You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chapter 78 The Hanged Man's Quirks (2)

"It's done!"

Chen Yang slowly opened his eyes, a hint of undisguised joy in them.

The reason he helped "Cat Ghost God" seek a title was not only because he was moved by "Cat Ghost God's" dutiful character... but also because he wanted to try and see if he could be "deified" again in the mortal world!
It turns out...

Yes!
Just now, Lord Cui once again pulled him into a "dream" and handed him a cat-demon edict!

"In this way, if I encounter remnants or obsessions of deities like the Cat Demon God in the future, as long as my conduct is up to standard, I can request a title for them on my behalf. Otherwise, what's the point of me being a commander without any gods in the human world after I've been promoted to the Day-Roaming God, the Underworld Marshal, or even the City God?"

With thoughts flashing through his mind, Chen Yang slowly got up.

He held the imperial edict in one hand, head held high, glanced at the tabby cat out of the corner of his eye, and said loudly, "Why aren't you stepping forward to receive your investiture?"

As Chen Yang "entered a dream" and the surrounding mist began to rise, the tabby cat and Gu Jinghui and the others had already retreated to a distance of ten meters.

Upon hearing this, it immediately took a step forward, and when it was about five meters away from Chen Yang, it crawled on its front paws and slid to Chen Yang's feet, speaking in human language: "This humble god is hereby conferred a title!"

Chen Yang opened the imperial edict and read it aloud word by word—

The Great Emperor of Beiyin in Fengdu issued an edict:

It is said that the Three Realms are orderly, and Yin and Yang are distinct. Now, it is discovered that the Cat Demon has wandered for a thousand years, yet has not forgotten its original duty: to hunt down rat demons and maintain the order of Yin and Yang. Therefore, it is permitted to re-enter the register of gods in the Underworld. It is hereby conferred upon you the title of "Nine Netherworld Patrol Envoy," to inspect the gaps between Yin and Yang, to gather the remnants of the Cat Demon, and to register them in the Underworld register, so that they may not cause harm to the human world.

You are permitted to assist in handling cases of grievances and debts. Whenever you encounter someone in the mortal world who uses evil magic to drive their kind to harm others, you are allowed to retaliate in kind, but you must not exceed the laws of the underworld.

You are permitted to receive offerings from the people of the mortal world. Anyone in the living world who sincerely calls your name with leftovers may receive your offerings, but you must protect their homes from rat infestations and ensure that their property is not lost!
He is granted special authority to see through the "Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth" trick in the human world and to seize three-tenths of its profits for the underworld treasury!

The imperial edict will take effect on the 6th day of the fifth month of the year Yi Si (June 6, 2025).

At the bottom of the imperial edict are three imperial seals.

The first is the Imperial Seal of the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

The second was Judge Cui Yu, who served as deputy signatory.

Thirdly, Meng Po was in charge of administering the soup.

"This humble deity accepts the investiture and kowtows in gratitude to the Great Emperor of Fengdu Beiyin!"

The tabby cat spoke in a human voice, stood upright, and steadily caught the edict with its two paws.

brush!
The next moment, the edict transformed into a beam of divine light and entered his body.

A glint appeared in the tabby cat's eyes, and its previously illusory form quickly solidified, its aura rapidly increasing.

The cat demon prostrated itself on the ground once again, kowtowing to thank Chen Yang: "This humble god thanks Lord Night Wanderer for his guidance."

Chen Yang laughed and said, "Your spirituality has been extinguished for a thousand years, but you have not forgotten your duty. With a wisp of obsession, you suppressed the rat demon, which has prevented this place from experiencing a rat infestation for thousands of years. This is a great achievement, and you deserve all of this."

Gu Jinghui also joined in.

He had heard everything clearly when Chen Yang conferred titles on behalf of the underworld, and he said excitedly, "Old Chen, Old Chen, I am now considered a cultivator... Could you write another letter to Uncle Chen and confer a divine position upon me as well?"

Chen Yang: "No problem. As long as you commit suicide now, I will immediately write a letter to Lord Cui and ask him to appoint you as a ghost messenger in the underworld."

"........."

Gu Jinghui stammered, seemingly tempted, glanced back at the big elm tree, then at Yang Shuai whose tongue was sticking out more than a foot long, and finally suppressed the impulse: "Let's wait until I die of old age before we talk about it."

At that moment, car headlights flashed in the distance.

Gu Jinghui: "It should be the local government officials who have arrived..."

"Go and make contact, explain the situation..."

Chen Yang glanced at his old classmates Zhang Xiaolong, Yu Bao, and others again: "I'm sorry to have startled you all tonight. It's almost dawn, so let's all head back to Yu Town."

Having said all that, even if these old classmates wanted to chat more with Chen Yang and get closer to him, they didn't dare say anything more and immediately drove away.

The government vehicle arrived quickly.

The men in hats got off the bus and were stunned when they saw the large rats on the ground.

The local "hat uncles" were certainly aware of the family massacre that had just happened a few days ago, but after Gu Jinghui's explanation... their expressions became strange.

Was the massacre of an entire family orchestrated by a rat demon?

Fortunately, Wang Lin had reported the incident to the authorities immediately after receiving Gu Jinghui's call. The local government office in Yuzhen had already received the notification from above, so they simply sealed off the scene and did not ask any further questions.

Chen Yang was chatting with the tabby cat.

I only found out after we talked...

This guy not only re-entered the underworld's "divine register," but also got a promotion.

Although it had previously received an imperial decree from the underworld, it was still at the lowest level in terms of divine status, equivalent to the underworld ghost messengers.

Now, having been bestowed the title of "Nine Netherworld Patrol Envoy," his divine position is equivalent to that of the Underworld Soul-Capturing Envoy, the Underworld Ghost Envoy, and the Demon Envoy. His status has soared, and the incense offerings and merits he can enjoy are incomparable to those before.

But the tabby cat also has its own concerns.

"Although the minor deity has now been reinstated as a deity, the temple has long since turned into ruins, the golden body is broken, and there is no one to worship it. It can only reside on a bronze sculpture... If this continues, I'm afraid it will eventually lose its spirituality."

Chen Yang laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just incense offerings. It's a small matter. Come back to Wucheng with me later, and I'll help you figure something out."

"Then...what about me?"

Yang Shuai floated over.

He tried to put his tongue in his mouth, but it was fine when his mouth was closed; as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, his scarlet tongue would stick out.

"you?"

Chen Yang: "The rat demon is dead, and your family should be awake by now... They will surely give you a proper funeral. Come to Wucheng to find me after the seventh day after your death, and I will send you off."

Yang Shuai almost cried: "Chen Yang... tomorrow is my seventh day after death!"

"Besides, all that's left of my body is skin and bones... How could my parents accept it if I sent it back?"

He floated above his own "human skin" and then, with a whoosh, transformed into a gust of cold wind and disappeared inside.

As if zipping up a zipper, Yang Shuai's ghost tried blinking...

That human skin actually blinked too!
He exclaimed in surprise, "What a wonderful feeling... it's like I've come back to life!"

He hopped and jumped around as if he were alive, scaring the uncles in hats who had witnessed the "human skin standing up" and jumping around so much that their faces turned pale.

"This skin has been refined by that rat demon, and in a sense it has become a [painted skin]... Any dead soul or evil spirit that enters it will be transformed into its appearance."

The tabby cat was well aware of the rat demon's methods. It said, "But this pelt needs to be carefully maintained, otherwise it will rot and smell bad over time."

Yang Shuai refused to take off his leather jacket.

He wanted to go home.

"Old Chen...we've been classmates, can you do me a favor?"

"After I go back and say goodbye to my parents, I'll go to Wucheng with you... I don't care whether I go to hell or stay in the human world as a wandering ghost." Chen Yang softened and agreed.

He beckoned Yang Shuai, Li Huamao, Zhou Qiang, and Gu Jinghui to get in the car.

Just about to drive...

"and many more!"

Yang Shuai was originally a ghost, so he shouldn't be able to open the car door. However, his human skin was a "real thing." He opened the car door and ran to the big elm tree, looking down and searching for something.

I searched around...

Unable to find it, they returned to the car.

Gu Jinghui asked curiously, "What are you looking for?"

Yang Shuai: "The rope."

"What rope?"

"The one I used to hang myself."

Yang Shuai said, "If I don't have something hanging around my neck, I always feel like something is missing, and it's very uncomfortable."

Gu Jinghui: "..."

A hanged ghost!

Having such a quirk is perfectly reasonable.

He glanced at his shoes...

There are no shoelaces.

So he could only pull out the elastic drawstring of his pants, tie a knot, and put it around Yang Shuai's neck.

Yang Shuai tugged at the elastic rope a few times, causing his tongue to stick out again: "That feels much better..."

Laughter erupted from inside the Mercedes.

Chen Yang started the car and drove quickly towards Tufeng Village.

In June, the sun rises early. When he drove back to Tufeng Village, it was only a little past six o'clock, but it was already bright outside.

Yang Shuai's home was still filled with joy, with the character for "happiness" pasted on the door and a tent set up... but the sound of his parents' and relatives' wailing could be heard from inside the yard.

"Go."

Chen Yang pointed, and a wisp of yin energy flew out from his fingertip and entered Yang Shuai's body.

"We're waiting for you at Zhou Qiang's uncle's house... Remember, you must come find us before sunrise!"

"You have too many relatives in your family. When people gather together, the yang energy becomes too strong... Your soul is too weak. My wisp of yin energy can only ensure that you will not be dispersed by the yang energy of others for a short time. But if you are exposed to the sun, your soul will be scattered in an instant!"

After dropping Yang Shuai off at his doorstep, Chen Yang turned the car around.

I glanced in the rearview mirror...

He saw Yang Shuai hesitate for a few seconds at the gate of the yard, then tug at the elastic rope around his neck, step into the yard, and shout, "Dad...Mom, I'm back!"

The crying in the courtyard stopped abruptly!

"Ahhhhh!!!"

"A ghost...it's a zombie!"

"Yang Shuai?"

"My son...you...why have you come back?"

Chen Yang smiled and stepped on the gas to start the car.

The car was not going fast.

He looked around and found that the villagers who got up early were sweeping their yards. They swept out a lot of dead rats. The dead rats ranged in size from a few inches to half a foot. They swept up piles of them. There were even many dead rats on the paved roads between villages.

The rat demon is dead.

The "children" it summoned in Tufeng Village also perished.

Chen Yang didn't know what would happen if these rats were allowed to grow unchecked...

He thought of the fate of Yang Shuai and his bride's family of four... He feared that if the rat demon wasn't eliminated, the village might soon be completely turned into a "rat's den".

"Meow!"

The tabby cat's eyes lit up, but unfortunately it was just a "spirit" and couldn't enjoy these delicacies.

We returned to Zhou Qiang's uncle's house.

Zhou Qiang's uncle grabbed Zhou Qiang and said, "Zhou Qiang...you're here for your classmate's wedding? I remember telling you...your classmate, he's dead!"

"Hanged... he died a horrible death!"

"Uncle, I know."

Zhou Qiang said, "I came here this time to ask my classmate Master Chen to help deal with the evil spirits in your house... Master Chen has already examined it, and the problem in your house is with that cat sculpture. Give me the cat sculpture, and I will take it away and destroy it."

"what?"

"That...that's a treasure! Someone offered me 500,000 last time, but I didn't sell it!"

"Do you want your life or your money?"

After some persuasion, Zhou Qiang finally managed to get his uncle 100,000 yuan and obtain the small statue inhabited by the cat ghost.

Meow!

The tabby cat meowed, jumped off the car, and transformed into a wisp of black smoke, disappearing into the statue.

"........."

Zhou Qiang's uncle's eyes widened suddenly. He froze for a few seconds, then rubbed his eyes hard, staring at the statue in Zhou Qiang's hand with disbelief: "Qiang...Qiangzi, did you see that?"

Zhou Qiang: "Uncle... are you seeing things? There's no way a cat could turn into black smoke and crawl into a statue!"

"???"

Uncle: "But I didn't say what I saw... Ah... Ahhhhh!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he jumped up, pointed ahead, and cried out in a trembling voice, "Yang Shuai... Yang Shuai, it's Yang Shuai!!!"

…………

PS: Second update. I'll grab a bite to eat and continue writing. Please point out any typos if you find them, thank you.

(End of this chapter)