The Underworld is Empty, Yama is Teaching 2

Chapter 2

Underworld First Affiliated Middle School.

Xue Changyi, his pale hand holding a pure black umbrella, stood beneath the jet-black peach wood plaque, gazing up at the magnificent school gate.

Behind him followed Leopard Tail and Fish Gills, who had come to Underworld High School to teach alongside him.

“Let me tell you a joke,” Xue Changyi said softly, his voice mature, contrasting sharply with his delicate and handsome face.

“—Yama teaching.”

“Hahahaha!!!” Leopard Tail burst into boisterous laughter.

“Boss! Hahaha—That’s… that’s really funny!”

Fish Gills: “…”

Creak—

The door of the reception room at the school gate opened, and the elderly security guard stepped out.

“Hey! Student! You’re late, aren’t you? Don’t look around, I’m talking to you!”

The security guard pointed at Xue Changyi, rattling off, “School rules state that late students must register before entering the school gate, and three late arrivals result in a demerit!”

Leopard Tail squeezed forward. “Old sir, you’ve misunderstood. We’re not students, we’re teachers here to teach.”

“Teachers?” The security guard’s voice rose three octaves. “Oh my—”

He carefully examined Xue Changyi beneath the black umbrella. “Teachers… for Class Nine, right? Oh dear, oh dear, so good-looking, you’re bound to be bullied. The last one, fierce as he was, was bullied to tears! Those students are a handful!”

Muttering to himself, the security guard retrieved three boxes from the reception room and pushed them towards the trio. “Here, it’s school policy. Everyone entering the academy must wear these. You understand… to avoid any chaos.”

Leopard Tail curiously opened a box. Click—

Crackle, crackle!

Inside, a device emitting electrical sparks shimmered. It resembled half a handcuff, or perhaps an electronic shackle.

Leopard Tail recognized it. In their Underworld, in the Eighteen Levels of Hell, this was specifically worn by serious offenders to suppress spiritual energy and prevent riots.

“You…” Leopard Tail glared. “You old man! Do you know who my boss is? How dare you make him wear such a humiliating thing!”

Xue Changyi raised his hand. His hand was not only pale but also slender, giving the illusion of scholarly refinement.

Leopard Tail immediately fell silent, looking at him respectfully.

Xue Changyi said indifferently, “It’s fine.”

Fish Gills stepped forward, took the electronic shackle from the box, knelt on one knee, and fastened it around Xue Changyi’s left ankle. The black robe fell, instantly concealing the electrical sparks.

Leopard Tail, still indignant, put on the same shackle, grumbling, “What a crappy school, so strange.”

Fish Gills whispered, “Quiet down.”

“A transfer student?”

“Is he new? He’s so handsome!”

“Look, he looks like a porcelain doll!”

“Which dynasty is he from? Was he a chancellor or an emperor?”

“Has his family been raided? Has his kingdom fallen?”

“We’ll be classmates from now on. Do you mind if I ask, do you have a girlfriend? A boyfriend?”

Class Nine erupted, chattering and surrounding Xue Changyi.

“Quiet! Quiet! Everyone be quiet—”

The Libationer of Jixia Academy, also known as the principal of Underworld High School, squeezed into the classroom.

“Students, this is not a transfer student, nor is he a new student. Let me formally introduce—this is your substitute homeroom teacher!”

“Eww—”

The classroom filled with disappointed groans.

“A homeroom teacher?”

“Such a pretty homeroom teacher. Libationer, did you find us a mascot?”

“Even the previous Thunder God and Lightning Mother, and the Yaksha couldn’t control us. Has the Libationer changed tactics?”

“He must want to bore us to death with beauty! Why else would he find such a pretty boy?”

“Teacher, why are you holding an umbrella? Are you afraid of getting tanned? Hahaha…”

“Hmph!” A tall young man stood up and slammed a long halberd into the ground.

Crack—

The classroom floor tiles shattered like tofu.

The Libationer’s face turned red, and he shouted, “Lü Bu! Sit down! Why are you bringing a controlled weapon to class again! Confiscated!”

The young man ignored the Libationer completely, curling his lip into a sneer. “If you want to be our teacher, first ask my Fangtian Huaji if it agrees!”

Whoosh!!

With a twist of his wrist, the young man swung the halberd, which whistled through the air, straight towards Xue Changyi’s face.

“Boss!”

Leopard Tail’s eyes narrowed, and he moved swiftly as a leopard, snatching the flying Fangtian Huaji.

The young man sneered. “Needing protection from others, how pathetic!”

“You…” Leopard Tail was furious.

Xue Changyi’s voice was indifferent. “Stand down.”

Despite his reluctance, Leopard Tail obediently retreated.

Xue Changyi glanced sideways at the Fangtian Huaji. “Snap!” With a soft sound, the black umbrella closed, but it didn’t transform into a bracelet or a pen.

His slender wrist flicked, the umbrella spinning rapidly around it twice. Snap—

The tip of the umbrella struck the halberd, and a deafening clang resonated. The halberd shot back towards the young man like an arrow loosed from its string.

“Heh!” The young man scoffed, reaching out to catch it.

“Huh—” His scoff turned into a gasp. An immense force struck him, like a tsunami, forcing him to stumble back five or six steps to absorb the impact.

Thump!!

His back crashed against a desk, sending the desk and chair tumbling. Textbooks like Language, Mathematics, and Numerology scattered across the floor. The young man finally managed to grip his halberd.

All the students in Class Nine stared, speechless: “…”

The young man scrambled to his feet, pointing at Xue Changyi. “You cheated! You call yourself a hero? Everyone who enters the academy, student or teacher, has to wear an electronic shackle! You’re not wearing one, otherwise how could you possibly defeat me?”

Xue Changyi offered no explanation, elegantly lifting his black robe to reveal his shackled ankle.

“You… you…” The young man was dumbfounded. “You’re wearing a shackle, how can you still…”

“Who told you…” Xue Changyi began, “that wearing a shackle negates all spiritual energy? The shackle only restricts a certain amount.”

The young man’s expression turned serious. He asked hoarsely, “Who are you?”

Xue Changyi opened his black umbrella again, sweeping his gaze across everyone present. “I am your substitute homeroom teacher. My surname is Xue. You may call me Teacher Xue.”

“Lü Bu, you’re not doing so well.” A languid, aristocratic student chuckled nearby.

The young man was displeased. “Yang Guang, so much nonsense. You do it then!”

“I will, I will. One shouldn’t resort to violence against such a beautiful person, it’s so crude and unrefined.”

A voice interjected, soft yet firm: “That’s enough.”

The students of Class Nine looked over in unison, instantly falling silent. The speaker sat in a corner, exuding an unusual aura of authority.

“Brother, brother!” A young boy tugged at the speaker, his voice childish. “Brother, how do you solve this problem? Jiao’er doesn’t understand—”

“I’ve taught you before, Jiao’er. Think again.”

“Hmm—First… first… first draw an auxiliary line?”

The Libationer wiped the sweat from his brow with his wide sleeve. “Teacher Xue, I’m so sorry. It’s your first day… How about this, let the students have self-study today, and I’ll take you to the teachers’ dormitory.”

The Libationer turned to the student sitting in the corner, smiling apologetically. “Your Majesty, would you mind acting as class president and supervising everyone during self-study? Please keep them out of trouble.”

The student nodded slightly.

The Libationer glared at the other students. “Lü Bu! Hand over your controlled weapon to the Libationer’s office! Or I’ll call your parents! And you… Yang Guang, where is your self-criticism essay? Three thousand words, not a single repeated comma! It must be on my desk before school ends, or I’ll call your parents too! Li Bai! Yes, you! Put your wine flask away! Don’t think I can’t smell the alcohol just because you put it in a Nongfu Spring bottle!”

“Teacher Xue,” after the Libationer finished his reprimands in one breath, he turned back and smiled, taking a half-step back. “Please, let’s go settle your luggage.”

The Libationer, the principal of Underworld High School, personally led Xue Changyi, Leopard Tail, and Fish Gills out of the Pangong classroom building, entering from the west side, passing through three large courtyards, and arriving at the Lugong building.

The Lugong building was divided into two sections. The northern part housed the student dormitories, as Underworld High School was a boarding school, and all students lived there.

The southern part housed the teachers’ dormitories, where all teachers, staff, including the security guard, resided.

“Yama King, I apologize for this spectacle,” the Libationer said politely.

Xue Changyi, holding his umbrella, slowly entered the Lugong building, shaking his head. “Libationer, there’s no need for formalities. Since I’ve come to the academy to teach, I am a teacher here.”

“Good, good, then I’ll call you Xiao Xue from now on!”

“Xiao Xue, you have no idea how mischievous Class Nine is! They’re lawless! They’re supposed to be the top class, the most outstanding individuals from all under heaven gathered here, but—oh dear, in this semester’s final exams, only His Majesty passed. Everyone else failed! An experimental class, a top class, the whole class failed, is that even possible? How am I supposed to explain this to the Central Hall!”

The Libationer said with a worried frown, “The other classes are about to start their winter break, but Class Nine has to stay behind for remedial classes and take make-up exams when school starts. The higher-ups have said that not a single student in Class Nine can fail.”

No wonder the Libationer was so eager to find a substitute homeroom teacher. The quota had been set from above, and Class Nine needed temporary tutoring throughout the winter break to prepare for the make-up exams.

The Libationer bowed repeatedly. “Yama King, I’m at my wit’s end. You are our academy’s last hope. You must discipline these little ancestors, oh no, old ancestors, and make them obedient. Otherwise… otherwise, my reputation as Libationer will be ruined, and I’ll have to pack my bags and leave!”

“Oh, here we are!” The journey from the Pangong classroom building to the Lugong dormitory building wasn’t nearly long enough for the Libationer to finish complaining about the “old ancestors” of Class Nine.

The teachers’ dormitory rooms were for two people each. Leopard Tail and Fish Gills shared one, and Xue Changyi was to share with another teacher.

His roommate was a physical education teacher, also newly appointed and transferred from the Underworld Central Hall.

According to the Libationer, the young man was handsome, enthusiastic, cheerful, and very easy to get along with, definitely a good roommate!

Creak—

Xue Changyi pushed open the door to Room 444. It was a single room with two single beds, two desks, two chairs.

Splash—splash…

The faint sound of running water came from the bathroom. Misty steam rose from behind the frosted glass door.

The water suddenly stopped, and a wave of warm mist rushed out. A young man in a white bathrobe emerged from the bathroom. He had clearly just finished showering.

Crystal-clear water droplets clung to his black hair, trailing down the smooth muscles of his perfectly sculpted chest and disappearing into the loose sash of his bathrobe, tracing a sensual, wet line…

Xue Changyi looked at the man before him—the new physical education teacher.

Handsome √

Enthusiastic ×

Cheerful ××

Easy to get along with ×××

Xue Changyi greeted him indifferently: “Director Wu.”