Chapter 256: Assembling the Team

As soon as dozens of ghost guards appeared, they surrounded the ghost king, Lei Laohu.

Cai shouted angrily at Lei Laohu, “Damn you, Lei! How dare you cause trouble here! Do you want to suffer in the eighteenth level of hell? Before, you were protected by Baiyang, but now this area is under my jurisdiction. If you dare to stir up trouble, I’ll have you arrested and sent straight to the eighteenth level of hell!”

Cai looked imposing and authoritative. He hadn’t been much of a talker before, but now, dressed in new robes and serving as the City God, he exuded the air of an official.

Surrounded by dozens of ghost guards, the ghost king Lei Laohu grew fearful. He quickly forced a smile and said, “No, no trouble! My brothers here are just busy… Just now, I chased off a group of evil ghosts who were causing chaos. If you don’t believe me, ask my little brothers…” Lei Laohu looked desperately at Shui Miao, afraid that Shui might betray him.

Cai turned to Shui Miao and asked, “Brother Shui Miao, is that what happened? If he’s up to no good, just tell me—I won’t let him off the hook!”

“Hehe…”

Shui Miao smiled faintly and approached Lei Laohu, gesturing for him to come closer with a flick of his finger.

Lei Laohu was taken aback but quickly transformed his ghostly form, shrinking it to Shui Miao’s height before whispering nervously, “What’s up, big brother?”

“Brother, today’s incident can be either big or small. We can be friends and have plenty of opportunities to cooperate in the future. But to show your sincerity, I think you should give a little something,” Shui Miao said, pointing at the Yin Holy Spirit orb in Lei Laohu’s hand. “You’ve been playing with this thing all the time—surely you’re tired of it by now, right?”

Of course, Shui Miao’s goal was the Yin Holy Spirit.

Lei Laohu was momentarily stunned—this Yin Holy Spirit was his pride and joy!

Hearing this, Cai and the others perked up. The ghost guard leader immediately sneered, “The eighteenth level of hell has countless tortures, perfect for punishing those who seize things by force and cause chaos in the human world. Brothers, don’t you agree?”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

“Exactly! Especially the Copper Pillar Hell—a copper cylinder one meter in diameter and two meters tall. Charcoal is burned inside while constantly fanned, quickly heating the pillar until it glows red-hot. Then the little demons strip your clothes off and force you to hug that scorching copper pillar—just thinking about it makes me cringe!”

“Haha, I think the Oil Cauldron Hell is even scarier—stripped naked and thrown into a boiling cauldron of hot oil, sizzling and popping! And someone as fat as Lei Laohu—well, frying him might even squeeze out some oil!”

“Haha!”

After the ghost guards spoke, Cai added, “I think someone like Lei Laohu should start with the Copper Pillar Hell, then go through the Saw Hell, where his body is sawn apart piece by piece, and finally be thrown into the oil cauldron…”

“Enough! I’ve been to hell before!” Lei Laohu couldn’t take it anymore. He handed the Holy Spirit orb to Shui Miao and said, “What’s the big deal? It’s just some Holy Spirit! I can always go to the Realm of Rakshasa and get more. This one’s yours!”

“Great! Generous move!”

Cai immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Brothers, let him go.”

Lei Laohu looked at Shui Miao, who patted his shoulder and transmitted a thought, “Don’t worry—I’m a man of my word. Sure, you lost a bit of the Yin Holy Spirit, but you saved your life. That’s worth it. Remember, don’t go too far. We’ll team up for something big at the Yellow Spring Mountains later.”

Reassured by Shui Miao’s words, Lei Laohu immediately vanished.

Shui Miao examined the Yin Holy Spirit orb and, with a thought, split it into dozens of pieces. They flew out and each ghost guard received one. Cai and the guard leader each got three pieces, and Shui Miao specially sent two to the night patrol guards deep underground who were responsible for recording events. Chen Meiling, Chen Xiang, the fox demoness Qimei, and Jincanzi each received a portion. Shui Miao himself kept two pieces, and thus the Yin Holy Spirit of Lei Laohu was completely distributed.

The ghost guards were all overjoyed with their gains.

Cai was also very pleased. He stepped forward and bowed to Shui Miao, saying, “Brother Shui Miao, you truly are our lucky star and the nemesis of evil ghosts!”

“Haha, Brother Shui Miao is our savior too! Without him, we’d still be suffering under Baiyang’s rule,” the ghost guard leader chuckled in a deep voice.

“That’s right! That’s right!”

“Brother Shui Miao, you’re a man of righteousness, true righteousness!”

The ghost guards, having benefited from Shui Miao, showered him with flattery.

Reminded by the guard leader, Shui Miao immediately thought of Bai Niangniang. He smiled, thanked the ghost guards, and then quietly asked Cai, “City God, as the saying goes, cutting grass without removing the roots will always leave future troubles. Do you know where the thousand-year-old Bai Niangniang is now?”

This was also a matter of concern for Cai and the guard leader, as they bore some responsibility for Baiyang’s death.

Cai immediately lowered his voice and replied, “We’ve investigated. She went to the Immortal Realm. She has powerful enemies there, and it’s possible she may never return.”

Dozens of ghost officers appeared and immediately surrounded Ghost King Thunder Tiger.

Old Cai angrily shouted at Ghost King Thunder Tiger, “You bastard, Lei! How dare you cause trouble here! Do you want to suffer in the eighteenth level of hell? Bai Yang used to protect you, but this is now under my jurisdiction. If you dare to mess around, I’ll have you arrested and sent straight to the eighteenth level of hell!”

Old Cai looked imposing. He used to be quiet, but now, dressed in his new attire as the City God, he radiated an official aura.

Surrounded by dozens of ghost officers, Ghost King Thunder Tiger grew fearful. He quickly forced a smile and said, “No, no trouble at all. My little brothers here are just busy… I just drove away a group of evil spirits who were causing trouble. If you don’t believe me, ask my little brother…” Thunder Tiger looked pleadingly at Shui Miao, afraid that Shui Miao would betray him.

Old Cai turned to Shui Miao and asked, “Brother Shui Miao, is that true? If he’s done anything wrong, just tell me. I won’t let him off easily.”

“Heh…”

Shui Miao smiled faintly and walked up to Ghost King Thunder Tiger. He beckoned him with his finger.

Thunder Tiger was taken aback but quickly shrank his spirit form to match Shui Miao’s height. He whispered, “What’s up, boss?”

“Brother, today’s incident could be big or small. We’ll be friends from now on, and there will be plenty of opportunities to collaborate. But to show your sincerity, I think you should make a gesture.” Shui Miao pointed at the Yin Saint Spirit sphere in Thunder Tiger’s hand. “You’ve been playing with this thing all day. Surely you’re tired of it by now?”

Shui Miao’s goal was, of course, the Yin Saint Spirit.

Ghost King Thunder Tiger was slightly stunned. The Yin Saint Spirit was his pride and joy!

Hearing this, Old Cai and the others perked up. The ghost officer leader immediately sneered, “The eighteenth level of hell is full of cruel punishments, perfect for dealing with evil spirits who plunder and cause chaos in the mortal world. Right, brothers?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Exactly! Especially the Copper Pillar Hell—a copper cylinder one meter in diameter and two meters tall. They light a fire inside and fan it continuously until the cylinder glows red. Then the little ghosts strip you naked and make you hug that scorching copper pillar. Ah, just thinking about it makes me hurt!”

“Haha, I think the Oil Cauldron Hell is even scarier. They strip you naked and deep-fry you in a boiling oil cauldron. Splash, splash! Someone as fat as Thunder Tiger might even seep out some oil!”

“Hahaha…”

After a few ghost officers finished speaking, Old Cai added, “I think for someone like Thunder Tiger, it’s best to start with the Copper Pillar Hell, then move to the Saw Hell, where they saw his body into pieces, and finally toss everything into the oil cauldron…”

“Enough! I’ve been to hell before!” Thunder Tiger couldn’t take it anymore. He handed the Saint Spirit to Shui Miao. “What’s the big deal? It’s just some Saint Spirit. I’ll go get more from the Rakshasa Realm later. You can have this.”

“Good, very generous!”

Old Cai immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Brothers, let him go.”

Thunder Tiger looked at Shui Miao, who patted his shoulder and telepathically communicated, “Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word. You may have lost some Yin Saint Spirit, but you saved your life. It’s worth it. Remember, don’t go too far. Later, we’ll go to Mount Huangquan and pull off a big job.”

Reassured by Shui Miao’s words, Thunder Tiger immediately vanished.

Shui Miao looked at the Yin Saint Spirit sphere and used his mind to divide it into dozens of pieces, which flew to the ghost officers. Each received a share, while Old Cai and the ghost officer leader received three shares. Shui Miao also specifically sent two shares to the night patrol ghost officers deep underground who were responsible for record-keeping. Chen Meiling, Chen Xiang, Fox Demon Seventh Sister, and Golden Toad also each received a share. Shui Miao kept two shares for himself, thus distributing all of Thunder Tiger’s Yin Saint Spirit.

The ghost officers were thrilled with their rewards.

Old Cai was also very pleased. He stepped forward and clasped his hands toward Shui Miao, saying, “Brother Shui Miao, you are truly our lucky star and the nemesis of those evil spirits!”

“Haha, Brother Shui Miao is also our savior. If it weren’t for him, we’d still be suffering under that scoundrel Bai Yang,” the ghost officer leader said in a booming voice.

“Yes, yes!”

“Brother Shui Miao is righteous, truly righteous!”

Having received benefits from Shui Miao, the ghost officers eagerly flattered him.

Reminded by the ghost officer leader, Shui Miao immediately thought of Madame Bai. He smiled and thanked the ghost officers, then whispered to Old Cai, “Lord City God, if we don’t eliminate the root of the problem, it will always be a endless source of trouble! Do you know the whereabouts of the thousand-year-old female ghost, Madame Bai?”

This was also a concern for Old Cai and the ghost officer leader, as they were partly responsible for Bai Yang’s death.

Old Cai immediately lowered his voice and replied, “We looked into it. She went to the immortal realm. She has enemies there, and those enemies are very powerful. She might never return.”

“I also found out that the whole ‘earth soul’ thing was nonsense spread by the Black Mountain Mother. Madame Bai already merged her three souls eight hundred years ago at Fenghua Mountain,” the ghost officer leader added quietly.

“So that’s how it is…”

“It seems Old Cai and the others already see me as one of their own.” Shui Miao licked his lips, and an idea came to him. “By the way, I want to ask you about something important…”

Hearing this, Old Cai immediately turned and ordered the ghost officers to guard the perimeter and not allow anyone to enter.

Then, the ghost officer leader placed a talisman on the ground to prevent any eavesdropping by surveillance ghost officers. After taking these precautions, Old Cai said, “Brother Shui Miao, it’s safe now. Go ahead.”

“Alright!” Shui Miao nodded and said, “I received news from the Ghost Doctor that the Huangquan Patriarch of Mount Huangquan was severely injured after challenging the Netherworld King of the Underworld. He also had all his elixirs stolen by a mysterious thief and is now gathering herbs to refine medicine using his Nine Cauldrons. So, I want to know: how is this Huangquan Patriarch different from Thunder Tiger? If his death has nothing to do with the underworld, why don’t we seize the opportunity to take the Nine Cauldrons for ourselves?”

Hearing this, Old Cai and the ghost officer leader, Old Qin, immediately gleamed with excitement!

Old Cai’s eyes darted around, and he said excitedly, “This is a huge opportunity! Brother Shui Miao, the Huangquan Patriarch is essentially a bandit leader in the mortal world. The underworld hasn’t taken action against him because he hasn’t caused any major trouble. I’ll have Old Qin investigate immediately. If the information is accurate, we’ll set a massive trap and wipe out the Huangquan bandit den. If we can catch that thief, we’ll strike it rich!”

“Exactly! We can also mobilize all the ghost kings under your jurisdiction to take the lead. We’ll watch the fight from the sidelines and reap the rewards!” Old Qin, the ghost officer leader, clenched his fist excitedly, unable to contain his exhilaration.

“So that’s how it is…”

“Looks like Cai and the others now see me as one of their own,” Shui Miao thought, licking his lips. Suddenly, he said, “By the way, I need to ask you something important…”

Hearing this, Cai immediately turned around and ordered the ghost guards to secure the perimeter, not allowing anyone to enter.

Then, the guard leader took out a talisman and placed it on the ground to prevent eavesdropping by other monitoring guards. Once precautions were in place, Cai finally said, “Brother Shui Miao, it’s safe now. Go ahead.”

“Good!” Shui Miao nodded and said, “I heard from a ghost physician that the Yellow Spring Patriarch of the Yellow Spring Mountains has been seriously injured after challenging the King of Hell. Moreover, a mysterious thief stole all his medicinal pills. Now he’s gathering herbs and using his Nine Cauldron Pill Furnace to concoct new ones. So, I’d like to know—what’s the difference between this Yellow Spring Patriarch and Lei Laohu? If his death has nothing to do with the Underworld, why don’t we act first and seize that Nine Cauldron Pill Furnace?”

Upon hearing this, both Cai and the guard leader, Lao Qin, had a gleam of excitement in their eyes!

Cai’s eyes darted around as he said excitedly, “This could be a huge deal! Brother Shui Miao, the Yellow Spring Patriarch is basically a bandit leader in the human world. Since he hasn’t committed any crimes, the Underworld hasn’t touched him. I’ll have Lao Qin investigate immediately. If this is true, we’ll set up a grand plan and wipe out the Yellow Spring bandits. If we can capture that thief, we’ll strike it rich!”

“Exactly! We can also mobilize all the ghost kings under your jurisdiction to act first while we watch from the sidelines and reap the rewards after the dust settles!” Lao Qin said excitedly, clenching his fist tightly, his face beaming with enthusiasm.