Chapter 26: Reincarnation Under the Burden of Sin

Not long after Wu Zidan was arrested, he was sentenced to death and executed by firing squad in the autumn of that year.

Half a month before his death, his sinful soul was seized by hellish messengers and brought to the Palace of King Yama for judgment. At that time, while he was languishing in prison, his complexion was pale, his mind was muddled, and he was listless. Furthermore, sores erupted all over his body for no reason, oozing pus and emitting an unbearable stench. The prison doctor applied medicinal lotions to mask the odor, performing a symbolic treatment, but the sores never healed and continued to fester. The doctor could not identify the cause of this illness, dismissing it as a stubborn, mysterious ailment. In reality, it was the result of his sinful soul being tortured in hell.

In the underworld, those who have committed murder are subjected to gruesome punishments, and Wu Zidan was no exception. After the trial in the Palace of King Yama, his soul was escorted directly to hell by ghost guards. First, he was lashed with whips until his skin split and his flesh tore. Before his wounds could heal, he was thrown into a pit filled with countless giant, venomous scorpions. Although he suffered in the underworld, his physical body in the realm of the living showed clear, agonizing reactions, suffering from extensive decay that defied all medical treatment.

Some might wonder: if a person’s soul is taken by the messengers of the underworld, how can the person remain alive? There is a reason for this. Humans possess three souls and seven spirits. The three souls are the Heavenly Soul, the Earthly Soul, and the Human Soul. The Earthly Soul is governed by the Earthly Court, the Heavenly Soul by the Heavenly Court, and the Human Soul by the Human Court. The seven spirits are the spirits of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and intent. If one soul or spirit is disturbed, the others are inevitably affected.

In Wu Zidan’s case, the underworld messengers had seized his Earthly Soul, and his Heavenly Soul was subsequently imprisoned, which is why he had become so dull-witted as his execution date approached. Although he had not yet been put to death, he felt his neck growing stiff—a clear, ominous sign of impending doom. Moreover, his seven spirits began to fail one after another, most notably those of his eyes and blood. His gaze lost its luster, and medical tests confirmed he was suffering from severe anemia.

The so-called "Human Soul governed by the Human Court" means that if you violate the laws of the nation, you must face the consequences. These consequences are visible; the living world exists in a three-dimensional space of finite length, width, and height, which prioritizes materialism. Therefore, the method of execution in the mortal world is simply to destroy the criminal’s physical body. Once the body is lost, the Human Soul loses its vessel and perishes. Wu Zidan, executed for his crimes, is a testament to this. For him, the day of his execution was the moment his Human Soul ceased to exist. Only the Heavenly and Earthly souls are truly immortal.

After Wu Zidan was executed, his sinful soul—specifically, his Earthly Soul—finished its term of punishment in hell and was ready to be reincarnated. Because his sins were so grave, those who emerge from hell often lose their human form, entering either the path of hungry ghosts or the path of beasts.

When Wu Zidan’s soul was escorted by underworld officers to the Palace of the Wheel-Turning King, a debate ensued regarding his reincarnation. The Wheel-Turning King, being democratic, invited officials from the underworld to discuss the matter, leading to two opposing views. One side argued that Wu Zidan was filled with malice and had even murdered his wife; his crimes were unforgivable, and he did not deserve to be human, suggesting he be reincarnated as a beast like a snake or scorpion. The other side argued that his stubbornness stemmed from hatred, and his killing of his wife was understandable, as she had been unfaithful first. Furthermore, he had committed no other crimes in his lifetime, and under the laws of the living, he had already paid with his life, a case of "a life for a life." To demote him to a beast would be unjust.

At this point, Underworld Official A argued that while it appeared Wu Zidan had killed only his wife, he was actually responsible for two lives, as his child, Wu Ying’s, death was directly linked to his actions; had he not killed the mother, the child would have been cared for and would not have died of illness. Underworld Official B countered, arguing that from the perspective of the Law of Karma, Wu Ying’s death was a result of a past-life grievance between father and child, and Wu Ying had appeared as a specific karmic creditor, meaning Wu Zidan was not to blame. This rebuttal seemed to gain consensus, and no other officials raised objections for the time being.

The Wheel-Turning King, finding merit in both arguments, asked the officials whether Wu Zidan should be reincarnated as a human, a ghost, or a beast. Silence fell over the hall, followed by a heated, noisy debate. The Wheel-Turning King raised both hands to call for silence, and the room quieted instantly.

The Wheel-Turning King said, "Let us do this: today, we shall follow the practice of the living world where the minority obeys the majority. Of the ten officials present, those who agree that Wu Zidan should be reincarnated as a human, raise your hands. If more than half vote in favor, he shall return as a human; otherwise, he shall become a ghost or a beast."

No sooner had he finished speaking than six hands were raised. The Wheel-Turning King was puzzled—there were ten officials, five had raised their hands, but five had not; how could there be an extra hand? Following the King’s gaze, they noticed that Underworld Official B, who strongly supported Wu Zidan, was standing to his left. While raising his own right hand to vote, he had used his left hand to grab Wu Zidan’s right hand and hoisted it into the air. That was how the extra hand appeared.

The Wheel-Turning King smiled and gestured for everyone to lower their hands. Only Wu Zidan’s hand remained raised. The King gave a nod to Official B, who understood and pressed Wu Zidan’s raised hand back down.

"I know some of you have objections," the Wheel-Turning King said. "But consider this: Wu Zidan has consumed the Soup of Forgetfulness and is in a daze, devoid of consciousness. In such a state, even if Official B helped him raise his hand, once the official let go, the hand should have dropped due to the lack of conscious support. Yet, it did not. This indicates that an unseen divine force was casting a vote in his favor. Based on this, I agree that he shall be reincarnated as a human in his next life."

Official A wanted to argue that this was unfair, but he could not get a word in, and gradually, he was persuaded by the King’s words. The Wheel-Turning King stepped down from his throne, walked over to Official A, and pointing at Wu Zidan, said to everyone, "Although I agree to his reincarnation as a human, he returns burdened with sin. Therefore, according to the flow of karma, his next incarnation shall be in the form of a woman."

At that moment, a hall attendant took a purple sewing kit and placed it into Wu Zidan’s hand, then led him out of the hall, onto a stone bridge, toward the southern part of Jambudvipa to be reborn.

In Mianhua Town, located on the outskirts of a southern metropolis, there was an East Village and a West Village.

On a late autumn day, Gong Yawen, the wife of Wu Xiaofeng in East Village, gave birth to a baby boy. Wu Xiaofeng was overjoyed and set off a string of firecrackers. Inspired by the deafening sound, he blurted out the words "Sound-shaking-ear." When the crackers stopped, he heard the baby crying—a sound also quite piercing—and, using a homophone for "shaking ear," decided to name the child Wu Zhenri. From then on, the name Wu Zhenri was adopted.

Coincidentally, on the same day, Ma Yueliang, the wife of Xu Sigui in West Village, gave birth to a baby girl. Xu Sigui was not very happy; he had wanted a boy and felt a sense of disappointment. He went to the village entrance to play chess, but lost game after game. He muttered to himself, "Why do I keep losing?" His face clouded with gloom.

Just then, his gray-haired mother approached and asked, "Sigui, the child is born. You should give her a nice name."

Feeling troubled and thinking of his poor performance at chess, Xu Sigui replied, "Let’s just call her 'Losing Chess'!"

His mother frowned and said, "Why not 'Winning Chess'? Have you been losing so much lately that you don't even have the heart to name your child properly?"

Xu Sigui froze, his lips moving wordlessly, unable to utter a sound.