Yama Rising

Thick-skinned, black-hearted, and considerably bold at times. Perhaps he’s not the sort to perform and excel in battles and wars… but then again, to require the presence of King Yanluo on the battlefield naturally means that Hell is on the brink of annihilation.

“As you know, the new Hell has just been founded, and all prior trade routes established by the old Hell are no longer in existence. However, development and growth doesn’t just happen behind closed doors…”

“You’re not willing?” Qin Ye set down his wine glass and locked eyes with Emperor Wu of Song.

“Then what incentive is there for me to cross your name off Hell’s Records?!” Qin Ye’s tone of voice suddenly turned authoritative, “Why should I tolerate the declaration of independence of an underworld that doesn’t benefit Hell?!”

Qin Ye chuckled contemptuously, “That’s ridiculous. You guys probably know better than me what the state of the new Hell currently is. But as long as nothing changes, you’re technically still part of Hell’s officials, and if I summon you, it is your duty to respond. Otherwise… I believe Lord Harken would be happy to have a private chat with you on my behalf.”

Qin Ye glanced placidly at Emperor Wu of Song, “But that’s still Lord Harken when all is said and done.”

They had both sussed out the extent of cards hidden in the hands of the other. Qin Ye was flaunting the strength of Lord Harken. Emperor Wu of Song might have guessed that Lord Harken was incapacitated to some extent, but he wasn’t aware of the exact extent it was. Besides, no matter how weak and frail he had become, it was still Lord Harken!

After a tense, protracted pause, Emperor Wu of Song finally withdrew his gaze and glanced at the glass of wine before him, “What specialty produce is there in the new Hell?”

Qin Ye heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. They were negotiating. It was a process that entailed giving and taking. If one party only gave and the other party only took, it would be no different from seizing and encroachment. Emperor Wu of Song clearly didn’t want to risk getting on the wrong side of the new Hell, especially since they reeked of the scent of Lord Harken right now. Naturally, he was clearly not privy to the nitty gritty details of the relationship between Lord Harken and the new Hell, including the fact that Lord Harken couldn’t wait to crush the new King Yanluo either…

“We’ve got plenty.” Qin Ye shrugged his shoulders, “If not for the fact that our citizens are unable to consume all of the goods produced, I wouldn’t have bothered proposing this transaction to begin with.”

He could tell that Qin Ye was the type of person that would be incredibly difficult to deal with if one was unable to crush him in one fell swoop from the onset.

“Then we’ll set up a seaport city which both parties can use to facilitate transactions.”

The terms and conditions of such a massive joint project wasn’t something that a single person could hammer out off the cuff. There would be a great deal of costs and benefits to weigh and consider. Qin Ye wasn’t good at such things, so he would most definitely need a good subordinate by his side to do a proper breakdown and analysis of the situation. Unfortunately, he didn’t bring anyone out with him this time.

He smiled mysteriously, “You might not even be willing to declare independence at that time anymore. Who knows?”

After all, an agreement to establish a trade route between two underworlds would take no more than a month to properly draft up.

Emperor Wu of Song gazed deeply at Qin Ye, and his voice carried a trace cautionary tone, “King Yanluo Qin, I’ve been extending you some indulgence on account of your stature, but you shouldn’t push it too far either.”

That is - only if they’re not Qin Ye.

As soon as Qin Ye assessed a person to be as harmless as a house cat, he would be the first one to take advantage of the person’s weaknesses and climb all over his head.

Silence.

Neither shifted their gaze away.

Underworlds have always been probing and investigating each other covertly and furtively. Lordless regions have also been tacitly recognized as disputed territories that underworlds would hardly cease to vie over. The more territory an underworld held, the more Yin spirits they had. And the more Yin spirits they had, the quicker the development and growth of their underworld! It was a virtuous cycle that was prevalent everywhere, even in the East.

Hell was just reestablished. How many Yin soldiers could they possibly have right now?

This was because he knew full well that these lordless regions were all places that Cathay had once ruled over. Having once been a vassal state of the Cathayan underworld, it wouldn’t be difficult for the lordless regions to get used to the resumption of Hell’s governance over them. The strategic alliance would thus be able to consolidate their forces and stabilize the new state with far greater efficacy than before. Besides, recent times had largely been peaceful, and their invasion of these lordless regions would most certainly cause a stir among underworlds around the world! That said, with the strategic alliance in place, Hell would naturally be the one to draw all the flak from the international community of underworlds.

“Where do you plan to move against?” Emperor Wu of Song licked his lips avariciously and asked with a hoarse voice.

“Why?”

“That’s a reason as good as any other.”

Having lived for a thousand years, what was fifty years to someone like Emperor Wu of Song?

“Besides, their terrain is intricate and complicated. If you don’t have anyone familiar with the Nipponese terrain and forces, it’s going to be a tall order to lead an army across the seas, invade Nippon and take down Amano-Iwato.”

“King of Hanyang doesn’t have to worry so much about these matters.” Qin Ye stood up and adjusted his garbs, “Well then, I guess I’ll see you at the end of this year? I believe that these two potential agreements and the other ancillary matters that would enable them would be more than sufficient food for thought for the next half a year.”

For now, Oda Nobunaga would spearhead the consolidation of forces in the new Hell and lead the newly established security forces. Then, once Hell finally takes down Yomi-no-Kuni, he would undoubtedly be the most ideal person to be stationed there and take charge of all affairs in Nippon moving forward!

Die! Die! Die!

With that, Emperor Wu of Song was left completely alone.

“Moving against Nippon… What great ambition… Wouldn’t it be too boring if I were the only other person getting involved in such a great task?”

Qin Ye was naturally oblivious to the matters taking place in the great hall after he left.

“You’re still alive?”

Arthis naturally had no objections to that. Dawn hadn’t risen, and the lands were still dark. Qin Ye transformed into his Hell’s Emissary state and promptly took off with Arthis, and it took them no more than forty minutes to arrive back at the hotel.

“You seriously managed to convince Emperor Wu of Song to visit us at the end of the year to ink the deal on the trade route and the strategic alliance?!” Arthis’ exclaimed in a shrill voice. She was filled with great disbelief.

Yet, Arthis couldn’t help but find it all too unbelievable, “How is that possible… We’re talking about Emperor Wu of Song over here… How in the world did you manage to do it?!”

“... Tell me intelligibly! Why did you have to invite him over to Hell at the end of this year?!”

“Even a blind man can tell that Hell’s well on track to growth and prosperity. I also want them to understand that Lord Harken is right below the new Hell. Naturally, I wouldn’t actually allow them to get close enough to examine Hell proper. They wouldn’t dare to overstep their boundaries either. My intention is to stem any ambition for the arrogation of power in their hearts before they can take root. I’m almost certain that there would be feudal lords who are planning to use this opportunity to usurp the throne. Thus, I plan to borrow the lips of Emperor Wu of Song to declare to them once and for all that they can never afford to step on our toes!”

Otherwise… there might be an Emperor Wu of Song today, and then there could be another feudal lord tomorrow. In this regard, Arthis knew far better than even Qin Ye himself just how much of a handful they would be for Hell to handle. After all, she knew the exact identities of the feudal officials that had been assigned overseas by the old Hell!

Additionally, she knew the hidden implication of Qin Ye’s words - as long as they were able to consolidate these forces under their wings, then Hell’s strength would most certainly soar from height to height!

“Definitely. Because my proposal is one that he simply can’t refuse.” Qin Ye’s eyes narrowed, “Furthermore, I’m almost certain he won’t be coming alone. He’s also worried about his own safety. After all, ‘invincible’ means nothing in the face of a divine beast with a Yin energy reading of thirty million. He will most definitely be calling on the other feudal officials as well!”

1. Old name for Myanmar/Burma.

2. Old name for Cambodia.

3. Alternative name for Philippines.

4. A cave in Japanese mythology where the goddess of light is said to have hidden, thereby depriving the world of light. I gather from the context that this has to do with where Izanami is located, or perhaps allows access to where Izanami’s home is.

5. These are earthly gods (as opposed to heavenly gods) of the Izumo mythology.