Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 48 Shocking Change After the Head Transplant

After Lu Pan left, Zhou Ning did not sleep all night.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, repeatedly recalling Lu Pan's words in his mind.

The people from Heishan have infiltrated Guobei County, and their target is Zhu Erdan.

The God of Literature descended to earth, possessing a special destiny, capable of devouring souls...

These words were like thorns, piercing his heart.

"We must get Zhu Erdan out of here as soon as possible," Zhou Ning decided.

As dawn broke, he got up and headed towards Zhu Erdan's house.

However, just as he reached the village entrance, he heard a heart-wrenching cry.

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine and quickened his pace.

The courtyard of Zhu Erdan's house was crowded with people.

Several neighbors stood at the door, their faces pale, whispering among themselves.

In the courtyard, Zhu Erdan knelt on the ground, holding a woman covered in blood, tears streaming down his face.

The woman was wearing a red wedding dress, her hair was disheveled, her face was pale, and there was a deep wound on her neck, the blood of which had already congealed.

Her head was tilted to one side, connected to her body by only a thin layer of skin and flesh.

Zhou Ning's heart sank.

"Young Master Zhu, this is..."

Zhu Erdan raised his head, his eyes bloodshot:

"Yes...it's my wife."

Zhou Ning crouched down and carefully examined the woman's wounds.

The wound was clean, as if it had been cut off by an extremely sharp weapon, but not completely severed, leaving a layer of skin.

This technique is not something an ordinary person could do.

"Who did this?" Zhou Ning asked.

Zhu Erdan shook his head: "I don't know. I slept very soundly last night and didn't hear anything. When I woke up this morning, I found that she... she was already..."

He couldn't continue, and tears streamed down his face.

Zhou Ning frowned.

Zhu Erdan said he was sleeping soundly.

This isn't right.

Although he was a scholar, he was young and strong, and shouldn't be sleeping so soundly.

Unless... someone has tampered with him.

"Young Master Zhu, did you go to the Ten Kings' Palace again last night?"

Zhu Erdan was taken aback: "No. I've been at home the whole time."

Zhou Ning remained silent for a moment, then stood up and looked around.

There was a faint mark on the courtyard wall, as if someone had climbed over the wall and left it.

The bloodstains on the ground stretched from the doorway into the house, indicating that the murderer killed someone outside first and then dragged the body inside.

"Someone deliberately placed the body here." Zhou Ning became suspicious.

Why?

As he was pondering, he suddenly heard a gasp from the crowd.

"Look, what's that...?"

Zhou Ning looked in the direction of the sound and saw a package that had appeared at the entrance of the courtyard.

The package was wrapped in black cloth, which was stained with blood.

He walked over, squatted down, and opened the package.

There was a human head inside.

The head of a young woman, with delicate features and jet-black hair.

The incision on the neck was clean, and the blood had already clotted.

The most bizarre thing is that the head's eyes are closed, and the corners of its mouth are slightly upturned, as if it is smiling.

Zhou Ning felt a chill and turned to look at the woman in Zhu Erdan's arms.

The woman's face was covered in blood, making it impossible to see her features.

But her hair was completely different from the hair on this human head.

One is jet black, the other is yellowish.

"Isn't this your wife's head?" Zhou Ning asked.

Zhu Erdan raised his head, glanced at the severed head, and shook his head:

"No. My wife... my wife's face isn't like that."

Zhou Ning rewrapped the head and stood up.

"Young Master Zhu, please accept my condolences. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

He carried the package, left Zhu Erdan's house, and headed straight for the Ten Kings Palace.

The Ten Kings Hall remained deserted and quiet, its doors wide open, revealing a dark interior.

Zhou Ning entered the main hall and went straight to the side hall.

The statue of Judge Lu still sits there, holding a pen in his hand and a booklet spread out on his lap.

But this time, Zhou Ning noticed that the corners of the statue's mouth seemed to be slightly upturned, with a faint smile.

"Judge Lu," Zhou Ning said in a deep voice, "come out."

silence.

After a long while, a phantom figure floated out of the statue and solidified into a human form.

Lu Pan glanced at the package in Zhou Ning's hand and said calmly, "You found out?"

Zhou Ning threw the package on the ground, untied it, and revealed a human head inside.

"Did you do this?"

Judge Lu glanced at the severed head and nodded: "It was me who did it."

"Why?" Zhou Ning clenched his fist.

Judge Lu said, "Zhu Erdan's wife is ugly and unworthy of him. I have given her a beautiful head so that he can enjoy the bliss of having two wives."

Zhou Ning could hardly believe his ears:

"You...you killed someone, cut off their head, just to replace Zhu Erdan's head?"

Judge Lu frowned: "I did not kill anyone. The head belonged to a woman who had recently died. Her body had been cremated, leaving only this head. I was simply making use of it."

"Waste utilization?" Zhou Ning's voice rose a few decibels:

"She was a living person. She's dead. You should let her rest in peace, not cut off her head and use it as decoration for someone else."

Judge Lu's face darkened:

"Zhou Ning, I'm only giving you face because I respect you as Yan Chixia's disciple. Don't push your luck."

Zhou Ning took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.

"Judge, I don't understand. As a righteous god of the underworld, in charge of life and death in the human world, why would you do such a... such an absurd thing?"

Judge Lu was silent for a moment, then said, "As I have said before, I owe Zhu Erdan's ancestor a favor. His ancestor was a good man, and I wish to repay him through his descendants."

"Jurdan's wife is ugly and unworthy of him. What's wrong with giving him a beautiful head to please him?"

Zhou Ning shook his head: "Judge, you are wrong. A person's value lies not in their appearance, but in their heart. Although Zhu Erdan's wife is not beautiful, the fact that she married him shows that she must have her merits. By doing this, you have not only hurt her, but also Zhu Erdan."

Judge Lu frowned even more deeply.

"You always have a lot of reasons," he scoffed. "Then tell me, what should I do?"

Zhou Ning said, "If the judge truly wants to repay the Zhu family, he should bless Zhu Erdan with success in the imperial examinations, allowing him to rise above others through his own abilities, rather than using such crooked methods to ruin his family."

Judge Lu remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he sighed and said, "Fine, I'll listen to you."

He raised his hand, and a beam of light shot out from his palm, landing on the package in Zhou Ning's hand.

The human head inside the package gradually became transparent, eventually turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.

"I have already returned that head to its rightful place," Judge Lu said. "As for Zhu Erdan's wife..."

He paused, then continued, "I also reattached her head. But I can't help with the shock she suffered."

Zhou Ning said, "This disciple will go and comfort her."

Lu Pan nodded, and his figure gradually faded away.

"Zhou Ning, remember this. It's not that I'm afraid of you, but I think what you said makes sense. You and Yan Chixia are both stubborn people. But sometimes, being stubborn isn't a bad thing."

His voice gradually faded away, and the side hall returned to silence.

Zhou Ning stood still for a long time.

He felt a mix of emotions.

Although Lu Pan is a god, he also has human emotions and can make mistakes.

He wanted to repay the kindness, but he used the wrong method. This reminded him of what his master had said.

The human heart is a den of demons, even more so than evil spirits.

God is the same.

He turned and left the Ten Kings Palace.

When they returned to Zhu Erdan's house, it was already broad daylight.

Zhu Erdan's wife had woken up and was lying in bed, pale-faced and with fear in her eyes.

Her head has been reattached and the wound has healed, but she has suffered a severe mental shock and is constantly trembling.

Zhu Erdan stayed by her bedside, holding her hand and gently comforting her.

Seeing Zhou Ning enter, he quickly stood up.

"Young Master Zhou, have you found out?"

Zhou Ning nodded and briefly recounted the matter of Judge Lu.

Of course, he didn't say that Lu Pan was a god, but only that he was a cultivator.

After listening, Zhu Erdan remained silent for a long time.

"So that's how it is..." He smiled bitterly, "To repay my great-grandfather, you'd harm my wife?"

Zhou Ning said, "Young Master Zhu, the matter has been resolved. That person did not achieve his goal and will not come again. You should focus on recovering from your injuries and take good care of your wife."

Zhu Erdan nodded and bowed deeply to Zhou Ning:

"Young Master Zhou, thank you. If it weren't for you, my wife might..."

Zhou Ning helped him up: "No need to thank me. I'm setting off for the North tomorrow. Take care of yourselves."

Zhu Erdan quickly said, "Young Master Zhou, please be careful on your journey."

Zhou Ning nodded and left Zhu Erdan's house.

As he walked out of the village, he looked back once more.

The morning light shines on the rooftops of the village, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, creating a peaceful and tranquil scene.

But Zhou Ning knew that beneath this peaceful facade, undercurrents were surging.