune I played, I received countless pieces of silk and satin.
Many of my hairpins and jewelry fell to pieces as I clapped to the beats as I sang,
My scarlet silk skirt was always getting stained with tipped over drinks.”
Year after year time went by in cheers as I made my living,
In my neglect, beautiful scenes of the changing seasons had slid by.
One day, my brother was conscripted by the army and my aunt died,
Gone was dawn and arrived dusk, overnight my looks were a thing of the past;
Coaches seldom came by my door to bring any to attention pay,
Being past my prime, I had little option but to marry a trader.
In business, parting plays second fiddle to achievable profits,
Just last month he set off for Fuliang to buy tea,
Leaving me here by the terminal minding the boat.
A bright moon makes the waters seem colder as I stay on board and afloat.
Deep in the night a young man visited,
I covered my face with half the pipa.
My pipa play already had him heaving sighs of lament,
Hearing my account further depressed him deep in grief.
We are both disadvantaged wayfarers of this world,
Must we be acquaintances in order to show compassion as our paths cross?
This woman was indeed very energetic. As she spoke, she even started to sing. She spoke about her past experiences and the romantic encounter under the moon.
However, her words were clearly incomplete.
As she sang, some words began to appear on the long blank scroll in front of Jiang Li.
