2: Underneath A Thousand Skies

292 This Psychopathic Demon Is Psychic (44)

Song Jia planned very well, but her luck wasn't good.

When she asked for Wen Yu's whereabouts from his personal servants, it was only then that she found out he actually went somewhere far away for a secret mission.

"A secret mission? What kind of secret mission?" Song Jia persisted in asking. "Did he say anything about it?"

"Master Wen actually told us to pass a message to you, Your Majesty. He told us to tell you that the reflex arc is too long [1], so he wants to go look for some blue and slim shiitake mushrooms." [2]

These words might not mean anything much to anyone else, but Song Jia understood Nova's intention. He was actually dissing her!

"When will he be back?" Song Jia really wanted to smack him.

"Master Wen told us he won't be long, at most he'll be gone for three days. Master Wen also told us that if you have a lot of free time, Your Majesty, you should pay a visit to the tenth court."

When he heard this, Zhao Cheng suddenly stiffened.

"The tenth court?" Song Jia was surprised. "Isn't that one of the courts that the former Great Demon King had annexed to become part of his own court?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Alright, arrange a carriage for me. I'll go there right away."

Zhao Cheng's unnatural reaction after the demon servant mentioned the tenth court didn't escape Song Jia's notice. She also knew that although most of Nova's instructions were confusing, everything he said had a hidden purpose behind it.

"Jia'er, I'll go with you."

He didn't want to hide anything from her. If she wants to know the secret of the tenth court, then he would tell her himself.

The two of them boarded a carriage being pulled by hellhounds. Although Xu Jinhai's dragon was faster in speed, it was his pet.

Song Jia was worried that the dragon would know that Zhao Cheng wasn't Xu Jinhai and attack them. It was better to be more cautious.

"In the old Buddhist stories, there are ten courts of hell, ruled over by ten kings. Aside from the seven courts that transformed to become the courts of the seven deadly sins, there is the first court, the ninth court, and the tenth court."

Song Jia remembered the age-old Buddhist mythology she had read before.

"If I'm correct, then the tenth court was responsible for..."

"The final judgement and reincarnation."

Song Jia looked up in surprise. It was Zhao Cheng who answered her. He sat beside her in the large carriage, his hand holding hers. She remembered that the ten kings of hell were modelled after the bureaucrats of the imperial government.

It was even thought that the underworld was an alternate version of the imperial dynasty, considering that buddhism had been introduced to the country during the Han dynasty. So she wasn't surprised that Zhao Cheng knew more information about this than her.

He continued, his voice low and steady. "The tenth court ruled over Samsara—the unending cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This is also where souls leave their memories behind, in order to forget their previous attachments."