This wasn’t some difficult adjustment-it was Su Fu’s dirty trick!
She was using the sins of the living world to influence the underworld officers!
“Damn that Su Fu!”
He gritted his teeth, veins throbbing at his temples.
No wonder she refused to come down all this time!
He was truly furious now.
“Su Fu!!”
“You coward! If you’ve got the guts, come down and fight me properly! Hiding up there playing these tricks-what kind of skill is that?!”
“Hah,” he let out a cold laugh, “Well then, Su Fu, you’re digging your own grave.”
“You’re the one who chose to stand against everyone!”
His gaze grew increasingly ruthless, “Let’s see how you’ll manage when everyone knows it’s you behind all this. See how you’ll come down then!”
Turning to the trembling new soul, he said coldly:
“Spread everything you know as far as possible. Tell everyone who’s behind this, understand?”
The last few words were practically squeezed through clenched teeth.
The new soul looked bewildered:Â “Huh? Me? Tell everyone?”
ZhongZheng Ye’s expression froze.
He’d forgotten this new soul was a complete rookie!
Su Fu had really driven him mad with anger!
Just then, his pupils suddenly contracted.
Bad news-countless underworld officers were swarming toward the Ghost Gate in his vision!
They were coming to blockade it!
Grabbing the new soul’s wrist, he shouted, “Run!”
Meanwhile, in another dark corner of the underworld…
Su Luan tossed the underworld officer she’d casually captured onto the ground.
The officer was already knocked unconscious, lying limp and motionless.
“Moon Reading Curse!”
She immediately accessed the officer’s memories, her expression quickly changing to shock.
“The reason is actually,” she murmured in disbelief, “because orders came from above, saying we’re heinously evil, marked as malevolent ghosts?”
How could this be?
Why were they fine when they first entered, only to be suddenly marked now?
……Did “heinously evil” refer to the Chang’an incident?
Who is in Chang’an now… Su Fu!
She immediately realized, “She’s behind this!”
This was definitely revenge!
But…… how was this possible?
Could it be that even Liu Yingxue couldn’t deal with her?
Her expression darkened.
Elai was truly useless; he couldn’t even handle cleanup properly!
But what unsettled her most was Su Fu’s ability to influence the underworld’s ghost enforcers?
Such power was utterly unheard of.
“Found the evil spirits! They’re right here!”
A shrill shout snapped her out of her thoughts.
She looked up and saw swarms of spectral soldiers flooding in from all directions.
“Su Fu! You damn bitch!”
Su Luan’s scalp prickled as she turned and bolted.
But the ghostly soldiers were like an endless tide, their numbers only growing as they pursued her.
Glancing back, Su Luan realized this was a full-scale mobilization!
Had the entire underworld’s enforcers been deployed?
She never expected Su Fu to be this troublesome.
If she’d known, she wouldn’t have provoked her in the first place.
This was life or death now!
Su Luan sprinted past, oblivious to the examinees cowering in the shadows between rocks, trembling as they watched the chaos unfold outside.
“My god, what the hell is happening? Have the ghost enforcers gone mad?”
“Shh! Keep your voice down!” The girl beside him hastily covered his mouth.
“Alright, alright… But did you see? Chief Su Luan was just targeted by those… things?”
They exchanged bewildered glances.
“Seems like these enforcers are specifically hunting the top contenders…”
“Yeah, us small fries are completely ignored.”
“Why, though? Doesn’t make sense.”
Cough…
Watching these elites get chased like rats was oddly satisfying!
Who would’ve thought their situation would be worse than ours?
“I bet they must’ve done something terrible.”
Damn, that makes so much sense!
Elai leaned against the damp stone wall, gasping for breath.
His golden hair, usually immaculate, clung messily to his sweat-drenched face.
Wiping his forehead, he cursed inwardly those ox-headed and horse-faced enforcers were downright insane.
If not for the divine artifact buying him time, he’d have been finished!
Just then, laughter echoed nearby.
“Tsk tsk. Never thought I’d see Chief Elai in such a sorry state.”
Elai looked up to find Zongzheng Ye emerging from the shadows.
But when he took in the other man’s appearance, his lips twitched.
“Seriously? You look worse than I do. How can you say that with a straight face?”
Zongzheng Ye’s robes were shredded, his spirit body visibly damaged, and his face smeared with grime.
Zongzheng Ye: “….”
And you’re still putting on airs?!
Amusing.
Despite his disheveled hair, Elai maintained his noble demeanor, leisurely straightening his collar.
“Just some lowly enforcers,” Zongzheng Ye sneered.
“But I’ve got news I’m sure our esteemed Chief Elai will find… interesting.”
Elai paused mid-motion.
His azure eyes locked onto Zongzheng Ye, “Interesting news?”
Right now, all he wanted was to uncover the truth behind this madness-the frenzied enforcers, the absurd difficulty spike.
Who was pulling the strings?
Still, seeing Zongzheng Ye in tatters was undeniably hilarious.
“Enough posturing. Even with your Fourth Perspective, you can’t handle this many enforcers alone.”
“Cut the crap. Let’s hear it.”
He deliberately looked ZhongZheng Ye up and down with a meaningful smile.
“Likewise,” ZhongZheng Ye retorted coldly.
“The illustrious Young Master Elai, who always enjoys being surrounded by lackeys-why are you so alone now?”
Feigning thought, he stroked his chin.
“Could it be that your situation is even worse than mine?”
“Don’t you really want to know what’s going on?”
Their eyes met….
Alright, no point pretending anymore.
They simply couldn’t keep up the act.
The howling wind blew through their tattered clothes, making them look like two destitute beggars competing over who appeared more respectable.
Suddenly, the sound of rattling chains echoed in the distance-another ghost official passing by.
With practiced ease, as if they’d done it a thousand times, they swiftly hid in the nearby shadows.
Silent, yet perfectly in sync.
After a long pause, once the footsteps had completely faded, Elai finally spoke.
“Alright, what’s really going on?”
He stared at ZhongZheng Ye.
“With your Fourth Perspective, you must have found something.”
Dropping the pretense, ZhongZheng Ye said coldly, “It’s Su Fu! That madwoman overturned all our cases in the mortal realm! This situation-“
“-is because of the sins committed by those above,” ZhongZheng Ye finished.
“In the underworld, we’ve all been marked as heinous evil spirits!”
Elai: “!!!”
Su Fu!
You shameless madwoman!!
“Cooperate?” ZhongZheng Ye extended his hand.
“Of course!” Elai gritted his teeth.
If they didn’t cooperate now, they’d be completely finished!
***
One day later, outside Chang’an City, before the Bihua Road.
“In the ninth month of the year, strange cases frequently occurred in Chang’an, causing panic among the people. Yet, Su Fu of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau solved multiple cases in a single day, her methods so ingenious they inspired awe.”
“The Emperor, greatly pleased, personally bestowed upon her the title of ‘Grand Marshal for Pacifying the Netherworld,’ granting her the Crimson Ribbon and Jade Seal, allowing her to bypass the three judicial offices and directly advise the throne, governing both the mortal and spiritual realms to bring peace to the people.”
“A monument to her virtues was erected in the imperial city, and her name was recorded in the annals of history. Furthermore, the Emperor decreed: ‘Merits in the mortal realm shall be honored in the underworld.'”
“Thus, golden statues of her were erected in City God temples across the land, their incense connecting the realms, and ghost officials were to treat her seal as if it were the King of Hell’s own.”
“Among the people, it was said that this woman judged cases with divine insight, ensuring all wrongful convictions were overturned. In the markets of Chang’an, when she passed by, the people would prostrate themselves as if before a deity.”
“Some even claimed she could adjudicate not only mortal disputes but also wrongful cases in the underworld, discerning loyalty and treachery, right and wrong across both life and death.”
After reading aloud from The Chronicles of Su Fu, Lin Mingxi exclaimed, “Boss! You’re absolutely incredible! My admiration for you is like an endless, surging river “
“Heh, you actually pulled it off!”
He listed Su Fu’s achievements:
“First, you solved over a dozen major cases in a single day, delighting the Emperor so much he directly appointed you as ‘Grand Marshal for Pacifying the Netherworld’ and granted you the Crimson Ribbon and Jade Seal, with authority reaching the heavens!”
“Then, they erected a monument to your virtues in the imperial city and recorded your deeds in history! That’s eternal fame right there!”
“Finally, the Emperor issued a decree ordering golden statues of you to be erected in City God temples across the land, with incense connecting both realms!”
“As they say, ‘Ghost officials treat your seal as if it were the King of Hell’s own!’”
Lin Mingxi was truly impressed.
Who could have thought of this approach?
Normal examinees would rush into Part B to gain an early advantage, uncover the rules of survival, and evade danger.
But what about the boss?
She wasn’t rushing down to the underworld just yet.
First, she’d establish herself firmly in the mortal realm as an official, gaining the emperor’s recognition-these were tangible achievements.
Then, with the decree of this mortal emperor, she’d have golden statues erected in every City God temple across the land.
The incense offerings would bridge the gap between the living and the dead, effectively securing her an official position in the underworld as well!
Damn, her influence now stretched straight into the underworld!
He had originally thought the boss just wanted to overturn a case, declare someone guilty of heinous crimes, slap on some evil ghost debuffs, and make life harder for those scheming old bastards.
But no he had been far too narrow minded.
Overturning cases?
Declaring guilt?
Those were trivial matters!
The real focus was laying the groundwork early.
Once her official position was secured, none of the examinees would be able to oppose her in the underworld.
In Chang’an, people would address her as “Magistrate Su,” and in the underworld..
The same would apply!
Su Fu was quite pleased with how smoothly the plan had gone.
It was largely thanks to the help from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the Dali Temple, and the City God Office otherwise, with just the three of them, this wouldn’t have been possible in such a short time.Â
Especially the City God Office—they had been an absolute godsend.
Without their covert assistance, how could she have so seamlessly connected both realms?
This move?
This move was all about riding on the coattails of Lord Zhong Kui!
“Let’s go,” Su Fu said to Lin Mingxi.
“It’s time to head to the underworld.”
Just then, Jiang Qingyu suddenly gasped and pointed at the distant night sky.
“Look over there!”
Su Fu followed her finger and froze
Under the night sky in the distance, thousands of Kongming lanterns slowly rose, shimmering like stars, illuminating the entire city of Chang’an.
Faint strains of melodious flute and reed-pipe music drifted from the city, accompanied by what sounded like singing.
“My god!” Lin Mingxi was stunned.
“What’s going on?”
Why were there so many Kongming lanterns?
He hadn’t heard of any festival celebration!
Jiang Qingyu, with her sharp eyesight, quickly made out the nearest lantern and gasped, turning to Su Fu.
“That one has a painting of you!”
As more and more lanterns rose, some drifted close enough for Su Fu to see clearly and sure enough, it was her!
Some lanterns depicted her in a crimson robe, sitting sternly in court; others showed her summoning spirits to deliver justice.
Scenes from her cases were vividly portrayed.
There were also lanterns covered entirely in text, bearing all kinds of praise for her:
“Magistrate Su, dispenser of heavenly justice, your virtue is boundless!”
“Magistrate Su, your judgments are divine-your name will echo through the ages!”
“May Magistrate Su have a safe journey!”
Su Fu was absorbed in reading when suddenly, one lantern’s inscription made her breath catch-
“Magistrate Su, even if you’re going back to the underworld to work overtime, stay happy!”
Su Fu: “……”
She couldn’t hold it in anymore.
How could work ever be happy?
And overtime?
Absolutely impossible to be happy about that!
Then it dawned on her.
“So… the people of Chang’an are seeing me off?”
She hadn’t hidden her departure, citing a summons from the underworld as the reason.
But she never expected the people to send her off and with such a grand spectacle, no less!
Come to think of it, the rising strains of flute and string music-was that a farewell melody for her?
The three of them stood in awe for a moment, taking in the sight before them.
In the night sky, thousands upon thousands of Kongming lanterns floated upward like an inverted Milky Way, bathing the entire city of Chang’an in a sea of radiant light.
“Truly befitting of you, Magistrate Su,”
Jiang Qingyu said with a teasing smile, her eyes crinkling.
“Judging cases like a deity, beloved by the people.”
“Cough cough…”
Su Fu cleared her throat lightly, “You flatter me. It’s all thanks to my soul-interrogation technique.”
Lin Mingxi gazed up at the sea of lantern lights filling the sky and couldn’t help murmuring to herself, “So this is an S-rank dungeon…”
“It feels completely indistinguishable from reality, almost too dazzling.”
“Boss, if it weren’t for Shen Yan constantly reminding me in my ear, I’d be completely disoriented. Is this really an exam, or… are we truly living in this era?”
Su Fu turned around as the night wind lifted the hem of her robe.
“Let’s go.”
She was no Zhuangzi who dreamed of being a butterfly.
For in her distant homeland, such a magnificent golden age had truly existed-how could she be tempted by this mere illusion?
Yet if even this illusion could awe the world…
She lowered her gaze.
So, teachers and certain entities beyond this exam paper are you watching?
This glorious Chang’an of the prosperous age-
It is China!