Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 28 The Secret of the Cold Stove: Using a mortal body to falsely hold a divine position!

The moment Lu Chen uttered those words, the air in the room seemed to freeze instantly.

"What do you say?"

The King of Hell's voice carried three parts disbelief, three parts astonishment, and four parts barely concealed anger.

"You decide?"

"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand," Lu Chen explained. "I have no intention of interfering with the normal operations of the Underworld. My request is actually very simple, just one thing—the ghost money I issue in the future must be designated by the Underworld as the only valid currency for travel between the living and the dead; if this can be met, this disciple will dedicate himself to the great cause of the Underworld."

Is it really that simple?

"Yes, it's that simple!"

The chilling aura dissipated instantly.

The King of Hell's voice softened: "You don't need to worry about that. Apart from you, I've never seen anyone with this ability. Others can't get involved even if they wanted to."

Lu Chen: "It's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to make it clear in advance to avoid trouble later."

King Yama pondered for a moment: "Very well, I grant your request. If you can truly implement this plan, I will certainly not treat you unfairly; this small benefit is no problem for you. However, if I need you in the future..."

Lu Chen clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, your disciple understands!"

King Yama laughed loudly: "Good! I enjoy dealing with intelligent people the most! Go ahead and do it, I'll have your back!"

Seeing that the important matter had been settled, Lu Chen immediately changed his tune, rubbing his hands together and saying with a grin, "Then... Your Majesty, shouldn't you give me an official position? And some manpower and supplies? You can't let me be a commander without troops, can you? I don't want much, just give me 100,000 ghost soldiers."

"How...how many?!" Even Yama was shocked. "One hundred thousand Yin soldiers? You're going to attack the Heavenly Court?!"

Lu Chen: "..."

"Ten thousand is fine too?"

"I want to eat shit!"

"Is one thousand alright?"

"Get lost! At most, I'll give you a pair of Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons, plus Black and White Impermanence. If you do a good job and satisfy me, I might send you a few more underworld messengers."

"Can't we add any more?"

"What did you say?"

"Alright... something is better than nothing." Lu Chen said this, but he was secretly overjoyed.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence—this is the golden duo of the underworld. Black and White Impermanence are responsible for capturing souls, while Ox-Head and Horse-Face are in charge of patrolling and escorting them in the underworld. One governs the path of the living, and the other governs the path of the dead, which suits his plan perfectly.

Moreover, these four are all quite capable, and could serve as bodyguards in crucial moments. While they might not be high-ranking spiritual practitioners, they could certainly handle second or third-rank individuals. In that case, from now on he'll have four bodyguards of at least third-rank level!

Next time I run into someone like Zhao Zhihong, I'll beat him to a pulp, or he'll write the word "road" backwards!
"Your Majesty, what about the official position?"

The King of Hell thought for a moment: "How about I appoint you as a day-roaming deity?"

"The Day-Roaming God? No way!" Lu Chen shook his head vigorously. "The Day-Roaming God is on the same level as the Black and White Impermanence. I'm the same age as them, how can I command them?"

"Good lad! You're just a mortal, without even a rank. You're not satisfied with being appointed a wandering god?"

“Your Majesty, you can’t say that. A higher rank can have a huge impact. If I were to be on the same level as them, I would definitely be constrained in my work, which would really make it difficult for me to carry out my duties.” Lu Chen said sincerely, “Without that confidence, it would be difficult to get things done.”

"Then... how about appointing you as the judge of Dangyang?"

"Judge? Still won't do." Lu Chen continued to shake his head.

"Why is that? The judge can command the underworld officials, so why can't he?"

"Your Majesty, I am a vanguard general tasked with expanding the territory of the underworld. Giving me a clerical position is not appropriate."

"Then... I'll send you to the City God Temple and give you a nominal position as the Deputy City God, is that alright?"

The City God is a local official appointed by the Heavenly Court. He not only protects the peace of the local area but also helps handle affairs in the underworld. Strictly speaking, he is also the leader of the Black and White Impermanence and the Day and Night Wandering Gods.

As a deputy, the City God was a fairly high-ranking official.

But Lu Chen thought about it for a moment and still shook his head: "Your Majesty, it still won't work."

"You audacious brat!" King Yama roared. "This won't work, that won't work, what exactly do you want?"

Lu Chen calmly explained, "Your Majesty, think about it. What I'm going to do is something that affects the entire mortal realm. If I only hold the position of Deputy City God, wouldn't that confine me to one city? How can I possibly carry out my duties?"

"This..." Upon hearing this, Yama actually found it somewhat reasonable. "Then tell me, what official position do you want? Perhaps I could offer you this seat?"

"Your Majesty is joking," Lu Chen waved his hand. "How about this? I'm going to do something earth-shattering, so the official position can't be based on the old rules. How about you appoint me as a Grand General? That would be perfect for my role as a vanguard!"

"General?" Yama was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You cunning little rascal, you're really full of tricks. Fine, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine, you won't be satisfied."

"I will grant your wish and bestow upon you the title of [General of the Underworld, Mighty and Upright], and grant you my royal decree, which allows you to communicate with the spirit world and command the underworld officials."

"Furthermore, considering your cultivation level is too low, I will bestow upon you additional magical power and grant you three more years of lifespan!"

As soon as Yama finished speaking, a beam of black light flew out of the memorial tablet and entered Lu Chen's body.

In an instant, Lu Chen felt numerous mysterious connections forming between himself and the surrounding world. His five senses became exceptionally sharp, and a continuous stream of power surged within him. Deep within his spiritual sea, a spiritual lamp suddenly lit up, its light dazzling!
"This is... the peak of the first rank?!" With each rank a spiritual practitioner advances, a spiritual lamp lights up within their body. Nine ranks mean nine lamps. And the most blazing lamp flame signifies reaching the peak of that rank!

Good heavens! The King of Hell is so generous! He bestowed upon him a divine title, magical powers, and even extended his lifespan by three years! If only he had done this sooner, it would have saved so much trouble!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Chen immediately bowed and felt a slight warmth on the back of his hand. A ghost face pattern flashed by and disappeared quietly.

"This is... the King of Hell's Decree? I thought it would be a physical token. This is much more convenient." Lu Chen was secretly delighted.

"Remember, there are a few more supernatural abilities in the token, but with your current power, you can only learn one: [Underworld Divine Thunder]. You'll have to figure it out on your own. You cunning brat, are you satisfied now?"

"Your Majesty is so generous, your disciple is deeply grateful! My admiration for Your Majesty is like a surging river, never-ending; like the Yellow River overflowing its banks, unstoppable!"

"Hmph, enough with the pleasantries. I'm warning you, if you fail to gather three thousand incense offerings within three months, don't blame me for settling scores with you! You'd better watch yourself!"

"Huh? Three thousand for three months? Your Majesty, isn't that a bit too high a KPI? Your Majesty?"

No matter how much Lu Chen called out, Yama did not respond, clearly having returned to the underworld.

"You're leaving already? I was planning to haggle a bit." Lu Chen pouted. "Three thousand it is! Old Yama, you probably have no idea how powerful viral transmission can be!"

As long as we can open the ancestral passage between the underworld and the living world, let alone three thousand, even thirty thousand, three hundred thousand, or three million, it is not difficult!

"When the business of selling ghost money takes off and we accumulate enough military merits, it will only be a matter of time before my Lu family is promoted to a [newly noble family]."

With the money problem solved, Lu Chen naturally harbored even greater ambitions.

As the sworn brother of the Heavenly Court's Minister of Finance, the Ten Kings of Hell, the current General of the Underworld, and the benefactor of the Sun family, one of the four great families of Jiangdu City...

How could Lu Chen be content to struggle at the bottom forever?
If others can get into the "New Elite" program, why can't Lu Chen?
It's not just the newly rich; it includes the established families, prominent clans, and even royalty!
If they can be it, why can't I, Lu Chen?

With a surge of pride in his heart, Lu Chen began to tally up his day's achievements:
Advance to the peak of the first rank!
With that kind of skill, if he's second in the class, no one would dare to claim first place!

An average teacher is only at the second-rank level.

Secondly, having obtained the King of Hell's decree, one can command the underworld officials, which is equivalent to having four bodyguards and henchmen of at least the third rank.

Finally, it is to assume a divine position while being a mortal!
You don't know until you summarize, and what you find is astonishing.

This is an absolute steal!
"Sure enough, cooking on a cold stove is really delicious! It truly is a case of 'the bolder the heart, the greater the harvest!'"

Suppress the surging emotions.

Lu Chen then lit another incense stick, intending to chat with the God of Wealth again, hoping that he could bless his future paper money business to take off.

Just as he inserted the incense stick into the incense burner—

"Squeak—Clang!"

The door was suddenly pushed open.

From inside came Lu's father's excited voice: "Old Li, I'm definitely going to play a few rounds with you tonight! Whoever loses the most treats everyone tomorrow!"

"Fine! With your skill level, you'd be amazing if you could even beat me in one game!"

Holding incense sticks, Lu Chen looked back and saw his father, who had gone out for a walk, standing at the door with his chess friend, Uncle Li, from the same neighborhood.

Lu's father and Uncle Li also spotted Lu Chen at a glance.

The latter's gaze unconsciously fell on the Yama tablet behind Lu Chen.

then……

Both sides were silent.

Until Uncle Li let out a scream that could blow the roof off:

"My God! The Lu family actually invited the King of Hell into their home!!"

Then came a series of chaotic sounds as things tumbled down the stairs.

"broken!"

Lu's mother, who had been listening to the commotion outside from inside the room, suddenly turned pale.

Although I knew the truth would eventually come out.

But I didn't expect it to come so quickly.

"Lu Jianming, you really are more trouble than you're worth!"

Enraged, Lu's mother gritted her teeth, flung open the door, and stormed out...

　There will be another chapter after midnight.

　　The author is currently writing the third update, which is expected to be released around 1 PM.

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　　Thank you everyone, I'm going to go write now!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)