Chapter 413: He Actually Blushed
Exiting the Ghost Gate, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing successfully arrived at the Yellow Springs Road.
Just like last year, the Yellow Springs Road was covered in blooming spider lilies, beautiful yet evoking a sense of desolation.
This year, they arrived in the Underworld earlier than last year, so there were fewer other figures visible on the Yellow Springs Road.
"You want to get some New Beginning Coins to spend, but do you know how to acquire them?"
As they walked along the Yellow Springs Road, Xu Meijing didn't look at Yang Haoran. Instead, her gaze fixed forward, she spoke while continuing to stride.
"No, but I imagine you have connections in that regard. " Yang Haoran replied readily, a smile on his face.
"Heh, of course. Without some connections, where would I get New Beginning Coins from? " Xu Meijing said.
"Haha, then I'll have to trouble you to show me the way," Yang Haoran chuckled.
"Many items sold in the Underworld are useful to us Underworld Officials in the mortal realm. Similarly, some things from our mortal realm are quite interesting to the Ghost Officials in the Underworld," Xu Meijing explained.
However, hearing Xu Meijing's words, he still smiled and asked, "For instance?"
"For example, talismans from the Talisman Order, Demon Pills from demons, various heavenly materials and earthly treasures, also Demon Weapons from Demon Hunters, magical artifacts from Exorcists, and some Ghost Officials are even very interested in zombies," Xu Meijing explained.
Yang Haoran didn't answer immediately. After a moment of thought, he finally asked, "Can Ghost Officials use all these things? Setting aside the other items, a Demon Weapon for a Demon Hunter would just be a piece of scrap metal to them, what would they do with it?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Meijing paused, turning her head to look at Yang Haoran, though the gaze she fixed upon him was somewhat akin to looking at an idiot.
"What have you been eating lately? " Xu Meijing asked, posing a baffling question.
Yang Haoran gave an awkward smile. He knew Xu Meijing had entered "roast mode" and was about to start mocking him.
Sure enough, just as that thought surfaced in his mind, Xu Meijing spoke again.
"In my impression, you are a very shrewd person, certainly no idiot. Yet, to ask such a question at this moment, you sound exactly like one. I'm genuinely worried you might have eaten something you shouldn't have, and it's affected your brain as well."
The awkward smile on Yang Haoran's face deepened a few shades. Xu Meijing's words had landed a direct hit.
However, Yang Haoran was a man who rarely showed his emotions. Not to mention his unusual relationship with Xu Meijing, even if a stranger had said those words to him, his expression wouldn't have changed much.
Yet, when Xu Meijing said it, he could accept it with a smile, without the slightest hint of displeasure in his heart. If it had been a stranger suddenly roasting him like that, even if his expression didn't change much, his thoughts would certainly be different. It was hard to say if he wouldn't smile while toying with them until they met their end.
"You know, I don't understand as much as you do in this area. Since I don't, I naturally have to humble myself and ask, don't I? " Yang Haoran awkwardly replied.
Xu Meijing rolled her eyes at Yang Haoran, then let out a cold snort. "Hmph, I don't think you know less than me. I think you're deliberately playing dumb in front of me. Do you really think I'm an idiot who can't see through that? Your methods are far too clumsy. Did you think that by deliberately praising me and trying to please me, I'd be happy?"
Looking at Xu Meijing's stern expression at that moment, Yang Haoran suddenly felt his face flush hot, flaming red. Damn it, he actually blushed!
Yang Haoran's blush didn't cause the slightest change in Xu Meijing's expression. Her demeanor remained stern, and her gaze even revealed a hint of disgust.
"I'll tell you, your actions make me very happy, hahahaha. Look at your expression right now, it's truly amusing!"
By the end, Xu Meijing finally couldn't hold it in. She burst out laughing, bending over with mirth.
The main reason Xu Meijing reacted so strongly was because Yang Haoran's expression at that moment was simply too priceless: dazed, dumbfounded, and completely flushed. He didn't resemble a cunning old fox with deep schemes at all; instead, he was more like a youth experiencing love for the first time.
Xu Meijing could sense that this was Yang Haoran's most genuine reaction, not a deliberate act, which was why she laughed with such unbridled joy.
If anyone familiar with Yang Haoran's character had seen his expression at that moment, they would likely have thought they recognized the wrong person. After all, in their eyes, Yang Haoran was a deeply cunning old fox; how could such a calculating individual display the kind of emotional reaction only a young man would, even blushing?
Similarly, if anyone familiar with Xu Meijing had seen her current appearance, they would surely have been so shocked their jaws dropped. In their impression, Xu Meijing was arrogant and disdainful of others, always aloof and imperious, facing everyone with the air of a cold queen. How could she possibly laugh so exaggeratedly and without regard for her image?
Although all of this was incredibly unbelievable, it had indeed happened.
Seeing Xu Meijing laugh so heartily, Yang Haoran breathed a sigh of relief, though his face grew even redder, as if blood were about to seep through his skin.
Xu Meijing laughed for a while before stopping. Though not as exaggerated as before, a smile still lingered on her face.
Smiling, she began to walk again, and Yang Haoran awkwardly followed beside her.
"Whether you truly don't know or are just pretending not to, I'll explain it to you anyway, haha."
At this point, Xu Meijing couldn't help but chuckle again. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she continued, "Just because some treasures are useless to Ghost Officials doesn't mean they're useless to everyone else. They can exchange them with those who need them for items they themselves require. Furthermore, not all shops in the Underworld are run solely by Ghost Officials from the Underworld; some are also operated by Underworld Officials from the mortal realm. Even if some items are difficult for Ghost Officials in the Underworld to handle, it doesn't mean Underworld Officials in the mortal realm can't process them either."
Yang Haoran felt his cheeks were no longer as hot, and the flush on his face slowly began to recede. While still looking a bit red, it was much better compared to before.
"You mean, we just need to take out some items, preferably ones useless to us, find the corresponding counter to exchange them, and we can get New Beginning Coins, right? " Yang Haoran asked with a smile, though it was still tinged with a slight awkwardness.
Xu Meijing didn't bother to dwell on whether Yang Haoran was feigning ignorance or genuinely didn't know. She nodded with a smile and replied, "Exactly, that's what I mean. However, in this Underworld, Pure Yin Qi is the most effective currency because all Underworld Officials of the Underworld Office, including the Ghost Officials in the Underworld, need Pure Yin Qi to increase their strength. If you still have Soul Pills on hand, acquiring New Beginning Coins will be very simple. I've yet to hear of any shop in the entire Underworld that doesn't accept Pure Yin Qi."
"Pure Yin Qi. . . I doubt many Underworld Officials would take something like that to exchange for New Beginning Coins, given how highly all Underworld Officials value it," Yang Haoran said with a chuckle.
Xu Meijing smiled and nodded. "That's certainly true, but it doesn't rule out the possibility that some Underworld Officials, desperate for New Beginning Coins and with no other exchangeable items on hand, might reluctantly part with Pure Yin Qi. You can think about what valuable things you have that you don't need. I'll take you to a shop in a bit, and you can exchange those items for New Beginning Coins. Of course, the shop has to be willing to accept what you offer."
Yang Haoran nodded, then began to recall what valuable items he had in his personal dimension that might be worth exchanging.
Unconsciously, the two finished traversing the Yellow Springs Road and stepped onto the Bridge of Helplessness. Only this time, they didn't find Meng Po in the stone pavilion on the Bridge of Helplessness. A female Ghost Official stood guard inside the pavilion, but it wasn't Meng Po.
Although this Ghost Official was not Meng Po, the power fluctuations emanating from her were quite formidable. It was unclear whether these fluctuations represented her full power or just a fraction of it; it was impossible to tell.
Her presence, naturally, was to guard the Bridge of Helplessness and prevent unauthorized personnel from entering the Underworld.
The woman was not a Guardian. Since she wasn't, in the eyes of Emissaries of Death like Yang Haoran, she was essentially their peer. Some Ghost Officials even held a lower status than an Emissary of Death.
Beings of the same rank naturally didn't need to salute each other, so the two directly passed through the stone pavilion.
And the woman, after sensing the Spirit Power emanating from the two, did not stop them from passing.
After passing the stone pavilion and descending the Bridge of Helplessness, after a year's interval, the two once again stepped into the unique world of the Underworld.
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