Chapter 23: Why Is It Him? (Revised)

Halfway through the return journey, the effects of the invisibility elixir wore off, and Yang Xuan returned to his human form.

If there had only been one Ghost King, Yang Xuan wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But with the top floor housing five of them, including that fool, being discovered would be a significant headache. Moreover, he had just taken the Soul Realm Banner, an object that had the entire ghost world in an uproar. For now, Yang Xuan had no desire to make an enemy of the entire ghost realm.

Just as Yang Xuan exited the building, the Xihua Ghost King on the top floor noticed something amiss and shouted a warning.

"Stop! Do any of you remember how many banners there were when we first arrived?"

The Xihua Ghost King’s question left the remaining four Ghost Kings in stunned silence. After counting, the Nanshan Ghost King burst into a rage.

"You idiots! We're missing a banner, and you're still busy fighting!"

"The Soul Realm Banner has been stolen! Are you not going to chase after it?"

As the Xihua Ghost King finished speaking, the other three turned their gazes toward the Huangquan Ghost King.

"Aside from this fool, no other ghosts have come up to this floor!"

"So there can only be one explanation!"

With that, the three Ghost Kings lunged at the Huangquan Ghost King.

"Hey... three against one isn't honorable! If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one!"

"Back in my day, I was the king of single combat!"

"Ouch..."

Ignoring the commotion, the Xihua Ghost King leaned out the window and looked down, locking eyes with Yang Xuan, who happened to be looking up. He trembled all over, a chill running down his spine.

He hadn't been present when Yang Xuan summoned a deity to slay the Nanshan Ghost King, but when he had gone to claim the Nanshan Ghost King’s assets, he had been cautious. By tapping into the lingering aura of the Nanshan Ghost King, he had investigated his past and naturally learned of the incident.

However, seek revenge for a brother? He had no such inclination.

"Damn... why is it him!"

The Xihua Ghost King fell silent, feeling conflicted. Should he report this to the entire ghost realm? If he didn't, not only would the Soul Realm Banner be lost, but the entire ghost realm would lose face. But if he did, based on what he knew of Yang Xuan, the entire ghost realm would likely suffer.

After leaving the building, Yang Xuan returned to his hotel. As soon as he opened the door, he saw the Cleaver Imp sitting on the bed, munching on potato chips.

"What the hell? Ghosts eat potato chips now?"

Upon closer inspection, Yang Xuan discovered that the Cleaver Imp’s strength had actually risen to that of a Five-Star Ghost King.

It had only been a day, and it was already this strong. If he let it roam free for a few more days, wouldn't he have an invincible henchman?

"Open the Necromancy Opera System."

[The system is open. What are your instructions, Host?]

"Check the Cleaver Imp's strength."

[Member: Cleaver Imp.]
[Strength: Five-Star Ghost King.]
[Awakened Skill: Whale of an Appetite.]

While Yang Xuan was focused on the system, the Cleaver Imp moved its little feet, scurried over to his side, and tugged at his pant leg with its chubby hand.

"Hmm?"

"Waya waya ku kaka."

"..."

The Cleaver Imp mumbled a long string of words, not a single one of which Yang Xuan understood.

[System detects that the Host cannot communicate with teammates. Would the Host like to purchase the Language Mastery Grand Package?]

Yang Xuan glanced at the price and his mouth twitched. A simple language tool cost a full five hundred merit points.

[The system detects that the Host is not interested and has decided to lower the price. If purchased, the system will include universal language proficiency, allowing the Host to understand the language of any species.]

"..."

Yang Xuan remained silent for two seconds. So, it could haggle? It seemed that for future purchases, he should pretend to be uninterested more often.

"Purchase!"

[Congratulations, Host. Purchase successful. You have gained Language Mastery.]

Yang Xuan felt a refreshing sensation in his mind, and to his surprise, he could actually understand the Cleaver Imp.

"Daddy, when I was looking for food, I found a treasure."

"Where is it?" Yang Xuan perked up.

"Uh..." The Cleaver Imp was silent for a few seconds before continuing. "I don't know what the place is called, but I can take you there."

Meanwhile, outside the hotel, Yu Mengjia sat in her car, looking displeased.

"Mengmeng, stop being angry."

"It’s just that we couldn't get the shot; I have a way!"

Qiaoqiao pulled out a box containing a drone.

"Mengmeng, we'll use this for filming from now on. It's already registered; it'll be absolutely thrilling!"

Looking at the drone, Yu Mengjia was stunned. "Qiaoqiao, as far as I know, these things aren't cheap. Given your finances, I doubt you could afford this?"

Qiaoqiao felt guilty under the questioning. "Oh, Mengmeng, don't worry about it. The thing is here, just use it."

This drone had been sponsored by the "Coolest Rich Second Generation" in the live stream; the financial power of the top donor was unquestionable. However, since the donor was from Yu Mengjia's stream, Qiaoqiao hadn't told her.

"Actually, this was sponsored by the top donor in the stream!"

Hearing this, before Yu Mengjia could react, Little Fatty was already unhappy.

"Hmph, Qiaoqiao, that's not cool. If you needed a drone, you could have told me; I could have supported you just the same! It's like you're looking down on me, as if I'm broke!"

At that moment, Yu Mengjia’s stream was still live. The words from "Cowardly Cat" caused dissatisfaction among many viewers.

[Coolest Rich Second Generation: This little fatty has a big mouth! Daring to challenge me? You should know that this drone is registered for filming under any circumstances! An ordinary person couldn't get such privileges! Competing with me? You need the capital for that!]

[Digging Boogers for Tea: Exactly. I can't stand guys like him who have no power but love to show off in front of beauties! Truly speechless. If we're talking about real power, it's our top donor!]

[I Am A Dull Cup: I have some inside information. I went through many channels to get a photo of our top donor! I'll share it with you all later.]

[Millennium Fox Spirit: Wow, he's so handsome! And he has abs! How many good deeds did Mengmeng do in her past life to have such a handsome top donor?]

[Shy Little Sister: To be honest, if Mengmeng doesn't cherish him, I'm going to make a move on the top donor!]

Just as Yu Mengjia was feeling annoyed and planning to have Qiaoqiao return the drone, the top donor called back.

"Mengmeng, this drone isn't free. Since you're using it, you must deliver an unprecedented live stream experience for the audience."

The top donor had high emotional intelligence; with one sentence, he left Yu Mengjia with no choice but to accept the drone. Yu Mengjia had received training in drone operation before, so she picked it up quickly.

Assembly complete, camera on, controls engaged—the drone ascended. It was only then that Yu Mengjia realized this drone was indeed more advanced than those on the market; it was silent.

In the live stream, the footage shook for a moment before stabilizing.