Chapter 22: The Fundamentals of Being Human (Revised)

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Hailing a cab, he headed straight for the building.

“Boss, looking so sharp—are you off to meet your girlfriend?” the driver asked.

“No, my boyfriend!” came the quick reply.

That one sentence completely shut the driver up.

Honestly, when it comes to driving, drivers should stick to that and not ask random questions—they clearly don’t understand that curiosity killed the cat.

One day, Yang Xuan thought, he would definitely write a book titled *On the Professionalism of Drivers*.

Upon arrival, Yang Xuan pulled out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the driver.

“Please give me a receipt.”

The driver glanced up, full of disdain.

A receipt for just twenty bucks? Is this guy trying to drive me broke?

Well, maybe others would think so, but not Yang Xuan.

Life is about careful budgeting; now that he had an organization backing him, every expense needed a receipt for reimbursement. This was not just a way of life but a fundamental principle of being a responsible person.

He entered the building and jogged all the way to the top floor. The building wasn’t very tall—only ten stories.

Having learned from past experience, Yang Xuan avoided the elevator, knowing afterward that some ghosts preferred to prey on humans inside elevators.

Many news reports of elevator accidents stemmed from this very reason.

When he reached the seventh floor, Yang Xuan slowed down, faintly hearing voices.

“The situation is grim. On one side, there’s the newly risen one-star Ghost Emperor from Doom Valley. On the other, the Southern Mountain Ghost King, and also people from that organization are searching.”

“No matter what, we must find the Soul Realm Banner before them! Whoever holds the Soul Realm Banner can unite the entire ghost realm.”

“But boss, the Southern Mountain Ghost King is only a Ghost King. How can he compete with the one from Doom Valley and you?”

“Idiot! That’s a stupid question! Don’t you know about bloodlines? Though the Southern Mountain Ghost King is only a Ghost King now, his ancestors are pure Southern Mountain lineage! The former leader of the Soul Realm was the Southern Mountain Ghost Emperor!”

“If you dare ask me such foolish questions again, I’ll twist your head off!”

“Also, I paid a fortune at the auction for this intel: the Soul Realm Banner is inside this building. Search floor by floor thoroughly!”

Hearing this, Yang Xuan’s mind was made up. He hadn’t expected the ghost realm to be after the banner as well. It seemed he would have to move even faster.

But avoiding detection by these ghosts would be difficult. So, Yang Xuan spent fifteen merit points in the system’s shop to buy an invisibility pill.

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The pill slid down his throat, bringing an immediate wave of coolness.

Feeling the energy coursing through him, Yang Xuan hurried to the top floor.

When he arrived, he found it already occupied.

More precisely, it had been taken over by ghosts.

One of them looked vaguely familiar, though after shaking his head, Yang Xuan couldn’t place where he had seen this ghost before.

The situation, however, was grim: this ghost was surrounded by three Ghost Kings.

“Ghost King Xihua, you think you can take the Soul Realm Banner? Do you even deserve it?”

“I admit your bloodline is strong, but at the end of the day, you’re still just a Ghost King!”

“I advise you not to meddle in this. Out of respect for the former Xihua Ghost Emperor, we’ll let you leave now.”

“But if you insist on getting involved, we have three Ghost Kings here. Taking you down will be easy!”

At this, Ghost King Xihua laughed loudly.

He and the Southern Mountain Ghost King were half-brothers, born of the same mother. Xihua was born healthy, but Southern Mountain Ghost King had suffered severe oxygen deprivation at birth and died, only to rise through the ranks to become a Ghost King later.

Had Yang Xuan known this connection, he would have understood why this Ghost King Xihua seemed so familiar.

Though brothers in life, death erased their debts and bonds, and their brotherhood was thin. After Xihua died and became a lesser ghost, he was shunned by Southern Mountain Ghost King. He secretly wished for his half-brother’s swift demise and oblivion.

Recently, Southern Mountain Ghost King disappeared without a trace. Xihua went in search of treasures in his domain and, relying on a secret relic left by the former Southern Mountain Ghost Emperor, finally sensed the presence of the Soul Realm Banner. But just as he ascended, he ran into these opponents.

Encountering threats and insults—who wouldn’t be angry?

“Three Ghost Kings? So what? Two are one-star, one is two-star. Are you a match for my Five Elements Ghost Kings?” Xihua scoffed, launching the first attack.

Seizing the moment, Yang Xuan slipped past the four Ghost Kings’ skirmish and headed straight for the Soul Realm Banner.

The invisibility pill’s effect lasted only three minutes; Yang Xuan had no time to waste.

Since opening his Heavenly Eye last time, many good items had appeared in the system shop. The invisibility pill was one of them, though it could only hide from ghosts’ sight—humans could still see clearly.

Eight flags were planted on the top floor, identical in shape, appearance, and aura.

Distinguishing the real banner was difficult.

Fortunately, Yang Xuan possessed the Fate Token, which detailed the characteristics, functions, and even the exact location of mechanisms.

Comparing carefully, he immediately found the banner on the far right—the true Soul Realm Banner.

Using the invisibility pill’s effect, Yang Xuan approached and ordered the system to store the banner.

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With the system’s help, the banner vanished without a sound or movement on the top floor except for one flag missing.

As he descended from the top floor, Yang Xuan glanced back and saw the four Ghost Kings still locked in fierce combat.

“Ha! What fools…” he muttered. “The Soul Realm Banner’s gone, and you’re still fighting like idiots. What else could you be?”

Just as he reached the stairwell, the two ghosts he had overheard earlier approached from the other side.

Damn, blocked by those two fools—just great!

The hallway was narrow, and this was the only exit, so Yang Xuan had no choice but to retreat back to the top floor.

[Invisibility pill remaining time: 01:07]

Only about a minute left—he needed to find a chance to slip away.

No sooner had he returned to the top floor than one of the two ghosts shouted.

“Wow, that fight’s intense! Four Ghost Kings! Boss, I’m just a Ghost General, five-star at that—never mind! I’m outta here!”

The Ghost General’s voice echoed as he vanished first.

The Ghost King leader looked around in confusion, now alone.

At that moment, the four battling Ghost Kings simultaneously glanced at the Ghost King leader.

But it was only a fleeting look; they quickly turned back to their fight, completely ignoring him.

“What? None of you show any respect to the Yellow Springs Ghost King? Not even a glance?”

“Stop babbling. You don’t even acknowledge him, so why should I?”

“He’s an idiot. Just ignore him!”

Standing at the stairwell, the Yellow Springs Ghost King listened to the four Ghost Kings’ dismissal and felt a crushing blow to his pride.

A slow-burning humiliation rose within him.

After all, he was still a Ghost King, but to be so blatantly ignored and called an idiot—this hurt deeply.

No, he must assert his presence!

The Yellow Springs Ghost King’s heart surged; baring his fangs, he charged headlong into the fray, heedless of the situation, attacking anyone he saw.

Seizing this distraction, Yang Xuan slipped quietly down the stairs and made his escape.