Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 79: Ghosts Near, Gods Far

However, Jiang Yuan casually mediated the conflict, and the Yin Messenger Ma Hongtu dared not confront him directly.

He couldn’t figure out the background of the other party, fearing it might be someone he couldn’t afford to provoke. No matter how arrogant he might be, at the end of the day, he wasn’t a formal Yin Messenger; those delegate stewards of the Fengdu Underworld would never cause trouble over a small temporary Yin Messenger at such a crucial moment.

"Fellow Daoist, how should I address you?" Thus, in a split second, the Yin Messenger who was eager to teach the Lady of Yin Mountain a lesson softened his expression and inquired with a smile, the change in demeanor was astonishing.

"My surname is Jiang, like Jiang in ginger."

Ma Hongtu quickly speculated that maybe the Jiang surname meant he was a descendant of the Shennong Clan? Better not offend! Better not offend!

"Does Fellow Daoist Jiang also have a past connection with this Tian Changgui?"

Jiang Yuan couldn’t quite understand why the Yin Messenger was being so polite to him, guessing perhaps it was because he was a living being full of Yang Energy, not close to dying, making it difficult for a temporary worker of the Underworld to want to offend him?

Yet regardless of the reason, being able to prevent them from taking Tian Changgui away to negotiate the conditions would allow him to complete his side quest, which was good.

He nodded and said, "Indeed, we have a connection, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here."

Ji Xiuxiang saw the situation and softened her tone, "Thank you Lord Ma for being considerate and not letting Tian Changgui know my true form. Please sit down and let’s continue our discussion."

The Soul-Binding Rope ensnared Tian Changgui, leaving him unconscious, which demonstrated Ma Hongtu’s rich experience and flawless execution. Had he revealed to the believers that what they worshiped wasn’t any Immortal Queen Mother of the West but in fact a corpse with spiritual practice, it would definitely have created a lasting enmity.

"It’s not that I’m unwilling, but the Netherworld is not easy to navigate nowadays. Look at this pile of crude and worthless items." Ma Hongtu glanced at the paper horses and people piled in the Immortal Hall, a hint of disdain appeared on his pale face, "Take these paper cows for instance, they’re barely good enough to make one trip down the Yellow Springs Road before falling apart. Even if someone burns the midnight oil to make three to five a day, it wouldn’t satisfy daily consumption."

He had seen many who depended on the Underworld for their livelihood, almost all used these crude paper horses and people to bribe Yin Messengers, and now he had caught the pain point of the Lady of Yin Mountain, he must find a way to gain more from it.

"In your opinion, Fellow Daoist Ma, what would be a more appropriate transaction?" Jiang Yuan opened his mouth, but couldn’t summon the courage to call him "sir," and chose a more respectful title instead.

Watching coldly for a while, Jiang Yuan felt that both parties could settle the matter without much issue, but the Yin Messenger maintained his stance, always wanting more, so he might as well get straight to the point and clarify.

Unable to bear the question from someone he couldn’t afford to offend, Ma Hongtu dared not make an exorbitant demand.

He was very aware that currently, he only held the lifeline of Tian Changgui, and the lad was not just worshipping the corpse of Yin Mountain but also knew a mysterious individual whose origins were unknown, who respected his status as a Yin Messenger but might not be afraid to act.

Thus, the art of extortion had to be handled precisely, avoiding both loss and excessive demands.

"Since Fellow Daoist Jiang has spoken, I must give you face. However, this... Ah, the Netherworld is very complicated, the Immortals are busy nowadays, even the stewards of Fengdu Underworld are temporary, so I need to smooth over the connections above and below, right?"

Ma Hongtu pulled a sarcastic smile on his deadpan face, taking out a handful of mottled yuanbao with resignation, "The offerings at Tian Changgui’s home are only slightly better than the items from Broken Money Mountain; with such a large pile, you couldn’t even buy a jar of the cheapest alcohol, I can’t return and explain to the higher-ups with this."

Jiang Yuan thought, no wonder the ancient sayings often go, ’From the coffin, the hand reaches out for money; money can make the ghost push the grindstone.’ Money is indispensable wherever you go, and since the Netherworld uses paper gold yuanbao, what’s the difficulty in producing them?

As long as there’s no fighting, crafting some paper artifacts to placate the Yin Messenger for an easy reward sounded delightful.

"Tian Changgui, as a mere mortal, indeed produces gold yuanbao and paper horses and incense sticks with less spiritual energy." Ji Xiuxiang lamented, "I’ll have him burn gold yuanbao and offer nine incense sticks daily for Lord Ma, how about it?"

Ma Hongtu toyed with his Mourning Stick silently.

From the storage bag, Jiang Yuan produced the gold foil paper bought from the Market, his actions adept, reciting a Spirit Spell as he nimbly folded a radiant, perfectly shaped gold yuanbao, "How is this quality?"

With a snap of fingers, a cluster of flames erupted from his fingertip, turning the gold yuanbao to ash, the paper ash swirling around as Ma Hongtu greedily inhaled the essence; in the next instant, he stared at the massive, gleaming gold money in his hand, eyes shimmering, "Fellow Daoist’s money is full of spiritual energy and exquisite! In all my years as a Yin Messenger, this is the first time I’ve seen such good gold yuanbao!"

The corpse of Yin Mountain couldn’t help rolling her eyes, thinking: you’re just a low-level lackey; naturally, you haven’t had the chance to see treasures like these. Yet, she was also envious, knowing the expenses in the Netherworld far exceeded those in the Mortal World. If Tian Changgui could produce such exquisite gold yuanbao as well, she’d have a more comfortable hand financially.

Jiang Yuan noticed the Yin Messenger’s eyes, filled with desire on his deadpan face, thus he leisurely gathered the gold foil paper, asking slowly, "In Fellow Daoist Ma’s view, how many such quality yuanbao would be appropriate?"

Of course, the more the merrier! Despite thinking this, Ma Hongtu dared not voice it, aware that utilizing his position to procure some money would be acceptable, but offending someone without knowing his background would be more than just a financial issue. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"If Fellow Daoist Jiang could graciously give me a string of nine in total four strings of similar quality yuanbao, plus Tian Changgui’s family burning four strings of paper yuanbao and offering nine incense sticks daily..." He probed, "Additionally, I need a mount, would you mind..."

Seeing the other party not making exorbitant demands, Jiang Yuan casually took out the paper horse he had crafted from his storage bag and burned it.

A magnificent snow-white steed emerged from the ash, roaring proudly.

Ma Hongtu and the corpse of Yin Mountain’s eyes glimmered instantly; they couldn’t predict this Mr. Jiang would be a master of the Paperman and Paper Horse Skill, observing how his crafted paper horse appeared so lifelike!

"Oh my, Fellow Daoist Jiang, this horse is truly splendid!" Ma Hongtu sparingly used praise, extolling to the point of flattery, then thumbs up and complimented: "For Tian Changgui to know a friend like you, it’s fortune accumulated over several lifetimes!"

The paper yuanbao comprised strings of nine; the Yin Messenger required four strings totaling thirty-six.

Jiang Yuan didn’t rush him, inviting him to sit and wait while leisurely folding yuanbao, meanwhile probing for information, "Could you talk about what kind of place the Netherworld is? When someone dies, do they need a Yin Messenger to guide them?"

Given Jiang’s expertise with paper figures and horses, Ma Hongtu naturally sought to maintain positive relations with him, seeing his curiosity, he gleefully explained, "It’s natural that Fellow Daoist wouldn’t know. Since the Immortals left, the Netherworld sank to its deepest parts; cultivators aiming for the Outer Heaven naturally seldom interact with the Netherworld without entering the cycle of reincarnation."

Oh? Cultivators didn’t enter reincarnation?

Reciting incantations, folding paper yuanbao while listening to the explanation, Jiang Yuan pondered, wondering whether if cultivators died, would their souls utterly dissipate, hence not enter reincarnation; or perhaps, when cultivators die, their souls go elsewhere?

"Actually, the Human World is very intimately connected with the Netherworld; ordinary people become ghosts upon death, and as long as they’re ghosts, they’re under the jurisdiction of the Netherworld. Of course, the Netherworld is vast, containing the Fengdu Underworld, Dongyue Underworld, and the Eighteen Layers of Hell, each having their own Yin Messengers.

In the past, Immortals fulfilled their duties each, and lucky mortals might even see a glimpse, the least fortunate dead could also meet a proper Yin Messenger, considered meeting a True God. Nowadays, with the world in chaos, Immortals have gone to Outer Heaven, engaging in more pressing matters, ghosts have become easier to encounter but Gods are elusive, naturally leading to the phenomenon of ghosts being near while Gods are distant."