Chapter 196: Brewing Trouble

Youqi sat in front of the three men, who were obediently kneeling on the ground. Beside her stood Yan Rongjun, the former Supreme General of the Underworld, and now the wife of the Lord of Death.

One of the three men had a bruised and bloodied face, with a clear imprint of a high heel on his cheek. It seemed he had been thoroughly beaten by someone wearing high heels.

Yan Rongjun stood there, watching the three men with an amused smile, as if waiting to enjoy the show.

Youqi, on the other hand, focused on the monitor displaying a report that Wei Chen had just sent regarding the situation in the mortal realm.

It stated that Wei Chen had been ambushed while traveling, but that was not the important part. The part that caught her attention was this.

According to the report, these people were supported by, or at least knew about, the Underworld Palace. The so called “real” Underworld Palace that she had heard about before. However, she had no way of tracing its origin.

Unfortunately, anyone who knew about this “real” Underworld Palace only knew its name and hearsay. No one knew who they were or where they came from.

Youqi, and the Underworld as a whole, had more important matters to handle. They were far too busy to waste time and resources chasing shadows like these impostors.

That was why it had never been addressed.

Until now.

This was the first time in this era that they had gotten their hands on people who knew about the “real” Underworld Palace in the mortal world.

“From the report Mr. Wei gave me, he stated that you seem to know about the Underworld Palace operating in the mortal world.”

“Yes, my lady… we know about the fake Underworld Palace,” the man with the bruised face replied obediently and politely.

Yan Rongjun smirked. “Hmm? Why are you singing a different tune?” She glanced at the report on the monitor. “Weren’t you the one who said, ’Do not think this is the end. The fact that you are pretending to be a young master of the Underworld Palace has already reached them. The Underworld Lord will not spare you!’ It is written right here in the report.”

Yan Rongjun teased him as she tossed a sheet of paper containing the testimony recorded by Wei Chen.

The man with the bruised face picked up the paper and read it. He wanted to cry, but no tears came. This was the first time he had experienced this kind of revenge. It was so petty.

He had only said those words because he believed the so called Underworld Palace was real.

But the real Underworld Palace was right here, staring at him.

He never expected the young master of the true Underworld Palace to be so petty and vindictive. The man had even written down every word he had spoken before his death.

“Er… ahem…” The man cleared his throat. “My lady, this… I can explain. It was because…”

“Save your breath. I do not care. Prepare for…” Yan Rongjun was about to continue, but a glance from Youqi stopped her.

“Stop messing with the prisoner, Second Sister. I called you here to help me watch them in case someone tries to take them away, not to make my job harder,” Youqi said with a tired sigh.

“Oh? Hahaha.” Yan Rongjun laughed it off, scratching her head awkwardly.

Youqi had already asked what she needed while beating the man earlier. In truth, she had already obtained everything she wanted to know from the two men Wei Chen sent before this last one arrived.

All three testimonies were identical.

The Underworld Palace operating in the mortal world seemed to possess certain authorities similar to theirs. For example, authority over souls, pseudo rebirth, or allowing dead souls to exist and maintain their power in the mortal realm without suffering the consequences of the laws of Heaven and Earth.

These were powers under the jurisdiction of the Underworld.

So how did this so called Underworld Palace possess the same authority?

That was something they needed to find out.

One possibility Youqi considered, and hoped was wrong, was this.

Either the Underworld Palace had the support of rogue agents, or they had the backing of an Underworld noble clan.

While Youqi was thinking and waiting, what she feared most finally happened.

A knock sounded on the door, and Youqi let out a long sigh.

“Come in.”

With permission granted, the person outside entered with a polite smile.

It was a man in a suit, the very image of a salaryman. His attire, demeanor, posture, and the way he carried himself were all precise and proper.

“Lady Youqi, Lord Huangfu wishes to take custody of these three prisoners. Here are the documents and signature,” the man said with a smile. However, he froze when he noticed Yan Rongjun standing beside Youqi.

“S… Supreme General… why are you here?” the salaryman asked, his voice trembling.

“What? Am I not allowed to be here? Last I checked, this is not your office,” Yan Rongjun replied.

“No, of course not. Lady Yan, I would not dare,” the salaryman said, still fearful, though he forced himself to remain composed. He was not here to cause trouble, and this barbaric woman had no reason to attack him.

“Let me see the documents,” Youqi said, cutting straight to the point as she gestured to him.

“Yes, Lady Youqi.” The salaryman quickly handed over the papers.

Youqi examined them carefully, scrutinizing every detail. She found no flaws she could use to reject them. It was as if Lord Huangfu had prepared for her scrutiny and left no mistakes.

In fact, she could not even use trivial excuses such as illegible handwriting. Lord Huangfu had even employed the number one scholar who had died last year to draft the documents.

“Everything seems to be in order,” Youqi said, nodding reluctantly.

The salaryman smiled. This was going far more smoothly than he had expected. “In that case…”

“But there is one thing I do not understand,” Youqi interrupted.

“Is there anything you wish for me to clarify, my lady?” the salaryman asked calmly. He had prepared for this.

“How did you know we have three prisoners here?” Youqi asked.

“Oh.” The salaryman’s smile widened. “That is because when these individuals passed through the checkpoint, our Huangfu noble clan detected anomalies in their records. Upon investigation, we discovered they were connected to criminals, so…”

He paused….

Yan Rongjun’s smile made him uneasy. Why was this barbaric woman smiling like that? His explanation should have been flawless. It was exactly what Lord Huangfu had prepared.

Youqi’s expression did not change. “But these three were sent here directly by our agent, Wei. They never passed through any checkpoint.”

“What!?” The salaryman was shocked. How was that possible?

“Second Sister… please,” Youqi said calmly.

Yan Rongjun’s smile widened. She took out a seal, the symbol of her authority.

“By the power bestowed upon me by the Lord of the Underworld, I, Supreme General Yan Rongjun, hereby arrest you on suspicion of colluding with traitors,” she declared loudly before rushing forward and sealing the salaryman’s movements.

The man collapsed to the ground, his body completely paralyzed. He did not even have the chance to cry out before all his movements were sealed.

He did not even have the chance to warn his lord.

“Ha! With this solid proof, we can deal with that sly dog Huangfu!” Yan Rongjun said with a wide smile.

“I don’t think so, Second Sister.” Youqi shook her head.

“Eh? Why?” Yan Rongjun asked, confused.

“I know that man well. At most, he will pay a fine and claim that this subordinate was brainwashed by traitors and has nothing to do with him. He has enough influence in the noble court to sway public opinion. Even our husband cannot touch him without solid proof of treason.” She looked at her second sister.

“And you know as well as I do that he is not a tyrant. He uses his power to rule, but he will not act against them without sufficient reason. This place still needs them to function,” Youqi explained.

“Ugh… this is so complicated. I hate politics,” Yan Rongjun complained.

“I do as well…” Youqi smiled. “But this place would fall apart without their cooperation. After all, the wheel of samsara is not functioning as intended, and we still have no way to repair it while the death rate remains this high.” Youqi let out a sigh.

“Wait… didn’t you and our husband say he is doing great? Better than his predecessors?” Yan Rongjun asked.

“Yes… but doing better than those incompetent fools does not mean it is enough. He needs to improve by three or four times more, and even that would only meet the minimum threshold required to repair the wheel of samsara,” Youqi replied with a tired sigh.

“Do not get me wrong, Mr. Wei is not doing anything wrong. It is just that he is only one man. His operations currently cover only the lower realm, not the immortal realm… not yet,” Youqi explained.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep