Otherworldly Merchant

Now that I had some money at my disposal, I decided to take a break after going back home.

After all, I’d been so scared during the past few days that I could hardly have a proper meal.

Li Mazi would also run to my shop occasionally, bringing wine each time.

During these days, my capacity for alcohol had been gradually strengthened by Li Mazi.

One day, Li Mazi asked me after getting drunk, "Did you get any business offers lately?"

His butt would sooner or later develop hemorrhoids if he kept sitting there all day.

I said ill-humoredly, "How many otherworldly items do you think there are in this world? It's perfectly normal for people in this line of business to not do business for 3-5 years."

Li Mazi sighed and said, "It’s because you guys never take the initiative! If the pie doesn't fall into your lap, you have to look for it. Tomorrow, I'll bring you to the remote countryside so that you can gain some experience."

The next day, Li Mazi really drove to my place. He’d stuffed all sorts of things into the trunk of his car; there was even a tent inside. From the looks of it, we’d be going on a long trip.

I could only force a smile and say, "Brother, there’s always time to make money. Why go through all this trouble?"

Li Mazi grinned and said, "Little Brother, how can you not understand? I need to save money for my son. I have to pay for his school, buy him a house, and get him a wife. Do you think it's easy to raise a son? Actually, you should also put more effort into it. You haven't even gotten yourself a wife yet."

Sigh, whatever. There was no point in sitting in the shop all day. As such, I might as well accompany Li Mazi for a trip outside and gain some experience.

After thinking up to this point, I packed up some clothes and set out with Li Mazi.

I got bored while sitting in the car doing nothing, and before long, I fell asleep. When I opened my eyes, it was already dark outside.

I stretched my body and glanced at the GPS, discovering that we were already 700-800 km away from home.

I was startled, and asked Li Mazi, "Hey, is the GPS broken?"

Li Mazi laughed awkwardly. He looked exhausted and his eyes were red.

After seeing his appearance, I was startled again. So, I asked, "You didn't drive for the whole day, right?"

Li Mazi nodded his head, yawning. Then, his hand slipped, and we almost crashed into a big tree on the roadside.

I told Li Mazi to stop the vehicle, and then scolded him, "Tell me honestly, what are you scheming? You aren't planning to bring me out of the country, right?"

Li Mazi kept yawning. "I was afraid that you’d refuse to go if I told you the name of the place. Therefore, I was forced to act first and report afterward. Anyway, just hold on for a while, we’re almost there..."

After saying this much, he prepared to go on driving even though he couldn't keep his eyes open.

I chased Li Mazi out of the driver's seat; there was no way he could drive in that condition.

I still felt some lingering fear when I recalled that we’d almost bumped into a tree earlier.

Anyway, it was too late to head back. Therefore, I could only start the car and keep following the route displayed on Li Mazi's GPS.

I asked Li Mazi, "How did you get information on this place thousands of kilometers away? Moreover, did an otherworldly item appear where we are heading?"

However, what I got in return was Li Mazi's snoring... I couldn't help but inwardly curse him for his greed.

I kept driving for two hours, until we finally arrived in Jiangsu Province, Kunshan County. After getting on the highway, I woke Li Mazi up.

Li Mazi asked me in a daze, "Where are we?"

After I told him our current position, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

Very soon, a black car drove in front of us and started honking. 

Li Mazi told me to follow the car.

Also, that person seemed to be in a hurry since they were driving at 130 km/h on a provincial highway. I had no choice but to press on the accelerator to keep up with them.

Luckily, before long, the driver of the black car stopped in front of a hotel in Kunshan County.

The driver was a young man wearing sportswear. He threw two room cards at us and said, "You guys went through a lot of trouble. I've already booked your rooms. You can stay here for the night! I'll come looking for you as soon as I finish dealing with something."

After saying this much, he got into the car and quickly drove away.

I was baffled by his behavior and asked Li Mazi, somewhat perplexed, "Who was that guy? Can we trust him?"

Li Mazi grinned. "Now do you understand why all the secrecy? We might have chanced upon something big this time. Let's head to the hotel and take a shower. I'm dead tired."

Possibly because he’d been sitting in the car for too long, but Li Mazi's legs were all numb, and he squatted down right after getting out of the car.

I didn't feel too well, either. I felt lightheaded and returned to my senses only after vomiting a bit.

I inwardly cursed Li Mazi. If the profit wasn't over one million renminbi this time, I was going to beat him to death to vent my anger!

We spent the night in the hotel, and Li Mazi gave me a new set of clothes when we woke up the next day. He insisted on making me wear clothes that wouldn't hinder action.

After unrolling the set of clothes, I discovered that it was a pure-black hoodie.

This made me unhappy, and I asked Li Mazi, "Why did you buy this cheap stuff? If I wear it in public, my image will drop quite a bit!"

Li Mazi grinned and said, "We have to take action covertly this time, and it’s best to choose clothes that would come in handy at night. A set of black clothes will prevent others from discovering us too easily."

The more I heard about this matter, the more I felt that there was something wrong. I grabbed Li Mazi's collar and told him to tell me the truth.

Li Mazi cautiously shut the windows and the door. Then, he said in a low voice, "Little Brother, do you know about Yama's Execution Ground?"

Yama's Execution Ground?

I was perplexed. I had no idea what Li Mazi was talking about.

Li Mazi explained, "Some time ago, when people were digging up a reservoir in a village in Kunshan County, they unearthed this place known as Yama's Execution Ground. Think about it! Given the strange name of that place, there must be a lot of otherworldly items inside."

I didn't really believe that there was a 'King of Hell' in this world. Therefore, I asked Li Mazi, "Tell me clearly, what does the name ‘Yama's Execution Ground’ even mean?"

Li Mazi cleared his throat, and then said, "In the past, when I was doing business in Suzhou City, I acknowledged a person as my sworn brother.

Recently, this sworn brother opened a food processing facility, but the business didn't really boom.

According to what my sworn brother said, every week, one or two strange events would take place in his facility. For example, the machinery would suddenly start operating in the middle of the night. While getting off work, employees would see human figures appear on the windowpane.

One time, an employee went to the toilet, and when he finished urinating, he heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed coming from behind him. Guess what he saw when he turned around? He saw a Japanese man wearing a military uniform, grinning at him while holding up a blade. The employee fainted on the spot, and he resigned soon after regaining consciousness.

The news that the place was haunted spread far and wide, and the processing facility, which wasn't doing that well to begin with, was now in an even worse situation. Afterward, his employees left one after another, and the facility went bankrupt."

My interest was piqued, and I asked, "What happened next? How did you come to the conclusion that the place was Yama's Execution Ground? Did they see ox-headed and horse-faced demons boil people in cauldrons full of oil?"

Li Mazi said, "They even saw a beheading device, let alone cauldrons to boil people."

I was immediately scared out of my wits.

At first, I thought that people were just exaggerating things and spreading false rumors when they mentioned Yama and the eighteen layers of hell, but little did I expect that there would really be a beheading device, as well as cauldrons full of oil, at that haunted place. I asked Li Mazi to tell me everything in detail.

Anyway, after Li Mazi's sworn brother saw that the processing facility was done for, he directly sold the land to the government, having them continue with the excavation of the reservoir.

However, the people at the site met with great trouble while excavating.

After the construction team dug to a depth of around two meters, they unexpectedly unearthed a skeleton, as well as a large number of bricks.

Those bricks seemed quite old and were usually large, definitely different from modern red bricks.

At first, the construction team was very excited, for they thought that they’d found an ancient grave that would make them rich.

However, as they kept digging, they discovered that there was something wrong... because it didn't seem as though they’d chanced upon an ancient grave, but rather, a common grave.

In just half a day, they’d dug up several skeletons.

Most of the skeletons were fragmentary and incomplete. They didn’t have missing arms, only legs. It felt as though someone had sawed them in half while still alive.

Now, everyone understood why the food processing facility was haunted.

With so many skeletons buried underneath, it would be strange if it wasn't haunted!

After things got to this point, the construction team had no plans to dig further.

Everything was too strange, and they were afraid that they would anger the dead in the common grave if they continued, causing trouble for everyone.

However, the spirits of the dead had already been angered...

That very night, the construction team had an accident. The person in charge at the site suddenly died, and his death was truly miserable.

He fell on his face into a deep fryer, and the boiling oil distorted his features beyond recognition.

His miserable death angered the other members of the construction team.

Therefore, they unearthed all the skeletons that were still underground, burned them with fire, and even invited over a Buddhist monk to exorcise the place.

As they kept digging, they finally discovered that the place wasn't a common grave, but the so-called ‘Yama's Execution Ground’.

Because, while excavating, they’d found a marble tablet with the words 'Yama's Execution Ground' engraved on it.

Seeing those three words, everyone trembled with fear.

Afterward, they also unearthed a big cauldron, and inside the cauldron was a skeleton that had been boiled until becoming soft.

Aside from the cauldron, there were also several other bizarre items—for example, a large rusted straw cutter, a noose, and so on.

After discovering that what they’d unearthed was the execution ground of the King of Hell, everyone was scared out of their wits. Not even the Buddhist monk they’d invited over was able to keep the situation under control, and before leaving, he’d told the construction team to quickly fill up the hole.

However, the matter didn't end just because they’d filled up the execution ground...

That night, another member of the construction team died.

This guy also died in a tragic manner, beheaded by a kitchen knife, with his head separated from the rest of his body.

Everyone knew that this execution was an emulation of the 'beheading device' they’d seen earlier.

The news that Yama had been angered and wanted to drag everyone into the depths of hell spread like wildfire.

Southerners were known for being very superstitious, and after witnessing something this strange, they immediately believed the rumor.

The construction team didn't report the matter to the police, but decided to conceal it instead. They found an excuse and said that the geology of the land wasn't suitable to excavate a reservoir.

The people in the village were also afraid, and they’d make offerings to Yama's Execution Ground every day in the hopes of appeasing Yama's anger.

However, it unexpectedly worked. Afterward, no other members of the construction team died, and everything quieted down.

I gasped and looked at Li Mazi with an inconceivable look on my face. "Everything you said about those dead people, is it true?”