Yama Rising

City of Salvation, Hell.

They were all built in variegated styles, including modern western minimalist styles with reinforced concrete structures and tempered glass facades, as well as ancient Cathayan courtyards in the middle. These buildings had all been erected in concentric rings built around Hell’s Gate as a landmark. Hell was bustling.

Today, the buildings were all surrounded by a scarlet silk, both high-rise buildings and ancient pavilions alike. The streets were lined with festive lanterns that emitted a soft green glow, while countless Yin soldiers patrolled up and down the streets.

“How young and naive.” A middle-aged man smiled back, “Today, Yanluo Qin will return to cut the ribbon in an inauguration ceremony. Besides, it’s for your own good that they’re not allowing anyone to enter these buildings just yet. They haven’t been tested after all. The smell of new buildings can’t be great anyway.”

“I just knew you haven’t been dead for a long time.” An old man in his nineties picked up a smoking pipe and puffed it habitually. Unfortunately, there was no tobacco in it.

Several young ghosts immediately gathered around curiously and listened to what the old woman had to say.

The young man shook his head.

“But… isn’t that a little bit too harsh?” The young man gasped in horror.

“That’s right!” The old lady slapped her thigh, “How dare these criminals of the mortal realm covet the throne here in Hell? Have you seen the couplet adhered to Hell’s Gate? Who has Hell spared? I think there’s nothing wrong with what Lord Qin did!”

After listening for some time, the young man finally nodded in realization. And then, he frowned, “Then… where’s Lord Qin?”

The old man sighed, “Back then, Hell sent tens of thousands of troops to the Eastmount Province. I’ve heard that they managed to take the city that they were sieging. And then, he set up a permanent residence over there, from which he would remotely issue orders to the office back here… If I had to say it--...”

The old lady also glanced over, but she shook her head and sighed, “It’s only been two years… Who could’ve imagined that the desolate lands that Hell once used to be could undergo such a massive transformation in such a short time?”

Almost as though they were affected by a contagion of sorts, the Yin spirits standing around promptly swept their gaze beyond the bamboo forest and gazed at the vast courtyard behind them.

Qin Gardens Phase One!

A tall building sat right under the shade of the colossal ancient pine trees and within the natural fence formed by the bamboo forest.

Every day, and every night, countless Yin spirits came here to peek through the gaps in the bamboo forest. The elegance of the development touched their hearts. Furthemore, many of the Yin spirits had never experienced the life of a gated community that allowed them to both live individually, yet interact with a community around them as well. This excited many young Yin spirits. Meanwhile, the older Yin spirits couldn’t help but find such lodging nostalgic to them.

The only difference was that things used to be a lot simpler back then.

Qin Gardens Phase One was a luxurious and elegant development that stole the hearts of all Yin spirits alike. Unfortunately, none of them were able to find the sales department for this development!

“An internal quota? Who decided this? Where’s the transparency in that? Did you manage to snag a place there?”

“What do you mean by tainting your image? I swear I saw you entering Qin Gardens the day before yesterday with my own two eyes!”

The tiff that ensued isn’t worth talking about. Suffice it to say that the onlookers couldn’t help but chuckle at the petty quarrel over nothing. The atmosphere was lively and hearty, to say the least.

The Yin spirits were eagerly anticipating the inauguration ceremony. More than anything, they couldn’t wait to see which lucky soul would be the first ones to get their hands on the much-coveted home!

“Mr Gu.” A man in his early thirties ran up to Gu Qing and reported back, “No problems have been found on the fifth floor for the time being! All ventilation and drainage pipes are smooth and intact. There’s also no issues with the clearance left for cables and fiber optics in future…”

Oda Nobunaga chuckled bitterly, “Mr Gu, there’s no need to get so worked up.”

“How can I not get worked up?!” Gu Qing barked back, “Don’t you know how important Qin Gardens Phase One is? You and I both know exactly what it represents! Project acceptance is one thing, but who’s going to take responsibility if something goes wrong later on? How can I condone such vagaries in a project that requires precision and accuracy? Isn’t this just a feeble attempt at shirking responsibility if something crops up later?!”

This was Gu Qing after all! He was a construction guru for his time. In fact, the supervisor had probably read dozens of papers and articles personally penned by Gu Qing. How could he possibly refute what he had said?

Oda Nobunaga waved his hand dismissively, and the supervisor promptly slunk away. He then accompanied Gu Qing with the rest of the inspections, “Mr Gu, what gives, huh?”

“Can’t possibly change it now.” Oda Nobunaga glanced around, and then whispered, “Whatcha think Lord Qin gonn’ do?”

“I’ve thought about the instructions last night, and thought we must chatter…” Oda Nobunaga pulled a slip of paper out from his sleeves. Gu Qing picked it up and took a glance at it, and his eyes immediately twitched.

“The City of Salvation will roll out its monetary system within the next six months.”

Oda Nobunaga was just about to speak when Gu Qing sighed softly, “I get a headache hearing you yabber on with that accent of yours. I’ll do the asking, and you just give me the simplest responses you can muster.”

Oda Nobunaga spoke without hesitation, “Leverage.”

Gu Qing nodded and glanced unexpectedly at Oda Nobunaga, wondering where he’d started picking up a thing or two about modern economics.

Oda Nobunaga’s eyes lit up. Gu Qing continued, “My Lord learns quickly. The specifics aren’t clear just yet, but when I first received reports that works were complete, I immediately thought of using it to promote the monetary system. After all, the launch of any monetary system requires an opportunity. And this...”

He glanced around Qin Gardens, and then turned his attention to the innumerable Yin spirits peeking in, “I’m afraid there’s no opportunity better than this…”