Yama Rising

A single room.

A single man.

And a single lady… ghost.

And things looked like they were about to get hot and steamy…

Su Dongxue’s entire body was practically plastered to Qin Ye’s body by now. She had recently absorbed some Yang energy, and her body was no longer freezing cold like before. That said, her body was still completely illusory, and Qin Ye could only watch as an exquisite beauty stuck close to his strong, wide chest. He couldn’t embrace her even if he wanted to.

Damn it… I’d been fantasizing about this day for such a long time! Yet it’s only when the day finally came that I’d realized how messed up reality truly is!

You could’ve at least given me a blow-up doll! How could you just touch and tease me like that?! This is completely intolerable!

“Calm down a little…” Strictly speaking, Qin Ye couldn’t truly be considered a Cicerone of the Great Demons. After having lived for so long, he did have some experience in certain fields. That said, it had also been far too long since the last time, and he simply couldn’t remember how best to react to the present circumstances!

“But I’m already very calm.” Su Dongxue’s smooth, silky hair swept over and wrapped around Qin Ye’s neck and arms. Then, she gently caressed Qin Ye’s Adam’s apple and leaned her face immeasurably close to Qin Ye’s cheeks as she whispered into his ears, “On the other hand, my lord, why does your body feel so hot to the touch?”

She smiled lightly. Qin Ye felt his world spin when he discovered that Su Dongxue had two beautiful dimples when she smiled.

“Is it hot in here?” She raised her other hand and caressed Qin Ye’s cheeks. Her hand was somewhat icy, but against the heat of his face, it was comfortable to the touch.

She slid her fingers down his chest and lingered over his belt, “Or is it hot in here?”

Qin Ye was instantly jolted back to his senses.

Her hands had suddenly slipped into his pants. But… he was instantly awakened by the feeling of iciness.

Su Dongxue immediately backed off like a slithering snake as soon as she saw Qin Ye raise his eyebrows in infuriation. She coughed lightly, “My lord, I was just teasing you… please don’t take any offense.”

With a grim smirk on his face, Qin Ye made his way towards Su Dongxue and grabbed her by the chin. Ordinary people would have been unable to grab hold of an illusory body like hers, but Qin Ye was different.

“Then let me give you a stern warning right now - I don’t appreciate such jokes.” His voice was soft and light, but it caused Su Dongxue to tremble uncontrollably. She suddenly felt a wave of oppressive terror emanating from this otherwise seemingly harmless teenager. In fact, the oppressiveness was far greater than what she had ever experienced with the paper crane earlier.

“Your fate is in my hands now. If you ever cross the line again, you will perish.”

Su Dongxue bit her lips and nodded seriously.

Qin Ye straightened up, “I don’t care what you do in Hell in the future. But you’d best be on your best behaviour about me. Do you think I’m only in my teens? Do you think I’m someone who stumbles from lust?”

He adjusted his clothes, combed his hair and continued, “Do you have any idea why Arthis had left you behind?”

He hadn’t figured this out earlier either. But Su Dongxue’s earlier teasing had ironically caused him to understand everything.

Su Dongxue shook her head obediently.

She was a person whose appearances were vastly different from who she truly was on the inside. On the surface, she appeared to be a calm and gentle cat. Yet on the inside, she was a slippery and salacious snake. Qin Ye wasn’t about to judge others by their lifestyles. Everyone had their own set of values that they lived by, and he was happy to live and let live so long as others didn’t cross his bottom line.

In other words--...

He wasn’t attracted to Su Dongxue.

Qin Ye took out a shard of King Yanluo’s Seal and instructed, “Grab hold of my clothes.”

He circulated his Yin energy, and the shard began to glow with a bright red luster. As the glow intensified, Qin Ye added, “The old Hell has collapsed, and we’re in the process of reestablishing a whole new order of Hell. This is tantamount to rebuilding a whole new realm altogether. The amount of work to be done is far greater than you could possibly fathom. As the incoming lord of Hell, the thing I need most right now is manpower. You’ve lucked out.”

That’s right. Arthis had mentioned that she would never accompany him to Hell again.

This was his realm. And he was the god of the realm. Gods didn’t need advisors. And he had to learn how best to be god.

In other words, Su Dongxue was Arthis’ first test to him.

Whoosh… Beams of light swept past his eyes. Despite having braced himself for the worst, Qin Ye couldn’t help but curse under his breath when he opened his eyes again, “Holy shit!!”

People… No, ghosts.

Ghosts were everywhere!

There were at least twenty thousand of them right now! Once their numbers exceeded ten thousand, Qin Ye would no longer be able to tell the exact figures at a glance. Therefore, Qin Ye was unsure of exactly how many Yin spirits there were in Hell right now.

“How could so many Yin spirits have arrived in the span of a single week…” He took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

“Calm down… I’m the god of this place. These are all my people, and there’s nothing to be concerned about…” He murmured to himself. Some time later, he finally opened his eyes again. There was a look of determination in his eyes.

He slowly made his way towards Hell’s Gate, observing his surroundings along the way. The last altercation in Hell had taught him an invaluable lesson. The disappearance of the six paths of reincarnation meant that all Yin spirits in Hell retained their spiritual awareness and the memories of their past life. In other words, Hell, as it stood right now, was a miniature version of society. The Yin spirits before him were not mere puppets tied up by their own strings.

He could see that the plaza in front of Hell’s Gate, where the massive incense burner was located, was surrounded by a pure white film of light with countless golden sigils hovering all about it. It glowed with Buddhist nature.

Countless Yin spirits surrounded Hell’s Gate, kept out only by the film of light. Some were sitting around, some were chatting with others, while some were… even playing cards?

By now, these Yin spirits must have grown used to the fact that newcomers would constantly pour into this location. Notwithstanding the fact that Qin Ye had arrived alone, the surrounding Yin spirits only glanced at him placidly. Nobody came up to exchange a word or two with him.

“My lord, their emotions are incredibly complicated.” Having noticed Qin Ye sizing up the multitude of Yin spirits, Su Dongxue chimed in with her own observations.

“You can tell?” Qin Ye asked placidly.

“Yes, my lord. Observational skills are crucial in places like the strip club. In order to spot which guests might be interested in us, we would have to be able to assess and understand their state of mind through their micro-expressions and behaviourism. This is the first lesson that all of us go through.” Su Dongxue did her best to leave a good impression with Qin Ye, “A long sigh represents sadness. They don’t know what’s next in store for them, and the road ahead is bleak and uncertain.”

“A lack of expression represents indifference. They’ve grown used to everything here. They’re not even looking forward to change.”

“A furrowed brow represents apprehensiveness. They speculate about change, and they expect change to occur, but they also fear change. That said…” She smiled faintly and leaned closer to Qin Ye, “The most common expression I’ve seen around here are those who furrow their brows from time to time, and even pace back and forth subconsciously… My lord, why are you giving me that look?”

Qin Ye looked at Su Dongxue thoughtfully - Not bad… These expressions aren’t all that difficult to read, but few people could assess and understand the situation to such levels of detail with a single glance about the area like her. A special working environment gives rise to special abilities. The fact that she is sensitive to these things will help her in her job. She will be able to handle her role well.

She was perfect for the role of a Death Inquisitor. Besides, she even had the ability of mimicry.

“It’s nothing. Go on.”

Su Dongxue nodded timidly and continued with a soft voice, “Yin spirits with vacillating expressions make up the vast majority. I can tell… that they are anxious.”

Qin Ye followed her gaze and saw that most of the Yin spirits were idling about, glancing about at their surroundings, and changing their posture from time to time. But as soon as they locked eyes with Qin Ye, they would stare at Qin Ye aggressively.

It was a defensive posture of false bravado.

“Something’s about to happen.” Qin Ye collected his gaze. His wealth of life experiences allowed him to assess the situation with pristine clarity. A restless atmosphere in Hell was never a good omen.

“It’s only been a week, and the Yin spirits here already feel lost and listless. Yet they only know to put on a front to conceal the fear in their hearts…” He murmured softly, “Su Dongxue, your role here is to… Where’s she?!”

Su Dongxue was just beside him a moment ago, and yet now she had completely vanished. He turned around and was almost immediately blinded by what he saw!

Just a short distance away, Su Dongxue had already plonked herself atop the body of what appeared to be a college student. The young man had thick eyebrows and large eyes, and he was approximately 1.8 meters tall. With a sharp glint in his eyes, he stared helplessly at Su Dongxue as she sat on his lap.

“Little brother, how long has it been since you’ve died?” Su Dongxue wrapped her arm around his shoulders like a snake, “It’s a pity that someone as handsome as you has died… Why don’t we do something meaningful together? I can teach… cough… my lord…”

Qin Ye stood just beside her and smiled, “Have you already forgotten my earlier word of caution?”

The slight pout on Su Dongxue’s face further accentuated her flawless features. The college student immediately pushed her away. She rubbed her shoulders in dismay, “My lord, I’ve already kept my promise not to provoke you any further… are you just being jealous right now?”

I’m being jealous?!

Qin Ye was so infuriated by Su Dongxue that he burst out laughing instead. With gritted teeth, he muttered, “Madam Su, you’re now as good as a representative of Hell. Can you not tarnish the government’s name with your licentious ways? Hell is full of good-looking men. You will be free to keep as many men in your abode in the future. But as long as you’re seated in office, you’d best be on your best behaviour.”

Su Dongxue nodded obsequiously. Qin Ye turned around to leave. She glanced longingly at the college student, and then quickly caught up to Qin Ye. Yet before Qin Ye could even take two steps forward, a voice suddenly called out from behind hurriedly, “Brother, hold on. Don’t go over there.”

Qin Ye turned around and looked at the college student in dismay, “What’s the matter?”

The college student quickly caught up to him and patted him lightly on the shoulder. Then, just as he was about to drag him back, he suddenly froze in his feet.

In the very next moment, his mouth opened dramatically, and he stared at Qin Ye with widened eyes. His entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Warm…

This ghost’s body is warm!

No… this isn’t a ghost at all… this is…

Seeing that the college student was about to scream, Qin Ye quickly lifted his hand and motioned to cover his lips. He didn’t want his identity to be exposed so quickly.

Gagging the college student was the best course of action right now.

But just then… right as he lifted his hand, a graceful figure immediately shot forward like a celestial being and kissed the student.

Instant petrification.

Qin Ye looked at his hand in astonishment. This woman… must already be an Emissary of Hell, isn’t she…? How could her reflexes be quicker than a Soul Hunter?! Should I say that this forms part of her basic instincts?

The college student’s eyes widened immediately. After being stunned for three whole seconds, he suddenly jolted back to his senses and tried to push Su Dongxue away. But Su Dongxue was like sticky toffee that stuck stubbornly to the student’s lips.

“Unnghh… unggh!!”

Qin Ye was silent.

… Well… Why does it seem like she’s seizing every opportunity possible to go over the moon? It’s almost as though she’s a rabid dog that had her sights fixed on the handsome man, swooping shoots straight for his lips in the earliest possible opportunity. How could she possibly grasp each and every opportunity with such precision and accuracy?!

That said… the quality of Emissaries under my command is quite worrisome…

Having processed the grievances in his heart, Qin Ye glanced at the college student placidly, and his eyes suddenly transformed for a single moment - from black pupils and white irises to the converse. The student’s mind exploded, and he began to struggle madly.

“Ungh… hoogh…” However, Su Dongxue had pressed her lips tightly against his, and their tongues were inextricably intertwined. His expressions vacillated between intense pleasure and abject fear. After several moments of struggle the student’s body appeared somewhat limp and weak.

Su Dongxue squinted with contentment.

My lord isn’t fun at all…

You’re quite good-looking. Why can’t you just let me suck some Yang energy from your body...