Originally, Deng Chanyu had planned to find something to inspire Daji and Longji, asking them each to add a string to the five-stringed zither, sharing some merit with them when "reporting" it. After much thought, she felt this act was a bit risky. That half-and-half merit wouldn't be of much use to Daji and Longji. Alright then, let all the merit be mine!
The Fuxi qin has officially been renamed the Jade Qin. Except for not reporting to the heavens, everything else seems to be in place.
Deng Chanyu wore a dark blue Taoist robe, embroidered with gold and silver threads depicting the sun, moon, stars, and constellations above. A golden lotus flower crown adorned her head, while she carried the Jade Qin behind her. The sword was concealed within the instrument, and she believed this made her extremely unrestrained.
Familiar with the ways of the underworld, she arrived there and was about to inquire about Daji's whereabouts when she saw a group of ghosts and ghost officers in the distance driving away wandering spirits and ghosts from the sides of the roads in Fengdu City.
Before she could open her mouth, she heard the sounds of clarinets, saxophones, drums, and bugles blowing in the wind.
The vast caravan slowly came into sight, gradually approaching from a distance.
Leading the way were a hundred ghost soldiers, each carrying weapons.
Behind her, a line of ghost soldiers marched in formation, each carrying weapons. It was followed by a series of war chariots, seemingly made from the bones of various wild animals. In the center of each chariot stood a large drum, while fierce ghost generals were beating it with all their might. Next to them, officials were playing ancient and unfamiliar instruments.
Following that, the carriage of the Lord of the Underworld appeared.
The carriage's canopy was black, and the screens on both sides of the carriage were painted red.
Daji classmate was dressed in a black Taoist king robe, with dragon, mountain, flower-insect, and fire patterns on the cuffs. She wore a twelve-strand crown on her head and knelt inside the carriage, her hands placed on her lower abdomen. She closed her eyes slightly and sat motionless.
Deng Chanyu was stunned in disbelief.
The grandeur of this procession is even greater than that of King Zhou. Could this be the same Daji classmate who used to raise chickens and cultivate flowers in a small courtyard?
Watching Daji sit in the carriage, striding arrogantly into Fengdu City with an air of dominance, the surrounding area exuded a cold and murderous atmosphere. Deng Chanyu stood motionless in disbelief, not daring to recognize her.
After a while, she finally adjusted her appearance and entered Fengdu City with the Jade Qin strapped to her back.
There are ten King of Hell deities, with ten King of Hell palaces. For a moment, she wasn't sure which palace Daji was working in, so she had to ask the ghosts.
"Excuse me, your majesty, I'm curious. Which hall does the deceased King of Hell who just entered Fengdu City currently serve in? I have a past relationship with him and have come to visit him."
The grim-faced ghost guards, with fierce faces and protruding teeth, were particularly serious: "Are you a living being? Where do you come from, and where are you going?"
Deng Chanyu: "I've already said, I am here to find your King of Hell."
"King Qin is not here."
"I won't indulge in idle chatter with you anymore. I'm not looking for King Qin, I'm looking for the King of Hell who just came in!"
"King Chujiang is not here."
Deng Chanyu felt quite frustrated, as the previous person who spoke to her with difficulty was Shen Gong Le.
"Daji, that's the acting King of Hell who just came in! We're very close, good friends, the kind who share the same pants. Tell me where she is, and that's it!"
The ghost guards stared at her with wide eyes, while Deng Chanyu looked innocent, what kind of expression is that?
The next instant, the ghost guard shouted so loudly that he almost broke his voice.
"Hey, ghosts! The assassin from the Blood Sea is here!"
She managed to defeat the ghost guard in three breaths and finally cleared up the misunderstanding after a good two sticks of incense.
Deng Chanyu's unrestrained qin and sword style couldn't be maintained either. Sitting in the King of Hell's palace, Daji, now dressed in ordinary attire, was handling official business while covering her mouth and giggling stealthily.
"Alright, alright, stop laughing. You've already been assassinated by those scoundrels in the Blood Sea, and you're still joking around?"
The assassins under Bu Xun were no fools either. They knew that killing Daji would bring the administrative work of the Underworld to a standstill, and the troops of the former Shamanism clan, now part of the Underworld, would have to retreat. Their targets for this period have always been Daji.
Daji's friends, her relatives from her hometown, her sisters and close loved ones— the assassins from the Blood Sea have exhausted all their excuses. Today, Deng Chanyu's visit was clearly a landmine.
Deng Chanyu turned to look at Daji's little face: "Let me see if you're hurt."
Daji knocked her hand away: "I'm busy. I'm working here."
To prove that she had gained personal value in the Underworld, Daji said with enthusiasm, "Madam has always said that I have a strong learning ability. You've never said that. You always say I'm clumsy and keep criticizing me."
Deng Chanyu placed her hand on her chin, a sinister expression on her face: "Strong learning ability? Hahaha, from another angle, that means you're nothing but clueless?"
Daji: "Hmph, you're jealous. Madam said my room for improvement is great."
"That means your current work ability is still at rock bottom."
Daji's forehead suddenly appeared a "well" character, and the pen in her hand snapped: "I'm highly moldable!"
"That means you have no useful abilities."
"Get out of here!"
Deng Chanyu wanted to persuade Daji to go home earlier, "Let's go home and raise some little chickens and dogs. It would be so nice. We've been working hard for half a year without getting paid a single copper coin. Madam, it's really not fair. She gives us nothing, but keeps promising."
"Thirty-sixth heaven is rich in merit. As long as I handle a case well, I will receive the corresponding merit," Daji patiently persuaded.
Deng Chanyu also realized this; Daji is now a mortal immortal, having ascended entirely through merit.
There are two sages in the heavens whose merits are the most, one is Nu Wa, and the other is the Lady of Harmony.
Nuwa herself does not establish a great religion, she has so much merit that it can't be used up. The Lady of Harmony has accumulated her own merits and the merits of the Underworld together. In dealing with the affairs of the Underworld, there are corresponding merits to be granted, although not much, but it is more steady.
Daji is now doing the work of ten King of Hell deities by herself, and during this period, she has accumulated quite a lot of merit.
After obtaining enough merit, Daji directly broke through the barrier between humans and immortals and stepped into the path of immortals officially.
"Then it would be about right," Deng Chanyu thought that if Daji couldn't leave at the moment, it would be better, at least she wouldn't be too anxious for the peach blossom feast next month, hmm.
"There's always more work to do. Listen to me, take a break. I'll play a melody for you."
Daji presented the Jade Qin as if offering a treasure, placed it aside, and lit some incense. Daji also sat down quietly and put down her paper and pen.
The Five-String Qin representing the Five Elements has added the two strings of Yin and Yang, officially becoming a Seven-String Qin.
At the Peach Blossom Banquet next month, Deng Chanyu plans to play the qin. At that time, San Xiao will be playing the flute, hitting the chimes, and dancing, Zhao Gongming will be beating the drum. The aim is to create a lively atmosphere. In this aspect, the disciples of Jie sect behave very freely, doing whatever they want, which is indeed a trait of immortals and is worth learning.
Here, there is no such thing as us playing and lowering our heads, while surrounding immortals watch and gaze upon us in admiration. We simply want to be carefree and unrestricted.
Deng Chanyu began to play the qin, moving her fingers across the strings.
"Two Tigers" would definitely not be suitable to play at the Peach Blossom Banquet. Songs like "Swords and Swords in a Dream" and "A Laugh in the Sea" are too much like martial arts themes, which are hard to resonate with the crowd of immortals, and are not suitable either.
Finally, she chose a familiar piece from her previous life, Cloud Palace Rapid Sound!
