Chapter 995: He’s Just Some Nobody

"So, what exactly is it?" Xu Xiaoshou probed cautiously, his heart already prepared to compromise rather than die.

"A matter of... profaning a Saint." The Water Ghost smiled, his intentions inscrutable.

"What? Slaying a Saint?" The light in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes suddenly faded.

"Indeed."

"Excuse me, I'll be leaving!"

The Water Ghost nodded slightly, and Xu Xiaoshou turned to leave again.

What kind of joke is this, slaying a Saint? You should go find Eight Revered Ones for that; he's the real deity! Talking to me about it? Do I, Xu Xiaoshou, even qualify? Do you think I'm omnipotent too?

The Water Ghost watched Xu Xiaoshou turn to leave, but this time, he didn't use his power to forcibly stop him. Instead, he chuckled, "Don't you want to hear the details before deciding whether to stay or cooperate?"

"What's the difference between 'stay' and 'cooperate'?" Xu Xiaoshou was screaming internally.

But since the Water Ghost had said so much, even without being forcibly held back, Xu Xiaoshou felt it wasn't good to just leave. "I can't leave without hearing him out!" he thought.

"I can listen to the details," Xu Xiaoshou sighed heavily, "but forget about slaying a Saint. I can barely manage to slaughter chickens and dogs."

The Water Ghost smiled faintly. "I'm not asking you to actually slay a Saint. All you need to do are some minor acts of desecration, harmless."

"That's a 'Saint'!" Xu Xiaoshou thought. "You say that so lightly, but I might be risking my life to help. How is that a small matter?"

"This 'Saint' you're talking about, is it a person's name, or are you referring to..." Even at this point, Xu Xiaoshou still held a sliver of hope.

"What are you thinking?!" The Water Ghost mercilessly shattered his illusion. "The Half-Saint of the Jiang clan in the Northern Region. I want to kill him, and you just need to help me with a small favor."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless. His face turned pale upon hearing this.

So it really is a Half-Saint! How dare you! No, how dare you? You're only a Grand Void, how can you scheme against a Half-Saint? Aren't Half-Saints transcendent? They're gods on the Saint God Continent. How could a mortal body truly slay a Saint?

"The Half-Saint of the Jiang clan in the Northern Region..." Xu Xiaoshou took a few deep breaths, remembering something. Still unwilling to give up, he said, "I recall a Half-Saint successor of the Jiang clan named Jiang Xian. Did he offend you? You're talking about this Half-Saint successor, aren't you? He should... also have some connection to a 'Saint'?"

"Yes, it's him..." The Water Ghost nodded slightly, filling Xu Xiaoshou with joy.

After a pause, he continued, "What I'm talking about is the true Half-Saint behind this Half-Saint successor. He is our target this time."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless once again.

"Damn it, just get lost! Why provoke a Half-Saint for no good reason? Can't you just take the easy way out I offered? I'd even help you kill a Half-Saint successor without asking for anything in return. Can't you just let me go? Damn it..."

"I'm only a Master..." Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were dull, his tone laced with pleading.

"You are no ordinary Master; don't belittle yourself!" The Water Ghost's hand twitched, producing a wanted poster. His eyes held encouragement and appreciation as he said:

"Look, Three Incense sticks rated your combat power as Cutting Dao level. But in my opinion, you can even toy with Grand Voids. Your combat power is far beyond Cutting Dao! You are young and promising; you should surpass the legend of Eight Revered Ones, profane a Saint as a Master, slay a Saint as a Throne, and obliterate the five great Saint Emperor families as a Cutting Dao!"

After a pause, the Water Ghost looked up, his eyes gleaming, his expression much more animated and vibrant.

"Wow! Just imagine, what a beautiful scene? Once this matter is done, your notorious name, Xu Xiaoshou of the Saint Servant, will spread far across the five regions, surpassing the Eighth Sword Immortal, and becoming a benchmark in the hearts of young people in the new era. Countless individuals will strive to become you, to surpass you, working hard, and you, too, will surely be inscribed in history, your legacy lasting for generations..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache coming on.

"Stop, stop," he quickly interjected.

"What's wrong?" The Water Ghost looked at him, a smile on his face. "Am I wrong?"

"Am I wrong? Could you please reflect on what you're saying first? Is that even human language?!" Xu Xiaoshou nearly slapped the ghostly face before him, but of course, he didn't dare, knowing that one slap would truly put his life in peril.

He was dazed for a long time before he finally said blankly, "Senior Water Ghost, do I, Xu Xiaoshou, look like the type of hot-blooded, chuunibyou person you're describing?"

The sudden shift in topic startled the Water Ghost for a moment.

"Well, not really?"

"...Then do you think saying all this to me is helpful?"

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth twitched. He swallowed hard and sighed again, "Alright, consider me sorry, okay? Please stop messing with me. I genuinely have important matters to attend to and no time to waste here with you. If you truly want to slay a Saint, should I help you summon Eight Revered Ones? Believe me, he might just give you face."

The Water Ghost chuckled again, stepped forward, and patted Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder. His hand suddenly stung, and he pulled it back.

He frowned, realizing Xu Xiaoshou was like a hedgehog, so it probably wasn't an opportune moment for revenge. He didn't dwell on it and returned to the main topic: "Believe me, in this matter, Eight Revered Ones is not even worth a single hair on your body. You are very powerful, you just don't realize it."

"Stop trying to sweet-talk me! I'm not falling for it!" Xu Xiaoshou retorted angrily, turning to leave. "The jokes end here, Senior. Stop trying to keep me; I won't cooperate."

The deep-sea currents parted, and Xu Xiaoshou's figure vanished into the distance.

Surprisingly, the Water Ghost did not stop him again. With a playful expression of having everything under control, he waited a long time before calling out, "But even if you don't want to kill him, he's already set his sights on you."

Xu Xiaoshou's steps faltered.

"Set his sights on me?" For a moment, he truly wanted to turn back and talk properly with the Water Ghost. But then he thought, he's been targeted by more than one Half-Saint. No matter how strong the Jiang clan's Half-Saint was, could he be stronger than the high-ranking members of the Holy Divine Palace? He had also experienced Half-Saint Zang Ren. The Saint Emperor-level big shots from Void Island had secretly made moves, and he was already caught in the middle of it all. One troublesome matter could be tiring, but with many, he was used to it.

"Sorry, not interested."

Seeing that the Water Ghost had no intention of stopping him, Xu Xiaoshou quickened his pace, almost ready to use his Ascend to Heaven in One Step ability.

The Water Ghost watched everything with a smile, then added, "You have the ability to disappear, so you might not be afraid. But he's even set his sights on your friends and family. Don't you plan to stay and talk more?"

In the deep sea, it seemed no matter how far he ran, the Water Ghost's words could reach anyone he wanted. "Friends and family..." Xu Xiaoshou thought, "I've even lost my closest Senior Sang. What else do I have to lose in this world? Surely a Half-Saint can't find my birth parents from another world?" He didn't look back, utterly resolute.

Seeing this, the Water Ghost chuckled and shook his head.

"Quite decisive, aren't we?"

"Is there really nothing in this world you care about? What about your little girlfriend then? Are you not going to care about her life or death either?" the Water Ghost said finally.

It was as if a sensitive nerve had been touched in Xu Xiaoshou. He stopped, then, after much hesitation, used Ascend to Heaven in One Step to reappear before the Water Ghost.

"Little girlfriend?" he asked hesitantly. "Which one are you talking about?"

"Which one?" The Water Ghost's eyes widened, somewhat incredulous. "You have quite a few?"

"Let's talk business, okay?!" Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

"Just that one..." The Water Ghost's expression was playful as he traced two curves in the deep sea with his hands, then smirked, "The silver-haired one. Besides her, who else could it be?"

It was clear the Water Ghost was genuinely curious this time.

Silver hair... A slender figure instantly flashed through Xu Xiaoshou's mind, and he immediately rolled his eyes. "That's my junior sister, not my little girlfriend."

"Oh, a junior sister, huh?" The Water Ghost chuckled, saying meaningfully, "A so-called junior sister, isn't that just a convenient opportunity?"

"Why didn't I notice before, you're quite... suggestive." Xu Xiaoshou scoffed inwardly and said impatiently, "Get to the point. Why would the Jiang clan's Half-Saint target my junior sister?"

"Divine Demonic Child." The Water Ghost's expression turned serious. He said solemnly, "He found me and mentioned Tear Family Children. From what I gathered, he wants to collect all of them."

"All Tear Family Children?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that clash with the Ghost King's goal? Except, the Ghost King is already actively pursuing it, and this Jiang clan Half-Saint is just starting? Then his target shouldn't be my junior sister, but the Ghost King, since there are... many Tear Family Children there!"

"You're not lying to me, are you?" Xu Xiaoshou asked suspiciously. "Too few people in this world know about my junior sister's situation, but the Ghost King secretly collecting Tear Family Children shouldn't be a secret to those at your level, right?"

A genuine look of appreciation suddenly appeared on the Water Ghost's face. He said, "You are indeed very clever. I haven't said anything yet, and you've already guessed the Jiang clan Half-Saint's true purpose."

What does that mean? Xu Xiaoshou looked confused.

The Water Ghost didn't beat around the bush; he spoke plainly, "That's right. The Jiang clan Half-Saint's primary target is the Ghost King. He wants me to help him find people, and then seize all the Ghost King's Tear Family Children."

A surge of anger immediately rose in Xu Xiaoshou's heart. "The Jiang clan Half-Saint wants to find the Ghost King, what does that have to do with my junior sister? You're trying to pin this huge responsibility on me. Don't tell me you're the one who leaked the information about my junior sister being a Divine Demonic Child?"

But despite the inexplicable anger, Xu Xiaoshou didn't lose his temper and lash out. It had to be said, the Water Ghost was still the Fifth Seat of the Saint Servants, one of their own. He shouldn't be so heartless as to expose this to outsiders, otherwise, Eight Revered Ones would probably be the first to cause him trouble. After all, Eight Revered Ones had some connection to the Tear family, and he was the one who protected Lei Shuangxing.

"Elaborate," Xu Xiaoshou said, frowning and unconsciously moving closer, his voice considerably lowered. "The Jiang clan Half-Saint wants to trouble the Ghost King; that's a good thing. How does that involve my junior sister?"

"The connection is enormous," the Water Ghost said, smiling as he took a step back, creating distance, and clasped his hands behind his back:

"Think about it: The Ghost King's Underworld Time-Space attribute makes him incredibly difficult to catch. If he fails, the Jiang clan Half-Saint will inevitably resort to a secondary plan, first searching for other Tear Family Children, then gradually moving up to complete his goal. During this process, with a Half-Saint's abilities, how long do you think your little girlfriend can hide?"

The Water Ghost smiled, raised an eyebrow, and shrugged, giving him a look that implied, "You should know how powerful a Half-Saint is."

"My junior sister," Xu Xiaoshou corrected in a deep voice, his heart already sinking with this statement. "Continue."

"Little girlfriend, junior sister..." the Water Ghost muttered silently to himself, then continued:

"Think about it from another angle: If the current operation succeeds and the Jiang clan Half-Saint obtains all the Ghost King's Tear Family Children, will he stop there? No. He will continue searching for the remaining Tear Family Children scattered across the continent. And Tear Family Children have a mutual sensing ability; I don't know if you're aware of that..."

The Water Ghost drew out the end of his sentence. Seeing Xu Xiaoshou nod silently, he knew he was aware and didn't elaborate further. He said, "So, with that, isn't the possibility of the Jiang clan Half-Saint contacting your little girl... *ahem*, your junior sister, extremely high?"

Extremely high indeed! Xu Xiaoshou was almost swayed. But having survived this long, and with his own mastery in deceiving others, how could he be fooled?

"Everything you said is correct." After first using agreement to stabilize the Water Ghost's mood, Xu Xiaoshou calmly analyzed each point:

"But no matter what, the Jiang clan Half-Saint will first target the Ghost King. And since the Underworld is so difficult to deal with, dragging it out will take a lot of time. Besides, I'm just a Master; how can I help you? If you're looking for someone to cooperate with, you should be looking for the Underworld itself..."

As he spoke, Xu Xiaoshou seemed to realize something. He suddenly looked up and asked, perplexed, "Wait a minute, if the Jiang clan Half-Saint wants to deal with the Underworld, what does that have to do with you? You want to slay a Saint? Shouldn't that be something the Underworld needs to consider? Could it be that you two have some unspeakable underground... ugh!"

Xu Xiaoshou stopped himself in time, his expression growing strange.

The Water Ghost's entire demeanor suddenly turned cold. Before Xu Xiaoshou could blurt out an apology, he said sternly, "My desire to kill him has nothing to do with who he intends to deal with."

Xu Xiaoshou froze for a moment, then quickly reacted. "Are you crazy? You want to be a pawn, used by others?" He opened his mouth wide, barely managing to hold back the words, and instead asked, "Why?"

"No reason," the Water Ghost scoffed. "That old geezer uses his power to bully others. He doesn't even use respectful terms when speaking. What kind of status do I have, to tolerate such insolence from him? Even Eight Revered Ones has to politely persuade me to come out of seclusion. What kind of creature is he?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face immediately broke out in a myriad of question marks.

"That's it? That's all? What kind of tsundere young master temper is this? So this is the Water Ghost you truly are? My eyes have truly been opened!"

"Indeed, Senior, your status is incredibly noble..." Xu Xiaoshou said, taking the opportunity to ask with great curiosity, "So, what exactly is your status?"

"I am..." The Water Ghost flicked his sleeve, clearly annoyed, but just as he was about to speak, he seemed to suddenly realize something, and glared back with a cold face.

"Oh, you sly one, you dare to trick words out of me?" He chuckled, glaring at Xu Xiaoshou, his face returning to its usual mischievous, smiling expression.

"Senior, say it if you want to, don't if you don't. I'm not a curious cat," Xu Xiaoshou said, shrugging indifferently. Inwardly, he felt it was a real shame.

The Water Ghost had clearly been accustomed to nobility in the past; he was no ordinary person. As he said, mountains of gold and silver could no longer move this great Buddha; even Eight Revered Ones had to pay the price of an "answer" to invite him. The Jiang clan Half-Saint, he assumed, must have made a deal with him using the tone one would use with a common Grand Void, and ended up being resented for it, right?

Tsk, tsk. Disputes between powerful figures, one would think they were all about the pursuit of the Great Dao. Who would have thought there could be such ridiculous origins for a conflict? This matter could be trivial or monumental, but if it truly escalates into a full-blown battle, it could mean the demise of a Saint, the destruction of the Ghost King, or the death of the Saint Servant's Fifth Seat. Yet, if the world were to truly know the terrifying reason behind such a result, it would simply be because a certain Half-Saint's tone of voice wasn't very pleasant...

"Ugh!" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly shivered. "This world is incredibly bizarre!"