Chapter 10: Bureau of Tribulation Transference and Dogs Not Allowed

The Teleportation Array at the Bureau of Tribulation Transference’s entrance was unusually activated.

The “Gates of Hell” could traverse the Three Realms freely, but its annual Spirit Stone consumption was enormous. The array was rarely activated unless absolutely necessary—yet this time was an exception.

A gatekeeping Nether Soul drifted over to check the residual glow of the array and discovered that Lord Yu had departed half an hour earlier.

For Lord Yu to activate the array and travel across the Three Realms, it must surely concern the life-or-death survival of the Bureau!

As the Nether Soul pondered this, the Gates of Hell flashed crimson.

Lord Yu had returned.

The Nether Soul hurried forward to greet him: “My Lord has returned, you—”

Having been dead for so many years, this was the first time it caught the unfamiliar yet nostalgic scent of food. Its tone shifted mid-sentence.

Lord Yu stepped out of the Gates of Hell carrying a heavy food box in one hand. The contents seemed to still be steaming, exuding the warmth and vitality unique to the Human Realm.

The Nether Soul gaped: “Lord Yu, what you’re holding is—”

“The Director’s dinner,” Yu Qingjian replied.

The Nether Soul stared dumbfounded, its jaw nearly hitting the ground.

Activating the Gates of Hell… just to buy the Director’s dinner?

Rumors had been circulating throughout the Nether Capital that the Bureau was about to be disbanded. But seeing Lord Yu leisurely engaging in such activities, it seemed the rumors were false.

The Bureau could survive another three hundred years.

***

The Yellow Springs flowed murmuring through the heart of the Nether Capital.

The Bureau stood at the convergence of two realms. As the Ghost Festival approached, the Nether Winds blowing from the hellish Yellow Springs grew increasingly frigid, with knee-high snow piling up at the borders.

The Nether Capital was inhabited only by ghosts and Nether Cultivators who had attained human form—none of whom feared the cold.

When Yu Qingjian returned to the Bureau escorting the food box, Li Changsheng was lazily slumped under layers of loose robes, a charcoal brazier of unknown origin placed beside him.

Zou Ji and other Nether Souls were puffing their cheeks to blow on the flames, their faces smeared with soot from the choking smoke.

Yu Qingjian frowned: “What are you doing?”

Frost had formed on Li Changsheng’s feathery lashes. He exhaled a white mist and said weakly, “Saving the Director’s miserable life.”

Yu Qingjian was puzzled, only realizing belatedly—ah, Mortals feared the cold.

Why were Mortals so troublesome?

Yu Qingjian seemed about to click his tongue in disapproval but forcibly restrained himself. With a snap of his fingers, ghostly blue flames suddenly roared to life in the brazier.

Sensing the life-saving warmth, Li Changsheng lazily lifted an eyelid and finally deigned to scoot closer to the fire.

“Who came by earlier?” Yu Qingjian set the food box on a small table.

Zou Ji, who got along with everyone, answered: “That dog Zhang Que. I kicked him until he fled in panic.”

Without looking up, Yu Qingjian said, “Hmm. Three and a half cyan bricks at the entrance were shattered. Remember to send the repair bill to the Punishment Enforcement Bureau.”

“Got it.”

After warming himself by the fire, Li Changsheng finally recovered: “Is the Bureau this strapped for cash?”

Yu Qingjian seemed to have been waiting for Li Changsheng to mention “money” and replied swiftly: “Precisely—the total for these three meals comes to fourteen taels and six maces. Including the food box, that’s fifteen taels and thirty coppers. The Director can just give me sixteen taels.”

Li Changsheng: “?”

Bewildered, Li Changsheng said, “Nonsense. When has Pearl Jade House ever been so expensive? I could get braised pork belly for three coppers, and the waiter would even throw in a pot of wine.”

Yu Qingjian: “…”

Zou Ji: “…”

Yu Qingjian struggled for a long moment, wanting to click his tongue and ask “Did you pay with your face?”, but when he looked up—

Li Changsheng’s lips had been pale from the cold moments ago, but now they flushed with a sickly red as warmth returned. The frost on his lashes melted, and a single drop of water silently fell.

—With that face, he could indeed live off his looks.

Yu Qingjian pressed his fingers to his temple in exasperation.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Li Changsheng picked up his chopsticks. “Why aren’t these jade? There are splinters on these—they’re uncomfortable to use.”  

He lifted the lid of the food box and sniffed. “The braised pork has lard in it, and the roasted chicken has vinegar. Hmm, the osmanthus glutinous rice lotus root… barely edible.”  

Finally, he concluded, “And they charged you sixteen taels for this? Lord Yu, you really don’t travel much, do you? Letting yourself be fleeced like this.”  

Yu Qingjian: “…………”  

When you were bleeding profusely fighting that Calamitous Spirit last night, you weren’t this delicate and pampered!  

Li Changsheng wasn’t just being difficult.  

The two dishes hadn’t been prepared as he requested, and he genuinely couldn’t stomach them. Despite being so hungry his stomach was practically sticking to his back, he still picked up his chopsticks and slowly took a bite of the glutinous rice lotus root, managing only half a piece before setting it down.  

Yu Qingjian took a deep breath, refusing to engage further. With a blank expression, he turned to Zou Ji, who was eyeing the braised pork longingly. “Zhang Que came to collect that runaway ghost from Nanyuan City?”  

Zou Ji swallowed hard and nodded absentmindedly.  

Li Changsheng, having barely eaten anything, set down his chopsticks and pulled out his pipe, lighting it with the charcoal before taking a slow drag. Hearing this, he feigned concern. “If that runaway ghost is dead, the lead in Nanyuan is cut off…”  

“Director, what do you mean by that?” Yu Qingjian said coldly. “I was the one who killed that ghost from the Nether Capital. How is the lead cut off?”  

Li Changsheng: “??”  

Li Changsheng was baffled. “Why did you kill him?”  

“Wasn’t he supposed to be interrogated?” Yu Qingjian sneered. “That kind of runaway ghost from the Nether Capital isn’t exactly tight-lipped. He gave up the information in less than half a day. Once he was useless, of course I killed him.”  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Yu Qingjian might have a sharp tongue, but he was brittle—back at the Dragon God Temple, he couldn’t even withstand a single strike from the Calamitous Spirit and was sent flying, coughing up blood.  

Suddenly recalling the gruesome state of the runaway ghost’s corpse, Li Changsheng bit down on his pipe and fell silent.  

Zou Ji, always eager for tales of violence, pressed further. “So what did you find out?”  

“The ancestral hall in Nanyuan’s City Lord’s residence is suspicious.” Yu Qingjian pulled out a bloodstained paper from his sleeve, densely covered with the ghost’s confession. “Normal ancestral halls enshrine tablets of ancestors, but the City Lord’s residence enshrines a pool of spring water.”  

Li Changsheng exhaled a cloud of bitter medicinal smoke, his brow twitching slightly. “I’ve heard a little about this.”  

Yu Qingjian shot him an impatient look.  

Perhaps sensing Yu Qingjian’s hostility, the Mountain Ghost, which had been circling in the corner, silently transformed into a streak of light and flew over, instantly turning into a jade-green hairpin nestled in Li Changsheng’s disheveled hair.  

Yu Qingjian: “…”  

Yu Qingjian stopped clicking his tongue and forced a polite smile. “Director, please enlighten us. This subordinate is all ears.”  

Li Changsheng didn’t seem to care about others’ attitudes toward him—whether it was due to enlightened detachment or sheer indifference.  

“Nanyuan City is mostly populated by Mortals. A decade ago, a great drought killed many, but ever since Tantai City Lord began enshrining that spring water, the city has seen constant rain, with no more droughts.”  

This should have been a benevolent act, yet the strange thing was that every year, three days before and after the Ghost Festival, horrific deaths would occur among Nanyuan’s citizens.

It wasn’t due to human actions or natural disasters—just sheer, rotten luck, with deaths occurring in all sorts of bizarre ways.  

During his time in Nanyuan, Li Changsheng had personally witnessed someone falling off a knee-high stool. Just a simple tumble to the ground, and the person stopped breathing entirely.  

Yu Qingjian pondered, “That does sound like the aftermath of a Calamitous Spirit seizing Karma.”  

The last Calamitous Spirit at the Dragon God Temple—Yu Qingjian had assumed that anything capable of being suppressed by a Mountain Ghost must be a major calamity. Yet, to his surprise, that spirit was no different from an ordinary vengeful ghost. Killing it didn’t move the Bureau of Tribulation Transference’s Merit Ledger by even a fraction.  

Useless.  

If the one haunting the Tantai family ancestral hall in Nanyuan truly was a major calamity, exorcising it would surely balance out the Bureau’s years of deficits in the Merit Ledger.  

Zou Ji eagerly grabbed his long saber. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”  

Yu Qingjian turned to Li Changsheng.  

Li Changsheng blinked, then suddenly brightened. “Ah, in that case, would Lord Yu mind bringing me back some beef soup from Suiwan Alley in Nanyuan? The vegetarian kind, please. And a plate of cherry-glazed pork. That place is pricier than Zhucui Residence—they charge me ten coppers each time and don’t even throw in any wine. Oh, and while you’re at it, could you swing by Yujing Lane to fetch the silver from my residence? That way, I can repay you the sixteen taels I owe.”  

Yu Qingjian: “…”  

Now he’s ordering food?!  

Yu Qingjian sneered. “What are you saying, Director? You, the chosen one of the Heavenly Dao, so valiant and wise, should naturally lead your subordinates in exorcising this major calamity.”  

Li Changsheng’s attempt to play dumb failed. He coughed awkwardly.  

Zou Ji chimed in, “Zhang Que mentioned that there’s a sign at Nanyuan’s city gates that reads, ‘The Bureau of Tribulation Transference and Dogs Are Not Allowed Entry.’ Yu Ji and I are spirits—if we sneak in, we’ll definitely be recognized. Too risky.”  

After a long hesitation, Li Changsheng finally confessed the truth. “The reason I went to the Four Cities Ghost Market to sell… talismans was partly because… well, I might have offended the Tantai City Lord of Nanyuan.”  

Yu Qingjian and Zou Ji: “??”  

Yu Qingjian narrowed his eyes. “How many fake talismans did you sell him?”  

“No, no,” Li Changsheng took a drag from his pipe to steady his nerves. “When I first arrived in Nanyuan, the Tantai City Lord’s residence was plagued by evil spirits. The reward was substantial, and I stood out among the many ‘masters’ to be chosen for the exorcism ritual. But who knew it would rain that day? During the ritual, I accidentally summoned lightning—boom!—and it… well, it collapsed the ancestral hall.”  

Yu Qingjian: “…”  

So the ‘dog’ on that sign was you.  

The three of them exchanged glances.  

Li Changsheng had no desire to go exorcise any Calamitous Spirit. He’d much rather laze around the Bureau until the Ghost Festival, then vanish the moment the Bureau was disbanded.  

Seeing through his plan, Yu Qingjian feigned a smile. “But since the Director is, after all, a Mortal, infiltrating the City Lord’s residence would be far easier for you than for us.”  

Li Changsheng humbly declined. “No, no, I’m terrible at deception.”  

Yu Qingjian scoffed.  

When Li Changsheng stubbornly refused to budge, Yu Qingjian smirked and played his trump card.  

“Very well. Zou Ji and I will go investigate Nanyuan ourselves. With no one in charge at the Bureau these days, if the Nether Palace’s Sealed Palace Master sends someone with urgent orders, we’ll have to rely on you, Director—”  

“But on second thought!” Li Changsheng sprang to his feet, suddenly solemn, straightening his moon-white robe with none of his earlier lethargy. “As a Mortal, I know Nanyuan far better than you two. Sneaking into the City Lord’s residence would be child’s play—Lord Yu, what are we waiting for? Let’s hurry to Nanyuan and dispel this tribulation!”  

Yu Qingjian: “…………”  

Tch.

Director Li appeared frail, yet he managed to survive. After three days of unconsciousness and only a bite of glutinous rice lotus root, he once again valiantly “led” his two subordinates to handle tribulations.

This time, with the capable Zou Ji accompanying them, Yu Qingjian seemed noticeably more at ease.

Beyond the Bureau of Tribulation Transference lay the Yellow Springs. Yu Qingjian stepped out holding an umbrella, her peripheral glance catching the sluggish Li Changsheng. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “What’s that at your waist?”

Li Changsheng looked down in confusion, his expression stiffening slightly.

The “grand gift” from Feng Hui—the Bone Dagger—was quietly tucked between his waistband and abdomen, emitting a faint purple-gold glow.

Li Changsheng: “…”

Yet he distinctly remembered sealing the dagger inside its box before leaving, hiding it somewhere and even placing a heavy rock on top.

How could it still follow him?

This was downright eerie.

Li Changsheng reached for the Bone Dagger, its icy chill seeping from his palm straight to his heart.

Though it was a rare and coveted Magical Artifact, he felt an inexplicable revulsion toward it.

Just as they reached the edge of the Yellow Springs, Li Changsheng casually tossed the dagger away.

With a *plop*, the dagger spun in circles before quickly sinking beneath the surface.

The Yellow Springs teemed with shattered souls, many of them vengeful spirits struggling with only half their bodies intact, their piercing wails filling the air.

Yu Qingjian narrowed her eyes at Li Changsheng.

This man was clearly a Mortal, yet he seemed utterly unfazed by the presence of vengeful spirits, showing not a trace of fear or shock.

Was he truly hiding his incompetence?

She resolved to test him during their trip to Nanyuan.

Unaware of Yu Qingjian’s growing suspicions, Li Changsheng sighed in relief when the Bone Dagger didn’t return. “Where are we headed?” he asked.

Yu Qingjian snapped out of her thoughts. “Every midnight, Soul Retrievers go to Nanyuan to collect souls. We’ll hitch a ride on their boat.”

Li Changsheng frowned. “Can’t we go on our own?”

“Traveling from the Nether Capital to Nanyuan requires silver for boat fare,” Yu Qingjian said bluntly. “Every bit we save counts.”

Li Changsheng: “?”

They were scrimping on *this*?

Even during his days of swindling, he’d never lived so frugally.

The Bureau was so poor that ghosts had to fight for tree branches to sleep on. Li Changsheng nodded in understanding. “Will the Soul Retrievers from the Nether Capital willingly take us?”

Yu Qingjian didn’t answer.

The next moment, a bloodcurdling shriek erupted from a nearby boat.

The vessel rocked violently as, with a loud *bang*, a bruised and battered Soul Retriever crashed halfway out the window, howling, “Spare me!”

From inside, Zou Ji’s voice rang out: “Boat fare? What boat fare?”

“Not fare! It’s an honor!” the Soul Retriever wailed. “Having Lord Zou Ji aboard is an honor—!”

Zou Ji clapped his hands. “Should’ve said so earlier.”

Li Changsheng: “……..”

That counted as “willing,” he supposed.

The waters of the Yellow Springs connected to Nanyuan’s moat, stretching endlessly. The dilapidated boat, no larger than a two-story building, was packed with Soul Retrievers heading to Nanyuan for their grim task.

Li Changsheng stepped aboard.

The beaten Soul Retriever cowered in a corner, not daring to speak—until he caught sight of Li Changsheng, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head.

“You!”

Li Changsheng glanced over, unrecognition in his gaze. “Do I know you?”

The Soul Retriever, who had nearly been swindled into buying fake talismans at the Ghost Market, glared. “Director Li, the noble forgets easily. I trusted you so much, yet you…”

Yu Qingjian followed behind and boarded the boat, casting a chilly glance in the Soul Retriever’s direction.  

The Soul Retriever shivered under that gaze, belatedly realizing that the Bureau of Tribulation Transference was full of unreasonable and fiercely protective madmen. Survival instincts kicked in, and in a flash of inspiration, he mustered all his wisdom to change the subject.  

“…What a rare, peerless beauty.”  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Li Changsheng hadn’t expected the Soul Retriever, who had seemed so murderously fierce just moments ago, to suddenly blurt out such disjointed praise.  

Flattered, he replied, “Thank you, thank you.”  

The Soul Retriever choked back an unspoken retort and slunk away with a muffled whimper.  

The Yellow Springs were even colder than the Bureau of Tribulation Transference. Wrapped in a heavy cloak that Yu Qingjian had procured from who-knows-where, Li Changsheng found a sheltered spot and slowly sat down.  

He was the only one on the entire boat whose breath formed white mist in the air. Many of the Soul Retrievers had never seen a living person in the Nether Capital—let alone one with such striking features—and they all hid in the corners, blushing as they secretly observed him.  

“Chosen by the Heavenly Dao, indeed… That face is truly one of a kind.”  

“I’ve never seen such a handsome man.”  

“He looked at me…”  

A Soul Retriever who had been emotionally deceived before sneered coldly. “A venomous beauty, that’s all. I advise you not to fall too deep. He—”  

Before he could finish, Li Changsheng seemed to hear the whispers and slightly turned his head to look.  

Clad in a black cloak, his dark hair half-tied with a jade-green hairpin, the moment his gaze swept over them, it felt as if they had been violently exorcised by some supreme-grade Magical Artifact.  

The ghosts collectively gasped.  

The Soul Retriever’s words died in his throat, nearly blurting out, “Are you still selling that Ghost Expelling Talisman?” before barely stopping himself. Coming to his senses, he shot Li Changsheng an almost resentful glare.  

This man was practically a walking enchantment.  

The ghosts scattered in a flurry.  

Li Changsheng hadn’t actually been looking at the Soul Retriever—he just felt something was off.  

Ever since boarding this ship, it seemed someone had been watching him from the shadows.  

Though he couldn’t spot anyone, he could keenly sense the sticky, sinister weight of that gaze, as if a coiled serpent were glaring at him, ready to strike from the darkness and swallow him whole at any moment.  

Li Changsheng disliked the sensation, his brows furrowing slightly as he turned to search for the source.  

Yu Qingjian and Zou Ji were nowhere to be seen, and the Soul Retrievers, seemingly afraid of being exorcised by his gaze, had already fled to the upper deck to brave the cold wind.  

Yet the gaze persisted, clinging to him like a shadow.  

Li Changsheng scanned the area, his eyes narrowing slightly until they finally landed on a figure—or ghost—dressed entirely in black, nearly invisible against the dilapidated deck if one didn’t look closely.  

But the figure had its back to him.  

Just as Li Changsheng was pondering this, the figure seemed to sense his stare and slowly turned its head to look.  

**Magnificent.**  

That was Li Changsheng’s first impression.  

The vast, gloomy Soul Retrieval boat of the Yellow Springs was pitch-black and eerie, yet this figure seemed to shimmer like a galaxy, scattering faint glimmers of light. Li Changsheng’s vision blurred for a moment before he realized the glow came from the golden ornaments adorning the man’s attire.  

The boat seemed to have reached the convergence of the Yellow Springs and the Human Realm.  

The endless Yellow Springs shimmered under the light as the man turned slightly, his robes exquisitely ancient and elegant, a faint smile on his lips. Behind him, a massive silver moon slowly rose.  

Li Changsheng froze for a moment.  

He felt as if he had seen this face somewhere before, yet upon closer inspection, he couldn’t recall the contours of the man’s features—only a vague impression remained in his mind.  

His gaze dropped to the fingernail-sized blue gemstone dangling between the man’s brows.  

A faint array flickered—it was a Magical Artifact meant to conceal one’s appearance.  

The man arched a brow slightly. “You—”

Before he could speak, a sudden sound of something breaking through the water reached his ears. A flash of golden light followed, and a streak of snow-white radiance shot fiercely toward Li Changsheng’s face.

Li Changsheng froze.

The object was too fast—he had no time to react. He could only watch helplessly as it was about to pierce his forehead.

Clang.

A crisp metallic clang rang out abruptly. In the blink of an eye, the man sitting on the deck had somehow appeared before him, his icy hand sweeping forward with unstoppable force.

The snow-white streak, mingled with golden light, spun wildly in midair before slamming into the wall with a loud thud.

The impact was so powerful that it sent a web of dense, circular cracks spreading across the entire surface of the wall.

The pendant between the man’s brows swayed slightly, causing his crimson vertical pupils to flicker with a ghostly light before silently reverting to the ordinary dead eyes of a vengeful spirit.

He must have been a ghost of immense cultivation, his towering frame dwarfing Li Changsheng’s. Despite his efforts to restrain it, an overwhelming, suffocating aura still seeped through.

The man withdrew his unharmed hand and smiled. “Director Li, are you hurt?”

Li Changsheng, still shaken, looked over.

That streak of light was none other than the Bone Dagger he had just thrown into the Yellow Springs.

The dagger pulsed with an eerie glow, like an unrelenting vengeful spirit watching him.

Author’s Note:

Changsheng: Haunted by a ghost! QAQ