I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

The first one to arrive was the Xie Zhi.

In the garden, dewdrops clung to the manicured lawn, and Song Mo had arranged a mushroom circle on the grass.

What?

If you ask where the mushrooms come from if it doesn't rain?

"There are oyster mushrooms in the fridge. Anyway, mushroom rings are just a recipe, and I reserve the right to interpret it."

At the end of the Song Dynasty, a huge circle was made of oyster mushrooms. Soon, a wind blew out of the circle, the ground trembled slightly, and accompanied by the smell of incense and paper money, the Xie Zhi appeared in the garden.

[...]

It moved its clear black and white eyes, seemingly observing its surroundings. Its distinct black and white fur flicked, and then it opened its mouth, exhaling a very thin, long plume of white mist.

"call--"

The white mist rose and lingered for a long time, shrouding the entire hillside villa in wisps.

Looking down from above and at the foot of the mountain, all you can see is a hazy layer of green.

[Mother.]

The Xie Zhi shook its head, landed gently on the ground, walked over on its four legs, and rubbed against Song Mo with great restraint.

— Its large, curved tail, which resembled that of a canine, was wagging wildly, clearly revealing its emotions.

Azhu and Ayan stood to the side, not daring to move.

They are fierce ghosts from the underworld, and naturally fear the underworld officials and judges, not to mention that the Xie Zhi is a divine beast.

The Xie Zhi glanced at the two siblings, said nothing, and simply shrank its body naturally, shrinking again and again until it was only the size of a kitten.

[Mother, you really should move.]

It spun around once, then lay down beside Song Mo's legs. Its single horn had shrunk to the size of a fingernail, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

[The previous residence was too cramped and could easily frighten ordinary people who were unaware of the situation.]

[It wouldn't be cheap for me to go and visit.]

"This is the key point, isn't it?"

At the end of the Song Dynasty, he picked up the Xie Zhi, stroked its horn on its forehead, and praised it:

"You've been doing a great job lately, thank you for your hard work."

[……Um.]

The Xie Zhi flicked its tail, then buried its head in Song Mo's shoulder, its chin slightly raised.

[The construction of the first and second layers of hell is basically complete, and the recruitment examinations for the underworld officials have reached their eleventh session. Preparations are underway for the next quarter's assessments of the city gods in various regions.]

"The first level is the Hell of Tongue-Pulling. Anyone who sows discord, insults or attacks others, or instigates others to be injured or killed will enter this place after death."

The current proposed punishment involves a demon prying open the sinner's mouth, clamping the tongue with iron pliers and stretching it until it is pulled out, then applying medicine, and finally grinding it on a stone mill after it has healed.

The second level, "The Scissors Hell," is where those who traffic in people, causing separation from family and friends, have their twenty fingers cut off, then are sliced ​​into pieces with scissors and sewn back together.

While holding the xiezhi (a mythical beast), Song Mo explained as she roasted meat, completely unaware of the terrifying things she was about to reveal:

"However, many criminal laws need to be updated with the times. If it's a stone mill, we can replace it with a soy milk maker, put the ghosts in, and 'thud' it into a paste, then let them piece it back together themselves."

"You can replace the scissors with a pathology microtome; that cuts into smaller pieces, slice by slice, so you'll feel more pain."

—Ah Yan and Ah Zhu, who were eating meat skewers and incense next to them, suddenly felt no longer hungry.

……

……

"However, we shouldn't rush to put these into use. It would be best to test them on a group of sinful souls first."

"Once the player lobby opens in a couple of days, oh, that is, once the Lan Garden Secret Realm opens and the player rankings are released, everyone's attention to the Underworld won't be as high anymore."

The Xie Zhi listened intently, its ears twitching every now and then.

[I'll try using the sinful souls first; my mother's suggestion is truly refreshing.]

"Everyone needs a rest sometimes."

Song Mo rubbed the back of the neck of the Xie Zhi brand cat: "But let's eat first tonight, and we can talk about everything else tomorrow."

As soon as he finished speaking, the mushroom circle lit up again.

First, a brown-furred fancy mouse appeared on the ground, then a string of them, and finally a large clump.

"My lord, you've moved to your new home. Your servant, the mouse, has come especially to offer my congratulations!"

The rat servant, dressed in a funeral shroud and adorned with dozens of baby rats who had come to freeload, grinned widely.

"This is just a small gift, please accept it—have you eaten?"

It carried a large willow basket filled with all sorts of seasonal fruits and medicinal herbs: bright yellow pomelos, plump oranges, white cherries as big as a thumb, and ginseng, poria cocos, and dendrobium orchids haphazardly stuffed in.

"What live streams have you been watching lately? Where did you learn that accent? Find yourself a place to stay later and settle your little rats in, but tell them they're not allowed to steal food or gnaw on wood."

When Song Mo received the fruit basket, he was somewhat amused and exasperated to find a crooked "囍" character on the pomelo peel, which looked as if it had been gnawed out with teeth.

"You're already carrying luggage, and you're still saying you weren't prepared in advance?"

The mouse servant had dozens of small mice of various sizes and colors hanging on its back, shoulders, and tail, chirping and chattering all around it.

—Some of the little mice were carrying packages the size of oranges, clearly indicating they were planning to move.

The rat servant used to have a family at home, but the rats were afraid of the evil spirit and dared not approach.

Now things are great. The hillside mansions are surrounded by mountains, so rats can live in the houses whenever they want and dig holes outside whenever they want.

……

……

"Hehehehehehe, you've had too many babies, there's no room left in my house. You have such keen eyes, sir."

The rat servant's eyes darted around, and it was about to pounce on Song Mo:

"My lord, your newest rat servant has been working very diligently lately, and even on days when the dungeon is closed, he keeps your teachings in mind..."

But it had only run halfway when it saw the xiezhi in Song Mo's arms, and its fur stood on end. With a screech, it braked abruptly—

"Cat!!! What a fierce cat!!"

"Kids! Get out of here!"

The little mice scattered and fled in all directions with a "whoosh," some burrowing into the grass, some jumping onto the artificial hill, and some clutching the ears of their servant mice and screaming loudly.

The mouse servant wanted to run away, but its legs gave way, so it could only shrink behind A'Zhu, revealing only half of its face and a terrified eye:

"Mr. Mr ...

The rat servant couldn't discern the original form of the Xie Zhi, but could distinguish it by its scent:

This is a huge, terrifying beast that could devour it at any moment.

……

……

"Xiezhi, this is a rat servant. Its rat offspring are scattered all over the world. It is the perfect tool to gather information and deliver messages."

At the end of the Song Dynasty, he patted the back of the xiezhi (a mythical beast), turned around, stood up, and tugged at the ear of the big rat:

"This is the Xie Zhi, the Left Judge of the Underworld, who only eats spiritual fruits and the souls of the most wicked."

The mouse servant then cautiously poked half its head out, while Ah Yan stood beside it, laughing incessantly.

The Xie Zhi jumped down from Song Mo's arms and tilted its head:

[What's the longest lifespan of any rodent? You're the longest-living mouse I've ever seen.]

The mouse servant squeaked, fearing the judge before it would kill it: "Th-thank you for your praise, Judge!"

[Why are there so few rat spirits?] Xie Zhi asked again.

The mouse squeaked twice, its tail tip twitching.

"Because we have small brains, all we do is eat and reproduce. We don't have the same emotions and desires as humans. After death, our souls immediately disperse."

[What is the maximum number of spies your rodent intelligence network can provide?]

The mouse stopped squeaking. It looked at A'Zhu with its human eyes, then at Song Mo, as if waiting for someone to save it.

Azhu lowered her head and kicked it without making a sound.

This idiot! So many monsters and city gods outside are desperately trying to squeeze into the underworld system, and now the underworld's direct leaders are right in front of it, and it actually wants to run away?

The kick wasn't heavy, but it pushed the rat servant forward two inches. The big rat stumbled and stopped right in front of the xiezhi.

It raised its head, its smile more painful than a grimace, forcing out an extremely obsequious one:

"My lord, I will tell you everything I know..."

At the end of the Song Dynasty, he turned his face away.

She knew this would happen. Xie Zhi was a workaholic, and now the underworld was in dire need of rebuilding and was short of people everywhere.

This leads to children wanting to drag even a mouse to the underworld.

But rats are great; they reproduce quickly, can burrow, can understand human speech, and are small so they don't attract attention.

With a little training, they can take on jobs that don't require intelligence.

Seeing that the Xie Zhi was turning the family gathering into a talent recruitment event, Song Mo simply turned around and went to grill meat.

Out of sight, out of mind.

……

The mushroom ring flashed again.

The grass blades were bent by the wind, and a faint smell of asphalt filled the air. An old-fashioned bus suddenly appeared on the lawn.

It "squeezed" out directly from the mushroom-shaped enclosure, its headlights flashing like someone just waking up.

When it saw the end of the Song Dynasty, the whole car beeped twice in a coquettish manner, and a few puffs of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe.

"Come here, I'll upgrade your account."

Song Mo walked over and patted the hood of the car: "I'll wash your car again—"

Inside the 404 bus, two permanent NPCs stood still, like dolls displayed in a shop window, each more exquisite than the last.

"Beep beep beep!"

The bus ghost beeped loudly, like a giant tin dog frantically swinging its windshield wipers.

Song Mo patted it a couple more times, and it slowly calmed down, obediently lying down to the side and munching on low-level materials.

Just then, Song Mo felt a sudden darkness above his head as something flew past.

She looked up and saw a tall creature with an owl-like face and a bird-like body swooping down from the sky.

This beautiful, eerie creature spread its wings, its grayish-brown feathers gleaming in the moonlight, and its belly tinged with a faint white.

Just as it was about to hit the ground, the bird suddenly let out a "caw" and swooped straight towards Song Mo—

Azhu and Ayan simultaneously revealed their hideous, ghostly forms, their fingernails growing wildly and their hair moving without wind.

The mouse peeked out from behind the grill and then shrank back inside.

The bus was honking urgently, almost like it was cursing, but the Xie Zhi (a mythical beast) didn't move. It looked up, glanced at the bus, and said soothingly:

[That must also be a creation of my mother.]

This was the first female demon that heralded death, created at the end of the Song Dynasty.

The succubus did not harm anyone. She simply rolled Song Mo up completely, her two claws, covered in scales and feathers, gently gripping Song Mo's back and waist.

She hugged Song Mo like a child hugging a mother she hadn't seen in a long time, letting out a series of screams.

The sound was thin and long, like the mournful cry of someone who had lost a loved one. Then the female demon flapped her wings and carried Song Mo into the sky.

……

……

"quack--"

Someone rolled down the car window, revealing half their face; it was the man who had sneaked into the rented house at the end of the Song Dynasty earlier.

"Where did that owl come from? And why is it suddenly foggy?"

No one answered him. The people in the car silently got out and began to put on their equipment, covering their faces and putting on bulletproof vests. Someone took a gun from a small pouch.

Since the introduction of player backpacks and items, the difficulty of customs work has increased significantly.

The fog at the hillside villa was getting thicker and thicker.

The shadow of a tree stump flashed by in the bushes by the roadside.

"Let's get started."

The man put on his mask, pulled the safety on his gun, his eyes filled with a sinister and determined look:

"This place is practically a natural hunting ground."