Yama Rising

The fact that she’s immediately picked up the most problematic part of the sentence is clearly a sign of having interacted with humans for far too long… Qin Ye sighed. The first response of any other ordinary human would’ve been more along the lines of ‘Who?’ ‘What’s his name?’ or ‘How old is he?’

Silence.

Moments later, she broke out into an uproarious laughter without regard for her image, almost as though she had heard the funniest joke in a long while, “D-destined? Don’t tease me, alright? I’ve lived seven lives now. And each time I did, I would encounter someone whom I thought was the one destined for me. But look where I am now?”

With that, the entire prayer hall went silent.

Back on the rooftop of a building in Martial City, Qin Ye opened his eyes at the same time.

“What a coincidence…” He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, “This lady isn’t too bad after all… She might be a little on the feisty side, but her character is pretty good. Furthermore, I can tell that she’s pretty soft and tender beneath that harsh facade of hers…”

When exactly did it happen?

Or was it when I heard her talk about the stories of her past lives?

Just then, his eyes suddenly twitched, and he glanced at the rest of the city.

He glanced at his cell phone. It was 5.00 a.m.

He was tempted to rush straight into Hell and ask Arthis what his earlier encounter was all about! Why did he suddenly become summoned like a beast? However, he knew that now wasn’t the right time for that.

“It’s just as well. I’ll have to reconvene the meeting with Hell’s ministers one week later to discuss Ashmound’s direction moving forward. I’ll shelve my return till then. It wouldn’t be good to vanish into thin air just after I exit my closed door cultivation in any event…”

That’s right! It’s not for the money! Nor is it because I’m hoping to receive some other form of gratification in kind!

Thus, Yanluo Qin rode a stream of nethergale right back to the city hall. Naturally, it was a stream of nethergale disguised as a stream of true energy.

Infernal Judge…

It seems like… this is a nascent Judge-class expert? We seem to be rather similar in terms of abilities. At the very least, I can tell he’s far weaker than Zhou Xianlong. Where did he come from?

There were still a number of ordinary citizens who hadn’t been exposed to the existence of cultivators, and the cultivation world naturally took great pains to maintain the fragile balance between the two seemingly diametrically opposed realms.

“What’s the matter?” Qin Ye smiled as he followed Wu Wenqing’s lead. Meanwhile, Wu Wenqing continued to explain the situation, “After you left, we immediately got down to notifying everyone about the news of your breakthrough. Just an hour ago, the director of the Qizhou branch of the Special Investigations Department, Mo Changhao, arrived here in person. He’s accompanied by a team of evaluators from the SRC, and we’ve received word that a team of reporters from Yan Capital is even on their way right now! Apart from that, there’s even a team of web editors and reporters from the Auspicious Omens website who’s now on their way, and they are all expected to arrive in Martial City at 8.00 a.m.! Martial City will truly be making a splash in the cultivation realm this time!”

That said… have I finally made my way into the upper echelons of the Special Investigations Department?

Qin Ye casually asked, “And who might that be?”

Qin Ye nearly bit his tongue. His eyes instantly widened as he turned around abruptly once more, “Who was that again?!”

Of course there is!

I’d left the First Academy of Cultivators precisely because I didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention to myself. This way, I could simply make an excuse for my breakthrough and slip into the shadows of the upper echelons of the Special Investigations Department. The last thing I’d wanted was to attract the jealousy and ire of the instructors and perhaps even the principals of the First Academy of Cultivators. Who would’ve thought you’d summon the big boss back there over here?!

“Alright, we’ve still got some preparatory work for the reception. Thank you, Mr Qin, for your kind understanding and consideration.” Wu Wenqing scooted off in an instant, ostensibly filled with excitement at the proceedings to follow.

He began to pound on the sink in anguish.

I don’t want to be sent to the SRC to be cut up into pieces! I’ve been cruising along in the shadows of the Special Investigations Department for such a long time! Wu Wenqing, I’d never thought I’d fall to the unassuming ploys of a mere branch chief! You must be a double agent engaged by others to execute their masterful ploy, aren’t you?!

And it was only then that he noticed a strange man, standing right behind him, staring at him as though he had just seen a ghost.

Qin Ye’s heart skipped a beat. Holy crap… What the hell are you doing in the toilet at five in the morning?! If you’re facing urinary issues, you should just get your prostate checked out!

It was embarrassing. Qin Ye knew that this man was raising an embarrassing incident of his own in order to lighten the mood, but the atmosphere was still as awkward as ever…

He sported a long thin face, and the hair at his temples were clearly greying with age. A scar ran across his cheeks, but his eyes still looked as bright as ever.

“In the flesh.” Both men dried off their hands with the hand dryer. Then, Mo Changhao smiled and made a gesture of invitation, “Come, let me take a good look at the youngest Infernal Judge in the history of Cathay. The governmental office restaurant has already prepared breakfast for us. Let’s talk as we eat.”

Qin Ye gulped down his soy milk voraciously, before raising an eyebrow quizzically, “Reassigned?”

My deepest apologies… It’s almost about time for me to feign my own death… Otherwise, Yan Capital and Professor Yu are going to witness a proper miracle with their own eyes…

“Oh?” Qin Ye set down his soy milk, “What division or department?”

Ahem… apologies, but are you aware that the mastermind responsible for the interoperation you’re talking about is sitting right in front of you now? Qin Ye coughed dryly, evidently displeased with the mortal realm’s lack of enthusiasm in forming the task force, “Why?”

“Cathayans have always had a propensity for creating their own gods or deifying certain people. In fact, almost every generation of emperors would have at some point in time been revered and worshipped as gods. To that end, it’s taken quite a lot for the government to detach its citizens from faith and lead them towards science. Can you imagine what’s going to happen if we establish communication channels with Hell? Can you imagine what the consequences might be?”

Are you saying that you don’t want Cathayans to create gods or deify people anymore?

Besides, do you know that deification and faith are two separate concepts? Faith isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. At the very least, its existence would teach people boundaries and give them a moral compass. After all, it’s only with faith that men would fear the consequences of their sins.

Qin Ye nodded. He wasn’t in a hurry. The interoperation between the mortal realm and the netherworld was first broached back in the Valley County, between him in his Hell’s Emissary state and one of the upper echelons of the mortal realm. Back then, he’d set a projected timeline of two years in future precisely so that he could weed out the rest of Kong Mo’s rebel forces in the interim.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. A row of white coats marched into the room. All of them had a badge with the SRC logo prominently displayed on their chests.

Hang on a minute… Qin Ye stared at the chief researcher as though he had just seen a ghost.

Should you be measuring the extent of my true energy, before assessing the constitution of my body? With the way you’re speaking… I can’t help but feel a little bit nervous about what is to come...