Ji Yuan's two lines of poetry also made the God of Land feel similar emotions. He was still looking at the white deer, but he saw that the white deer actually bent its two front legs and knelt down in front of the God of Land.
"Oh, no, no, Miss Bai Ruo, please get up quickly. I will agree to your request, but I have already said that even if your master and I go together, the City God of the Capital may not agree!"
The God of Land grabbed the rattan stick and held it in front of the white deer, lifting it up to prevent it from kneeling again. After all, it was a fairy deer and its master was still beside it. This was too inappropriate.
Although Bai Ruo could no longer kneel, he was overjoyed when he heard the words of the God of Land.
"Thank you very much for helping me, Lord Tudi. I only hope to see Zhou Lang again. If Lord Chenghuang really doesn't want to show mercy, even if you refine my soul on the spot, I will be willing to do so and will not blame Lord Tudi for a single thing!"
Bai Ruo must remember Ji Yuan's words from before. It was okay to kneel a little, but she must not put any pressure on the God of Land. She must have a sincere heart that said, "Your willingness to help me is a great favor, and I should be grateful without complaining."
Bai Lu spoke sincerely, and the God of Land nodded after hearing it. Then he looked at Ji Yuan and the fairy sword floating behind him, and comforted Bai Lu.
"Don't worry, little white deer. Even if the City God is really heartless, your master and I are here to get you out without any problems!"
It is not easy for animals to achieve enlightenment, and even fewer animals have the opportunity to follow a true Taoist master. Although the white deer's state of mind lacks some Taoist connotations, it has a hundred percent more sincerity. It is a sincere person among all sentient beings.
The God of Land felt this particularly deeply, even more so than Ji Yuan. To some extent, he was also the god of heaven and earth who was most unwilling to see Bai Lu's foundation of Taoism be severed.
The God of Land looked at Ji Yuan standing beside him, and believed that as his master, Ji Yuan would not ignore the white deer.
'This man is unpredictable but so polite, and with such a carefree personality, it's no wonder he could teach such a strange deer girl.'
Seeing the Earth God’s statement, Bai Lu was surprised and thanked him. Naturally, Ji Yuan, the "master", could not be spared either. He also stood up from his seat and bowed to the Earth God to express his gratitude.
"Thank you for your generosity, God of Land. Ji Yuan's coming here this time was somewhat of a self-torture tactic, and I hope God of Land will forgive me!"
"Mr. Ji, you don't have to be so polite. I have heard a good story that is sincere and true. It is not a loss. It is just a little face. I don't want that thing. Let's go to the underworld now!"
"That's great, we'll set off now!"
Ji Yuan agreed immediately, and Bai Lu was even more excited.
What the God of Land meant by setting off, of course, did not mean walking out of the mansion which was covered with loess and tree roots, but lightly tapping the ground with his rattan stick.
For Yu Jiyuan and Bai Lu, they just felt slightly dizzy, and after a moment of weightlessness, they appeared outside the City God Temple in Miaosifang with a flash of yellow light.
The City God Temple is located in the Miaosifang, while the Land God Temple is located in the west of the city, with seven or eightfangs between the two ends. The move of the Land God was so powerful that even the City God, who is also a land god, could not move him even with the power of incense. He is worthy of being a god of mountains and rivers.
When they arrived outside the City God Temple, Ji Yuan looked at the Earth God, and the other party also smiled at him.
"Mr. Ji, let me speak?"
"That couldn't be better!"
This is indeed much better than Ji Yuan speaking up.
Nighttime is also the time when the underworld is most active. As they were talking, a ghost messenger had already appeared. He naturally knew the God of Land, and the person next to him must be no ordinary person as he could chat and laugh with the God of Land so freely.
"Greetings to the God of Land and this Immortal. May I ask what brings you here?"
The God of Land raised his rattan staff and pointed it at the white deer that was glowing with light and had its own spiritual charm.
"It's not a big deal. The prisoner who escaped two days ago was brought here. However, he is not a demon or an evil creature, but the immortal's lost mount, the Immortal Deer. This time, I am here with the immortal to confess my crime. I hope the officers will inform the Lord of the City God!"
The ghost was shocked immediately. The underworld knew about the previous incident, so of course he was also clear about it. But when he looked at the white deer again, he found that there was not a single evil aura at all. Instead, it was very spiritual and it was obviously a fairy beast.
"Please ask the Earth God and this immortal to wait for a moment. I will go and inform the City God immediately!"
The little ghost didn't dare to say that he had reported the matter to the Judge, so it was obvious that the City God had to step in person. But the little ghost said that the only person he could see was the Judge.
Inside the City God's underworld, the civil and military judges all looked at the ghost messenger who came to report in surprise.
"The Earth God came with an immortal? Was the immortal deer the prisoner from a few days ago?"
"That's what the God of Land said!"
The civil and military judges looked at each other.
"No wonder the day tour said that the monster endured their attacks but did not fight back, and did not fight back when fleeing. I guess it was restrained when it was cultivating immortals."
"Go and inform the City God first. We can't make a decision on this matter!"
"good!"
The two judges stood up and headed for the main hall of the underworld...
A moment later, the God of Land, Ji Yuan and the White Deer were all welcomed into the underworld.
The City God of Gyeonggi Prefecture, along with the civil and military judges and the two Sun Gods, waited for them at the entrance to the underworld. Then they went to the City God's main hall in the underworld together, without any attitude as if they were treating criminals.
The main hall building is similar to what Yin Zhaoxian described before. It is not much different from the temples outside in Gyeonggi Prefecture, except for the furnishings.
This was the first time that Ji Yuan entered the legendary underworld. Besides the eerie aura, he could also feel all kinds of resentment and hostility swirling in certain places, and Bai Lu was also visibly nervous.
After a while, at least twenty of the twenty-four great gods came.
The City God sat in the main seat, the Earth God and Ji Yuan sat beside him, and the others all stood. This situation made Bai Lu even more uneasy. She looked at Ji Yuan and the Earth God frequently, and the latter two kept winking at her to reassure her.
Ji Yuan and the God of Land had exchanged glances many times before. They both understood each other and were afraid of being rejected outright. The more this happened now, the greater the chance.
The City God of Gyeonggi Prefecture looked like a middle-aged man with a jade-like face and a tall crown, who was extremely elegant. After exchanging polite greetings with the God of Land and Ji Yuan, he solemnly inquired about the case.
After the God of Land and Ji Yuan looked at each other again, he spoke first.
"The story all started when I let the monster escape. When the monster disappeared under the Soul Locking Net, I knew there must be a master helping her... until I met Mr. Ji..."
While the Earth God was narrating, Ji Yuan would add to the story from time to time, and the two of them sang in unison, slowly telling the whole story in all its causes and consequences.
The heads of the various departments of the City God's Office would discuss in low voices and exchange glances from time to time, while the City God would frown and ponder from time to time. When Ji Yuan and the land god finished their conversation, the hall suddenly became quiet, and the sound of whispering disappeared.
"What do you think?"
After a long silence, the City God began to ask the heads of various departments.
"The law cannot be violated, and those who deserve punishment must be punished. However, our underworld is not a heartless place, and we will consider extenuating circumstances!"
"That's right, punish evil and reward good without delay!"
"That's right, that's right. Zhou Niansheng's good deeds in this life must be inseparable from his bond with the Immortal Deer!"
"That's right. Even at such a critical moment that day, this deer didn't hurt my underworld officials at all. It really shows his kind nature!"
"Well, it is precious that you are willing to endure the pain of soul refinement for your husband!"
…
From the Department of Rewarding the Good and the Department of Punishing the Evil to the Department of Yin and Yang, the chief officials of each department found that although they kept saying "the laws are strict", they always showed an attitude of "leniency outside the law".
Bai Lu was not stupid. Whenever the head of an official from various departments spoke up to plead for her in a subtle way, she would bow her head towards the other party.
The City God looked at his subordinates from various departments, all of whom were almost unanimous in sympathizing with the White Deer, and a smile appeared on his lips. It seemed that he was usually too majestic, making these subordinates think that his heart was really made of stone
"Okay, I've broken off!"
As soon as the City God spoke, all the discussions disappeared. Ji Yuan and the Earth God also sat up straight with a little nervousness, and Bai Lu lowered his head and dared not look at the City God.
"Two hundred and sixty blows of the Soul Tempering Whip as punishment. If you can hold on, I will allow you to go to Zhou Niansheng's grave to accompany him."
As soon as the City God finished speaking, everyone around him was shocked and horrified.
"Hiss... Two hundred and sixty times, Lord City God... This is too heavy..."
"Yes, Lord City God, this white deer will be beaten to death!"
All the supervisors in the underworld pleaded for mercy. Although Ji Yuan and the God of Land did not understand, they knew that the punishment was definitely very severe.
However, the City God smiled and raised his hand to stop the noise, then looked at the white deer in front of him.
"Your cultivation is pretty good, and your demon soul must be solid. But I can tell you that your demon soul can only withstand 200 hits from the Soul Tempering Whip at most. After that, every additional hit will mean a narrow escape. Do you still want to see Zhou Niansheng?"
The City God stood up and approached the white deer.
"If you regret it now, for the sake of the God of Land and Mr. Ji, I will forgive you and let you go! Bai Ruo, tell me, do you still want to see Zhou Niansheng?"
The God of Land looked at the white deer's eyes and thought something was wrong. He wanted to stand up and speak but he held Ji Yuan's arm and shook his head at him.
Sure enough, Bai Lu spoke with tears in her eyes but with determination.
"want!"
"Hahahahahahahahaha... Okay, then Zhou Niansheng will live in the Yin for twenty-six years, and you will receive ten lashes every year. If you can't bear it, you can leave, how about that?"
The City God said this after laughing.
All the ghosts and gods in the field were stunned for a moment, but Ji Yuan and the God of Land were the first to smile. Seeing that Bai Lu was still in a daze, Ji Yuan hurriedly said to Bai Lu.
"Why don't you thank the City God for showing mercy?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Lu reacted and knelt down, then transformed into a woman in white and kept kowtowing to the City God. Then, she expressed her sincere gratitude to Ji Yuan, the God of Land, and the heads of various departments. Her mind was clear and she looked even more spiritual with joy and gratitude.