Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

In the wealthy south of the city, Cao Jingde hummed an off-key tune as he staggered into his own courtyard.

Steward Cao had been waiting in the gatehouse for a long time. As soon as he saw the master return, he immediately bowed and went to greet him, his pointed face full of flattery.

"Master, is it done?"

Cao Jingde slumped into the armchair, the entire chair groaning under its strain.

He said smugly, "A mere candidate in the imperial examinations dares to challenge my Cao family?"

I had my son-in-law say something casually, and he was sent to the Sweeping Office to sweep the streets and shovel manure for the rest of his life.

Want to be an official? Dream on!

Butler Cao's eyes lit up, and the sinister and smug look on his face was almost overflowing.

He stepped forward and flattered, "Master's methods are truly brilliant."

That Fang Zheng didn't know what was good for him, and he deserved this fate.

This is what they call refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty shot.

Cao Jingde laughed loudly twice, then his voice suddenly turned gloomy.

"Hmph, this is just the beginning."

Once this heat dies down, you'll see how I deal with this hothead!

.........

As night fell, Fang Zheng was engrossed in his book when there was a knock at the door.

He smiled and gestured for Liu Qingyu to open the door.

The door opened, and outside stood a little devil dressed in black, carrying a white paper lantern.

This ghost had a blue face and fangs, and a ferocious appearance, but it was dressed in a black robe and behaved in a polite manner.

It glanced somewhat fearfully at Liu Qingyu, who had shrunk to the size of a thumb, then saw Fang Zheng and bowed, saying, "Are you Young Master Fang Zheng?"

"I am Meng San, the underworld official in charge of guiding ghosts. I have been ordered by Lord Li, the clerk, to escort Young Master Fang to his post in the underworld."

Li Yuanshan indeed kept his word.

Fang Zheng felt a slight sense of relief and said, "Then I'll trouble you to lead the way."

If he cultivates to the seventh rank of the [Night Wandering] realm, he can use his own power to separate his soul from his body and travel to the underworld.

However, Fang Zheng doesn't have that ability right now, so he still has to rely on this ghost official Meng San.

Meng San was prepared. He shone a lantern in front of Fang Zheng's eyes, then grabbed Fang Zheng's hand and pulled him up. Fang Zheng felt his body go empty and was pulled to his feet.

Turning his head, he saw that his physical body was still sitting in the chair, as if he were asleep.

This is what is meant by the soul leaving the body.

Fang Zheng and Meng San went out together and crashed into the tombstone in front of Li Yuanshan's grave.

After a dizzying spin, Fang Zheng found himself on a lone boat.

The water was shrouded in mist, and the faint sounds of ghosts wailing and howling could be heard.

Fang Zheng possessed the ability to see ghosts and saw many rotting corpses wandering in the mist.

Without a doubt, this is the underworld.

After sailing for an unknown amount of time, a dock appeared ahead, guarded by ghost soldiers.

The boat docked, and there was a carriage at the pier. Meng San led Fang Zheng to get on.

They traveled for a long time, through desolate wastelands filled with wandering ghosts, until a huge city appeared ahead.

Fang Zheng had a yin eye and saw that the city was filled with yin energy, yet it was also open and aboveboard.

"Young Master Fang, this is the Gates of Hell."

Perhaps it was because of Li Yuanshan's special care, Meng San explained things to Fang Zheng the whole way.

Combined with the secret cards Fang Zheng drew from the [A Chinese Ghost Story] card pool, he gained a lot of knowledge about the underworld.

Ghost soldiers guarded the gates of hell, and the city was filled with an eerie atmosphere. The carriage didn't stop until it reached a government office.

"Young Master Fang, please follow me!"

Following Meng San, Fang Zheng arrived at a grand hall where Li Yuanshan was waiting.

Fang Zheng stepped forward and bowed to Li Yuanshan: "Lord Li."

Li Yuanshan nodded slightly, waved for Meng San to leave, and then said, "Fang Zheng, you burned incense for me and received this punishment from the underworld official. Does this mean you have no hope of being promoted to an official position in the county?"

Fang Zheng recounted everything that had happened in the past two days. Li Yuanshan frowned and said indignantly, "The Cao family and the county magistrate are in cahoots. Do they really think they can cover up everything?"

"Fangzheng, don't worry, the underworld and the human world don't interfere with each other. Today I will take you into the underworld and make you an official!"

He looked at Fang Zheng and said, "But Yin officials are ultimately inferior to human officials, and it is not easy to change from Yin to Yang."

The position of patrolman is extremely dangerous as it involves facing evil spirits directly, and yesterday a particularly troublesome task arose unexpectedly.

If you accept this position, then the job will fall to you.

Are you mentally prepared?

Fang Zheng's expression was firm: "I will do my utmost."

"Alright, I'll take you to register and be included in the official records. Only then will you be considered a true underworld official."

After Li Yuanshan finished speaking, he and Fang Zheng transformed into a gust of yin wind and quickly arrived in front of a magnificent hall with the inscription "Yinlu Mansion".

After passing through several checkpoints, we finally entered the main hall, where there was an enormous stone tablet that exuded an aura of majesty.

This stone tablet is the official record of the underworld officials at the Gates of Hell.

Li Yuanshan placed the documents he had prepared for Fang Zheng on the altar on the stone tablet.

Then Fang Zheng saw his name appear in mid-air.

"Fang Zheng, appoint Guimenguan as a ninth-rank official for patrolling."

These words quickly disappeared into the official records, and the next moment, a majestic and righteous aura surged out from it, pouring directly into Fang Zheng's head.

In that instant, Fang Zheng felt as if he had been reborn, his whole body felt indescribably comfortable, and he kept hearing prompts.

"Received an official position, extraordinary and refined, five virtues +1."

"High position carries heavy responsibilities, upright conduct yields profound merit, Heaven rewards ability, gray merit +30."

"For the first time, his name has been included in the official records. The limited-time card pool, Ghost Gate Tour, is now active."

[Ghost Gate Parade]

"A single official document can traverse the realms of Yin and Yang."

Opening hours: 60 days

Card Pool Tier: Gray - Rank 9

(Guaranteed to get the [Soul-Guiding Banner] within 100 pulls; the gacha pool will close after you get it.)

【Soul-Guiding Banner】(Peerless, Rank 9, Gray, Benevolent): Equipment Card, used to guide wild ghosts and form battle formations.

Ignoring these prompts for the moment, Fang Zheng focused on the changes within himself.

His spirit was much stronger than before, and it exuded a sacred aura.

Although extremely rare, even a tiny fraction of it is unmatched by any other ghost.

Li Yuanshan remained silent, bowed to Guan Dian, and then led Fang Zheng out. They then transformed into the wind and arrived at the Ghost Gate Government Office.

"Fangzheng, you are now a formal member of the Imperial Guard, your name is recorded in the official register, and you are blessed with good fortune in your official career."

Ordinary, low-ranking wandering ghosts wouldn't dare to act recklessly in your presence, and even a ninth-rank wandering ghost would absolutely not dare to do anything to you.

Now I will take you to retrieve your official robes and seal.

He led Fang Zheng to a set of official robes for the procession, a gray official robe with flowing dark patterns, exuding a dignified and imposing aura.

A misty, soul-binding chain hung from his waist, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

In addition, there was a gray jade plaque inscribed with the words "Patrol," which was an official seal.

This outfit is more than just good-looking.

Official robes can ward off the erosion of yin energy, official talismans can intimidate ghosts, and chains can capture wandering spirits.

With this set of techniques, Fang Zheng, though born with a yang body and unable to cultivate the ghost path, could still reliably subdue a ninth-rank wandering ghost by virtue of his innate ability to restrain it.

Wearing this outfit, his entire demeanor changed; he was no longer the poor scholar he once was.

Upon seeing this, Li Yuanshan repeatedly praised it, and then led Fang Zheng to another grand hall.

"Fangzheng, as a yang body patrolling, your main duty is to patrol the ghost affairs within Yongqing County."

According to the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Yin and Yang realms are not related to each other. If any ghosts cause trouble in the Yang realm, a patrol must be dispatched to investigate and capture them.

Yesterday, a family annihilation case occurred in Anping Town, Yongqing County. The victims were a family of five, including hunter Zhao Yong.

This was originally a matter for human officials, but when the underworld's soul-collecting messengers went to fetch the five unjustly killed ghosts to the Gates of Hell, they found none of them.

There must be more to this than meets the eye, and naturally, the responsibility falls on you, the newly appointed inspector.