Chapter 142: How to Deal with Bribery by the Elderly? Can a Case Be Filed?

"Let's discuss this much for today." He closed his thin notebook and said, "Everyone, stay sharp. The reconstruction of the Underworld is a project spanning a millennia; we must not slack off. We've only just begun, and the real heavy lifting still lies ahead."

Everyone looked thoughtful. A few words from Arsène made them fully realize what the Underworld of the past used to be.

It was a mirror image of the mortal realm; whatever the mortal realm had, the Underworld possessed!

There were newspapers, gourmet food, residences, transportation, propaganda outlets, various departments, plus things the mortal realm lacked, such as the Six Paths of Reincarnation, the Eighteen Levels of Hell, the Naihe Bridge, the Stone of Three Lifetimes...

There was also electricity, communications... This... was practically going through the entire developmental process of a civilization!

They were starting from scratch. Even standing on the shoulders of giants, how immense was the difficulty?

After everyone had left, Qin Ye rubbed his temples, cleared his throat, and said, "Please have them come in."

He always felt... like the future King of Hell was competing for screen time with a neighborhood committee granny... At any rate, they were still far too poor...

Soon, a group of five ghosts was led in, headed by Huang Liangchuan. However, even though the foremost visitor could have crushed Qin Ye to death with money during his lifetime, standing before Qin Ye at this moment, he was as docile as a quail.

Everyone remembered Qin Ye's iron-fisted methods of obliterating hundreds of wandering souls with a single slash.

"Lord, this old man Huang Liangchuan," Huang Liangchuan bowed respectfully. "When I was alive, people flattered me and called me the Glass King. Of course, now I am simply a private under your command. If there is anything you need us to do, just say the word."

Qin Ye looked at the ghostly spirits with an expressionless face. Not bad, their attitude was correct.

None of the ghostly spirits raised their heads to look directly at him; they all stood very properly, and none of them dared to sit down rashly... In the mortal realm, they were all local magnates. But upon arriving in the netherworld, they were merely one among millions of ghostly spirits.

According to what Arsène had said, if the corporate world in the underworld was to thrive in the future, whether these business heroes from the mortal realm would still be able to call the shots and summon the wind and rain in the underworld remained to be seen.

"You have business?" He didn't offer them seats, asking in a detached tone.

Huang Liangchuan was an old fox who had lived long enough to become refined; he showed not the slightest dissatisfaction at this initial display of dominance, and instead smiled even more brightly. The multi-billionaire of the mortal realm was now bowing and smiling like a temple greeter: "Just a minor matter. To trouble the King of Hell in person is a crime worthy of death a thousand times over. Yet, for the sake of the Underworld's construction, this old man dared to drag a few friends along to pay our respects. We beg Lord Yama not to take offense."

Qin Ye smiled.

"Only this once, and do not let it happen again." Qin Ye leaned back in his chair and said indifferently, "Should there be any further acts of defiance against the government, then... go keep Gao Dahu company. The netherworld is in a special period, and everything must be handled with utmost strictness and severity."

"Understood, there won't be a next time." Huang Liangchuan let out a soft breath. His heart finally settled.

Before coming, they had also considered that this King of Hell was unpredictable and volatile; executing Gao Dahu a few days ago was done on a mere whim, yet today he was grandly discussing ideals and life.

They couldn't get a read on him.

Just now, when Qin Ye spoke casually, it had genuinely made them feel... a brush of killing intent.

"Sit." Qin Ye waved his hand, but not a single person dared to sit. Huang Liangchuan stepped forward, his waist bent almost ninety degrees. "My Lord, it's like this: the few of us possess modest assets in the mortal realm. However, as you know, things from the mortal realm cannot be brought into the netherworld."

Qin Ye nodded. "This official is also curious. How is it that you could casually mention opening up tens of millions of RMB?"

Huang Liangchuan respectfully replied, "My Lord, it's actually quite simple. These friends of mine also have tens of millions in family assets. In fact, once someone reaches tens of millions and above, everyone... has certain hobbies."

After all, he had been a person of authority in the mortal realm, and at this moment, he unconsciously slipped back into his own conversational style, seductively guiding the conversation: "For instance, my hobby... is antiques."

Qin Ye's gaze flickered; he suddenly understood.

However, he didn't interrupt, and Huang Liangchuan continued, "This Mr. Mo runs a feed business and his hobby is jade artifacts. This Mr. Zhao's hobby is emeralds. This one is..."

After introducing them one by one, he said softly, "We all have some private collections, but we died too suddenly and didn't have time to tell our children. I'm afraid it will take them at least half a year of auditing our assets before they notice our private properties. As long as we retrieve them before then... as for the private collections of my other friends, I am not sure, but this old man has... some truly good things in his hands."

His gaze burned with intensity as he deliberately paused. Qin Ye smiled faintly, and the next second, ghostly qi erupted violently.

Caught completely off guard, Huang Liangchuan and the others instantly gasped, their legs turning to jelly, and they all dropped to their knees simultaneously.

Qin Ye's voice sounded like that of an evil ghost: "You were all people of authority in the mortal realm. Have you forgotten what superiors despise subordinates doing the most?"

No one answered.

Huang Liangchuan was already covered in cold sweat, wishing he could slap himself across the face. With the sudden swap of identities and decades-old habits of speech already deeply ingrained, because Qin Ye had been easygoing just a moment ago, he had unconsciously adopted the tone of conversing with his subordinates, completely failing to react in time.

Qin Ye scanned them coldly. "Superiors despise subordinates... acting clever and dragging out-their-words the most."

"Don't make me guess. State your request all at once; I don't have that much time to play guessing games with you."

Silence reigned.

A few seconds later, Huang Liangchuan bowed deeply, his voice hoarse as he said, "My Lord, I apologize. It was this old man's oversight; there will not be a next time."

"Then remember this," Qin Ye said calmly. "The Underworld won't be short with you, nor will it lack you. Don't think that just because you could stomp your feet in the mortal realm, you can flip the heavens in the netherworld."

"The soul of the red-capped merchant Hu Xueyan has been here."

"The soul of Jiangnan's mega-merchant Shen Wansan has been here."

"Lü Buwei, the investor of kings, has also been here."

"Every single mega-billionaire who was richer than nations throughout history has been here without exception. Even the ancestors of flaunting wealth, Shi Chong and Wang Kai, have been here."

A pair of dark-patterned black silk boots stepped right in front of Huang Liangchuan. He felt as though his scalp was about to explode, and his body trembled for no reason, as if his soul had shrunk back in terror.

At this moment, he truly understood what it meant for the living and the dead to be separated by a frontier.

What was severed was not only life, but also status.

Qin Ye's calm voice rang out above his head: "How do you suppose... you compare to them?"

"This old man... wouldn't dare..." Huang Liangchuan replied with a trembling voice.

Swish... The boots in front of him pivoted, and the sound of Qin Ye sitting back down in his chair remained calm. "Then do your job well. My time is precious and cannot afford your dawdling. Get up."

"Yes." The five ghosts wiped away their cold sweat and stood up. Huang Liangchuan let out a dry laugh and this time spoke in a straightforward manner: "My Lord, I have an old residence in Gumo City, inside which... are hidden four treasures. The most precious among them is an authentic Tang tri-colored glazed pottery piece."

He let out a breath to ease the pressure in his heart and said in a deep voice, "Tang sancai has always been a supreme treasure among antiques. Back then, at Sotheby's Auction House, a pair of Tang tri-colored pottery horses sold for a sky-high price of 4.17 million US dollars, totaling 28 million RMB. And this pair that this old man owns... is a Dragon and Phoenix!"

Qin Ye's gaze suddenly flashed, and he almost stood up.

Dragon and Phoenix... Even if used by a prince, it would still be considered overstepping bounds; therefore... these could only be items belonging to the imperial family!

An authentic Dragon and Phoenix Tang tri-colored glazed piece... He immediately asked, "How much do you estimate it's worth?"

"At least six million. US dollars!" As if to make up for his previous blunder, he quickly added, "The other pieces are also quite fine, each worth at least one million US dollars, all of them being my former collections. These four treasures of mine can fetch at least ten million US dollars. Calculated according to the past and present exchange rates, that amounts to over sixty million RMB!"

Qin Ye took a deep breath.

Over sixty million... As expected of the Glass King, his private collection could actually reach such a sky-high price!

At least for the initial phase of the first residential district, he wouldn't have to worry about funding!

"My Lord." Seeing Huang Liangchuan speak up, the others immediately chimed in as well. "Although our collections aren't as magnificent as that, this old man owns an imperial green jadeite piece that is also of immense value!" "In my hands, I have a phoenix seal, about the size of a thumb, carved entirely from Hotan jade, specifically Dushan jade produced from Hezhen Province, hailed as one of the four famous jades of China. Its price is at least five million RMB!"

Qin Ye memorized each item in his mind. Finally, he asked the most crucial question: "How do we retrieve them? How do we cash them out? What do you want?"

The five of them exchanged glances and, as if prearranged, said, "These are all contributions we make to the construction of the Underworld; we dare not ask for too much—just a house will do."

Smart.

Qin Ye smiled faintly and didn't mind.

To bite off more than one could chew at a time like this would squander the favor just established. It was better to let a gentle stream flow long and bring it up later when a suitable opportunity arose.

"As for retrieving them, it's very simple for you," Huang Liangchuan smiled. "If it's truly inconvenient, the key is right under the third rose by the entrance of my villa. The items are in a password-locked compartment under my bed, and the password is 432rew. A small storage room like that wouldn't have people hired to clean it, so please rest assured, My Lord."

Another old man also pondered and said, "Cashing them out is even simpler. The circle of the wealthy has its own circles, and such auctions are not uncommon, though ordinary people rarely know about them. Admission also requires an invitation and verification of qualifications. The organizers are reliable and will not leak your information."

An auction, huh... Qin Ye pondered for a moment and said with a solemn expression, "I appreciate everyone's good intentions. Rest assured, doing business with this official has always been about fairness and justice. What you give today will surely be rewarded another day."

Everyone silently let out a breath of relief.

This single sentence was enough.

Waving his hand to dismiss them, Qin Ye fell into deep thought.

Subsequent funding had been found, but... that was only a fraction.

One hundred million RMB... He didn't know if that would be enough to build this residential district; after all, the netherworld had no labor costs, nor did it need to bear other miscellaneous expenses.

However... even if this time was enough, what about the next time?

This time, it was just a residential district.

It was housing, a rigid demand, and these people were willing to invest. But the next time they built the Soul-Guiding Platform, or the Fengdu government, would they still be willing to invest?

No, could they really encounter so many rich people again?

This time, it was because the wandering ghosts in the vicinity sensed the establishment of the new Underworld and swarmed in. Thinking about it, it was impossible to encounter so many tycoons next time—especially tycoons who happened to have things they could bring into the netherworld.

More often than not, people died, leaving unspent money behind for their descendants, or they had already drawn up their wills long ago.

"I still need to find a long-term source of wealth... The best way is to link with transactions in the mortal realm, currency exchange, but... what on earth am I supposed to use to exchange with the mortal realm? My peerless and breathtaking good looks?"

(End of this chapter)