Ling Qing invited Lu Qing into Clear Spirit Pavilion, where someone promptly served him tea.
He asked, "What brings you here, Junior Brother? Are you looking for me, or Ling Ji?"
Lu Qing lifted his teacup and took a light sip. "I do have business with Ling Ji, but it's even better that I can see you, Senior Brother. It saves the brothers from the Heavenly Realm another trip."
"Oh?" Ling Qing asked. "What business do you have with us?"
Lu Qing replied, "Before I explain the matter, let me first tell you what caused it."
He paused, gathered his thoughts, and said, "Ever since the Nine Provinces Barrier was raised last time, the Eastern Isles have sent a hundred ghosts to attack us.
"Afterward, they targeted us several more times, often dispatching little ghost shikigami to probe us.
"They even colluded with spies left within the Nine Provinces Barrier to seize control of dungeons, hoping to use them as transfer points to bypass the barrier's defenses.
"They have harassed the Special Affairs Department beyond all endurance. After deliberation, the department has decided to launch a counterattack.
"The reason we came to find you, Senior Brother, is that we wish to borrow the Wondrous Pure Emperor's power to deal with their ghosts and gods."
The Wondrous Pure Emperor had been refined by Ling Qing using the Red Lotus Ghost King template. He commanded the Karma Fire Red Lotus and specialized in dealing with those burdened with sin.
Originally, he had been loaned to Wu Tiantong to suppress Mount Tai Hell, to deliver the departed souls and erase their sins.
But the Special Affairs Department could not possibly place all its hopes for such a place upon an outsider—indeed, it could not place them upon any single person.
Thus, after the