Chapter 116: Delivering Items to the Underworld

“Mu Kun, what do you mean by ‘this is a big problem’?” Yang Meng asked in confusion.

Mu Kun was momentarily taken aback. “Great Emperor, you should know this problem well. Why are you asking me?”

“I don’t know a damn thing! I just became the Eastern Peak Great Emperor!” Yang Meng snapped.

Mu Kun hurriedly explained, “Great Emperor, every piece of land has its own divine realm, and this forms the foundation of our Underworld. Think about it—if the Western Paradise people were to occupy our land, would the Underworld still exist? My family has guarded Yunnan for generations partly because of this.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Yang Meng asked, still puzzled.

Mu Kun elaborated, “The art of witchcraft and voodoo dates back to ancient times. In the Warring States period, the famous Zou Yan was a great shaman! There were even incidents of witchcraft causing political chaos, such as the ‘Witchcraft Calamity’ during Emperor Wu of Han’s reign, which lasted for several years. Tens of thousands died, including princes, empresses, imperial heirs, ministers, and nobles. Because of this, both the Han and Tang dynasties issued laws banning witchcraft outright. Anyone caught raising a voodoo doll would be executed, and their families exiled thousands of miles away. All this was done to prevent witchcraft from re-entering Central Plains. My family’s duty guarding Yunnan also involves this—witchcraft must be eradicated wherever it appears.”

Yang Meng blinked at him and said, “But Kun Ping, you didn’t kill him, right? By your logic, he’s a sorcerer too?”

Mu Kun shrugged, “What happens in other countries isn’t my concern. He’s not living in our land. If he ever comes here, I’ll kill him too.”

His tone was firm, leaving no doubt about his sincerity.

Yang Meng laughed, “Now that sounds like the real Duke of Qian, none of that whining nonsense from before!”

Mu Kun quickly said, “Great Emperor, I acknowledge my fault.”

Yang Meng waved his hand, “Enough, enough. Just tell me how to break this spell of raising little ghosts and rescue the child’s soul.”

Mu Kun replied, “Great Emperor, forgive my bluntness, but if this is truly the case—that a child was captured to be raised as a little ghost—then there must be something wrong with the child itself.”

“Huh?” Yang Meng was taken aback. “What do you mean by that?”

Mu Kun explained, “Those who believe in the black-robed sorcerers are usually people who dabble in shady dealings—bandits, gamblers, actors, and the like. The children whose souls they choose either carry violent grudges or are descendants of notorious evildoers. Since children are pure, they are rarely the former, so mostly the latter.”

Yang Meng glanced at Lu Liling, clapped his hands, and said, “Alright, there’s the root of the problem. It’s Zhang Quanbiao’s own doing. Mu Kun, let me tell you what I know about him; see if it fits this condition.”

After recounting what he knew about Zhang Quanbiao, Mu Kun shook his head. “That doesn’t fit either... Aren’t these petty criminals everywhere? What you described isn’t really ‘notorious evil.’ When I was guarding Yunnan, there were many like that, and I didn’t even bother with them.”

Yang Meng wanted to slap Mu Kun. The security situation back then can’t compare to now. What was once ignored is now a serious crackdown target!

Mu Kun continued, “Ancient child spirits are divided into celestial children, human children, and earthly children. Celestial children are the ones made by priests chanting sutras, using temple soil, children’s bone powder, flower pollen, and sacred relics. The spirits must be of stillborn or miscarried fetuses, but spontaneous abortions don’t count. Great Emperor, your case is definitely not this kind—it must be earthly or human children.”

“Enough with the lecture. Just tell me how to deal with him!” Yang Meng said impatiently.

Mu Kun replied, “Great Emperor, don’t rush. Why do we say ‘raise little ghosts’? Earthly and human children are quite sinister; they need to be nurtured with human flesh and blood. At first, they’re just ‘little ghosts’—the master feeds them bit by bit to grow their power. But even at the peak, they only become ‘Ghost Kings.’ Great Emperor, what’s there to fear? Unless it’s a Ghost King of your level, I can handle it without you needing to step in!”

The Underworld has plenty of ‘Great Emperors’—dozens of them besides Yang Meng, the Eastern Peak Great Emperor and ruler of the Underworld.

Among them is the ‘Ghost King Emperor,’ full title being ‘Master of the Netherworld, Ghost King Fujie’ (the characters are rare, so the pinyin suffices). This Ghost King Emperor is the earthly incarnation of the Heavenly Lord Taiyi in the Underworld, used to intimidate ghosts and maintain order.

Upon hearing this, Yang Meng was reassured. “Then why waste words? Let’s get this done! I want to see who dares to be so brazen as to kill and steal souls to raise little ghosts on our turf!”

Mu Kun hesitated, “In broad daylight? Great Emperor, I’m not you—that’d be inconvenient.”

Yang Meng slapped his forehead. “True, true. Fine, I’ll call you over tonight... You shouldn’t have gotten into trouble again, right?”

“Of course not!” Mu Kun smiled brightly. “Serving you means no one dares to mess with me. After White Qi came once, he’s been walking freely in Fengdu City. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been rescued so quickly!”

Yang Meng pondered and decided to maintain his authority. “I’ll say this upfront—you represent my dignity down there. If you disgrace me, I’ll annihilate you utterly!”

With that, black flames—the ‘Black Domain’—flickered in his hand. Mu Kun was so frightened he dropped to his knees, trembling. “I dare not!”

He didn’t recognize the ‘Black Domain’ by name, but its suppressive effect on ghosts instinctively terrified him. As a ghost general, he was no exception, and even more so for Lu Liling.

Seeing this, Yang Meng extinguished the flames and asked, “By the way, Mu Kun, can you help me bring something down there?”

When the ‘Black Domain’ vanished, Mu Kun sighed in relief and answered honestly, “Reporting, Great Emperor, since heaven and mortals are separated, unless you go down yourself, I really have no way.”

Yang Meng was a little disappointed but suddenly an idea struck him. “Wait here. I’ll do a little experiment.”

He left without explaining. Mu Kun and Lu Liling exchanged glances, unsure of his intent but too afraid to ask after the pressure from the ‘Black Domain.’ They stood frozen.

Fortunately, Yang Meng returned shortly, holding a box.

“Great Emperor, what’s this?” Mu Kun inquired curiously.

Yang Meng opened the box to reveal a bottle of white liquor. “Wuliangye. Haven’t seen this before, right?”

Mu Kun thought for a moment. “May I ask, Great Emperor, is this ‘spicy wine’?”

Yang Meng was surprised. Mu Kun wasn’t the one locked away for ten thousand years. In the Ming Dynasty, white liquor existed, but it wasn’t as popular as today.

“Yes, this is white liquor—you called it spicy wine,” Yang Meng said.

Mu Kun frowned slightly. “Great Emperor, why drink spicy wine?”

This attitude stemmed from Ming times when white liquor was considered a ‘poor man’s drink.’ The elite avoided it. A famous Ming connoisseur ranked the top seven renowned wines, and white liquor wasn’t among them. The one called ‘Qiu Lu Bai’ was a rice wine brewed through double fermentation, not white liquor.

Yang Meng frowned. “If not this, then what? Do you even have alcohol in the Underworld?”

Mu Kun swallowed hard. “To be honest, Great Emperor, yes, there is alcohol in the Underworld. Every city has taverns and restaurants. Though some can brew liquor, without the right ingredients, it’s difficult. All alcohol is sourced from the Heavenly Court, making it extremely expensive—beyond our means.”

Yang Meng sneered, “Then why disdain the white liquor I have? Besides, today’s white liquor hardly compares to the spicy wine you drank back then. Hand it over—I’m going to conduct an experiment!”

Mu Kun didn’t understand what ‘experiment’ meant but obediently extended his hand. When the Emperor commands, who dares refuse?

Yang Meng extended his right hand, and the ‘Black Domain’ flared up again. Mu Kun was startled. “Great Emperor, you must not! I…”

“Shut up! I’m not burning you!” Yang Meng cut him off. He wasn’t burning Mu Kun but the bottle of liquor.

A middle-aged immortal once told him that the ‘Black Domain’ could traverse the void. Yang Meng had used it to send himself back to the mortal realm. Oddly, though, using ‘Black Domain’ didn’t burn him, which was embarrassing.

What if burning this liquor with ‘Black Domain’ would send it to the Underworld? That was Yang Meng’s experiment.

He enveloped the Wuliangye bottle in ‘Black Domain,’ and something miraculous happened: the bottle disappeared from his hand and instantly appeared before Mu Kun, who caught it swiftly.

“Great Emperor! I really got it!” Mu Kun exclaimed excitedly.

Yang Meng showed no emotion and said, “After you return to the Underworld, go to the Eastern Peak Palace.”

“Huh?” Mu Kun was confused. “Great Emperor, without you in the Underworld, no one can enter the Eastern Peak Palace!”

Yang Meng waved off his words. “I order you to go. There’s someone inside. Deliver this bottle to him—I promised. Now, go immediately!”

Mu Kun didn’t understand why Yang Meng suddenly sounded so stern, but he could only obey. After saluting, he vanished back to the Underworld.

No sooner had he left than Yang Meng leaned back on the sofa, pale and sweating coldly.

Lu Liling hurriedly asked, “Mr. Yang, are you alright?”

Yang Meng shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly his vision darkened and he fainted.

Sending things to the Underworld? Yang Meng’s magic reserves were fully controlled now, and it drained far more than he had imagined.