The Grievance Petition Officer of the Palace of Yama (Part 2)
Continued from "Yu's Reincarnation Story: The Grievance Petition Officer of the Palace of Yama (Part 1)"
The Death of Jing Yue
During the middle period of the Song Dynasty, there lived a scholar named Jing Kai. "Jing" was his family name, ranked 217th in the Hundred Family Surnames and traced back to descendants of the Ji clan of the Zhou Dynasty.
From an early age, Jing Kai displayed exceptional intelligence and was widely read. However, because he was not eloquent and was born to a concubine, he was not highly regarded by his father or the clan elders.
His mother, Lady Zhen, had originally been Master Jing's personal maidservant. She was intelligent, gentle, considerate, and deeply devoted to Buddhism. She raised her children with great care and instilled strong values in them.
Among them, her third son, Jing Kai, was the most outstanding. He had already passed the prefectural examination and was preparing to travel to the capital to sit for the provincial examination.
Jing Kai's elder half-brother, Jing Yue, was the eldest son of Lady Cen, the principal wife. He too was highly intelligent and had long been Jing Kai's academic rival.
As the legitimate eldest son of the family, Jing Yue enjoyed far more support and resources from their father and the clan elders than Jing Kai ever did.
Blessed with every advantage, Jing Yue nevertheless knew that his scholarship could not match Jing Kai's. Jealousy took root in his heart. He frequently joined forces with classmates to bully his younger brother, provoking him with insults and mocking the humble status of his mother.
Whenever Jing Kai confided his grievances to Lady Zhen, she instructed him to guard his character and never argue with Jing Yue. Jing Kai took her words to heart and always treated his elder brother with respect.
Soon, the two brothers set out together for the capital to take the provincial examination.
After the examination, however, only Jing Kai returned home to await the results.
Where was Jing Yue?
When family members asked why Jing Yue had not returned with him, Jing Kai produced a letter. According to the letter, Jing Yue had decided to remain in the capital after the examination and travel with friends before returning home.
Their father was furious.
"While your parents are alive, you should not travel far from home without good reason. After the examination, he should have come home to report to his parents before going off on some pleasure trip. How can he be so irresponsible?"
Lady Cen defended her son.
"The boy has just finished a major examination. Let him relax for a while. What's wrong with that?"
Besides, making a round trip between home and the capital would be exhausting and expensive. It was more practical for him to travel directly from there.
Master Jing frowned but eventually agreed.
Although Jing Yue and Jing Kai were half-brothers, they looked remarkably alike and were nearly the same height. The only reliable way for family members to tell them apart was their very different personalities.
Jing Yue was confident and articulate.
Jing Kai was reserved and often remained silent because he was not skilled with words.
Not long afterward, news arrived from the capital that the eldest son, Jing Yue, had been murdered while traveling after attracting the attention of criminals seeking his money.
The entire Jing household was plunged into mourning.
White funeral cloths were hung throughout the estate.
Despite spending considerable resources searching for him, the family was unable to locate Jing Yue's body. Lady Cen fainted from grief several times.
Lady Zhen reproached Jing Kai for failing in his duty as a brother.
"You should have accompanied Jing Yue on his travels. How could you let him wander alone and fall victim to robbers?"
Jing Kai lowered his head.
"Mother's criticism is entirely justified," he replied.
Yet Jing Huo, who stood nearby, noticed something unsettling hidden behind Jing Kai's normally expressionless face.
There was a strange coldness in his eyes.
The Ghost in the Ruined Temple
One day, a wandering Daoist cultivator named Bu Ying arrived at a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the capital to rest.
Bu Ying practiced an ancient Daoist discipline known as the Art of Inner Contemplation.
When he entered deep meditation, his celestial sight would open, allowing him to perceive beings throughout the Three Realms.
He quickly found a relatively clean spot inside the ruined temple and sat down to meditate.
Meditation allowed cultivators to rest deeply and recover their strength rapidly. Before long, the fatigue in his legs disappeared, and his body felt completely refreshed.
As Bu Ying entered a state of profound concentration, he reached a condition known as ding—a meditative state in which the physical body seemed to vanish, all distracting thoughts ceased, and yet awareness remained extraordinarily clear.
At that moment, his celestial sight opened.
In a corner of the temple, he saw a grayish-blue spirit flickering in the shadows.
Looking more closely, he saw a young scholar dressed in blue robes.
The youth's face was pale and lifeless. His expression carried deep sorrow, as though he had suffered a tremendous injustice.
The two began to converse.
Bu Ying possessed the ability to send the scholar's spirit directly to the underworld, but doing so by force would create karmic consequences for both of them.
The young scholar introduced himself as Jing Kai.
Several months earlier, after completing the provincial examination, he had begun his journey home. Because he lacked sufficient travel funds, he had spent a night in this ruined temple.
Late that evening, after extinguishing the lamp and going to sleep, several men dressed in black suddenly appeared.
They attacked him with knives and murdered him.
He had no idea what became of his body.
His soul remained trapped at the scene of the crime, unable to leave.
The isolation and helplessness were unbearable, and he longed desperately for his mother and siblings.
Hearing the tragic story, Bu Ying was moved with compassion.
"I can use my powers to guide you to the underworld," he said. "Would you like that?"
The possibility of finally leaving this place filled Jing Kai with hope.
Naturally, he agreed.
Bu Ying then employed his spiritual abilities and escorted the young scholar into the underworld.
To learn what happened next, stay tuned for next week's installment of "Yu's Reincarnation Story: The Grievance Petition Officer of the Palace of Yama (Part 3)."