Chapter Ninety-Seven: The Chief Judge Appears in Qi Nan

Walking along the wide, flat street, you see groups of two or three pedestrians, hawking their wares, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere.

Upon closer inspection, however, the place was utterly lifeless. Some of the people walking on the street looked sickly, yet their lips curled into eerie smiles; others, dressed in rags, mingled among the vendors, creating a jarring contrast. An old man selling sugar figurines skillfully boiled sugar and shaped it, but the sugar figurines he made all had distorted features and bizarre smiles.

Jiu Ya and Rong Jiang walked slowly along the road. Pedestrians passed by from time to time. They all had smiles on their faces, but their expressions were stiff and their bodies were cold. However, the gazes they gave to Jiu Ya and the other outsiders were so intense.

At midday, the stares sent chills down your spine. Being watched by so many people isn't a pleasant feeling, especially when they look at you with eyes that seem to want to devour you alive.

Li Yue and Bai Yu stood guard on either side of Jiu Ya, glaring fiercely at the greedy-looking people. Bai Yu's hand was already on the soft sword at her waist, ready to strike at any moment.

After being glared at by Li Yue, those people immediately became much more subdued. Demons and monsters are different from humans. High-level demons and monsters have a strong suppressive effect on low-level ones, even though Li Yue and the others had already concealed their aura.

Moreover, these were merely corrupted undead, not even considered low-level demons in the demon realm. They instinctively sensed the danger and dared not approach easily.

Those people then enthusiastically tried to persuade Jiu Ya to buy things, their enthusiasm comparable to that of someone who had encountered a wealthy patron. A woman selling fabric practically shoved the cloth in her hands into Jiu Ya's arms, her lips curving into an unbelievable smile: "Young lady, look at this fabric, it's top-quality Hangzhou silk, I'll give you a discount..."

With Qi Nan City in such a state, are the things sold inside still usable by normal people? Jiu Ya even suspected that those seemingly exquisite goods might turn to ashes at the slightest touch.

Walking through the long streets, everything she saw and heard was much the same as when she first entered the city. On the surface, it truly appeared to be a peaceful and prosperous place, very convincing to outsiders who had stumbled into Qinan by chance. Jiu Ya couldn't help but wonder if other unfortunate travelers had also mistakenly entered this city before? What had become of them?

Once you leave the main street and walk onto the side path, the scene changes completely. The path is covered with withered grass and scattered stones, a picture of desolation. Most of the houses here are dilapidated, with crooked doors and windows and collapsed roofs, a stark contrast to the bright and clean main street.

Most of the "people" were concentrated in the most conspicuous places, while the secluded corners were deserted. It seems that the entity manipulating all of this does not want the secrets of this city to be easily discovered.

"Since A-Jiu is the Demon Lord, does she know the origin of the demonic energy in Qinan City?" Rong Jiang rubbed her temples. Her prediction was indeed correct; there wasn't a single living person in the city. Even she couldn't help but feel a little weary in the face of such a large-scale death.

Jiuya nodded, then shook her head. "This demonic energy comes from demons; it certainly didn't arise on its own." She could sense a familiar quality in the demonic energy, but couldn't recall which specific demon was responsible. There were many demons in the demon realm capable of such feats, but most disdained to harm mortals.

But Jiu Ya couldn't be sure who it was. She really couldn't figure it out. Which of those arrogant demons would come down to the human world and corrupt a group of mortals? What use would they be if they corrupted them? Just to wander around the streets like this and be seen as a street scene?

A hint of helplessness flashed in Rong Jiang's eyes, clearly indicating that she had gained a new understanding of the "unreliability" of Jiu Ya, the Demon Lord.

It's normal for demonic energy to exist in the human world. When living beings develop intelligence and take form, demonic energy appears. But where does this demonic energy come from unless demons from the demon realm escape to the human world? Moreover, such dense demonic energy cannot be produced by ordinary demons.

Rong Jiang was about to speak when her expression suddenly changed. She smiled slightly at Jiu Ya and said, "A-Jiu, someone is here."

"Huh?" Jiu Ya looked around in confusion. "Who is it?" She hadn't sensed anything unusual at all, which made her feel a little annoyed. As the Demon Lord, her perception was actually inferior to that of Rong Jiang, a "cultivator." It was truly embarrassing.

Rong Jiang did not answer. A swallowtail butterfly flew from her fingertip, fluttering its beautiful wings as it flew into the distance.

Before long, the swallowtail butterfly flew back, followed by a man in a blue robe. The man was extremely fast, arriving in front of them almost instantly.

A handsome face suddenly appeared in Jiu Ya's eyes. His body was as straight and slender as a bamboo shoot, his skin was not fair but wheat-colored, his eyebrows were sharply defined, and his clear eyes gleamed with a sharp light. The blue robe he wore added a touch of refined elegance to his demeanor, making him appear very composed.

"What is this?" Jiu Ya asked in confusion, and subconsciously stepped in front of Rong Jiang.

Upon seeing Rong Jiang, the man immediately performed a deep bow, his movements swift and efficient. "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Huai'an, get up." Rong Jiang's tone was familiar and natural, clearly indicating that she had known this man for a long time.

Huai'an? Jiu Ya's eyes widened. It's Si Ge! As the chief judge of the underworld, the author has given Si Ge a lot of attention. He was Rong Jiang's right-hand man from the very beginning and was extremely loyal to his daughter. However, she had never shipped Si Ge and Rong Jiang as a couple because she always thought of Si Ge as a burly man who was over 1.8 meters tall and nearly 30 years old.

This isn't Jiu Ya's fault, because the author never specifically described Si Ge's appearance, only saying that he was a general in life and came from humble origins. Although all the ghost messengers Jiu Ya had seen were outstanding in appearance, she even thought that Rong Jiang should choose her subordinates based on their looks.

However, her humble origins led Jiu Ya astray, causing her to think in the direction of the Water Margin.

What are the images of the heroes in Water Margin? They are burly men with broad shoulders and thick waists!

But Jiu Ya forgot that even in Liangshan Marsh, there were handsome and talented men like Yan Qing and Hua Rong, as well as strategists like Wu Yong who relied on their intellect. She also overlooked the fact that Si Ge was a general in life—a commander capable of leading thousands of troops; how could he be just a reckless brute? True generals are often both wise and brave, possessing extraordinary magnanimity.

Therefore, it was entirely due to Jiu Ya's lack of imagination that she was so shocked by Si Ge's appearance. Her stereotypes about "outlaws" were shattered by reality at this moment.

The contrast between reality and imagination is astounding. Si Ge's image is that of a refined and scholarly general! He stands tall and straight like a pine tree, exuding a calm and dignified aura.

While Jiu Ya's mind was wandering, Li Yue and Bai Yu were startled by Si Ge's use of the word "Your Majesty".

Rong Jiang said gently, "Ajiu, let me introduce you. This is Si Ge, courtesy name Huai'an."

"Huai'an, this is the Demon Lord. These two are Young Master Li Yue and Miss Bai Yu." Her gaze swept lightly over Li Yue and Bai Yu, which was her formal introduction.

Si Ge greeted them again, "Greetings, Demon Lord, Young Master Li, Miss Bai." His gaze lingered on Jiu Ya for a moment longer, carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Jiu Ya gasped. Was her daughter revealing her identity? Although she already knew her daughter's identity, Jiu Ya still pretended to be genuinely surprised. She widened her eyes, covered her mouth with her hand, and made an exaggerated expression of surprise. "Si Ge? Si Huai'an, isn't that the name of the chief judge of the underworld?" Her acting was so exaggerated that Rong Jiang couldn't help but want to facepalm.

Rong Jiang smiled slightly, a hint of mockery in her eyes. "Exactly." She wanted to see what other tricks Jiu Ya could pull.

"And Ranran?" Jiu Ya asked in surprise, continuing her performance, "Ranran is definitely not an ordinary person!"

Rong Jiang remained silent, wanting to say, "A-Jiu, do you really think your acting is that good? This is a bit of an exaggeration! She didn't deliberately pretend to be an ordinary person in front of Jiu Ya. What ordinary cultivator can casually possess a mustard seed space? And casually take out rare items that only exist in the underworld?"

Rong Jiang maintained her gentle smile, deciding not to expose Jiu Ya's clumsy performance. "Indeed. That day I told A Jiu that it's normal for people to hold back in their interactions, and that's what I meant." Her eyes held understanding, as if to say: I understand why you concealed your identity, and please understand my predicament.

"My name is Rong Jiang." Her eyes sparkled, as if filled with starlight.

Jiu Ya said, "Your Majesty the Underworld Emperor." She bowed slightly, performing the courtesy expected of a ruler of equal status in the Demon Realm. Now that Rong Jiang had revealed her identity, she could no longer pretend not to know.

Bai Yu and Li Yue also hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. Bai Yu performed a standard courtly salute, while Li Yue clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. Their movements were somewhat stiff, clearly indicating that they had not yet fully recovered from the shock.

Bai Yu was puzzled. Why wasn't her master surprised at all? Didn't the Underworld Emperor also conceal his identity? She secretly glanced at Jiu Ya and found that although her master pretended to be surprised, there was no surprise in his eyes, as if he had known all along. This discovery made Bai Yu even more confused.

Qi Nan was not a suitable place for a heart-to-heart talk. An eerie silence still hung in the air. Although the "passersby" dared not approach, they still stared at them with greedy eyes, as if waiting for an opportunity to swarm them.

After a brief exchange, Rong Jiang asked, "Huai'an, why have you come here?"

"Your Majesty, I have heard that a ghost messenger has gone missing near Qinan City, and those who came to investigate have also disappeared without a trace. So I have come to investigate." As the chief judge of the underworld, the disappearance of a ghost messenger is no small matter for Si Ge, as it concerns the operation and order of the underworld.

According to Mr. Yuan's Book of the Dead, decades ago, a plague broke out in Qinan City. Many people fled Qinan and settled elsewhere. However, some stubborn families refused to leave their homes, or those already infected with the plague remained in the city to await their deaths. In the end, the entire city perished. Qinan City became a complete ruin. This history is recorded in detail in the archives of the underworld, which Si Ge specifically consulted before coming here.

Furthermore, Qinan City was located in a remote area, and when the jurisdiction of the ghost messengers was later divided, Qinan was not specifically assigned to any particular ghost messenger. After all, a dead city, in theory, would not produce any new souls, so there was no need for a ghost messenger to be stationed there permanently.

However, if ghosts or monsters appear in Qinan, the ghost officers from the areas bordering Qinan can take turns handling the affairs of that area. This rule was originally intended to deal with the occasional wandering ghosts, but no one expected that the strange events of ghost officers disappearing one after another would occur.

However, when the ghost messengers near Qinan City discovered that someone had died in Qinan and were preparing to go in to take the ghost back to the underworld, they never returned. At first, everyone thought it was just a coincidence, but as more and more ghost messengers went missing, things became increasingly bizarre.

Although all the ghost messengers were busy with their duties, they still had ways of communicating with each other. Seeing that their colleagues hadn't replied for a long time, and considering that several ghost messengers had already gone missing near Qinan and those who went to inquire hadn't found anything, the ghost messengers reported to Si Ge. This news was reported up the chain of command and eventually reached Si Ge's ears.

Several ghost messengers had vanished at once, so how could Si Ge not be anxious? He went straight to the mortal realm to see for himself what was going on. As the chief judge of the underworld, he was responsible for protecting the safety of every ghost messenger and would not tolerate anyone challenging the authority of the underworld.

Rong Jiang asked, "Did they disappear in Qinan?" Her voice turned colder. Someone actually dared to lay a hand on the underworld's ghost messengers; this was a blatant provocation against the majesty of the underworld.

"Before they disappeared, it was indeed because someone died in Qinan, and the ghost messengers had to go to Qinan to bring the ghost back. Other investigating ghost messengers also had to go into Qinan to find the missing ghost messengers," Si Ge said.

"Then there's no need to search. There's no trace of ghost messengers in Qinan City." A hint of killing intent flashed in Rong Jiang's eyes. "I want to see what kind of demons are in this city! Do these mere demons dare to devour ghost messengers?"

“The demons in the city are definitely not low-level demons from the demon realm.” Si Ge pondered, his gaze sweeping over the “passersby” who were watching from afar, his eyes filled with vigilance: “The ghost messengers who came into the city later to investigate were not the low-level ghost messengers who came here earlier. They were quite powerful, and they all perished at the hands of Qi Nan.”

"Whoever he is!" Rong Jiang sneered. "Anyone who dares to mess with people from the Underworld should be prepared to bear the wrath of the Underworld."

She closed her eyes slightly and released her divine sense. After a short while, a faint smile appeared on her face as she looked at Jiu Ya meaningfully. "Perhaps, Jiu Ya will recognize you." Her senses told her that the aura of the demons in the city was somewhat similar to that of Jiu Ya, clearly indicating that they came from the same source.

"Huh?" Jiu Ya was completely bewildered. She didn't remember any demon escaping from the Demon Realm. As the Demon Lord, she knew about the major demons of the Demon Realm, but she couldn't recall any powerful demon recently going missing. Wait, it seems there's a remnant soul that's been missing for a while now. Could it be him?

Rong Jiang was certain that it wasn't Jiu Ya who was causing trouble in the mortal realm, since this Demon Lord didn't have a harmonious relationship with his brothers and sisters.

Rong Jiang said gently, "Let's go!"

Rong Jiang took the first step, followed closely by Si Ge, and Jiu Ya, Li Yue, and Bai Yu also quickly followed.