Chapter Sixteen: Disappearance

Wang Zixuan said, “Wang Yiting, could you please cause me fewer headaches?”

Wang Yiting replied, “It’s not like I want this either. This is the fortieth time. Every time I die, you lot catch me again. Is there any point to this?”

Wang Zixuan said, “I don’t care whether you live or die, but if you must die, could you at least find a quiet, deserted spot and do it swiftly? Make it quick and save us some time and manpower, can’t you?”

The more Wang Zixuan looked at Wang Yiting, the more irritated she became, so she simply stood up and left. A clerk came over and asked, “What should we do with him?”

Wang Zixuan replied, “What else? Lock him up for half a month.”

The clerk nodded and went to handle it at once.

Just as she returned to the front of the supermarket to finish her beer, a deafening commotion erupted outside: “Robbery! Someone’s robbing us! Help! Murder!”

Already in a foul mood, Wang Zixuan rushed out in two strides. She saw five men brandishing knives at a married couple. Without a word, Wang Zixuan charged forward and knocked two of them down with swift kicks. The remaining three lunged at her, but as one might expect, Wang Zixuan’s right foot flickered up, tapping each of their faces with lightning speed—efficient and decisive.

The couple, shocked at first, soon became bewildered—five burly men had been flattened in less than a minute. This beautiful woman was astonishingly formidable. Having finished the fight, Wang Zixuan just wanted to head back for a beer and a song. She had just reached the supermarket entrance when a man's voice called after her.

“Miss, wait a moment! Thank you for your help. If you wouldn’t mind leaving your contact information, I’d like to express my gratitude properly in the future,” Zhou Ning called out.

Wang Zixuan waved her hand dismissively. “The police will be here soon—deal with it yourself. The best thanks you can give me is not causing me any more trouble.”

Without looking back, she went into the supermarket. Unbeknownst to her, Zhou Ning’s lips curled into a mysterious smile. The police soon arrived to handle the investigation, but Wang Zixuan was already getting tipsy when her phone rang.

She answered, “Boss Lady, what is it now? Missing me again already?”

The King of the Underworld replied, “Don’t flatter yourself. There are two things you need to know. First, there might be some movement from the Celestial Court, so be on your guard. Second, recently in several places across Province S, souls of the dead have not been collected. Especially in your district. I’ve already sent out many ghost envoys to investigate, but there’s been no result yet. Get in touch with them and look into it as soon as possible.”

Wang Zixuan retorted, “Wait a minute—how come I didn’t know about these uncollected souls? I’m the Ferryman here, aren’t I?”

The King of the Underworld replied, “I should be asking you! How is it that you’re even later to hear about this than I am? I’m seriously considering whether I need a replacement.”

Wang Zixuan hurriedly said, “No, no, no, I was wrong. Calm down, calm down. I’ll get right on it, okay?”

“That’s better. Go now, and be careful,” the King of the Underworld said before hanging up.

Wang Zixuan muttered, “Always picking on me.”

No sooner had she finished complaining than her phone rang again. She answered impatiently, “Who is it? You’d better give me a good reason, or I swear I’ll finish you off.”

A trembling voice replied, “Um, ma’am, I’m here to investigate the missing souls…”

Wang Zixuan snapped, “Ma’am? Who are you calling ma’am? Who’s your ma’am?”

The ghost envoy was nearly in tears. “Miss, I’m sorry. I was wrong, I was wrong.”

“Get to the point,” Wang Zixuan said.

The ghost envoy explained, “Last night, a few of my brothers went out to investigate. They messaged me saying they’d found something and were following up on it. After that message, they disappeared. I still haven’t been able to reach them.”