Yama Rising

With that, Qin Ye departed.

Sigh… How long have I been alive? To think that even my beard is already turning white…

To think it’s already been more than ten years since I’ve assumed this position…

Yan Capital had a sense of oppressive darkness about it at night, especially around the outskirts where he was at. Carved beams and painted murals could be seen all around him. The architecture was dated and ancient, but everything appeared spacious and elegant. The road was lined with ginkgo trees, and soldiers could even be spotted standing guard in strict formation. Even someone like Lei Jun had no choice but to go through several rounds of security checks before he was finally granted entry.

But a kind face didn’t necessarily mean that the man was happy and smiling. In fact, his face was full of gloom as he waited for Lei Jun to take his seat. And as soon as he did, the old man asked, “What do you think?”

Lei Jun’s voice choked up slightly, and he glanced up at the roof, “Furthermore, too many lives have been lost, be it ordinary citizens or investigators. I can no longer remember their names, but what I do know is that the reports of their demise have all been approved by me personally…”

He paused for a moment, and then added, “Besides, there’s no reason for Hell to lie to us. After all, Hell cannot grow without mortals.”

The old man’s eyes gleamed softly, almost as though he was reminiscing about the past. After a long time, he finally sighed, “That’s right… It’s been over ten years since we’ve been given this tall task, so what difference does it make to wait for another five years? That’s a time we can afford to wait out.”

“He said that… it’s up to us. And that it should preferably be in two months’ time.”

………………………………………………….

Things were still fine when the markets in Hell were all stagnant and lukewarm. But now that the opening of sea trade had injected new life into the markets, it was only natural that problems would only start to surface, and countermeasures would have to be put into place. Incidentally, Ashmound City was now also an ideal proving ground to sieve out the wheat from the chaff. It was through these trials that he could truly find out which Yin spirits he could entrust with greater duties in future.

Qin Ye entrusted all of these things to the officials of Hell. Meanwhile, he turned his attention to the reports of the Frontier Brigades and construction corps which needed his personal oversight.

Qin Ye sat in the conference room together with Zhao Yun and the Harken flanking his sides. They were there to help him break down the information in the reports. The information that was sent back was approximately one foot thick, and it was divided into three broad categories, of things of use to Hell, things that could be glossed over, and things that had to be investigated further. Of these, the things of use to Hell were further subdivided into things that could be appreciated, and things that could be put to practical use. From there, the report went into great detail on the particulars of what they had found, ranging from mineral deposits to food, and from raw materials to precious metals.

“In the mortal realm, an average province such as Westriver Province would have documented something like 12,000 species of plants, animals and insects…” Qin Ye set down the table of particulars and rubbed his throbbing temples, “But the first report from Eastmount Province itself already contains over 4,000 species of plants and animals, and that’s not even counting the 6,300 species of insects that they have documented…”

The sheer thought of having to sub-classify these species be it for livestock or leather, or whether lethal or non-lethal, caused Qin Ye’s eyes to glaze over. Fortunately, these reports were more for his own information and understanding, and he didn’t have to personally attend to the classification work, which was under the charge of both Zu Chongzhi and Li Chun. Both scholars had experience with classification, and they each led their own team of talented individuals who would delve deeper into such work.

It was absolutely shameless!

“My Lord, there’s no need to rush things.” Zhao Yun remarked, “We’ll be receiving a second batch of reports soon, and then followed by another report on geography and vegetation. You can’t possibly finish going through these things right now. Besides, reading is one thing, but seeing it for yourself is quite something else. It might actually be better to take a little trip around Hell to experience things for yourself. That would also allow you to see things from the perspectives of the citizens of Hell.”

“Either General Zhao or I can step in.” The Harken lazily peeked out from the report before its eyes, “General Zhao is right. The government is currently developing well, and everyone has their tasks nicely laid out before them. So, unless something extremely important turns up that requires your urgent attention, there’s really nothing that we wouldn’t be able to do on your behalf.”

“Don’t forget, the officials of the old Hell used to only be able to ascend the ranks after some work on the ground. Sure, the Second King Yanluo might have been parachuted into his position, but that’s just an exception. He’s an old monster who’s lived for hundreds of years, and his cultivation is in a completely different realm. Could someone like him really be inexperienced in the ways of the world? But you’re different.”

“You’ve never experienced life in Hell, nor do you have any detailed understanding of how the netherworld works. For instance, let me ask you this - how should our education system be developed?”

Yin Talismans.

For further instance, he didn’t understand a single thing about the special architecture of Hell, the qualities of the ground, or any of the specialty products and resources that were currently in his possession. Without the understanding of such information, how was he supposed to know what a particular province or city needs more of, and what they could spare? And if a road needs to be repaired across several provinces, how much would that cost, in both money, manpower and resources?

“I’ll consider it--...”

“Argh… Got it, got it…” Qin Ye stretched his back, and then turned slightly to the side and asked softly, “Coffee.”

Then he turned properly with a dark face, only to realize that Arthis was now dressed in the garments of a Han Dynasty noblewoman, and she had a demure smile on her face as she leaned in close to Zhao Yun, “Brother Zhao, this is a drink that I’ve just come up with. Is it… to your liking?”

Forget it, forget it… everyone has their own weaknesses… Eh?! Why isn’t Brother Zhao avoiding her like he usually does?! He’s actually drinking it?!

The atmosphere in the conference room became rather awkward at once. Qin Ye shivered slightly, and then motioned to leave the room for a breath of fresh air. Just then, the door swung wide open.

Qin Ye’s eyes gleamed brightly, and he transformed into a gust of Yin energy right away, whisking along Wang One Tail as he rushed out of the room. When he next appeared, he was already right back in his own office. The Lord of the Land stood outside the office and bowed deeply to the ground.

“Your Excellency is astute and wise.” The Lord of the Land bowed to the ground, “The mortal realm has already agreed to your request, and has communicated with me through burnt offerings. They intend to meet with you on… Labour Day?”

The Lord of the Land departed after relaying this piece of news. Meanwhile, Qin Ye thought for a moment, and then began to muster the Yin energy in his body. Soon, two screens of Yin energy appeared right before him.

The first one revealed the current state of affairs in the three eastern provinces. The lands were covered with a lingering mist of Yin energy, while countless Yin spirits with slender limbs and large bellies were patrolling the streets.

Yet they continued to bow deeply in submission, not even daring to lift their heads in the slightest. A silhouette sat at the top of the TV tower, fanning herself elegantly as she lorded over the rest. Then, she quipped softly, “Have you… killed anyone?”