Lu Chen’s eyes unconsciously narrowed slightly.
“Well, whatever. He is, after all, the City God who protects this region. It wouldn’t be right for me, the Mighty and Righteous General, not to pay him a visit.”
Still, after what happened with the Prefectural City God, Lu Chen found it hard to muster any good feelings toward this City God Li.
After a moment of silent deliberation, Lu Chen rose and left the southern government office, planning to head back to the factory first and wait for news.
But just as he stepped out of the office door, he suddenly felt an inexplicable jolt in his heart.
Lu Chen halted abruptly, warily scanning his surroundings.
There was clearly no one around.
Yet that strange, unsettling feeling in his chest refused to go away.
“It feels like… I’m being watched?”
He looked left and right, up and down.
His gaze finally landed on a small surveillance camera mounted on the wall by the door.
“Oh… so that’s what was staring at me. It was just this thing.”
Lu Chen chuckled to himself, then quickly left the office.
Little did he know, inside the surveillance room at that very moment—
On that very monitor—
Behind Lu Chen, the space itself seemed to faintly shimmer and ripple.
As if something was following him…
But it didn’t trail him for long.
That rippling, eerie presence soon came to a halt.
Then it shifted direction and moved elsewhere…
If you weren’t looking closely, you’d never spot its trace.
…
The Netherworld.
Still that same dim, grayish light.
Inside the Hall of Yama.
Crash!
A sharp crack rang out as a wine cup was hurled to the floor and shattered.
Below the dais, Xie Qingyi, Fan Rusong, and a host of Ox-Heads, Horse-Faces, and judges immediately prostrated themselves, not daring to look directly at the towering, mountain-like figure seated upon the throne.
“What did you say?! There’s a demonic fiend in the mortal world that not only concocted the evil art of Corpse Liberation, but has also caused the complete annihilation of souls?!”
The King of Hell’s face was as dark as water, colder than ever before.
It’s true that when a person dies, it’s like a lamp being snuffed out.
But the soul must descend into the underworld and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.
That is the law of Heaven!
Yet now, with the souls completely obliterated, it meant that this “person” would be extinguished into nothingness for all eternity, life after life.
To the laws of the Netherworld, this was a heinous crime of the highest order!
“Just what kind of demon would dare to so brazenly violate the laws of the Netherworld and profane the celestial rules?! Aren’t they afraid of meeting the same fate—total annihilation of body and soul?!”
“Your Majesty, please calm your wrath!”
The assembled underworld officials hurriedly chimed in to soothe him.
Only then did the King of Hell’s fury subside slightly, and he said coldly, “This fiend is utterly ruthless. The reason it’s doing this is clearly to cover its tracks!”
Fan Rusong bowed her head and clasped her fists. “Your Majesty has seen clearly. This matter must be thoroughly investigated to the very end. Otherwise, if this fiend sets a precedent, imitators will surely follow one after another—how could the mortal world not descend into chaos!”
Xie Qingyi added in agreement, “My sister is right. Please instruct us, Your Majesty—how should we proceed? The General… is also waiting for news from my sister and me.”
The King of Hell’s form flickered, and his massive frame shrank to the size of an ordinary person. He began pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. “Since those souls are already gone, if we want to get to the bottom of this, there are only four ways.”
Xie and Fan looked up. “What are the four ways, Your Majesty?”
“First, report the matter to the Supreme Sovereign and let him decide.”
“Second, ask the True Lord Di Ting to listen intently to Jiangdu and investigate the culprit.”
“Third, have the City God of Jiangdu thoroughly look into this case.”
Xie Qingyi instinctively pressed further, “And the fourth way?”
“The fourth way,” the King of Hell took a deep breath, “is simple: dispatch the Netherworld’s ghost soldiers and generals to surround Jiangdu City and place the entire city under strict surveillance. The moment that evil spirit shows its face again, we capture it on the spot!”
Upon hearing this, the two sisters felt a chill run down their spines.
“Your Majesty, all four of these approaches seem to have their own difficulties. Comparatively speaking, it might be more prudent to have the City God of Jiangdu handle it.”
At this, the King of Hell frowned in frustration. “If it weren’t for that whole debacle on City God Street before, the third option would undoubtedly be the best choice. But now, although the Plague Emperor has negotiated with the Supreme Sovereign to temporarily suppress the matter, as far as I know, the Prefectural City God still harbors a grudge.
And just at this critical moment, this new incident crops up.
These two matters occurred so close together.
Even if I were to personally intervene and order the City God of Jiangdu to take on this case, he might not give it his full effort.”
The King of Hell rubbed his temples. “That kid sure knows how to cause me headaches.”
Fan Rusong said in a small voice, “Your Majesty, your subordinate dares to think that statement might be somewhat unfair. After all… this matter wasn’t provoked by the General.”
“Then how do you explain the previous incident with the Prefectural City God?”
“Well… that was also because the Prefectural City God made the first move with murderous intent.” Fan Rusong defended him under pressure.
“Besides, if this matter isn’t properly resolved, the General’s temple will be delayed indefinitely. And by then, Your Majesty’s offerings and incense…”
“Mm!?” The King of Hell’s gaze shot toward her like lightning. “The two of you have been spending too much time with him—you’ve grown quite loyal!”
Fan Rusong and Xie Qingyi shrank their necks and dared not say another word.
The King of Hell snorted coldly, but didn’t press further. “At present, the best way to resolve this is still to go through the local City God. The Supreme Sovereign is busy with countless affairs, and the True Lord Di Ting is devoted to cultivation—neither should be disturbed rashly. As for mobilizing ghost soldiers, that’s the worst option—if handled improperly, it could spark chaos.”
“But Your Majesty, if the General were to enter City God Street again rashly, wouldn’t that…
Perhaps… you could make another personal appearance?”
Xie Qingyi ventured cautiously.
“Nonsense! I am the King of Hell of the Netherworld—what do you take me for? A bodyguard? A hired muscle?”
After a round of scolding, all the underworld officials prostrated themselves once more.
The King of Hell paced to and fro, apparently considering his options. After a moment, his brow lifted as if an idea had struck him, and he called out, “Summon someone!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” A judge stepped forward in response.
“Summon the True Lord Exorcist on my behalf!”
“The True Lord Exorcist?!”
At those words, the two sisters’ eyes lit up.
This was a renowned deity of the Netherworld.
His name: Zhong Kui!
…
At Mount Luofeng, by the Terrace of Homesickness.
Beside the towering Senluo Palace stood a government office.
On its plaque were clearly inscribed three large characters: 【Zhong Kui Mansion】.
At this moment, inside the mansion’s courtyard.
A burly figure with disheveled hair and an unkempt appearance was pacing about.
He held a gourd of wine in his hand, taking a deep swig every few steps.
His gait was unsteady, seemingly half-drunk, his body tottering on the verge of falling at every turn—yet he always managed to steady himself like a roly-poly toy.
“Sigh…”
Almost every two steps, he let out a long sigh, as if weighed down by unfulfilled aspirations.
“Brother.”
A gentle voice called from behind.
Zhong Kui turned around to see a woman dressed in white gauze, wearing a bamboo hat, floating toward him.
Though her face was veiled, her striking beauty was unmistakable.
“Little sister, what is it?”
“Brother, please stop drinking. Too much of this wine harms the spirit.” As she spoke, she reached out and took the wine gourd from Zhong Kui’s hand.
Zhong Kui chuckled. “Sister worries too much. With my level of cultivation, a little Netherworld wine is nothing to fret about. Even if it damages some of my spiritual awareness, it doesn’t matter—after all, I no longer need my spiritual awareness to sense the suffering of the mortal world. I only need to leave the Netherworld occasionally to catch a few ghosts and banish a few demons.”
“Even so, excess always harms the body. Please don’t make me worry, brother.” Though her tone was soft, there was a firm insistence behind it.
Seeing that his sister seemed about to get upset, Zhong Kui—who had always doted on her—laughed heartily. “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. By the way, what have you prepared for today’s meal? I’m getting a bit hungry.”
“I bought some fresh scaled fish from the River of the Other Shore, and got a few side dishes from Old Lady Meng. I’ll go cook the fish for you now—but you mustn’t sneak any more wine, brother.”
“Fine, I’ll do as you say.”
The two were about to head back inside when a hurried shout came from outside the mansion:
“True Lord! True Lord!”
Zhong Kui turned to see a plume of black smoke rising from the ground, from which emerged a judge.
“Judge Shen.” Zhong Kui immediately recognized the man as one of the judges serving under King Yama.
“True Lord, His Majesty the King of Hell has sent me to invite you to the Hall of Yama for a discussion.” Judge Shen bowed respectfully.
“Now?”
“Yes.”
“For what purpose?”
“Apparently, His Majesty wishes to ask you to make a trip to the mortal world.”
Zhong Kui nodded. “Very well. You go back and report first—I’ll be there shortly. Little sister, fetch my official robe for me.”
“Yes, brother.”
Before long, a streak of crimson cloud shot up from Zhong Kui Mansion and flew straight toward the Hall of Yama.
…
Inside the Hall of Yama.
The King of Hell paced with his hands behind his back, awaiting his guest.
Suddenly, a booming laugh echoed from outside the hall:
“What brings His Majesty the King of Hell to summon your humble brother for a chat today?”
A flash of red cloud swept into the hall, and upon landing, revealed a towering man—eight feet tall, with a full, bristling beard. It was Zhong Kui.
He was a far cry from the disheveled figure at home. Now, adorned in his official robe, he was imposing, awe-inspiring, and exuded an extraordinary majesty.
“True Lord!”
All the underworld officials below the dais bowed in unison.
