Terrifying Heavens: I Slay Demons by Painting Faces

Judge Bao could judge the yang by day and the yin by night.

Chen Hengyi picked up his pen.

With an iron face as the ink base, and a worried brow, he cares deeply for the common people.

The first month of the lunar calendar illuminates the yin and yang, and a majestic spirit resonates throughout Kaifeng.

Before the ink was dry, a stern, unyielding black face appeared in the mirror.

The crescent moon on her forehead was perfectly aligned, without the slightest tilt.

This is exactly what a black forehead and crescent-shaped face looks like.

Bao Zheng, the incorruptible and impartial judge, made impartial and honest judgments in both the living and the dead!

There's an unwritten rule when playing Bao Gong: the crescent moon on the forehead can't be drawn straight, otherwise the wronged ghosts will think it's the real Bao Gong.

At night, I would go to the actor to seek justice, and then I would encounter ghosts.

Therefore, in any play about Bao Gong, the crescent moon is always drawn crooked, meaning that they are just actors.

But Chen Hengyi is going to interrogate ghosts tonight!

When Chen Hengyi put down his brush, he felt as if he could breathe a sigh of relief.

He seemed to sense the thoughts of the Kaifeng prefect from a thousand years ago.

He wanted to roar, to interrogate the entire Renjia Town.

He wanted to ask Ren Fa if he was really that domineering.

"Today I will not only interrogate ghosts, but also people!" Chen Hengyi silently recited in his heart, his gaze resolute.

Evening came quickly.

As night deepened, a chilling wind suddenly rose within the mortuary courtyard, causing the ashes of paper money to swirl and drift into the air.

Suddenly, a plaintive, drawn-out voice rang out: "Brother Sheng~"

"Hmm!" Qiu Sheng, who had been dozing off while tied to the pillar, suddenly woke up.

Then it struggled frantically.

Wen Cai sighed, "Qiu Sheng, don't bother. There are enough ropes to tie up even a zombie... Have you ever seen a zombie? It's a pity you're not here. Let me tell you..."

A cold wind blew in and entered the mortuary.

"Brother Sheng~" the voice continued to call out.

Wen Cai was rambling on and on, but upon hearing the eerie ghostly wail, he couldn't help but shudder.

Suddenly, the sound of a gavel rang out.

Snapped!

"Who's making such a racket outside?!"

The loud and clear opera singing seemed to have come from Kaifeng Prefecture in the Northern Song Dynasty, carrying an undeniable air.

The eerie wind transformed into a female ghost and suddenly fell onto the stage.

This female ghost is none other than Xiaoyu, who is in love with Qiusheng!

She was dressed in a simple, light gauze dress, looking around warily.

But he found himself in a courtroom.

Looking up, I saw the four large characters "fairness and integrity," and below them sat a person.

Wearing an official hat and a black python robe, with a dark face and a silver moon-like complexion, he sat examining himself.

"Bao Zheng!?" Xiao Yu's expression changed.

"Really?"

"Hey, who are you here? What grievances do you have? Why don't you state your name!" Chen Hengyi recited in a theatrical voice, and the entire courtroom seemed to echo him.

"I...I..." Xiaoyu seemed to be stunned, not quite able to react for a moment.

But then Wencai suddenly appeared, which immediately alerted Xiaoyu.

But Wencai completely ignored her and shouted, "Your Honor, I have been wronged!"

"What injustice has been committed?"

"I want to sue that female ghost Dong Xiaoyu for wreaking havoc between the living and the dead, bewitching my fellow disciple Qiu Sheng, draining his life force and causing him to lose his mind, thus ruining the reputation of Maoshan!"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu's face changed drastically, and she hurriedly cried out, "My lord, I'm innocent!"

Chen Hengyi chuckled to himself, "I've fooled her!"

That's great, she believed it.

Chen Hengyi stroked his beard, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly: "You're that female ghost?"

"It is indeed I, Xiaoyu." Xiaoyu trembled, prostrated herself on the ground, and kowtowed, her voice trembling, "Your Excellency, please understand! I and Qiusheng are deeply in love, and I had absolutely no intention of harming him!"

A cold glint flashed between Chen Hengyi's brows, and he slammed the gavel again.

"Snapped!"

"Yin and Yang have their order, and the human and the ghost are on different paths! Since you are already dead, why do you linger in the mortal world and haunt the living?"

His voice was like thunder, and cinnabar talismans faintly appeared on the walls of the courtroom, sealing off the female ghost's escape route.

On the other side, Qiu Sheng, who witnessed all of this, struggled frantically, realizing that Xiao Yu had been deceived.

Chen Hengyi slammed his gavel, revealing Xiaoyu's true form.

The head was covered in rotting flesh, and the stench of decay permeated the air.

Inside the hall, Wen Cai swallowed hard, his heart filled with dread.

Qiu Sheng on the other side stopped moving, his face looking like he was constipated.

"How could you do this?!" Uncle Nine shuddered.

Uncle Nine felt he should re-evaluate his apprentice's tastes.

Chen Heng, in a fit of rage, shouted, "Humans have their way, ghosts have their way, yin and yang should be clearly distinguished! Female ghost Dong Xiaoyu, I ask you, Qiusheng, do you know your true face?"

Xiaoyu looked bitter, then shook her head.

"You can use illusion magic to bewitch people!? You can devour people's vital energy!"

Xiaoyu fell silent, but then Chen Hengyi slammed his gavel.

Snapped--!

Xiaoyu trembled and immediately cried out, "I know I was wrong."

"How can you say that you're mutually attracted to each other?! This is so absurd!"

"I ask you again, have you ever murdered anyone?!"

Upon hearing this, Dong Xiaoyu frantically shook her head in denial, but Chen Hengyi ignored her.

On the other side, Uncle Nine shook his head, indicating that there was no such thing.

Chen Hengyi's beard trembled, and a silver crescent moon appeared on his forehead. He said sternly, "Dong Xiaoyu! Although you have not killed any living beings, your actions that disrupt the balance of Yin and Yang cannot go unpunished. This court hereby punishes you to stand before the spirit altar and recite scriptures day and night to repent. Only after your lifespan has run out can you go to the underworld to be reincarnated!"

"Do you acknowledge it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Dong Xiaoyu suddenly looked up, her terrifying ghost face revealing a sinister expression.

The next moment, she suddenly stood up and transformed into a gust of cold wind, about to leave.

"I don't admit it!"

Chen Hengyi snorted angrily, and the crescent moon between his eyebrows became incredibly bright, just like a bright moon echoing the moon in the sky.

Snapped--!

The gavel struck with the force of thunder, like a chilling wind.

The female ghost Xiaoyu was unable to move again.

"Your crime is compounded, arrest him—!" The angry voice trailed off, like thunder rumbling, the echo lingering long afterward.

At this moment, Uncle Nine jumped out, holding a ghost urn in his hand, with yellow talismans and the Eight Trigrams drawn on it.

Xiaoyu's expression changed drastically, but she was helpless and was taken inside in the blink of an eye.

Uncle Nine's lips curled up as he saw Qiu Sheng's face turn ashen, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Not only did Qiu Sheng subdue the female ghost, he also clearly gave up such thoughts and will likely restrain himself in the future.

Uncle Nine was very satisfied with this. He felt that although Chen Hengyi's method was a bit tedious, it was more effective than his.

He then looked at Chen Hengyi, who was sitting upright, and opened his mouth as if to say something.

But just then, a cry of anguish rang out from outside the stage.

"Waaaaahh ...

After the crying subsided, the mournful and plaintive opera singing echoed throughout the entire mortuary, sending chills down his spine.

Wen Cai's face turned pale, and his teeth started chattering.

"Your Honor, I, a humble woman, have been wronged!"

Chen Hengyi was startled.

An unexpected ghost appeared.

She can even sing opera!

Uncle Nine also instantly became alert, and he quickly pulled the stunned Wen Cai away from the stage.

Just as Uncle Nine left, a female ghost dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes appeared and knelt before Chen Hengyi.

As soon as it appeared, Chen Hengyi felt the temperature drop suddenly, and a thin layer of white mist rose in the hall.

The female ghost looked up, and a pair of empty eye sockets came into Chen Hengyi's view, along with a knife scar on her face!

She was shedding tears of blood.

Chen Hengyi suppressed his unease and continued playing the role.

He said, "Who is below? What grievance do you have? Speak quickly!"

The female ghost's operatic recitation sounded as if echoing in a deep well, giving people goosebumps.

"Liang Cailing, a commoner, was originally a performer in the Peking Opera world. Three years ago, she was invited to perform in Renjia Town, but unexpectedly, she caught the eye of Ren Zhi, the second son of the Ren family..."