Yama Rising

Everyone wracked their minds in silence.

When all was said and done, the core business of the construction industry was simply to adhere to the drawings and execute the works to the tee. There was nothing much to talk about if there weren’t any drawings or construction equipment.

And there was no need to even discuss the after-sales department. They were essentially like a sister company whose business is predicated on the primary business of the others…

Therefore, if one wished to impress the lord of Hell, they would naturally have to think from a completely fresh perspective.

“Sewage system.” Sun Anshan spoke abruptly, “It rained quite heavily earlier. If we’re going to build a city, it should have a commensurate sewage system. Over the last few years, we’ve seen increasing reports of cities becoming submerged underwater or becoming islands out in the sea every summer. I think it would be prudent to err on the side of caution and establish an effective sewage system right from the onset.”

His suggestion immediately triggered the brainwaves of others. Zhao Guangliang immediately chimed in, “These are all part and parcel of city planning works. The top talents who are capable of such planning works are all part of the state council[1]. You’ll find some representatives in the provincial capital and the city government as well. My lord, do you think you’ll be able to…”

Qin Ye nodded, “I’ll keep an eye out. But we can’t remain completely inactive before I manage to secure their aid either. You are all elites of the construction industry. Can’t you come up with a charter at least?”

Li Chuanyi responded, “Generally speaking, urban planning is highly predicated on the local conditions. I’ve had a brief look around. There aren’t any big mountains in Hell, so we can attempt to model it after flat cities like the Lotus City. With Hell’s Gate as the core, we can establish a system of works and facilities around it.”

“But this would still require the aid of professional surveyors. How large is Hell right now? And what is the proportion of Hell’s Gate’s size in relation to the total land mass? How much land suitable for development do we have to work with? Are we to use everything? Where should we plug the residential communities? Do we need to earmark some area for parks and the like? …”

“We need a professional from the design institution.” Hu Feng concluded, “You’ll first have to ascertain the style of buildings you want, and they will then be able to come up with the appropriate design drawings… My lord, with all due respect, none of us here can fulfill these requirements of yours.”

Qin Ye understood.

He would first need to tap on the talents of technical experts before he could finally put to use the expertise of these managerial talents and executives.

“I understand. I’ll get in touch with the design institution immediately and obtain the requisite design drawings as quickly as possible. Separately, the construction equipment would probably be arriving over the next few days. Keep an eye out for it.” Qin Ye could feel the onset of a throbbing headache. He massaged his temples as he stood up, “Is there anything else to be discussed? If not, let’s conclude the meeting for now.”

Just as he stood up, the Yin spirits in attendance quickly exchanged knowing glances. It could be said that their hearts were already in tune with each other. Qian Tianyi was the first one to stand up, “My lord, wouldn’t you say that this is the perfect opportunity to consolidate and formalize the establishment of Hell’s construction industry?”

Qin Ye was clever. A smile crept up the corner of his lips as soon as he heard Qian Tianyi’s statement.

Hell had its society and community as well.

There was not a single Yin spirit who wouldn’t want to secure a path for their own future.

The Yin spirits in attendance were incredibly astute as well. What they were doing right now was no different from submitting their vote of confidence - I want to follow you.

As Qin Ye slowly sized up each and every Yin spirit in attendance, they, too, responded nervously to his gaze. Seconds later, Qin Ye quipped, “This is a one-way ticket. There’s no turning back as soon as you board my boat.”

Gulp… Several audible gulps were heard. Then, all seven men nodded deeply.

Qin Ye smiled faintly, “We’re either sailing straight into the new world order, or… we die trying. Nobody will be able to disembark midway. Given the impoverished state of Hell right now, are you truly willing to come on board with me?”

These words were profound. None of the seven responded immediately. Qin Ye wasn’t in a hurry to receive their response either. The room was filled with an awkward silence. Several moments later, Hu Feng gritted his teeth and spoke abruptly, “My lord, none of us here are naive children. We all understand an important principle - a friend in need is a friend indeed. It may be easy to add flowers to the brocade, but it’s far more difficult to send charcoal in the snow.”

Song Ming chimed in with deep profundity, “That’s right. The old Hell has collapsed, and you’re the only one left in the new Hell. But even if Hell is in ruins, I refuse to believe that Hell will simply dissipate and become no more. You’d also mentioned that we will live on forever. If we don’t seize the opportunity to ride on your coattails, what would we do in future?”

“That’s right… we’ve got a long road ahead of us in this life... after death. We’ve got to find some purpose for ourselves as well. Having the opportunity to continue what we’ve been doing in our previous lives isn’t a bad option.” Zhao Guangliang stood up and bowed sincerely, “Many join the construction industry just so that they can make a living. But most of us holding such executive positions… choose to remain with the industry because it’s also a passion of ours.”

“Think about it… An entire new order of Hell, replete with a brand new Fengdu Necropolis rising from the ground by the works of our own two hands. Since we weren’t able to leave a lasting legacy behind in life, why not etch our names into the annals of history in death?”

Just like that, the gazes of gleaming eyes landed squarely on Qin Ye in eager anticipation. After pondering for twenty full minutes, Qin Ye finally nodded deeply.

It wasn’t because of their respective votes of confidence. Rather… it was because he needed to hold tightly onto the reins in everything to do with the reestablishment of Hell.

Just like Cathay. What was the largest, most powerful construction company across all of Cathay?

Smooth Sailing Construction? Radius Real Estate Group?

No.

There was an establishment known as the Cathay Construction Group that was far more powerful and influential than any other!

Hell was currently in a mess. The only silver lining was that the first proper industry was starting to come together nicely.

What else could he possibly hope for at this time?

“Alright.” Qin Ye finally made up his mind, “This is for the record - on 18 January 2019, the Netherworld Construction Incorporated is hereby incorporated. Its temporary headquarters shall be based in the Second Order of Hell located at City of Salvation, abbreviated as City of Salvation (Hell) for short.”

The scribes recorded the minutes with enthusiasm. It was finally starting to feel like a proper summit.

Qin Ye continued, “The Netherworld Construction Incorporated may be abbreviated as Yin Construction.”

“There shall be seven construction divisions established under the main umbrella company. Hu Feng shall be the head of division one. Division two, Qian Tianyi. Division three, Song Ming. Division four, Zhao Guangliang. Division five, Li Chuanyi… These divisions are not ranked in any particular order.”

“Everyone.” Qin Ye set his palms down on the table and looked around with a solemn expression, “This is only the first summit of our construction industry.”

“You might think it’s funny, or that everything is far too lacking. But remember this - we’ve got an endless length of time ahead of us. A hundred years from now, or perhaps hundreds of years from now, you will witness the rise of massive cities from the efforts of your own two hands. Hell will be restored to its former glory! By Hell’s dictum, all rabble shall disperse - the resonance of these words will once again immediately strike fear into the hearts of all ghosts!”

Qin Ye straightened up and took in the excited expressions of all of the division heads, “That said, your office of head of division is not set in stone. You’ll be made to step down if you don’t do a good job. None of you have any manpower under you right now. Your first task is to secure your own work force from the Yin spirits out there. I’ll be introducing a whole series of rewards and punishments together with the establishment of the ministry of law and the other advisory departments and ministries at a later date. This will directly affect your performance appraisal which shall take place every ten years.”

He got up to leave as soon as he finished speaking. Then, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly turned back as though he recalled something important, “Ah, that’s right.”

He smiled faintly at everyone, “All of you used to be middle management drawing annual salaries in the region of half a million RMB, with hundreds of men under your charge. Are you certain you won’t be dissatisfied answering to a teenager like me?”

Without waiting for a response, he chuckled audibly, transformed into a gust of nethergale and left.

The seven heads of division exchanged glances. Seconds later, Zhao Guangliang remarked softly, “Wasn’t my lord’s final statement… truly poignant?”

“I guess it was…” Sun Anshan murmured, “It was a word of caution to us to focus our hearts on the task at hand, and not let our mind wander unnecessarily… You’ve seen what he’s capable of as well.”

“Truth be told, there was no need for him to have done so in the first place.” Hu Feng shook his head with a bitter smile, “No matter how great we used to be, everything is now in the past. Hell is a brand new start for us. Besides, do you truly believe his current appearance to be his true form?”

Everyone shuddered in unison when they considered the display of Qin Ye’s Hell’s Emissary state earlier.

Qin Ye couldn’t be bothered with what the seven men thought. Although Qin Ye had never employed the two-pronged approach of both kindness and severity before, it was never too late to begin.

Within moments, he arrived back at the foot of the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. He bowed deeply to it once, and then pulled out Hell’s Records.

He was going to register the name of a Netherworld Operative on Hell’s Records for the very first time!

This was the appointment of the second official of Hell!

Whoosh… As soon as Hell’s Record appeared, it flipped open and hovered in front of Qin Ye as though something in the void were holding onto it.

There was only one entry in it right now.

Name: Qin Ye (Nickname - Dogballs)

Place of Origin: Liu Er Mound Village, Gazi Gully, Tang An County, Qingguang City

Family Members: Grandfather (deceased), Parents (deceased)

Date of Birth: 1 October 1938

Occupation: Soul Hunter - 260 merit points. Distance to Anitya Hellguard - 260/2,000 merit points.

Qin Ye took a deep breath to calm his mind. Then, he made a grasping action in the air, and an ink-dipped brush materialized and appeared in his hand. Finally, with a solemn and somewhat dignified air about him, he wrote the name of another person onto Hell’s Records.

Su Dongxue.

Su Dongxue was still seated on one of the seats at Hell Gate’s entrance while all of this took place. As soon as he began writing down her name, she trembled violently and immediately turned to cast an incredulous look at the palace’s back hall.

She could see a reasonably insignificant figure standing at the foot of Ksitigarbha’s statue, holding a brush with one hand and a book in the other. That said, this seemingly insignificant figure suddenly seemed as large and majestic as an entire mountain range.

Awash with emotions, she stepped off her seat, and began to rush towards Qin Ye, stumbling every now and then as a result of her intense excitement. She gently held her hand over her lips. Tears were pouring from her eyes as she bit down intently on her lips.

Qin Ye was focused on the task at hand. Then, as soon as he finished recording Su Dongxue’s name in full, the otherwise ordinary and unremarkable book suddenly erupted with a brilliant golden light that engulfed the entire palace halls!

Whoosh…

The eerie green soulfires flickered violently wherever the golden lights swept. The previously gloomy surroundings were instantly blanketed with a pure, golden sheen synonymous with the nature of Buddha. Even the terrifying sculptures on both sides of the hall looked softer as a result of these lights.

Dong… A bell tolled authoritatively. Immediately afterwards, Su Dongxue, who was standing just behind Qin Ye, knelt down to the ground with a loud thud and gave Qin Ye a deep kowtow. Simultaneously, the Yin energy around her body burgeoned and grew, and quickly enveloped her being completely. Within moments, she became completely covered with a ball of dense Yin energy with a two-meter radius.

The seven division heads who were just leaving the annex hall immediately gasped when they saw this sight, and none of them dared take another step closer to the astonishing sight.

Five seconds, ten seconds… Thirty seconds later, the entire ball of Yin energy exploded, revealing Su Dongxue, who was still rooted at the same spot. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she shivered lightly.

She was no longer dressed in a cheongsam like she was before.

Instead, she wore a fitting, black robe with a matching black fretwork chinese skullcap. An exquisite golden gilded fan hung from her waist, tied in place by a red-rope belt. An identity token with two words etched on it dangled by her side - Netherworld Operative.

Simultaneously, a second entry finally appeared in Hell’s Records.

Name: Su Dongxue

Place of Origin: Mulberry Village, Longriver County, Abundant City, Insignia Province

Family Members: None

Date of Birth: 8 November 1930

Occupation: Netherworld Operative (just appointed)

Su Dongxue opened her eyes. She still looked the same as before, but there was evidently something different about her.

One could say that… she had just undergone a transformation.

And it was a qualitative transformation at that.

“My lord…” Unable to hide the ecstatic feelings in her heart any longer, she wept with tears of joy as she kowtowed to Qin Ye with a loud resounding thud, “I… had never thought that there would be a day when I would officially be appointed an Emissary of Hell…”

“I’ve already been dead for nearly a hundred years… and yet… I’ve been unable to enter Fengdu Necropolis or any part of its system all this while… My lord, words can’t express my gratitude to you. From this day forward, your word shall be my command, even if you require me to brave a mountain of blades or cross a sea of fire!”

With that, she gave Qin Ye three resounding kowtows.

Qin Ye was somewhat out of it.

He had never expected a Yin spirit to be so moved by the prospects of becoming an Emissary of Hell. In fact, she had displayed a reaction a hundred times greater than when a regular citizen was appointed a civil servant in the mortal realm!

“My lord… what’s this?” The seven men finally walked over and asked in astonishment.

“Nothing much.” Qin Ye pretentiously downplayed it, “Just the appointment of a true Emissary of Hell. She now possesses the ability to traverse the mortal realm, rule and manage Yin spirits. As an Emissary of Hell rises through the ranks, he can be promoted to the level of a county governor, a city governor and even a provincial governor. Naturally, this is all predicated on the successful establishment and expansion of our kingdom.”

“Do well, and your achievements might not be beneath hers.”

Traversing the mortal realm!

These words caused their eyes to grow red. They bowed abruptly to Qin Ye, “My lord, please rest assured, we won’t let you down!!”

1. This essentially refers to the highest organ of power and administration.