Chapter 2181: Eating Melon, Why Did My Hair Turn Green?

Wei Zheng said in a deep voice, "Yuan Shoucheng is the uncle of Yuan Tiangang, the current Imperial Astrologer. He does possess some genuine abilities."

Zu An thought, so Yuan Shoucheng is Yuan Tiangang's uncle. Perhaps he should find an opportunity to summon Yuan Tiangang and ask him. After all, he's an extraordinary individual.

After seeing Wei Zheng off, Zu An immediately issued an edict to summon Yuan Tiangang. However, he soon learned that Yuan Tiangang had gone out of town to observe celestial phenomena at night and would not be back for some time.

Zu An felt a hint of regret. He had originally intended to visit Yuan Shoucheng again, but it was already late and inconvenient, so he decided to rest first.

At the second watch of the night, cries and wails could be heard from outside the palace gates. Many palace maids were terrified, and even Princess Yuanji trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, is there... is there a ghost outside?" she stammered.

"Don't speak nonsense. Just get some good rest. There are no ghosts or gods in this world," Zu An said calmly, continuing to sleep.

Of course, he knew what was happening. He was waiting for the Dragon King of the Jing River to arrive in his dream.

Sure enough, as he was drowsing off, he suddenly felt a chilling wind around him. The temperature dropped abruptly, and he felt as if he were in an ice cellar.

Zu An opened his eyes to find that the once opulent palace was now eerily gloomy. Eerie blue-green lights flickered everywhere, and wisps of grayish-white mist permeated the air.

Visibility was extremely low nearby; it was difficult to see anything a few meters away.

In the distance, it was pitch black, and ghostly wails occasionally echoed: "Give me back my life! Give me back my life!"

Zu An mused that if it were a common person, or even an emperor like Emperor Taizong who had conquered the world, they would probably be scared witless by now.

However, he was someone who had even ventured into the true Underworld. How could he be frightened by such a minor spectacle?

At that moment, he was pondering something else: the fact that the other party could appear here seemed to confirm a certain conjecture he had in mind.

Just then, the headless corpse of the Jing River Dragon King slowly materialized from the distance, holding a bloody head in its hand, a truly terrifying sight.

The bloody head shrieked, "Emperor Taizong! Give me back my life! Give me back my life! Last night, you promised to save me, but at dawn, you sent the Imperial Censor to execute me! Come out! Come out! I will debate this with you before the King of Hell!"

Zu An had witnessed far more terrifying scenes than this and was naturally unfazed. He replied in a deep voice, "Today, to save you, I deliberately summoned Wei Zheng into the palace and kept him occupied with a game of chess, precisely to prevent him from having the chance to execute you. When I saw him fall asleep from exhaustion, I thought the matter was settled. Who would have thought his primordial spirit would leave his body in a dream to slay you? I did my best."

"Did your best?" the Jing River Dragon King snarled, his face twisted in rage. "Wei Zheng is your subject; how could you not know his methods? If you had simply ordered him not to execute me, would he have dared defy your command? Now that I've been executed and become a vengeful spirit, do you think a mere 'I did my best' will appease me?"

Zu An's expression darkened. "You, Dragon King, are utterly unreasonable! As the saying goes, 'every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor.' You... *cough cough*, you should know best why you violated heavenly laws, and you know who executed you. Instead of seeking revenge on those people, you come after me, the only one who tried to help you. Are you insane?"

The Jing River Dragon King paused, as if Zu An had hit a nerve. However, remembering that he couldn't possibly provoke the others, he resorted to cursing, "Those people harmed me openly and justifiably. But you, hypocrite, promised to save me yet stood by while your subordinate ruined me. You are the most detestable of all! I demand your life in return!"

With that, he lunged at Zu An, his face contorted in a ferocious expression.

Zu An's mind reacted quickly, but with his cultivation sealed, he was no different from an ordinary person. His body simply couldn't keep up, and he was immediately seized by the Dragon King.

As they struggled, the bloody head opened its mouth, ready to bite Zu An.

Zu An's face hardened, and he was about to activate the formations he had prepared earlier.

Although his cultivation was sealed, his memories remained. Thus, he had specifically set up some formations near the imperial bedchamber. While they lacked some high-grade Origin Stones and couldn't exert their maximum power, he figured they should be sufficient for self-protection.

Just then, a golden light suddenly appeared on the horizon. From the south, fragrant clouds swirled and colorful mists drifted. A female immortal appeared, holding a willow branch, which she gently waved. The headless Jing River Dragon King immediately became terrified, released Zu An, and fled weeping towards the northwest.

Upon seeing the female immortal's attire and appearance, Zu An's heart was in turmoil, though he showed no trace of it on his face. He quickly stepped forward to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your timely rescue. May I ask your esteemed name, venerable immortal? I shall certainly repay your kindness handsomely."

The female immortal smiled faintly. "I have received a Buddhist decree to travel to the Eastern Lands in search of a scripture-pilgrim. I reside in the City God Temple in Chang'an and, hearing the wails of ghosts and spirits by night, specifically came to repel the karmic dragon and rescue the emperor."

Zu An wanted to ask more questions, but the female immortal was already enveloped in a rising golden light and vanished, seemingly unwilling to converse further with him.

He pursued, but suddenly felt the ground give way beneath him, and he instantly awoke.

"Did Your Majesty have a nightmare?" Princess Yuanji knelt before him, gently wiping the sweat from his face.

Zu An felt a dizzy spell, his clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and his body was exceptionally weary and weak. Noticing the eunuchs and palace maids kneeling on the floor, trembling in fear, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you all doing?"

Princess Yuanji replied, "Just now, Your Majesty kept shouting 'ghost, ghost' in your sleep, and we couldn't wake you, so everyone was afraid."

Zu An was taken aback. He hadn't been afraid in the dream. Was it because Li Shimin's mortal body was too weak, or was it a 'main plot kill' mechanism?

He waved his hand, signaling everyone to withdraw, and at the same time, sent an imperial decree to the court, stating that he would not hold morning court today.

Firstly, his body was indeed weak, and he was not in a state suitable for attending court. Secondly, he needed to properly organize his thoughts.

The identity of the female immortal he had just seen was not hard to guess; she was naturally a Bodhisattva from the Western Heavens.

In fact, during the first stage, Zu An had already made a general guess: how could a mere mortal like Yuan Shoucheng know heavenly secrets in advance? There must be a supremely powerful being behind him.

After much thought, it was clear that the only ones with such power and motive were the Buddhist figures from the Western Paradise.

He just hadn't expected such a high-level entity to come from the Western Heavens.

It was his first time seeing such a legendary deity or Buddha. The pressure and power emanating from her still sent shivers down his spine even now. Not to mention his current mortal body having no cultivation whatsoever, even if he had all his cultivation back, it wouldn't be too difficult for her to eliminate him.

A similar feeling could probably be traced back to the entity summoned by Qiu Honglei's Heaven and Earth Sacrifice Dance. Unfortunately, his realm was too far inferior to determine which of the two was stronger; he only vaguely felt that the other entity's oppressive power seemed more intense...

Over the next few days, Zu An initially thought a little rest would improve his condition, but to his surprise, his body grew weaker and weaker, to the point where he was confined to bed for prolonged periods. Many imperial physicians examined him but were all at a loss.

Zu An was utterly speechless. A common person's body truly was fragile. He hadn't been scared by the Jing River Dragon King's ghost, so why was his body deteriorating day by day? Could it be due to the previous invasion of ghostly energy?

He had originally intended to personally visit the Bodhisattva at the City God Temple in Chang'an, but being bedridden, he could only send someone to invite her. Given her stature, she should have a way to dispel evil for him.

However, the messenger returned unsuccessful, having not met the Bodhisattva. They only brought back an ambiguous message: "The opportune moment has not arrived; do not force it."

Zu An wondered when the right moment would be.

In those days, he again sent people to summon Yuan Shoucheng to the palace, wanting to learn more about him. However, Yuan Shoucheng had long since departed, claiming to be traveling around observing feng shui.

Zu An secretly sneered. In truth, this outcome was not beyond his expectations.

So, he simply went directly to Wei Zheng. Since Wei Zheng already held a divine post in the Underworld, dealing with a ghost like the Dragon King was well within his professional purview.

Wei Zheng looked troubled. "To Your Majesty, I am still in my mortal body and have not officially assumed my duties, so many of my divine powers are still unavailable. The previous execution of the Dragon King was only due to an imperial decree from Heaven. However, dealing with this Jing River Dragon King is not difficult. You can have Generals Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao guard the entrance. Both generals have spent their lives in battle, possessing an intimidating aura that even ghosts and spirits would steer clear of."

Zu An agreed. He knew that after this incident, Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao would be regarded as Door Gods by the common people, their portraits frequently pasted on doors.

With Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao guarding him, the effect was indeed much better. Zu An had no nightmares in the middle of the night, nor were there any ghostly disturbances.

However, Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao were still mortals, and their bodies couldn't endure guarding night after night. So, Zu An had painters create their portraits to be pasted on the doors.

But stability lasted less than two days before more ghostly entities began harassing them from the back door. Consequently, Wei Zheng personally stood guard at the back door with his precious sword.

From then on, no more ghostly attacks occurred, but Zu An's body grew progressively weaker, deteriorating day by day, and he soon became gravely ill.

As he lay dying, Wei Zheng clutched the imperial robe and reported, "Your Majesty, ease your mind. I have something that will surely guarantee Your Majesty's longevity."

Zu An feigned a sigh, "My illness is critical, my life is in peril. How can it be guaranteed?"

Wei Zheng replied, "I have a letter, which I will present to Your Majesty. Please take it to the Underworld and deliver it to Cui Jue, the Judge of Fengdu."

Zu An's heart stirred, and he asked, "Who is Cui Jue?"

Wei Zheng answered, "Cui Jue was a minister before the former Emperor Taishang, first serving as the Magistrate of Cizhou, and later promoted to Vice Minister of Rites. We exchanged eight bows of friendship and were very close. Although he is now deceased, he serves in the Underworld as the Judge of Fengdu, in charge of the Register of Life and Death. We often meet in dreams. If Your Majesty takes this letter to him, he will, out of consideration for my humble connection, certainly allow Your Majesty to return. Rest assured your soul will be restored to the living world, and your imperial presence will certainly return to the capital."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. He had been cooperating with this charade for days, and finally, this plot point was triggered.

The other contestants, unaware of the full context, were likely trying various methods to break the stalemate. However, the more they tried, the more mistakes they made, turning a simple matter into a perilous one.

Of course, he benefited from knowing this historical story beforehand. If he hadn't known, he would probably have made more and more mistakes, just like the other contestants.

He immediately took the letter, tucked it into his sleeve, and then closed his eyes, passing away.

So, Zu An's soul left his body and gradually drifted away from the imperial palace. He felt no panic, as this wasn't his first such experience.

Just then, a person called out from a distance, "Emperor of Great Tang, come this way!"

Zu An looked, and saw a figure with a black gauze cap on his head and a rhinoceros horn belt around his waist, much like the image of a Judge he had seen in TV dramas from his previous life. He already had a guess, but he feigned ignorance and asked, "Who are you?"

The man replied, "Before my death, I served before the former Emperor as the Magistrate of Cizhou, and later became Vice Minister of Rites. My surname is Cui, and my given name is Jue. Now, in the Underworld, I hold the post of Judge of Fengdu, overseeing cases. In the Hall of Yama, I witnessed the ghost dragon of the Jing River accuse Your Majesty of promising salvation but instead leading to its execution. King Qin Guang of the First Hall immediately dispatched ghostly envoys to urge Your Majesty's presence for a trial involving the three realms. I was aware of this, which is why I came here to receive you. I did not expect to arrive late today. I beg your forgiveness, Your Majesty."

Zu An observed him. His status should be higher than that of the Black and White Impermanence, or Ox-Head and Horse-Face he had previously encountered. Unfortunately, with his cultivation completely sealed, he couldn't perceive how powerful Cui Jue truly was.

"Sir, you have traveled far for this. Wei Zheng, a minister before me, has a letter for you. What a fortunate encounter."

As Zu An handed the letter from his sleeve to the other party, he secretly pondered: logically, this Judge was a high-ranking official in the Underworld, so why was he so respectful and polite to Li Shimin?

Could anything a mortal emperor did affect the Underworld?

Cui Jue opened the letter and immediately beamed with joy. "I was already aware of Wei Zheng's dream-execution of the old dragon the day before yesterday and could not praise him enough for it. Furthermore, he always looks after my descendants. Since a letter has arrived today, Your Majesty, rest assured; I shall personally ensure Your Majesty's return to the living world and ascend once more to the imperial throne."

Following this, Cui Jue led Zu An to the Underworld. Zu An hadn't expected to return so soon. Looking at the Gate of Ghosts, the Yellow Springs Road, the eerie spider lilies, and the hazy Yin Mountain in the distance, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Next, the two entered a city, which was the domain of the various Kings of Hell. Zu An had not entered this area recently.

They hadn't walked far along the street when they saw the former Emperor Li Yuan, elder brother Jiancheng, and deceased brother Yuanji by the roadside. They stepped forward, exclaiming, "Shimin is here! Shimin is here!"

Jiancheng and Yuanji then rushed forward to seize and demand his life. With no cultivation now, Zu An was too slow to dodge and was instantly caught by the two.

Jiancheng furiously cursed, "It's one thing that you killed me and usurped the throne, but how could you not even spare your sister-in-law? You are worse than a beast!"

In his previous life, Zu An had indeed watched some related TV dramas, where screenwriters seemed to enjoy implying a relationship between Li Shimin and his sister-in-law. Fictionalizing history is one thing, but fabricating nonsense is another!

He hastily denied, "Absolutely not. I have always been respectful to my sister-in-law, never showing the slightest disrespect."

"If not, then why are there all sorts of rumors here in the Underworld?!" Li Jiancheng angrily cursed.

Zu An looked at Li Yuanji standing nearby, finding his face repulsive, and a wave of disgust rose in his heart. It seemed Li Shimin must have loathed this repulsive younger brother during his life. So, Zu An casually said, "It must be a misunderstanding or a rumor. I was always respectful towards my sister-in-law. I merely took in my younger brother's wife; perhaps people mistakenly thought she was my sister-in-law."

Li Yuanji: "???"

He was just enjoying the drama; how did he end up being cuckolded?

Naturally short-tempered, he could not tolerate such words. He lunged at Zu An, desperately trying to strangle him. "I'll kill you!"