Chapter 122: The Child-Stealing Bird

I really don’t know what to say about Boss Chi.

"Very well, very well!" Xu Cheng shook his head, withdrawing his primordial spirit’s energy, and immediately added, "Since you don't want to get involved with the monster in town, leave it to me to handle."

"Really?"

A smile spread across Boss Chi’s gaunt, monkey-like face. Even though it was a genuine expression of joy, to Xu Cheng, it still looked a bit wretched.

"Would I lie to you? First, take down this green barrier of flowing fire," Xu Cheng said.

"That won't do. The Flowing Fire Cloud Barrier has sealed the ground. If I drop it, won't this creature just burrow away? What if he wasn't telling the truth earlier?" Boss Chi shook his head repeatedly; he didn't trust the cat-monster at all.

"Master Chi, you can't wrong me like this! I was just a regular person, and when I died, that damn cat pounced on me, turning me into this state. I’m a well-known good person in this town!" The cat-monster pleaded, tears streaming down his face.

"He wouldn't dare. Even if he escaped into the ground, I could dig three feet deep to drag him back. Don't worry!" Xu Cheng said with absolute confidence, though he had his own plans.

"A well-known good person in town? Are you 'Meddlesome' Wan Ankang?" Boss Chi seemed to have heard of this fellow, who went by the nickname "Meddlesome Wan Ankang."

"Yes, that's me! No, wait! What do you mean 'meddlesome'? I was doing good deeds and accumulating merit!" Wan Ankang’s cat face turned, perhaps, a shade of deep red in his anxiety—though on him, it just looked rather ferocious.

"So it is you! No wonder I haven't seen you for days! You actually kicked the bucket! How did you die? I recall you weren't even fifty yet!" Boss Chi stroked his goat-like beard, a strange smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Well... I... I was drinking water in my room and choked, then I slipped and hit the back of my head on the corner of the table..." Wan Ankang scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.

"Hahahaha! People who accumulate merit usually live longer, but you just died like that!" Boss Chi burst into laughter. "And you say you aren't meddlesome!"

Wan Ankang was momentarily speechless, as if reflecting on whether he had truly been doing good deeds or simply meddling.

Taking advantage of the gap, Xu Cheng pulled out his Yellow Springs Token to check Wan Ankang’s merit points. The token showed he had some, though not many—thirty-five points of merit and three points of sin. He could be considered a decent person.

"Boss Chi, if you don't drop the barrier, I’m going to force it open," Xu Cheng whispered.

"You—this guy is a ghost-monster, after all! Are you just going to let him go like that?"

Clearly, Boss Chi did not want to let Wan Ankang off the hook.

"I am an emissary of the Underworld; what is a mere ghost-monster to me? Wan Ankang, are you willing to become a ghost official, shed this bloodthirsty nature, and protect Guangling Town?"

The illusion on Xu Cheng's face vanished, revealing his true appearance as he radiated the aura of the Yellow Springs.

"So you are from the Underworld. Please forgive my ignorance," Boss Chi said hastily, feeling that lingering, otherworldly presence.

"A... a ghost official?" Wan Ankang’s eyes were filled with confusion. In his mind, legendary ghost officials were the likes of Ox-Head and Horse-Face or Black and White Impermanence; he couldn't imagine someone like him in that role.

"Indeed. Ghost officials are protected by the Underworld. Think of us as the constables of the mortal realm, tasked with capturing wandering spirits and ghosts," Xu Cheng said, emphasizing the benefits of the position.

"I will! Of course, I will!" After a few seconds of hesitation, Wan Ankang made his decision.

"Excellent!" Xu Cheng replied, then turned to Boss Chi, signaling him to drop the barrier.

Without further argument, Boss Chi hurriedly dispelled the green flame barrier. A black ghost-official token flew from Xu Cheng’s Yellow Springs Token and hovered over Wan Ankang’s head. Black energy completely enveloped him, and after a moment, Wan Ankang emerged again, his head remaining a round cat face, his hands also transformed into cat paws—he looked as festive as a beckoning cat.

"Interesting, but he looks just like a lucky cat," a female voice suddenly remarked.

Following the sound, Xu Cheng looked up to see a woman standing on the rooftop. She was no ordinary woman; behind her sprouted a pair of massive black wings.

*The main culprit has finally appeared,* he thought.

"I wonder if I could be a ghost official too?" the woman said, her crimson eyes fixed on him.

Unexpectedly, she wanted to become a ghost official. Xu Cheng’s token flickered, revealing her merit points: Ji Birong, six hundred merit, six hundred sin.

"Your merits and sins are equal; you should return to the cycle of reincarnation," Xu Cheng said coldly.

"So that's a no, then!"

Ji Birong’s lips curled into a smirk, and her form turned into a black bolt of lightning, lunging at Xu Cheng.

"Moon Wheel!" Xu Cheng shouted, pulling the Yellow Springs artifact from his earlobe. In the blink of an eye, it grew to ten feet in size, crashing into the black streak.

*Boom!* The two collided. Ji Birong blocked the artifact’s strike with her wings; he hadn't expected them to be so formidable.

"Yellow Springs Dao: Underworld Flame Chains!" Xu Cheng didn't want to miss the opportunity, and dozens of hellfire chains appeared out of thin air, attempting to bind her.

"You certainly have many tricks," Ji Birong sneered, then suddenly vanished. All of Xu Cheng’s attacks missed.

"Watch out! Scatter!" Xu Cheng roared, fearing his newly recruited subordinate would be killed.

However, Wan Ankang was a sharp one; he instantly dived into the ground, and Boss Chi had already vanished into a puff of blue smoke. Xu Cheng’s concern was unnecessary.

He glanced at them and thought, *Those two run fast, but with their cultivation, they’d just be throwing their lives away.*

He had realized earlier that Ji Birong was at the Pure Yang Primordial Spirit realm, while Boss Chi was merely at the early stage of Spirit Wandering, and Wan Ankang, despite his promotion to ghost official, was only at the Dharma Talisman realm. If Ji Birong truly wanted to target them, even self-destruction might not hurt her. Xu Cheng didn't rely on them.

"You’d better worry about yourself!"

A voice sounded right by Xu Cheng’s ear, and he felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, sent flying backward. Fortunately, the Moon Wheel appeared behind him, helping him steady his momentum.

"I’ll ask you one more time: can I be a ghost official or not?" Ji Birong hovered in the air, her voice frigid.

"No!" Xu Cheng remained firm.

"Then I’ll beat you until you say yes! Ghost Feathers!"

Ji Birong spread her wings, and thousands of black feathers shot toward him. Xu Cheng dared not underestimate a technique from a Pure Yang Primordial Spirit expert. Golden light erupted from his body as he activated the Origin Seal, the Great Brightness Seal, and the Past Fundamental Seal in rapid succession, forming a protective barrier. The black feathers pelted the shield, creating a relentless, metallic clattering sound.