Chapter 999: You’re staring at me like that, why…

The silent deep sea, the raging thunder.Two extremes, intertwined yet distinctly separate.

Water Ghost adjusted the half-golden beast mask on his face. After confirming it wasn't loose or about to fall off like a belt or trousers, his expression, which had been discomfited from his excessive frolicking with Xu Xiaoshou, gradually returned to seriousness.

He waited for a long time, only pulling out a communication bead after the absurd young man had completely vanished from the vicinity.

He thought for a moment.Xu Xiaoshou already possessed the Vanishing Art. With the interference of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scales, perhaps even if he hadn't gone far, even if he was still within his own domain......he truly couldn't be certain whether Xu Xiaoshou had truly left the area.

Water Ghost paused, then shot upwards, flying out of the deep sea and landing back on Solitary Sound Cliff.A water element profound formation array unfolded beneath his feet, instantly breaking through the Cloud Realm World's shielding power and connecting to external forces.

"Beep..."The communication bead chimed.It only chimed once before the other end quickly connected, and a mature female voice came through, teasing, "Well, well, if it isn't a rare guest, Mr. Water Ghost. Why the sudden call? Do you miss me?"

"Meng Po, of Offerings?" Water Ghost replied indifferently, devoid of emotion.

"Don't worry, I'm not dead, and my contact information hasn't changed. It's really me." The female voice from the communication bead became a little mournful. "Mr. Water Ghost, you still refuse to call me 'Little Meng.' Hmph!"

"Your death is imminent," Water Ghost said, completely skipping pleasantries and going straight to the point.This calm statement, like a heavy hammer, left the woman on the other end of the communication bead speechless for a long time.

"Are you... are you joking? Mr. Water Ghost, you're still so cold and heartless..."

"You can certainly treat this as a joke, then end the call. In the future, I imagine I won't bother you about your debts anymore. Of course, I won't have the chance to."

"Hmph..." The woman on the other end of the communication bead let out a heavy breath, her voice turning serious. "Mr. Water Ghost never speaks idly. Tell me, what happened?"

"The Jiang family's Demigod is targeting your Yama – strictly speaking, the Lei family's pupils. Of course, he's also very interested in your leader, as he possesses spatial-temporal attributes."

"...Such a big matter. How come I haven't heard a single whisper? And Lord Huang Quan doesn't know either?"

"He shouldn't know, because the Jiang family's Demigod only approached me for cooperation about half an hour ago. He wants all information on your Yama members, demanding I find it all within half a day..."Water Ghost paused, his tone unwavering and devoid of joy or sorrow. He continued, "If I don't find it, he'll kill me, or force me to join the Jiang family Demigod. At this point, I should only have one choice left."

A long silence fell on the other end of the communication bead again.

"Mr. Water Ghost, you're not trying to trick me again, are you? I've been tricked by you too many times..." The female voice suddenly sounded a little wronged.

"You can certainly treat it as..."

"Stop, stop! I believe you, alright? Can't I just believe you?" The female voice became helpless. "So now, what is Mr. Water Ghost's attitude? Or, whose side are you on now?"

"Isn't it obvious which side? I've even contacted you." Water Ghost held the communication bead, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Is it... because of me?" The female voice held a hint of expectation.

"It's because you still owe me seven favors, a recipe for 'Carefree Soup,' and the source of 'Blazing Light Water'..." Water Ghost paused, then added, "My mistake, it's eight favors now."

"...Ugh." A sound like a heart attack came from the other end of the communication bead, before she finally said in a low voice, "So many favors, I can't possibly repay them all. I'm willing to repay the debt with my body, but Mr. Water Ghost wouldn't be interested in me... Hmph."

"That's not necessary."

"Hmph!" The sound from the communication bead suddenly became much heavier.

Water Ghost didn't want to dwell on this topic. He said calmly, "First, do me a favor. Give me the locations of all your Yama members. Then find Huang Quan. This matter is too big; I imagine you can't make decisions about it, so I'll talk to him myself."

"When did I become your private spy?" the female voice instinctively retorted.

Water Ghost chuckled, "You don't have to help me. But in half a day, I'll be part of the Jiang family Demigod's faction. I imagine you won't be able to contact me then."

"..." The communication bead fell silent again.

After a long pause, a voice finally came through. "Alright, I'll—I'll help you first. This counts as repaying one favor, right? But Lord Huang Quan absolutely must know about this..."

"It doesn't matter."

"That's fine then." The female voice regained its cheerfulness. "I'll help you contact Lord Huang Quan."

"Mm."After Water Ghost nodded, he directly ended the call.

"Beep..."

"Who is this?"

"Night Cat, Water Ghost. Meng Po set up the call; she's my friend."

"And?"

"The Jiang family's Demigod wants to seize your Lei family's pupils, and he's also eyeing your spatial-temporal attributes. He'll begin his move in a day. You might not die, but your life's work, your Yama members, will lose at least half..." Water Ghost intensified his efforts.

"Haha..." Huang Quan's unconcealed laughter came from the other end of the communication bead. "You sound exactly like a swindler. How can I trust you?"

"He is currently in the Yunlun Mountains, his true form is there, and his ambition is vast. You can verify it yourself. And by coincidence, I'm also in the Yunlun Mountains; he approached me because of my excellence." Water Ghost said with a faint smile.

"If that's the case, why do you want to help me? Aren't you two on the same side?" Huang Quan retorted.

"It's not just helping you; this is cooperation, and it's also helping myself," Water Ghost said. "He thinks I'm just Night Cat Water Ghost. He never imagined I've wanted to kill him for a long time."

"Slaying a Demigod?"

"Indeed."

"Heh, you're quite interesting..."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Night Cat Water Ghost doesn't have such guts. Do you have a second identity?" Huang Quan resisted the urge to disconnect.

"As an intelligence agent, who doesn't have three or four identities? Or even five or six, or seven or eight?"

"Oh? So your true identity is..." Huang Quan asked with a smile.

"Holy Servant, Fifth Seat: Water Ghost."

Water Ghost smiled back. After a pause, he said, "So, are you interested in cooperating with me now?"

The relaxed laughter from the other end of the communication bead vanished, and the voice became serious.

"Let's discuss it further."

Beneath the deep sea, a figure swiftly cut through the water, continuously descending.After a long while, in a dark, uninhabited place, the figure stopped.

"Should be far enough..."Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if Water Ghost had secretly followed him.But regardless of whether he was followed or not, having put such a distance between them and using the Vanishing Art, he figured even Water Ghost wouldn't be able to find him now, right?

"Vanish!"At his command, his figure vanished into the deep sea.

After imbuing the Saint Emperor Dragon Scales with the additional intent of 'forgetting Xu Xiaoshou's existence' in addition to 'avoiding risk,' Xu Xiaoshou promptly escaped into his Origin Mansion.

The Origin Mansion world was vast and boundless.Upon entering, a rich medicinal fragrance permeated the air, instantly washing away all weariness from body and mind.

Aah.Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath of the long-missed fresh air, feeling his very soul relax.He gazed around. The chaotic mist surrounding the Origin Mansion world had now receded to the distant horizon, revealing vast, new land.In the center of this world, the broken tower from Zhang Mansion still stood. In the pond, overgrown with poisonous vines and weeds, poisonous fish energetically leaped and darted, playing joyfully.This side of the world was chaotic.But the opposite side appeared very peaceful.Beneath various realm-stabilizing treasures, newly planned medicinal fields were neatly tended amidst green trees.The little white cat, Glutton, bustled between the nearby hundred thousand alchemy cauldrons. Its "007" work kept it from stopping even for a moment.A little further on, a colossal dragon corpse lay conspicuously, perfectly separating the vitality on one side from the desolation on the other.

"This is great..."Entering the Origin Mansion, Xu Xiaoshou felt incredibly relaxed.No matter what dangerous place he was in, as long as he wished, he could return to this peaceful haven, this "Peach Blossom Spring." How many people dreamed of such a thing?And he himself had gained all this a long time ago...Thanks to Cheng Xingchu!

Glutton wasn't the only creature in the Origin Mansion world.Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept around and quickly found his target in the middle of the medicinal fields.This was a woman with soft, waist-length hair. She wore a light green silk-brocade dress, mended and lengthened. Her sleeves were rolled up as she half-squatted in the middle of the medicinal fields, one hand holding a small wooden watering can, the other a small wooden shovel, loosening the soil and watering the spirit herbs.She had a pair of mysterious and lively black-and-white eyes. The corners of her eyes and lips curved slightly, holding a faint, relaxed smile. Her delicate nose wasn't dewy with sweat, but had a funny smudge of mud.As a gentle breeze blew, her silver strands swept across her cheeks, shimmering in the sunlight. It was a beautiful sight.

"Little flowers, grow up quickly..."For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt a sense of daze.He felt that the person squatting in the medicinal fields was still his innocent junior sister: naive and lively, a little wild, pouting when angry, endearingly comical, and best at cursing others.But when the woman noticed the abnormality in the Origin Mansion world, she looked up and stood, revealing her tall and graceful figure and her long, shoulder-length hair, now silver instead of black and no longer tied in pigtails...Only then did Xu Xiaoshou realize how much things had changed.

He smiled, not minding, and waved towards the medicinal fields, calling out, "Lei Xier."

"Xu Xiaoshou, you're here?"Lei Xier's eyes first flashed with surprise, then returned to calm.

Xu Xiaoshou quickly ran over. While running, he pulled a jade pendant from his ring, saying, "Look what good thing I brought you!"Lei Xier tilted her head, waiting. She quietly watched Xu Xiaoshou swat away the "meowing" pouncing Glutton, then swiftly fly across the medicinal fields and land before her. As he then, like coaxing a child, dangled the jade pendant back and forth before her while making "clink-clink-clink" sounds, she couldn't help but smile.

"What is this?"Her fair fingers took the ordinary jade pendant. Lei Xier examined it for a while, but didn't see anything particularly beautiful or boast-worthy about it.Just some ordinary carved patterns, and the edges looked a bit chipped, slightly damaged.After observing it for a moment, Lei Xier's lips curled slightly. Though her mood was perfectly fine, she subconsciously murmured, "It's so ugly."

"Uh." Xu Xiaoshou's enthusiasm stalled, leaving him momentarily speechless.With Water Ghost's gift as a precedent, he had indeed overlooked the true nature of this jade pendant, which was admittedly quite ordinary in appearance.But it didn't matter.

"It's just an ordinary amulet, nothing special about it," Xu Xiaoshou said, scratching his head. "I just managed to trick it out of a rather powerful senior. Its defensive capability should be decent; it can barely block a Demigod's attack, right?"

Lei Xier's eyebrow twitched. Her left hand holding the jade pendant, she touched the ring on her right ring finger and subconsciously asked, "What is its name?"

"Uh." Xu Xiaoshou was slightly taken aback. A jade pendant needed a name?The moment Lei Xier spoke, her face flushed red.She instantly realized that rings and jade pendants needing names was only something that happened in her own little world. How would Xu Xiaoshou know?In her little world, the champion ring on her right hand, from Xu Xiaoshou, had an exclusive name: "Pink Dove." And of course, there was a matching, infuriating story.But these were all names she had given in the past; Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't know.How could this simple-minded person have thought of a name while giving out the jade pendant?

"Nothing."Lei Xier turned her head away, covering her right hand, and changed the topic. "You don't usually show such courtesy for no reason. Do you have something you need from me?"

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou's expression twisted. He scoffed, "I need to ask something of you? What a joke! This is just a small compensation because I saw how hard you worked using the God-Devil Eyes last time."Xu Xiaoshou instantly thought of an excuse and smoothly asked, "By the way, how's your recovery coming along?"Last time, to control Rao Yaoyao and Teng Shanhai, Lei Xier had almost overused the power of her God-Devil Eyes, even shedding blood tears.Xu Xiaoshou seriously wondered if her God-Devil Eyes would go blind if she continued using them like this...

"I recovered long ago," Lei Xier said, shifting to a normal topic and regaining her composure. "The Origin Mansion world has abundant vitality; as soon as I came in, I mostly recovered."

"That's good, that's good..."Xu Xiaoshou looked at the silver-haired woman before him and suddenly entered "repeater" mode.After giving her the gift, he didn't quite know what to say.Ever since Mu Zixi became Lei Xier, he felt that his own identity and hers had shifted as well.Before, this little girl used to revolve around him. Now, he was the one who needed to cheer her up. It was like......if he kept teasing her, she might turn back.Yet, even during the teasing, he could only find faint traces of their past familiarity.Afterward, everything returned to normal.Xu Xiaoshou pondered, wondering where things had gone wrong.His start after entering the Origin Mansion had been quite good. So why had they suddenly fallen silent?How awkward...Say something, say something, say something...The Saint Emperor Dragon Scales subtly stirred without anyone noticing.Lei Xier's eyelashes trembled. Her eyes quickly darted left and right, then she lowered her head, her red lips unconsciously parting:

"Why are you staring at me like that..."