The Underworld is Empty, Yama is Teaching 27

Chapter 27

Xue Changyi frowned slightly. “Was it really Wu Mu who betrayed me?”

Dong Lan looked at him incredulously. “Little Ten, when did Wu Mu bewitch you? He’s from the Supervisory Department! If it wasn’t him, then who was it?”

“There are many strange things…” Xue Changyi’s voice was hoarse. “I saw Second Brother, and he… he clearly recognized me, but he pretended not to know me.”

“What?!” Dong Lan’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Xue Changyi’s wrist, his grip so tight that his nails almost broke his skin.

“Second Brother… Second Brother still has his memories? But he drank Granny Meng’s soup!”

Xue Changyi said, “Granny Meng’s soup isn’t effective on everyone. Perhaps Second Brother is one of those people.”

“That… that’s impossible…” Dong Lan murmured, then asked urgently, “What did Second Brother say to you? Did he tell you why he was demoted?”

Xue Changyi shook his head, sighing. “No, he didn’t say anything, he just…”

He was beheaded. The world beneath the Terrace of Forgetfulness was truly a place of suffering.

“I see…” Dong Lan sighed softly.

“Old Seven?” Xue Changyi said, puzzled. “What’s wrong? You seem strange.”

“It’s nothing,” Dong Lan’s voice was hoarse. “I just… feel uneasy thinking about Second Brother.”

Xue Changyi patted his head. “I’ll find out the truth.”

Dong Lan looked up at him. “Little Ten, don’t. It’s too dangerous. The Supervisory Department won’t let you off the hook so easily for illegally descending beneath the Terrace. Be careful, don’t take any more risks.”

“And, and…” Dong Lan said worriedly, “You’re usually so cautious, the most level-headed among us. Why are you being so reckless this time? Yes, Second Brother’s case is important, but he wouldn’t want you to risk yourself like this.”

Xue Changyi shook his head, his eyes firm. “I don’t think Second Brother’s case is so simple, I even…”

“Even what?” Dong Lan gazed at him intently.

“I even…” Xue Changyi said, “feel like Second Brother knew he would be demoted. He was hiding something, something so important that he couldn’t even tell us. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have warned me to be careful before it happened…”

Dong Lan chuckled nervously. “Little Ten, you just got out of prison, you should go back and rest.”

Xue Changyi’s eyes flickered, as if realizing something. “You go back first. I’m going out.”

“Where are you going?” Dong Lan asked.

Xue Changyi said, “To Wu Mu’s house.”

Dong Lan stamped his foot angrily. “I told you, Wu Mu is bad news! Why are you still going to see him?!”

Xue Changyi waved his hand dismissively, holding his black umbrella and walking away.

Thanks to Wu Mu’s drunken confession, he knew Wu Mu’s address. This was his second time visiting Wu Mu’s home.

The door was closed, the house silent.

Knock, knock, knock—

Xue Changyi knocked on the door.

Still silence.

He knocked three times, but there was no response. Wu Mu wasn’t at the Supervisory Department, and he wasn’t home either. Where could he be?

Xue Changyi waited, his gaze fixed on the electronic lock. A daring thought crossed his mind—

Wu Mu’s computer password was his birthday, what about the door lock?

He tentatively pressed the buttons—1014.

Beep!

The lock clicked open. No key, no card, just his birthday.

Xue Changyi looked at the open door, a sense of understanding washing over him. It seemed everything made sense now. Wu Mu really did like him.

But if Wu Mu really liked him, why would he betray him?

Xue Changyi entered, gently closing the door. The house was empty, both the living room and bedroom.

Torn clothes were scattered on the bedroom floor, remnants of last night’s passionate encounter. It seemed Wu Mu hadn’t been back, he hadn’t even had time to clean up.

Xue Changyi returned to the living room, looking at the sofa covered in body pillows. Besides the one with the bare shoulder, there was even one in a lacy maid outfit.

Xue Changyi: “…”

He pushed the pillows aside, creating space for himself to sit down. A nearby pillow immediately flopped against him, nestling against his shoulder.

Xue Changyi: “… ”

As a guest, albeit an uninvited one, Xue Changyi still had basic manners. He decided to wait for Wu Mu in the living room.

Time slowly passed.

Xue Changyi felt sleepy. The sofa, despite the questionable designs of the pillows, was comfortable and soft. The drowsiness intensified, and he gradually drifted off to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he slept, perhaps just a short nap.

“Mm?” He opened his eyes, stretching his stiff wrists. It was daylight outside, but the house was still empty. Wu Mu hadn’t returned all night.

Xue Changyi stood up, straightened the pillows, and left, closing the door behind him.

During the academy break, Xue Changyi had visited Wu Mu’s house every day, sometimes even staying the night, sitting in the living room, but for seven consecutive days, Wu Mu hadn’t appeared, as if he had vanished into thin air.

The seven-day Spring Festival break ended, and the first day back at school began with a test.

This test was the last formal assessment before the make-up exams, crucial for determining whether they could pass.

The students of Class Nine arrived early, sitting quietly at their desks.

Xue Changyi entered, carrying a stack of papers. “Pass these around, focus on the test, no talking.”

Ying Zheng stood up to take the papers, then paused, a look of surprise on his face. “Teacher Xue, this is a math test.”

Xue Changyi: “…”

He looked at the papers. Indeed, they were math papers, not his Chinese test papers. He must have grabbed the wrong stack when leaving the office. He had been distracted lately because of Wu Mu, something he hadn’t even realized himself. Normally, he wouldn’t make such a mistake.

“Teacher Xue! Teacher Xue!” Jiang Ziya, the math teacher, rushed in. “You took the wrong papers.”

Xue Changyi chuckled awkwardly. “My apologies.”

The Chinese test papers were finally distributed, and the students began working. While proctoring, Xue Changyi glanced at the schedule posted by the blackboard. Class Nine had PE today, the last class of the morning.

“Finally, the test is over!”

“A whole morning of testing, I’m exhausted!”

“Next is PE, let’s go, Lü Bu, want to play basketball?”

“Sure, don’t cry if you lose.”

The students left the classroom, heading towards the Pangong playground. Xue Changyi gathered the test papers, glanced down from the window, his eyes flickering, then followed the students downstairs to the playground.

Ring, ring, ring—

The bell rang.

A tall PE teacher emerged from the equipment room. His face was obscured by the backlight. He was wearing a tracksuit, not Wu Mu’s signature black suit.

—It was Leopard Tail!

Holding a basketball, Leopard Tail announced, “Class, gather round!”

“Why is it Teacher Leopard Tail?”

“Yeah, where’s Teacher Wu today?”

“I wanted to learn the three-arrow technique from him.”

“Li Bai, give it up. Stick to writing poems, last time you almost shot the principal in the head!”

Leopard Tail clapped his hands. “Class, quiet down! Teacher Wu had something come up and took a leave of absence. I’ll be your substitute teacher today.”

“Let’s start with some stretching exercises.”

Xue Changyi watched from afar, approaching Leopard Tail while the students were stretching. “Minister Wu isn’t here today?”

“No,” Leopard Tail nodded. “The principal just told me that Minister Wu took a leave of absence. The Supervisory Department is very busy lately, so he asked me to cover his class.”

Xue Changyi pondered. “A leave of absence…”

A dark room, without windows, like a giant metal box.

Confined and oppressive.

A young man stood inside, his hands and feet shackled, surrounded by silence.

—It was Wu Mu.

Clang—Clatter!

A loud clang, and a section of the metal box opened, revealing a window barred with electrified mesh.

A figure in a black cloak stood outside the window, their voice raspy. “Wu Mu, have you reflected on your actions?”

Clank…

Wu Mu turned his head slightly, the chains rattling.

“I’m not trying to make things difficult for you,” the cloaked figure, the former Director General of the Supervisory Department, Wu Mu’s adoptive father, sighed. “I just don’t want to see you continue down this path.”

“This path?” Wu Mu murmured, a smile playing on his lips, not a sneer, but a surprisingly warm smile.

It was the perfect description of his feelings for Xue Changyi.

Whether suppressed or expressed, it was always—unyielding, unwavering.

The former Director General said, “Xue Changyi knows you betrayed him, reported his transgression to the Supervisory Department. Now the Yama Courts and the Supervisory Department are sworn enemies.”

“Wu Mu,” the former Director General sighed, “he hates you now. You’re the Golden Crow, he’s the spirit stone, you were never meant to be together, it’s impossible. Why torture yourself? If…”

His voice hardened. “If you continue down this path, I won’t hesitate to deal with Xue Changyi myself.”

Clang—

The black chains strained.

Crackle—!!

Wu Mu grabbed the electrified bars, sparks flying. He seemed to feel no pain as red flames erupted from his palms, bright as the rising sun. With a crack, the electricity short-circuited, the dying sparks fading into darkness.

Wu Mu’s eyes, reflecting the firelight, were dark and intense. He said hoarsely, “No one can harm Xue Changyi, not even you, Father.”