Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 366

Chapter 366 Temporary Commander

Through conversations with ghosts, Jiang Li learned a great deal about the underworld. Ten rulers, known as the Ten Kings of Hell, rule the underworld. All affairs of the underworld are decided by them. Under the Ten Kings of Hell are ghost messengers like the Black and White Impermanence, the Ox-Headed and Horse-Face, all of whom are ghost immortals.

The underworld’s ghost immortals are countless, rivaling the immortal realm.

The underworld governs the dead and has no interest in matters of the living world.

The underworld possesses numerous immortal artifacts, all related to reincarnation. The loss of any one could disrupt the order of reincarnation.

This all resonates with the story told by Immortal Changcun.

Jiang Li pondered: Whether the underworld is under attack, whether by external forces or internal turmoil, it suggests the situation is not good. Perhaps it’s the chaos within the underworld that has prevented the Black and White Impermanence from returning to him to retrieve the Book of Life and Death.

If it’s an external enemy, Jiang Li speculates it’s an extraterritorial demon or a powerful immortal. If it’s an internal turmoil, the source must be the extraterritorial demons destroying the world, causing a disruption in the balance of life and death.

In any case, it’s likely related to the extraterritorial demons.

“What were you doing near the tavern last night?” Du Ping asked curiously.

Xiaofang’s eyes were hazy. “I don’t know. I just felt that street was familiar, like I’d been there before. Maybe this was my past life.”

“I was planning to walk that street last night, maybe it would help me remember my past life. As soon as I showed up, I saw you rushing towards me.”

“The yang energy you exude is too terrifying, very dangerous to me. I was frightened and ran away.”

Du Ping was speechless. From what Xiaofang said, it seemed as if he was the scary ghost.

“What should we do with these ghosts?”

“No rush. Let’s help Xiaofang find her family first.” Jiang Li used his spiritual sense to see a portrait of a family in Anyang City. It showed a couple and their daughter.

The daughter in the portrait looked exactly like Xiaofang.

…

Qi Ming returned home, slumped on a wooden chair, and tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the portraits on the table.

For years, she had been living with the pain of her daughter’s loss. Every year after the memorial service for her daughter, she only did one thing: wait for the anniversary of her death the following year.

The lifespan of a Jindan cultivator, over two hundred years, caused her immense suffering. She had contemplated suicide more than once, but could not bring herself to do it

. She had a constant feeling that she would see her daughter again.

Her husband, unwilling to remain in Anyang City, which brought back painful memories, had moved elsewhere.

Qi Ming, guarding the vast house, was unsure of what to do. Each day she lived like a walking corpse, a stark contrast to the high-spirited Jindan cultivator of fifty years prior.

“Daughter, I’m sorry,” Qi Ming cried, clutching her portrait.

Through her tears, she vaguely saw her daughter standing before her.

She rubbed her eyes, and found her daughter truly present.

“Xiaofang, is that you?”

Qi Ming reached out tremblingly, wanting to touch the familiar face, but was shocked to find her hands passed through her daughter’s body, unable to reach anything.

Xiaofang didn’t know how to respond. She had forgotten everything, only the feeling that Qi Ming was familiar.

As far as Xiaofang could remember, this was her first time meeting Qi Ming, but she seemed to know his name. The words reached her lips, but she couldn’t utter them.

Who was she?

Xiaofang couldn’t recall Qi Ming’s identity, nor could she recall their relationship.

That was until she noticed the portrait in Qi Ming’s hand, a girl who looked exactly like herself.

Yet, Xiaofang still couldn’t recall her past life.

She was at a loss.

Jiang Li, standing by, shook his head gently. The effects of Meng Po soup couldn’t be countered by sheer willpower and affection.

“This is your mother, Qi Ming. Your name is Qi Gufang. You died fifty years ago.”

“Human, Human Emperor?” Qi Ming then noticed that besides Xiaofang, Jiang Li and the other two were in the room.

“I stumbled upon this ghost named Xiaofang. I think she must be your daughter.”

Jiang Li briefly recounted Xiaofang’s origins, and Qi Ming realized he wasn’t dreaming.

His daughter stood before him.

But no matter how hard Qi Ming tried, he couldn’t touch her.

“I’m sorry, I don’t remember you,” Xiaofang whispered. Even though she knew the woman before her was her mother, she truly couldn’t remember anything, and she felt uncomfortable with Qi Ming’s actions.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember me, as long as you’re here…” Qi Ming cried. Her daughter’s appearance was beyond her expectations, so how could she expect anything more?

“Thank you, Human Emperor.” Qi Ming kowtowed to Jiang Li, only to be lifted up by him with an invisible force.

Jiang Li said gently, “You polish my statue every day, worship me, and pray for my blessing. This is already your gratitude.”

Qi Ming’s home displayed Jiang Li’s statue, and Jiang Li could sense the deep power of faith in it.

“I want to build a city near the Human Emperor Palace to gather all the ghosts wandering around Kyushu there, including Xiaofang. I hope you understand.”

After understanding the ghosts’ origins, Jiang Li wanted to gather them together. After all, while ghosts had no malicious intent, they knew very little about them, and if they were scattered for too long, they might cause trouble.

“Then can I go to that city?”

“Of course,”

Qi Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Just being able to go was good; it was just a matter of moving to a new place.

“Du Ping, the Human Emperor Palace is short of staff right now. I know you quite well. You are not a bad person by nature, but you just like to drink.”

“I appoint you as the temporary commander of the Human Emperor Palace. The probation period is ten years. If you don’t cause trouble within ten years, I will agree to let you become the real commander.”

“Do you have any objection to this appointment?”

Du Ping was overjoyed: “Greetings, Palace Master!”

He did not expect that the fifty-year probation period would be shortened to ten years, and his identity would no longer be a candidate for commander, but a temporary commander.

“Since you agree, I’ll give you a mission. I’ll have Commander Liu build a city near the Human Emperor Palace. Your task is to bring all the ghosts in Kyushu to this newly built city.”

“I guarantee you’ll complete this mission!”

Du Ping was determined to complete his first mission with flying colors.

“Kongkong, after what happened, are you still afraid of ghosts?” Jiang Li asked with a smile.

Ji Kongkong blushed. Her fear of ghosts had greatly subsided. Thinking of her previous behavior, she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Only then did she realize that she had been scaring herself.

No, it was clearly her father who had deliberately told her ghost stories.

She still remembered his exact words.

“Kongkong, you’re tired of Uncle Jiang’s stories before bed. Father will tell you something different to change things up.”

Jiang Li laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes. “That’s what he told you?”

When Jiang Li and Ji Zhi were studying, Jiang Li had used the same rhetoric to tell ghost stories to Ji Zhi.

“Ji Zhi, you must be tired of studying. I’ll tell you a story to relax your mind. Oh, and don’t use your double pupils. The most important thing about this story is the sense of mystery.”

Jiang Li still remembered how Ji Zhi was so frightened that he had to use his double pupils to go to the bathroom at night, seeing the future in advance, worrying about ghosts above his head, ghost faces appearing under his crotch, and placing red embroidered shoes at the door.

Ji Kongkong looked at Jiang Li with resentment.

It turned out that the whole thing was caused by Uncle Jiang.

(End of this chapter)