Chapter 35: The Relationship of the Peak Ghost Emperor (Revised)

"I also disagree! If you keep filming this, I’m going to have to say you humans are truly hypocritical! Wasn't it your own advertising slogan from before? Something about 'no trade, no harm'?"

Just as the controversy was reaching its peak, a leisurely comment drifted before everyone's eyes.

"Tell me, is there a possibility that the Xihua Ghost King was captured by a ghost of his own kind?"

"..."

With that, the entire venue fell silent once again.

Inside the villa, Yang Xuan was sipping red wine with delight. The starting bid of ten million had truly been a pleasant surprise. With this, once the Xihua Ghost King was sold, it would be equivalent to obtaining Xihua Valley for free. Such a stroke of luck was worth celebrating.

"Click."

The door opened, and Yaoji walked in excitedly, carrying an oversized picture frame.

"Yang Xuan, have you seen it? The Xihua Ghost King has actually been auctioned off!"

Yaoji held up her device, gesturing for him to look. Yang Xuan, however, showed no interest and changed the subject.

"Is it framed?"

"Of course! You can always count on me!"

Looking at the framed gift, Yang Xuan was very satisfied. "This is practically a work of art!"

After hanging the gift, Yang Xuan took another sip of his wine. Yaoji looked at the device, then at Yang Xuan’s pleased expression, and only then did it occur to her to ask carefully, "Yang Xuan, you wouldn't happen to be the one who bid on the Xihua Ghost King, would you?"

Yaoji remembered clearly that after the Xihua Ghost King had been beaten until he couldn't crawl, Yang Xuan had tied him up and taken him somewhere unknown. Although she doubted that Yang Xuan, having just joined the organization, would even have the qualifications to be an auctioneer, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of suspicion.

"Do I look like the type?"

A single sentence was enough to dispel Yaoji’s thought.

In the Evil Spirit Canyon, a One-Star Ghost Emperor began to hatch a plan after seeing the Xihua Ghost King being auctioned.

"If I can get my hands on the Xihua Ghost King, given his relationship with the peak-level Ghost Emperor deep within Xihua Valley, wouldn't I be able to continue keeping Xihua Valley for myself?"

"In that case, winning the auction for the Xihua Ghost King is equivalent to obtaining two prizes at once!"

As the One-Star Ghost Emperor analyzed this, its train of thought became increasingly clear. The three ghost kings below it chimed in with constant praise.

"The Ghost Emperor is truly brilliant!"

"A genius plan, absolutely a genius plan!"

Facing this sycophancy, the One-Star Ghost Emperor scratched its head. The most headache-inducing problem remained: where could it get ten million soul points?

"Hey, you lot? Who can get me ten million soul points?"

"Whoever finds a way to help me get those ten million soul points, I will appoint as the Vice Valley Master!"

Silence. A long, drawn-out silence. The three ghost kings below kept their heads bowed low, none daring to speak.

After a long while, the weakest of the three ghost kings recalled something and blurted out, "My lord, I have a way!"

"News recently came out of the Dark Forest that they are offering loans. I think with your status as a One-Star Ghost Emperor, borrowing ten million should be no problem at all!"

At the mention of the Dark Forest, the One-Star Ghost Emperor’s eyelids twitched. That place was not to be trifled with. Even with its One-Star Ghost Emperor strength, going there would likely mean being skinned alive. But as things stood, with such a succulent piece of meat as the Xihua Ghost King laid out before it, the One-Star Ghost Emperor felt it wouldn't even be able to sleep if it didn't take the bait.

"Let's go! To the Dark Forest!"

Soon, at the exit of the Dark Forest, the One-Star Ghost Emperor walked out, looking quite satisfied. Its device now showed a balance of ten million soul points. Looking closely, however, its left sleeve hung empty, and it was missing an eye.

The transaction had been simple: the Dark Forest agreed to loan the One-Star Ghost Emperor ten million, but it had to put up an arm and an eyeball as collateral. If the debt plus interest wasn't repaid within a week, the arm and the eye would vanish forever. And the Dark Forest’s interest rates were terrifyingly high—ten million borrowed for a week meant a total repayment of fifteen million!

As soon as it emerged, the One-Star Ghost Emperor ignored its physical pain and immediately placed the winning bid on the Xihua Ghost King.

[The Xihua Ghost King lot has received a bid of ten million! Are there any other bosses who wish to raise the bid?]

[The auction countdown begins: 1... 2... 3! Sold!]

With the auction concluded, the Xihua Ghost King was claimed by the One-Star Ghost Emperor. Soon, the ten million soul points were transferred into the balance of Yang Xuan’s system.

Looking at his balance of twenty million, Yang Xuan didn't hesitate and immediately paid off his loan. Twenty million in principal, plus the interest for the hour or so of use, totaled twenty million and five thousand. The interest was a bit high, but Yang Xuan was greatly relieved that Xihua Valley was now his.

At that moment, near the villa, a stout figure was moving toward the property.

Peering through the moonlight, one could see it was none other than "Little Chubby."

"Are you really going to sneak in and film? I looked this place up online—it’s supposedly extremely cursed!"

"They say a kid kicked a ball in there last year and crawled inside to get it, and he never came back out!"

"And then what happened?" Little Chubby turned to look at his scrawny companion, asking in confusion.

"Half a month later, they found the kid in the villa district. By the time they found him, he was already rotting!"

"Monkey, stop spreading these superstitious rumors!"

"What year do you think this is? Who would dare be so bold? Besides, you just need to turn on the livestream for me. We'll broadcast the whole thing—if anyone tries to do anything to us, we won't have to worry!"

Seeing that his dissuasion had failed, Monkey shook his head helplessly.

A day ago, the livestreams of Yu Mengjia and her team had been hindered; despite having drones, they couldn't find any sign of Yang Xuan. Even when they asked Uncle Kun of the Ghost Opera Troupe, they couldn't get any useful information. To prevent Yu Mengjia from being disappointed, Little Chubby had sought out his associate, Monkey, tracked down Yang Xuan’s whereabouts, and decided to sneak in to film some footage for her.

"Monkey, turn on the stream!"

Monkey pulled out his phone, started the broadcast, and followed Little Chubby as they hopped into the villa district.

Inside the villa, Yaoji noticed the disturbance immediately.

"Someone has broken in."

"Should I deal with them?"

Yang Xuan checked the surveillance system. Upon seeing that the intruder was Little Chubby, he hurriedly waved his hand at Yaoji.

"Forget it, they're just ordinary people. No need to take it seriously with them!"

"Besides, the kid is livestreaming. It wouldn't be convenient to make too many things public."

Yang Xuan had his own plans for Little Chubby, but he could take this opportunity to teach the boy a lesson.

"Yaoji, go ahead and pack up, then head back to the organization to check on things."

"And what about you?" Yaoji asked, looking at Yang Xuan suspiciously, as if he were a thief.

"I’m going to sleep!"

After sending Yaoji away, Yang Xuan tidied up, preparing to head to Xihua Valley. As for Little Chubby, Yang Xuan had no interest in dealing with him. The affairs of Xihua Valley were far more important than handling a petty intruder.

After exiting the villa district, Yang Xuan summoned the cleaver-wielding ghost boy.