Turn a Cold Stove into a Hot One! But I Call the Shots!

At this moment, Lu Chen's mother and little sister were already waiting in the room. Lu Chen had told them not to come out for the time being.

As Incense Fire curled through the air,

In mere moments,

A cloud of black mist rose inside the house. A ferocious ghostly face flickered in and out of view above King Yama's spirit tablet.

"Kid, you moved pretty fast. So this is your home?"

The ghostly figure looked around the room, clicking his tongue incessantly.

Lu Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Your Majesty, can I discuss something with you first?"

King Yama asked, "What is it?"

Lu Chen said, "Could you tone down your entrance in the future? You don't have to make it so gloomy and terrifying. I'm not scared, but my dad, my mom, and my little sister, who's only seven or eight, are here. I'm afraid they won't be able to handle it."

"Oh... that makes sense. I was indeed presumptuous. Don't take offense, kid. After all, this is my first time being invited into someone's home."

Unexpectedly, when this old King Yama was in a good mood, he was actually pretty agreeable.

The black mist around him receded, and even the ghostly face vanished.

"How about this?"

"Much better!"

Exactly. Talking was enough—why did he have to show his face like that?

"How did things go?"

"I've reached an agreement with the Sun family. They'll immediately begin building the temple and casting the statue."

"Not bad. And you? Have you figured out how you will serve me?"

Lu Chen smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, this disciple would first like to tell you a story."

"A story? Interesting. Let me hear it."

Lu Chen cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and said, "There was once a place called Feizhou, where the natives all liked to walk barefoot. Two shoe salesmen traveled thousands of miles to get there. After learning this, one salesman was devastated and immediately called his company, saying the place was hopeless—none of the locals liked wearing shoes, so they could never sell any. But the other salesman was thrilled. He called his company and said the market here was boundless; they could sell countless pairs of shoes to the locals!

Your Majesty, after hearing this story, which salesman do you think I want to be?"

"Hahaha!"

A hearty laugh suddenly rang through the room.

"Kid, the story you made up is quite interesting. So you want to be that excited salesman?"

Seeing that the old King Yama had taken the bait, Lu Chen's lips could not help curling upward. "That's right!"

King Yama said, "It seems you already have a plan?"

Lu Chen answered decisively, "I do!"

King Yama's interest surged, and black mist faintly began to seep out again. "Quick, tell me."

"Your Majesty, do you know why the immortals of the Heavenly Court can feast on meat and wine in the mortal realm, while our Netherworld cannot even get a sip of soup? Have you considered the heart of that problem?"

"Do you take me for a fool? The answer could not be clearer. Our Underworld Office determines life and death, arrests the souls of the dead and throws them into prison, then judges and sentences them according to their deeds in life, casting them into the eighteen levels of hell. Thus, the world fears our Underworld Office and dreads our Underworld Office. Naturally, they will not worship us. Meanwhile, those Heavenly Court immortals who squat in their posts and feast on their salaries get to do all the good deeds, while we bear all the filthy, dirty work! Of course they can feast on meat and wine and enjoy mortal offerings."

"Exactly." Lu Chen nodded. "You do nothing but work that offends people, so naturally you are not welcomed. But has Your Majesty considered that sometimes bad things can become good things? All it takes is a change of perspective, and the sea broadens, the sky opens; suddenly, everything becomes clear!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"No rush. Let me give Your Majesty another example, and you'll understand."

Lu Chen smiled lightly. "For instance, your mother dies..."

"Hmm?!"

"My apologies, wrong example." Lu Chen hurriedly waved his hands and laughed awkwardly. "Say Zhang San's mother dies, but Zhang San is too busy with work to see his old mother one last time. Would you say that is a tragedy in the mortal world?"

"Hmph. What can be done? He can only blame himself for not making it in time. Our Underworld Office cannot possibly wait until he arrives before collecting her soul, can it?" King Yama snorted coldly. "Kid, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"Your Majesty, don't you understand? A heaven-sent opportunity is right in front of you, yet you still haven't heard it?"

Lu Chen shook his head. It seemed this old King Yama was trapped by the information gap and could not escape.

He simply laid everything out and broke it down piece by piece. "Think carefully. If Zhang San begged you then, 'Lord Yama, please show mercy and let me see my mother once,' and you took pity on his filial devotion, granted his wish, and allowed mother and son to meet once across the divide of yin and yang, to exchange a few words.

Your Majesty, tell me—wouldn't Zhang San worship you every so often from then on? Wouldn't you gain a loyal worshipper?

To put it plainly, why would anyone make offerings to you? There has to be profit in it.

Only the Underworld Office can detain the souls of the dead.

So why not make use of that?

Why not work something out through the deceased and their descendants?

The Underworld Office has so many ghostly officials. For you, the price is no more than sending a ghostly official to escort a dead soul up here.

There is no great loss at all.

Since that is the case, why not do it?

Besides, this is an act of Merit.

Once this path is opened, one person will tell ten, ten will tell a hundred, and a hundred will tell a thousand!

For Your Majesty, this will surely become an unprecedented, earth-shaking undertaking!

At that time, would you still need to worry about the Netherworld's competition?

This heaven-defying achievement is right before your eyes.

Forget the Ten Kings of Hell—they would not dare challenge you.

Even if the Five Ghost Emperors came,

You would still be qualified to make them kneel and sing of conquest!

Does Your Majesty think I'm right?"

King Yama suddenly fell silent. Only after a moment did his voice surge with obvious waves of shock. "Kid, just how did you come up with this idea?!"

"What is so difficult about it? Your Majesty simply does not understand the pain points of mortal people, yet you only focus on copying the Heavenly Court immortals, drawing a tiger by looking at a cat. How could that possibly succeed?

You should have adapted measures to local conditions long ago, developed your strengths, and sought a breakthrough, thereby blazing another trail! Only then would success be possible!

Take me, for example. I am also seeking longevity, so why did I not go pray to the Longevity Star, but instead come to Your Majesty?

It is nothing more than following this principle.

Sometimes, if you look at things from another angle and think them through, perhaps the answer will leap right out."

"Good kid, it seems I did not misjudge you! You truly are a pillar of talent! Your idea is exceptionally good. If we make use of the ancestors, perhaps our Netherworld truly can accomplish great things."

"Remove 'perhaps,' Your Majesty. It definitely can!"

"Good! Good! Good!" King Yama said "good" three times in a row. "With this plan, why should we fear failing to seize the mortal realm's Incense Fire? Not seventy or eighty percent—at least forty to fifty percent should be within reach!"

Lu Chen shook his head. "Your Majesty, you are wrong again!"

"Wrong again?!"

"Not forty or fifty percent. In my view, it is this number."

Lu Chen raised one finger.

"What does that mean? Ten percent?"

"It means one hundred percent!"

"One hundred percent!"

"That's right! Why should mortals only worship immortals and not honor their ancestors? Whose family does not have ancestors? If we are talking about whom to worship, ancestors rank even higher than immortals and gods. But for mortals, this is not a single-choice question. It can completely be a multiple-choice question. After all, only children make choices—adults want it all! Why can't I worship immortals and gods while also honoring my ancestors? Wouldn't that make it one hundred percent?!"

"Hahaha!!" King Yama's wild laughter could not be contained within the room.

"Good kid! Good kid indeed!! You are so clever that I cannot help viewing you in a new light! If you can truly carry this plan through, I may even take you as my adopted son!"

At that moment, Lu Chen heard from the old King Yama's words an incomparably clear and intense thirst for achievements!

It was as though an Underworld Office version of In the Name of the People was slowly unfolding before him...

Very good!

The big fish had successfully taken the bait!

Now it was time to ask for benefits for himself.

"Your Majesty, if I told you that I have other methods to at least increase the Incense Fire received by the Netherworld by this amount, what would you think?"

As Lu Chen spoke, he raised two fingers.

"Another twenty percent?"

"No, twice as much!"

King Yama said, "!!!???"

"Twice as much?!"

"That's right! At least twice as much!"

"Kid, do not get carried away and spout nonsense!"

"Please wait, Your Majesty!"

Lu Chen decided to bring out the real thing.

He quickly returned to his room, then soon came back with several banknotes in his hand.

More accurately, they were several [Great Silver] notes—high-denomination underworld currency.

When Lu Chen had gone out to purchase materials during the day, he had not only bought the gold foil needed for Heavenly Gold, but also purchased some silver foil in case it came in handy. He had not expected to use it so soon.

It was worth mentioning that after buying the materials, Lu Chen had gone straight home to make them.

As a result, his small room was now piled with plenty of yellow paper, gold foil, silver foil, and other materials.

"What is this?"

"Your Majesty will know once you see it."

Lu Chen lit one of the notes and waited for King Yama's reaction.

A moment later, without the slightest surprise,

Lord Yama let out a roar that sounded like a question from the depths of his soul.

"Kid, how are you able to directly offer Underworld Office currency to me?! How exactly did you do it?"

Lu Chen said blandly, "An ancestral secret technique. Has Your Majesty forgotten?"

Honestly, at this critical juncture, Lu Chen was not worried in the slightest that the old King Yama would investigate his ancestors for eighteen generations.

Before absolute profit, even if he truly found something,

Lu Chen believed that he would knowingly turn a blind eye.

After all, even Lord God of Wealth, who oversaw the Wealth Department, had that sort of attitude toward Heavenly Gold.

Much less the already impoverished Netherworld.

Money could make ghosts turn millstones.

Clearly, the Netherworld liked money at least a great deal more than the Heavenly Court did.

This single Great Silver note of his might be nearly equal to half a month of the old King Yama's salary.

Still, Lu Chen's move involved an element of gambling.

He was betting that the old King Yama's gun had no bullets!

"Kid, it seems you truly are extraordinary! Our meeting must also have been ordained by karmic fate. No wonder you are so fearless."

After another long silence, King Yama's voice came with a trace of amusement.

Lu Chen secretly let out a breath of relief.

Clearly, he had won this gamble!

"Oh, right. I remember that when you were at the God Temple, you said you had another portion of Merit to give me. Were these things you just mentioned what you meant? You had already devised this scheme, hadn't you?"

Lu Chen said, "Uh..."

To be honest, that really was not it...

Honoring ancestors had only occurred to him later.

The Merit he had mentioned at the time was merely performing a ritual...

But if King Yama said it was, then it was. It was a perfect chance to show off without saying anything.

Lu Chen merely smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting by a single pixel, making him seem unfathomably profound.

"Brat, you are so young, yet you possess such scheming and composure. You have truly opened my eyes. Fine, you have already painted this grand blueprint for me. Now, should you not also mention your conditions?"

Lord Yama seemed to want to see through Lu Chen and win back a round.

Lu Chen's expression turned solemn as he said seriously, "Your Majesty, then this disciple will not beat around the bush. I intend to turn the Netherworld's cold stove into a hot one! To devote my heart and strength to the Netherworld's grand cause! But I have only one condition!"

"Speak!"

"From this day forward, I call the shots on every matter concerning the Netherworld's Incense Fire in the mortal realm!"