New Times, New Hell

Chapter 37 - Plans for the Next Life

Though Daoist priest Jin already had a suspicion in his heart, he was still in disbelief after hearing the other personally admit it. He felt all the strength leave his body as he dropped the copper bell on the ground. The sound of metal hitting the concrete floor was piercing.

“Im-im&#k2026;&#k2026;impossible?” Daoist priest Jin’s eyes widened as he stared at the devastatingly handsome youth before him. He struggled to get out, “You’re……you’re lying. How could the Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain……”

“How could he lend you power,” Shang Que responded, chin slightly raised as he looked down coldly at the other.

There were an innumerous amount of Daoists in the world, and an even larger number of spells. But at the center of it all, these spells involved asking gods, ghosts, or the energy of the three realms for power. This was normally a passive skill, because as long as your cultivation level was high enough and you worshipped the being wholeheartedly, it was entirely possible to naturally borrow power through spells.

Unless you were like Daoist priest Jin and had been directly rejected by the person you were worshipping.

Technically speaking, Daoist priest Jin was pretty unlucky too. There were hundreds upon hundreds of magical seals that the Daoists knew of; among them, the famous ones included the Treasure Seal of Master Daojin, Achievement Seal of Yangping Capital City, Fengdu Ghost Summoning Seal, North Pole Ghost Killing Seal, and more. These had all been spread far and wide in the mortal realm, used incessantly by all Daoists. But coincidentally, Daoist priest Jin’s cultivation level was high enough that he managed to recognize the long-lost Luofeng Mountain Ghost King’s Magical Seal, which was the original form of the Fengdu Ghost Summoning Seal. How could he stop himself from trying to borrow the power of the ghosts of Luofeng Mountain?

Daoist priest Jin was still trying to defend himself. At this time, the sound of Liu Ningan’s trembling voice reached his ears. “Daoist priest Jin, look……look ah……”

It turned out that Liu Ningan had collapsed out of shock due to the sudden turn of events. As he fell on the ground, he happened to lean backwards, managing to get a view of the situation above them.

Daoist priest Jin followed his gaze and looked upwards, only to see that the magical seal drawn on the ceiling in cinnabar was fading rapidly, until it completely disappeared.

“There are no more gods. All ghosts in the Underworld and mortal realm belong to me……” Shang Que’s voice was empty, as if he were speaking from a far away void. “From today onwards, none under my control shall lend power to you.”

Daoist priest Jin had been able to stir trouble for several years without consequence. This was because of his above average talents and skills. But, this was also the reason that he could immediately feel his cultivation promptly leaving him.

“Im——impossible——” Daoist priest Jin’s expression shattered. He quivered as he picked up the copper bell that had fallen on the ground and furiously shook it a few times. He made a few hand gestures, continuously chanting, but nothing happened. He couldn’t even feel a little bit of energy within himself.

“How could it be……how could it be?” Daoist priest Jin sprawled on the floor, defeated. He looked at Shang Que in disbelief. “Luofeng Mountain……Luofeng Mountain sank into the earth over a thousand years ago……The Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain already……already……”

“You know quite a bit,” Shang Que said lightly as he glanced down through half-open lids. “But not enough.”

The cinnabar on the ceiling had already completely dissipated, revealing the grey rock underneath. The hidden room was dark and eerie, filled with the Underworld spirits Yu Zhengdu had summoned. Everyone gathered in a circle, trapping Liu Ningan and Daoist priest Jin side. The coworker whose eyes were permanently tired took out his eyes and held them up to Liu Ningan. “Let me see. Who is so brave that they dare to publicly provoke our boss!”

Liu Ningan was so scared of the two eyeballs that had suddenly appeared in front of him that he started screaming, “Save me——Don’t come over——”

Kang Jin and them were normally bound to the rules of the Underworld and were thus rarely allowed to scare mortals. This was a rare opportunity, so they were extremely excited. The whole group surrounded Liu Ningan, teasing him until he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Only then did they finally reluctantly turn to look at Shang Que and ask, “Boss, what should we do with him? Eat him alive? Or kill him and then eat him?”

Liu Ningan’s voice was already hoarse from how much he had screeched. It sounded like someone was slaughtering a pig. “Don’t kill me——don’t kill me——”

Shang Que turned to look at Yu Zhengdu. “What do you think?”

Kang Jin scratched his head. “Why are you asking Yu ge? He doesn’t eat people……”

“Can you respect a lawful society?” Yu Zhengdu questioned in disdain. “Call the cops.”

Kang Jin immediately felt disappointed. “Okay……”

“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. I’ll call the cops.” Liu Ningan who had long-since lost his sanity completely disregarded the fact that they were in a room filled with evidence of his crimes. He rushed to reach for his phone, pulling it out and hurriedly dialling the number for the police station.

Yu Zhengdu: “&#k2026;&#k2026;”

……

Liu Ningan had never thought that he would anticipate the arrival of the cops so much. As soon as the police walked through the door, he reacted like he had seen an angel descending from Heaven. He pitifully charged over and clung onto the civil servant’s thigh, tears streaming down his face. “You’re finally here. I’ve finally waited until you arrived&#k2014;&#k2014;”

Uncle police officer yanked his leg out, expression bewildered. He asked, “Who called the cops?”

“It was me, me.” Liu Ningan refused to admit defeat and clung onto him again. He raised his hand up to answer, like an elementary school student would. “Please take me away. I’m begging you——”

Uncle police officer: “……”

Mortals couldn’t see the room full of ghosts. Other than Liu Ningan, the police could only see a Daoist off to the side, expression blank, a pregnant woman tied onto a bed, and two youths.

“Officer, hello.” Yu Zhengdu had given up on Boss being social. He naturally stepped forward to greet the police officers, then gave a simple explanation for the current situation. He spent a majority of his time relaying Liu Ningan and Daoist priest Jin’s crimes.

There was no way to explain the fact that Liu Ningan had trapped ghosts. The mortal law didn’t cover these situations either. Thus, Yu Zhengdu could only place an emphasis on the fact that Liu Ningan had kidnapped and murdered people before. Coincidentally, Gao Yun regained consciousness at this time too. As soon as she saw the police, she immediately started crying and began revealing everything Liu Ningan had done.

It had to be said that since she had been with Liu Ningan for so many years, she really did have a lot of dirt on the other.

The police officers probably hadn’t expected for the situation to unfold in this manner. They almost didn’t manage to react in time.

The leader of the squadron’s last name was Pan. He was the one whose thigh was being hugged by Liu Ningan. He had actually had his eye on Liu Ningan for several years already. The way the other had suddenly gotten rich was suspicious, and the occurrences related to him in the past few years were sketchy too. But the strange thing was, no matter how carefully they investigated, all clues would mysteriously disappear before they could find substantial evidence. They couldn’t manage to relate anything to Liu Ningan at all.

He never could’ve imagined that the reason he would finally be able to catch Liu Ningan would be because the other had called the cops himself. And under the circumstances where there was still a large room full of material evidence and witnesses remaining.

Captain Pain stared at the way the previously arrogant Liu Ningan was clinging onto his thigh, refusing to let go. He was bewildered for a moment.

Daoist priest Jin was still dazed. When he got pulled to his feet by the police, he finally managed to regain some sense. He pointed at Shang Que and shouted, “He’s the Ghost King. Hurry and get a religious master to exorcise him. He’s the infamous Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain——”

The police officer: “……”

Captain Pan furrowed his brows and looked at Shang Que in confusion.

At this time, Yu Zhengdu pulled out two business cards and handed them over. He said, “I’m an employee of Luofeng Life Management and Consulting Ltd. Co., Yu Zhengdu. This is our boss.”

He politely smiled. “We are an officially registered company that has a file at the Industry and Commerce Bureau. If Officer has anything to ask, you’re welcome to come visit our company whenever needed.”

Captain Pan scanned the business cards. One read CTO Yu Zhengdu while the other read CEO Shang Que. They truly looked very formal. He nodded, then turned around to yell at Daoist priest Jin, “Watch it! Acting so mysterious.”

Daoist priest Jin: “……”

The Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain……owned a business in the mortal realm????

Daoist priest Jin refused to accept this. He pointed at Shang Que and cried, “He……he really is a ghost. He’s a ghost……”

Shang Que completely ignored him, calmly taking out a little plastic square instead. He handed it to Captain Pan and said, “This is my ID card.”

Daoist priest Jin: “Kekekekeke——”

Who the fuck would’ve thought! The Ghost King of Luofeng Mountain even had an ID card!!!!!!

He was both mentally and physically fatigued, to the point that blood appeared at the corners of his mouth. He wanted to continue explaining, but didn’t know what to say.

Captain Pan tsk’d. “It appears that Liu Ningan really has done too many evil things. He even dared to invite such an obvious scammer into his home.”

Yu Zhengdu sincerely agreed. “Isn’t that right. He’s so superstitious that he’s lost his mind.”

The ghosts all around them: “……”

……

Due to the fact that Yu Zhengdu explained how he and Shang Que coincidentally had business with Gao Yun, then coincidentally encountered Gao Yun being kidnapped, resulting in their selfless attempt to save her – this, along with the witness statements provided by the Chen family, allowed the two of them to leave the police station after recording a testimonial each.

As for Liu Ningan, there was substantial evidence of his kidnappings. With Gao Yun’s help, the police even managed to uncover evidence regarding several other crimes where Liu Ningan had killed for money. He had no way out anymore. Even his company couldn’t escape the fate of being forced shut.

The company he owned, Yaochu Stocks, had already been on a downward descent these past few days. It had long since been weathering a storm, on the brink of collapse. This was also a contribution to the reason he had taken a risk and wanted to sacrifice a ghost infant. After Liu Ningan’s arrest, Yaochu Stocks received the brunt of the Chen family and several other companies’ revenge. Not even a few days later, it completely fell apart.

Daoist priest Jin had been his most loyal accomplice, so naturally couldn’t avoid jail time either. But as opposed to prison time, what hurt him more was the fact that his cultivation had completely dissipated and he would henceforth be unable to borrow power again. Those Underworld spirits that he had forced into servitude and tortured in the past all returned now with a vengeance. They visited his dreams night after night, causing him extreme mental anguish, but he was unable to do anything about it.

However, Gao Yun’s fate was the one that caused everyone to sigh the most. That day, she had been overly stimulated, which forced her into early labor. After she got taken to the hospital, they performed a C-section, only to find that the fetus was already dead. What was most terrifying, though, was that the dead fetus had four eyes. This scared the medical staff so much that they almost all fainted. Nobody knew the reason, so concluded that it was because Liu Ningan had sinned too much and that this was karma on his part——of course, this explanation wasn’t entirely wrong either.

Later on, because Gao Yun had maintained a close relationship with Liu Ningan but failed to report his crimes to the police, and also because she was a possible accomplice, Gao Yun was arrested too.

***

After successfully solving the situation with Liu Ningan, Father Chen very courteously paid Luofeng Management another large sum of money. Though Yu Zhengdu felt that he didn’t need to pay anymore since Gao Yun had already paid, the Chen family were adamant.

Father Chen very directly relayed that because of their help, his business had been going along exceptionally smoothly lately. Also, they had completely removed the threat of Liu Ningan, which deserved another payment.

……As for the mental trauma of witnessing Luofeng’s money collection strategies, well, they kept that hidden in their hearts. There was no need to say it out loud.

After Daoist priest Jin and Liu Ningan were arrested by the police, Yu Zhengdu successfully managed to find the willow figurine containing the little belly spirit’s skull. Now that Daoist priest Jin’s cultivation had all but disappeared and he was suffering from rebound, his contract with the belly spirit had naturally ended too. The skull could no longer pose a threat to the belly spirit, but Yu Zhengdu still specially asked Daoist priest Mu and little Daoist Yuan Qing from Qinglian Temple to perform a blessing for her.

After regaining her freedom, the belly spirit should have been able to re-enter samsara and begin a new life, in theory. But soon, Yu Zhengdu discovered a new problem.

Since historic times, very few ghost spirits could break free from their bonds without performing any evil deeds. The Life and Death Accounts’ algorithm for calculating this was thus very messy. For example, though the little belly spirit was in the record, the algorithm couldn’t immediately come up with a precise reincarnation time or reincarnation result for her. It needed human maintenance and intervention.

But what could be predicted was the fact that it was very likely the belly spirit wouldn’t be able to reincarnate as a human in the next life.

Here, it would be necessary to bring up how outdated the Underworld laws were. Those like the belly spirit, though victims in their own right, had ultimately hurt the innocent. The laws didn’t care that she had been unwilling and forced by Daoist priest Jin during a long period of enslavement. And the biggest difference between the mortal realm and Underworld was that there were no policies in place protecting minors. Child ghostly offenders were treated the same as adult ghostly offenders. Even Shang Que could only try to lessen her punishment; in the end, though, everything was still decided entirely by the Heavens.

Fortunately, as the main culprits, Daoist priest Jin and Liu Ningan would be heavily punished after death. The belly spirit could only be considered an accomplice, unwilling at that, so would receive a much lighter sentence. And after being rescued, she had been temporarily placed under the supervision of all Luofeng employees. Everyone especially liked this adorable little girl and were extremely kind to her, even naming her. In this way, they made sure that her ghostly life before reincarnation wasn’t completely tragic.

Thus, for a long time afterwards, everyone could see Yu Zhengdu counseling the little belly spirit.

Yu Zhengdu: “Peppa, all ghosts and spirits will ultimately have to reincarnate. You understand, right?”

Because she was obsessed with cartoons, the belly spirit had ultimately chosen the name Peppa after deliberating between Nana, Zi Han, Xin Yu, and several other popular names.

Peppa nodded. “Un.”

Yu Zhengdu stroked her head. “Uncle Kang Jin should’ve told you already. Not all ghosts can reincarnate into humans. But actually, there really isn’t much of a difference. Either way, you’ll still be alive. The most important thing is to live happily, isn’t that right?”

Peppa tilted her head and thought about it, then nodded again. “Yes.” Actually in her case, her memories as a human hadn’t been happy at all. All her memories of being a human consisted of being stolen from her mother’s womb and tortured; they were only filled with pain and suffering.

Yu Zhengdu subtly sighed in relief. He held her little hands and solemnly promised, “Peppa, if you happen to……I say happen to, okay. If you happen to reincarnate into an animal, don’t be scared. We’ve already made preparations. No matter what animal you reincarnate as, we will bring you back as soon as possible and let you live a happy life.”

Peppa nodded, not really understanding. “Gege, I trust you.”

She thought about it, then asked, “If I become an animal, can I still watch Peppa Pig?”

Yu Zhengdu furiously nodded. “Of course. And PAW Patrol and Boonie Bears. You can watch everything. And your little dresses. We’ll continue buying them for you.”

Peppa blinked and smiled sweetly. “Then I’m not scared of anything anymore.”

Kang Jin felt teary-eyed after witnessing everything. “Ah, I seem to see a kind father’s glow emanating from Yu ge.”

Shang Que happened to be passing by. Upon hearing this, he paused and turned to ask Kang Jin, “What about me?”

Kang Jin: “……???”

What kind of question was Boss asking?

He failed to correctly decipher the Ghost King’s internal thoughts in that moment and could only try to deduce a superior’s mindset from a subordinate’s role. A brief pause later, he tentatively opened his mouth, “The glow of best boss of 2018 is emanating from your body!”

Shang Que: “……Dock your wages ba.”

Kang Jin: “!!!!!”

Why?!!!

The author has something to say:

Shang Que: This employee is no good. Make him a chicken in the next life.

Kang Jin: No—— (Er Kang hand)