I, the transmigrated villain, please wait, gentle master.

Chapter 207 Crossing the River of Oblivion: A Shocking Kneeling Kiss (6)

Li Tingyun declined to comment on this, but did say one thing: "The handwriting on the painting is very similar to my handwriting."

The Ten Kings hissed and stuck out their forked tongues. "You've got that backwards."

"In this world, only sons resemble their fathers, not fathers resemble their sons, and there is no such thing as a grandfather resembling his grandson."

"The Great Liang Dynasty values ​​rites, music, laws, literature, and education. Your ancestors stipulated that future generations must receive a complete royal education from a young age. The teaching methods are unique. For example, in calligraphy, there are rules about which school of calligraphy one should follow."

"If you are interested in calligraphy and painting, you will find that the calligraphy of the emperors of the Great Liang Dynasty is very similar. I guess your calligraphy must have been taught by your father. The characters may be similar, but the styles are not the same. Your calligraphy reflects your personality."

He knows a lot.

Li Tingyun said, "It seems we have something to talk about."

The Ten Kings invited him: "Shall we sit and chat in the private room upstairs? Melon seeds are free, and tea is unlimited."

Li Tingyun: That's fucking shabby.

Ren Pingsheng always knew that seafood and wine were the perfect pairings for his guests. Although it wasn't particularly high-end or extravagant, it was at least understated, simple, and tasteful.

The Ten Kings firmly believe: You don't understand, eating melons and drinking tea is the only way!

"Give me some time before that; I need to clear this area as well."

"You mean, there's still someone fucking here?!"

"Yes, there is a group of people who have always been there."

Li Tingyun narrowed his eyes slightly, "Who is this expert? I didn't even notice."

The Ten Kings waved their hands and said, "Oh dear, they're not experts at all."

"These people are far away, yet right before our eyes."

"You didn't notice, probably because..."

"You don't treat them like human beings."

After saying that, he pointed—

The Xiaoxiang Pavilion is a single-story building with a brothel for entertainment. It is a place for people to watch folk art performances. The four sides are railings with beaded curtains half-rolled up. The central foundation is sunken, forming a theater pool with a circular stage in the center, where the audience sits around the pool.

At this moment, a pipa stands upright on the stage, and the audience below is silent as a beetle.

"Don't forget, this is a place where people come and go, and we receive many guests every day."

The Ten Kings reminded Li Tingyun: "And you, you are an uninvited guest!"

"You injured my little black and white dogs, shattered the puppet illusion array in front of the pavilion, and broke into the house."

"It happened so suddenly, how could I possibly evacuate everyone in this building?"

"We had no choice but to use a 'bewitching spell' to keep them in place and stabilize the situation."

He tried his best to persuade them, saying, "I will send them away in the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. Don't worry, people who are under the influence of a mind-altering spell cannot hear or see, and they are unaware of everything that just happened."

Li Tingyun: "I can help you send them away."

Ten Kings: "Send them to the Western Paradise?"

Li Tingyun: "Good."

Ten Kings: "..."

He really doesn't treat people like human beings.

Li Tingyun sneered: "They're already in the underworld."

The Ten Kings said, “But some of them are living people, even cultivators. You know, the border markets are a mixed bag, even more chaotic than the vegetable markets in the human world. Even if they are not living people, those little devils are not destined to die. They are just here to have fun. Maybe they can even earn a chance to be reincarnated in the future. Why should they suffer this undeserved disaster?”

"...Did I say that you resemble someone?"

"I didn't say that. Who do you think I resemble?"

"One of my subordinates, Lin Qiutan."

"That sick tiger that pants every five steps and coughs every ten?"

The Ten Kings exclaimed in surprise, "No way! How are we alike? I'm so healthy, I'm so lively, I'm tall and strong, I was born in the Year of the Snake, I'm unique... I think I could take on ten of them by myself."

Li Tingyun said, "You're just like him, pretentious and hypocritical. But clearly, you're not as clear-headed as him."

The ten kings were resentful, daring not to speak out.

He explained in a low voice, "I just wanted to do something within the bounds of the rules, something that I could do that I could be true to my conscience..."

"Rules?" Li Tingyun sneered.

“Speaking of rules, if I remember correctly, the first law of the underworld is ‘Any living being that trespasses shall be killed without mercy.’ But under your rule, the City of the Dead has long become a trading ground for the exchange between the Yin and Yang realms. Everything here is business, and you are the biggest owner.”

"You can't make much money doing small business these days. You know what? Five spirit stones are only worth one magic stone!"

"Do you think I'm stupid and easy to fool? What you can see are small businesses; what you can't see are the big deals."

Do you think the guests at Xiaoxiang Pavilion come to enjoy the singing and dancing, or to support the charity sale? Do you think the mighty Ghost King is involved in romantic escapades or pawnbroking? These are all superficial observations; he truly only deals in priceless business.

The term "having value" refers to bartering or monetary transactions. Whether it's an object, a person, or a life, its value can be measured, no matter how high the asking price.

The term "priceless" refers to things whose value is impossible to estimate, such as good deeds, lifespan, reincarnation, and so on. As long as these matters fall under the jurisdiction of the underworld, the Ten Kings can use their authority to secretly manipulate them.

The Book of Life and Death cannot be touched? The Book of Merit cannot be altered? Imprisonment in Hell cannot be reduced? Rebirth in the Well of Reincarnation cannot be interfered with?

What a joke! Your Majesty the Ghost King has practically turned this into your signature business.

This world has two sides: light and dark.

In addition to explicit regulations, there are also implicit rules.

Only those who are well-versed in this matter will understand that there are no unchangeable rules in the world. What you consider golden rules are nothing but trivial in the eyes of those in power, who have plenty of ways to exploit loopholes.

Take the Book of Merits as an example.

Everyone knows that cultivators value merit, but how many of them dare to say they are completely innocent?

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is dwindling, cultivation resources are so hard to find, competition is fierce, pressure is immense, and there are countless shady dealings hidden in the open and covert struggles between various parties.

Having committed too many heinous acts, and fearing being struck by lightning, they all tried every means to cover up their mistakes and make amends.

The simplest, most effective, and fastest way to deceive everyone is, of course, to directly modify the merit book!

The Ten Kings saw a business opportunity and secretly opened a black market, specifically for cultivators burdened with karma.

Honest people believe that the Book of Merit cannot be altered, as this is a law of heaven and earth, and that altering it will incur divine retribution!

Therefore, they simply dared not think about it, or could not even conceive of this path.

People shouldn't be too honest.

Yes, that's right, falsifying the merit book is a heinous crime.

But the Ten Kings shrugged and said: So what if it's against heaven and reason?

It would be against the natural order, but it would not harm Xue Li.

You ask who Xue Li is?

Xue Li is himself.

The Ten Kings chuckled and said, "Okay, I admit it. I am indeed a bit pretentious and hypocritical."

"You said I look a lot like that guy... Lin Qiutan? I'm not familiar with him, but I doubt we'd get along even if we did."

“Those who are cunning only like to befriend fools, like your other subordinate, Xue Rendong, whom I think highly of.”

"Perhaps it's because his fish memory is too short, making him seem clear-headed and lacking in guile, which is quite unusual..."

"Innocent."

Li Tingyun only responded with a cold snort. The Tenth Prince knew he had gone off-topic, so he quickly brought the conversation back on track: "These people in Xiaoxiang Pavilion are all my guests. I would feel guilty if I didn't help them in their time of need."

He truly has a conscience.

Although I've done many things that go against my conscience.

But the premise is that he has something to show for it, so he'll realize he's sorry.

"Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Please be magnanimous and spare my reputation."

The Ten Kings said, "In short, two incense sticks?"

Li Tingyun said, "One pillar."

Other people's trivial matters are none of his business; he's too lazy to care, but also too lazy to wait.

"But there are so many people..."

"Half a pillar".

"Ok."

Half an incense stick later, in the private room upstairs, there were two cups of tea and a plate of melon seeds.

When Li Tingyun touched the cup to the side, it was hot.

Open flames are forbidden in this area, and even the souls of the dead can only eat cold food during sacrifices. Yet, as the king of ghosts, Xue Shi's habits are no different from those of the living.

Disliking the gloomy and cold atmosphere of the Yama Palace, he built the brightly lit Xiaoxiang Pavilion in the border town.

He enjoys warm wine and tea, fresh fruits, and even tends to flowers and plants; there are bonsai trees on the table by the window.

He seems to enjoy being a person.

The Tenth Prince took a sip of hot tea and said solemnly, "There are so many things to say, I don't know where to begin..."

"I've been having trouble sleeping lately and I keep having nightmares. I'm not sleeping well, my appetite has decreased, and I'm losing a lot of hair."

“Such a terrible thing has never happened before. After being haunted by nightmares so many times, I started to suspect that there was something evil around me causing trouble.”

He put down his teacup and became serious. "At first, I thought Xiaoxiang Pavilion was haunted..."

Li Tingyun's eyelids twitched. "You're still not quite clear-headed. Do you want me to help you wake up? Let's get down to business!"

"I'm talking about serious matters, I'm not joking! I keep having nightmares, and this is very important—Xiaoxiang Pavilion is really haunted!"

The Ten Kings scratched their faces, saying it was beneath them to say that, but in fact, it's quite normal for the underworld to be haunted.

This place is teeming with ghosts. If one of the little ghosts were to accidentally cause trouble for his Ghost King grandfather, it wouldn't be impossible.

“I’ve had Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai Zhen take a look. They specialize in their respective fields, and they are best at summoning spirits and exorcising ghosts.”

"After careful investigation, they discovered that a painting I had hung on the wall was strange."

"That's right, that painting is the 'Pipa Beauty' I showed you!"

"It turns out that a wisp of an unclaimed soul was attached to it."

"I asked it who it was, and it told me to guess. I tried to catch it, but it vanished in an instant."

"A few days later, Si Wuyou walked right into my trap and came to my door."

"Guess myself?"

The Ten Kings chuckled, “I bet it’s the Earth Soul that Si Wuyou lost! In terms of spiritual power, none can surpass it. It’s good at creating nightmares and confusing people’s minds. Even I can’t stand it, and the Black and White Impermanence couldn’t capture it.”

Li Tingyun felt there was more to this story than met the eye, so he asked, "What's the ins and outs, the cause and effect?"

The Ten Kings said, “Don’t rush, don’t rush, let’s talk slowly. I know what you want to know, and I also have a lot to say. But before we get to the point, I have a contract here that you need to sign and affix your seal to.”

He took out a piece of gold paper that he had prepared beforehand from his sleeve. It was covered with small seal script inscriptions.

Li Tingyun glanced at it and saw the first four large characters: "Exemption from Death... Golden Certificate?"

“I know you. You are a very capable person…” The Ten Kings were very good at the art of speaking.

“I foresee that what I’m about to say will likely be a reckless test of your limits, so I need to ensure my safety, including physical and mental well-being, as well as the protection of my belongings, if you vandalize or damage anything…”

He swallowed hard and cautiously stated his request:

"You have to pay for it."

Li Tingyun remained silent, simply staring at him.