You, a living person, are telling me I've served in the underworld for ten years?

Chapter 148 Those who use connections are absolutely despicable!
"Haitiange" is a high-end residential community developed by Wucheng Hailantian Real Estate Co., Ltd. It is only a traffic light away and a few hundred meters away from the landmark building "Guomao Building" in the center of Wucheng City.

With its excellent location, pleasant community environment, and good school district for primary and junior high schools, the houses in this community should sell very well.

However, even though the community has been built for three years, dozens of apartments are still unsold.

The reason……

There is a vegetable market right outside the community. Although it is called "evening market", it is crowded with people from morning to night, and it is too noisy!
Especially the street vendors who occupy the road often set up their stalls on both sides of the road between the vegetable market and "Haitian Pavilion", causing traffic jams almost all day long, not even during rush hour!

For the residents of the community, going home every day is like going to war. If they are not careful, they will damage the vegetables and fruits on the roadside stalls and have to pay compensation.

In May, the residents of the community were overjoyed to hear that the land where the "evening market" was located had been sold to China Real Estate Development Group to develop the community. But after finally getting through the night market when the vendors moved out, the community was not built. Instead, they said they would build a "City God Temple" instead!
The news circulated for only one day, while the residents of the community were still questioning its authenticity...

The construction team has already started taking measurements.

The construction team arrived that afternoon, and then various machines and materials were transported overnight. They started digging the foundation that very night, working around the clock, 24 hours a day!

It’s no exaggeration to say…

The residents of Haitiange Community had never seen such an efficient construction team in their lives, so they called to complain about the noise from the construction work at night, but all their calls went unanswered!
There's a small-time livestreamer in our neighborhood with a little over ten thousand followers.

She made a video to raise awareness, but the video was posted at 2 a.m. and the police arrived at her door at 2:18 a.m.!
More than half a month has passed.

The City God Temple was not yet completed, but two smaller temples were completed first.

One temple has a plaque that reads "Zhong Kui Temple," while another has a plaque that reads "Yin Caishen Temple."

"Master Chen, look..."

"This will be the main entrance of the City God Temple. We will build the Zhong Kui Temple and the Yin Caishen Temple inside the City God Temple... In addition, there are the Land God Shrine, the Civil and Martial Temple, the Guanyin Hall, and the Wenchang Hall, all designed according to your requirements."

It is normal for City God Temples to have other temples or ancillary buildings. However, the core deity to be worshipped is the City God. Depending on the local customs, the ancillary temples and buildings within the City God Temple will vary.

For example, in coastal areas, the City God Temple usually has a Niangniang Hall, which enshrines the Goddess of the Sea, also known as "Mazu" in folk tradition. Some areas may also have Guanyin Hall, Dragon King Hall, etc.

Wang Lin has been in Wucheng for some time, overseeing the construction of the City God Temple, and is very familiar with what's happening on the site.

Chen Yang said, "We won't build the Guanyin Hall anymore. Let's change it... let's change it to the Cat Ghost Temple."

"what?"

Wang Lin asked, "The Cat Ghost Temple?"

Chen Yang: "Is that not allowed?"

"Yes, of course."

Wang Lin smiled and said, "Everything will be done according to your requirements, Master Chen... but what exactly is this Cat Ghost Temple?"

"Xiao Wang, it seems you still haven't done enough homework."

Chen Yang said, “In our Northwest region, there has been a tradition of worshipping cat spirits since ancient times… The cat I keep is a cat spirit, but now it has been promoted and appointed by the underworld as the [Nine Netherworld Patrol Envoy], but in essence it is still a cat spirit.”

Cat Master has been following Chen Yang for so long, taking care of his three meals a day and providing him with emotional support. It would be unreasonable if there wasn't a temple and statue of Cat Master in the City God Temple.

As for why a Guanyin Temple wasn't built...

There are reasons for that.

During Chen Yang's trip down there, he overheard some conversations between Lord Cui and Zhong Kui. In short, the attitude towards Buddhism down there is worth considering. It is said that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who vowed "I will not become a Buddha until hell is emptied," is not well-received down there either.

His "divine office" in the underworld is quite high, but his actual power is very small.

The City God Temple is still a long way from completion. Even if the construction team works overtime, it will probably take more than a month to finish. If you include the later stages of the project, it will not be completed until at least the end of September.

However, the "Temple of the God of Wealth" and the "Temple of Zhong Kui" have already been built and have been put up with signs.

Chen Yang placed the statue of Zhong Kui in the Zhong Kui Temple, took out incense, and respectfully bowed, saying, "True Lord, this humble official offers incense to you... I hope that the True Lord can suppress and refine the heretical path as soon as possible. There are too many things to do in the human world; how can this humble official accomplish it alone?"

Chen Yang had already paid his respects, so how could Wang Lin not do the same?

He quickly offered incense and prayers.

After Wang Lin bowed, the senior executives at the construction site followed suit, offering incense and prayers.

In an instant, incense smoke filled the Zhong Kui Temple, and all of it fell into the Zhong Kui statue.

The group then arrived at the "Temple of the God of Wealth." Chen Yang said, "Little Wang... go and fetch the statue of my father!"

Xiao Wang immediately ordered people to move the statue, and soon a statue was moved into the temple and placed in the pre-reserved location.

The statue's height and expression were modeled after Chen Huaiyi. The statue is dressed in a Taoist robe, holding a gold ingot in its left hand and a bundle of ghost money in its right.

The statue was also gilded, and it did indeed have the air of a god of wealth.

Chen Yang offered incense and said respectfully, "Father... your temple is finished. Lord Cui has already hinted that once your temple has enough incense offerings, he will bestow upon you an additional divine position and appoint you as the God of Wealth in the Underworld." Only then will the title "Master Chen" truly be well-deserved!
Upon arriving at the Temple of the God of Wealth, without Wang Lin even taking the lead, the leaders on the construction site spontaneously lit incense and worshipped with devout expressions, clearly showing that their worship came from the bottom of their hearts.

Wang Lin also lit incense and prayed in his heart, "Master Chen, may you bless me to make a fortune this year and be able to get a promotion."

But another thought involuntarily popped into his mind—

Those who have connections are just so enviable!

Just because Chen Yang is a "official" in the lower ranks, his father died seven years ago and his soul was originally suppressed. Now that he has gone to the lower ranks, he not only lives a very comfortable life, but also has Lord Cui helping him open the back door to get a divine position!
After inspecting the construction site again, Chen Yang returned to the funeral home.

Upon arriving at the shop, he called Jiang He to inquire about the situation on the island overseas polluted by the turbid tides, and then mentioned the Flaming Mountains in Xinjiang.

"A source of abnormal pollution has indeed appeared in the Flaming Mountains!"

On the other end of the phone, Jiang He's tone was grave, yet also quite surprised: "The Western Xinjiang branch only received the intelligence yesterday afternoon. How did Master Chen find out so quickly?"

Chen Yang: "The Crimson Tiger Ghost King of Flaming Mountain led his five Yin Generals to the Ghost Market of Western Xia. I heard about it from the ghosts and gods below."

"Has the Crimson Tiger Demon King hidden in the Western Xia Ghost Market?"

Jiang He gritted his teeth and said, "After that bastard ran away from Flaming Mountain, he committed several bloody crimes, causing the deaths of hundreds of people... I was just joining forces with a master from Maoshan to deal with him, but I didn't expect that bastard to be so clever!"

Even with Jiang He's strength, he wouldn't dare to trespass into the Ghost Market.

But Chen Yang is different.

Chen Yang said, "This Crimson Tiger Ghost King is indeed quite bold... Here's what we'll do: when the Ghost Market opens this time, I'll go and take care of him."

A few days passed by in a flash.

July 24th arrived quickly, which was the 7th day of the sixth lunar month.

11 pm.

Chen Yang, along with his subordinates Cat Master, Yang Shuai, Li Ali, and the four ghost gods Ruyi, arrived at the banks of the Qingshui River in Tongxin County.

At this moment, on the open ground by the Qingshui River, Yan Feiying and his thirteen brothers were riding the Xuanjia Mingqi, training thirty-six ghosts.

Of these ghosts, only nine were fierce spirits. The rest varied in strength, but under the training of Yan Feiying and the other thirteen brothers, they had acquired a certain imposing presence.

"Commander Chen!"

Yan Feiying rode up on horseback, leaped off, and knelt down on the ground.

“These thirty-six brothers were specially selected from all directions. They did not commit any great evils in life or after death, but... their strength levels are uneven.”

Chen Yang laughed and said, "As long as one's character is up to standard, strength or weakness makes no difference to this commander."

Since he was forming his own personal guard, the "Mysterious Armored Dark Cavalry Guards," Chen Yang naturally had to put in some effort.

He took out the "Book of Yin and Yang Good and Evil" and used the "Netherworld Soul-Suppressing Brush" to write down the names and birth dates of the thirty-six ghosts one by one. He checked their good and evil deeds before and after death and found that most of them were the same as what Yan Feiying had said.

However, one of the scholars was two-faced.

He claimed to have come from a poor family and studied diligently, but died of depression because he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. In reality, however, his elderly father had exhausted the family's wealth to support his studies, but he was addicted to wine and women and often frequented brothels, eventually dying from venereal disease.

Chen Yang was too lazy to even send him downstairs.

With a single finger, Chen Yang crushed the scholar ghost to death. He then summoned the Yin General's Tiger Seal, bestowing titles upon all thirty-five ghosts, and subsequently conjured forty-one Xuanjia Netherworld Riders—

The reason there are forty-one horses is because, in addition to the thirty-five newly recruited ghosts, there are also myself, Ali, Ruyi, Cat Master, Yang Shuai, and Niu Si.

Yang Shuai was taken aback and said, "Old Chen, didn't you say we couldn't ride the Xuanjia Mingqi?"

Chen Yang smiled faintly: "The Xuanjia Nether Riders are conjured from my tiger tally, so naturally they obey my orders..."

Howling!
Chen Yang mounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and the Xuanjia Mingqi beneath him leaped high into the air.

"Everyone..."

"Now that you have joined the [Mysterious Armored Netherworld Cavalry Guard], you are my personal guards."

"This commander doesn't understand any military strategy... I only know that if you want to use troops well, you have to pay them enough... Commander Yang, pay them first!"

Yang Shuai came out carrying a sack of ghost money, threw it to Yan Feiying, and said, "Take it and distribute it to the soldiers."

In just a moment, Chen Yang sensed that the spirits of these "Mysterious Armored Netherworld Cavalry Guards" had increased significantly. After a sack of money was distributed, the ghost soldiers swore an oath to go through fire and water for "Commander Chen"!

"No need for climbing mountains of knives or boiling oil... In another quarter of an hour it will be the first day of the intercalary sixth month, the day the ghost market opens!"

"You all, I, the commander, am going to the Ghost Market to meet that Crimson Tiger Ghost King!"

(End of this chapter)