Chapter 6: Compromise

Yan Yunqing said nothing more and immediately flashed out of the Shura Hall. The Ghost Venerable smoothed away the careless smile on his face and followed Yan Yunqing.

The three monsters of the Shura Hall sensed two distinct auras leaving the hall. One was clearly their Master’s, while the other—which fluctuated in strength and carried a biting chill—must have been the person their Master had brought back.

Mei was puzzled. Hei Nu and Chi had been sent on a mission and had not returned for a long time, yet now their Master had returned with a stranger. Since they had begun serving him, when had their Master ever brought anyone to the Shura Hall? Most visitors were uninvited guests. Mei spoke up, asking, "What exactly happened when the Master went out with Brother Nu?"

Wang looked up at Mei upon hearing this but continued to tinker with the weapon in his hands without a word. Liang replied, "Mei, some things will be known when the time is right. If you are too curious, you will only invite trouble for yourself. If you displease the Master, none of us will have a good outcome. We know the Master’s temperament all too well, do we not?" Liang’s tone was as gentle as ever, but the warning within was self-evident.

Mei gazed at the direction the Master had gone, feeling unwilling. Her intuition had always been accurate; nothing good would come of the Master spending so much time with that person.

Seeing this, Liang walked slowly to Mei’s side and said softly, "Behave. Everything will be revealed in due time."

The four monsters, Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang, were ranked in terms of strength in that specific order. In terms of age, Chi was the eldest, followed by the twins Wang and Liang, while Mei was the youngest and most impulsive.

Chi was naturally flirtatious and bloodthirsty; Wang was obsessed with weapons; Mei was young and far too reckless. Only Liang, who excelled in formations, had a gentle temperament and remained calm and composed in the face of adversity. Thus, it was usually Liang who made the decisions for the four.

Liang naturally sensed that the Master felt differently about that person, but there were some things that they, as subordinates, were not meant to pry into. Doing their own duty was the most prudent course of action, and their most pressing task now was to guard the Shura Hall well.

Hearing this, Mei snorted coldly and strode away into the hall.

After Mei left, Liang offered a helpless smile. Wang, still polishing his weapon, reassured him, "Don't worry. I have yet to see anyone capable of fighting the Master. Let him be; nothing major will happen."

Liang turned back, and the two shared a smile. *If only that were true.* It was rare to have such a peaceful life; it was best to cherish it.

The Ghost Venerable followed Yan Yunqing at a moderate distance. Seeing Yan Yunqing conceal his figure and enter the Yama Hall, he did the same.

Inside the Yama Hall, the Yama King, whom the Ghost Venerable had not seen for some time, was sitting at the center of the inner hall, processing official documents. Perhaps sensing something, the Yama King looked up slightly, and upon seeing who it was, he froze.

"Yunqing, how are you..." *Here?* Shouldn't he still be undergoing his tribulation? The Yama King immediately spotted the Ghost Venerable, who was partially hidden behind Yan Yunqing. He started to rise to offer his respects, but seeing the Ghost Venerable shake his head, he remained seated.

Yan Yunqing opened his mouth slightly, not knowing how to begin. The Yama King saw at a glance that the issue likely lay with the old ghost behind his son. Before Yan Yunqing could explain, the Yama King said in a deep voice, "Yunqing, you should leave first. Do not let others in the Underworld see your tracks."

Yan Yunqing wondered at this, frowned, and cast a questioning glance at the person behind him before walking out of the hall.

Once Yan Yunqing had left, the Yama King rose to greet him. "This small king pays respects to the Venerable. May I ask what brings you here?"

The Ghost Venerable shot a sidelong glance at the Yama King, tossed a small blue-and-white porcelain bottle toward him, and walked to the central seat. He swept all the documents off the desk, took out a cloud cushion, and sat down in the seat as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "That medicine is similar to the last one, but with slight differences. It should only be taken after you have braved the Red Phoenix. Now that you have, what are your plans?"

The Yama King sensed that the Ghost Venerable’s tone was laced with probing intent. The pressure—fluctuating in strength—that radiated from the Ghost Venerable caused a cold sweat to break out on the Yama King’s back. Despite this, he reported truthfully, "Every successor to the Underworld officially assumes the role of Lord of the Underworld after completing their tribulations. I intend to travel the four corners of the world to find someone once Yunqing returns from his own trials to take over."

"Ha!" The Ghost Venerable let out a cold snort. "You have quite the clever scheme—dumping everything onto your son while you go off to find your old flame, living a life that even immortals would envy." The mere thought of his own person being bullied by this old Yama King left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The Yama King knew he was failing Yunqing, but he had no choice. Compared to Yunqing, his guilt toward that other person ran deeper. It was fated—ordained by heaven—that he had survived his own trial thanks to this old ghost's rescue, and he had to find that person.

As for Yunqing, he was a good child; the heavens would surely not treat him unkindly.

The Yama King lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Suddenly, as if just remembering, the Yama King asked, "Shouldn't Yunqing still be in the midst of his tribulation? How is he here?"

The Ghost Venerable was displeased. "I brought him back. If I hadn't arrived in time, his soul fragments would have been swallowed by a sliver of Taotie’s primordial spirit. You have yet to step down; how could you, as the Lord of the Underworld, allow such a grave oversight?"

As soon as the Ghost Venerable spoke, the Yama King suddenly felt a mountain of pressure descend upon him. His body had not yet fully recovered, and the pressure forced him to his knees.

The Ghost Venerable felt no pity. He had entrusted the Underworld to the Yama lineage and rarely interfered in daily affairs unless there were special circumstances, so he only knew the general details regarding the trials of the Underworld Lords.

The fact that the vast Underworld was passed down through the Yama lineage was not without a price. Previous Yama Kings had all died mysteriously; it was only after the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha arrived in the Underworld that it was revealed they must undergo tribulations in the human realm to offset the karma of their status. Only then could the Yama lineage properly govern.

As the Lord of the Underworld, if one failed the trials or missed a lifetime, the Heavenly Dao would impose punishments through other means, often resulting in catastrophes that the entire Underworld would be unable to withstand.

The old Yama King knelt, looking up in shock. *How could this be?* Hadn't the Four Great Fierce Beasts been sealed by the Heavenly Dragon Clan long ago? The Yama King said urgently, "I truly did not know! Please, Venerable, quell your anger! Were those beasts not already sealed? How could they have escaped?"

Certain matters were known to the leaders of each realm but left unspoken, such as the affair of the Four Great Fierce Beasts. Though it had been a narrow victory, it was a humiliating chapter.

The Yama King was filled with doubt, but the Venerable would never lie. This was undoubtedly true. It seemed he would have to conduct a thorough investigation before retiring and warn the leaders of the other realms. With this in mind, the Yama King decided to share what the Ghost Lantern had reported to him. "Venerable, there is one more strange thing. Aside from the fragment of Taotie, there was another person beside Yunqing during his tribulation whose presence could not even be found in the Book of Life and Death. I fear that person may be a spy from the Demon Realm, especially since they have been eyeing us covetously."

The Ghost Venerable nodded with feigned seriousness, though a close observer might have noticed the corner of his mouth twitching. He, a dignified Venerable, was hardly comparable to someone from the Demon Realm. He rolled his eyes at the old Yama King, though he said with a straight face, "In that case, leave this person to me to investigate."

The Yama King bowed his head. "Many thanks, Venerable!" He continued, "I am grateful to you for saving Yunqing’s life, but you may not know that his ten-lifetime trial must not be interrupted. The Yama lineage is grateful for the sanctuary you provided, but fate is unpredictable. If we do not complete these ten trials as required, the Heavenly Dao will bring about other calamities, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

The Ghost Venerable shot the Yama King a sidelong glance, his face darkening significantly. His mood plummeted, not because of the Yama King’s words, but because he understood the "calamities of the Heavenly Dao" better than anyone.

The Ghost Venerable’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. He gritted his teeth, let out a cold snort, and tore through the void, departing. As the pressure vanished, the Yama King stumbled to his feet. Outside the hall, Yan Yunqing sensed the Ghost Venerable’s departure and entered. Seeing his father struggling to stand, he reached out to steady him.

The Yama King stopped him with a gesture. Yan Yunqing withdrew his hand, accustomed to such distance, and asked, "Father, what is that person’s background?"

The Yama King shook his head and patted Yan Yunqing’s shoulder. "Do not concern yourself with who he is. Remember my words: never provoke him. The Underworld cannot afford to offend this person. The future of the Underworld will soon rest on you; prepare yourself well. When the time comes, you can continue your trials."

Hearing this, a flicker of conflict crossed Yan Yunqing’s cold, frost-like face. If that were the case, he hoped there would be no more entanglements with that person in the future.

Back in the Shura Hall, a gust of wind swept through as the Ghost Venerable shattered the objects in the hall in a fit of pique. He stood there for a long time, watching as the items automatically restored themselves, before returning to his room to rest on the cloud chair.

Time flowed differently between the human realm and the Underworld; it was not long before Hei Nu and Chi, whom the three monsters had been worried about, returned to the Shura Hall.

Hei Nu looked at the three monsters hiding far away and asked, "Where is the Master?"

Mei stuck out her tongue, frightened, and pointed toward the bedroom where the Ghost Venerable was resting. "The Master flew into a rage in the main hall earlier and has only just calmed down. He’s likely resting now! You’d best not go and provoke him."

Hei Nu nodded but walked toward the bedroom nonetheless. The mission was complete; he had to report back.

Mei nodded in apparent approval behind him. *As expected of Brother Nu, he has such courage.* She looked at Hei Nu, then at the exhausted Chi, and clicked her tongue impatiently. *Comparing these half-demons to the monsters is truly an eye-opener; it’s like heaven and earth. No matter how you look at it, Brother Nu is far more reliable.*

The bedroom was eerily quiet. Hei Nu knocked cautiously, and seeing the tightly shut door open a crack, he felt a bit relieved and slipped inside without a sound.

The Ghost Venerable kept his eyes closed and said softly, "How did it go?"

Hei Nu bowed slightly. "Everything has been handled as instructed."

The Ghost Venerable cast a sidelong glance at him. His tone was flat and waveless, which only made Hei Nu feel more apprehensive. "In that case, go to the Yama Hall and notify them: the time has come. Yan Yunqing can depart."

Hearing this, Hei Nu sensed something was wrong. Someone had likely poured cold water on the Master’s mood. Given the Master’s temperament, the more someone poured cold water, the more significant the reaction would be. It seemed he needed to prepare in advance.

Hei Nu said, "Yes," and immediately left.

The Ghost Venerable watched Hei Nu’s receding figure with displeasure. *This Hei Nu, I’ve never seen him move this fast!* The Ghost Venerable snorted, concealed his form, and followed quietly. Once Hei Nu had delivered the message at the Yama Hall, Yan Yunqing immediately headed toward the Pool of Rebirth.

*One after another, ha!* The Ghost Venerable clenched his fists, biting his lip as he watched Yan Yunqing drink the bowl of Meng Po’s soup and walk toward the Pool of Rebirth with a look of relief.

The Ghost Venerable suddenly moved. Just as Yan Yunqing was about to vanish, he lunged forward, grabbing Yan Yunqing and falling into the Pool of Rebirth with him. Yan Yunqing looked at the person who had suddenly appeared in astonishment, instinctively wrapping his arms around the man’s waist.

The Ghost Venerable did not hold back, pulling him closer and hooking an arm around his neck, pressing their bodies tightly together. As his consciousness began to blur, a triumphant smile curled on the Ghost Venerable’s lips.

*You want to undergo ten lifetimes of trials? Then I shall accompany you for ten lifetimes. Even if you do not remember me after those ten lifetimes, it matters not. In this world, there is no one more suited to be my match than you. You will be mine, and mine alone.*