Yama Rising

Meanwhile, a row of representatives from Hell stood on the right side of the warehouse. There were 35 Yin spirits in total, including Wu Daozi, an expert in art, together with various provincial and other ministerial officials. Wu Daozi was here largely for his expertise in assessing the value of art pieces, while the rest of the officials were here in the event any important political or geopolitical issues needed to be discussed. There were also experts from Hell here to take charge of the negotiation process, up to the stage when the prices were finalized.

Sure, he might not need to be involved in every nitty gritty process in Hell, but it was still part and parcel of his duty to have a general understanding of the processes involved in arriving at a particular end.

“There are in all seven mainstream sources of artwork in the netherworld.” Wu Daozi took his seat beside Qin Ye and explained calmly, “Cathay, Argos, Alkebulan, Aegyptus, Hindustan, Nippon, and Inca. It is well accepted that great collectibles are produced by these regions, and the resultant art pieces are generally seen as a good store of value. In fact, there are even times when such art pieces can be used as a medium of exchange, much like fiat currency. These can even be liquidated for dark gold or spirit silver easily. The prices of these materials fluctuate from time to time, and the Federation of Underworld keeps the latest updates on the value of these materials.”

Wu Daozi continued, “At present, there are four main mediums of exchange in the netherworld. The first is naturally the system of currencies of each underworld, primarily dominated by the P4 underworlds. That said, our absence over the last century would likely have cost us our international standing in this regard. The second medium is Yin spirit stones and Yin jade. The third would be precious metals, including dark gold and spirit silver. Lastly, the other medium of exchange that is most widely accepted would be artwork from the seven mainstream sources in the world. When Hell returns to the international arena in future, there’s a high likelihood that balance would be restored to this order once more.”

Qin Ye sighed. Hell was miles away from being a threat to the rest of the P4 underworlds right now.

He didn’t want to wait 150 years before opening Hell’s borders if he could help it. That was far too long. Hell had already been missing from the international arena for far too long, so much so that even the Nipponese Underworld and the Russian Underworld had come knocking on their doors. And if such lesser underworlds were already itching to probe at Hell, how much more would other stronger underworlds be making plans against Hell?

Let’s just take things one step at a time… He perked up his spirits and turned back to the warehouse. As they spoke, Yin energy gathered from all directions and coalesced into a porcelain vessel.

“Blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty?” Nadia immediately shot to her feet, “Is it really the blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty? And one used by the imperial army, the God’s Whip, to boot?”

“Unbelievable…” An old man stared intently at it as he adjusted his glasses, “These are all characteristic of the porcelain at that time. Peony, lotuses… It’s beautiful! And those firing patterns, and even the faint traces of Yin energy exuding from this artifact… It’s the real deal!”

The eyes of all representatives of the Alkebulan Underworlds lit up at once. Blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty were considered precious amongst art experts because of the history it represented. Nobody had ever expected Hell to trade away such incredible treasures right off the cuff.

Qin Ye picked up his teacup and took a sip, “How many do you want?”

So valuable?

“Deal.” Qin Ye nodded at once, “We’ll be selling 500 articles of various shapes and sizes this time. As for the specifics, I’ll leave you to discuss it in greater detail with the relevant departments of Hell.”

Did you dig up the tomb of some Yuan Dynasty emperor or something?!

“Our ancestors thank you for your kindness and generosity.” She smiled at Qin Ye, and then glanced back. At once, a dozen or so appraisers and negotiators from the Alkebulan Tribes stood up and walked over to Hell’s tables across the warehouse.

“What makes you think that there are very few blue and white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty in stock?” Qin Ye smiled as he continued, “That’s a misconception arising out of the fact that you haven’t seen the treasure trove left behind by the Zhu Clan. The fact of the matter is that most of these porcelain pieces had been stuffed deep into the Zhu Clan’s troves when they overthrew the Yuan Dynasty warlords.”

“Nothing too significant.” Qin Ye smiled as he glanced back at Nadia, who was now conversing excitedly with the representatives of the Alkebulan Underworlds, “200,000 pieces. And that’s just the stuff that is not so good. We would never sell the good stuff, such as the royal pieces. Don’t worry, there’s plenty more artwork where that all came from.”

Wu Daozi immediately clammed up. Hell could practically devour the entire shipment from the Alkebulan Underworld for free, without having to fork out even a single cent. That said, it was prudent not to do so.

“Now, please take a look at the second category of goods we have for sale.” An Emissary of Hell announced, and a series of paintings appeared in the grand space between the two sets of tables. At once, Nadia paused and snapped her head back in surprise.

Hundreds of paintings all at once.

Dong Qichang, Xu Wei, Wen Zhengming, Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, Ni Yunlin, ZHao Mengfu, Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and so on and so forth. There were paintings from practically every single famous painter of both the Yuan and the Ming Dynasties represented in the series of paintings!

“My Lord… Please allow the Black Mamba Underworld to be the sole agent for this batch of painting! We guarantee at least five times the profit from these sales! There’s a huge demand for such paintings, even within our domestic market!”

As though he could read Qin Ye’s mind, Wu Daozi immediately leaned over and whispered into his ear, “Hell is known in the international arena for a few things, namely silk, paintings, porcelain, and tea. Over time, these have become known as the four treasures of Hell, and of these, paintings are the rarest of them all. After all, painting requires inspiration, while the others can be reproduced with sufficient practice and time.”

Several emissaries of the Alkebulan Underworld immediately ran over and began dragging Nadia back. Even then, she yelled with great reluctance, “My Lord! Please give us a chance! The Black Mamba Underworld has a lot of experience in hosting auctions for artwork! It’s the best choice you can make!”

Nadia was dragged back forcefully against her will. She even tugged hard at the tablecloth on Qin Ye’s table. Meanwhile, Qin Ye chuckled listlessly, “Artists can be crazy at times--...”

Nadia grabbed hold of the tablecloth, struggling against the rest of the emissaries who were forcing her back. Then, just as she lost her grip of the tablecloth, Qin Ye noticed it - there was an incredibly subtle trace of Yin energy emanating from the table, where her left hand had been just moments ago.

How did she manage to do this?

Very obscure. And I can even tell that it was instantly generated, almost as though this rune had already been branded into her bones and her blood. She didn’t even need to address her mind to its creation… His palm emitted a brief moment of black lustre, and then he felt something appear in the palm of his hand. Then, he discreetly brought his hand back to his side and glanced down at his palm. At once, his pupils narrowed.

There was a white feather in the heart of his palm.

It was withered, yet exuded pristine purity. This was the feather of the Plumed Serpent God!