Chapter 32: Cherish Life, Stay Away From Yang Xuan (Revised)

It had only been two days, yet Yaoji was completely subdued. She had arrived with her head held high, but now, she felt a genuine sense of trepidation deep down.

"This won't do. I need to find a way to get away from him, or something terrible is bound to happen sooner or later!" Yaoji calculated to herself, though her expression remained perfectly sincere. After all, she couldn't let Yang Xuan see what was truly on her mind.

Just as she was about to head back, a sturdy figure appeared before them. Upon seeing the man, Yaoji immediately made a very specific gesture.

"Boss, you're here?"

Boss? Yang Xuan scrutinized the man. He was about 1.7 meters tall, with a mediocre appearance and a thick beard; he was the definition of ordinary, the kind of person who would disappear into any crowd, save for a deep, bone-reaching scar on his arm.

After arriving, the Boss didn't acknowledge Yaoji. Instead, he walked into the center of the recent battlefield to inspect the area. After circling the site, he looked utterly bewildered.

"What is going on here? Where is the Xihua Ghost King?"

At the mention of the Xihua Ghost King, Yang Xuan immediately glanced at Yaoji. This reminded her of what Yang Xuan had just told her: keep what happened a secret! But in such a short time, it was incredibly difficult for Yaoji to come up with a plausible excuse. Her eyes darted around, her brain cells working overtime, until she finally squeezed out a reason.

"Boss, the Xihua Ghost King was indeed here before you arrived, but halfway through the fight, it seemed like his house caught on fire, so he rushed off in a panic!"

"..."

"Yaoji, are you suggesting that the Xihua Valley, a place filled with swamps, caught on fire?"

"Uh..." Yaoji was struck dumb, unable to come up with a follow-up explanation.

"Follow me, left hand, right hand, in a slow motion~" The Boss’s phone rang. After answering, the voice of the Demon-Suppressing Talisman boomed from the other end.

"Boss, it’s bad! Xihua Valley is on fire!"

The Boss widened his eyes, looking from Yaoji to Yang Xuan, his expression one of pure disbelief. According to historical records, Xihua Valley had survived countless battles over the past thousand years, but never once had it caught fire. This...

"Yaoji, you and Yang Xuan head back first. I’m going to Xihua Valley with the Demon-Suppressing Talisman!"

Before the Boss could leave, Yaoji spoke up first. "Boss, Xihua Valley is fraught with danger. Let me come with you!"

As she said this, her intentions were clear: cherish life, stay away from Yang Xuan. But the Boss didn't give her the chance, rejecting her request immediately.

"Forget it. You protect Yang Xuan! I can handle things over at Xihua Valley!"

Just as the Boss was about to leave, Yang Xuan stopped him.

"Wait!"

"Hm?" The Boss looked at Yang Xuan, filled with confusion. "Yang Xuan, is there something you need to report?"

"Reporting to the Boss, since it's our first meeting, shouldn't there be a welcome gift?"

"..."

The Boss stood there, stunned into silence for a full ten seconds. A gift was customary, but the organization was currently suffering through a famine; where would he find the money? After thinking it over, the Boss reached into his pocket and, without even looking at what it was, pulled something out and shoved it into Yang Xuan’s hand.

"I left in a hurry and didn't bring anything. The gift may be light, but the sentiment is heavy!"

With that, the organization Boss fled as if escaping a disaster, and before anyone could look again, he was already gone.

"What the hell? A speedster?"

After the Boss had been gone for a while, Yang Xuan opened his palm and realized that what the Boss had shoved into his hand was a square plastic package. Looking closer, there was a neat circle in the center. Yang Xuan recognized this—according to the translation software, it was a condom.

Yaoji, standing to the side, saw it too, her face turning crimson with embarrassment. "The Boss, he..."

Giving this as a first-meeting gift? It made Yang Xuan laugh in spite of himself.

"Yaoji, keep this safe. When we get back, I’ll give you some money to find a craftsman to frame it for me. I’m going to hang it on the wall!"

"The Boss’s gift to me must be treasured properly."

"Frame it?" Yaoji picked at her ear, wondering if she had misheard. "You want to frame this?"

"Why not? The Boss himself said: the gift is light, but the sentiment is heavy! Giving me something like this, what could it mean? Look, there is a circle inside and a square frame outside. The Boss is telling me that one must be tactful and flexible, yet still follow the rules!"

***

Deep in the Valley of Malevolence, three Ghost Kings knelt on the ground, looking nervous. "Lord Ghost Emperor, we really cannot attack Xihua Valley!"

"Those beasts are too fierce! I don't know what the Xihua Ghost King was thinking, leaving so many rare treasures in the valley—they’ve actually nourished these beasts until they’ve gained intelligence!"

"Exactly! Lord Ghost Emperor, you wouldn't believe it. The moment the three of us entered, those bastards started a fire! They set the entire Xihua Valley ablaze!"

The One-Star Ghost Emperor sitting at the head of the table turned ashen upon hearing the report. "Useless! Even if beasts gain intelligence, they are still just beasts! You are Ghost Kings! Three Ghost Kings can't handle a bunch of animals?"

"Dammit, let's go! Take me there! If those beasts aren't as fierce as you say, I’ll destroy you all!"

Half an hour later, led by the three Ghost Kings, the One-Star Ghost Emperor arrived at Xihua Valley. As soon as they arrived, the Emperor felt an intense heat radiating from the valley. Before he could react, a pair of "ooh-ooh" calls echoed from the valley.

Then, a perfectly round ball of dung came flying through the air, smashing directly into the One-Star Ghost Emperor’s face. The Emperor’s reflexes were fast; he reached out and caught the dung ball. Instantly, the foul liquid coated his entire palm, and a nauseating stench filled his nostrils.

Before the One-Star Ghost Emperor could explode in rage, a large gorilla on the cliff above the valley was seen joyfully waving its arms and pounding its chest.

"Boss! That's the gorilla that started the fire!"

"And this gorilla has gained sentience; it even named itself 'Quietly'!"

"..."

"Damn it! Go, you must catch it for me!"

With the One-Star Ghost Emperor there, the three Ghost Kings regained their confidence. They unleashed their full power and charged straight at the gorilla. But before they could take a few steps, dung balls rained down from the sky. In less than a minute, the three Ghost Kings had become "dung-ball masters."

"Presumptuous! I..."

Before the One-Star Ghost Emperor could finish, a drop of dung-water splashed into his mouth.

"Ungh..."

After a low, guttural roar, the One-Star Ghost Emperor was completely enraged. "I am truly going to lose it now!"

As he finished speaking, his malevolent aura soared into the sky, manifesting into two giant hands that lunged toward the beasts. Sensing something was wrong, the gorilla signaled the surrounding beasts. In a single breath, hundreds of beasts vanished into hiding.

The giant hands slammed down, hitting nothing.

"My Lord! It was like this before, too! These beasts are so cunning—they run if they can't win! But as soon as you stop, they come back out and chase you down!"

"..."