Chapter 81: Catching the Traitor! Implementing Reforms! Investigating Evidence

Feng Jin raised his hand, and a golden light entered Shen Tu's brow: "Take this with you."

That was a wisp of the Emperor's divine consciousness.

"If resistance is encountered—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Tu understood and quickly replied, "Kill them without mercy!"

After saying that, Shen Tu was about to turn and leave when Feng Jin suddenly spoke up again: "Wait."

Shen Tu slammed on the brakes, his boots sparking as they scraped the ground: "Your Majesty, please give your orders!"

"The reason why Mingye was able to impersonate me this time is because the method of checking the Netherworld Gate is too outdated."

He looked up, a golden light shimmering in his eyes:

"From this day forward, all on-duty spirits and wandering souls must imprint their original soul energy onto the Three Lives Stone Shadow Jade Wall to create a soul energy database."

"Build a soul energy database." This statement was made with exceptional decisiveness, using terminology unique to the mortal realm.

Shen Tu's eyes widened, still reeling from the word "database," when Feng Jin continued:

"The Bureau of Creation and Manufacturing has developed a Soul Energy Check-in Machine, referencing human technology."

"It must be able to instantly identify and compare the soul imprints of those coming and going. If they do not match the records in the database, an alarm must be raised immediately and the passage blocked. The array barrier must be integrated into this machine to prevent Mingye from impersonating me again."

Shen Tu was taken aback, then his eyes flashed with intense admiration.

Soul Energy Check-in Machine?

How can we combine human technology with the laws of the underworld?

This idea... is brilliant!

The Emperor's trip to the mortal realm was not in vain!

"Your Majesty is wise! This method is brilliant!" Shen Tu exclaimed sincerely. "I will take care of it immediately and make sure that Ming Ye can never again use your face to swindle and deceive people!"

"Um."

Feng Jin nodded slightly and gave his final instructions:

"There is one more matter that needs to be thoroughly investigated. Just how much trouble has Mingye stirred up in the Netherworld by impersonating me?"

"How many followers have they gathered? What foundations of the underworld have they damaged? Especially—"

His voice turned cold. "Have you tampered with the Reincarnation Well?"

He paused for a moment, then said, “All the evidence, even if he takes an extra penny from the underworld or loses a single evil spirit in the sentence, must be recorded. When I have fully recovered from my injuries and have completely wiped out the Black Abyss Prison, these will be the final nail that nails him down.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Tu's eyes gleamed with excitement:

"Your subordinate obeys! I will thoroughly investigate Mingye's crimes, even recording the number of times he stole Meng Po soup!"

Feng Jin glanced at him indifferently and flicked his sleeve.

Shen Tu immediately understood, and as he bowed, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

A flash of red light, and his figure vanished outside the hall, leaving only a lingering, joyful echo:

"Catch the traitors! Implement reforms! Investigate the evidence!"

In the receding red light, Shen Tu pretended to wipe the corner of his eye:

"Even the Emperor is using mortal technology for management now; I am truly gratified!"

The exclamation startled a passing ghost messenger so much that he stumbled.

After Feng Jin finished explaining all the matters, the hall returned to silence.

He stood still for a moment, then turned and walked to the bed, lying down beside Shen Yuepo.

I don't know how much time passed.

Shen Yuepo's long eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

She tilted her head slightly, trying to see where she was.

Then, he froze.

Feng Jin lay beside her, so close that she could count his drooping eyelashes.

A few strands of her dark hair fell onto the jade pillow, intertwining with her own hair.

Shen Yuepo's heart skipped a beat.

She had thought that he would leave the moment she retrieved the Soul-Locking Chain and the contract dissipated.

After all, he got back what he wanted, and there was no longer any entanglement between them.

But not only did he not leave, he saved her again.

Just as Shen Yuepo's thoughts were churning, her gaze filled with complex emotions as she looked at the sleeping face so close to hers—

Feng Jin opened his eyes. His dark golden eyes, upon waking, did not have the usual coldness and sharpness, but instead carried a hint of laziness.

He turned his head slightly and caught the complex emotions that Shen Yuepo couldn't hide in his eyes.

"woke up?"

His voice, deep and hoarse from just waking up, was like a jar of fine wine aged for many years, with an intoxicating magnetism.

Those two short words sent a jolt of electricity through Shen Yuepo from the tip of her ear all the way to the back of her neck.

She subconsciously raised her hand and rubbed her ear with her fingertips, trying to dispel the inexplicable numbness.

She even forgot to answer, only pursed her lips, and hastily looked away.

Shen Yuepo steadied himself and scanned the unfamiliar palace with his gaze.

Pillars of black jade, lamps of ghostly fire, exuding an eerie aura that seems to belong to another world: "Feng Jin, what place is this?"

Feng Jin sat up, his long, dark hair falling over his shoulders.

Upon hearing this, the dark gold eyes turned to her, and he calmly said, "The Eastern Ghost Emperor, Shen Tu's Temple."

Shen Yuepo was stunned for a moment.

"The Eastern Ghost Emperor...the Temple?"

She widened her eyes slightly, a rare hint of surprise flashing across her usually cold gaze. "You brought me... to the Netherworld?"

"Um."

Feng Jin's response remained concise, as if he had simply taken her to visit the neighbor next door.

Although she cultivated the Xuanmen (Taoist school) and was knowledgeable in Yin and Yang, she never entered the underworld directly in her physical body.

Suppressing the shock in her heart, Shen Yuepo checked her own condition and found that apart from the weakness caused by the overexertion of spiritual energy, she was fine.

She remembered the most crucial thing and looked at Feng Jin: "I forcibly severed my kinship, triggering a backlash from the Heavenly Dao... why didn't I feel any discomfort?"

She clearly remembered the causal power that almost tore her soul apart, which seemed to be forcibly cut off at the last moment.

Feng Jin looked at her, a glint of light seeming to flicker in the depths of his eyes: "I used some divine power to shield you while I was at it."

Shen Yuepo was completely stunned.

His answer was casual, as if he had simply shielded her from the rain.

But Shen Yuepo knew better than anyone else that the backlash from Heaven was not so easily shielded.

The divine power required would probably be too much for even ordinary gods to bear.

No wonder she woke up unharmed, no wonder... he seemed even more tired than before.

This "casual" action probably consumed a lot of his divine power.

Just then, Feng Jin suddenly leaned forward slightly, instantly closing the distance between the two.

His handsome, almost otherworldly face was right in front of her, his breath almost brushing against her cheek.

Shen Yuepo could even see the smile playing in his golden eyes beneath his distinct eyelashes.

"Shen Yuepo, didn't you say you dislike owing others the most?"

Feng Jin's voice rose slightly at the end, tinged with amusement, "This time, how do you plan to settle things with me?"

Shen Yuepo pursed her lips, her cool eyes meeting his gaze that was so close to hers: "What do you want?"

Feng Jin did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly opened his palm towards her, palm facing up, knuckles clearly visible.

"Where is my phone?" he asked, his voice tinged with a sense of entitlement.

Shen Yuepo: "...?"

She was completely taken aback by this request and was momentarily stunned.

But her body acted faster than her mind; almost subconsciously, she raised her right hand and ran her fingertips across the reincarnation ring on her left hand.

A faint light flashed, and two cell phones appeared in her hands.

She handed over the phone only after confirming which one belonged to Feng Jin.

She stopped abruptly halfway through the air, a hint of hesitation in her voice: "Is there... a signal here?"