The Birth of Law! The First Complaint Submitted to the Hall of Yama!
The commercial miracle of "Qiankun Store Gold Medal Roasted Sweet Potato" is changing the twilight of the Metaverse with an overbearing attitude.
That domineering aroma of caramel and sweetness has become the warmest and most captivating symbol of the new era.
The Qiankun Food Sage's favorite thing to do these days is to soak in a steaming vat of stewed meat.
He held a sizzling, oily Roasted Sweet Potato in his left hand and gestured with his right hand across the light screen.
Looking at the string of Ling Shen Coin in his bank account that was so long it made one faint, his obese body trembled rhythmically in the meat soup, accompanied by silly laughter.
However, the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow it casts.
The unbridled growth of commerce has given rise to entirely new evils.
The Metaverse, the main city of the Suiren Shi Tribe.
A burly man named "Shi" stared intently at the vendor pushing Sweet Potato Cart across the street, his eyes bloodshot.
The muscles on his arms were bulging, and the veins stretched out like earth dragons, showing the owner's suppressed anger to the extreme.
"A Huo! What do you mean?!"
Shi's voice was hoarse, filled with the fury of being betrayed by his closest relatives.
He pointed to the pile of dark, Roasted Sweet Potato in the other car, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"What did we agree on back then? Partnership! I borrowed a hundred Lin Shen Coin from the 'Western Paradise Bank' as capital! You provide the labor, working from dawn till dusk every day to roast them!"
"Now that business is good and the stall is thriving, you're telling me this stall is all yours? And you're going to kick me out?"
The stall owner, nicknamed "A Huo," was a thin and shrewd young man.
He crossed his arms, his face displaying an almost cruel sense of entitlement.
"Shi, that's not how you calculate things."
"The loan agreement was in black and white, with your name on it. This debt is owed to the bank by you."
"But the franchise agreement for this Sweet Potato Cart is in my name."
A Huo smiled dismissively.
"This craft was passed down to me by the Qiankun Ancestor and Earth. What does it have to do with you, Shi, having even half Lin Shen Coin?"
"Now, I've decided to do it myself. I'll return your hundred coins, and we'll be even."
"You!"
Shi Qi trembled all over, and a bloody taste rose in his throat.
He never dreamed that the person he treated like a brother would hand him the sharpest knife behind his back.
He wanted to take action.
However, the Old Ancestor Xuanming's "Shadow Net" covers the entire city, and any violent impulse will be punished by lightning.
He wanted to reason with them.
But the other party's words were like daggers, choking him and leaving him speechless.
In despair, Shi remembered their original "partnership agreement".
A piece of animal hide, with a few lines of crooked characters written in charred charcoal.
"Shi provides the money, A Huo provides the labor, and we'll split the profits together."
But now, A Huo vehemently denies it.
The onlookers around were talking amongst themselves, pointing and whispering, but no one could resolve this case.
Such commercial disputes are not isolated cases.
It's like a plague, spreading wildly in every corner of the Metaverse.
The construction team of Youchao Shi was embroiled in a dispute with the client over a shoddy construction project, leading to a chaotic compensation dispute.
The Dragon Clan's "Shunfeng Waterway" was exploited by several players who evaded huge toll fees by taking advantage of loopholes in the rules. The Ancestral Dragon was so angry that he stirred up towering waves in the River of Forgetfulness with his dragon tail, but he couldn't even catch a glimpse of the other party.
Loans from Western Bank have become a major source of bad debts.
Countless ghosts borrowed money and ran away, hiding in the virtual world of the Metaverse to live a carefree life. The "debt Ghost Messenger" sent by Zhunti and Jieyin couldn't even find them.
After a brief period of revelry, the commercial order of the entire underworld and the Metaverse began to show signs of collapse for the first time.
The Ghost Gate Pass of Cangwu can only protect the physical body.
The Dark Shadow Net of the Xuanming Netherworld can only punish violence.
Faced with these "economic crimes" that exploited loopholes in the rules, the two newly appointed security captains were completely dumbfounded.
For the first time, they discovered that some problems cannot be solved with fists.
On this day, having reached a dead end, Shi did something that shocked everyone.
Holding the animal skin agreement that A Huo had torn to shreds and painstakingly pieced back together with his saliva and tears, he crawled on his knees, kowtowing every three steps, making his way towards the entrance to the underworld.
He walked through that "Hong Yun Healing Sofa" that could make even the most vulnerable souls let down their guard.
We bypassed the bustling "Duobao Pawn Shop".
They evaded the patrolling Witch Clan security team.
Finally, he knelt down before a building that was so magnificent it was unbelievable.
It was a giant basket woven from countless fruit vines; just getting close to it, the fragrance of the fruit, which could fill the three realms, was enough to cleanse the soul.
--The Hall of Rewarding Goodness of the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi.
This is a place to reward good people, but Shi couldn't care less about that anymore.
He had only heard that this venerable King Yama was the most just and benevolent official in the underworld.
"Great Immortal! King Yama! I beg you to do justice for me!"
Tears streamed down Shi's face as he used all his strength to lift the tattered animal hide high above his head.
Inside the hall, Zhen Yuanzi, who was leisurely watering the Ginseng Fruit Tree with the Three Lights Divine Water, was startled by this extremely sorrowful cry.
He walked out of the main hall, looked at the ghost on the ground crying like a three-hundred-pound child, and at the ridiculously rudimentary "agreement" in his hand, and his brows furrowed slightly.
After listening to Shi's tearful account, Zhen Yuanzi swept his divine sense across the scene and instantly understood the cause and effect.
A sense of unease rose in my heart.
His divine role is to "reward good," to judge good deeds, and to give them commendation.
He has neither the authority nor the basis to handle economic disputes that do not involve karmic consequences of killing or deforestation.
But looking into Shi's eyes, which were filled with despair, he couldn't bear it.
Just as Zhen Yuanzi was in a dilemma, a childish voice rang out from behind him.
"Uncle Zhen Yuanzi, why is this dusty little boy crying so sadly?"
Lin Shen had somehow wandered over here. He was tilting his head curiously, looking at the stone kneeling on the ground, and then at the tattered animal skin covered in writing in his hand.
Zhen Yuanzi smiled wryly and briefly explained the whole story.
"Oh..."
Lin Shen's little mind worked quickly, and he instantly grasped the core of the problem.
"So, that scoundrel A Huo doesn't recognize this piece of paper anymore, right?"
"Yes!"
Lin Shen clapped his hands as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Then let's find a place where everyone has to recognize this piece of paper, right?"
"Anyone who denies it is a bad guy!"
He recalled the "Heaven Measuring Ruler" used by Yuanshi Tianzun to measure all things in heaven and earth, representing absolute order and rules.
"Just like Second Master's ruler!"
Lin Shen gestured excitedly.
"We'll build a huge house, and put the biggest, biggest ruler inside! Anyone who dares to renege on their promise will get a good spanking with that ruler!"
Child's innocent words.
Yet every word struck like a thunderclap!
A thunderous roar erupted in Zhen Yuanzi's mind, instantly cleaving away countless Chaos thoughts!
Yes!
Reward good! Punish evil!
This is two sides of the same coin; neither can be dispensed with!
What the underworld lacks is precisely a place dedicated to resolving disputes, upholding justice, and punishing the wicked!
A place where everyone has to "accept the consequences"!
A... court!
Once this thought arose, it spread like wildfire and could no longer be contained!
Zhen Yuanzi bowed deeply to Lin Shen, his expression one of unprecedented solemnity and excitement.
"Young friend's words have enlightened this humble Daoist! This is a merit beyond measure!"
He immediately turned around and reported the matter to the Three Pure Ones, who were in seclusion in the Kunlun Mountain, using the highest level of divine thought!
The next moment, three supreme and all-powerful wills of Sage, which have spanned countless ages, descended upon the underworld almost simultaneously!
Their gazes pierced through the void, landing on the tattered animal skin agreement, and on the countless beings in the Metaverse who were frowning or even turning against each other because of commercial disputes.
In the eyes of the three Sages, the nascent form of a new world order was simultaneously reflected!
They know.
A golden opportunity has arrived for them to define the "rules" and shape the "order" themselves!