Yama Rising

Chapter 605: La Yeon

It was a sweet cinnamon tea that was served cold. Traditionally, the tea would be made by boiling ginger and cinnamon together with sugar or honey, and then cooled before drinking. Qin Ye took a sip of the tea. It tasted sweet, and bore a strong cinnamon flavour. It didn’t suit his taste buds, but it immediately dispelled his earlier impression of monotony that he had of Daeian food.

“How’s your relationship with the Cathayan government?” She suddenly asked.

They’ve probably got pictures of me spreading all across the system right now. I used to be one of the runners for the Special Investigations Department after all… No, in fact, you can say that I was probably a pillar of support for them. Speaking of which, that’s a rather pointed question…

The food was served promptly, presumably because of Lee Jung-sook’s status in Daehan. The first course was chestnut porridge. It looked crumbly on the surface, but the thick chestnut paste beneath was fresh and moist, and yet also tasted pure and sweet. It tasted completely different from the dishes one could get back in Cathay.

“Me?”

She leaned back into her seat, “Both light industries and heavy industries would immediately bustle with orders. Unfortunately, these are orders that wouldn’t translate into any value for the industry. Millions of people in Daehan would be working for you, and yet it wouldn’t pay their wages at all!”

Qin Ye listened intently to her analysis.

Lee Jung-sook was just about to go on when the waiter walked over again. He was a man who appeared to be in his thirties, and slightly on the plump side. He gently set down a colourful tray on the table and explained everything in fluent English, “Platter of Nine Delicacies. Shredded pumpkin, shredded cucumber, shredded mushroom and other shredded vegetables rolled into a wheat crepe and dipped in mustard sauce. Please enjoy.”

But just as the waiter left, his hand accidentally bumped into a cup of water, and a little bit of its contents spilled out and splashed onto Qin Ye’s clothes. At once, Lee Jung-sook raised a brow with a frigid expression on her face, “How can you be so careless? Is La Yeon that lax with their new waiters these days?”

“Forget it.” Qin Ye waved his hand, indicating that they should take their leave. What’s a King Yanluo of Hell doing arguing over something so trivial with a mere waiter? He obviously didn’t do it on purpose anyway.

“Thank you very much!” The manager and the waiter bowed deeply once more, and then hurriedly took their leave.

“I’m sorry, there won’t be a next time.” Mr Zu lowered his head and responded softly.

All of La Yeon’s employees had their own rooms in the dormitories on site. At once, he returned to his room that was approximately 40 square meters in size, which was just about enough space for two beds and their belongings.

“They’re here… They’re finally here!!!”

“No wonder I sensed something amiss earlier! It’s a good thing that I went out of my way to create the right opportunity to spill some water on him!!”

Without hesitation, he promptly whipped out his Samsung cell phone, opened up his messaging app, selected the “Fengdu Orphans” group and sent a voice message like a pro.

π: Come gather in Hanyang at once! And if you can’t get here in time, you’ve got to notify us. I’ll do my best to keep him around!”

Daehan, Hyundai Group.

Hyundai Group’s headquarters. They were looking at a bridge that connected both banks of the Han River. Construction equipment roared like a wild beast on both ends of the river. A middle-aged man with an air of somberness about him listened intently to the reports of the two directors standing beside him.

That said, the most peculiar part of the reporting process was that even as the director explained with great proficiency, there stood another man beside him who was translating everything for the middle-aged man. And the language that he spoke with… was none other than Cathayan!

Just then, Chief Engineer Lu raised his hand and pulled out his earbuds and stuffed it into his ears. He listened for a moment, and his eyes immediately gleamed brightly!

“π: Absolutely! I’ve personally made contact with him and verified this information. Haven’t you guys noticed that something has been brewing in Daehan in recent years? And didn’t you sense how terrifying the Abyssal Prefect that had just emerged was? But where has it gone? Don’t you get it? When has Hell withheld our assistance from the Hanyang Underworld whenever something happened?”

“Flaunter: Wonderful… After a hundred long years, we’ve finally been given the opportunity to return to our home. <crying emoticon>”

“I resign.” Chief Engineer Lu looked at the director and spoke firmly.

“Translate this for me.” Chief Engineer Lu glanced at him, “I’ve been engaged on an annual basis to begin with. It’s already October, so it’s just about right that I tender my resignation this year. There’s no need to renew my contract this year.”

The entire scene was filled with silence. A few seconds later, the director yelled at the top of his voice, “Senior! You can’t leave just like that!!”

“There’s no need…” Chief Engineer Lu gazed to the west, almost as though he could see the faint traces of Hell across the horizon.

…………………………………………

“So, Samsung is looking to expand its operations.” Lee Jung-sook explained indifferently, “Cathay is obviously a good place to start. This won’t be the first time we’ve made a foray into the market, so people will already know a thing or two about our products. But this time, I intend to personally helm operations there and stand toe to toe against the top dogs, Xiaomi and Huawei.”

Lee Jung-sook sneered, “Make no mistake - we live in a capitalist world.”

She sat upright and smiled as she lifted her glass, “So, Mr Qin, I hope you’ll look out for me in future. At the very least, I can rest assured knowing that you’ve got my back.”

She’s looking for a backing before making a move?

They continued to chat for a little while. Lee Jung-sook essentially wanted Qin Ye to guarantee her safety and even sign an agreement with Hell seeking an assurance that no supernatural incidents would break out in Samsung’s factories and work sites. In turn, Qin Ye proposed a fee for his troubles. Broadly speaking, they managed to come to a landing on the value of approximately one million RMB in respect of Samsung’s main factory per year of operations, which would be converted into objects and items to be sent directly to Hell.

The food was great, and Qin Ye continued to enjoy the delectable cuisine that had been served to him. He had gained much from this trip to Daehan. All that remained were the upcoming negotiations with Rumyantsev and Liu Yu. He was intensely pleased with the outcome. In fact, he was so pleased that he even began to contemplate developing his relationship with Lee Jung-sook.

It wasn’t a matter of the utmost urgency. After all, both sides had matters of great importance that they had to attend to.

Is this… Yin energy?

But why didn’t I sense anything earlier? Why did I only sense it when the latent Yin energy manifested itself?