Chapter 56: Conspiracy

"Nothing much," the village chief said to Yang Xuan. "He has simply never seen anything like Yang Xuan before, which is why he is a bit curious. You don't need to worry about it."

Yang Xuan shrugged. "Fine, since the village chief says so, I'll be leaving."

Huang Yuhang suddenly asked, "May I ask what your name is?"

Yang Xuan calmly replied, "Yang Xuan."

Huang Yuhang clearly had something to say, but restrained by the presence of the village chief, he stammered for a long time and ultimately failed to get the words out.

"Take care."

Yang Xuan took Chubby, intending to head home first. This matter was likely unusual and might require the assistance of the Special Agents Division.

At this thought, Yang Xuan grew even more irritated.

If he didn't join the Special Agents Division, investigating certain matters was indeed troublesome; but if he did join, those people clearly didn't harbor any good intentions.

They were one hundred percent going to try to trap him.

Chubby was completely clueless and couldn't understand why Yang Xuan had suddenly plunged into such a gloomy mood.

The moment Yang Xuan and Chubby stepped away from the village entrance, the village chief rushed into the house, picked up the smoking pipe from the table, and hurled it straight at Huang Yuhang.

"You bastard! Who gave you permission to let that little punk leave?" the village chief roared in anger.

Huang Yuhang rubbed his temple. "Dad, don't get so worked up. What if you hurt your lower back?"

"Save the nonsense!" The village chief pointed furiously at Huang Yuhang, gnashing his teeth as he cursed, "Hurry up and drag Yang Xuan back here, or don't expect to sleep at all tonight."

Huang Yuhang widened his eyes in fright. "Dad, can we stop messing around? It's not like you don't know how unjustly Huang Erya died. I was deliberately acting like that just now to fish for information, but then you suddenly showed up and ruined all my hard work."

"You rotten brat!" The village chief raised his hand and smacked Huang Yuhang over the head, looking utterly exasperated as he scolded, "Is Yang Xuan someone you can afford to provoke? You actually dared to pry into his business. Have you grown tired of living?"

Clutching his head with a mournful expression, Huang Yuhang muttered, "Dad, Yang Xuan is nothing more than a Feng Shui master. What's so great about him? Why are you so terrified of him?"

Huang Yuhang was a spoiled wastrel who idled away his days and paid no attention to such matters whatsoever.

Even the death of Huang Erya was linked to him.

Hearing this skeptical question, the village chief nearly choked with anger.

A Feng Shui master?

Heh!

That kid's identity was far nobler than that of a Feng Shui master, alright?

"What do you think our Huang Family Village is for?" the village chief demanded indignantly.

Huang Yuhang frowned and asked in puzzlement, "Isn't it just an ordinary village?"

"What the hell do you know?" The village chief glared at him and continued, "Let me tell you, Huang Family Village has existed for this long not simply because we are mountain farmers..."

The village chief briefly outlined the background of Huang Family Village.

"The reason so many strange things have happened in our village over the years is because all these events are connected to Huang Family Village. Do you know who that Yang Xuan is? He is a Nether Operatic Master. I originally intended to bring him here as a sacrifice so that he could protect our village from similar incidents in the future. I never expected you to pull such a stupid stunt."

Huang Yuhang curled his lips in a sneer. "Dad, are you out of your mind? Nether Operatic Masters are so mysterious, why would you want to trick someone like that into coming here?"

"I have my own plans for these matters. In short, you won't go wrong if you listen to me," the village chief said.

If it weren't for the reckless mess this brat had caused, he wouldn't have had to go to such great lengths.

Thinking of the fifty thousand yuan he had shelled out, the village chief felt another sharp pang of heartache.

Now that Yang Xuan had left the village, they would have to think of another way to lure him back.

"Fine, whatever," Huang Yuhang spread his hands helplessly.

After leaving, Yang Xuan didn't head straight home, but instead went into town, leaving Chubby full of curiosity.

"Aren't we going back to Huang Family Village then?"

"The play's already over, why go back?" Even though he said that, doubt had already taken root in Yang Xuan's heart.

What on earth was going on between Huang Daya, Huang Erya, Huang Yuhang, and the village chief?

He couldn't shake the feeling that the atmosphere was exceptionally bizarre.

"Brother Xuan, are you really not going back? Where are we going now, then?" Chubby asked with eager interest.

Yang Xuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "Let's go find something to eat first and take a break."

"Besides, why are you tagging along with me?"

Yang Xuan had forgotten to ask. Following him around while they were in the village was one thing, but why was Chubby still following him now?

Chubby chuckled, a shy expression lingering on his face. "Brother Xuan, you probably know that when you were performing outside before, me and the other two female streamers were always following you. But after what happened last time, I've decided to turn over a new leaf."

"What the hell?" Yang Xuan froze.

Chubby said with a deadpan, earnest expression, "I've decided to become your full-time pimp!"

Dark lines immediately crossed Yang Xuan's forehead.

Although this kid Chubby wasn't much to look at, he was actually quite sharp.

"Then do you think I look like someone lacking in women?"

"Uh..." Chubby rubbed the tip of his nose. "That's not what I meant. I meant I want to be your assistant. You perform nether operas outside, and I'll be in charge of taking orders and organizing information. That way, things will be much more convenient for you."

Hearing this, Yang Xuan was actually somewhat tempted.

What he needed most right now was precisely this kind of assistance.

"Alright, you can stay. But I'm warning you, you'd better not try any funny business behind my back. If I catch you, don't think of me as a friend—even if we were blood brothers, I wouldn't spare you."

"Never!" Chubby immediately patted his chest to guarantee. "You can rest assured, Brother Xuan. Whenever you need me, just say the word."

Yang Xuan nodded. "Since you're willing to be my assistant, starting today, I'll hand over most of these matters for you to handle. Just make sure you don't mess anything up."

The reason Yang Xuan dared to take Chubby on as an assistant was, on one hand, precisely because Chubby had witnessed the existence of those ghosts.

He also knew that the Yellow Springs Ghost King was his servant.

This would effectively eliminate the possibility of Chubby leaking secrets. On the other hand, keeping someone right under his nose to watch them was relatively safe.

Moreover, back in Xihua Valley, this Chubby had actually known the secret of that door.

This indicated that Chubby definitely had some channels for gathering intelligence.

Truth be told, he would prove immensely helpful in the future.

"Don't worry, Brother Xuan, I guarantee I won't make you lose face," Chubby said with absolute certainty, while secretly rejoicing inside.

He had been worrying over how to butter up this big shot, and now the opportunity had delivered itself right to his doorstep.

It was truly like being handed a pillow just as he grew drowsy.

Chubby trotted closely behind Yang Xuan as they walked, asking, "Brother Xuan, will you still be performing nether operas in the future?"

"Of course!" Yang Xuan said decisively. "This is what I do for a living. If I don't perform operas, what else am I supposed to do? Sit around and wait to starve?"

Chubby smiled sheepishly. "I just thought... since you're already raising two ghosts, I figured you might..."