From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 329 Li Lie's Methods

After entering the inner hall of the Yin-Yang Bureau and walking through a long corridor, you will enter a rather large stone chamber.

This place is called the "Waiting Platform".

Red copper oil lamps hung at the four corners of the waiting platform, burning all year round, but the light was dim and offered no warmth.

The four stone walls are mottled and dark, covered with Taoist seals and runes. Looking up, you can see the words: "The three souls return to their rightful place, and the seven spirits are exonerated."

This is the most important place in the Yin-Yang Bureau.

In the underworld, all the souls whose memories have been refined through reincarnation are sent here, where they are guided by the gods of the mortal world to be reincarnated.

If one day the spirits here are incomplete, or if they are destroyed by someone, then a large number of fetuses will not be able to find a spirit to reside in, and countless mentally challenged people will be born, which is a very serious matter.

"Crack crack crack".

After Cang Zhao'er displayed the talisman, the first major gate slowly opened.

All that could be seen were hundreds and thousands of wisps of souls sitting on the ground, their appearances hazy, with wisps of gray-white smoke floating above their heads, making it impossible to discern their gender or age.

Those wisps of grayish-white smoke seemed like ropes suspending them, preventing these wandering spirits from moving around.

Upon entering this place, one might feel as if they have entered a farmers' market, as if all the meat, poultry, fish, and other seafood are hanging out for people to choose from.

In the corner, you can see several strange-looking little devils shaking rattles and guiding the souls into the line in order.

Judging from their appearance, they should be messengers from the underworld, because messengers from the human world usually look like humans, while only the natives of the underworld would have such strange shapes.

There was also a judge holding an ebony Book of Life and Death, seemingly checking the status of the wandering spirits.

If the delivered spirit is deemed acceptable, a note will be made in the register; if there are any deficiencies, the underworld officials will take the spirit back.

The only sounds in the waiting area were very faint rustling. Cang Zhao'er didn't dare to breathe loudly and led Li Lie in tiptoeing in.

“Uncle Li… Uncle Li, the quality of each of the ghosts we receive is similar, but there are always good ones and bad ones.”

"Whether they are good or bad depends entirely on the three fires of fortune, prosperity, and longevity on their shoulders and heads."

"The stronger the flame, the better the aptitude. Could you help me take a look and see which ghosts have a relatively strong flame?"

Cang Zhao'er mustered her courage and spoke to Li Lie.

Generally, high-ranking spirits, such as those reincarnated as high-ranking officials, emperors, or generals, are naturally handled by higher authorities. The spirits near Yuanling Mountain, however, are just ordinary spirits.

Insufficient than above, more than below.

After reincarnation, it's difficult to expect great wealth and status, but it's also difficult to die a violent death from various natural disasters or man-made calamities.

Every spirit possesses the innate three fires of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, which essentially determine their fate in their next life.

If one's fortune is higher, things will naturally go smoothly; if one's official position is stronger, one may become a minor official or have the good fortune to meet some influential figures; if one's lifespan is stronger, one will naturally live longer.

After explaining to Li Lie, Cang Zhao'er began to select from among the spirits one by one.

After all, there are more than 120 requests for spirits this month, and selecting spirits alone is a very heavy task.

However, Cang Zhao'er cherished this job. She was just a little rat spirit who had the good fortune to be made a deity. What more could she ask for?

Their family had been guarding the county government's warehouses for generations, and they had only earned the status of a minor official.

If she loses this job, she will have to go to the docks to guard the warehouses.

She also hoped that Li Lie would cherish this job. Even though it was just a lowly ghost messenger position now, as long as he worked hard, he would one day be rewarded by the mountain lord. "No need for such trouble, just watch me."

Li Lie laughed loudly, and an aura burst forth from his body, like a thunderbolt falling from the sky, with a sudden gust of wind, as if a storm was sweeping across the entire waiting platform!
With a whoosh, the spirits inside the waiting platform trembled violently, their bodies shaking wildly. Some were even pressed to the ground, their soul flames flashing wildly.

Many more souls were tossed about in the shockwaves like pieces of paper, swaying and drifting in all directions.

Not only the spirits, but even the divine officials who were taking notes and the ghost messengers who were escorting the spirits were shaken by this aura.

Just as one of the ghost messengers was about to speak, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and heard what sounded like thunder in his ears. For these ghosts, this thunderous aura was their natural nemesis.

Li Lie, seeing this scene, was quite pleased with himself. He pointed:
"This...this...and this one should be left behind..."

Those who remained standing under his powerful aura, or whose souls remained intact even after being blown away, were left behind by him. Those ghostly souls that drifted around like pieces of paper with dim soul light naturally represented those with insufficient innate talent.

The spirits he chooses may not be particularly strong in terms of fortune, prosperity, and longevity, but they will certainly have "solid souls and strong wills".

If these spirits are reborn and have the aptitude for cultivation, they are likely to go further than ordinary people once they embark on the path of cultivation.

Although Li Lie was demoted to the mortal realm, he was still a righteous god. Although his methods for selecting Yin spirits were somewhat crude, they were indeed more efficient and effective in some respects.

"Bah."

The talisman that Cang Zhao'er was holding slipped from her hand, and Little Mouse Girl's face turned pale.

It's over, it's absolutely over now.

Li Lie's actions have not only angered the officials of the Yin-Yang Bureau, but also the Mountain Lord himself.

Now, I, Cang Zhao'er, really have to go back to guard the warehouse.

……

You Ming sat in the main seat of the hall, with a thick stack of documents in front of him.

He opened them one by one and read them carefully.

Although he delegated most of the trivial matters to Wu Mo and others, he still needed to sign and make the final decision.

Wu Mo stood to the side, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Registrar Wu, is there something you wish to say?"

Although You Ming was looking at the contents of the document, he could not hide Wu Mo's thoughts from him.

"My lord, recently several deities have been following our lead, which has drawn some criticism. Especially that deity Li Lie; the City God's office has even sent a document demanding an explanation from us."

"What criticism? I think everyone is doing a great job."

You Ming smiled, signed the document with a vermilion pen, and then continued.

In fact, he was pretending to be ignorant. He had known about what Li Lie had done in the Yin-Yang Division for a long time, and the City God had already communicated with him through private channels.

This matter could be a big deal or a small deal; at most, the people in the Yin-Yang Bureau might feel they've lost face.

From You Ming's perspective, the quality of the Yin spirits Li Lie selected this time was indeed quite good. Combined with You Ming's [Fetal Light Contract Seal] divine office, it's even possible to create more divine offices with cultivation aptitude.

However, on the other hand, many things in officialdom are about saving face; one has to give an explanation to others in terms of appearances.

(End of this chapter)