Chapter 65: A Warning from the Boss
Xu Meijing walking towards Deng Feng naturally caught Yang Haoran's attention.
Under his gaze, Xu Meijing took out her Soul-Gathering Bead.
Upon clearly seeing Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead, everyone present, except for Deng Feng, gasped in collective shock.
Many.
Inside Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead, the Soul Threads were as numerous as ox hair, densely packed and astonishing in quantity. It was impossible to discern the exact number of Soul Threads within the bead with the naked eye alone.
It was Yang Haoran's first time seeing Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead, and he had never in his wildest dreams imagined that her Soul-Gathering Bead would contain so many Soul Threads. Naturally, his heart was considerably startled.
Every time Xu Meijing submitted souls, she would produce an astonishing number of them. This was something the other Night Watchers had long grown accustomed to. After all, she wasn't a temple keeper; she could spend her entire day doing nothing but searching for souls to collect. It was hardly surprising that her soul count would surpass that of the other temple keepers.
But this time was different. This time, the souls in her Soul-Gathering Bead were simply too numerous. Even the temple keepers, long used to her high yields, were still startled by the sheer density of Soul Threads within her Soul-Gathering Bead.
This time, the souls in Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead were actually half again as many as before. While astonished, everyone also wondered where Xu Meijing had managed to find so many souls.
He had met Xu Meijing twice, and both encounters were marked by sharp verbal exchanges, each word a dagger aimed at the other's chest. Yet, Yang Haoran felt he hadn't come out worse either time, and even harbored a slight sense of smugness. But now, he felt utterly defeated.
At that exact moment, Xu Meijing actually cast her gaze towards him. The expression on her face remained as arrogant as ever, but her eyes, as they met Yang Haoran’s, were brimming with provocation.
As their eyes met, Yang Haoran felt as if invisible hands were slapping his face, one after another. His face flushed red, burning with a searing heat.
"Good. Very good. You haven't disappointed me."
Deng Feng paid no attention to Yang Haoran, nor did he notice Xu Meijing's provocative gaze towards Yang Haoran. He burst into hearty laughter, all his attention captivated by Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead.
Amidst his joyful laughter, Deng Feng put away Xu Meijing's Soul-Gathering Bead. Xu Meijing, for her part, offered a perfunctory bow to Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death, before stepping back and returning to her seat.
With Xu Meijing also having submitted her Soul-Gathering Bead, only Yang Haoran remained among the sixteen Night Watchers. Instantly, all eyes converged on him.
Especially Xu Meijing, whose gaze towards Yang Haoran was not only mocking, but her face also twisted into a sneering, cold smile.
Yang Haoran, whose face was already flushed, offered an awkward smile under everyone's scrutiny. He felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, completely ill at ease.
It had been a long time since he had felt this way. Waiting for others to make a spectacle of him was the most humiliating thing he could imagine.
However, he had no choice. It had come to this point; no matter how embarrassing or mortifying, he had to go through with it.
With an extremely unnatural smile plastered on his face, Yang Haoran walked towards Deng Feng.
From the moment he entered the hall, Deng Feng hadn't once truly looked at Yang Haoran. Only now, as Yang Haoran approached, did his gaze truly fall upon him.
Glancing at Yang Haoran, Deng Feng's eyes lingered on the yellow shoulder bag at his waist. He couldn't help but chuckle and say, "That yellow shoulder bag of yours is quite amusing."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's smile instantly became even more awkward.
He was already dressed plainly, with an ordinary appearance and an ordinary physique. There was no other word to describe him beyond "ordinary. " Such a person, carrying a yellow shoulder bag, instantly looked rather provincial and unrefined.
"Of course, a comedian needs to be funny. Otherwise, how will they attract an audience?"
The one who interjected was none other than Xu Meijing, naturally.
Deng Feng smiled but remained silent, seemingly not displeased by Xu Meijing's remark. The other Night Watchers, meanwhile, had varied expressions, their thoughts unknown.
As for Yang Haoran? Heh heh, at this moment, he truly felt like burying himself in the ground. He ignored Xu Meijing's mockery; in this situation, it was impossible for him to engage in a war of words with that woman.
The crucial point was that he was extremely disadvantaged right now. If he foolishly engaged in a verbal spat with that woman, he was guaranteed to be the one who lost out. He could vouch for that.
Seeing that Yang Haoran merely offered an unnatural smile and made no other move, Deng Feng grew a little impatient and said, "Take out your Soul-Gathering Bead. Let me see your performance."
"Well, this. . . this. . . " Yang Haoran awkwardly rubbed his hands together, then spoke with a look of shame, "Your Excellency, the Emissary of Death, you know, I've only been a Night Watcher for a few days. These past few days, I've been busy studying and adapting to this new identity, so I haven't had time to go out and collect the souls of the deceased."
The moment these words were out, Deng Feng's brow instantly furrowed, and displeasure flickered across his face.
Seeing this, Yang Haoran quickly continued to explain, "If I were to go out collecting souls without understanding anything, and then encounter someone capable, I'm afraid I'd bring shame upon you, esteemed elder. My own face can be lost, but Your Excellency, the Emissary of Death, your reputation and prestige are my absolute priority. I cannot allow even the slightest mistake."
With that piece of flattery, Deng Feng's expression improved slightly. Seeing this, Yang Haoran couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Yang Haoran didn't actually know if Deng Feng would fall for such a tactic, but in his current predicament, this was the only way he could think of to salvage his situation for the time being.
What made him truly relieved was that a powerful expert like Deng Feng actually fell for it. For him, both now and in the future, as long as he needed to continue working under Deng Feng, this was unequivocally a good thing.
Upon hearing Yang Haoran's torrent of flattery, Xu Meijing immediately felt unwell, a wave of nausea washing over her. She had intended to utter a few more sarcastic remarks to Yang Haoran, but the words died on her lips, stifled by a single glance from Deng Feng.
"Every nation has its laws, and every profession its rules. Since you have become a Night Watcher, you must abide by our regulations here. We do not keep idlers. If your performance is too poor, then we will have no choice but to dismiss you, revoke your abilities, and send you back to whatever it is you were doing before."
Deng Feng's words were heavy, delivered with the imposing air of a boss reprimanding an employee. Yang Haoran listened, nodding awkwardly and agreeing, offering no rebuttal or further excuses for himself.
Mentioning the reason once was enough; overemphasizing the issue would only backfire.
Judging from the current situation, although Deng Feng's words were strict and harsh, Yang Haoran actually felt a sense of relief. This was because he didn't perceive any intention in Deng Feng's words to immediately dismiss him; Deng Feng likely had more to say.
Sure enough, seeing Yang Haoran's attitude was still acceptable, and furthermore, feeling that what Yang Haoran said did hold some truth, he proceeded to speak again.
"You've just joined our Underworld Office, and you consider our reputation in your actions; I appreciate that. However, that cannot be an excuse for poor performance. This time, I'll let it slide. But if your performance next month still doesn't satisfy me, then you can scram. I'm telling you this, and I'm saying it in front of all the other Night Watchers."
Yang Haoran hastily agreed, his expression one of apprehension, but inwardly, he breathed a huge sigh of relief. Although Deng Feng's words put immense pressure on him, at least the immediate hurdle was overcome.
As for how to improve his performance next month, he had a full month to deal with the problem. He believed he could certainly figure something out.
In truth, Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead wasn't entirely empty of souls, but it only contained a pathetic two. The quantity was too small; he felt it was better not to take it out at all.
The time that followed was for distributing salaries based on individual performance. Yang Haoran, meanwhile, could only watch as the other Night Watchers enjoyed the Soul Qi infusion.
The wooden box suspended before Deng Feng seemed to contain an endless supply of Soul Qi. After all the other Night Watchers, except for him, had received their due Soul Qi, the Pure Yin Qi enveloping the box showed no signs of diminishing.
He was very curious where this Soul Qi came from. Was it released by the wooden box itself, or from something within the box?
If it was released by the wooden box itself, then what material was this wooden box made of?
If it was released by something inside the wooden box, then what exactly was contained within that box?
If he could figure this out, and then find a way to acquire such a treasure, then in the future, would he no longer need Deng Feng, the Emissary of Death, to gain a Soul Qi infusion?
Deng Feng departed, seeing himself off with the respectful farewells of the sixteen Night Watchers. He left as dashingly as he had arrived, directly tearing open space, stepping into the spatial rift, and vanishing.
Yang Haoran watched this method of tearing space with immense envy. However, he currently couldn't achieve it. Forget tearing space; it would be impressive if the meager Spirit Power within him could even cause a ripple in space.
After Deng Feng left, Yang Haoran quietly asked Jiang Dashi about the wooden box. He wanted to understand how this Pure Yin Qi was actually generated.
Regarding this question, Jiang Dashi told Yang Haoran that the Pure Yin Qi was not released by the wooden box itself, but by something inside it. As for what was truly inside the wooden box, he did not elaborate.
Yang Haoran wanted to ask further, but precisely at that moment, an extremely discordant voice reached his ears.
"Some people are about to be expelled just after becoming Night Watchers. What a shame. If your abilities were as formidable as your mouth, you wouldn't have ended up in this predicament. I truly overestimated you."
There was no need to wonder who that discordant voice belonged to; it was naturally Xu Meijing, who had ranked first in performance this month.
"Isn't there still a month's time? What if I manage to turn the tables this month? " Yang Haoran replied with a beaming smile.
"Heh heh, is that so? The way you lie to yourself is truly adorable."
Dropping that remark, Xu Meijing ignored Yang Haoran further, hands in her pockets, and departed with an air of haughty arrogance.
At this moment, she felt an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.
Comments