Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  After a puff of blue smoke, everyone understood that the gods had arrived at the underworld. This scene was familiar to ghosts who had died recently or after the 1980s, as they had watched the TV series "Journey to the West" during their lifetime, and many mythological dramas had also performed this scene.

  Indeed, as soon as the truck stopped in front of the main hall of Yanwang Temple, two gods came down from it. As soon as they got off the car, smoke and fog filled the air, and they seemed to float to the underworld, their feet treading on green clouds, their bodies light as swallows.

  They emerged from the smoke, coughing constantly, for the smoke had a smell of burnt newspaper.

  Two immortals, one holding a feather duster, wearing a long blue robe, with beautiful hair and white eyebrows that hung down to his temples; the other held a precious pagoda, dressed in military attire but still wearing iron boots. From their appearance, all the ghosts recognized who the two immortals were: one was Taibai Jinxing, the other was Totalee Tianwang, who had once been powerful in Heaven.

  Li Tianwang and Taibai Jinxing got off the car, and several small gods hurriedly followed them, wrapping around them as if saying something, but the ghost souls were too far away to hear.

  The last few small gods seemed to have gotten something from Taibai Jinxing's hands before leaving one after another.

  The judge and that unlucky scholar hurried over, then led Tota Li Tianwang and Taibai Jinxing into the Yama Temple.

  Yan Wang did not intend to come out and welcome Taibai Jinxing and Li Tianwang, he just sat in the office, but later thought that after all, they were sent by the Jade Emperor of the Heavenly Court, and I was just a Yanluo King of the underworld, going to the heavenly court meeting can't avoid encountering everyone, so he also got up and went out to welcome them.

  Bring Taibai Jinxing and Li Tianwang into the office, after a few pleasantries, everyone finds their own seat. Li Tianwang pretends to look around Yan Wang's office for a while, then "heh heh" dryly laughs a few times and says: "Yan Wang, your Netherworld may be gloomy and dark, but you're living a pretty good life, this office is decorated so luxuriously. Among us brothers, only you have money."

  Yan Wangye's expression stiffened as soon as he heard this, he knew what Li Tianwang meant by saying that, and it was definitely going to be about asking for money again. This kind of opening line wasn't new, so after hesitating for a moment, he said: "What's good is just making do, you guys are different, the Heavenly Court is full of vitality, always receiving respect from humans, with incense offerings flourishing, while we're constantly being cursed by humans. I really want to apply to the Jade Emperor to leave the underworld and go to the Heavenly Court, even if it means sweeping streets as a laborer."

  "Let's not talk too much," said Tai Bai Jin Xing, standing up. "King Yan, this time we two came to the underworld to pick up ghosts and go to heaven. The Jade Emperor said that the expenses for this trip will be borne by your Yan Wang Temple. Can you raise the price a bit?"

  "Our expenses are also very tight, and they often go on business trips for years without reimbursement. How about this, you give the invoices to the judge and report according to the invoices." Yan Wang said, if it weren't for Yu Huang saying so, he wouldn't have given a single penny.

  "Claiming expenses by invoice? That's not good," Li Tianwang said somewhat unhappily, also standing up. "For such a long journey, how much money will be wasted, and we even have to ask for an invoice when we stop at a restroom along the way to buy some water?"

  "You guys won't expect the King of Hell to foot the bill for your excessive wining and dining, right? Besides, we're also sending talents to Heaven's Court." The judge chimed in from the side.

  "Taibai Jinxing looked at the judge and snorted, saying: "There's no room for you to speak here, King Yan. We're having a hard time too. If it weren't for the Jade Emperor's arrangement, we wouldn't have come on this errand either. Nowadays, prices are rising, everything costs money. A thousand years ago, I went down to the mortal world and negotiated with Sun Wukong, the Great Sage of Heaven. Although we were enemies at the time, he still treated me with fresh fruit. The heavenly court's reimbursement wasn't small either. But coming here, all I hear is you shouting about being poor. If you want to talk about being poor, we're even poorer than you. Do you see? In the past, wherever I went, there was a mist of incense smoke. These two days have been difficult, so we can only hire two servant spirits to burn some scrap paper and create some smoke behind us."

  "You don't have to go through all this trouble either," said Yan Wang.

  "I didn't want to be like this either, but how can the Jade Emperor understand our difficulties? Every time he goes on a business trip, he always repeats his instructions, saying that we are after all gods and that this divine identity cannot be neglected. He tells me not to lose the reputation of the Heavenly Court." Li Tianwang sighed and said with a very rogue expression.

  Yan Wang nodded after listening, thinking: Can't offend these heavenly gods either, might need to find them when attending meetings in Heaven's Court later. Giving more is fine, just treat it as alms for beggars. So he said: "I also know that staying in Heaven's Court isn't easy, the work isn't easy either. Alright, we won't shortchange you, we'll reimburse half."

  Li Tianwang and Taibai Jinxing smiled when they heard this, and everyone's conversation became more cheerful. The two gods chatted with Yan Wangye in his office for half a day before setting off on their journey.

  The loudspeaker on the roof of Yan Wang's temple suddenly broadcast loudly, saying that the truck to Tian Ting was about to depart, and the ghosts going to Tian Ting should get ready and board the vehicle immediately.

  The ghosts who were admitted to the Heavenly Court immediately got on the truck with their luggage, which was originally used for transporting goods and is now used to load ghosts going to the Heavenly Court. Those carrying luggage hastily climbed into the truck's cargo compartment and stood in the carriage like pigs.

  Everyone thought that the Heavenly Court would send a few luxurious buses, but only when they got on the bus did they realize that the Heavenly Court was also fake.

  But then again, taking a bus is better than spending so much money on an exam and still not passing.

  Before long, everyone squeezed onto the bus. At this time, there was only Tai Bai Jin Xing on the bus, and Li Tian Wang had not arrived yet. It was said that he went to the toilet, so everyone waited like this. However, after waiting for half a day, Li Tian Wang still did not appear, so everyone became somewhat impatient.

  Tai Bai Jin Xing seemed calm and unhurried, turned around to look at everyone, and smiled as he said: "You all wait patiently, Li Tian Wang is quite troublesome, in the Heavenly Court no one wants to partner with him."

  "Tota Li Tianwang, as a military general, should be decisive and efficient, why is he so slow?" Lu Xiaoying said with a pout, she was getting impatient. The beauty of the heavenly court was what they had been expecting all along.

  "He's so lazy," Tai Bai Jinxing continued to smile and say, "In Heaven he was called Lazy Li Tianwang, not Tuo Ta Li Tianwang. It's just that he held a pagoda in his hand, the gods couldn't call him by his nickname in front of him, they could only address him as 'Tuo Ta Li Tianwang'."

  "Is that so?" Qian Xiaohong whispered.

  Tai Bai Jin Xing revealed Li Tian Wang's secret, and seeing everyone's shocked expression, he smiled with great satisfaction.

  Li Tianwang finally returned, he got on the car, still holding that pagoda in his hand, with a very serious expression, this was an expression he only had when facing other ghosts or gods lower than him. But when people saw his pretentious appearance and thought of his nickname "dragging", everyone secretly laughed.

  At last, the car started, and after a puff of cyan smoke, it floated into the dark space amidst the envy and resentment of the crowd.

  The car's departure coincided with the time when Lan Jingqiu and Huo Juzhai finished their sentence. After completing their sentence, they returned to Yan Wang's palace to report on the situation. They also heard about the exam and that a god had come to the underworld to take ghosts to the heavenly court. When Huo Juzhai heard that the arriving god was Li Tianwang and Taibai Jinxing, he felt very disappointed. He wanted to see what the heavenly gods looked like and how they differed from modern people. In the TV series "Journey to the West", Tota Li Tianwang was quite majestic.

  "How is it?" King Yan asked, "What feelings do you have after being punished?"

  Lan Jingqiu revealed her arm that had been scalded by the hot oil, blew on it gently with her mouth, and said: "Although it's painful, I feel relieved in my heart. After all, I've finally gotten rid of it and no longer have to live with guilt because of the knot in my heart."

  "What about you?" Yan Wang asked Ho Jucai.

  "Look!" Huo Jucai stretched out his two hands, and the palms of both hands had already developed calluses, with several blood blisters.

  "Whether it's a god or a human being, one should labor. Only through labor can one truly experience the taste of happiness, do you know?" Yan Wang said with deep feeling.

  "Have you worked hard?" asked Huo Jucai.

  "This...," Yan Wang hesitated for a moment before saying, "People of our status don't need to work."

  "You're still living off others! Same as getting something for nothing." Huo Jucai only thought this in his heart, he didn't dare say it out loud. These past few days of interaction, Yan Wangye's words were relatively gentle and not at all like the cruel and ugly appearance from the TV series "Journey to the West", but the ugly face and dark complexion still made the ghosts who looked on feel a chill run down their spines. So he was afraid that if he spoke out and Yan Wang wasn't pleased, his days in the underworld wouldn't be easy.

  "What do you plan to do now?" King Yan asked.

  "I don't know," Lan Jingqiu said, "I haven't thought about it yet."

  "I've reviewed your pre-mortem records," said Yan Wang after a moment of contemplation. "Lan Jingqiu, Chairman of the Lan Group, a business magnate who later suffered from illness due to excessive indulgence and was abandoned by his family, ultimately dying from his sickness; Huo Jucui, the youngest son of Huo Guangyin, Chairman of the Dianshi Group, spent his days idling about without a proper occupation, getting into fights and altercations, driving a Ferrari and womanizing, eventually dying in a car accident. However, despite your idle ways before death, you were clever and had high intelligence, making you a talented individual as well. Therefore, I have a task that requires your assistance."

  "What's going on?" Huo Jucai stepped forward and asked.

  "Nowadays, the world is in a mess. Some people die prematurely at the hands of others, causing us to be busy and overwhelmed in the underworld. Recently, someone died and came here, reporting that the general manager of Guangyuan Company in the mortal world claims to be the Yanluo King of the mortal world. This is clearly a blatant challenge to my authority. I want to send you back to the mortal world to handle this matter and see what makes them so arrogant."

  "Are you telling us to scare him to death?" said Huo Jucai.

  "It's not like that, someone will die soon, you'll return to the world of the living, your souls can attach to their corpses, and then go to this company to investigate slowly." Yan Wang stretched his waist and said.

  "Why don't you just go find those people who are going to die?" Lan Jingqiu asked.

  "They're all a bunch of mediocre people, they can't get this done," said Yan Wang.

  "Excuse me for speaking bluntly," Lan Jingqiu thought for a moment before saying, "there must be another reason, you'd better tell us directly, otherwise if things go wrong, it won't be a good thing."

  Yan Wang heard the two hands rubbing against each other, and after a burst of "heh heh" silly laughter, said: "Actually, I wanted to let you go back to the world above to learn how to run a company and factory in the mortal realm, to learn from the experiences of doing business in the human world. Come back and see what's suitable for development in my underworld? Now the Heavenly Court is vigorously developing, I can't fall behind!"

  "So that's how it is? Then what benefits will we get?" Huo Jucai finally plucked up the courage to say what he had been wanting to say all along.

  "What benefits do you need?" Yan Wang said.

  "This should be considered a business trip, right?" said Huo Jucai, "There should be wages."

  "'You're right,' said Yan Wang with a smile, 'I can give you tens of millions in salary.'"

  "Really?" Huo Jucai's eyes widened with excitement and he exclaimed, "That's great!"

  "I think wealth should be created by oneself, so I don't ask for much. Yan Wangye, can you grant me a small request?" Lan Jingqiu said solemnly.

  "What do you want?" Yan Wang asked in puzzlement.

  "King Yan, can you give me those two door plaques on the right side of the Naihe Bridge?" Lan Jingqiu asked.

  "Is this all you require?" King Yan laughed and said, "Of course it can be done."

  "Alright," Lan Jingqiu said, "when are we leaving?"

  Yan Wang thought for a moment and said: "This is not urgent. There are still several people who will return to the world with you, wait until they arrive and you can all leave together."

  "You can call them to follow us now?" said Huo Jucai.

  "There is still one who has a few more days before he dies," said Yan Wang.

  "Alright," Lan Jingqiu said, "we'll wait."

  Yan Wang saw that they had agreed, and everyone discussed how to return to the world of the living. Yan Wang also instructed them on certain rules they must follow in the mortal realm. For their own protection, Yan Wang invited a deity from the Heavenly Court to teach them some simple spells, which might come in handy at critical moments. Once everything was settled, Lan Jingqiu and Huo Juzhai bid farewell and left Yan Wang's palace, heading directly to the Netherworld Hotel arranged by Yan Wang for their stay.

  On the road, Huo Jucai curiously asked Lan Jingqiu why he didn't want the salary given by Yan Wangye. Lan Jingqiu just smiled and didn't answer, his eyes constantly scanning the passing vehicles on the road, especially those that had broken down and were parked at the side of the road. He was thinking in his heart that there would be a big business waiting for him in this underworld.

  This idea didn't occur to him until he met a newly deceased bicycle repairman a few days ago.