The underworld is often bustling with affairs, and when the ghostly envoys are overwhelmed, they sometimes summon the living souls from the mortal realm to assist with tasks like capturing spirits.
Once the task is completed, these souls are returned to the living.
This kind of duty is called “Walking the Unpredictable” or “Walking the Underworld.”
The living souls who walk the underworld correspond to the ghostly envoys and are referred to as “Living Wuchang.”
In simple terms, they are temporary workers of the underworld.
There’s another advantage to using Living Wuchang.
Since the dying are often surrounded by many relatives, the living souls, with their strong yang energy, can more easily navigate these gatherings of the living to capture the spirits of the deceased, which are then handed over to the ghostly envoys to be taken to the underworld.
Although Living Wuchangs are temporary workers, they are legitimate law enforcers and thus carry the Fire Token issued by the underworld.
Shi Pengpeng wasn’t really planning to detain this man; she was just bluffing him.
She didn’t expect to uncover such astonishing secrets.
If this man was a Living Wuchang, everything made sense.
As a living soul with a Fire Token, he could naturally bypass the divine power of the local earth deity and legally enter and exit mortal dwellings.
Also, being a living soul, he carried more yang energy and less yin energy, so even after causing disturbances multiple times in this house, he left no trace of malevolence.
Despite his low magical power, he could summon wind and air, creating such a commotion because those powers didn’t originate from him but from the enforcement token issued by the underworld.
It was also because of this token, representing lawful authority, that the Qilin Talisman, which specifically counters yin evil, didn’t harm him.
He had experience in underworld affairs and was well-versed in the rules of the mystical sects.
He knew that as long as he didn’t do anything blatantly against the rules, the mystical sects couldn’t touch him.
And sending him back to the underworld would be futile because he wasn’t a ghostly soul; he was even a ghostly envoy himself, capable of enforcing his own laws.
No wonder he immediately surrendered when caught and asked Shi Pengpeng to send him back.
He truly had connections in the underworld and feared nothing.
The underworld has indeed been in chaos for some time.
“So, you figured it out?”
The man didn’t expect her to react so quickly and snorted with pride, “That’s right, I’m a Living Wuchang, authorized to enforce the laws of the underworld. You, a heretic, are you scared?”
Shi Pengpeng was not intimidated and retorted, “You, a Living Wuchang, are using your authority to harass a mortal dwelling. I should report you to the underworld!”
“Don’t slander me. I came to this mortal dwelling to pursue you, a heretic.”
This Living Wuchang was clearly not doing this for the first time, and his shameless defense came out smoothly, showing his utter rascality.
As he spoke, he waved the Fire Token in his hand.
A fierce yin wind arose, and the power from the underworld transformed into invisible soul-chasing chains, entangling Shi Pengpeng.
“The essence of duality, yang fire in the heart-“
A talisman fire ignited, burning away the invisible chains of the underworld.
At the same time, another talisman shot like an arrow towards the Living Wuchang’s face.
The Living Wuchang was a bit slow to react and almost got hit by the talisman.
In a hurry, he waved the Fire Token again, and its power blew the talisman away.
“Haha, a heretic dares to fight with me, the Wuchang… Damn it!”
Four yellow talismans silently appeared at the four corners around him, the cinnabar glowing, forming the Four Symbols Talisman Array.
“Does the underworld not train the Living Wuchangs after summoning them?” Shi Pengpeng glanced mockingly at the token in his hand, “You don’t even know how to use the Fire Token properly.”
The Fire Order Token is both an identification and a magical tool for the Wuchang, equivalent to a police officer’s firearm in the mortal world.
However, this temporary Wuchang clearly isn’t proficient in using the Fire Order Token, only flailing it around haphazardly, much like someone who only knows how to pull the trigger when holding a gun.
While this might suffice against ordinary spirits or novice mages after all, a randomly fired gun still packs a punch-it’s far from enough to deal with Shi Pengpeng.
The temporary Wuchang didn’t expect to be defeated so quickly.
After being mocked by her, he felt a bit embarrassed but still reluctantly negotiated, “Alright, alright, I admit defeat, okay? How about this: you let me go, and we’ll pretend nothing happened. I won’t arrest you anymore, deal?”
Shi Pengpeng smirked, “Are you trying to bargain with me?”
Seeing her condescending attitude, the Wuchang grew annoyed.
Since receiving the Fire Order Token and becoming a temporary official of the underworld, he had gained some prestige.
Whether it was spirits or mortal cultivators, who wouldn’t show him some respect?
“You little heretic cultivator, do you even understand the situation? I’m an underworld officer. If you dare detain me, the underworld will track you down in no time,” the Wuchang threatened.
“Seems like you’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation,” Shi Pengpeng retorted, crossing her arms with a sinister smile.
“You’re already in my hands, yet you’re still putting on airs as an underworld officer. If you’re smart, you’ll confess your true identity quickly. Otherwise, I’ll detain you for a few days, and even if your body doesn’t rot, you’ll starve to death.”
The Wuchang had an underworld transfer order, so his soul could leave his body without dying.
However, his physiological functions would still continue.
If his soul didn’t return for too long, he would indeed starve to death.
“!!” The Wuchang was shocked by her audacity and stammered, “You… you’re so vicious!”
“That’s just how we heretic cultivators are!” Shi Pengpeng laughed even more maliciously, her voice eerie.
“If you starve to death at home, the mortal world won’t trace it back to me. Then I’ll refine you into a servant ghost…”
Even Ju Ziyi, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but glance at her with a mix of shock and suspicion.
The Wuchang was truly desperate now.
Ignoring whether he was breaking the rules, he swung the Fire Order Token forcefully.
“You won’t succeed!”
Shi Pengpeng, knowing he was an official, hadn’t set the Four Symbols Array too tightly.
The Fire Order Token, being a legitimate tool, instantly broke through the array’s restraints.
The red “Order” character on the token lit up, a unique method of communication among underworld officers, signaling that the Wuchang was calling for backup… or rather, calling for ghosts.
Shi Pengpeng’s expression shifted slightly as she tried to stop him, but it was too late.
“Since you refuse the easy way, don’t blame me for being harsh!” the Wuchang said triumphantly.
“Do you know what an underworld officer is? It means I have the underworld backing me. You can capture me, but can you stand against the entire underworld?”
Shi Pengpeng:”…..”
Her expression darkened.
The underworld’s order was currently in chaos, and the fact that this Wuchang could repeatedly break the rules without punishment suggested he had connections.
The underworld officer he called might very well be his backer, colluding with him.
But Shi Pengpeng was helpless.
Her threats were just to scare the Wuchang; she couldn’t actually detain him indefinitely.
She could indeed file a complaint with the underworld, but given the current state of affairs there, it was uncertain whether it would be of any use.
“In that case, let’s just drop it,” Yan Jing suddenly spoke up.
Having climbed to a high position in the business world, he was well aware of the importance of connections.
At a time like this, excessive entanglement wouldn’t be of much significance.
It would be better to focus on what could be done in the present.
Sheng Wuchang became even more smug, “Good that you understand…”
Yan Jing continued, “Let’s just buy the house first.”
After all, their original intention was to purchase a property.
Sheng Wuchang: “…”
Damn, I almost forgot about that!
“Alright,” Shi Pengpeng was also open-minded and was instantly convinced.
She glanced at Yan Jing and gave him a sweet smile, “Brother, will you lend me the money then?”
“Of course.”
Yan Jing was momentarily captivated by her smile and added with a domineering air, “Let’s buy it outright. I’ll cover any shortfall.”
Shi Pengpeng cheered, “Yay!”
“No, you can’t buy this house!” Sheng Wuchang was furious, pointing at Shi Pengpeng and shouting, “Don’t think this is over! You evil cultivator, when my colleague arrives, I’ll have you arrested!”
At that moment, a cold wind blew through, and a white ghostly figure appeared in the room.
The ghostly figure floated ethereally and materialized in front of Sheng Wuchang, revealing itself to be a yin officer wearing a tall white hat.
The yin officer looked around and frowned, “Duan Kefan, why did you call for emergency backup?”
Duan Kefan, also known as Sheng Wuchang, was momentarily stunned upon seeing the yin officer, “Officer Li, why are you here? Where’s Old Zhang?”
Old Zhang was the yin officer he usually worked closely with.
“You haven’t heard? There’s been a crackdown recently, and Old Zhang was caught taking bribes. He’s already been arrested,” Officer Li said, then paused, “What’s going on here?”
Upon hearing that Old Zhang had been arrested, Duan Kefan’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.
But he couldn’t dwell on it now and quickly pointed at Shi Pengpeng, “Officer Li, this person is an evil cultivator. I tried to arrest her, but she ended up trapping me instead! Please save me…”
“An evil cultivator?!”
Officer Li was startled and immediately raised his fire talisman to his chest, cautiously eyeing Shi Pengpeng.
“Officer, don’t listen to his nonsense. I’m a legitimate mage from a proper school,” Shi Pengpeng said, pulling out a photo of her graduation certificate and handing it over, “See…”
Duan Kefan interjected, “Officer Li, she’s cunning. Don’t be fooled…”
Before he could finish, Officer Li’s expression changed, and he exclaimed, “Shi Pengpeng, you’re Shi Pengpeng?!”
His excitement startled Shi Pengpeng, who reflexively took a step back, looking puzzled, “Uh, yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?”
“Miss Shi, it’s an honor to meet you!” Officer Li said enthusiastically, “You probably don’t know this, but your deeds in Biannan have spread throughout the underworld. Driving stones as carriages, shattering divine authority-it’s truly admirable…”
Shi Pengpeng: “…”
What, does gossip spread that fast in the underworld too?
But that wasn’t all.
Officer Li continued excitedly, “Your teachers at the Liangyi Academy are also impressive. Because of your actions, they…”
He made a huge fuss, complaining to both heaven and earth, causing quite a scene.
“Currently, the underworld is cracking down hard, and they’ve just arrested a group of corrupt underworld officials…”
As he spoke, he suddenly felt something was off and turned around.
“Duan Kefan, Miss Shi has been publicly praised by both the mortal and spiritual realms as a righteous and good mage. Why are you calling her an evil cultivator?”
Duan Kefan’s face turned pale.
He was just a temporary worker and wasn’t always up to date with the latest news from the underworld.
Recently, the underworld hadn’t assigned him any tasks, and he vaguely sensed that something might be going on.
He had planned to ask his colleagues about it the next time he was called upon.
Little did he expect that such a major event had occurred in the underworld.
Even more unexpected was that, as usual, he had taken advantage of his identity as a part-time underworld Wuchang to handle some personal matters, only to stumble upon such a formidable obstacle.
He wasn’t very familiar with the deeds of this mage before him, but judging from Officer Li’s attitude, this seemingly young mage’s connections were likely far more powerful than his own.