The male supporting character was actually myself.

The closer Jiang Chen got to the gate, the heavier his body felt, as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“The marks of suppression on your body are getting brighter and brighter.” As a celestial master, Duan Tang could naturally see marks that even ghosts couldn’t see. He said worriedly, “This suppression is to prevent you from leaving the underworld. Why don’t you take your leave here? If you go any further, the suppression you are enduring may take effect and damage your soul.”

He said helplessly, panting heavily, "That's all we can do. Take care, everyone. We'll meet again someday."

When shaking hands with Duan Tang to say goodbye, Jiang Chen took the opportunity to slip two fourth-grade evil spirit inner cores into his hand and winked at him.

"I can't thank you enough, brother, we'll meet again!" Duan Tang was deeply moved the moment he touched the inner core.

He knew this was a "toll money" given to him by Murong Jiangchen as a precaution to bribe the ghost messengers, so he shook his hand and expressed his gratitude in a more emphasizing tone.

After a brief farewell, the Ghost King led his group on their way.

The gate was indeed tightly closed, and the divine seal on it shone brightly, causing even the Ghost King to frown. The little ghosts carrying his sedan chair huddled behind him, not daring to step forward.

"Boom boom boom!"

Unaffected, Duan Tang stepped forward and knocked on the door. Only a muffled voice came from outside, "What ghost is knocking? The Underworld official has ordered the gate between the two worlds to be closed to strictly investigate smuggling and illegal immigration. This gate will not be opened for three days. If you have any business, please go to the official and get an entry and exit permit before you come back."

The Ghost King snorted coldly and said arrogantly, "Don't take my word for it! Open the door now! The crackdown on smuggling and illegal immigration means you can check each person individually, not just close the door and shut everyone out."

Why do I have to go to the person in charge for such a small matter?

"You believe I'll actually go and find them? Then your good job will be over!"

Upon hearing this, the ghost guards immediately straightened up from their relaxed state, and the two of them looked at each other and grinned.

The gatekeeper on the left lowered his voice and asked, "Can you tell which one is not someone to mess with? Jiangyin is too big, I can never remember all the tough guys."

"Do I even need to remember? I can tell from the voice that it's the Ghost King of Lianhu District!" The ghost guard on the right muttered with a worried look, "What bad luck. We just closed the gate and this troublesome one showed up. We have to open it again."

As he stood up, he called out, "Lord Ghost King, please wait a moment. We servants have no choice, do we? We have to close the gate when ordered from above. It's not like we're being lazy or trying to shirk our duties."

One of the towering doors quickly opened, just enough for one person to squeeze through. The ghost messenger on the right poked his head in and chuckled, "What are your orders, Lord Ghost King?"

“These are the Celestial Masters from the Listening Pavilion who came to the Ghost Market on some business. That’s why they can’t leave because you’ve closed the door.” The Ghost King waved his hand and said, “Let them out quickly. Human bodies inevitably suffer damage if they stay in the Underworld for too long.”

The ghost messenger glanced at Duan Tang and the others, revealing a troublesome smile. "Normally, we wouldn't dare to stop the Celestial Masters from coming and going, but these are special times, hehehe..."

Chapter Ten: The Little Rascal is Troublesome

Faced with numerous questions, Jiang Chen sighed and explained, "When we were born, our parents were in the process of starting a business. The family didn't have much money and they were very busy. They had limited energy and money and simply couldn't take care of two children."

After weighing the pros and cons, they sent the stronger older brother to their maternal grandmother's house in the countryside to be raised.

I stayed with them and was taken care of by the nanny.

It wasn't until my grandmother passed away when I was twenty that I learned I had a forgotten older brother. My parents were busy and we had never met and had little affection for each other, so I felt sorry for him and took the initiative to bring him to live in the city.

But his parents were very dissatisfied with him, as they felt ashamed and refused to openly acknowledge his existence.

Not long after, my parents died in a car accident, and according to their will, I was left to inherit the family fortune alone. I suggested giving him half, but he refused, claiming he didn't know how to manage it and refused to continue being a nobody.

But sometimes he would ask about things in the company. I didn't think much of it and assumed he wanted to learn before taking over, so I taught him everything I knew.

I never imagined he'd been secretly planning to replace me all along, so... he must have been absolutely certain that he could mimic my every word and action so perfectly that it wouldn't arouse suspicion that day."

"Then you've basically... let a wolf into the house." Duan Tang slapped his thigh and said regretfully, "What a waste of such a good person like you!"

"No wonder he was so unwilling to fall into evil. Who wouldn't be angry if they encountered such an ingrate?"

"Brother, tell us, how can we help you?"

Jiang Chen glanced at them, all of whom bore some injuries, and said with slight concern, "I convinced the Ghost King to help you leave the Underworld smoothly, but you have plenty of trouble in the Human Realm yourself. What do you plan to do after you return?"

"It's true that our Listening Pavilion is a small sect, but we are not to be slaughtered at will." Duan Tang and his fellow disciples exchanged glances and said firmly, "As long as we can successfully step out of the gate between the Yin and Yang realms, we will immediately split into two groups and act separately."

Unlike other scattered spirit mediums, Lingyin Pavilion has registered its business in the underworld and has already made its way through the open world.

Furthermore, given that we have encountered such a perverse and evil act of devouring ghosts, we should naturally report it to the City God of Dujiang and ask him to thoroughly investigate the matter. I don't know how things are going with Senior Brother Wang, but I will return to Lingyin Pavilion and lead people to the client's home to search for him.

"Brother, don't worry about us. The upper realm is completely different from the underworld. There are day-roaming gods, night-roaming gods, and city gods who govern matters related to ghosts and manage them strictly. I doubt they would dare to do anything too outrageous."

Since they've said that, sending the little white cat over shouldn't be a problem.

Jiang Chen nodded and said, "In that case, I will give a brief overview of my plan first, and I will ask for your cooperation later."

Several people gathered together and listened attentively as he explained the layout he had prepared.

After a moment, the two checked some details. Duan Tang reminded him that there were Wangxiangtai in both the wilderness and the ghost market. Except for the annual Qingming Festival and Spring Festival when people could go up Wangxiangtai for free to see their relatives, it would cost ten Yin Si coins each time they wanted to go.

He can see the real-time situation in the human world simply by standing on the Viewing Platform.

At that time, the two sides will be able to communicate using only talismans, without needing to travel back and forth to deliver information.

"Then I need to discuss with Wangxiangtai whether there's a monthly subscription service. Anyway, as long as the energy is sufficient, the ghost doesn't need to eat or sleep. Keeping an eye on his every move will help adjust our strategic plans." Jiang Chen checked the time and gave a few more instructions before leading them to the Ghost King's Mansion.

The other party indeed treated them warmly, and Duan Tang and his group sincerely apologized again and promised to investigate the matter thoroughly.

Xiao Su's injuries were not light. Staying in the ghost market with its strong yin energy for a long time could easily damage his foundation. After everyone talked things out, they did not waste any more time. The Ghost King personally escorted them. The group of people and ghosts set off and first went out of the gate of the Dujiang Yin Realm branch. After flying over the wilderness for a long time, they finally saw a towering, majestic, and ancient gate standing between heaven and earth.

"That is the gate between the Yin and Yang realms, which is usually guarded by ghost messengers to prevent ghosts from escaping and harming the human world."

However, since the reforms in the underworld, all ghosts have been categorized and managed. Those poor ghosts in the wilderness, who rarely get a full meal and whose energy is increasingly depleted, naturally cannot easily step out of this gate.

Sitting on a palanquin carried by a dozen little ghosts, the Ghost King pointed to the gate between the Yin and Yang realms and said, "If the Celestial Masters' guesses are correct, that gate may already be temporarily closed and under strict guard. Let's go over and see what's going on."

The closer Jiang Chen got to the gate, the heavier his body felt, as if a massive mountain was pressing down on him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“The marks of suppression on your body are getting brighter and brighter.” As a celestial master, Duan Tang could naturally see marks that even ghosts couldn’t see. He said worriedly, “This suppression is to prevent you from leaving the underworld. Why don’t you take your leave here? If you go any further, the suppression you are enduring may take effect and damage your soul.”

He said helplessly, panting heavily, "That's all we can do. Take care, everyone. We'll meet again someday."

When shaking hands with Duan Tang to say goodbye, Jiang Chen took the opportunity to slip two fourth-grade evil spirit inner cores into his hand and winked at him.

"I can't thank you enough, brother, we'll meet again!" Duan Tang was deeply moved the moment he touched the inner core.

He knew this was a "toll money" given to him by Murong Jiangchen as a precaution to bribe the ghost messengers, so he shook his hand and expressed his gratitude in a more emphasizing tone.

After a brief farewell, the Ghost King led his group on their way.

The gate was indeed tightly closed, and the divine seal on it shone brightly, causing even the Ghost King to frown. The little ghosts carrying his sedan chair huddled behind him, not daring to step forward.

"Boom boom boom!"

Unaffected, Duan Tang stepped forward and knocked on the door. Only a muffled voice came from outside, "What ghost is knocking? The Underworld official has ordered the gate between the two worlds to be closed to strictly investigate smuggling and illegal immigration. This gate will not be opened for three days. If you have any business, please go to the official and get an entry and exit permit before you come back."

The Ghost King snorted coldly and said arrogantly, "Don't take my word for it! Open the door now! The crackdown on smuggling and illegal immigration means you can check each person individually, not just close the door and shut everyone out."

Why do I have to go to the person in charge for such a small matter?

"You believe I'll actually go and find them? Then your good job will be over!"

Upon hearing this, the ghost guards immediately straightened up from their relaxed state, and the two of them looked at each other and grinned.

The gatekeeper on the left lowered his voice and asked, "Can you tell which one is not someone to mess with? Jiangyin is too big, I can never remember all the tough guys."

"Do I even need to remember? I can tell from the voice that it's the Ghost King of Lianhu District!" The ghost guard on the right muttered with a worried look, "What bad luck. We just closed the gate and this troublesome one showed up. We have to open it again."

As he stood up, he called out, "Lord Ghost King, please wait a moment. We servants have no choice, do we? We have to close the gate when ordered from above. It's not like we're being lazy or trying to shirk our duties."

One of the towering doors quickly opened, just enough for one person to squeeze through. The ghost messenger on the right poked his head in and chuckled, "What are your orders, Lord Ghost King?"

“These are the Celestial Masters from the Listening Pavilion who came to the Ghost Market on some business. That’s why they can’t leave because you’ve closed the door.” The Ghost King waved his hand and said, “Let them out quickly. Human bodies inevitably suffer damage if they stay in the Underworld for too long.”

The ghost messenger glanced at Duan Tang and the others, revealing a troublesome smile. "Normally, we wouldn't dare to stop the Celestial Masters from coming and going, but these are special times, hehehe..."

Chapter Eleven is indeed a kind person.

Upon hearing this, the Ghost King glared at him. "What? You want to negotiate with me?!"

"How dare I, hehehe..." The ghost messenger chuckled but showed no intention of moving aside, his cunning eyes glancing at the group of people every now and then.

Seeing this, Duan Tang had no choice but to step forward and hand the other party a fourth-grade evil spirit inner core, and then say a few polite words, nothing more than that the Listening Sound Pavilion was registered in the underworld and was a legitimate journey to the underworld, not smuggling or illegal crossing, etc.

The ghost messenger glanced at the inner core in his hand and immediately beamed with joy. He bowed and made way for them. "So you are the Celestial Masters of the Listening Pavilion. You should have said so earlier! Since you have already passed through the underworld, you can leave as long as you don't bring any ghosts with you. Please hurry up, lest some thieves take the opportunity to sneak out."

The group thanked the Ghost King again, then filed out and disappeared outside the gate.

In the underworld, there is no distinction between day and night, but most ghosts who cannot eat at will need rest to nourish their souls and prevent excessive depletion. Therefore, when Jiang Chen returned to the ghost market, the ghostly figures on the bustling streets had gradually decreased, many shops had closed, and the noise had gradually subsided.

"Host!" the fluffy little cat called out as it bounced over, jumped into its host's arms who was sitting in the villa's hall reading a book, rolled around in its arms, and said affectionately, "Quickly praise your cute and soft little kitten, I'm so great!"

Jiang Chen put down his book and stroked the dog with a doting smile, "What good news did you find out?"

"Meow~ I followed the impressive procession of the Underworld Steward all the way to his mansion and watched him deal with a lot of messy things. When the Underworld Steward finally finished his work and I thought he was going to rest, that guy actually disguised himself as an ordinary ghost and went to the street to drink tea!"

The little white cat purred contentedly as he scratched its chin. "Host, I'll lead the way for you, hurry up! I overheard him talking to the old man at the tea stall, and the old man is actually his father!"

The Underworld Steward was a filial son who valued filial piety. In the human world, he was a well-known good person for miles around because of his upright character, filial piety towards his parents, and love for his wife and children. He accumulated virtue and did good deeds, which is why he became the Underworld Steward after his death.

His mother, wife, and children have all been reincarnated due to their own karma, while his father, having committed wrongdoings in his youth, is still in the underworld as punishment. However, the old man has realized his mistakes and is now diligently accumulating good karma so that he can be reincarnated sooner.

The underworld official would always go to his father's tea stall to sit and chat after finishing his official duties.

"Host, didn't you need to befriend the underworld official to remove the suppression marks? Now's the perfect opportunity!"

The original plan was to see if there was any opportunity or channel to contact the underworld official through the Ghost King. Now that there was a better opportunity, Jiang Chen naturally wanted to try his luck. He immediately decided to go to the tea stall to find out what was going on.

Although the ghost market has entered a period of rest each day, there are always some ghosts who, like night owls in the human world, prefer to enjoy the quiet. Therefore, ghostly figures can still be seen on the streets from time to time.

With the fluffy dumpling leading the way, he soon saw a small tea stall located at the corner of an ordinary street.

The white-haired stall owner had a kind face and sat in front of a small stove, slowly fanning the fire to brew tea. At the stall with only three small tables, only one middle-aged man with a pleasant expression was holding a bowl of tea and chatting idly with the stall owner.

"Shopkeeper, a bowl of tea, please." Jiang Chen pretended to be strolling around and listened to the father and son discussing nothing more than the weather and the strength of the tea. He then walked over and chose a table to sit down.

The stall owner smiled and agreed, then placed a pot of brewed tea and teacups on the table before going back to his work.

The little white cat perched on its host's shoulder, flipping through the map. Thinking it should be able to remember the route, it waved its paw goodbye, saying, "Host, please be careful in the Ghost Market! Remember to eat on time and eat well! Once I find the protagonist, I'll definitely complete the task you assigned perfectly. Just watch from the Viewing Platform!"

With a faint smile, Jiang Chen watched it hop away and disappear down the street. She turned around, poured herself a bowl of hot tea, and pondered how to strike up a conversation with the underworld official without drawing attention to herself.

"What's your name, young man?" Before he could even start a conversation with the stall owner, the Underworld Official asked first.

Jiang Chen paused for a moment and then politely replied, "My name is Murong Jiang Chen. You may simply call me Jiang Chen."

The underworld official nodded with a smile, "Judging from your clothes, young man, you don't seem like someone who drinks tea at a small stall. Why don't you go to that teahouse over there?"

Tsk tsk, is this guy meddling or just a chatterbox? Could it be that as the manager of the underworld, he has a special ability to know that I have ulterior motives?

Many possibilities flashed through Jiang Chen's mind in an instant, but he did not hesitate and said with a slight smile, "I saw an old man making a living by brewing tea at his stall. It's not easy for him. A pot of tea doesn't cost much, but it can help him go home and rest earlier. Why not do something so simple?"

He really is a kind person!