The male supporting character was actually myself.

We can sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Anyway, we didn't invest much, so even if they lose, we won't lose out; if they win, those guys burdened with the karma of countless lives and deaths will be judged in the underworld, and even the Underworld headquarters won't dare to forcibly bail them out. They might even uncover more, and we'll have contributed to settling the karmic debts, which could bring us considerable benefits.”

The concept of cause and effect is extremely important in the underworld!

Besides inner elixir and ghost food, what moves ghosts the most is good cause and good effect, which is directly related to whether they can be reincarnated or achieve enlightenment in ghost cultivation. The other party's words did indeed tempt the ghosts.

“Brother Jiang Chen’s analysis is reasonable. We each have our own needs, so let those few Celestial Masters live. Hopefully, they can be of use to us and will not let you down!” The Ghost King nodded in agreement, and the small box containing the inner core floated over and landed in front of him.

The Ghost King grabbed it and sensed the energy emanating from the fifth-grade inner core, a broad smile appearing on his face.

Chapter Eight: Jiang Chen's Scheme

The Ghost King sat on his throne, narrowing his eyes slightly as he carefully examined the other party.

The ghost standing in the hall was young, handsome, and had an extraordinary aura. Although he didn't show any signs of radiating energy, his instincts as a ghost who had lived for hundreds of years told him that the visitor was hostile.

At the very least, he's not someone you can easily manipulate!

"Your subordinate reports that you know the whereabouts of those Taoist priests who harmed my beloved concubine? Have you seen them hiding somewhere?"

"Of course, I not only know where they are hiding, but I also heard the whole story with my own ears. However, compared to the whereabouts of the Celestial Masters, there is something here that I believe Lord Ghost King will be more interested in."

Jiang Chen slowly took out an exquisite box from his pocket. Inside, a demonic inner core the size of a longan and emitting a faint glow lay quietly.

"A fifth-grade evil spirit inner core?!" The Ghost King's eyes lit up as he sensed the alluring energy emanating from the little thing in the box. "May I ask your name, little brother?"

"My name is Murong Jiangchen. You may simply call me Jiangchen, Ghost King."

Murong?!

Upon hearing this surname, the Ghost King's heart skipped a beat.

A mere brat with little cultivation can casually produce a fifth-grade evil spirit core. Sure enough, the Murong family must have had an old ancestor protecting them; otherwise, they would never have such an worldly-wise demeanor!

"Brother Jiang Chen, how long have you been in Jiangyin?" He adopted an approachable demeanor, gesturing for the other to sit down and having his subordinates serve tea.

"I just got here today." Jiang Chen didn't hide anything, pointing to himself and laughing, "After being murdered up there, I couldn't stand it and became a vengeful ghost trying to escape the ghost messengers. But I ran into a money-grubbing celestial master who suppressed and banished me."

Fortunately, they also received help and support in the underworld, so they were living a fairly comfortable life.

I'm giving away this fifth-grade inner core today, not selling it.

Make some friends when you first arrive; after all, there's plenty of time in the future.

Upon hearing the other party say "send it," the Ghost King couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

As the saying goes, ghost stories are endless. Who knows which of a ghost's words are true and which are false? Free things are always the most expensive. After all, when money is used for a transaction, there is no debt between the parties and the transaction is eventually settled. But the relationship between ghosts cannot be measured by price.

But that's a fifth-grade inner core!

The fact that he can casually give away a new ghost shows just how powerful the forces behind him are.

Are they members of the Murong family? Their family's roots aren't in Dujiang; their influence in various local ghost markets is deeply entrenched and extremely difficult to shake. It's understandable that Murong Jiangchen would befriend them...

After quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, the Ghost King's smile remained warm and friendly. "Why did you stay in Dujiang, young brother Jiang Chen? This small place can't compare to the other big ghost cities in terms of development."

"The person who killed me is in Dujiang. Only by staying here can I possibly avenge him!" He said with a solemn expression and gritted teeth, "I will not be a gentleman if I do not avenge this. No matter what the cost, I will drag him down."

Ghosts with obsessive motives are not easy to provoke, but their goals are strong enough. The Ghost King's heart stirred slightly. He took a sip of tea and returned to the main topic, "Since you want to give me your inner core, what do I need to offer in exchange?"

"A sincere cooperative relationship." A faint smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face. "Lord Ghost King, in the future I will need to do some things in the Dujiang Yin Realm, and I will inevitably need your help. This inner core is just a gift for our first meeting."

"In future collaborations, rewards such as inner alchemy and ghost food will naturally not be lacking."

So it turns out they came to demonstrate their strength and build connections at the same time. The Murong family is indeed generous!

"I wonder what kind of deal Brother Jiang Chen wishes to make that requires my cooperation?"

"I am now obsessed with revenge. Everything I do is to make those who killed me suffer a fate worse than death in the underworld! Therefore, I will not hinder Lord Ghost King in any way. However, the first thing I need to do is to ask you to save a few lives."

The Ghost King glared angrily, his body emanating a thick, menacing mist. "You mean those Celestial Masters who harmed my beloved concubine? You want to save their lives?"

Faced with the oppressive aura, Jiang Chen felt it was difficult to breathe, but he still circulated his internal energy to maintain an upright posture and steady breathing. His expression remained unchanged and his voice was firm as he said, "That's right, I really want to save their lives."

Lord Ghost King, please calm down and let me finish speaking.

Just imagine how foolish it would be for a few spirit mediums to murder your beloved concubine right in front of you, sir? If they were truly so suicidal, why would they be hiding and fleeing so desperately?

It is true that they harmed the master's beloved concubine, but that was not their intention.

For a dignified Ghost King to be betrayed is an utter disgrace, so I understand your anger. But indiscriminate killing of innocents is pointless; they were merely scapegoats. If you kill them, the humans who truly betrayed you will be laughing all the way to the bank.

After all, you will personally bear the consequences of this killing.

In this way, even the Ghost King was caught in the trap, while the true mastermind reaped the benefits and washed their hands of the whole affair.

"Hmph! You mere humans dare to scheme against me?" The Ghost King sneered. He didn't care about the karma of killing a few minor celestial masters. But if word got out that he, the Ghost King, had been outmaneuvered, where would his face be?

Jiang Chen pressed his advantage, saying, "They've been tricked. Even if the Ghost King doesn't kill them, they probably won't be able to enter and leave the Yin and Yang realms smoothly within three days. Why don't we join forces?"

If you use this fifth-grade inner core to treat your concubine, she will recover her health without any loss.

Furthermore, they spared those few celestial masters and helped them return to the human world safely. They were grateful for the great man's wisdom and generosity. In the future, having more friends and more options is always a good thing, no matter what happens.

As for me, I need them to return to the human world to help me, so that my revenge plan can proceed more smoothly.

"This is a win-win situation with no losses for us. What does Your Majesty think?"

"You're saying the gate between the Yin and Yang realms might be sealed?" The Ghost King frowned slightly, pondering the feasibility of the plan, and pressed further, "Does the mastermind behind my beloved concubine have such great power?"

"The adults were present at the time and should have been able to sense something. Those celestial masters analyzed that the other party was very likely a habitual offender who specializes in devouring the energy of ghosts born in the year, month, and hour of the Yin. Devouring ghosts is a major taboo, whether in the human world or the underworld!"

To silence them, the other party will definitely prevent them from leaving the underworld smoothly.

For some celestial masters in the human realm, temporarily closing the gates between the Yin and Yang realms and strictly controlling entry and exit is not difficult. For example, the celestial masters of Listening Wind Valley are said to have a very good relationship with the headquarters of the Underworld, so they can simply find an excuse to close the gates.

It's difficult for us in the underworld to interfere in matters of the human world. If we successfully send those celestial masters out, they will definitely try their best to find out the mastermind behind it all in order to survive.

We can sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Anyway, we didn't invest much, so even if they lose, we won't lose out; if they win, those guys burdened with the karma of countless lives and deaths will be judged in the underworld, and even the Underworld headquarters won't dare to forcibly bail them out. They might even uncover more, and we'll have contributed to settling the karmic debts, which could bring us considerable benefits.”

The concept of cause and effect is extremely important in the underworld!

Besides inner elixir and ghost food, what moves ghosts the most is good cause and good effect, which is directly related to whether they can be reincarnated or achieve enlightenment in ghost cultivation. The other party's words did indeed tempt the ghosts.

“Brother Jiang Chen’s analysis is reasonable. We each have our own needs, so let those few Celestial Masters live. Hopefully, they can be of use to us and will not let you down!” The Ghost King nodded in agreement, and the small box containing the inner core floated over and landed in front of him.

The Ghost King grabbed it and sensed the energy emanating from the fifth-grade inner core, a broad smile appearing on his face.

Chapter Nine That's Not Me

"Host, do you really believe that guy?" the fluffy little dumpling whispered in his ear. "He's full of lies, honey. What if he takes the benefits and then turns on you and tries to kill those exorcists?"

Jiang Chenpiao replied with a smile as he walked down the street, "To have risen to the position of Ghost King in the complex underworld, he couldn't possibly be so petty. Besides, the script team gave the protagonist and the original owner a prestigious surname just to create a sense of sophistication."

Murong... This surname is nothing special in the human realm of the mission world, but if we go back a few hundred years, it was a place where many talented people emerged.

With such a prestigious surname and such lavish spending, even a mere ghost king or a manager in the underworld would have to wonder if it's related to a powerful family.

In the human world, our deceased ancestors are at most something to show off, but in the underworld, those ancestors are the source of our confidence!

Who wouldn't want to preserve their bloodline and descendants?

Moreover, the larger the family's power, the more it needs useful fresh blood to join in order to maintain its prosperity. The stakes involved are not much different from those in the human world.

From any perspective, the Ghost King will accept my plan.

He got a fifth-grade inner core and a generous friend for free; why would he kill the goose that lays the golden eggs when there's something to gain?

The fluffy little thing scratched its ear with its hind paw and asked curiously, "Then, was the original owner really a direct descendant of a great family?"

"There shouldn't be any connection." Jiang Chen thought carefully for a moment and shook his head, saying, "In the original owner's memories, there wasn't even a family genealogy."

The scriptwriting team probably just thought compound surnames sounded prestigious and randomly placed them; they have absolutely no connection to the historical figures in the mission world from the original owner's memories.

"What a pity, it would have been even more fun if we had some connection. Maybe we'd even see that classic fantasy novel trope—'Don't underestimate a young man's potential, even if he's just a minor, insignificant relative.' Since there's nothing crucial, we'll just..."

Before the little white cat could finish speaking, it heard a deep, melodious horn sound from the sky. Startled, it looked around warily but saw nothing.

The Ghost King (who was no good) had just wreaked havoc on the ghosts who had hidden away and then reappeared, and they fled in haste once again.

Jiang Chen followed several ghosts into a nearby restaurant. The owner hurriedly instructed the waiters to close all the doors and windows. The ghosts who had hidden inside stood motionless in the corner, their necks hunched over.

"Excuse me..." He was really curious and wanted to ask the restaurant owner next to him, but the other party quickly made a shushing gesture and replied in a very low whisper, "Are you new here? This is the underworld official passing by, and all the ghosts have to avoid him. Don't talk, it will be fine in a while."

The fluffy dumpling pouted and said unhappily, "You're quite the official. Host, I'm going to go and see what the underworld official is like. I'll come back to the villa to find you later."

It hopped out of the restaurant only to find that the bustling street had been cleared out almost instantly, with all the shops and windows closed and the street completely empty, not a soul in sight.

The bugle call grew closer and closer, and the little ball of fluff aimed in the direction and then hopped over to find it.

The underworld official came and went in a hurry, and soon there was no sound. The restaurant owner skillfully directed his staff to open the doors and windows, and took the opportunity to introduce the ghost food sold in his restaurant to the ghosts who had come in to hide.

Jiang Chen glanced at it and, sure enough, the highest grade of ghost food was Grade One. Ninety percent of the ghost food was ungraded. The price varied slightly depending on the taste, but it was still a relatively expensive consumer product for ordinary ghosts.

No wonder most ghosts can't become ghost cultivators. Based on what I know about the average income and consumption level of ghosts, they can only afford to eat once every few days to maintain their energy. As for eating more to cause their energy to overflow, that would be very difficult.

The marks on the original owner's body, which were suppressed by the Heavenly Master of Tingfeng Valley, could only be removed with the help of the underworld steward. After buying some ghost food, the enthusiastic restaurant owner gave him a lesson on the common knowledge of the underworld.

There are many officials in the underworld, such as the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the Emperor of the Underworld, the Five Ghost Emperors, the Five Paths Generals, the Ten Kings of Hell, and the Seventy-Two Departments. However, they are all officials in the headquarters of the underworld. They are busy with official duties and rarely come down to tour. The Dujiang City underworld branch is just an insignificant place in the entire underworld. Therefore, there is only one manager in charge of all the affairs in it. He is the boss of the Dujiang underworld.

The position of steward is neither too big nor too small, after all, the local official is more powerful than the county magistrate.

How to successfully make contact with this underworld official within a few days, get his help to remove the mark, and obtain a special pass to the human world is a major problem that Jiang Chen urgently needs to solve.

"Brother, you're back!" Duan Tang heard the knocking and hurriedly opened the door. When he saw it was him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Harboring someone hunted by the Ghost King is a grave sin in the underworld, and they were genuinely worried that it would implicate that person.

"I went to the Ghost King's mansion." Jiang Chen said as soon as he entered the house, "We talked and now you are safe. Later, the Ghost King will personally assist you in safely sending you out of the gate between the Yin and Yang realms."

Several Celestial Masters: (⊙o⊙)

Huh? What did you say?

You took care of the Ghost King in such a short time?!

The group exchanged bewildered glances. Duan Tang scratched his head, looking completely confused, and tentatively asked, "The Ghost King isn't angry anymore? He didn't make things difficult for you, did he?"

"Who could refuse a fifth-grade evil spirit inner core? Don't worry, I've already convinced all three parties to cooperate." Jiang Chen briefly recounted the events to dispel their doubts.

"Hiss... A fifth-grade evil spirit inner core!" Duan Tang gasped, thinking to himself that he had thought of him as just an ordinary ghost and had only offered a small favor to make a good connection. He never expected to end up with such a powerful figure!