touchnovel Chapter 20, The Underworld Assembly: Was this just a makeshift operation?
Chapter 20, The Underworld Assembly: Was this just a makeshift operation?
Chu Jiang looked at the private message from "Old Wang next door" on his Soul-Nourishing Wood phone and fiddled with the golden Dao Seed in his hand.
I have three minutes to explain.
That tone is very much like a leader's.
He slowly walked to the bubble formed by the holy water of merit and flicked it with his finger.
Zhao Sifang, the registrar of the God of Wealth Temple, was so frightened by the sight of the water bubble that he almost lost his soul.
"Lord Chu... Lord Chu, let's talk this out, let's talk this out."
"Give me a message to your God of Wealth Temple," Chu Jiang said, pointing to the group of stunned ghosts on the ground. "If you want to come here to check my accounts, have tea, or discuss cooperation, you're welcome."
He paused, then said, word by word, "Make an appointment first, then queue up, understand?"
After saying that, he ignored the people in the bubble and turned to give instructions to Bruch and Li the programmer.
"I'm going out to a meeting. I'll leave this to you."
"Father, rest assured! Anyone who dares to cause trouble, I'll let them experience what the elegance of a vampire is all about!" Bruch patted his chest and assured him.
Li, the coder, pushed up his non-existent glasses and calmly added, "Boss, I've added three physical cooling fans to the core of TunTun's server to ensure stable operation 24/7."
Chu Jiang nodded and took several jade bottles from Jiang Jing Cave, filling them with holy water of merit.
This is a "product" specially approved by King Qin Guang; today's overtime pay depends on it.
Once he was ready, he walked alone toward the First Hall.
The path to the underworld is solemn and dignified, flanked by endless fields of red spider lilies.
Along the way, ghost messengers dressed in official robes of various colors would occasionally pass by.
When they saw Chu Jiang, they were taken aback for a moment, then began to whisper among themselves and point at each other.
"Look, that's the ferryman."
"I heard he got incredibly lucky and purified the Nether River. Now he's a nouveau riche."
A ghost dressed in the robes of a judge, who looked to be of considerable status, brushed past Chu Jiang and uttered two words lightly.
"A peasant."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was just enough for Chu Jiang to hear.
Chu Jiang didn't stop walking, nor did he even lift his eyelids.
He felt as if he wasn't on his way to the center of power in the underworld, but rather as if he had returned to the mortal world, like a startup CEO who had just secured funding walking into a meeting room with a group of leaders from a long-established state-owned enterprise.
Those eyes were a complex mix of disdain, greed, and jealousy.
Soon, the unbelievably magnificent outline of the First Hall came into view.
Outside the palace square, many officials from various departments who had come to attend the conference had already gathered.
As soon as Chu Jiang stepped onto the white jade slabs of the square, he was stopped in his tracks.
The leader was a middle-aged ghost official with a thin face, a hooked nose, and gloomy eyes.
His official robes were even more magnificent than those of Judge Wei, and the fluctuations of his peak Ghost General cultivation were undisguised.
"So you are Chu Jiang?" the middle-aged ghost official asked condescendingly, his tone carrying an interrogative quality.
Chu Jiang stopped and looked at him.
"Yes, that's me. What's up?"
"I am Liu Qian, Deputy Director of the Reincarnation Bureau." Liu Qian slightly raised his chin. "The Three Paths Ferry has always been a crucial location under the jurisdiction of my Reincarnation Bureau. You have privately occupied it and are now claiming autonomy—this is utter nonsense!"
"The decree of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak is written very clearly," Chu Jiang replied indifferently.
"Imperial edict? Imperial edicts are dead, rules are alive!" Liu Qian sneered. "I'll lay my cards on the table today: immediately hand over the management of the ferry and that spirit boat, and I'll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, don't blame me for acting according to the rules of the underworld!"
The few lackeys behind him immediately surrounded him, all eager to fight.
The other ghost officials in the square stood with their arms crossed, looking on with expressions of anticipation.
"It seems Judge Wei has a powerful backer."
"This kid's in for it. Liu Qian is notoriously ruthless."
Chu Jiang looked at Liu Qian and suddenly smiled.
He slowly took out a black token from his pocket.
The moment the token appeared, Liu Qian's arrogance vanished.
"Inspect...Inspector General of the Inspection Division?"
The ghost officials watching the show all gasped in shock.
This thing is like a sword hanging over the underworld; it has the power to execute first and report later to higher officials!
"Deputy Director Liu, you have a good eye." Chu Jiang tapped the token lightly with his fingers. "I happen to have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"According to Article 37 of the Code of Conduct for Officials of the Underworld, what crime should be committed by anyone who obstructs officials of the Investigation Department from performing their duties without cause?"
Liu Qian's face turned deathly pale instantly.
"I...I didn't...What kind of official are you? You're just a ferryman!"
"Oh?" Chu Jiang raised his eyebrows. "King Qin Guang summoned me to the Underworld Awards Ceremony. Doesn't that count as official business? You blocked my way in public, threatened and intimidated me, and tried to seize officially certified private territory. Doesn't that count as obstruction?"
"I..." Liu Qian was speechless, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"It seems Deputy Director Liu isn't very familiar with the regulations," Chu Jiang shook his head, looking regretful. "As an official of the underworld, breaking the law knowingly is an even greater offense. How about this, to reinforce your understanding, you should give a public apology and deeply reflect on your mistakes."
"Don't even think about it!" Liu Qian retorted angrily.
"Don't be so quick to refuse," Chu Jiang said slowly, toying with the patrol warrant. "A self-criticism needs to be delivered with emotion to show your remorse. I think you could add some physical gestures, like three circles to the left, three circles to the right, a neck twist, a hip wiggle..."
As he spoke, he pointed the token at Liu Qian.
A barely perceptible black light flashed across the token.
The next second, under the dumbfounded gazes of all the ghost officials...
Liu Qian's body began to move uncontrollably.
His limbs became stiff, his movements became strange, and he actually started drawing a dragon with his left hand and a rainbow with his right.
"My...my body! What happened!" Liu Qian screamed in terror, but his mouth was mechanically repeating, "I was wrong...I shouldn't have disregarded the law...I have failed the Netherworld's nurturing..."
His movements became increasingly exaggerated and comical, much like the square dancing performed by middle-aged women in public squares.
"What... what kind of supernatural power is this?"
"Deputy Director Liu... he's dancing to apologize?"
"To kill someone is to destroy their spirit; that's too cruel!"
The surrounding ghost officials' eyelids twitched as they watched, and their gazes toward Chu Jiang completely changed.
Chu Jiang admired it for a moment, then shook his head, put away the token, and turned to leave.
"Deputy Director Liu, keep going, I have faith in you. Make your movements more precise and your attitude more sincere."
He left those words behind and, amidst countless awe-inspiring gazes, walked straight toward the gate of the First Hall.
As you pass through the heavy palace doors, an overwhelming pressure, as heavy as a mountain, rushes towards you.
The main hall was spacious and imposing.
Above, ten enormous thrones are lined up in a row.
Ten unfathomable auras, like ten ancient divine mountains, suppressed this world.
The Ten Kings of Hell!
On both sides of the hall stood the chief officials of various departments of the underworld.
All eyes were focused on Chu Jiang as he walked in.
The oppressive aura, a blend of the Ten Kings of Hell and the entire court of civil and military officials, was enough to make any being at the Ghost King Realm kneel on the spot, their soul shattering.
Chu Jiang's soul swayed slightly under this pressure.
But he only paused for a moment, his back still ramrod straight.
Then, he made a move that left all the ghosts and gods in the room speechless.
He reached out and wiped his hand in front of him, and a silver-white, modern industrial-style metal folding chair appeared out of thin air.
A "click" sound.
Chu Jiang skillfully unfolded the chair and placed it in the center of the hall, then plopped down on it and casually crossed his legs.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Even the oppressive aura emanating from the ten thrones seemed to freeze for a moment.
Chu Jiang leisurely looked around.
He looked at the ancient priests who were either shocked, angry, or bewildered, and then at the Ten Kings of Hell high above.
The scene, the atmosphere, were so familiar that he wanted to sigh.
A selection ceremony for outstanding individuals in the underworld?
Isn't this just a makeshift operation that hasn't opened for business in thousands of years, suddenly wanting to do an annual summary?
They all sit so high up, like unearthed terracotta warriors, with grumpy faces. No wonder the underworld's performance targets have been stuck for thousands of years.
He withdrew his gaze and looked up directly at the most majestic throne in the very center.
King Qin Guang, the neighbor Wang.
You asked me to come, and now that I'm here, it's your turn to speak.