Seeing how determined and confident Lu Chen looked, the whole room fell into stunned silence.
At some point, the first uncle’s eyes had turned bloodshot, and he hoarsely shouted: “Xiao Chen, I do! I want to see your Aunt Qiu!!”
That cry, so full of deep emotion, moved everyone present.
Lu Chen nodded solemnly, then turned to his sister: “Wan’er, you and Mom go back to the room first. Don’t come out until your brother calls you.”
Lu’s mother understood right away and led her little daughter into the inner room. She knew what her son was about to do.
“Everyone,” Lu Chen looked around at the crowd, “I’m about to summon Black and White Impermanence. If anyone is scared, please step out first. It’s crowded in here, and I don’t want any accidents.”
“Xiao Chen, are you serious about this?” someone swallowed hard, unconsciously taking a half-step back.
“Go for it! If you can really summon them, we’ll get an eye-opener too. With our level of cultivation, we’ll never reach the second rank in this lifetime. This is our chance to see what the world above the second rank looks like!”
“Right! We’re not scared!”
“Alright, then please everyone try to stay calm.” Lu Chen nodded to the first uncle, then began channeling his spiritual power. On the back of his hand, the King of Hell’s Command manifested with fierce markings, glowing with a crimson light.
“Yin realm, underworld court, black on the left, white on the right, hear my command, appear at once…”
“Whoosh—”
A sudden gust of wind swept through the room.
“What? Xiao Chen is already at the peak of the first rank?”
“He’s not even twenty yet, right? This level of cultivation…”
“The Lu family is about to rise!”
The neighbors were utterly astonished!
Everyone had been poor together, weak together, just fine.
How did the Lu family suddenly take off without a word?!
Lu Jianming witnessed this too, equally unable to believe it.
Peak of the first rank!?
Just one day had passed!
How did his son become a first-rank peak spiritual cultivator?
What kind of incredible opportunity had he stumbled upon?
Right then, under everyone’s shocked and horrified gaze.
Faint black lightning flickered on both sides of Lu Chen. Two figures, one black and one white, gradually solidified, and in the blink of an eye, they stood at his sides.
“Greetings, General!” Black and White Impermanence said in unison, bowing.
“Please, no need for such formality.” Lu Chen made a gesture as if to lift them up, though he couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous inside.
After all, according to legend, these two were not exactly easy on the eyes…
But when he got a clear look at their faces, he froze in surprise!
And it wasn’t just him — everyone in the room was dumbfounded.
These weren’t the White Impermanence with a long tongue hanging to his chest or the Black Impermanence with a terrifying, ferocious face!
These were clearly two women with delicate, beautiful features and graceful figures.
They just happened to be wearing the classic black and white impermanence outfits.
“You two… are Black and White Impermanence?”
“Reporting to the General, this humble one is White Impermanence. My father is Xie Bi’an.”
“Reporting to the General, this humble one is Black Impermanence. My father is Fan Wujiu.”
“So you’re the daughters of the two impermanence lords!”
Lu Chen suddenly understood.
Sure enough — ugly dads can have beautiful daughters…
He was totally shocked, dude.
He gave a light cough: “I suppose His Majesty the King of Hell arranged this deliberately, right?”
“Exactly. The King said that since we sisters have more presentable features, it would be easier for the General to command us. If our fathers came instead, they might frighten the onlookers.”
“I see.”
Lu Chen secretly gave the old King of Hell a thumbs-up.
He might look rough and tough, but he was thoughtful and meticulous!
This arrangement was brilliant!
By now, seeing that the dreaded Black and White Impermanence turned out to be these two elegant, graceful young women, who could possibly feel any fear anymore?
“Wait a minute!” Suddenly, someone realized something. “General? Xiao Chen, why are they calling you General?”
“Yeah, how did you become a general?”
“Uh…” Lu Chen wasn’t sure how to explain.
Then White Impermanence stepped forward, her delicate eyebrows lifting slightly: “How bold of you all! Standing before the Underworld’s Mighty and Righteous General, why aren’t you kneeling at once!”
“What? Xiao Chen became an underworld general?!”
“This is…”
The neighbors’ brains completely short-circuited.
“It’s just an empty title, nothing to dwell on.” Lu Chen waved his hand, signaling White Impermanence to step back, and looked over at the first uncle. “First Uncle, what was Aunt Qiu’s full name?”
“Qiu Shu!”
“Alright, please look up this departed soul for me and invite her up for a meeting.”
Black and White Impermanence nodded in acknowledgment. A book appeared in each of their hands — one black, one white, resembling the Book of Life and Death. The pages flipped rapidly on their own without any wind.
Black Impermanence was the first to report back: “She’s not recorded in this humble one’s ‘Book of Evil Souls.'”
White Impermanence followed: “Found her! She’s in this humble one’s ‘Book of Good Souls!'”
Although Black and White Impermanence both served as soul reapers, their duties were different: White Impermanence guided good souls, while Black Impermanence restrained evil ghosts.
Being included in the “Book of Good Souls” showed that Aunt Qiu must have been a kind and virtuous person in life.
“Please wait a moment, General. This humble one will go invite Mrs. Qiu right away.” With those words, White Impermanence’s figure vanished in an instant.
“Xiao Chen!” The first uncle threw aside his walking stick, now grabbing Lu Chen’s arm with trembling hands. “Thank you! I’ll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!”
Lu Chen gently reassured him: “You’re too kind. It was just a small effort. By the way, do you still think the underworld spirits are scary now?”
The first uncle shook his head repeatedly: “No! Not at all anymore!” He looked around the room. “What about the rest of you?”
Everyone stared at the cool, elegant Black Impermanence, practically drooling: “Not scary! Not scary at all!”
Could they please have another set of this kind of Black and White Impermanence?!
Lu Chen: “…”
These horny old folks. Seriously.
He cleared his throat: “Actually, there’s no reason to fear the underworld at all. The yin spirits of the underworld are all legitimate gods appointed by the Heavenly Court. It’s just that their duties are unusual, and some of them look a bit frightening. There’s no truth to the idea that they bring bad luck — that’s just a rumor that got spread around.”
“Exactly!” Young Black Impermanence nodded earnestly. “It’s just that our job isn’t very likable. Why should anyone think we bring bad luck?”
Everyone smiled sheepishly. This job really wasn’t likable, and since it involved death, thinking it brought bad luck was only human nature.
As they were speaking, a flash of black light appeared, and two figures materialized again.
The first uncle stared at his daughter, dressed simply in white, his eyes wide open as he called out in a trembling voice: “Shu’er!”
“Dad!!”
Gasps filled the room.
“Sister Qiu!”
“Aunt Qiu!”
“A departed soul can only stay for two minutes,” White Impermanence reminded them.
Father and daughter immediately embraced and wept.
“Shu’er, Dad has missed you so much… I thought I’d have to wait until I went down there to see you. It’s all thanks to Xiao Chen…”
Qiu Shu turned to look at Lu Chen, who smiled and nodded: “Aunt Qiu, long time no see. You two go ahead and talk.”
She inclined her head in thanks, then looked at her aged father: “Dad, how’s your health? What about Mom and my brothers?”
“All good, all good! Shu, are you doing well down there?”
“I’m okay. The judge said I still have thirty years of yin lifespan, and then I can be reincarnated.”
Watching this father and daughter, separated by life and death, snatching every second to pour out their hearts, everyone in the room was moved to tears.
But time flies, and those two minutes passed in a flash.
When the time was up, White Impermanence took Qiu Shu back to the underworld.
The first uncle, tears streaming down his aged face, was about to kneel: “Xiao Chen, can you let your grandpa talk with your Aunt Qiu a little longer? Grandpa is begging you!”
“First Uncle, you’ll shorten my life if you do that!” Lu Chen quickly helped the old man up. “If you miss Aunt Qiu, let me point you in the right direction — tomorrow, go to the Sun family temple in the south part of town and worship the King of Hell. Pray sincerely, and I believe His Majesty will grant your wish. But I also need to remind you — the departed are gone, so please accept it and don’t grieve too much. Being too fixated isn’t good for either of you.”
The first uncle was trembling with emotion, nodding repeatedly: “Alright! I’ll definitely go tomorrow! From now on, I, Qiu Zhiguo, won’t worship anyone else — only the King of Hell!”
