Hall of King Yama

The front hall of the temple enshrined the Civil and Martial Gods of Wealth. Incense offerings thrived there, and worshippers lined up to drop money into the donation box. The middle hall housed the City God's main shrine, with no fewer worshippers, though fewer donated incense money and more sincerely kowtowed.

Shen Luo and Lü He passed straight through the middle hall. As soon as they reached the rear courtyard, the crowd immediately thinned out.

Shen Luo looked up and saw a grand hall standing at the back. A plaque hung above its entrance, its black background and gold lettering bearing the three words: "Hall of King Yama."

In the square before the hall stood three figures—two men and one woman.

Although the three stood in front of the hall, they kept some distance from one another, as though they were not particularly familiar.

One of them was a lean, pale-faced yet rather handsome young man. A slender azure sword lay horizontally across his lower back. He stood beneath an ancient locust tree in front of the hall's courtyard, gazing up at its lush leaves.

Not far from him, beside the railings before the hall, stood a middle-aged man wearing a crescent-shaped face guard that covered the left side of his face. He wore half a suit of armor, protecting only the area around his chest, while a golden saber hung at his waist.

Four or five steps away from him, a voluptuous woman in a red gauze dress leaned against the railing. Her looks were not particularly striking, and she wore heavy makeup, but her breasts were so full that even beneath her clothing, they seemed ready to burst free.

When Shen Luo and Lü He approached, the young man merely cast them a sidelong glance before looking away.