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墨書 Inktalez
People are often true to their names. Xing Ruyi originally did not believe this saying until he met Wu Youde, and he realized that the words of the ancients were indeed grounded in truth. Wu Youde, Wu Youde, had neither friends nor virtues.
In his youth, Wu Youde was a man who sought beauty. Unfortunately, his family was poor; his parents worked hard all their lives but could only afford to marry him off to a daughter-in-law, not a beautiful one. Wu Youde harbored a grudge, thinking that if he couldn't marry a pretty daughter-in-law, he would rely on his own abilities to take several beautiful concubines.
Sadly, Wu Youde was not as capable as his parents. Although they lacked great skills, they lived diligently and left some savings for him when they passed away. Wu Youde, however, was proud and determined to make marrying a beautiful wife and concubines his life goal. As a result of his laziness and dreaming without working hard, he led a confused life. In the end, he left behind only a son, thanks to the ugly daughter-in-law he looked down upon.
The saying goes that poverty does not last beyond three generations. By the time it reached Wu Youde's son, the family's fortunes finally began to change.
Wu Youde's son may not have been particularly wise, but like his mother, he was practical and hardworking. He saved up quite a bit of money by doing labor for others. When he turned seventeen, Wu Youde arranged for him to marry a daughter-in-law of his choosing. This daughter-in-law was selected by Wu Youde himself; although her features were not particularly striking, her face was delicate, her skin fair, and she had an alluring figure.
Since his son worked away from home for long periods, Wu Youde turned his attention to his daughter-in-law. Taking advantage of casual conversations, he began to make inappropriate advances. As his boldness grew with each encounter, he even forced her into an affair with him. Naturally, the daughter-in-law refused, and in a despicable act, Wu Youde drugged her food.
Although Wu Youde's daughter-in-law came from a respectable family, she was also a strong-willed woman. Upon waking up after being drugged, she grabbed a kitchen knife and stormed into Wu Youde's room with the intent to kill him. Despite Wu Youde's bravado while committing those vile acts, when faced with real danger, he resembled nothing more than a cowardly turtle.
Seeing his daughter-in-law approach with the knife made Wu Youde realize that this was a case of stealing chickens but losing rice instead; if word got out about what happened, it would be trouble with the government office and endless gossip from neighbors.
He contemplated that it would be better to keep family shame private and quickly jumped out of the window to find his son.
When Wu Youde's son arrived home and learned about what had happened with his wife, he was both furious and upset and immediately picked up a nearby stool.
Wu Youde saw this and thought that indeed father and son were alike—one wielding a knife and the other holding a stool—both ready to kill him. His legs went weak as he fell to the ground in despair, weeping and cursing himself for drinking too much and losing his mind to commit such disgraceful acts.
He pointed at his son and lamented how he had worked hard all his life only for this son to want to kill him over these matters. Brothers are like limbs; women are like clothing; yet here he was as a father being treated worse than someone else's brother or even clothing. He banged his head on the ground and shouted: "Aren't you going to kill me? Aren't you going to beat me to death with that stool? Come on! A son killing his own father will not be forgiven by anyone at the government office; even the master will look down on it! If I die, it's my fault; but you will also end up in prison! Then there will only be two pitiful grandsons left behind—orphans without parents!"
Despite her hatred for Wu Youde, the daughter-in-law still thought of her two children. So she put down the knife and shook her husband's hand: "Forget it; just consider it my fault for being bitten by this dog. If you're upset about this, then divorce me; at least let me come back occasionally to see our children."
Wu Youde's son may have been honest but knew that this matter was not his wife's fault. He understood what kind of person his father was; his deceased mother knew well too. However despicable Wu Youde might be, he was still his biological father. So he turned around and hugged his sister-in-law while crying bitterly.
That night, Wu Youde's son drank heavily for the first time. His sister-in-law took care of him until late at night, but eventually succumbed to sleep. When she opened her eyes the next morning, she saw her husband hanging from the beam with his belt. She touched his body and found it already cold.
Seeing her husband had died in such a manner, Wu Youde's daughter-in-law felt a deep sense of despair and also took her own life. In one night, the Wu family lost two lives.
As for Wu Youde, he was indeed saddened for a while. After all, with his son gone, the breadwinner of the family was lost. But upon reflection, he felt somewhat relieved. With his son and daughter-in-law dead, no one would know about the disgraceful things he had done.
With his son and daughter-in-law gone, Wu Youde was left with a pair of grandsons. The elder was not yet five years old, and the younger was still an infant. Wu Youde claimed that at his old age he could not support the infant grandson, so he sold him off. He then used the money from selling his grandson to buy a child bride for the elder grandson.
This child bride was ostensibly for the elder grandson but was actually brought back to Wu Youde's own room. At that time, Wu Youde was forty-six years old, while the child bride was not yet fourteen. Regardless, Wu Youde disregarded everything and forced himself on her day and night. Within a few months, she became pregnant and, overwhelmed by shame and anger, took her own life.
In less than six months, three people had died in the Wu family. Neighbors began to gossip about these events; some astute individuals even pieced together what had happened. Wu Youde became known as "Beastly Old Man" among the townsfolk, implying he was worse than a beast.
Moreover, some neighbors had nothing better to do than visit the graves of Wu Youde's son and daughter-in-law to recount all that had transpired in the Wu family. The daughter-in-law, worried about her two young children, lingered in the underworld unwilling to reincarnate. Upon hearing their words, she immediately knelt before the King of Hell. Coincidentally, the Ghost Messenger was also escorting Wu Youde's sister-in-law and they both knelt together, shedding tears as they embraced.
The King of Hell knew well how to handle matters. Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law crying so pitifully in the underworld, he decided to maintain peace in his realm and prevent two more vengeful spirits from arising due to hatred. He pointed with his hand and ordered the Ghost Messenger to lock up Wu Youde.
Before the Judge, Wu Youde could not deny anything and obediently confessed.
The King of Hell looked at the kneeling mother-in-law and daughter-in-law before glancing at Wu Youde and asked the Judge: "Humans are not beasts; how could one be so wicked? What judgment do you think would appease their grievances?"
The Judge put down his pen, stood up respectfully, and said to the King of Hell: "I believe we should first cut out Wu Youde's tongue. A long tongue is meant for speaking clearly; however, everything that comes from Wu Youde's mouth cannot be trusted. Furthermore, I believe we should confiscate his tools of harm to prevent him from causing further damage in life. What does Your Majesty think?"
The King of Hell nodded slightly in agreement.
As the Ghost Messenger approached, Wu Youde turned pale with fear; his legs weakened and he fell to the ground begging for mercy. He claimed he understood his wrongs and was willing to enter the Eighteen Layers of Hell to suffer torment but pleaded with the King of Hell to spare him something so that he might have a chance to atone in his next life.
The King of Hell showed mercy and granted his request immediately.
As the story reached this point, Xing Ruyi frowned and muttered, "The guy I know isn't someone who speaks so nicely."
Then she turned her gaze to the Turtle lying on the ground. "Even though you've turned into a Turtle, you still have a tongue that can speak. It seems the King of Hell didn't cut out your tongue. As for your... I remember Turtles are divided into males and females, right?"
The Turtle probably didn't expect Xing Ruyi to be so unreserved. After hearing its story, she could still ask such questions in front of it. It stared at her with wide eyes for a moment before slowly retracting its head back into its shell.
Thinking about the Turtle's past behavior, Xing Ruyi couldn't help but feel a bit nauseous. She stood up, took a deep breath, and said to the Turtle, "I used to be a doctor, specializing in gynecology, but I've also treated male patients. In the eyes of a doctor, there are no men or women, only sick people and healthy people. Of course, in principle, patients can be divided into two categories: those worth saving and those not worth saving. Which category does Mr. Turtle think he belongs to? Oh, I almost forgot, you're no longer human now."
The Turtle looked at Xing Ruyi with frustration. "I've moved on. Even if I was foolish in my past life and made some mistakes, Master has already punished me."
"That wasn't Master punishing you; it was the King of Hell dealing with you." Xing Ruyi pointed around and then gestured to the ground. "This world and the underworld are not the same place. Master only concerns himself with matters above; occasionally, he might intervene in human affairs, but generally speaking, it's still the King of Hell who has the final say down here. If he hears that you think his punishment was Master’s doing, he might not take it well. As for what Master thinks about it, that's another matter altogether."
Feeling dizzy from listening to her, the Turtle simply shook its head and withdrew its head into its shell.
"Whether it's punishment or dealing with me, I've already had my treasures taken by those fierce Ghost Messengers in the Underworld."
Just as the Turtle finished speaking, Xing Ruyi heard someone outside asking, "Is Shopkeeper Wang here? I'm here to collect the turtle."
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