Novels online

Chapter 1263: Congratulatory Gift

After hearing Ban Kui's voice, the two shop assistants looked towards the door, and Gu Yi also rose from her seat, casting her gaze towards the shop entrance. However, before Gu Yi could even step out from behind the counter, she heard Master Jiang's words, brimming with intense joy.

After uttering these words, Master Jiang strode into the shop. Ban Kui paused, then reacted, though he didn't quite grasp the full meaning of Master Jiang's current pronouncement.

Although he didn't fully understand, Ban Kui didn't remain rooted to the spot. Instead, he closely followed Master Jiang's steps into the shop.

By this time, Gu Yi had already realized the meaning of Master Jiang's words. A joyful smile immediately blossomed on her face, and she quickly stepped out from behind the counter, heading towards the door to greet him.

"Master Jiang, has the martial arts competition concluded? Have our boss and proprietress successfully claimed the Guardian positions?"

Upon seeing Master Jiang, Gu Yi promptly inquired. Ban Kui, who had been following closely and hadn't yet understood Master Jiang's words, immediately grasped the situation upon hearing Gu Yi's question.

Due to their station, neither of the two female shop assistants dared to address Master Jiang rashly. However, the anticipation on their faces was far more intense than when they had previously questioned Gu Yi.

"Heh heh, why aren't you asking if the inspection results for your Stillness Apothecary's medicines have been released?"

After the people from Heavenly River Apothecary caused trouble here that day, Master Jiang, to prove Stillness Apothecary's innocence, publicly inspected various medicines from Stillness Apothecary in front of everyone. After confirming there were no issues, he took some of the medicines to a specialized appraisal institution in the Underworld for further testing, using the most authoritative methods to prove that Stillness Apothecary's medicines were completely fine.

However, these appraisal institutions are extremely meticulous in their drug evaluations, thus taking more time. Furthermore, their daily workload is considerable, so obtaining the most precise and authoritative appraisal results would indeed require some time.

"Oh, come on! Our Stillness Apothecary's medicines have never had any issues. I know that better than anyone, because I thoroughly inspect every single medicine before it goes on the shelf; there would never be any fake drugs. So, I'm not worried about those so-called appraisal results having any problems, and I'm sure you aren't either, Master Jiang. Besides, today is the day the Jingling Continent Underworld Office selects its Guardians through martial arts. You've come with such joy to deliver good news, so it must be that our boss and proprietress have successfully claimed the Guardian positions!"

Gu Yi spoke with absolute certainty, just as confident as when she had discussed the matter with the two female shop assistants earlier.

Master Jiang chuckled. Seeing that Gu Yi had already spoken so assuredly, he didn't continue to play coy in front of her.

"Heh heh, you're absolutely right. Your boss and your proprietress have indeed successfully claimed the Guardian positions. There were only two Guardian positions in total, and those young lovebirds actually swept them both up. I was at the martial arts arena earlier; I saw this scene with my own eyes, it's no lie!"

As soon as Master Jiang's words were spoken, the smile on Gu Yi's face instantly grew even wider.

"That's wonderful! Absolutely wonderful! I knew they'd succeed! ! !"

The intense joy within her made Gu Yi leap up in delight. The two female shop assistants following behind her also bounced excitedly.

Even Ban Kui, usually taciturn and showing little emotion, couldn't help but crack a smile upon hearing Master Jiang's words. Though it was only a faint smile, witnessing any smile on his face was practically a miracle.

Watching Gu Yi and the other two bounce and leap with such boundless joy, Master Jiang, too, was infected by their cheer. Although he, a grown man, didn't express his inner excitement and happiness by jumping like them, the smile on his face involuntarily deepened considerably.

Master Jiang didn't interrupt them, letting them jump and shout to their hearts' content. Such momentous good news deserved such a reaction, and how could he bear to cut short their joy?

A moment later, Gu Yi and the other two gradually calmed down. Although they were no longer jumping and shouting, the joy on their faces hadn't diminished in the slightest.

Just then, footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door, drawing the attention of all five people. Their gazes converged on the entrance.

"Heh heh, the atmosphere is excellent. I could hear your celebrations from outside the door."

The newcomer was a young girl; none other than Yun Yao, the Emissary of Death from Bamboo Sea City in Qingshan Continent.

Master Jiang didn't recognize Yun Yao, but Gu Yi did. Seeing Yun Yao enter the shop, she quickly went to greet her with a smile.

"Madam, do you know? Our boss and proprietress have successfully claimed the Guardian positions! They are both Guardians now!"

Gu Yi knew that Yun Yao and Yang Haoran had a good relationship. Back then, Yun Yao had given Yang Haoran the Deep Sea Snow Jade, and Yang Haoran, in turn, had considered Yun Yao a perpetually discounted VIP of Stillness Apothecary. Gu Yi had been present then, so her impression of Yun Yao was quite profound.

In Gu Yi's eyes, Yun Yao was undoubtedly a friend, not an enemy—she was one of their own. Thus, upon seeing Yun Yao appear, she immediately rushed forward, her face alight with joy, and took Yun Yao's hand, eagerly sharing the news that Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had become Guardians.

Normally, Gu Yi would never be so presumptuous. Firstly, their statuses weren't equal: Yun Yao was an Underworld Official from the mortal realm, while Gu Yi was a ghost working in the Underworld. Secondly, she and Yun Yao weren't truly familiar with each other; she only knew Yun Yao was Yang Haoran's friend. Rushing over unexpectedly, grabbing the other's hand, and excitedly discussing her boss's affairs was indeed somewhat inappropriate, and she wouldn't have done so if she were thinking clearly. But at that moment, she was clearly swept away by joy, forgetting all etiquette and formalities.

Yun Yao, who had originally been full of smiles, was startled by Gu Yi's sudden action. But then she quickly recovered. She didn't withdraw the hand Gu Yi had taken; instead, she allowed Gu Yi to hold it tightly, listening with a smile to Gu Yi's excited words.

"Heh heh, I was at the martial arts competition myself, so of course I knew your boss became a Guardian. I came specifically to congratulate him. Has he not returned yet?"

After Gu Yi finished speaking, Yun Yao began to speak with a smile. Towards the end, she even glanced around, seemingly searching for Yang Haoran's figure, but she found nothing.

"The boss hasn't returned yet, but I estimate he should be back soon."

Gu Yi quickly responded with a smile. As she spoke, Gu Yi realized she had been tightly holding Yun Yao's small hand and, looking embarrassed, quickly withdrew it.

In truth, Gu Yi didn't need to answer; Yun Yao already had her answer. The absence of Yang Haoran's figure meant he hadn't returned yet.

"Heh heh, I actually don't think your boss will be back anytime soon. He's been taken away by their Jingling Great Emperor. From their hurried demeanor, they might have gone to execute some mission. However, your boss is severely injured, so I doubt the Jingling Great Emperor would send him on any mission; it's more likely he was sent back to headquarters to recuperate."

Yun Yao recalled the scene at the martial arts arena earlier, where Luo Yao had taken away eight Guardians, thus leading her to this speculation.

Upon hearing that Yang Haoran was severely injured, the joy on Gu Yi's face instantly vanished, replaced by an expression of deep worry.

"The boss is severely injured? He's not in critical condition, is he?"

Gu Yi voiced her inner concern, while Yun Yao shook her head with a smile and spoke to reassure her.

"Don't worry, your boss is indeed gravely injured, but he's far from dying. If he truly was sent by the Jingling Great Emperor to the Jingling Continent Underworld Office's headquarters in the Underworld, then you have even less to worry about, because that place boasts the best medical facilities in the entire Jingling Continent Underworld Office. They could bring him back even if he only had one breath left."

With Yun Yao's words, the worry in Gu Yi's heart lessened considerably.

"Since our boss is so severely injured, I don't think the Jingling Great Emperor would still make him undertake any missions."

Gu Yi stated, and Yun Yao responded with a smile.

"Your analysis is correct. As long as the Jingling Great Emperor isn't foolish, he definitely won't send your boss on any more missions. If anything untoward were to happen to your boss, then all his efforts in organizing this martial arts competition would have been for naught. That would be of no benefit to him, unless your boss had a grudge against him. However, your boss was originally an Emissary of Death under him, so frankly, he's always been his man. Therefore, not only would he not scheme to harm your boss, but he would also protect him. You can rest a hundred percent assured."

Yun Yao's words startled everyone present, as her tone showed absolutely no respect for the newly appointed Jingling Great Emperor; indeed, it was utterly disrespectful. For an Emissary of Death to dare question an Emperor's intelligence—that was no ordinary display of courage.

As for her later words, Gu Yi and the others barely heard them, because her initial remarks had already stunned them.

Yun Yao knew that Yang Haoran was the Emissary of Death for Gu Mo City in Jingling Continent, and that Luo Yao, when he was previously a Guardian, was responsible for that very area. This was no secret throughout the Underworld Office, which was how she knew Yang Haoran had once been Luo Yao's subordinate.

After saying this, Yun Yao seemed to recall something else and turned to Gu Yi, asking,

"Heh heh, I just heard you mention your proprietress. So the woman who was with your boss is his wife? The honest man is already married?"

Yun Yao's words brought Gu Yi out of her surprise.

"Whether they're married or not, I'm not sure, but she is indeed our proprietress."

Master Jiang, who had remained silent until now, chimed in after hearing this.

"Heh heh, they're currently just a couple; they're not married yet. If they were truly getting married, they surely wouldn't fail to inform me."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao glanced at Master Jiang, then showed an expression of sudden realization.

"Oh, so that's how it is. I thought they were already married."

Yun Yao spoke with a smile, then Yin Qi surged in her hand. A fist-sized black box with golden trim suddenly appeared, hovering above her palm.

"I came here intending to personally congratulate the honest man, but from the looks of it, he won't be back anytime soon, and I don't have the leisure to wait for him indefinitely. Please take this gift and give it to him when he returns. It's my congratulatory present for his becoming a Guardian."

Naturally, no one present apart from Yun Yao knew what was inside the box. Gu Yi was, of course, curious about its contents, but she wouldn't dare open it without permission, much less open it right in front of Yun Yao. She wasn't foolish enough to do something so thoughtless.

"On behalf of our boss, I thank you, Madam. Please rest assured, I will personally deliver this congratulatory gift to our boss!"

Gu Yi took the box and quickly thanked Yun Yao with a smile, giving her assurance.

"Mm, I'll trouble you with that. Also, don't call me "Madam" anymore; it sounds a bit awkward. Just call me Sister Yun Yao. Although I might look younger than you, my true age is probably much older. Calling me "Sister" won't be to your disadvantage, just as long as you don't call me "Auntie. ""

After handing the congratulatory gift to Gu Yi, Yun Yao did not linger long at Stillness Apothecary. She didn't ask Gu Yi to appraise any items, nor did she purchase any Dānyào from the shop. From this, it was evident that her visit today was purely to deliver a congratulatory gift to Yang Haoran.

As Yun Yao left Stillness Apothecary after delivering her congratulatory gift, a different scene was unfolding within Heavenly River Apothecary.

The young man, who had almost been struck to Soul Transformation by Xu Meijing a few days prior, was now inside Heavenly River Apothecary. He had changed into a new skin, and although it was new, it was identical to the one Xu Meijing had destroyed with a single slash. This was because the skin had been custom-made for him, precisely in the likeness of his appearance when alive, so there was no difference in appearance between the new skin and the old.

A skin, after all, was merely a skin and not a physical body; thus, the soul's weakness would not manifest on one's complexion. Although the young man's face showed no trace of weakness at that moment, his soul was actually extremely frail.

That day, the young man had nearly been struck to Soul Transformation by Xu Meijing. After two maidservants brought him back to Heavenly River Apothecary, the people there immediately provided him with treatment, which allowed his soul to be preserved from dissipating.

Although several days had passed, the young man's soul had stabilized and was no longer at risk of dissipating. However, his soul had not yet recovered to its peak state; it was extremely weak, just like an ordinary person recovering from a severe illness.

Due to his excessively weak soul, he hadn't gone to the martial arts arena today to watch the Jingling Continent Underworld Office's Guardian selection competition. Nevertheless, the final results of the competition had still reached his ears. Upon learning that Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had ultimately become the Jingling Continent Underworld Office's Guardians, his expression instantly became exceedingly grim!