The front hall of the temple worshipped the Civil and Martial God of Wealth. The incense was very strong. People lined up to offer incense and put incense money into the Merit Box. The middle hall was the main hall of the City God. There were also many people offering incense. However, there were fewer people who offered incense money and more people who kowtowed sincerely.
Shen Luo and Lv He went straight through the middle hall. As soon as they reached the backyard, they found that the number of people immediately decreased.
Shen Luo looked up and saw the main hall standing behind. There was a plaque hanging on the lintel. On it, there were three big words "Yama Hall" written in gold on a black background.
In the square in front of the main hall, there were two men and one woman standing. There were a total of three figures.
Although the three people were standing in front of the main hall, they were all some distance away from each other. It seemed that they were not familiar with each other.
Among them, there was a thin young man with a pale face, but he was quite handsome. There was a slender green long sword behind his waist. He was standing under an old pagoda tree in front of the main hall, looking up at the lush pagoda leaves.
Not far away from him, on the railing in front of the hall, there was a middle-aged man wearing a crescent mask that covered the left side of his face. He was wearing half a set of armor that only protected the place near his heart. There was a long golden blade hanging on his waist.
Four or five steps away from him, there was a plump woman in a red dress leaning against the railing. Her appearance could not be considered too beautiful, and the makeup on her face was quite heavy. However, her pair of soft breasts were too full, and under the cover of her clothes, it still seemed like they were about to burst out.
Seeing Shen Luo and Lv He walking over, the young man just glanced at them and retracted his gaze. The armored man and the woman in red took the initiative to walk over here.
"Oh, new people are here …"
The woman in red walked with swaying steps. With every step, her chest would tremble three times.
"Greetings, friends." Shen Luo took the initiative to cup his fists and greet.
"One with a cold and stinky face, one with half of his face covered, and one with a face that I can't even look at. Finally, there's a handsome one. If I take a few more looks, this mission will be worth it." The woman in red bowed slightly and stared at Shen Luo without any scruples. She covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Lu He, who is this?" The armored man cupped his fists in return and asked.
"He's a new recruit from the Chamber of Commerce. He's going with us this time. His name is Shen Luo. Shen Daoyou, the one under the locust tree over there … "Lu He started to introduce Shen Luo to the others.
The young man under the locust tree was called Lin Qing, and he was one of the first to follow the Chamber of Commerce to carry out missions. However, it wasn't too early, and he had only carried out six missions so far.
The armored man was called Jin Dun, and the woman in red was called Yun Niang. Both of them came later than Lin Qing, but a little earlier than Lu He. They had carried out four missions.
In these missions, they had all crossed paths with each other, so naturally they were not strangers, but they were not familiar with each other. Therefore, Lu He's introduction to everyone was simple and straightforward.
While they were talking, an old man in a brown robe walked out from an arched door in the side courtyard. He had a hunched figure and looked like an old ape. He carried a dark red wine gourd in his hand and walked towards them with light steps.
Shen Luo looked over and saw that the front part of the old man's head was bald, from his ears to the back of his head. The remaining amount of hair was pitifully little, and some of it hung messily behind his neck.
The old man's cheeks were quite round, and his long eyebrows hung down to his ears. His nose was red and shiny, and the long beard under his chin reached to his chest. It seemed that there was still wine sprinkled on it. He looked a little kind, but a little sloppy.
Unlike Shen Luo's reaction, the other four immediately went up to greet the old man as soon as they saw him. They cupped their fists respectfully.
"Old Hu …"
"Old what old, how many times have I said it? Either call me Brother Hu or Brother Hu, don't call me Old Hu. "The old man raised the wine gourd in his hand and complained.
"Senior Hu."
Shen Luo knew that this was the Senior Hu Yong that Lu He had mentioned, so he immediately stepped forward and saluted.
"Oh? You are the new one that Xiuxiu said, called … called? "Hu Yong thought for a while, but still couldn't remember Shen Luo's name.
"Junior Shen Luo." Shen Luo replied.
"Shen Luo, good, as long as you follow me, I can guarantee that you will go safely and return in one piece." Hu Yong nodded and pointed at Shen Luo with the gourd.
Shen Luo looked at this scene and couldn't help but worry. Could this old man who looked like a drunkard really lead them to complete the mission? But looking at the expressions of the other four people, they seemed to be used to this.
"Senior, where are we going for this mission?" Shen Luo asked.
Hearing this, Hu Yong turned around and pointed to the main hall behind him. He pursed his lips and said, "Right here."
"Right here?" Shen Luo asked in surprise.
Confusion flashed in the eyes of the other people, and they obviously couldn't understand.
"Don't worry, we really have to go through here." Hu Yong gulped down another mouthful of wine and wiped his mouth.
After drinking, he finally closed the gourd and hung it on his waist.
Then, he stroked his beard, straightened his clothes, and took the lead in striding toward the main hall.
Seeing this, Shen Luo and the other two hurriedly followed.
Before he could enter the hall, a cool breeze blew out of the hall. It was clearly July and August, but it still made Shen Luo feel a chill all over his body, giving him a sense of foreboding.
Shen Luo crossed the threshold and entered the Hall of Yan Luo. He saw a tall statue of a deity with a fair face and a crown sitting behind the altar. Naturally, it was the King of Yan Luo that people often talked about.
Incense pouches hung from both sides of the crown to protect his ears. He wore a long robe with wide sleeves and a lotus leaf collar. He held a tablet in front of his chest with both hands. Although it was a clay statue, it still had a majestic atmosphere.
On both sides of the King of Hell statue, there were two statues of judges in black and green official robes. One of them had a yellowish face and was no different from an ordinary person, while the other had a dark face like an evil spirit. They were all holding judgment pens in their hands. They were the widely known judges who rewarded good and punished evil.
Below the judges, there were two thin statues with tall crowns on their heads on the left. One was black and the other was white. They were the Black and White Impermanence. On the other side stood the Ox Head and the Horse Face.
Shen Luo's gaze lingered on Horse-Face's face for a while longer. He felt that the clay Horse-Face in front of him was still a little different from the one he had seen in real life. The way it bared its teeth made it look a little fierce.
The surrounding walls were painted with colorful and lifelike murals. The murals depicted the scenes of the Eighteen Hells of the Underworld. What entered one's eyes were the gruesome scenes of heart-rending, livers being dug out, mountains of knives, seas of fire, and frying in a pot of oil.
Shen Luo looked at them for a while and felt a little uncomfortable. He immediately retracted his gaze.
At this time, Hu Yong flipped his palm and three long dark red incense sticks appeared in his palm. He rubbed them with his fingertips and gently twisted the heads of the three incense sticks. The heads of the incense sticks lit up with red light and lit up.
Then, he made a strange gesture with both hands. He held the incense sticks and bowed respectfully three times to the King of Hell and the other statues. Then, he inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner.
Then, he stood aside with his hands behind his back, as if waiting for something.
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