Chapter 1208: Boss!
Only when Yang Haoran tilted his head and clearly saw Ban Kui's face did he understand why Ban Kui hadn't recognized him!
Ban Kui stood at the entrance like a statue, his face solemn, his gaze fixed straight ahead, not looking at him at all. In Yang Haoran's view, it was perhaps precisely because Ban Kui wasn't looking at him that he hadn't noticed his boss had returned.
When he had first arrived, he hadn't noticed Ban Kui, this towering figure, standing at the entrance. At that time, Ban Kui was likely busy inside the shop, which was why he wasn't there. As for when Ban Kui had come to the doorway, Yang Haoran hadn't noticed, preoccupied as he was with chatting with Yun Yao and lost in his own thoughts.
From the current situation, it was clear that not only had Yang Haoran not noticed when Ban Kui arrived at the shop entrance, but Ban Kui similarly hadn't spotted Yang Haoran in the queue.
Indeed, Ban Kui genuinely hadn't noticed Yang Haoran in the queue. Being tall meant he saw far, but by the time Ban Kui appeared at the entrance, Yang Haoran was already quite close. Coupled with Ban Kui's habit of looking straight ahead and not glancing around, Yang Haoran's position had become a blind spot that his eyes couldn't perceive.
Seeing Yang Haoran stopped, Yun Yao quickly spoke up, smiling.
“Good sir, this is my friend; he’s just come to join in the fun. Would you mind making an exception for him? ”
Yun Yao’s attitude was remarkably polite. If she hadn't needed something, how could she, a dignified Underworld Official from the mortal realm, speak so courteously to a mere ghost? However, politeness aside, Yun Yao still felt a degree of discomfort, which was why she chose to address Ban Kui as “good sir. ” While the words themselves carried no inherent insult, she found the appellation amusing, and thus used it.
Ban Kui’s stance further annoyed Yun Yao, who was already feeling uncomfortable, and her temper instantly flared.
“Oh, I say, why are you so inflexible? Rules are rigid, but people aren’t! I already told you he’s my friend. What’s wrong with us authenticating items together? Besides, he’s right behind me; he’s next. Can’t we just authenticate together? ”
Fuming, Yun Yao’s voice rose considerably, imbued with undisguised anger.
The people waiting in line heard the commotion and all turned their gazes towards Yun Yao, looking ready to enjoy a good show.
These people in line were either Underworld Ghost Officials or Underworld Officials from the mortal realm, with a few ghosts running errands for their masters. Apart from these errand-running ghosts, both the Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials were somewhat displeased about waiting in line here. After all, their status was different from that of ghosts; having to queue just to have a ghost authenticate an item naturally created an imbalance in their minds. However, constrained by the Underworld’s rules, they dared not use forceful methods, and so they could only queue.
Now, seeing Yun Yao flare up and the ghost clerk proving inflexible, they were naturally all too happy to watch a good show.
Gu Yi sat behind the counter, a large bookshelf packed tightly with various books behind her. Her main daily tasks involved authenticating all sorts of items for customers and also handling payments and bookkeeping.
Because of this, her work area was almost entirely confined to the counter section. Hearing Yun Yao's furious voice, she also cast her gaze over, but she remained unhurried, not a hint of worry on her face.
Her calm reaction stemmed from the fact that she had witnessed this situation more than once. The vast majority of Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials considered themselves superior to mere ghosts, believing it was an affront to pay and queue just to have a ghost like her handle a small matter. Their displeasure often led them to make a scene, and such incidents were common.
Having seen it so many times, she naturally grew accustomed to it.
The first time she encountered such a situation, she had been quite flustered. After all, ghosts were the lowest-ranked beings in the Underworld, and she hadn't known if the other party would harm her or cause some major trouble.
But after she thoroughly studied the Underworld’s laws, she learned that the Underworld also protected ghosts like them. Neither Underworld Officials from the mortal realm nor Ghost Officials from the Underworld itself were permitted to casually harm them.
The Underworld had its rules. While these so-called rules could indeed vary from person to person, they certainly served as a form of protection for ghosts. As long as they were in the right, ordinary Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials dared not act recklessly towards them in the Underworld. To disregard the Underworld’s rules and cause trouble would inevitably result in negative consequences for those Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials.
Moreover, any ghost employed by a shop received protection from their boss. Causing trouble for a ghost clerk meant causing trouble for their boss, and their boss would certainly not stand for it. This was another point of apprehension for both Underworld Officials and Ghost Officials.
Over time, Gu Yi no longer feared Underworld Officials or Ghost Officials who used their status to cause trouble. This was because their shop also had its own rules. If a customer didn't follow the rules, they were simply being unreasonable, and as long as they didn't encounter an extraordinarily powerful figure, there usually wouldn't be any major issues.
Thus, when Yun Yao erupted in anger, Gu Yi remained composed. Not only was there no trace of panic on her face, but she even cast a gaze of genuine interest.
However, when her gaze fell upon Yang Haoran behind Yun Yao, she froze.
The next instant, she reacted, perhaps thinking she had seen things, and rubbed her eyes incredulously before looking at Yang Haoran again.
When she clearly saw Yang Haoran again, she knew she hadn't been mistaken. Her expression immediately turned to shock, followed by genuine excitement. The surge of emotion in her heart made her abruptly stand up.
Faced with Yun Yao's fury, Ban Kui remained unmoved. He didn't even shift his gaze, still looking straight ahead, lacking any interest in sparing Yun Yao a glance.
Just as he was about to open his mouth to respond to Yun Yao and reiterate that rules were rules, Gu Yi's excited voice rang out from the counter.
“Boss! ! ! ”
Those two short words made the fierce-faced Ban Kui's tiger-like body tremble.
In this Underworld, he and Gu Yi shared only one boss: Yang Haoran. Hearing Gu Yi unexpectedly utter the word "Boss" at this moment, his first reaction wasn't to look at Yun Yao, nor at Yang Haoran, whom he had stopped. Instead, he turned his head to look at Gu Yi at the counter.
Gu Yi's face, brimming with excitement, registered in Ban Kui’s eyes. Even with his slow wit, he could tell that Gu Yi wasn't joking. Following Gu Yi's gaze, he turned his head and discovered Yang Haoran, whom he had blocked with his arm.
At that moment, Yang Haoran was watching Ban Kui with a faint smile. After Ban Kui clearly saw Yang Haoran's face, he first froze, then immediately an excited expression bloomed on his face.
Compared to Gu Yi, he simply didn't rub his eyes for confirmation, but his other reactions were almost identical to hers.
“Boss! ! ! ”
Ban Kui spoke with unrestrained excitement, but Yang Haoran’s reaction was different from the two of them; he remained perfectly calm.
“Heh heh, long time no see. Could you perhaps retract that arm of yours, thick as a thigh? It's putting a bit of pressure on me. ”
Upon hearing this, Ban Kui finally realized his arm was still blocking Yang Haoran. He quickly withdrew it and bowed respectfully to Yang Haoran.
This scene left those outside, who had been anticipating a good show, surprised and disappointed, but naturally, even more curious.
The most astonished was none other than Yun Yao, who had just flared up at Ban Kui. She had intended to forcefully bring Yang Haoran into the Stillness Apothecary, disregarding those nonsensical rules. Yet, she had never in her wildest dreams imagined that this Lecheng Undertaker, whom she had deemed an "honest man," was actually the boss of this Stillness Apothecary.
In truth, while the Stillness Apothecary currently held some renown in the Underworld, it was by no means a truly grand establishment. Compared to the truly massive commercial enterprises, the Stillness Apothecary still fell far short, so even encountering its boss wouldn't typically cause much surprise.
Yun Yao, as the Soul-Sower of the Bamboo Sea City Underworld Division, was also someone who had weathered many storms. Under normal circumstances, learning that Yang Haoran was the boss of the Stillness Apothecary certainly wouldn't have produced such profound surprise.
The reason her heart was now filled with shock was entirely because she had learned of Yang Haoran being the owner of this shop under abnormal circumstances. Recalling all their previous conversations, she suddenly found everything utterly surreal, no matter how she thought about it.
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