Chapter 50: Entangled Beyond Release

In no time at all, the cleaver-wielding little ghost had prepared a large table full of dishes.

"Oh? I didn't expect you to have this skill."

Yang Xuan looked at the little ghost in surprise. He had never deliberately taught it these things; most of the time, he just let it roam free.

He never expected such good results.

Judging by this, shouldn't he consider getting the little ghost a smartphone?

And the Underworld Ghost King as well.

After all, since they were his subordinates, equipping them with proper gear might produce unexpected and brilliant results in future battles.

Recalling his recent encounter in the Xihua Valley, Yang Xuan solidified this idea in his mind.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

A sudden knock echoed from the door.

"Who is it?" Yang Xuan frowned as he went to check. The moment he opened the door, he saw Yao Ji, like an unwanted ghost that refused to be shaken off, following him yet again.

"Come on, Big Sister, why do you keep following me everywhere?" Yang Xuan was almost at his wit's end with this person.

Ever since he first went to perform operas, up until now, Yao Ji had shadowed him for the vast majority of the time, making it inconvenient for him to do anything.

The Xihua Valley had not been fully explored yet, and he would definitely have to make another trip there.

However, before going back, he had to figure out a way to shake Yao Ji off.

And then there was that eerie door. Didn't they say a terrifyingly powerful ghost king was produced every single year? It just so happened that he was lacking in servants.

The first one had already been destroyed by his own hands.

He would certainly not let the next one slip away—these were all prime combat assets.

The most crucial point was that these rulers of the netherworld not only possessed supreme combat power, but if he taught them these basic tasks, could they transform into his appearance to deal with Yao Ji?

That would be an absolute stroke of genius.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Seeing that Yang Xuan remained silent and failed to answer her question, Yao Ji couldn't help asking again.

"It's nothing."

Yang Xuan snapped back to reality.

"Big Sister, could you please stop following me around all the time?"

Although Yao Ji was indeed extraordinarily beautiful, a beauty could be as venomous as a scorpion. Furthermore, with this woman lingering by his side, she undoubtedly harbored malicious intentions.

Yang Xuan had no desire to lose a watermelon while picking up a sesame seed.

If he accidentally got schemed against by this woman, wouldn't he be in deep trouble?

"What kind of attitude is that?"

Yao Ji's temper flared as well. It was one thing for her to follow Yang Xuan around and serve him without a single complaint, but she never expected to be treated with such utter disgust.

This was simply beyond endurance.

"Besides, don't you think having me by your side brings you a lot of prestige?"

"Prestige? What kind of prestige is that?"

Yang Xuan truly lived up to his reputation as a dense, straightforward guy; his mind was entirely occupied with making money.

Even merit points were never enough, considering that his primary livelihood was performing ghostly operas to earn those points, which could then be exchanged for more skills.

Only by mastering a wider array of skills could he face malevolent spirits with absolute confidence in the future.

He couldn't possibly keep spending so many merit points on Strength Pills like last time!

The mere thought that a single Strength Pill cost one thousand merit points made Yang Xuan's heart ache fiercely.

If he could just save up all those merit points...

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

He didn't even dare to imagine it; he could practically become the richest person in the world.

"Also, when is your Special Operations Division going to pay back the merit points you owe me?"

Yang Xuan narrowed his eyes as he looked at Yao Ji.

"You've dragged this out for so long. Don't tell me you're planning to default on the debt?"

Yao Ji's expression stiffened.

She hadn't expected Yang Xuan to call her out so bluntly.

An awkward silence hung in the air between them, prompting Yao Ji to hastily try and brush it off with a vague excuse.

"How could that be? It's just temporary, purely temporary."

"It's just that our Special Operations Division doesn't have many merit points right now. We invited you to join us, but you refused to come, so we had no choice but to let the debt linger."

At this point, Yao Ji couldn't help a flicker of self-doubt.

Could it be that her charm was actually decreasing instead of growing? Why did she possess zero allure when standing in front of Yang Xuan?

This was entirely too frustrating.

"I'll make it clear in advance: the past debt is bygones, but starting from right now, I'm going to start charging interest."

Yang Xuan felt another pang of heartache.

If he had known better, he should have made things crystal clear the last time he met Du Qing.

After all these days, the accumulated interest probably amounted to several thousand points already.

He had truly missed out on a fortune.

"What on earth?" Yao Ji couldn't help letting out a curse. How in the world did it suddenly turn into collecting interest?

Originally, she had planned to trick him into working off the debt while using her feminine wiles to lure him over to their side. Not a single part of her plan had succeeded, and now she was about to suffer even greater losses instead.

Who could possibly stomach this?

"Come on, Troupe Leader, we don't need to go this far, do we? How about I work for your troupe instead? That way, I can even help you attract customers."

"No need."

Yang Xuan rejected Yao Ji without a second thought.

"My ghostly opera doesn't need your promotion. My old clients from before have already pulled me into a private group chat."

Yang Xuan held up his phone and flashed the screen at Yao Ji.

"Everyone in here consists of people in actual need. Whenever they require assistance, I see it immediately, and there are no middlemen to skim off the profits."

As he spoke, Yang Xuan even wore a beaming smile as he looked at Yao Ji.

Damn it!

Yao Ji's face alternated between shades of pale and green.

Who on earth had too much time on their hands and created this group chat?

What was she supposed to do now?

All the paths she had carefully mapped out were blocked. How on earth were they supposed to proceed?

"So, you'd better take your leave. I don't keep freeloaders here."

Chasing Yao Ji away was also a precaution to prevent her from discovering the cleaver-wielding little ghost he had hidden away.

Although the fact that he kept an Underworld Ghost King by his side was no longer a secret, no one had laid eyes on the little ghost yet.

This would save the Special Operations Division from hatching any more plots against him.

"Yang Xuan..."

Yao Ji whined in an artificially sweet, coquettish voice.

Yet the more she acted like this, the more Yang Xuan's skin crawled. Without a second thought, he slammed the door shut right in her face.

No matter how furiously Yao Ji hammered on the door from the outside, Yang Xuan refused to open it.

Yao Ji widened her eyes in sheer disbelief, a wave of profound frustration crashing over her heart.

Ever since she reached adulthood, this was the absolute first time she had ever been subjected to such treatment.

Yang Xuan, you just wait for me!

A woman who doesn't avenge such an insult is not a true woman.

Gnash-faced and seething with malice, Yao Ji finally turned and stormed away from Yang Xuan's doorstep.

After waiting a long while to ensure all movement outside had ceased, Yang Xuan finally summoned the cleaver-wielding little ghost back into the room.

"Go clean up the rooms, and then head out on your own to forage for food."

"Come back and cook for me when it's time for dinner."

Having discovered that the "free-range" approach actually worked, Yang Xuan no longer needed to micromanage every little detail.

It turned out that keeping ghostly servants did have its perks after all.

As he ate his meal and scrolled through videos on his phone, Yang Xuan noticed reports of bizarre occurrences at an unfinished building project, causing him to hesitate.

Judging by the looks of it, this was likely another supernatural incident.

Should he go?

If he went, he would most likely run into those people from the Special Operations Division again.

Recalling Du Qing—who constantly reneged on promises and even resorted to schemes and deception—Yang Xuan instinctively dismissed the thought.

As the saying goes, professional matters should always be handled by professionals.