I have to get lucky right away.

Chapter 457 Taking Office in Fengdu
"Fengdu Branch City No. 1744... That's a pretty early number! I remember you said before that only black markets with numbers before 2000 can produce Yuanqi?"

Sitting in an off-road vehicle she had picked up by the roadside, Feng Xue looked at the gleaming golden document in her hand, which was said to be made of "Buddha's power," and asked casually.

Feng Xue asked casually, but the two monks, Guizhen and Guishan, dared not answer carelessly. Glancing at Guizhen, who was driving, and seeing him intently watching the road, Guishan finally spoke up:

"That's how it is. Originally, there was only one Fengdu City in the underworld. As long as the ghosts didn't have any strong resentment or obsession, they could be reincarnated quickly. Only a few wealthy ghosts could stay in Fengdu for a long time. However, in order to better collect the power of vows, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva continuously built new branch cities of Fengdu City in the underworld until those ghosts were no longer worshipped and no more power of vows flowed into the underworld, only then were they allowed to be reincarnated."

"Many vengeful ghosts who should have been sent to hell were able to stay in Fengdu because of the large number of worshippers, and eventually became ghost kings. Therefore, the earlier the number of Fengdu is, the earlier it was divided and the more ghost kings it produced. As a result, even though there is very little profit in the city, the black market is quite developed."

"..." Hearing Gui Shan's reply, Feng Xue felt her lips twitch. Good heavens, you're letting a ghost that should be sent to hell produce food outside. Is this how you "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty"?

But according to him...

"Is there a lot of ghost kings surrounding this city of 1744?"

Sensing the ill intent in Feng Xue's words, Gui Zhen, who had been pretending not to hear, fearing that Gui Shan would try to sabotage him, immediately spoke up:

"No, no, how could I dare to dig a pit for you! This 1744 was just wiped out by a ghost king. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sent General Shackles to suppress the bandits and clean up the surrounding area. If you knew, you would know that suppressing ghosts is a lucrative job. Anyone who comes out will definitely wipe out as many as they can before returning. So there will definitely be no ghost king around this city for a short time. What the underworld needs to do now is to find someone to continue to exploit them so that a new ghost king can be created. This is the job of the city administrator. It can be said that this is the place that best meets your requirements."

"You better not be lying to me." Feng Xue glared at Gui Zhen, but then activated the spell she had borrowed from Lena again, disguising herself as a monk.

As for Fina, everyone who sees her knows she's an android, so no one will say anything.

However, Feng Xue's sudden change of expression reminded her of something, and she immediately said:

"By the way, when you tried to rob me before, you used a spell on me, right? What was that spell about?"

Upon hearing Feng Xue's words, the two monks thought he was going to settle scores, and their faces turned green with fright. However, due to the Ghost King's intimidation, they dared not run away and could only reply:

"That's the 'Sealing Technique,' a magic developed by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Any Buddhist disciple who has taken on a mission can practice it. Its main function is to seal the flow of vow power. Once this method is activated, it can seize control of the target's vow power. Of course, it's not really stealing it, but rather like two people holding the hilt of a knife at the same time, preventing either of them from swinging the knife. However, this method can only be used against targets weaker than oneself. For a strong person like you, with just a little effort, you can snatch the vow power back. It would take at least a hundred... no, a thousand! Yes, a thousand. A thousand of me casting the spell at the same time would be needed to truly immobilize you."

……

The road conditions in the underworld are quite good. Although you can often see abandoned vehicles on the roadside, the road has a special spatial quality. As the vehicle speeds up, the surrounding scenery jumps around like a slideshow.

Just like that helpful guy said before, in the underworld, direction is meaningless; the only thing that matters is the road. Yes, this wide road, large enough for dozens of cars to travel side by side, is the legendary and infamous Yellow Springs Road, the theoretically the road that all the souls of the dead travel to Fengdu.

That's why, as long as you stand on this road and have a clear goal in mind, you will surely arrive. And right now, with Feng Xue's constant questioning, the car has finally slowed down again.

Compared to the previous Fengdu City, whose number I can't remember, the 1744 branch city looks much more harmonious.

However, this is not because its architecture is orderly, but because it is so cluttered with so many buildings that it is impossible to see what it looks like normally. As a result, it appears balanced from a distance.

How to put it? It's like when there are so many burrs, it's no longer a burr, but a frosted surface.

"Is this the 1744th branch city?"

"The guide to the Yellow Springs is definitely accurate." Guizhen nodded affirmatively, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there were no vengeful ghosts outside the city.

"Is there any ceremony for taking office?" Feng Xue asked, holding the appointment document. She was a little disappointed when she didn't see the Japanese woman beating the drum.

"No, after the previous leader distributed the money, he definitely went to develop in the more prosperous new city, so now there is nothing in this city except for poor ghosts. But don't look down on them just because they are poor ghosts. The ghosts who can live in the city numbered before 2,000 still have descendants in the mortal world. Even if they don't have a family tree or ancestral temple, they still have the custom of worshipping their ancestors. Every year, they pay their respects to these ancestors who are separated by countless generations. This is how they can stay in the underworld. But this is not necessarily a good thing. If the incense in the mortal world were to be cut off, they would have been able to reincarnate long ago."

Gui Shan answered fluently. After asking around along the way, Feng Xue could tell that these two monks were quite capable. Gui Zhen was "proficient in Buddhist teachings," which simply meant he was good at dealing with superiors and knew a lot about the secrets of the underworld. Gui Shan, on the other hand, had considerable insights into economics and was very knowledgeable about black market prices and commodity exchange.

The four people and one dog walked through the city gate, and the scene before them changed. Unlike the previous Fengdu City, the streets here were quite bustling, with ghosts coming and going, but they were all in a hurry. Even the old man at the newsstand on the street seemed more serious, as if he took every transaction very seriously.

Feng Xue raised her eyebrows, surveying the ghosts running around, and frowned as she said:

What are they doing running around like that?

“They’re working,” Gui Shan gave a somewhat absurd answer. “But they’re not doing it to earn wish power; they’re doing it to anchor their beliefs and prevent themselves from losing their human form. After all, if they were to become evil spirits, then when they’re exorcising demons…”

"I see, you're killing innocent people and claiming credit for it, right?"

Feng Xue nodded, but stared at Guizhen and Guishan with an extremely serious expression until the two monks were almost too frightened to maintain their human form, then he said:
"Let me confirm again, the people of the underworld, whether they are judges, underworld officials, or even ox-headed and horse-faced demons, shouldn't be paying attention to this place, right?"

(End of this chapter)