Nine Netherworld Demon Subduing Record

"So it's Steward Chen, please come in."

Gu Shili gave up his seat, and Chen Xing'an stepped into the shop. He looked around and asked, "Has anyone from the Imperial Household Department come here recently? Around nineteen years old?"

Gu Shili smiled and said, "Is Steward Chen asking about my Junior Brother Fu?"

"Junior brother?" he asked, puzzled.

"Your teacher is...?"

Gu Shili took out a jade pendant from his bosom and handed it to Chen Xing'an.

Upon seeing the wooden plaque, Chen Xing'an's expression changed slightly, and he then bowed to the person before him.

"I see."

Gu Shili simply put the jade pendant away without asking any further questions.

-

"Condensing the medicine into a pill..."

Fu Qing lay on the bed, listlessly looking at the scenery outside the window.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the window. Fu Qing pricked up his ears and heard the footsteps stop at the door of his room, and then push the door open.

"Hey, dinner's ready."

Fu Qing was taken aback, realizing that she actually knew the person in front of her.

It was the same official with two horns that we had met in the restaurant earlier.

The man was also taken aback when he saw Fu Qing.

"It's you?"

The burly man placed a plate of food on the table inside the room and said to Fu Qing, "Eat up, you can leave after you finish."

"You're letting me go like this?" Fu Qing was puzzled. According to Chen Xing'an, he should have to stay here for at least one more night.

"Yeah, you've already passed the verification, what are you staying for?"

"What security check?" Fu Qing wondered.

But then the big man slapped his forehead and said, "Oh right, I forgot to mention, you'd better register your identity, just in case you cause any more trouble."

"I need to register again? What kind of identity?" Fu Qing asked, puzzled. He had clearly already obtained his identity documents long ago.

"We usually require visiting Taoist masters, as well as newly added Taoist masters, to register their identities at the Taoist Inquiry Pavilion. You are currently an unregistered Taoist master, which will cause a lot of trouble if something goes wrong," the burly man said.

Fu Qing understood this explanation. Indeed, the authorities should register the identities of people like Daoist masters who possess extraordinary powers.

The registration form I saw in that box earlier was just like that.

"Eat up. After you finish eating, we have to go out on duty in a little while. We can give you a ride back to the Imperial Household Department."

Seeing that he didn't even have to walk back, Fu Qing quickly thanked him. The big man didn't say much, but hurriedly got up and left without even closing the door.

-

After the meal, the burly man was indeed waiting for him at the door. He had changed his clothes and was now wearing the armor he had seen that day.

Fu Qing followed the burly man in front of him to the front hall of the hexagonal building.

The girl at the registration desk had blue skin and fine scales on her hands. She had a sweet smile and came up to Fu Qing to guide him through the registration process. Although she wasn't human, Fu Qing felt a little embarrassed.

"Write down the type of Taoist practice you cultivate here, the rank here, and your name here..." He pointed to the handwriting on the form and said to Fu Qing, probably because he saw that Fu Qing was using the brush very awkwardly and assumed that he didn't know any characters.

Just then, someone squeezed next to Fu Qing. Fu Qing ignored the person cutting in line and continued filling out the form.

The man asked, "Is this where you register for your official duties?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Qing's heart stirred.

"This kind of corvée service, you can actually sign up for it?"

He glanced at the man and saw that he was a young man of similar age to himself, dressed in a beige robe. Fu Qing noticed that his accent was a bit strange, as if he were from out of town.

The girl smiled at him and said, "The registration for constables is over there."

The young man nodded and ran off in a hurry.

After Fu Qing filled in the last blank, the girl checked it, took a stamp, and stamped it with a red seal.

"Okay." She smiled sweetly.

At this moment, Fu Qing was thinking about something else entirely.

All his actions were aimed at exploring the Nine Netherworlds, but being in the Imperial Household Department, it was unlikely that he would come into contact with such matters. The only thing he could access was the wooden box on the third floor, which contained secondhand information.

But this official clearly has access to much more, whether it's about Taoist masters or about the Nine Netherworlds.

He looked up and asked, "Excuse me, could I ask what the requirements are for registering for this corvée service?"

Upon hearing this, the girl was taken aback. The burly man beside her laughed when Fu Qing asked this, "What? Want to join us?"

Fu Qing just smiled awkwardly: "I was just asking, I was just asking."

The man said cheerfully, "Don't ask. It just so happens that Yunzhou City has been quite unsettled these days, and we need more constables. Young brother, if you really want to join, come to our patrol team. We happen to be short of a spirit medicine master."

Fu Qing smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

The girl said, "You have a Taoist master registration, so you can sign up... but you need to have your background verified and pass a test."

Upon hearing this, Fu Qing's face fell. He had seen this asset verification document before.

It means that your neighbors recommend you as a law-abiding citizen, and it has to be a joint recommendation from at least ten people. You don't even belong to this world anymore, so let alone this background check, it's a problem if you can even find ten people to recommend you.

And then there's the exam; Fu Qing has been nervous ever since he was a child whenever he heard about exams.

"It's nothing... I was just asking..."

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice came from beside him.

"If you wish to join the police force, I can recommend you."

Fu Qing looked up and found that Chen Xing'an had been standing behind her at some point.

"Deacon Chen." The burly man and the girl bowed respectfully to Chen Xing'an at the same time.

Chen Xing'an nodded in response, then smiled at Fu Qing and said, "What happened yesterday was just part of our security investigation process. That's why you had to stay here overnight. I've already investigated and found out. Thank you for your hard work."

Seeing Chen Xing'an's expression, Fu Qing quickly waved his hand.

However, he was secretly delighted. He had only just had this idea when he encountered Chen Xing'an. Was this what they meant by "just when you want something, it comes to you"?

Judging from their attitude, Chen Xing'an must be of high status. With his recommendation, there shouldn't be too much of a problem, except for the exam...

After thinking for a moment, Fu Qing nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Chen."

Then Chen Xing'an took out a wooden plaque from his pocket and handed it to Fu Qing.

"This is my card. You can show it to them. I have other important matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer."

After saying that, before Fu Qing could thank him, he nodded to the group and then disappeared like the wind.

Fu Qing stared at the hand of cards. When she looked up, she saw that both the girl and the big man were looking at her with strange eyes.

"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

The girl leaned closer and asked, "Deacon Chen, what's your relationship with him?"

Fu Qing was taken aback. Seeing the girl's question and the reaction of the burly man beside her, he said with some surprise, "Why ask such a question when I just handed over a token?"

"Deacon Chen has never personally recommended anyone for a position before; you are the first," the girl said.

After hearing this, Fu Qing felt as if a cloud of doubt was hanging over her head.