After breaking up with my girlfriend, I became a Great Sage of the Demon Clan.

"Xiao Yan, what do you want to know?"

Zhou Yan touched the sleeping nine-colored deer and said in surprise.

"Qingcai won't..."

Little Yama shook his head.

"It has nothing to do with your pet. It's this 'Su Changqing' who is very, well, informative."

Zhou Yan blinked, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.

"Let me tell you the good news first."

Little Yama was delighted.

"The good news is that the guy who kidnapped your pet isn't 'Su Changqing.' He's just wearing Su Changqing's skin, and the real Su Changqing is dead, killed by you."

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

"And the bad news?"

Little Yama's face darkened.

"Is this imposter 'Su Changqing' Zeng Gui?"

Zhou Yan tilted his head in confusion.

"This is what Wu Quxing explained from the side."

"The 'Increase Ghost' and 'Decrease Ghost' were originally a pair of evil spirits that harmed the human world. Later, they were subdued by the Buddha's teachings and became the protectors of the Buddha, also known as the 'Official Generals.' Do you understand now? This fake 'Su Changqing' is the henchman of the Buddha."

Zhou Yan looked confused.

"So we beat up Ksitigarbha's henchmen? Will Ksitigarbha come after us?"

Little Yama sighed.

"It's good that he'll cause trouble. This evil spirit has escaped from the underworld, eating people and doing evil. Even if we kill him on the spot, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has no reason to blame us. But I just interrogated the evil spirit in the True Map of Hell. He told me that he didn't run away from the underworld on his own. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the evil spirit were about to die. He escaped at the last moment after suffering extremely serious injuries."

Wu Quxing nodded his chin toward the nine-colored deer that Zhou Yan was holding.

"This nine-colored deer was once an incarnation of Buddha and had some connection with Buddha. When this evil spirit saw the nine-colored deer, it wanted to grab it to save Ksitigarbha and his evil spirit brothers."

Zhou Yan shuddered.

"Ksitigarbha is dying? What? Ksitigarbha can die?"

Little Yama stroked his chin and said.

"I'm not entirely sure either, but it's true that the underworld is now bordering the human world, which is definitely not normal. Also, I've heard that the Kunlun Immortal Palace isn't actually in Kunlun; it's a place that fell from the Nine Heavens Immortal Palace to Kunlun a long time ago. And Penglai, that once beautiful and sacred place, now you can hardly see any immortals. Where have all these immortals gone?"

Wu Quxing also chimed in.

"Whether it's the gods in heaven or the gods and Buddhas in the underworld, it seems they have all experienced a great calamity. Otherwise, the positions of the Ten Kings of Hell and the Central Ghost Emperor would already be occupied. How could it be Old Yama's turn to take them?"

"How about I go to the underworld later?"

Little Yama snapped his fingers, and the ghost eunuch obediently came over and handed him a cup of milk tea. Little Yama drank the milk tea and mumbled something indistinctly.

"I'll go see what's going on with Ksitigarbha. If I can save him, I will; if not, then so be it."

Wu Quxing added.

"Remember to ask him to come out and give us a reward after you rescue him. We went through a lot of trouble to save him, so we can't just leave without getting anything in return."

Zhou Yan was momentarily dazed.

Last night, Zhou Yan was still thinking about how to urge certain female bodhisattvas to give away their bodies, but the next day he suddenly started talking about going to the underworld to save Ksitigarbha.

Is my life a bit fragmented?

Oh no……

Zhou Yan suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked.

"Let's put aside the matter of Ksitigarbha for now. How did this demon become Su Changqing's appearance? What is his relationship with Su Changqing?"

Little Yama explained.

"I've asked this question before. It seems that when Zeng Gui was fleeing for his life, he was seriously injured and turned into a ghost core. Su Changqing used this ghost core to create a ghost body, from which Zeng Gui awoke. After that, in order to restore his magic power, Zeng Gui devoured flesh and blood everywhere to convert it into power."

Zhou Yan still didn't quite understand.

"Is it normal for an Awakened One to become a Ghost-type Awakened One after death?"

Little Yama shook his head.

"That's not normal. Normal people, including awakened ones, become ignorant and selfless ghosts after death. It's almost impossible for them to become ghosts in the conventional sense."

Wu Quxing understood Zhou Yan's meaning and asked in return.

"So, Xiao Yan, what you mean is, why is Su Changqing so certain that he can become a Ghost Awakener after death?"

Zhou Yan nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Su Changqing is a high-ranking person in Indiana, with no worries about food, drink and entertainment, and he even has Xuan Shui to prolong his life. People like him are most afraid of dying, so why would he use this inexplicable method that even Xuanwu thinks is impossible to become a ghost?"

Zhou Yan held up two fingers.

"There are only two possibilities. First, it's very common for Su Changqing to become a ghost-type awakener after death, and the success rate is very high. Su Changqing thinks that he will have no problem becoming a ghost-type awakener after death."

Zhou Yan shook his head again.

“But I think it’s impossible, because when I went to see Su Changqing’s body before, Su Changqing’s disciples, including Su Bijun, were all grieving for Su Changqing’s death, as if they had no idea that Su Changqing had become a ghost-attribute awakener.”

"Therefore, I personally lean towards the second possibility: this ghost core may have been given to Su Changqing by some big shot. Su Changqing was desperate and thought that the big shot had a good reputation, so he used this method."

Little Yama clapped his hands.

“Great minds think alike. I also think that old guy Zhongdou was involved in this matter.”

Little Yama had sensed it all along: Zhou Yan was chasing Su Changqing, Zeng Gui appeared, and now he was revealing clues about Ksitigarbha. All of these signs seemed to indicate that someone was making arrangements behind the scenes.

The only person who could arrange for his group of true gods to be sent here and there is that old bastard Zhongdou Xingjun, who is now living a carefree life somewhere.

Zhou Yan shrugged.

"I dare not make a promise as to whether all of this is related to Zhongdou Xingjun, but I think we have to be wary of that guy Zhongdou Xingjun. Saving Ksitigarbha and such is probably dangerous, but there might be several Chi Yous rushing out along the way."

When the time comes, Little Yama will go to save Ksitigarbha, but he won't be able to save the Bodhisattva, who will already have a dozen children.

Little Yama said nonchalantly.

"This isn't the first time I've clashed with that old bastard, I'll be careful about these things."

With that, Su Changqing's matter was considered resolved.

Zhou Yan, carrying Su Xiaowan and the Nine-Colored Deer, bid farewell to Xiao Yanjun and returned to Su Qing's RV. He then drove the RV back to Zhongzhou City.

Halfway there, Zhou Yan took a breath, then took out his phone from his pocket and dialed Zhu Que's number.

A moment later, Zhuque's voice came out.

"You've gotten me into trouble again?"

It seems that news of Su Changqing and Su Qing's affair has already reached Zhuque's ears.

Zhou Yan said nonchalantly.

"The Su family first treated us like fools. Su Changqing faked his death. I don't care if I lose face if this gets out, but what about you, Lord Zhuque?"

"Think about it, what if someone outside says that the Vermilion Bird among the Four Divine Beasts isn't all that great? The Su family is getting too big for their britches. They faked their death and escaped without the Vermilion Bird even noticing."

Zhuque let out a cold laugh.

"You sure know how to talk, you've dragged me into this."

Zhou Yansan smiled.

"I am a member of the Vermilion Bird Academy and also your student, Vermilion Bird. Isn't it normal for a student to protect the reputation of their teacher? Besides, the Su family was in the wrong first this time. I really don't believe the Su family would dare to come to my door with evidence of my murder!"

This time, it wasn't just Zhuque who acknowledged Su Changqing's death, but also Xuanwu. If the Su family dared to come to their door with evidence that they had killed Su Qing and Su Changqing, it would be tantamount to slapping Xuanwu and Zhuque in the face one after another.

Tell the world that the Black Tortoise and Vermilion Bird have been deceived by the Su family.

Therefore, the Su family will definitely not make a big deal out of it. At most, they might try to frame him secretly in the future. Or, if the Su family is conservative, they might simply sever all ties with him and not seek revenge.

"You kid, I don't know whether to say you're both careless and meticulous, or just that you don't think things through when you act."

Zhuque's voice was somewhat helpless; Zhou Yan was indeed excessively short-tempered.

"Let's put that aside for now, Lord Suque. Now that Su Qing is dead, there's no one left to go to Dongyang Prefecture, right?"

"Who told you that? It's not like Dongyang Prefecture can't do without Su Qing. The federal government will naturally find a new candidate later."

Zhou Yan licked his lips.

"I don't need anyone else. I think I'm the right person. I'll go to Dongyang Prefecture to suppress the riots."

One issue is Little Yama, but as a student of the Vermilion Bird Academy, I must obtain Vermilion Bird's permission to go to Dongyang Prefecture. If Vermilion Bird does not agree, then everything is over.

"why?"

As expected, Suzaku's voice turned cold.

"You're just an adult. Why can't you just eat, drink, have fun at school and have a few girlfriends? The adult world is for adults to manage. You're so young, you don't need to get involved."

Zhou Yan turned the RV around and spoke again.

"Because I killed Su Qing, I have to take responsibility. Lord Suzaku, my leaving doesn't mean I won't be your assistant anymore. If you need me to do something, I'll be there whenever you call. If you need me to eavesdrop, I'll never slack off. Lord Suzaku, I just want to use my efforts in a way that can bring happiness to more people."

Zhuque remained silent on the other end of the phone.

Zhou Yan sighed inwardly.

Is this not even acceptable?

It seems we have no choice but to use our trump card.

“Lord Suzaku, I am actually still in regular contact with Yingzhao and the others, as you are probably aware of. Therefore, if you are willing to let me go to Dongyang Prefecture and give me your support, then I can go to find Yingzhao.”

"Let Yingzhao lift the curse of Bai Rusu's ignorance and delusion."

Last chapter pulls resources

With Zhuque's shrewdness, she had long known that Zhou Yan and Ying Zhao were having an affair, but Zhuque did not ask Zhou Yan to do anything with Ying Zhao in the past. The reason was that this era was no longer the feudal period, where loyalty was not absolute, or it was absolutely disloyal.

Moreover, Zhuque had no idea how deep Zhou Yan's relationship with Ying Zhao was, or what kind of cooperation or concessions Zhou Yan could get Ying Zhao to make. So, it would be incredibly foolish for Zhuque to use her knowledge of Zhou Yan's relationship with Ying Zhao to ask Zhou Yan to talk to Ying Zhao and ask her to do something.

This action could very well sever the relationship between Zhou Yan and Ying Zhao, and Zhou Yan might even resent him.

Therefore, the correct way to communicate with your younger brother is to show the qualities and responsibility of an older brother. That is, as long as you can demonstrate your value, I can give you anything you want, and I can clean up your messes.

As long as Zhou Yan demonstrates this sense of responsibility and character more often, he will eventually be more willing to share his resources and connections with Zhuque in exchange.

Sure enough, Zhuque waited less than a year before Zhou Yan brought out his Yingzhao connections.

only……

Suzaku hesitated, holding his phone in a deluxe suite at the Wutong Hotel.

"I know you still have a connection with Yingzhao, but are you sure you can persuade Yingzhao to lift Xiaobai's curse?"

"If you're not confident in doing this, you shouldn't do it. Don't ruin the relationship with Yingzhao."

Yingzhao's connections are very valuable, and Zhuque doesn't want Zhou Yan to use them in this uncertain situation.

Zhou Yan sighed on the phone.

"I have to give it a try, Lord Suzaku. Putting aside whether I succeed or not, if I can solve Teacher Bai Rusu's problem of dementia and confusion..."

Suzaku thought for a moment and then responded.

"If you can save Xiaobai, I can offer you some support for your business in Dongyangzhou..."

Since Zhou Yan has offered his resources in exchange for Zhuque's, Zhuque cannot refuse, otherwise he would disappoint his subordinate.

"Alright, Lord Suzaku, you wait here."

Zhou Yan hung up the phone.

……

Daxing Hotel, Presidential Suite.

As Qinglong walked into the living room of his suite, the long-armed ape, who was stuffing himself on the other side of the sofa, mumbled something indistinctly.