Yama Rising

The kid’s all grown up now…

There was a time when Qin Ye’s first instinct was to dodge and hide. After all, the words ‘trouble’, ‘burden’ and ‘responsibility’ were absent from the dictionary as far as he was concerned. That said, she didn’t find it strange at all. After all, a person who had lived in human society for more than a hundred years while remaining hidden under the radar would undoubtedly be deeply entrenched in the ways of safety, caution and precaution.

In fact, she had even begun to realize that Qin Ye was exceeding her expectations on several fronts.

Thus, for the very first time, she had truly and sincerely recognized Qin Ye as the future King Yanluo of Hell.

Martial prowess was a deterrence, just like how each of the Ten Abyssal Courts struck fear into the hearts of all evildoers in the past. However… the fact that the new Hell was able to experience such immense growth in the span of a single year was a far greater deterrent!

“I’ve got one more question.” She sighed softly, “How did you even come up with the trick of reciting a governmental report to him? Emperor Wu of Song has existed for over a millennium, so how were you so certain that he doesn’t understand a thing about modern times?”

Arthis’ eyes flickered - Ah, that’s right. This man is most adept at grasping the true nature of a person’s heart. He’s practically a talent when it comes to matters of politics!

“Admittedly, he would probably have a basic understanding of a thing or two. But that said, he could never fully understand the things which make modern society tick as it stands right now. Furthermore, there wasn’t electricity or internet in Hell back in the days when he was still around. After a thousand years of being entrenched in his old ways, anyone in his shoes would instinctively begin to resist change or a new way of life. At the very least, he wouldn’t be among the first to abandon the old ways and adopt modern lifestyles. Instead, he would continue to resist change until everyone around him begins to embrace modern conveniences and mindsets. Naturally, he would never of his own volition attempt to understand how a modern day government works. To his mind, his way has been, is, and will always be the best way.”

Qin Ye’s expressions grew ashen, “I once had the experience of being adopted by an old couple who were both in their seventies. They were exactly like that. In fact, most parents who were born in the 90’s and 80’s are already beginning to act this way, much less folks older than them. It’s not surprising at all.”

Arthis sat up straight without saying a word. She flicked her lush hair back like a Head & Shoulders , and then continued to gaze intently at Qin Ye with a profound glint in her eyes - Come, tell me more about your unpleasant experiences of ages past. Let me delight in your misery.

Eh? I’d expect nothing less of Eastsea. To think that the Special Investigations Department would be filled with such illustrious and elegant flora and fauna… His hands began to tap on the divergent buttons on the screen that signified approbation and reprobation.

What else is there to do but to sieve through the options for my harem in future? I’ve even already planned out the preschool for my children to attend…

“Bloody hell!!!” Qin Ye was shocked out of his wits and kicked off the sheets immediately. Arthis had somehow slipped in beside him and snuggled up close with a highly ambiguous posture as she browsed the Momo app with great interest.

Just like that, they locked eyes, and there was a tense silence.

Arthis glared at Qin Ye with great incredulity, and then turned to the blanket, before a strong wave of realization struck her.

I’ll be damned… Do you have problems reading the situation?!

“Get lost! Have you taken a look in the mirror recently? Who gave you the confidence to even suggest that a Rakshasa would even deign to take a second glance at a mere human being?!” Arthis obstructed Qin Ye’s approach with a foot to his chest, and began to filter through the men’s profiles in his Momo app.

Arthis continued to skim through the profiles with great interest as she casually rebuffed his claims, “Lin Han.”

“Wang Chenghao, Ye Xingchen.”

Arthis covered her face abashedly, “Centimeters?”

Just then, the door flung open, “Hey, Brother Qin, our flight tomorrow morning at eleven…”

He was greeted by a rather passionate scene.

He instantly understood everything.

Three seconds later, he gently shut the door once more, “Pardon my intrusion.” And then, he even sensibly tried the handle once more, confirming that the locking mechanism had properly clicked into place.

Then, they even proceeded to wipe their hands in disgust, muttering soft “yucks” under their breaths as they did so.

Neither suited the taste of the other.

How could you even--... Can’t you two leave me in peace for a day?!

Qin Ye’s hands twitched uncontrollably as he fervently resisted the urge to splash his hot coffee all over Lin Han’s face. Several moments later, he finally managed to plaster a smile on his face, “Shut up.”

Qin Ye’s emotions were all over the place, and he rubbed his eyebrows, struggling hard to pull himself together. It had suddenly dawned on him that school term was over, and they had already entered the stage of summer vacations.

Qin Ye returned to his room after some time. Arthis was currently seated on the chair, playing with her phone. Qin Ye kicked her gently and furrowed his brows, “That’s right, where’s Oda Nobunaga?”

Qin Ye slumped back into his chair and tapped on the desk as he muttered back, “He… could he have--...”

“Now that you’ve given your word, we can most certainly expect several feudal officials to arrive at the end of the year. Half a year should be more than enough time to get something sorted out so that Hell is at least presentable. I’m not an expert in this field, so you’ll have to deal with it yourself.”

End of the year… We can consider it an imperial court meeting of sorts. At the very least, we’ll have to show the feudal officials that Hell is thriving, and that there are several great construction projects in the works.

Qin Ye’s first instinct was to refuse. But in the end, he swallowed those words right back where they came from, and then continued to listen intently to Arthis.

Qin Ye sighed in resignation, “Then, what should we do?”

“For instance… where Cathay had its garrisons and vassal states, and who the feudal officials assigned to these places are.”

1. A shampoo brand.