Terrifying Heavens: I Slay Demons by Painting Faces

The female ghost Liang Cailing recounts her experiences.

She was a member of the Peking Opera circle, a well-known Qingyi (female lead) in the area, and naturally had many admirers because of her good looks.

Ren Zhi, the second son of the Ren family, was Ren Fa's cousin. He wanted to force a marriage, which the opera troupe naturally refused.

"All thirteen of us from Nanhua Class were thrown into the well by that Ren Zhi, our heads and feet upside down, unable to enter the underworld for reincarnation. Our souls were also trapped in the well and could not leave... When I was forced by that Ren Zhi..."

At this point, the female ghost began to wail, her tears of blood staining the ground.

"When I refused to comply, he became furious and cursed me for being blind and not recognizing the wealth of the Ren family. He then gouged out my eyes. He also cursed me for being born with a lowly appearance and then injured me with a sharp blade."

"He was afraid that the woman would harbor resentment and become a ghost to haunt him, so he threw her into the well as well, so that her body would be upside down and unable to be reincarnated... Only today, when he heard the sound of the judge's gavel, was he able to leave the well and come here."

Chen Hengyi sat up straight, his anger rising in his chest.

Chen Hengyi didn't know whether it was because of his own anger or because Bao Zheng was also angry.

He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Liang Cailing, not a single lie can be uttered in court!"

The female ghost, her words dripping with blood, knelt before Chen Hengyi, saying, "Every word I have spoken is true. The remains of the entire Nanhua troupe are still in an ancient well in a house three miles west of Renjia Town. Your Excellency can find out by investigating!"

The next second, the gavel struck.

Snapped--

"That Ren Zhi has committed such a heinous act! Now that I am aware of it, I will certainly investigate thoroughly to get to the bottom of this!"

As Chen Hengyi spoke, he suddenly stood up.

With hands clasped in a fist, he bowed towards the plaque behind him that read "Justice and Integrity," and recited in a mournful, theatrical voice: "This court will not allow any evildoer to escape justice, and will surely bring justice to the entire Nanhua troupe!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liang Cailing's body gradually became transparent, but the blood and tears were still wet.

Suddenly, a mournful opera tune rang out from the stage.

"Breaking the law without cause, and then facing criminal charges without warning..."

"The cry shook the earth and startled the heavens—no snow fell in June."

"In the next life—we'll sing again—The Tragedy of Dou E..."

"Lord Xie Qingtian..."

Eventually, everything disappeared, the temperature began to rise again, and the blood and tears on the stage were gone.

Chen Hengyi stared at the spot where the female ghost had disappeared, and finally sat back down.

He looked up at the sky, where the bright moon still hung high, but a thin layer of dark clouds obscured it.

The moon is still there, but its light never falls.

Chen Hengyi waited for a while, then suddenly shouted into the air.

"Is there still any injustice done to you?"

Suddenly, several figures appeared in the hall, and they all knelt down.

The air was thick with yin energy, and the sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling filled the air.

"Your Honor, I have been wronged!"

"Your Honor, I have been wronged too!"

Looking at this group of ghosts crying out for justice, Chen Hengyi was deeply shaken.

Uncle Nine, who was hiding to the side, was also shocked. He never expected that Chen Hengyi, who was playing Bao Gong, could attract so many wronged ghosts!

And they were all willing to appeal to him for justice.

"No falsehoods are permitted in court. If you have any grievances, speak them out immediately!"

Then, the ghosts began to recount their story.

The stories they told were all somewhat clichéd, but they were absolutely true.

Chen Hengyi, a modern man, had heard these stories many times.

That is, wealthy merchants and landlords plundered and oppressed the people, leaving them with no way to report to the authorities...

This refers to the Ren family, as well as other local gentry.

Each member of the Ren family had door gods and magical artifacts for protection.

Even if he was wronged after his death, there was no way to seek justice, and since his lifespan was not yet over, he could not be reincarnated.

Chen Hengyi listened like that until a rooster crowed.

"Your Excellency, I...I haven't finished speaking..."

But by then the sun had risen, and the ghosts vanished instantly.

Snapped!

Finally, Chen Hengyi slammed the gavel in a secluded spot.

"Court adjourned!"

.........

After removing his makeup, Chen Hengyi shed the role of Bao Gong.

But my heart still feels heavy.

He thought to himself, "There are so many disgusting things happening in Renjia Town..."

After playing Bao Gong all night, Chen Hengyi's body was not as exhausted as when he played Zhang Fei last time, but it was still somewhat worn out.

Meanwhile, the "Five Manifestations of the Spirit Official Playing with Fire Sutra" operated on its own for an entire night, yielding abundant results.

He first took out the black book and examined it.

After discovering that subduing the female ghost Xiaoyu did not yield the same reward as dealing with the zombies, there was no reward.

Chen Hengyi seemed to understand something: "It seems that not all ghosts and monsters count."

He felt that only acts of evil should be considered counted.

At this moment, Uncle Nine walked in, and he didn't look too good either.

"What are you planning to do?"

Chen Hengyi lit an incense stick and offered it to the incense burner.

He stared intently at the portrait of Master Huaguang.

"I don't consider myself a great person, but since I promised to give them justice, I can't go back on my word."

"Otherwise, how could I possibly have the face to continue playing the role of Bao Gong? And how could I expect the blessings of the ancestral masters?"

Chen Hengyi believed that he should fulfill any promise he made, whether it was made by a ghost or a human.

Unless his intention from the beginning was to deceive the other party.

Otherwise, it would not only be a breach of trust with the other party, but also with oneself.

Therefore, he had to do it!

Uncle Nine also bowed to Emperor Huaguang.

Chen Hengyi worships the patriarch of Peking Opera, while Uncle Jiu worships the guardian deity of Taoism.

Then the way he looked at Chen Hengyi was different from before.

"No wonder Marshal Huaguang values ​​him so highly."

Uncle Nine was completely convinced now. He had been a little unconvinced before, wondering why Chen Hengyi, a mere kid, could do this... but now he had no such thoughts at all.

So he said, "As a disciple of Maoshan, I cannot stand idly by when I see injustices in the world, otherwise I would have no face to face my patriarch."

Uncle Nine changed his tone and asked, "What about Ren Tingting and the captain?"

"What does Uncle Nine think?"

"Let's leave it for now."

Chen Hengyi thought so too, and now he just wanted to verify whether what Liang Cailing, the female ghost from the opera, said was true or false.

Uncle Jiu sighed: "Speaking of which, I once took Qiu Sheng and the others to listen to their performances. The female lead Chen Mianyu was absolutely amazing. Although he was a man, he was more delicate than a woman... I hadn't heard of him for a long time and thought he had closed his doors to perform. I never imagined he had been murdered."

Chen Hengyi nodded silently, and then immediately decided to set off.

Qiu Sheng knew that he had disappointed Uncle Jiu because of Xiao Yu.

So he volunteered to help.

The three of them packed everything up, took their respective equipment, and headed straight for the place the female ghost from the pear orchard had mentioned.

As for Wencai, he stayed behind to look after the house.

Just as dawn broke, someone in the Ren family mansion flew into a rage.

Ren Fa flew into a rage and berated the man in front of him.

"I told you to go find my daughter, and you said the mortuary was haunted and you were too scared to go in. I told you to go find Awei, and you said he'd disappeared?"

"I find that strange. Why haven't you ever done anything suspicious when I send you out on errands?"

A strong, muscular man lowered his head and said in terror, "Master Ren, there really were ghosts performing in that mortuary last night. We all saw many wandering ghosts lining up to go in."

Ren Fa, however, resembled an enraged lion, roaring, "The mortuary is Uncle Jiu's place, how could a ghost possibly go in and sing..."

Suddenly he paused, and Chen Hengyi inexplicably came to mind.

"Tingting went to look for him but he disappeared, and Awei went to look for him but he also disappeared... I don't know why, but I just feel like something's not right."

After a moment, Ren Fa quieted down, his eyes revealing a fierce glint.

"Grab the gun and go find Chen Hengyi. Shoot him as soon as you see him!"

"Then, Miss..."

"Kill this person first."

On the other side, Chen Hengyi and his master Jiu deliberately did not enter the city, but instead took a long detour to the west side of the town.

They saw an abandoned house, and Qiu Sheng quickly stepped forward and climbed over the wall to enter.

A moment later, Qiu Sheng opened the door with a creak and walked out.

"There's no one here and no well."

Chen Hengyi frowned and quickly walked inside.

But there was really nothing there; the ground was overgrown with weeds, as if no one had been here for several years.