The Earth Official Pardons Sins

The Earthly Official pardons sins and judges good and evil.

I will become the invincible sword at your side.

As long as you are here, I will never be alone in my path.

Gu Yunmiao, the Lord of Punishments, x Meng Wanqing, leader of the Myriad Immortals

P.S. This is a story about ghosts, about mutual salvation, and about a king who becomes a god only to fall from his divine throne. It includes a lot of original worldbuilding and some controversial content, so please read with care.

1. There are upper and lower celestial realms. The upper realm is home to those with divine offices. In the lower realm, some beings can also obtain divine offices, but most are unconfirmed trainees, unaffiliated beings still awaiting a heavenly tribulation. They are a reserve resource for the upper realm.

2. The story takes place in the lower celestial realm, with events spanning the upper celestial realm, the human world, and the ghost realm.

3. The story is set in ancient times, when humans and ghosts lived in the same space. Ghosts were powerful and humans weak. Ghosts have it hard, too, which is why the protagonist wants to give them a home.

4. Nature gods, or earth deities, generally belong to both the ghost realm and the human world.

5. The Earthly Official's authority once extended across all three realms, covering life and death, fortune and misfortune, ascension to immortality, and punishment for sins. Later, he found that he had too many responsibilities and grew weary, so he divided up his duties. He now governs only the gods of the ghost realm, leaving the gods of the celestial realm to someone else.

6. Some people in both the human and ghost realms, especially the gifted, can ascend directly. Members of the celestial realm can also be demoted as punishment and sent to the ghost or human realm.

7. The protagonists protect each other and are mutually devoted. There are tears and sweetness, but more sweetness than tears.

8. I drew on various sources while writing this story. Most of the names of people, places, countries, and official titles come from Su Shi's poetry collections. I also referenced Investiture of the Gods, Tales of Ghosts Told While Catching Lice, Stories of Ghosts, A History of Chinese Taoism, and some widely known tales. In short, this is a big hodgepodge. The story was inspired by the Three Officials, and I wrote it to express my feelings. Please take these ramblings as they are.

9. This story differs from traditional immortal fantasy and strict cultivation stories. Please don't obsess over the details. If you ask me, I don't know either. I've never actually practiced cultivation.

10. This is my first story. I wrote it to pass the time because I was bored. I'm usually busy with work, so I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. I hope readers will offer suggestions. If you don't like it, please just curse me in private.

Theme: Save the people, and give the ghosts a home along the way.