Chapter 501: Miss Ying Ji, You Don't Want to Lose Your Job, Do You?

The so-called Higan.

Is another world opposite to This Shore.

The living cannot go to Higan; the deceased wait here for judgment, unable to eat or sleep, only able to keep waiting.

Higan itself is a boundless flower field, with no change of day and night or seasons, long surrounded by warm and gentle light.

Shikieiki's Court is located here—

This institution that presides over the judgment of the deceased is jointly maintained by Yanluo, Gods of Death, and ghosts.

At least in Gensokyo's afterlife world, order indeed operates this way.

The Yanluo responsible for judging the deceased of the Gensokyo region is Shiki Eiki Yamaxanadu, and Onozuka Komachi is her subordinate.

By the way, Yamaxanadu is Shiki Eiki's official title in Shikieiki's Court, meaning exactly that, meaning the Yanluo of Paradise.

This Yanluo Wang, because of the nature of her own work, as well as her ability...

Is probably the most unpopular person in all of Gensokyo, avoided like that mind-reading youkai.

Can't say it's hatred, probably more like awe.

After all, this adult not only possesses extraordinary strength, but is also famous for endless preaching. Her always impartial words of justice always make people feel an invisible oppression.

Especially those immortal youkai have all been under her care.

So when this Yanluo Wang appears in Gensokyo, the youkai all hide, even Yukari Yakumo evaluates her thus—

"Only that one is impossible to defy."

Then was avoided by Purple, showing how difficult she is to deal with.

But thinking about it, it makes sense; facing a person who is extraordinarily powerful, yet happens to love preaching very much, and truly thinks for the sake of the one being preached to, urging them to reform... such a troublesome figure...

What can be done? If you can't afford to offend, you can at least hide.

Basically that's how it is.

Until this day—

Higan welcomed a strange visitor, who actually wanted to actively visit this troublesome Yanluo adult.

If it were normal times in the past, Onozuka Komachi would definitely have sized up this reckless fellow and been full of curiosity.

But now...

She doesn't dare.

Although earlier it was hasty, with no time to contact the Hells of other regions, but as the Yanluo directly governing the Gensokyo region, Shiki Eiki also went out.

Naturally, since Shiki Eiki led the forces out, Komachi and the other Gods of Death naturally followed along.

Like the positioning of those Tengu on Youkai Mountain.

And at the banquet afterwards, she naturally attended, thus witnessing how this person tyrannically subdued the Dragon God and forcibly achieved a unilateral cooperative relationship.

Designating Hakurei Shrine as the contact window...

Poaching the Hakurei Shrine Maiden responsible for related affairs...

—This, this... this this this this... there's a cow!

Isn't this NTR to the face or something?!

Anyway, seeing the essence through phenomena, Onozuka Komachi feels this kind of ruthless person is absolutely not someone she can afford to provoke.

So when she discovered this person wanted to take a boat across the river, she was simply scared to death.

Facing the other party's headhunting behavior, she actually hadn't thought about it at all, even couldn't hear clearly what the other party was saying, just humming and hawing to deal with it, subconsciously nodding repeatedly.

Looking like whatever you say goes, in a daze she sold herself out.

After crossing the river, the youth turned around with a refreshing face and waved at her: "Then it's settled, at that time I'll send you an offer..."

Onozuka Komachi then blanked out, then began to try hard to recall.

After a moment, she only then suddenly realized, apparently just now this person was asking her to jump ship to work under his platform or something.

But back then her entire mind was completely blank, completely hadn't had time to think, and kept nodding, just like that agreed?

Old heavens...

What have I done?

Onozuka had a face of wanting to cry but no tears; when she came to her senses, she found the figure who had gone ashore had already walked into Shikieiki's Court.

Of course.

Even if that person hadn't walked in, but was still standing by the shore, she probably wouldn't have the courage to step forward and actively negotiate.

………………

………………

Higan's endless flower field is enveloped by eternal warm light, with no change of day and night, only the manifold red flowers stretching to the horizon swaying gently in the wind.

Shikieiki's Court stands in this quietude, the building solemn and dignified, between black tiles and white walls entwined with netherworld aura, the door panels carved with patterns symbolizing judgment and reincarnation.

The light inside the hall is dim.

The wide judgment court on both sides is empty, looking like there's no business.

This doesn't conform to common sense, because logically speaking, Hell has always been very busy, busy to the point that the Ten Kings don't touch the ground.

It is precisely to reduce the burden that judgment work is distributed to Jizo scattered everywhere to carry out.

So to speak, the current situation is obviously not quite right.

The coming and going Gods of Death and ghost gods also have hurried expressions, their expressions more or less looking somewhat gloomy, carrying files walking back and forth everywhere.

Xia Zhi doesn't care, and very enthusiastically greets everyone he meets along the way.

By the way asked where the Yanluo adult is.

The Gods of Death suddenly called out to, first blankly answered this question, then watching the other party's departing back, immediately only then came to their senses, belatedly widening their eyes—

This calamity star actually without warning personally arrived at Hell!

No notification at all…… done for, done for, this looks like trouble.

Xia Zhi, however, couldn't care less about the internal commotion he'd caused, strolling casually, stopping and starting at will, walking through the corridor, his gaze sweeping past the dust-covered instrument racks.

At the End, the green-haired Yama Girl was crouching before a row of instruments, the ribbons of her red-and-white cap trailing over her shoulders.

"This one won't do either……"

She muttered in a low voice, the red-and-white ribbons of her cap falling beside her green hair.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she reached back without turning her head: "Bring the maintenance records for Branding Iron No. 7——"

The young man, perfectly calm, reached out, pulled a stack of case files from the Void beside him, and handed them straight into the Yama's hands.

Shiki Eiki took the files, flipped through two pages, and frowned: "The budget's been delayed again…… the Forging Division's last request wasn't approved either."

The Yama Girl sighed, turned and returned the files as she exhaled, "Thanks for the trouble——"

The words cut off abruptly.

In her suddenly constricted blue pupils——the young man was bending down to meet her gaze, casually accepting the files, the motion as natural as if he'd just been the one handing them over.

"No trouble, no trouble……"

Xia Zhi laughed it off, straightening up: "It's the Yama who's worked hard, clearly there's been no business this whole time, yet you're still inspecting instruments?"

"……"

"……"

"……How is it you?!"

Shiki Eiki pressed her lips tight, beneath her shoulder-length green hair her blue eyes like a frozen lake, reflecting the uninvited guest's figure.

She'd instinctively taken a defensive stance, the Rod of Remorse already braced across her chest.

But then she felt it seemed pointless, so she simply let it drop.

"Have these instruments ever actually been used? How are they all rusted?" Xia Zhi surveyed the surroundings with interest, tapping his knuckles against the dusty branding iron beside him, rust flaking down.

They all look like antiques.

Might be as old as Hell's founding history itself.

The Yama Girl, uncertain of his purpose, hesitated a moment, then spoke: "They were used in the past."

"But later Hell fell into financial difficulty, and for these past several hundred years maintenance has been neglected……"

"Hell has financial difficulties too?" Xia Zhi raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you a monopoly?"

"……"

"……"

"Forget it, let's not talk about that, Lord Shiki."

Xia Zhi coughed lightly, considerately changing the subject: "Speaking of which, any interest in switching platforms?"

"Switch platforms?" The Yama Girl frowned slightly.

"That's right, I believe your talent shouldn't be wasted, so I want to offer you a bigger Stage……"

The young man smiled faintly and began speaking eloquently.

He stated he could provide Shiki Eiki with a larger platform, let her better exercise her talent, and in the process secretly swap Concepts——

Shiki Eiki is a very responsible Yama……

Then surely she must also wish to do better……

Let more Souls receive just judgment……

Only, the Yanluo Wang, accustomed to preaching and possessed of formidable Thinking Ability, wasn't so easily fooled.

As she listened, she couldn't help furrowing her brow, about to speak——

"Wait, this isn't……"

"Hey, don't rush to refuse……" Seeming to know the Yama Girl would refuse, the young man raised his hand first, cutting off her words.

"Besides, I have a reason you absolutely cannot refuse."

A reason absolutely impossible to refuse?

Shiki Eiki blinked in surprise.

"You're a Yama, right? Since you're a Yama, you naturally need to be in Hell to exercise your talent, but…… what if this entire Hell is about to cease to exist?"

The young man asked with a straight face.

"Miss Ying Ji, you don't want to lose your job, do you?"

"……"

"……"

"You're threatening me?" Shiki Eiki reacted, her expression instantly hardening.

——What "reason impossible to refuse"……

——This is clearly just finding a roundabout way to threaten me……

But…… but……

If anyone else said this, Shiki Eiki would find it Mysterious, but it's this Existence before her saying it.

She knows all too well the weight of the person before her——behind that casual Threaten lies power enough to topple the Ten Kings Hall.

Can make all of Hell vanish into smoke, cease to exist!

The report upward was sent too recently, no response yet……

The Ten Kings aren't in Gensokyo, they might not even know what's happened yet……

What to do what to do……

For a moment, the Yama Girl too rarely lost her composure, her complexion shifting, knuckles white from clenching.

"Miss Ying Ji, your Imagination is rich, but that's not what I mean, rather…… the foundation of Hell's existence."

Xia Zhi's smile remained as warm as ever as he spoke with pointed meaning: "If from now on, no souls ever come to Hell again, what meaning of existence would this afterlife have?"

"Has it already begun?"

"Has not a single soul entered Higan today?"

"..."

"..."

"Wait, this was your doing?" Shiki Eiki's pupils contracted slightly.

(Chapter End)