Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 488-498: Guiyin Tongpan, Crossing Yin and Yang

The situation was chaotic, and no force could remain unaffected; all were swept up in this turbulent tide.

Some were planning for the future, some were frantically expanding their influence, and some were conserving their strength...

In contrast to all this, the imperial court was completely silent, like a stagnant pool.

Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty leaned against the dragon throne, his gaze calmly sweeping over the nearly one hundred ministers in the hall.

These officials were divided into many factions.

There are more than a dozen factions, large and small, including the Donglin faction, the Xuan faction, and the Shun faction.

Furthermore, the eunuchs around him, who had experienced the problems left over from Emperor Xi's support of the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guard, have gradually developed into a malignant tumor that is difficult to eradicate. They are deeply entrenched in various factions in the court, causing news from within the palace to leak everywhere.

This forced him to secretly purge the palace from the outset, replacing everyone with people loyal to him.

The supervisors of the Eastern Depot still believe they have a firm grip on the palace, but in reality, they are completely unaware that they have been sidelined.

At this moment, facing the silent ministers in the court, Yang Guang felt a cold smile in his heart, but even more so, a deep sorrow.

How laughable that such a vast dynasty was ruined like this, and all these people could offer him in the end was silence.

So Yang Guang repeated what he had said before.

"Gentlemen, what is the interpretation of this situation?"

Yang Guang's cold voice echoed in the empty court hall. Some officials looked at each other blankly, while others lowered their heads, but no one stood up to answer.

After a while, a third-rank official with a livid face, who looked to be in his fifties, stepped forward.

“Longzhou is a matter of national importance. Given the ferocity of the barbarians, they will probably reach the border of Jingzhou in no time. At that time, Jingzhou will be defenseless and they will likely reach the gates of the capital soon.”

Yang Guang said expressionlessly, "But what about Shunzhou, Bingzhou, and Liangzhou? Should we send troops to resist the enemy and let them take the opportunity to seize the cities and rebel?"

"And then there's the Zigu Goddess of Changzhou. She's already occupied two prefectural cities in Xuanzhou. What are the people of Xuanzhou supposed to do?"

"This……"

The middle-aged official's face stiffened, speechless after being rebuked by Yang Guang. After hesitating for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said, "I still think the barbarians are more important!"

"Heh..." Yang Guang sneered, mercilessly revealing the other party's intentions: "You're only after your own life."

“The barbarians will not let you go after they enter the city, but the King of Liang and the King of Bing will.”

As he spoke, Yang Guang glanced at the officials below and said, "Even if either of them takes my place, the court will still need people, so you don't need to worry about your safety. At most, the emperor will just have to dismount."

"Do you agree with what I said, my dear minister?"

Yang Guang's tone carried a faint killing intent, yet his words conveyed the meaning of caring for his subordinate.

Just as the middle-aged official was at a loss for words, an elderly figure slowly took a few steps forward.

Yang Guang raised an eyebrow slightly upon seeing this, and casually leaned back on the dragon throne: "Does Grand Secretary Wang have something to say?"

Grand Secretary Wang, also known as Wang Ping, bowed and said with a solemn expression, "Your Majesty, I suggest that troops be immediately recalled to defend the capital."

"But what about the Prince of Liang and the Prince of Bing?" Yang Guang said calmly, "You were in control of the court before, and now you've handed me this mess?"

Yang Guang narrowed his eyes, a hint of purple flashing in his pupils. The surrounding air seemed to distort as if it were being scorched by high temperatures, and an invisible aura slowly rose.

A gentle breeze suddenly began to blow through the court, and in everyone's eyes, Yang Guang appeared to have transformed into a monster with a dragon's head and a human body, grinning and revealing his sharp fangs.

Everyone present was shocked by what they saw.

The Confucian disciples were most skilled at observing qi, but the person sitting high on the dragon throne in front of them had previously appeared to have lost all his purple qi and had no trace of imperial power.

But what about the dragon's might materializing and the purple aura rising like a storm at this moment?

Everyone was stunned, including Wang Ping, who was about to speak in rebuttal.

He was a veteran of three dynasties, and his mastery of Confucianism had reached a level of perfection. He could not only observe qi, but also see people's hearts.

In his memory, Yang Guang, whose imperial ambitions had clearly been abandoned, was now behaving in a way that was even more exaggerated and terrifying than that of Emperor Li Xi back then.

His eyes turned a pale, glassy white, and through the heavy dome, he saw the purple aura constantly gathering in the sky.

"why?"

Wang Ping couldn't understand how a dynasty that was clearly in decline, with an emperor reduced to a puppet, could stir up such a massive vortex of purple energy.

The ferocious and terrifying dragon head stared at them as if they were lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

"When exactly is it?!"

Wang Ping suddenly raised his head. He finally realized that it might not have been a sudden change at all, but rather that the young emperor in front of him had been hiding his true strength all along, waiting for the day when he was confident enough to launch a counterattack.

"But why wait until the dynasty becomes the target of public criticism before suddenly revealing his abilities? This will obviously do him no good at all!"

Wang Ping felt that even decades of experience couldn't see through the emperor before him. Beneath the emperor's calm and indifferent exterior, his ferocity was now fully revealed, as if the opportunity he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

"What do you want to do!"

Looking up at Yang Guang, who was high above them and looking down at everyone, Wang Ping blurted out what was on his mind.

Yang Guang placed his hands on the armrests, leaned forward slightly, and wore a cruel smile on his handsome face.

"It's nothing, I just couldn't help myself and decided to let you know. Next, it's my turn!"

He has the audacity to overturn the table, and even if the entire dynasty were to cease to exist, he would have the courage to make it start anew!
……

Luozhou.

Lin Beixuan stared at the boy, who was only seven or eight years old and had been brought over by Ma Han, and was speechless.

He looked the child up and down, whose clothes were tattered and whose hands and feet were even worn out, before shifting his gaze to Mahan's face.

"What do you mean?"

"Ahem." Ma Han coughed lightly, clasped his hands together and said, "Lord, I rescued him in Qili Prefecture. I admired him greatly for his courage to draw his sword against evil spirits at such a young age, so I wanted to recruit him into the Underworld."

Lin Beixuan stared at Ma Han strangely for a while, then his gaze returned to Zhong Kui.

The little boy in front of him was looking at him cautiously, his body trembling slightly, but his eyes were exceptionally firm and bright.

In fact, the fact that Ma Han personally brought Zhong Kui to him meant that Lin Beixuan had already become curious about him.

"What's your name?"

Upon hearing Lin Beixuan's words, Zhong Kui immediately replied as if in response: "Your Majesty, my name is Zhong Kui, and I live in Huanghuaxiang, Qili Prefecture, Xuanzhou. My father's name is Zhong Mu, and my mother's name is..."

As Zhong Kui recounted his origins as if reciting a text, Lin Beixuan paid no attention to anything else, focusing entirely on the word 'Zhong Kui'.

Lin Beixuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table, tilting his head slightly to look at Zhong Kui. "You said... your name is Zhong Kui?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui immediately responded loudly, "Yes!"

"You have a younger sister?"

"Yes!" Zhong Kui raised his head and answered affirmatively.

This time, however, there was a hint of doubt in his eyes, and he secretly wondered, "Does the Lord have taken a liking to my little sister and think she is more talented than me?"

Thinking of this, Zhong Kui felt a little disappointed, but he was also happy that his sister could join the underworld.

Having traveled from Xuanzhou, he learned a great deal while following the ranks of the ghost soldiers and witnessing what the world was like.

The more this happened, the more burning Zhong Kui's desire to become stronger became.

He saw pitiful people who had frozen and starved to death by the roadside, turning into lonely ghosts; there were also rural butcher shops that sold human flesh, but the victims were extremely wicked; and there were many more rootless people who were like flower petals blown by the wind wherever they went.

They are like duckweed drifting in a river; wherever the river flows, they are forced to drift there.

Seeing all this, Zhong Kui could even foresee that if he couldn't join the underworld, he and his sister would end up like these people, freezing and starving to death on the roadside one day.

There is an ironclad rule in the underworld: unless something disrupts the order between the yin and yang realms, the underworld officials are not allowed to interfere in the affairs of the mortal world at will.

Even if he had made friends with some underworld officials during that time, he and his sister would not be able to get any help from anyone if they could not join the underworld.

Lin Beixuan looked quietly at the thin little boy in front of him, who was not even as tall as his chest, and felt a surge of emotions.

Is it a coincidence, or is this name destined to lead to the underworld?

Immediately, Lin Beixuan's eyes flickered, and Zhong Kui's destiny information appeared before his eyes.

Name: Zhong Kui

[Destiny: Guiyin Tongpan]

[Guiyin Tongpan (Purple): Naturally suited to traversing the realms of Yin and Yang, patrolling the boundaries between life and death. Luck +50, Intimidation +100, Evil-Dispelling +100. Additional Ability: Yin-Yang Enlightenment Tablet.]

[Purple Yin-Yang Jade Tablet: When Yang energy is excessive, both debuff reduction and strength increase by 20%, granting the ability - Tiger Head Slaying Sword. When Yin energy is excessive, both agility and intimidation increase by 20%, granting the ability - Five Plagues Soul-Capturing Umbrella.]

[Note: The current destiny is in the process of developing. Defeating someone who possesses the destiny will directly grant you that destiny.]

……

"The Underworld Magistrate!"

Lin Beixuan stared at Zhong Kui in front of him, somewhat incredulous, yet feeling it was all perfectly natural.

This is a natural-born chancellor; perhaps even if I hadn't appeared, Zhong Kui wouldn't have died in Qili Prefecture.

However, since the fate of a prefect has already appeared, Lin Beixuan will naturally not let it go.

He gazed at Zhong Kui's short figure and said calmly, "You want to become a messenger of the underworld?"

"Yes!" Zhong Kui nodded affirmatively.

"Do you know that the world in the mortal realm is in chaos right now? People are dying everywhere, which breeds many powerful ghosts and spirits. With your abilities, you can't handle these problems."

There were only three people in the Underworld Palace at this moment. After hearing this, Ma Han sighed inwardly, "So it really is no use!"

"Although Zhong Kui is exceptionally talented, he is still too young. It would be very difficult for him to collect souls and capture criminals like a normal underworld official. Moreover, there has never been a case of a living person serving as an underworld official in the underworld."

Ma Han looked at Zhong Kui with a hint of sympathy, intending to try his best to persuade the prefect again, when he heard Zhong Kui's powerful voice.

"I am confident I can handle this. Please, Your Majesty, trust me!"

Zhong Kui knelt down and kowtowed several times to Lin Beixuan. He lay prostrate on the ground, his shoulders trembling, clearly having used all his strength to say those words.

Lin Beixuan looked quietly at the little man in front of him and said softly, "How about this, if you can capture three ghosts from the mortal world as required without any help from anyone, I will believe you."

"Capture three suspicious individuals?!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Han immediately raised his head, staring at Lin Beixuan in disbelief, and hurriedly said, "Lord, he is only eight years old. How could he possibly catch three ghosts? Even ordinary ghosts are not something that ordinary people can come into contact with."

There is an old saying that there are three fires on a person's body, which are the gathering places of the body's yang energy. Ordinary people cannot see the yang fire on their own bodies, but ghosts and evil spirits can.

When they encounter unsuspecting people in the wild, their usual tactic is to extinguish the person's yang energy, making the person's body cold and weak, and trapping them in an illusion they have created, then draining all the yang energy from the person's body.

Children have weaker yang energy, so adults in the secular world never let children go out at night, because children are less able to withstand the eerie winds blown by ghosts than adults.

But now Lin Beixuan has sent Zhong Kui alone to capture three ghosts, whereas normally underworld messengers operate in pairs.

Although it wasn't specifically stated what level of ghosts or spirits needed to be captured, this level of challenge far exceeded the limits that Zhong Kui, at his age, could accomplish.

“The mansion…”

Ma Han couldn't understand Lin Beixuan's meaning and wanted to plead for Zhong Kui, but Lin Beixuan glared at him and stopped him.

Lin Beixuan snorted coldly: "Is the decision about the underworld up to me, or to you?"

Ma Han was startled: "Of course it's Lord Fu!"

"I have my own considerations for this matter. You go back and do your job well," Lin Beixuan said calmly.

Immediately, Lin Beixuan looked down at Zhong Kui.

"You dare?"

Zhong Kui had been watching Ma Han's every move and guessed that the task given to him by the Prefect was difficult for him to complete, perhaps he wanted to make him give up.

However, after a long silence, Zhong Kui first thanked Ma Han, then straightened his back. Although his voice was still young, it carried a resolute quality that even adults rarely possess.

"I dare!"

"Alright!" Lin Beixuan laughed loudly, "Then go ahead, I'll be watching over you."

After saying this, Lin Beixuan turned around and disappeared into the depths of the Underworld Palace.

Ma Han looked at Zhong Kui and sighed: "You shouldn't have accepted this test. Have you thought about what would happen to your sister if you died?"

Upon hearing Ma Han's words, Zhong Kui smiled and said, "If we can't join the Underworld, my sister and I might die on the roadside soon, perhaps becoming meat on someone else's dinner table, or food for wild beasts. We might as well take a chance now."

Ma Han stared at Zhong Kui for a long time, then suddenly laughed and rubbed Zhong Kui's head with his hand.

"I'm not as good as you!"

"If you survive, I can't imagine what kind of person you will become."

(End of this chapter)