Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Wei Xi was at the local City God Temple when the messenger who had given him the certificate suddenly reappeared, informing him that the official in charge of processing the formalities for the Taicang Sect had arrived from Fengdu. The official’s rank was higher than that of the Taicang Sect leader; he was rumored to be a minister. At the suggestion of his eldest disciple, Tuan Tuanyi, Wei Xi, a division-level cadre, decided to abide by official protocol and, along with his disciples, go to greet him.
The number of worshippers at the City God Temple in Beijing far exceeded that of the Taicang Temple. Even on days other than holidays, the temple was packed with people, and the incense smoke was so thick it was almost suffocating.
Wei Xi was incredibly envious: “Compared to this place, even the incense offerings at Fellow Daoist Kuang’s temple seem a bit lacking.”
You should know that he had admired Liandu Temple before this.
“Of course,” Tuan Tuanyi said. “The City God Temple is a long-established local institution, and it’s officially operated with chain stores all over the country, which means it has distribution points all over the country. Liandu Temple only has one location, so its popularity is definitely not as good as it.”
Wei Xi was increasingly tempted by what he said; without fame, wouldn’t it be the same as having no followers? To be honest, Tuan Tuanyi was also quite interested. After persuading his master in the morning, he even made a special call to Qiu Guokai, an insider, to inquire about the feasibility. At that time, Qiu Guokai’s reply on the other end of the phone was: “…. Wake up.”
Superstitious content could not be shown on television, a fundamental problem that even wealthy industry moguls like Qiu Guokai could not solve: “With the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Radio and Television reviewing it, you can forget about it! Forget about Taoist temples, our company’s new drama last year, which didn’t even have any ghosts in it, still couldn’t be broadcast on satellite TV because the main characters didn’t meet the core socialist values!”
Wei Xi thus learned of two incredibly powerful and mysterious organizations— the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Culture. They were essentially boss-like entities.
Looking at the throngs of worshippers from other organizations around him, and thinking of his failed business plan, he frowned deeply: “I don’t know how to get them to agree.”
Tuan Tuanyi chuckled and said, “Anyway, if there’s no shady deal, we can only hope that some leaders will come to our house to sign up for membership cards.”
Shuo Zong: “…”
This pair of idiot master and apprentice were constantly challenging his worldview.
Wei Xi snapped out of his daze and exclaimed in surprise, “The underworld messenger said he was going to pick someone up, why hasn’t he returned yet?”
“And there are just too many people around here, aren’t there?” Tuan Tuanyi said, bewildered. “Where is the leader going to come out from? In broad daylight, with so many believers here, won’t it scare people?”
He vividly remembered the chilling wind that the underworld messenger had brought when he collected souls in the hospital. He wondered if this big boss’s entourage would be even more extravagant today. A sudden chilling wind was bound to scare people.
Just then, a clear male voice came from behind them: “Is this Director Wei?”
Tuan Tuanyi subconsciously turned his head to look after his master, and then: “………………”
In the main hall of the City God Temple, a young man stood behind the threshold with his hands behind his back. He was wearing a black suit, his clothes were neat and sharp, his leather shoes were shiny, he had a pompadour hairstyle and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He had an incredibly stylish demeanor, comparable to Curly-haired Wei Xi.
The worshippers carrying incense as they entered the main hall seemed to see him and couldn’t help but glance at him sideways, because he didn’t seem like he should be in a place like the City God Temple at all. He looked more like a high-earning professional living in the CBD, or the kind of person who studied art abroad and became a materialist.
While peeking around, the worshippers rubbed their arms and asked the people next to them, “Why is it so cold in the main hall?”
Of course it’s cold! Tuan Tuanyi thought, “Do you know how many underworld messengers are surrounding this man? If you walk through their bodies now, they’ll turn around and glare at you!”
Wei Xi nodded calmly: “It’s me.”
The man wore a very official smile and strode over, finally exuding an air of authority: “Director Wei, hello, I am Fan Wujiu, the deputy minister of the City God Department of the Underworld.”
Wei Xi shook hands with him, a little confused, while Tuan Tuanyi was equally bewildered: “This name sounds familiar…”
Shuo Zong opened his mouth, looked at the man in the suit in front of him, and felt that he had a lot of complaints but nowhere to vent them: “…You can also call him Black Impermanence.”
Tuanyi: “……………………Wow, that’s really unexpected.”
Okay, he’s definitely different from ordinary underworld messengers. He looks really rich, wearing an Armani suit and a Hermes belt…
Seeing him staring at his belt, Black Impermanence, seemingly afraid of causing a misunderstanding, quickly explained, “This is a gift I won at the Underworld’s annual meeting, not a gift from a believer.”
Tuan Tuanyi exclaimed, “Your Underworld’s annual party is so expensive…”
Black Impermanence laughed heartily: “There have been many ghosts in the past few decades, so the GDP has grown quite fast. We’re all brother departments now. If you’re interested, you can come down and attend this year’s annual meeting together.”
Tuan Tuanyi: “…”
After saying this, he ignored Tuan Tuanyi’s bewildered expression and shook hands with Wei Xi again, saying, “To build a new underworld and solve the problem of the ghosts lingering in the underworld, what we need are insightful people like Director Wei. Only by working together in the mortal and underworld worlds can we truly implement the new socialist development! I am very grateful to Director Wei for pioneering a solution to our labor surplus problem.”
The worshippers passing by looked at the group blocking the entrance to the main hall and said, “…Could you please move aside? I need to go in and pay my respects to the Lord Impermanence.”
Black and White Impermanence were collectively known as Lord Impermanence. When Black Impermanence saw that it was actually one of his followers, he glanced at the thick candle in the other’s arms and couldn’t help but show a pleased expression: “Thank you for your support.”
Believer: “………………” You’re crazy.
Tuan Tuanyi stared at the believer’s distorted expression as he walked away, his expression indescribable. He thought to himself, “Auntie, do you believe it? You just met your idol in person.”
….
Wei family house.
The man with the pockmarked face was still a little confused. What happened? How did he suddenly fall down?
Before he could figure it out, the tall, thin man spoke coldly: “Don’t waste time, let’s get started.”
He walked around the room with his ritual implements, exuding a rather imposing aura. Occasionally, a cold wind would rise from the ground. Wei Tianyi had never seen such a sight before, and his doubts gradually dissipated as the scales tipped more and more towards superstition. Suddenly, the tall, thin Taoist priest, who seemed to float like an immortal, stopped and said to him, “Give me your family’s birth dates and times.”
Wei Tianyi asked instinctively, “What is that?”
The tall, thin man was nearly driven mad with anger. This damn Taoist temple was even more dangerous than he had imagined! The people in the temple didn’t even know what birth dates and times were!
The chubby boy couldn’t help but sigh, “Sigh!”
The sigh was full of meaning, and the tall, thin man felt deeply humiliated, barely able to suppress his anger: “It’s your whole family’s birth dates.”
Wei Tianyi replied cutely, “It’s still early.”
Tall, thin man: “………………”
Who the hell wants to celebrate your birthday!
“Give it to me! Give it to me!!!”
Wei Tianyi frowned. Although he felt that this person should be capable, he was not used to being bossed around. Why was this Taoist priest acting this way?
Seeing that things were not going well, Xing Kai quickly stepped forward to persuade him: “Uncle Wei, this is what the Taoist priest needs for his ritual. He told you to give it to him, so give it to him quickly.”
Wei Tianyi vaguely felt something was strange: “What kind of magic is he going to do? Why does he need to use our whole family’s birthdays for?”
The tall, thin man gritted his teeth and said, “Or it can be just for your eldest son.”
Wei Tianyi remained wary: “Why do you need his birthday?”
The tall, thin man knew it wouldn’t be that easy, and patiently said, “Give it to me first, I need it.”
Wei Tianyi was skeptical and turned to ask Shu Wanrong, “When was Wei Xi born?”
Shu Wanrong didn’t know either, so she took out her phone and said, “Wait while I search on Baidu Baike. I remember he has a fan entry editor.”
The tall, thin guy: “???”
The chubby boy exclaimed, “Wow, this family is amazing!”
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