Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Wei Xi asked, "Can't you just visit them in a dream or go to their doorstep?"

Black Impermanence shook his head wearily. "People with official titles carry the yang energy of the mortal world. The higher their rank, the stronger the energy. They have to summon us themselves."

After some thought, Wei Xi understood. One of the methods used by the folk in the past to dispel ghosts and wandering spirits was to invite the seal of the county magistrate. It was believed that these officials embodied the righteousness of heaven and earth and the faith of the people. The more significant the official, the more potent this "energy." Hence, there was an old saying that a hundred ghosts would not dare approach within a hundred meters of a county courthouse. In modern society, it was much the same, except that the courthouse had been replaced by community centers.

The principle was likely similar when Wei Xi had given Uncle Zhao, his neighbor with low yang energy, the textbook on Basic Principles of Marxism. When enough people believed in something, even lifeless objects could ward off evil spirits, let alone living beings. Although Black Impermanence held a considerable position in the Netherworld bureaucracy, the two realms did not communicate. Ultimately, he was still a ghost. It wasn't too perplexing that he couldn't approach the mortal government without being summoned.

However, while he understood the situation, Wei Xi found Black Impermanence's request difficult to fulfill.

As a leader, Black Impermanence was skilled at reading others' expressions, and he quickly noticed Wei Xi's hesitation. "Is there a problem?"

Wei Xi shook his head. "You might not know, but Taicang Sect isn't doing so well."

Black Impermanence was surprised. "How can that be? You've provided over seven hundred job opportunities for us."

Wei Xi replied solemnly, "Perhaps we started too late and our foundation is still weak. To be honest, we're still striving to join the local Taoist Association, but unfortunately, our qualifications aren't quite up to par. The prospects don't look promising."

Moreover, after spending so much time outside the mountains, he gradually realized that his profession was no longer as prosperous as it used to be. Even someone like Kuang Zhiming, a Taoist priest, lived a rather modest life.

Black Impermanence was stunned. Behind his golden-rimmed glasses, his eyes revealed a deep sense of melancholy—life in the mortal world was more challenging than he had imagined. The Taicang Sect's strength was considered quite remarkable among the Taoist temples he had encountered. So how could they not even join the local Taoist Association? No wonder those bachelor ghosts never managed to marry; it was understandable now that it wasn't an easy feat.

The two heads from the affiliated organizations sat opposite each other, sighing deeply. As leaders bearing heavy responsibilities, they exchanged glances, feeling a mutual sense of empathy.

Wei Tianyi passed by several times and noticed the gloominess surrounding them. He couldn't help but look twice—what were they worried about?

Wei Xi caught his gaze and suddenly recalled that this disciple seemed to engage in business activities outside. Perhaps he would have some understanding of the matter. Thus, he asked proactively, "Tianyi, if we want to collaborate with the government, how should we proceed?"

Wei Tianyi frowned, thinking to himself, 'Who the hell are you calling Tianyi, Tianyi?' However, his mind instinctively pondered over the procedures for attracting investment in different regions. "You can apply at the XX office under the government department. What kind of collaboration do you have in mind?"

Wei Xi glanced subconsciously at his disciples. His second disciple had turned away since Black Impermanence started speaking, seemingly unable to endure the conversation. Unity Righteousness, with his limited intelligence, didn't realize the awkwardness of the topic and was still pondering earnestly, "Master, if Lord Black cannot go personally, I'm afraid our sect won't have much leverage."

Wei Xi nodded. Wei Tianyi sensed something amiss in the disciple's words. Did the young man have the surname 'Black'? And why couldn't he go to the office? Was there something wrong with him? Did he have a criminal record?

He immediately grew vigilant. "What exactly are you planning to do? Where is he from?"

Wei Xi replied, "This is Minister Black Impermanence from the City God Department of the Netherworld Administration. He wishes to represent the Underworld and discuss some matters with us in the mortal realm."

Wei Tianyi, who had just given a sound beating to a fraud claiming he could summon the Underworld Messengers to take his soul, chuckled softly. "Huhu..."

The Black Impermanence, an officer in the Netherworld's bureaucracy, had to deal with official matters between the realms, seeking authorization from human government agencies. Huhu.

With a sarcastic tinge in his voice, Wei Tianyi laughed again. "A minister, huh? I didn't expect such a high-ranking official. More senior than that skinny guy's Underworld Messenger."

The Black Impermanence modestly smiled. "Oh, no. I've climbed the ranks from the bottom, all thanks to the trust and support of our leaders and the people. That's how I am where I am today."

Wei Tianyi: "...."

As Wei Chengshu had said, this fellow was truly insane, despite his refined appearance. Wei Tianyi couldn't be bothered to engage them further and turned to leave. Seeing Wei Xi still trying to ask questions, he waved dismissively. "I don't know. Call the mayor's hotline yourselves."

United Righteousness suddenly remembered upon this reminder. "Ah, right! The mayor's hotline!"

After retrieving his phone, he was delighted to find the number. "Master! The news mentioned that the city has been actively promoting development lately. There might be a chance for us to talk directly to the mayor!"

Excited by the concept of a mayor's hotline, the Black Impermanence also perked up. This was great news! He sighed in realization. "Your world's practices are indeed advanced. We don't have such a direct channel to understand public opinion back there. I'll definitely bring this up to my superiors and strive to adopt it!"

Two minutes later, the ghost and two men stood dumbfounded, staring at their phones displaying "Call Ended."

Wei Xi: "Brotherhood, your charm for attracting blessings isn't that great."

Black Impermanence: "Director Wei, your department's approach to soliciting public opinion in the mortal world isn't impressive either."

Tuan Jieyi: "Mm. That's right."

Shuo Zong had long since distanced himself from this group: "...."

Wei Tianyi stood at a distance, watching the entire process of them being electrocuted. Despite his efforts to remain composed, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in the end –

"Madmen."

Wei Chengshu continued to silently wash his rag, hanging it back up in the first-floor bathroom after he was done: "...I'm going racing."

**********

After Black Impermanence had exhausted all his ideas, he said to Wei Xi, "Director Wei, we can't keep going like this. We need to come up with a solution."

Wei Xi nodded. As sister organizations, it was clearly beneficial for Taicang Sect if the City God Office could establish connections with their department. Yet, they were currently at a loss for what to do.

As they spoke, a few police officers who had just finished recording statements from witnesses outside returned. It seemed they were about to leave, and one of them inadvertently glanced over, suddenly recognizing Wei Xi. "It's you!"

Wei Xi's thoughts were interrupted, and he looked up at the officer, feeling that he had seen him before but unable to recall where.

The young officer first looked puzzled, then his expression softened. "Mr. Wei, have you forgotten? We met at the Hong Kong Building. I was the police officer investigating the child abduction case in which you were involved. Thanks to your brilliant prediction, the child was rescued unharmed."

Initially, he had been dispatched to investigate reports of superstitious activities at the Hong Kong Building. The kidnapping incident was an unexpected encounter during the patrol. After resolving the abduction, the officers on duty that day marveled at the man's seemingly supernatural abilities, dismissing the initial report of superstition.

The young officer found it incredulous, struggling to understand Wei Xi's extraordinary display that day. However, regardless, the man had saved the child from harm. Thus, despite his skepticism towards superstition, he still held respect for Wei Xi upon seeing him again.

"Oh, it's you," Wei Xi said.

Construction at the Hong Kong Building had begun promptly without any issues. Developer Bai Hao had personally called to express his gratitude, even hinting at conveying his appreciation to the Taicang Sect employees currently living on the construction site.

Upon inquiry, Wei Xi learned that it was a group of enthusiastic elderly women, ghosts actually, who had helped catch the thieves stealing steel bars from the site. It was late at night, and these experienced thieves operated quietly, targeting when the construction workers were sound asleep. Had it not been for the commotion they caused, alerting everyone, the site might have suffered significant losses.

After this incident, Bai Hao no longer opposed using his mall as employee housing; instead, he actively inquired if noise could disrupt their rest. The harmonious relationship between the employees and their landlord pleased Wei Xi as the boss. As the Taicang Sect's workforce grew, having them reside in the Hong Kong Building would undoubtedly save him a substantial amount of money.

Compared to that child abduction case, it left barely any impression on him. It was only when the young officer brought it up that he vaguely recalled its occurrence.

Wei Xi had no intention of engaging in small talk with someone he had just met. However, as he casually averted his gaze, he unexpectedly noticed Unity Yi and Black Impermanence staring intently at each other.

Wei Xi: "?"

Unity Yi whispered, "Lord Black, if we can't get in touch with the municipal authorities, do you think the police would be able to help?"

Black Impermanence now realized that his initial objective was unattainable. After a moment's contemplation, he nodded. "If it's their superior... yes."

The young officer suddenly felt a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason, causing him to shiver.

At this moment, a bespectacled man in a black suit sitting beside Wei Xi smiled warmly at him, his gaze exuding an inexplicable kindness. "Kid, could you give me your chief's contact information?"

Young Officer: "???"

Young Officer: "Of course not."

"Tsk!" The muscular giant beside the bespectacled man looked at him disapprovingly. "Don't be so rigid. Come, sit down and let's discuss it amicably."

The young officer had an uneasy feeling and instinctively took a step back. "Sorry, I have another call to attend to. I might not have time to chat with you."

However, the other party persisted. "What kind of emergency is it? Come, sit down for a cup of tea!"

The young officer felt a chill run down his spine, but after some thought, he hesitantly turned to Wei Xi. "Wei... Master, since we've coincidentally met, would you mind accompanying us on this call?

Wei Xi asked, "What's the matter?"

The young officer, clearly a materialist, struggled as he made his request. "...It's like this... This police call concerns an archaeological site. Something seems off about the situation, based on the phone conversation. I'm not entirely sure if my suspicion is correct."

As soon as the young officer finished speaking, before Wei Xi could react, Black Impermanence slapped the sofa and stood up. "Alright! Let's go!"

What was the saying about a pillow appearing the moment one dozed off? No, that wasn't right. They were seeking the unusual – that was precisely what they were looking for! Wasn't their expertise tailored to dealing with such situations?

Before asking someone for a favor, one must be prepared to give something in return. As someone who had long been involved in politics, Black Impermanence understood this principle well. He smiled and said, "Young man, we can help you resolve the issue, but once it's settled, you'll need to introduce us to your chief."

The young officer was perplexed. "???"

What background does this person have, and what does he want? Why is he insisting on meeting our Director?

**********

At the archaeological site, many people had already gathered. To Wei Xi's surprise, he spotted the old Taoist priest he had met at Kuang Zhiming's temple, who had brought along other Taoists and magical artifacts, seemingly preparing for a ritual.

Upon seeing Wei Xi and Black Impermanence behind him, the old Taoist inquired, "Daoist Wei, you're here too? And who might this be?"

Wei Xi introduced, "This is Minister Black Impermanence of the Underworld Bureau."

The old Taoist was taken aback, "............What?"

Wei Xi continued, "Minister Black, this is an elder from our local Taoist Association, responsible for reviewing applications for new members."

Black Impermanence glanced at the old Taoist, recalling Wei Xi's previous words, and exclaimed in surprise, "The association that your Taicang Sect might not be able to join due to insufficient qualifications?!"

Wei Xi nodded, and as Black Impermanence thought about the Taicang Sect's level, he couldn't help but remark to the old Taoist, "Your Taoist Association has quite rigorous admission standards."

The old Taoist: ".................."

The old Taoist opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the young man in a suit. He finally confirmed that this young man was indeed permeated with an indelible aura of the Netherworld, similar to the Underworld Messengers he occasionally encountered, only more profound.

Wei Xi had just said that he was... the... Black... Black Impermanence...

The old Taoist came back to his senses, digesting this information in disbelief. He couldn't help but look at Wei Xi with astonishment:

Didn't we just take a bit longer to verify your information because it didn't meet the standard requirements? And you actually summoned the Black Impermanence? !

Young man, place your hand on your chest and ask yourself, don't you think you're being a little too insane!?