Immortal of the Nine Realms

Qing Sui paused for a moment, growing more excited. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and cupped his hands. ”If you trust me, Lord Fang, I can select a few people from my new subordinates who were assigned to me today, to assist you in managing and guarding the mansion.”

He seemed to realize he had misspoken and hurriedly corrected himself, ”Of course, with your abilities, no one would dare to cause trouble. They can handle some of the more mundane tasks.”

Fang Chen smiled. ”How about the pay?”

”Each person would only need half a year of Yin lifespan,” answered Qing Sui, carefully probing Fang Chen’s reaction.

Seeing Fang Chen remain silent, he quickly amended, ”Of course, if you think that’s too much, we can adjust.”

Fang Chen chuckled. ”Half a year of Yin lifespan, huh? That’s like one Yin Lifespan Coin, enough to hire two people to guard the house for a year. It’s not too expensive.”

He suddenly realized that Yin Lifespan Coins were quite valuable. No wonder Wen Fan was willing to offer 200 years of Yin lifespan to have him save someone; she was certainly deeply in love with her husband.

Fang Chen smiled. ”Alright, the price shall be as you suggested, but I don’t need too many people. Ten should be enough. They must be adaptable, capable of handling tasks, not talk too much, and keep secrets. Additionally, I have seen some small wandering souls being sold at the place we passed earlier. Buy two—one male and one female.”

He took out 20 Yin Lifespan Coins and handed them to Qing Sui.

Qing Sui replied, ”Lord, there’s no need for so many. My subordinates only require five Yin Lifespan Coins, and for the small wandering souls, the price is usually around three to five coins.”

”Keep the rest as a reward for you,” said Fang Chen with a smile, waving his hand. ”Go ahead.”

Qing Sui was stunned. He stood there for quite a while before regaining his composure. As he left the mansion, he couldn’t help but feel a bit lightheaded. A person so generous as to casually reward him with several years’ worth of Yin Lifespan Coins?

Qing Sui suddenly felt the urge to quit his position in the Nether Guards Division and work under Fang Chen instead. However, he quickly suppressed this impulse.

There was an old saying in the underworld: ”Iron-clad government posts, flowing Yin Walkers.” It referred to the unchanging nature of official posts and the ever-changing nature of those who undergo the soul-crossing ritual. Despite the low salary in the Nether Guards Division—only one Yin Lifespan Coin per year—it was a stable job, something rare in the UnderWorld.

”Is that Qing Sui from the Nether Guards Division up ahead?”

”That’s him.”

Just as Qing Sui was about to raise his head, he heard a sharp shout, ”That’s the one! Seize him and take him away!”

Before he could react, Qing Sui was suddenly covered with a sack, beaten, and then dragged away.

Lin San smiled coldly, then clasped his hands toward a burly man with a big beard standing nearby. ”Thank you, Lord Wang.”

The burly man stroked his beard and replied, ”No need for such courtesy. You’ve often shown your respect with Yin Lifespan. Since you’ve encountered trouble, I naturally must back you up. Once we capture Qing Sui, feel free to dispose of him as you wish. Just don’t kill him.

“I’ll go meet that person first and see what he’s all about. If his background isn’t too impressive, I’ll have a few people Yin Walkers help you deal with him.”

Lin San’s expression was grim. He bowed deeply and said, ”Lord Wang, your kindness is beyond words. If you help me avenge my lost brother, I will repay you in the future!”

The burly man with the big beard chuckled lightly and made his way toward Fang Chen’s newly rented residence. He walked straight through the front door, not bothering to knock.

Soon, he disappeared from Lin San and the others’ view.

One of Lin San’s subordinates grinned and said, ”Brother Lin, with Lord Wang, the Day Walker, taking action, there’s no way that guy won’t yield. We won’t let this matter rest until he gives up several hundred years of his Yin Lifespan.”

Lin San’s expression darkened. ”You think my younger brother is worth only a few hundred years of Yin Lifespan?”

His subordinate froze, looking somewhat awkward.

Another Yin official, after a moment of thought, cautiously said, ”Master... that guy is strong. Even though Lord Wang is willing to intervene, keeping him in Youhuan City will be quite difficult. It might be better to extort some Yin Lifespan from him now, and we can slowly suppress him afterward.”

Lin San studied him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. ”You understand the situation well. I won’t be satisfied unless I squeeze out a thousand years of Yin lifespan from him.”

One of the officials chuckled darkly. ”That walker is in for a rough time. A thousand years of Yin lifespan... it’ll take at least a hundred years for him to earn that. He’ll know exactly what happens when someone offends Lord Lin.”

The subordinate looked forward to the outcome, secretly hoping to share in any gains that might come from it.

Inside the Yin residence, the burly man with a big beard walked in confidently and immediately spotted a figure with its back turned to him.

The burly man smirked. He casually said, ”So, you’re the new Yin Walker?”

Fang Chen turned around, smiling as he faced the large man. ”Can people just barge into the residence of others like this in this city?

”I am a Day Walker, different from your typical Yin Walker. I am a government official. Not only can I freely enter your Yin residences, but I can also travel to the Mortal Realm during the day,” the burly man with a big beard said with a half-smile. ”Perhaps when you return to the living world, I can invite you for tea and a discussion.”

Fang Chen’s gaze shifted slightly. No wonder he felt a familiar aura from the burly man. This energy resembled the yang energy that a Yin Walker held in their mouth, which is the key to their ability to return to the living world.

Once ordinary souls cross the Forgotten River and enter the city, they couldn’t return to the living world unless they reincarnated.

Fang Chen smiled. ”The tea I have here isn’t very good. Tell me, what brings you here?”

The burly man smirked and said, ”I’ll cut to the chase. I am Wang Hu, a Day Walker from the Yin Officials. Though I don’t command the Yin officials, there is only one Day Walker in the city, and that’s me. Even the city lord or the head of the Yin Guards often invites me for a cup of tea. You could say people give me face around here.”

Wang Hu grinned and continued, ”You killed the younger brother of Yin Guard Captain, Lin San, forming a grudge. If you want to resolve it, you’ll need to offer enough Yin Lifespan Coins. I understand that you’re new here and don’t have much, so from now on, every time you undergo the soul-crossing ritual, you must send me thirty years of Yin Life.

”I’ll take care of this matter for you. Otherwise, even if you manage to leave the city alive, you’ll likely never undergo the ritual again in your life.”

Wang Hu’s smile widened. ”Do not reject my kind offer.”

Fang Chen pondered for a moment. ”What if I refuse?”

Wang Hu chuckled. ”Refuse? Perhaps you don’t understand what a Day Walker represents. Those two words are enough to press down on your chest like a mountain until you can hardly breathe.

”You better not think that you can simply return to the Mortal Realm and not come back. I will find you. I can go to the living world too, and I know a few people. All it would take is a single word from me, and they’ll gladly do my bidding.”

Suddenly, as Wang Hu said this, his expression into one of fear.

A young man in red and gold battle armor stepped out from the void.

”A D-Day Walker God!?” Wang Hu was stunned, his eyes wide in disbelief. He immediately knelt. ”This subordinate, the Day Walker from Youhuan City, greets the Day Walker God!”

He trembled uncontrollably. A being like the Day Walker God shouldn’t have come to a small place like Youhuan City.

Unexpectedly, the Day Walker God he revered suddenly turned to Fang Chen and cupped his hands, bowing.

”I, your subordinate Du Yunxu, pay my respects to you, Day Walker Monarch!”

Wang Hu could hardly believe his ears. Day Walker Monarch!?

He instantly collapsed, staring at Fang Chen in shock.

When he heard ”Day Walker Monarch,” he felt like the entire Underworld had been turned upside down, crushing and suffocating him.

The Day Walker Monarch was the highest official of the Day Walker lineage....

Beyond that... was only Monarch Yan.