Chapter 51: The King of Hell’s Wedding (31)
“It was Zhang Zhiyan who injured me.” Jian Yuntai’s expression did not change, nor did his heartbeat falter. He looked calmly at Cui Yu. “Do you believe that?”
“……” Cui Yu stared back at Jian Yuntai.
The two locked eyes for a full three or four minutes. The hall was utterly silent; even the sound of breathing had been suppressed to the lowest degree.
Cui Yu did not answer. He merely curled his lips into a faint smile, one tinged with self-mockery. Without turning his head, he said to the others, “You are all dismissed. Go to the main hall for lunch.”
As he spoke, he turned and walked out of the hall under the visibly relieved gazes of the crowd, never looking back.
After walking some distance, a ghost official finally could not hold back and said, “Chief Judge, Destined Official Zhang could not possibly have hurt him—much less hurt his wife. Everyone here knows that Destined Official Zhang dotes on his wife as if he were his life! Surely you did not actually believe that?”
Cui Yu’s steps paused. He turned back coldly and said, “Do not bring up this matter again in the future.”
The ghost official was taken aback, even more confused. “Since you know that Lord Xiao Jian was deceiving you, then why did you…?”
“If he wished to conceal it, then I would grant his wish.”
“My lord, that is inappropriate!”
“Inappropriate?” Cui Yu looked at the ghost official, and his gaze now carried an unmistakable warning.
The ghost official hurriedly lowered his head in fear. After a long moment, he heard Cui Yu’s hoarse voice from ahead. “He is my lawfully wedded wife. If I wish to make him happy… what is inappropriate about that?”
“I would not dare speak recklessly,” the ghost official said, prostrating himself.
Cui Yu turned and strode away. A light breeze lifted the loose strands at his waist; wisps of white hair swayed gently.
Cui Yu no longer wished to pursue what Jian Yuntai was hiding.
By doing this, perhaps in the future, whenever Jian Yuntai felt disgusted by his flaws and wanted to withdraw and leave, he might recall this kindness and hesitate, if only for a fleeting moment.
As long as it was something Jian Yuntai wanted, Cui Yu was willing to obtain it for him.
※※※
The main hall was not far away. When Jian Yuntai entered, a group of veteran players followed behind him.
Turning back, he saw that the veteran players looked like a flock of chicks—each pair of eyes bloodshot, on the verge of breaking down in tears. “Wuwuwu, big streamer bosses, can you take us out too while you’re at it?”
Cha Huafeng, flustered, tried to soothe them. “Please don’t panic. We belong to the Alliance’s organization. Although our primary mission this time is to rescue Sun Ben, the higher-ups did say that if we can save you as well, we definitely will…”
Jian Yuntai only glanced at them before withdrawing his gaze.
Fatty limped over, waggling his eyebrows. “Where did you learn to lie so smoothly?”
“Self-taught,” Jian Yuntai replied.
Fatty laughed. “Nice. Even that lunatic Cui Yu believed you. Zhang Zhiyan’s going to have a rough time later—”
“He didn’t believe it.” Jian Yuntai frowned and cut him off before he could finish, adding, “But as far as Cui Yu is concerned, the matter should already be over. Don’t bring it up in front of him again. If you do, you’ll be jumping into a fire pit.”
Fatty blinked blankly for a long time before asking, “How do you know he didn’t believe you?”
Jian Yuntai answered frankly, “If he had believed it, he would have walked out on the spot and killed Zhang Zhiyan.”
“…………” Fatty fell silent for a long time, then his lips twitched. “Are you showing off your love right now, or deliberately flaunting how powerful your man is?”
Jian Yuntai’s steps faltered. He forced a smile and retorted, “Not as much as you. Every limp you take is you flaunting last night’s ‘heroic performance’ from your man.”
Fatty exploded in outrage. “I already told you nothing happened last night!”
A few steps ahead, Cha Huafeng finally managed to shake off the sobbing players. Looking conflicted, she asked, “Do we have any confidence in taking those people out with us?”
Jian Yuntai countered, “Do you?”
“No…” Cha Huafeng thought for a moment and sighed. “It’s already questionable whether we can get Sun Ben out. There’s no way we can rescue so many people from the instance in one go.”
She sighed heavily, seeming somewhat self-blaming.
Jian Yuntai glanced at her and said meaningfully, “People must take responsibility for their own choices.” Since they had chosen the C-level instance The King of Hell’s Wedding, being trapped inside it now could only be blamed on themselves.
He said no more and stepped into the hall.
Cha Huafeng remained behind, thoughtful. After a long while, she gave a bitter smile and shook her head. Was Jian Yuntai really only eighteen?
That mindset seemed as though it had been born for the apocalypse.
Inside the main hall.
Various destined officials took their seats one by one. The side seats were left empty, reserved for their corresponding destined persons.
Once the players entered, it was as if they had activated an auto-navigation system—they quickly found where they were supposed to sit.
Jian Yuntai stepped forward as well.
All the destined officials and players watched him in suffocating silence—more precisely, they were watching Sun Ben behind him.
He actually brought Sun Ben to sit down together with him!
Sun Ben was not supposed to sit there.
The destined officials could not help but speculate wildly—what exactly had just happened?
Was Jian Yuntai really planning to take a second wife?
The Chief Judge’s wife taking a concubine… The destined officials’s pupils trembled. That was far too bizarre!
Everyone carefully observed the situation, not daring to speak.
For a time, the only sounds in the hall were bowls and chopsticks clinking together. The entire meal felt suffocating enough to cause collective heart and brain attacks.
Cui Yu had remembered that Jian Yuntai had been hungry, and he indeed ordered many dishes to be served. Almost every time Jian Yuntai finished a bowl, a ghost official swiftly removed the empty plate and replaced it with a new one.
Sun Ben, sitting beside him, barely lifted his chopsticks a few times, while Jian Yuntai had already finished several dishes.
“…” Sun Ben looked dazedly at Cui Yu, then at Jian Yuntai. Both of them appeared completely normal.
Was he the only one who found this strange? Was Jian Yuntai’s way of eating really normal?!
Lost in thought, he did not notice someone approaching from behind. When Zhang Zhiyan’s voice rang out, Sun Ben jerked in fright and nearly crawled under the table in fear.
Jian Yuntai grabbed him with one hand and pulled him upright again.
“Sit properly. Eat.”
After saying that, Jian Yuntai did not even look up. He quietly continued eating the dishes in front of him.
All of this could be used to nourish the Red Lotus baby.
Zhang Zhiyan bent slightly and lowered his eyes. “Chief Judge, I have come to take Sun Ben away.”
“…” Sun Ben looked terrified and immediately wanted to seek help from Jian Yuntai, but he did not dare make it too obvious.
He could only fret helplessly. Facing his fear-filled gaze, Jian Yuntai remained calm, continuing to eat.
Fortunately, Cui Yu spoke. His tone was just as calm.
“For the next few days, he will stay in my residence.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the destined officials grew even more astonished.
So the Chief Judge’s Wife was truly going to take in a second wife? Would that not make Jian Yuntai guilty of bigamy?
Compared to the destined officials, who knew nothing and were wildly speculating, the players understood the inside story—but even they could not hide their shock. Jian Yuntai had actually persuaded Cui Yu?
How on earth had he managed to do that?
In truth, Jian Yuntai had done nothing at all. Although he kept his head lowered and continued eating, he was inwardly just as curious.
He had been listening closely to every word Cui Yu said.
“……” After a long silence, Zhang Zhiyan spoke in a dry voice. “How could that be allowed? Sun Ben is my wife.”
Cui Yu raised his eyes. “He would only be staying for a while.”
“That still wouldn’t—” Zhang Zhiyan feared Cui Yu, yet on this matter he was unusually firm.
While they were speaking, many destined officials below the hall were whispering among themselves.
They were far enough away that they had no scruples about speaking openly.
“Destined Official Zhang controls the army authority. If he were pushed too far, wouldn’t he rebel against Judge Cui?”
“You’re overthinking it. His army power was granted by Judge Cui. If it could be given, it could be taken back. Besides, Destined Official Zhang repays kindness with loyalty. Over the years, he reached his current position largely thanks to Judge Cui.”
“He was actually promoted by Judge Cui?!”
“Sigh… You took office late, so you probably don’t know. Zhang Zhiyan had been working under Judge Cui for a thousand years. Back when Judge Cui was still a high immortal, he already… Later, when Judge Cui and the King of Hell were demoted together, Zhang Zhiyan followed him down into Hell.”
“So that was how it happened? I had never heard of this before!”
Clack—
Jian Yuntai’s jade chopsticks lightly tapped the rim of his bowl, and his hand paused slightly. In an instant, he understood.
No wonder Cui Yu had seen through his lie so quickly—he and Zhang Zhiyan had known each other for so long.
Fabricating the temperament of someone who was that familiar had indeed been unwise.
Wait… high immortal? Demotion?
What exactly was all this about? It seemed that the first of the Three Taboos of Yin Officials—Do Not Speak of the Past—was far more complicated than he had imagined.
Even many of the destined officials inside the hall did not know these secret past events. Should he ask Cui Yu directly?
A flurry of thoughts crossed Jian Yuntai’s mind, and then his expression sharpened—would Zhang Zhiyan know these things?
“Please reconsider, Chief Judge.” Zhang Zhiyan’s expression darkened, his pale pupils fixed on Cui Yu.
Cui Yu looked at him for a few seconds and suddenly asked, “How long have you been blind?”
Zhang Zhiyan froze briefly, then answered, “Four hundred and sixty-three years.” The exact number suggested he had always kept this matter close to his heart.
Cui Yu gave a slight nod. “I can go to the King of Hell and retrieve your eyes for you.”
The moment those words fell, the entire hall went silent.
Everyone forgot to move their chopsticks. All attention focused on Jian Yuntai’s direction.
In the entire Underworld, the only person who could snatch something back from the King of Hell… was Cui Yu, the Chief Judge.
Zhang Zhiyan gritted his teeth and said bitterly, “Is Chief Judge using my eyes to threaten me?”
At this point, the atmosphere had become explosive.
Many players looked at Jian Yuntai in panic, their inner voices screaming in despair: Ahhh! Boss, how could you still be calmly eating? The two people beside you looked like they were about to start fighting!
Hurry and stop them! Please, stop them!
Of course, Jian Yuntai was not about to jump out and say, “Please stop arguing.”
Cui Yu disliked forcing people, let alone threatening them. In the previous cycle, when he had been dissatisfied, he had acted silently and decisively—by the time everyone realized what was happening, he had already staged a coup and was preparing to burn the King of Hell alive.
There was no need to intervene. This was still a minor scene.
Jian Yuntai lowered his head and continued eating.
Just as he had expected, Cui Yu said calmly, “If I wished to threaten you, I would not use your eyes. I would use your life.”
Zhang Zhiyan’s face turned pale. “…”
Cui Yu continued, “Your person would only stay with me for a short while. When he returns, your eyes will recover as well. Don’t you want to see what he looks like?”
That final sentence struck directly at Zhang Zhiyan’s heart, stepping on the softest place within him.
Seeing the hesitation on Zhang Zhiyan’s face, Sun Ben’s survival instinct surged. He hurriedly said, “I won’t run around. I’ll go back to you in five days. You can rest assured!”
In five days, he would return to the real world—to his beloved political elite father. He missed his dad so much.
“Chief Judge has already made his decision. It seems nothing I say will matter.” After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Zhiyan suddenly added, “If it is only for a few days, then it is acceptable. But Sun Ben has always been in poor health. I have a few private matters I would like to discuss alone with Lord Xiao Jian.”
Jian Yuntai’s hand paused mid-motion. “Me?”
Zhang Zhiyan confirmed, “Yes. You.”
Cui Yu slowly frowned and was about to speak, but Jian Yuntai spoke first. “Alright.”
The moment he agreed, several violent coughs sounded just a meter away. Many streamers frantically signaled to him with their eyes. Fatty was among them, his face full of urgency: Are you trying to die?!
The livestream viewers were just as anxious.
“Ahhhhhhhh, why did he agree?”
“From Zhang Zhiyan’s perspective, Jian Dadan and Sun Ben’s relationship looked ambiguous… He had already shown killing intent toward Jian Dadan before. What if he attacks during their private meeting?”
“Can Jian Dadan even beat Zhang Zhiyan? I feel like the NPC attack methods in this instance are impossible to predict. Physical attacks are probably useless.”
“Sisters, no need to worry too much. Jian Dadan always had his reasons for what he did. Just trust him!”
Under countless anxious gazes, Jian Yuntai set down his jade chopsticks and stood up. “There’s a side room near the hall. Shall we talk there?” Seeing Cui Yu’s brows tightly knitted, he smiled reassuringly. “Nothing will happen.”
Cui Yu pressed his thin lips together, his brows still furrowed.
Ghost officials stepped forward to lead the way.
Sun Ben instinctively stood up, but before he could steady himself, Jian Yuntai pressed him back down into his seat.
“Sit. No need to follow.”
“!!!”
Sun Ben was deeply moved. In his eyes, Jian Yuntai was practically an angel, sacrificing himself for his sake.
Just imagining being alone in a room with Zhang Zhiyan was enough to fill Sun Ben with overwhelming terror.
He immediately lowered his voice and said, “Thank you.”
“???” Jian Yuntai shot him a baffled look.
Was this guy out of his mind? What was he thanking him for?
Sun Ben was sitting here as a hostage. As long as he remained here, Zhang Zhiyan absolutely would not dare to kill Jian Yuntai. It was the first time he had ever heard of a hostage thanking the bandit.
Jian Yuntai sighed inwardly. After so many rounds, it seemed possible that one’s intelligence really would be affected.
Sun Ben was the clearest example.
As numerous players watched Jian Yuntai walk away, a single bold banner seemed to flash across their minds:
Jian Yuntai — in danger.
Meanwhile, the destined officials looked at Sun Ben, who was trembling beside Cui Yu, and their thoughts boiled down to:
Sun Ben — in danger.
One could practically fast-forward to the entire hall—players and destined officials alike—being in danger together.
Everyone felt shaken, their faces pale.
※※※
The side room was merely a small vacant chamber off to the side of the main hall, usually used for storing miscellaneous items.
Knowing that the two intended to speak privately, ghost officials had already cleared the place in advance. Now the room was completely empty—not only were there no odds and ends, there was not even a stool.
It was obvious they did not want the conversation to last long.
The best outcome was that they finished speaking and left immediately.
After pushing the door open and stepping inside, Jian Yuntai had already prepared himself for various possibilities. Although the chance of Zhang Zhiyan killing him was slim, he still remained secretly on guard.
Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Zhang Zhiyan suddenly lifted the front of his robe and dropped to his knees with a thud.
Then he pressed his forehead to the ground and performed a deep bow.
The livestream viewers were stunned.
“What kind of development is this?”
“Damn, when he knelt down I almost had a heart attack. I thought he was about to do something.”
“Jian Dadan looked a little surprised too.”
Jian Yuntai indeed was surprised. He frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”
Zhang Zhiyan kept his forehead to the ground and did not rise. “I beg Lord Xiao Jian to persuade Chief Judge.”
“…?” The corner of Jian Yuntai’s mouth twitched.
The livestream viewers could barely hold back their laughter.
“Good grief, Cui Yu only did this because of Jian Dadan. Zhang Zhiyan, you’re begging the very source of the problem!”
“Hahaha, ‘the source of the problem’ is killing me.”
“Exactly! Wife, the source of the problem, hahaha.”
The room fell silent for a long time. Jian Yuntai pressed his lips together and said, “I can’t help you with this.”
Zhang Zhiyan grew anxious. “Only you can persuade the Chief Judge!”
Jian Yuntai fell silent. The problem was that he had no intention of persuading him.
“Is staying for just a few days really unacceptable?” Jian Yuntai truly could not understand what was going on in Zhang Zhiyan’s head.
Zhang Zhiyan did not know about the rounds or about clearing the instance. In his view, Sun Ben was simply going to stay at someone else’s residence for five days.
Five days in exchange for regaining a pair of yin-yang eyes—this was an extraordinarily profitable deal. What was there to refuse?
“You don’t understand.”
Only then did Zhang Zhiyan lift his head. A trace of gloom passed across his pale face. When he spoke, his resentment was heavy—but it seemed directed at himself. He was blaming himself.
“I have long known that Sun Ben feared me and despised me. But… to be honest, we have not yet consummated our marriage. The Record of Soul Contracts bears witness—if we do not consummate it soon, his body will no longer be able to endure.”
“….” Jian Yuntai lowered his eyes, thinking that the reason Sun Ben could not endure was not the Record of Soul Contracts, but the soul contract value of the instance.
The one who truly did not understand was Zhang Zhiyan. The more he tried to hold onto Sun Ben now, the worse Sun Ben’s situation would become.
And the further he would push Sun Ben away.
Jian Yuntai did not voice any of this.
Zhang Zhiyan continued, his tone confused and helpless. “I… I wanted to treat him well, but he… he kept lying to me. At first, I thought I would follow his wishes. Perhaps one day he would see my sincerity. But later, my patience ran out… My reason disappeared as well. I even thought about locking him up. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
You turned dark. Jian Yuntai thought to himself.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhiyan seemed to realize that this matter was already settled. He rose to his feet. “He has grown more and more afraid of me. Perhaps a few days apart will do some good.”
After a pause, he added with sorrowful self-mockery, “Yin officials and destined officials are all disgraceful beings. I constantly fear that Sun Ben will be unable to endure the disgraceful side of me and choose to leave. The Chief Judge… he must treat you the same way.”
“….” Disgraceful?
Jian Yuntai sharply caught onto the key word and quickly pressed further, seizing the chance. “Why disgraceful?”
This time, he was genuinely confused.
Cui Yu held immense authority in the Underworld. His appearance was striking, and his bearing noble and refined. Someone like that had nothing to do with the word “disgraceful.”
Zhang Zhiyan stared blankly for a few seconds, then suddenly gave a bitter smile and shook his head. “It seems the Underworld has changed its generation. Even this matter has become a secret.”
After a pause, his expression complicated, he said:
“A thousand years ago, the high immortal Cui Yu hanged the Moon Immortal. The high immortal King of Hell murdered the Lord of Dawn. The two brothers’ crimes of killing their father and mother spread throughout the Heavenly Court. The Three Realms were shaken, and the world was horrified—”
Before he could finish speaking, there was suddenly a loud bang.
The door to the side room was flung open with force. The one who pushed it did not hold back at all; the two pitiful doors slammed heavily against the walls on either side, the frame creaking violently.
“Your conversation ends here.”
Cui Yu’s voice sounded as if it were laced with ice. He strode forward and stepped between the two, separating them. His cold gaze was filled with fury, and the way he looked at Zhang Zhiyan was as if he were staring at a dead man.
“Who allowed you to tell him these things?!”
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