Chapter 57: The Origins of Little Fatty

"Are you still thinking about that gate in Xihua Valley? Let me make it clear to you in advance that the gate has been completely sealed, and no one will be able to enter it again." Yang Xuan's tone suddenly dropped a few octaves.

"Why? Weren't there the Fiend-Slaying Spiritual Pill and the Soul Clan Banner?" Fatty asked with astonishment.

He only discovered that he was already outside Xihua Valley after waking up.

He had originally wanted to go back inside, but the gate had already been locked and was inaccessible.

"Because the Fiend-Slaying Spiritual Pill has already been devoured by the Yellow Springs Ghost King. Demoness and the others all know about this. If you have any ulterior motives, you might as well speak up now."

Yang Xuan looked at Fatty with a probing gaze.

He always felt that this chubby fellow was a bit unusual.

Yet, as for what exactly was wrong with him, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Making things clear beforehand was also to prevent Fatty from playing any underhanded tricks behind his back.

Having only just become his assistant, Yang Xuan did not believe Fatty was someone he could confide in completely.

Most matters were still being kept hidden from him.

This time, however, Fatty suddenly became much more well-behaved.

"Brother Xuan, since you've put it this way, I certainly won't do anything to let you down in the future. You have to believe me!"

Yang Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Fatty hurriedly raised his right hand to swear an oath. "I solemnly promise you that no matter what happens from now on, I will remain loyal to you."

"Loyal to me? How do you plan to show that loyalty?" Yang Xuan looked at him with a half-smile.

Fatty was momentarily stunned, then quickly composed himself.

"Since it's come to this, I'll be honest with you. Actually, the legends regarding the Fiend-Slaying Spiritual Pill and the Soul Clan Banner have been a closely guarded secret passed down in my family for generations, which is why I set my mind on reaching that gate."

"I just didn't expect to run into you along the way."

At this point, Fatty smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Originally, I did think about subduing the ghosts inside, but the problem was my meager strength simply wasn't up to the task. Going there last time almost cost me half my life."

Yang Xuan looked at Fatty thoughtfully.

No wonder Fatty knew about it.

He had even stolen the Fiend-Slaying Spiritual Pill from the Special Operations Division.

It seemed he had come fully prepared.

"I don't know anything about what you've just mentioned, so I can't make you any promises," Yang Xuan said indifferently.

He was no fool; whether Fatty had completely surrendered to him remained unclear, but since Fatty had already witnessed his own strength, he naturally wouldn't betray him easily.

Moreover, even if Fatty wanted to betray him, Yang Xuan wouldn't necessarily permit it.

After all, he was no ordinary ghost-catcher. If Fatty wanted to take anything from him, he had better wonder what kind of price he would have to pay.

Fatty nodded, looking quite pleased. "You don't need to worry, Brother Xuan. I won't let you support me for nothing. Whenever you need anything done in the future, just tell me. Just say the word."

Yang Xuan narrowed his eyes.

"Could it be that you also know some Feng Shui arts?"

"Hehehe." Fatty suddenly chuckled with a hint of pride. "I do know a little bit. Although it's not much, it's enough to get by."

"To be honest with you, before I met you, I always made a living by telling people's fortunes for pocket money."

"It was only upon learning the news that both the Soul Clan Banner and the Fiend-Slaying Spiritual Pill had appeared in the world that I got tempted."

This could be considered Fatty laying his cards on the table.

Yet, Yang Xuan remained somewhat curious. "What on earth does your family do?"

"We're just Taoist priests passed down through generations. Compared to you, Brother Xuan, we're not worth mentioning," Fatty said, pulling a small booklet out of his pocket. "I know Brother Xuan is a person of great ability and certainly wouldn't think much of our family's minor arts, but to prove that what I said is true, I've decided to let you take a look at it."

With that, Fatty handed the booklet over to Yang Xuan.

After taking it and carefully turning through a few pages, Yang Xuan's expression shifted slightly.

This booklet detailed a formation created by Fatty's ancestors, known as the Yin-Gathering Array.

Practicing this Yin-Gathering Array required absorbing a massive amount of Yin energy, ultimately transforming that Yin energy into pure power to be condensed within the array.

This could be considered a remarkably formidable formation.

"So the reason you went to capture those ghosts before was to set up this array? But why were you so terrified of ghosts back at the Huang Family Village?" Yang Xuan was utterly baffled.

Logically speaking, since the man was a Taoist priest, he shouldn't be afraid of ghosts.

Yet back at the Huang Family Village, upon seeing those few ghosts, Fatty had been shaking so violently he barely looked human.

"Ahem..." Fatty scratched his head awkwardly. "Brother Xuan, I don't want to lie to you. I only know how to tell fortunes, but when it comes to actually catching ghosts, I'm genuinely useless."

Hearing Fatty confess the truth, Yang Xuan didn't bother to dwell on it further.

"You mean to say that behind that gate lies an immensely vast reservoir of Yin energy, and you wanted to use this array to convert that Yin energy into Yang energy, ultimately for your own use?"

Fatty raised his head in astonishment. "Brother Xuan, how do you know everything?"

Yang Xuan shook his head; it was all written right there in the booklet.

This Fatty truly was a simpleton.

After this ordeal, Yang Xuan's suspicions toward Fatty diminished considerably.

Fatty was also clever enough to realize that once he told the truth, Yang Xuan's guard against him would drop.

Thus, he simply started bargaining. "Brother Xuan, we've known each other for so long, and you know I don't have any other skills—only this mouth of mine is sharp. So, if you run into any trouble or need help in the future, just say the word. No matter how difficult it is, I will not hesitate and will definitely risk my life to get it done."

"I'll remember your words," Yang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Fatty immediately beamed, patting his chest and giving Yang Xuan his assurance. "Don't worry, I'll definitely repay you well in the future."

Yang Xuan didn't reply further.

The two boarded the green-skin train for their return trip. The journey was smooth and uneventful, without encountering any of the previous mishaps.

Yang Xuan closed his eyes to rest, while Fatty dozed off leaning against the side.

After an unknown length of time, the train slowly came to a halt.

Fatty walked over to the window and woke Yang Xuan up. "Brother Xuan, we've arrived at our station."

Yang Xuan opened his eyes to find that the sky outside had already turned pitch black. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "We're here already?"

"Of course!" Fatty smiled warmly as he tugged at Yang Xuan's arm. "Let's go."

Yang Xuan glanced around, hailed an arbitrary taxi, and headed back to his apartment.

"Brother Xuan, can I live with you?" Fatty rubbed his hands together. "Because of my coma a while ago, the landlord of the apartment I was renting threw all my belongings out since the rent wasn't paid."

"I suppose you can, but I won't let you stay for free. The rent will be deducted from your salary." At the mention of this, Yang Xuan suddenly remembered they had forgotten to discuss salary matters.

"As for your compensation, I'll cover your insurance and give you 5,000 yuan a month. Depending on the workload, if things are busy, it can go up to 10,000."

"If there are clients, we'll discuss additional arrangements then."