Chapter Seven: The Punishment of Liaochen

Brilliant rays of golden light rolled across the crimson sky, auspicious energies surged in purple mists.

Within the grand Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Jade Emperor sat solemnly upon his cloud-borne throne. Gazing at the assembly of immortals below, he opened a memorial freshly delivered from the Underworld and spoke, “Ever since the Heavenly Law withdrew and spiritual energy scattered from the mortal realm, I believed there would be no more mortals of great power to defy celestial edicts, and thus peace would reign. Yet, after only a few years of calm, another mortal Daoist has forcibly entered the Underworld, disrupted the balance of yin and yang, broken the Gates of Ghosts, and smuggled souls. What do you all propose should be done?”

The hall fell into utter silence. Fresh events from the mortal realm were rare, and how could any immortal not pay close attention? The details of the incident could hardly be hidden from such august company. Yet, once the truth was clear, none wished to speak. Why? For the ancestor of the involved party still stood in the hall. If they advocated no punishment, where was the authority of the Celestial Law? If they called for punishment, would they not make an enemy? Moreover, the cycles of fate were nearly complete, and no one knew when calamity might befall them next. Why make unnecessary enemies? Besides, the grand patriarch of the celestial immortals had yet to arrive.

The Jade Emperor’s face darkened. Since the rise of Buddhism and Daoism, he had grown estranged from the immortals. Once, he hoped to use Buddhism to check the immortals’ power, but after Buddhism flourished, they discarded their ally, ignoring him completely. Several Supreme Lords grew dissatisfied, dragging the other immortals into subtle opposition against their emperor. If not for the fact that his title was ordained by Heaven itself, he would have long since lost his throne.

“Venus, you speak,” the Jade Emperor said at last, turning to his trusted confidant to break the silence.

“Your Majesty,” Venus, the white-bearded immortal who had attained Dao from stone, replied, “Though the mortal Daoist Liaochen did violate the Celestial Law, his motives were not without reason. After breaking the Gates of Ghosts, he guarded them and slew countless evildoers, preventing any wicked souls from escaping. Your Majesty should show leniency, allowing him to atone through meritorious deeds.”

Venus had been polished by millennia; even the hardest stone wore smooth with time. He had no wish to make enemies. Pleasing the Jade Emperor earned little, but offending others could breed lasting resentment.

The Jade Emperor, displeased, turned to another. “Star of Celestial Punishment, you are in charge of heavenly law. What say you?”

The Star of Celestial Punishment pursed his lips, thinking, “Why are you asking a mere minor official such a question?” Yet he could only step forward and declare, “I agree with Venus’ assessment.”

Which was as good as saying nothing at all. The Jade Emperor scanned the hall for a new voice. At that moment, Li Jing, the Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King, stepped forth and declared, “Your Majesty, a law is a law. To violate the Celestial Law is to invite punishment, else where does its authority lie? How can Your Majesty rule the Three Realms?”

Lu Dongbin, who had been relaxed, felt his heart lurch at these words. “As expected, Li Jing, once a celestial deity, now sides with the Western faith. He means to crush the Daoist tradition in the mortal realm and bolster the Buddhist cause!”

“Your Majesty, though the Celestial Law is strict, there must be allowance for merit. The Daoist Liaochen, though in violation, has accrued much merit. He should not be harshly punished,” argued another immortal who had long disapproved of Li Jing’s betrayal.

Each immortal in the hall was a wily elder of many tens of thousands of years; they immediately saw through Li Jing’s intent. This was nothing but another skirmish in the struggle between Daoism and Buddhism. But this was the Eastern Land, not a Western Buddhist kingdom. So, one after another, the immortals pleaded for leniency, leaving the Jade Emperor in a quandary. What seemed a minor matter now entangled the great rivalry between Dao and Buddha; he could not decide rashly.

After long deliberation, he turned at last to Lu Dongbin, who had remained silent. “Immortal of East Flower, Liaochen is your disciple’s disciple. What do you propose?”

Lu Dongbin, hearing his name, responded unabashed, “My sect has its rules. One who violates the Celestial Law shall be returned to the mountain gate, to meditate in repentance for a thousand years atop the Cliff of Nine Heavens’ Fierce Wind. What does Your Majesty think?”

The Jade Emperor nearly fell backward in exasperation. Was this punishment or reward? In the mortal realm, Liaochen faced thin spiritual energy and slow cultivation. To confine him to the mountain gate above the heavens was to grant him a boon! Shameless!

With a wave of his hand, the Jade Emperor rejected the proposal. Lu Dongbin had expected as much and quietly returned to his place.

“Since the immortals are agreed on leniency, I shall show mercy. Let him serve in the Underworld, to slay nine hundred ninety-nine evil spirits and thus atone for his crime against the Gates of Ghosts. So be it,” the Jade Emperor decreed, unwilling to offend the Daoist sects too deeply. Thus, he meted out a light punishment and spared Liaochen.

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, Liaochen had already crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness, heading straight to the Fifth Court, where the King of Hell, Bao Zheng—known as the Blue Sky Judge—presided over the Great Howling Hell and sixteen lesser hells of soul-torment. Liaochen’s first impression upon seeing Lord Bao was of darkness; in the gloom of the Yama’s hall, if not for the eerie green light and his golden official robes, Liaochen would scarcely have seen him at all. Yet Liaochen dared not show the slightest disrespect to this revered lord of earthly justice, bowing deeply, “This humble Daoist Liaochen pays respects to Your Excellency, King of Yama.”

“Rise,” Lord Bao intoned from his lofty seat. Beside him stood a red-ink scribe, whose identity Liaochen did not know. Below, fierce-faced demon wardens glowered, and the air was thick with menace. From time to time, the wails of souls being led to hell for punishment echoed through the hall, adding to the terror.

“Why did you force your way into the Underworld, knowing it was a violation of celestial law?” Lord Bao asked.

Liaochen made no attempt to hide the truth. “In a moment of weakness, I allowed greed to flourish among men, leading to a scramble for treasure and countless deaths—many whose fates should not have ended so. It was my fault! To make amends, I broke the Gates of Ghosts and returned the souls to the living world, so that the land would not be filled with widows and orphans.” Bowing again, he added, “I know I have little hope of mercy and come to receive my punishment. I beg Your Excellency to pass judgment.”

But Lord Bao suddenly gave a shadowy smile. “You sly fox! Do you think I, Bao, have judged cases for so many years without seeing through your tricks? Your case is already in the hands of Heaven, beyond the Underworld’s jurisdiction. The Jade Emperor himself will judge you. If not for your good intentions, I’d have sent you straight to the Great Howling Hell to show you what torment truly is.”

Liaochen broke into a cold sweat. His old habit of cunning had nearly gotten the best of him before Lord Bao—was he not just delivering himself into danger?

“Zhong Kui, take this fellow away and hold him until the celestial decree arrives. We’ll decide then. Begone!” Lord Bao was busy and had no wish to argue further, instructing Zhong Kui to take Liaochen away.

As they left, Zhong Kui turned to Liaochen and said quietly, “Lord Bao thinks highly of you.”