Chapter Ninety-Two: The Peddler of the Underworld Registry (Please Subscribe)

With the addition of Lin Chong and Wang Yuanfang, the manpower of the Ministry of Nether Records was still somewhat insufficient. Later, Zhou Bai specifically requested Xiao Wu to join them, which just barely made things manageable.

After the group got to know one another at the Ministry’s office, Zhou Bai instructed Lin Chong and Wang to search the entire city for clues regarding the paintings. Because this matter involved a Ghost Domain, he had to be extremely cautious. As for Xiao Wu, he intentionally did not assign him to investigate the paintings.

"Xiao Wu," Zhou Bai said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yes, sir!" Xiao Wu was quite pleased to have moved from the county magistrate's office to the Ministry of Nether Records; his pay had increased significantly, and he no longer had to patrol the streets.

"I have a task for you: go visit the tea houses across Hangzhou, both large and small, and inquire if any strange events have occurred recently. By the way, Xiao Wu, you know how to write, don't you?"

Xiao Wu nodded. "I can manage simple notes, but nothing too complex. I'm not like you, Master Zhou, with an official academic rank."

Zhou Bai then remembered that he was, at the very least, a scholar, though his actual level of scholarship was quite limited. "Be careful in everything you do. If anything happens, contact us immediately."

"Understood, Master Zhou. I'll get to work now. If you need anything else, just let me know."

Xiao Wu bowed somewhat awkwardly and left the Ministry’s office, his back held straight as he walked away.

Wen Meng had remained silent the entire time. Zhou Bai had intentionally not assigned him any tasks, as he did not want to drag him into the turmoil brewing in Hangzhou.

Wen Meng realized this, and with a complex expression, he sighed. "Has something happened in Hangzhou again?"

Zhou Bai shook his head with a calm expression. "No, Senior Wen, you are overthinking it. It is just a precaution."

"Sigh, regardless, the safety of Hangzhou rests on your shoulders."

Wen Meng stood up and walked toward the door. After a few steps, he seemed to recall something and added, "According to what I've heard, the Ministry of Nether Records is nearing the end of its operations in Xuzhou. Once Xuzhou is pacified, I believe there won't be so many demons and monsters running amok."

After Wen Meng left, Zhou Bai looked thoughtfully in the direction of Xuzhou. The entire force of the Ministry had spent months pacifying that disaster—what kind of terrifying existence could have been lurking there? He hadn't even encountered anything beyond a fierce ghost yet; it was hard to imagine what kind of calamity would require the Ministry to exhaust its full strength.

He then turned his attention to his own preparations for the Heavenly Tribulation. Although the spiritual materials from Li the Rat were still in transit, there was no harm in beginning his preparations. Over the past few days, he had scoured all the books he could find on the subject.

The Heavenly Tribulation was the transformation trial that occurred when a demon reached the state of a Blood Demon. The predecessors of the Ministry of Nether Records had utilized arrays to simulate the state of a lesser demon transforming into a Blood Demon, thereby invoking the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation. Only after enduring this baptism could the erosion of the body by supernatural abilities be brought under control. Correspondingly, once the true form was fully mastered, these supernatural abilities would begin to exert a gradual influence on one's three souls and seven spirits.

The longer one persisted under the baptism of the Heavenly Tribulation, the more stable the mastery of their true form would be. Those within the Ministry who were half-human and half-demon were in that state precisely because they had endured the baptism for too short a time. Zhou Bai’s true form was of the Ghost Path, and he planned to undergo the tribulation in the Yin vein formed by the mass grave outside the city, where he could replenish his Yin energy at any time.

The medallion on his chest suddenly pulsed. Zhou Bai took it out and was surprised to find a message from Daoist Hou. There was indeed a zombie at the farmstead outside the city. As expected, it was a Purple Zombie, and it had been formed for quite some time, capable of moving on its own. However, what took Daoist Hou by surprise was that the Purple Zombie not only did not attack him but obeyed his every word. Once Daoist Hou tried feeding it Yin energy, the ghost lost all interest in consuming flesh. The result was that he did not kill the zombie; after reporting it to Zhou Bai, he planned to bring his new zombie sidekick to Hangzhou.

Zhou Bai rubbed his forehead helplessly. So much for hating zombies his whole life! Not only had he become one himself, but he was now planning to take on another one as a subordinate. Still, he decided to let it be; if he ever needed more points, he could just slaughter it then.

The sky gradually darkened, and most of the sun had sunk below the horizon. Zhou Bai continued organizing his notes on the Heavenly Tribulation. After a long while, Yin energy suddenly began to permeate the room, and the temperature dropped significantly. He initially thought Daoist Hou had returned, but he felt the Ghost Tree in his dantian shaking uneasily, and the salt-cured fish stopped swimming in the water, remaining perfectly still.

Zhou Bai stood up quickly. In the corner of the room, he saw a ghost emerging from the ground. Its movements were not fast, but its presence was extraordinary.

He did not panic, nor did he even draw his slaughter blade, because the ghost was wearing the uniform of the Ministry of Nether Records. Its face was covered by a blank mask, and it held a lantern that emitted a faint, ghostly glow, illuminating a few meters around it. The ghost quickly revealed its full form; its head was nearly a meter wide, its back was hunched, and its entire body looked incredibly bizarre.

The ghost traversed several yards in a single step, appearing before Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai couldn't help but feel a surge of tension, mostly because the aura radiating from the ghost was far beyond anything he could contend with; even the Ghost Tree appeared agitated. The ghost opened its mouth, revealing a deep, impenetrable darkness filled with rows of dense teeth. It stared intently at Zhou Bai, seemingly confirming his identity, then spat out a package the size of a human torso and shook its lantern.

The medallion in Zhou Bai's robes grew warm, and the stars on the back vanished. The ghost turned and headed back toward the corner, disappearing into the ground as quickly as it had arrived.

Zhou Bai let out a long breath and opened the package. Inside were indeed the spiritual materials for the array. With the materials secured, the matter of the Heavenly Tribulation could finally be set in motion.

This ghost was a "Peddler" of the Ministry, specifically tasked with transporting goods across the Nine Provinces. The Ministry certainly didn't have only one such ghost; in fact, depending on the cargo, there were likely even more terrifying ones. According to Li the Rat, these Peddlers were elusive, usually traveling through the earth, leaving the goods and departing; most people never even saw what they looked like.

Zhou Bai knew that the Peddlers rarely showed themselves, but he wondered where the Ministry found so many ghosts capable of tunneling through the earth. Since the materials for the spiritual array had arrived, he planned to undergo the Heavenly Tribulation as soon as possible. If any trouble arose in Hangzhou, he would only have the capability to resolve it if he had fully mastered his true form.

However, all of this would have to wait for Daoist Hou to return. As a mortal, Wen Meng could not set up the spiritual array for the tribulation; he would have to rely on the Daoist. Fortunately, the array was not difficult to construct, and based on what he had seen of Daoist Hou’s skills, it should be well within his capabilities.