His words were sharp and incisive.

“Does that mean I should go?” Qin Ye long to give this a miss, but he knew he had to seek confirmation from Xu Yangyi at the very least.

Of course I don’t want to go!

Isn’t this a huge embarrassment?

I wasn’t able to retain a feudal official under my command, and he’d instead struck out on his own and founded a whole new underworld! How could I even have the nerve to show up?

“Go.” Xu Yangyi responded placidly.

“Alright, then I’ll reject--... WHAT?!” Qin Ye turned back as though he’d seen a ghost, “Are you throwing me under the bus just because you’re no longer going to be around?! Let me make this clear - whoever wants to go can sign up for it! I’m not going!”

Xu Yangyi rapped the table and spoke slowly, “You did well at the last imperial court meeting. Liu Yu wouldn’t have the guts to send out such an invitation on his own. That would be tantamount to courting death.”

Qin Ye relished in Xu Yangyi’s praise for a moment, before his eyes flickered wildly, “Are you suggesting that… someone is trying to contact us through Liu Yu?”

Their thoughts were clearly now in sync. Qin Ye went on, “The only underworlds in the East that are qualified to send invitations directly to the King Yanluo of Hell are Nippon, Hindustan and Rus. Geographically speaking, it couldn’t be Hindustan, because they’d never pick an underworld so far away from them. And after what...