Chapter 24: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Not long after the drone took flight, viewers in the livestream identified the leader of the Yin Opera Troupe.

[Shy Little Sister: Hey, hey, look! Isn't that the leader of the Yin Opera Troupe walking out of the hotel?]

[Handsome Rich Kid: You’re right, it really is him! Mengmeng, follow him and see what tricks this guy is up to!]

Watching the comments, Yu Mengjia maneuvered the drone to hover directly above Yang Xuan. Yang Xuan was naturally aware of all this, but he couldn't care less. If they wanted to follow, let them follow; as for whether any inappropriate scenes would arise, that would depend on the viewers' psychological fortitude.

After leaving the hotel, the Cleaver Ghost Child slipped into an invisible state and began leading the way, sauntering along at a leisurely pace.

"Scaredy-Cat, you drive. The Yin Opera leader might be up to something; we have to keep up."

The car started, and Little Fatty followed. Yu Mengjia sat in the passenger seat, intently controlling the drone. After leaving the hotel, Yang Xuan followed the Cleaver Ghost Child across three major streets and through countless turns before finally stopping in front of a villa complex.

"Hanhai Villa Complex?"

Yang Xuan had heard of this place before. It was rumored that deaths had occurred when the construction was completed, causing many prospective buyers who were originally interested in Hanhai to back out. The developers had tried every marketing tactic—from price cuts to various promotions—but nothing worked. As a result, the complex had sat vacant, with only a few villas sold and the rest left empty.

The Cleaver Ghost Child paused, then headed toward the main gate. Without any effort, it passed straight through.

"Hey, kid, wait up! You can walk through walls, but I don't have that skill," Yang Xuan called out. The Cleaver Ghost Child turned its head and waited obediently. Fortunately, the perimeter wall wasn't high. Yang Xuan braced his feet, reached up to grab the ledge, and with a bit of effort and a roll, vaulted over inside.

[Handsome Rich Kid: Huh? Did you guys hear that? It sounded like the Yin Opera leader was talking to someone just now!]

[Shy Little Sister: I heard it too! But there’s no one around him! Could he be talking to a ghost?]

The Shy Little Sister’s comment left the livestream audience in silence. This sudden, eerie turn caused the popularity of the stream to skyrocket, with the viewer count surging from a few hundred to over a thousand and continuing to climb.

Once inside the complex, the Cleaver Ghost Child headed straight for a detached villa at the very end. Even from a distance, Yang Xuan noticed that this villa was different. Although it wasn't yet night, the building was shrouded in layers of dense, stifling malevolent energy that wrapped around it like a tight seal. An ordinary person would likely be consumed by the malice lurking within.

"Abba-abba-abba," the Cleaver Ghost Child said, pointing its chubby little hand at the villa. The message was clear: this was the place.

Yang Xuan steadied himself and headed straight for the entrance. As the saying goes, if you don't enter the tiger's den, you won't catch the tiger's cub. The moment he opened the door, a wave of malevolent energy rushed toward him. Sensing danger, Yang Xuan prepared to retreat, but before he could move, the Cleaver Ghost Child spat a large puff of breath toward the interior.

The breath was green, and the moment it hit, the malevolent energy surging from the villa instantly vanished into thin air. It seemed Yang Xuan had underestimated the strength of a five-star Ghost King.

"Na-na-na, wa-wa-wa-wa," the Cleaver Ghost Child gestured inside while babbling incessantly. Yang Xuan immediately understood: he was being told to take whatever he wanted as if it were his own home—don't be polite, and if anything happened, the ghost would take the heat.

Damn! Yang Xuan felt a bit bewildered. Who was the boss here? A member of his opera troupe was acting like the boss, and not only that, but he was also claiming someone else's territory as his own! The more Yang Xuan thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. While he found the Cleaver Ghost Child's behavior barbaric and rude, he had to admit—he liked it.

Upon entering, the Yin Opera Master system automatically activated.

[Host, detecting a wealth of treasures here, the system has specially enabled the Treasure Identification feature for you. A 10% service fee will be charged for this use. If the host does not agree, you may purchase the Heavenly Eye Identification Pill in the system store.]

Ten percent? That meant if he found ten thousand merit points worth of items, he would lose one thousand? No, that was way too expensive.

"Open the store."

Entering the system store, Yang Xuan typed "Heavenly Eye Identification Pill" into the search bar.

[Heavenly Eye Identification Pill: Upon acquisition, the user gains thirty minutes of identification effects per day. Price: 15,000 merit points.]

Fifteen thousand was a hefty price, but with so many treasures here, if he were to net a million merit points, the system would take a cut of one hundred thousand. Calculating it that way, the pill was a much better deal. Most importantly, after taking it, he could use the ability for half an hour every day. Who could guarantee he wouldn't need it in the future?

"Purchase!"

[Understood, the system has automatically deducted the points from the host.]

With the pill in hand, Yang Xuan immediately consumed it. Suddenly, a potent wave of energy spread through his body, instantly enveloping his eyes. After a brief moment of blindness, Yang Xuan noticed the colors of the objects around him had changed.

[Host, the Heavenly Eye Identification ability has been activated for today. Remaining time: 30:00.]

"System, what do the colors signify?"

[Host, the grade of treasures identified by the Heavenly Eye is classified by color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Violet, ordered from highest to lowest. Red treasures are the highest grade, and Violet are the lowest.]

With this reminder, Yang Xuan began his appraisal.

[Magic Teacup: Violet, Low-grade.]
[Levitating Table and Chairs: Violet, Low-grade.]

...

After a quick sweep, Yang Xuan looked up and saw a painting. Since the room was dark, he could only tell it was a portrait of a person, though the details were blurry.

[Invincible Portrait: Cyan, Mid-grade.]

Finally, something Cyan! Yang Xuan wasn't about to let that slip through his fingers.

"Store in system!"

[Understood, the Invincible Portrait has been successfully added to the system inventory.]

Afterward, Yang Xuan searched the villa for a while longer, but most items were merely Violet low-grade and failed to pique his interest. He decided to leave with the Cleaver Ghost Child in tow.

Just as Yang Xuan walked out, a figure appeared out of thin air at the entrance of the villa complex. A closer look would reveal the figure to be the Xihua Ghost King. At that moment, a wound was visible on the Ghost King's arm—a souvenir from the battle with the other Ghost Kings.

Initially, the Xihua Ghost King had held his own against the three other Ghost Kings, but after the Huangquan Ghost King joined the fray, the constant verbal taunts from the others had infuriated him.