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Chapter Ninety-One: The Brightest Star (Part One)

Inside the hall behind the rock wall, Yang Haoran chatted with the other Night Watchers just like last time. He spoke little, mostly listening with a smile, occasionally interjecting a few words to ensure his presence wasn't overlooked.

This time, Xu Meijing was once again the last to arrive. However, her expression wasn't pleasant this time; her face was dark, as if someone owed her a fortune.

For a long time, Xu Meijing had been the most dazzling presence among Lecheng's Night Watchers. The reason for her radiance wasn't solely her beauty, but rather her monthly performance, which consistently astonished everyone else. Moreover, she wasn't a low-key person to begin with, so it was hard for her *not* to shine.

Her appearance naturally drew the attention of others, including Yang Haoran, whose gaze fell upon her.

"Hmm, something's off, that expression isn't right," the Night Watcher to Yang Haoran's left had a bewildered look, as if something was perplexing him greatly.

Yang Haoran didn't inquire further about this. The reason was simple: Xu Meijing's face was so dark that anyone with eyes could tell her expression was amiss.

"To show such an expression, I'm afraid her performance this month isn't very good," Jiang Dashi, seated to his right, spoke up at this moment.

Yang Haoran's gaze fell on Jiang Dashi. Jiang Dashi's words secretly delighted him, even sparking a slight smugness. However, he didn't show it, instead feigning surprise.

"No way, her monthly performance is always so good, this month should be no exception!"

Xu Meijing, whose expression was already unpleasant, instantly looked even worse upon hearing Yang Haoran's words. Her face was so grim it looked like water would drip from it. She glared at Yang Haoran's position, gritting her teeth, consumed by hatred.

Jiang Dashi, beside him, was startled by Yang Haoran's remark, and quickly whispered a reminder: "Lower your voice!"

Yang Haoran calmly replied "It's fine" to Jiang Dashi, then looked at Xu Meijing, ignoring her murderous expression. He actually revealed a benevolent smile, then nodded. He looked exactly like an old friend greeting another.

Yang Haoran had never been one to repay injustice with kindness. His smiling nod to Xu Meijing at this moment was naturally not the kind of friendliness shown when old friends meet. If one had to use a single word to describe the meaning behind his smile, it would be provocation—naked, blatant provocation.

Xu Meijing wasn't foolish; how could she not see that Yang Haoran was provoking her? This made her grind her teeth in fury, yet she was helpless.

The reactions of the two naturally fell into the eyes of the other Night Watchers. They didn't find it strange, as similar scenes had occurred the last time the two met. They were merely curious as to what kind of deep-seated hatred existed between them, and why they always carried such a strong whiff of gunpowder the moment they met.

At this moment, the space before Emissary of Death Deng Feng's exclusive seat rippled. A rift opened in the space, and the sharp-chinned, monkey-faced Deng Feng stepped out from within.

Xu Meijing was seething inside, but seeing Deng Feng appear, she could only suppress her inner fury. She shot a fierce glare at Yang Haoran.

Of course, Yang Haoran also dared not act recklessly in front of Deng Feng. This boss, who could make him a Night Watcher, could just as easily turn him back into an ordinary person.

With Deng Feng's appearance, the time for the Night Watchers to receive their wages finally arrived. Jiang Dashi and the other Temple Keepers didn't have many souls in their possession; the most had eleven, while the fewest indeed only had five.

However, as Temple Keepers and the Death God's most devoted believers, their primary duty was to manage their respective Death God Temples well, expand the Death God's influence, attract more believers, and resolve their problems. Guiding departed spirits and subduing malevolent entities were secondary concerns.

Therefore, even if they didn't have many souls each month, it wouldn't greatly affect them. Instead, they would still receive a fixed amount of Soul Qi each month, specifically for Temple Keepers.

Emissary of Death Deng Feng showed no reaction. He neither affirmed nor directly denied the results of Jiang Dashi and the others, maintaining a placid demeanor.

In a short while, only Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing remained, having yet to submit their souls.

Compared to Jiang Dashi and the others, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were professional Night Watchers. They didn't have as many trivial duties as the Temple Keepers each day; they merely needed to fulfill their responsibilities as Night Watchers. Their sole tasks were to guide departed spirits and subdue malevolent entities. Thus, under normal circumstances, the number of souls in their possession should far exceed that of the Temple Keepers.

Deng Feng did not look at Yang Haoran. Yang Haoran's performance the previous month had been zero. Because Yang Haoran had only recently joined the Night Watchers, and coupled with a round of flattery from him, Deng Feng hadn't fired him on the spot, but he was still profoundly disappointed in Yang Haoran.

Although another month had passed, he still didn't think much of Yang Haoran. He naturally and completely ignored him.

Xu Meijing was different. Ever since Xu Meijing became a Night Watcher, her monthly results had consistently pleased and surprised him. He had high expectations for Xu Meijing, and this time was no exception.

"Meijing, I trust that your performance this time will once again surprise me," Deng Feng said, looking at Xu Meijing with a smile.

Deng Feng smiled. It was the first time he had shown a smile on his face since his appearance today, and this smile was directed solely at Xu Meijing.

Xu Meijing froze for a moment. Then, as if resigned to her fate, she walked towards Deng Feng with a dark expression.

Xu Meijing's expression was indeed a bit off. Deng Feng noticed this, but ultimately didn't pay it much mind. Xu Meijing had an arrogant personality, always acting as if everyone else was beneath her notice; he had long grown accustomed to it.

What he wanted were souls. As long as she could submit a satisfactory number of souls each month, in his eyes, she was a good employee and a competent Night Watcher. As for her personality, good or bad, he couldn't be bothered to care.

Arriving before Deng Feng, Xu Meijing took out her Soul-Gathering Bead. The instant she produced the Soul-Gathering Bead, her face flushed slightly.

His gaze fell upon the Soul-Gathering Bead, and Deng Feng also froze for a moment. Inside the Soul-Gathering Bead, threads of Soul Thread swam, numbering twenty-one in total.

Twenty-one Soul Threads were already not a small number. Compared to Jiang Dashi and the other Temple Keepers, even the Temple Keeper with the most collected souls had exactly half as many as Xu Meijing.

However, for Xu Meijing, twenty-one Soul Threads were far too few. After all, her past monthly performances had been much, much higher.

Yang Haoran was also quite surprised. Having previously seen Xu Meijing's unpleasant expression and coupled with Jiang Dashi's hint, he had already realized that Xu Meijing's performance this month might not be great. But he hadn't expected Xu Meijing's performance to be *only* this much.

Before subduing the red-robed Evil Spirit, Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead already contained thirty Soul Threads. These souls were ones he had painstakingly found each night in desolate wilderness areas. At the time, he had believed that with merely thirty Soul Threads, he wouldn't be able to surpass Xu Meijing.

But now it seemed the situation wasn't as he had imagined. Even if Lecheng had a large population, the number of people who died each month for various reasons was limited. If Xu Meijing's scope of operations hadn't expanded, then fluctuations in her performance were normal.

Yang Haoran was in a great mood. He subtly twisted the ring embedded with the Soul-Gathering Bead, and the smile on his face deepened.

He knew: this time, he was guaranteed to win.

"This is all for this month? " Deng Feng reacted, his smile fading as he looked at Xu Meijing before him.

Xu Meijing nodded, and then said nothing further, apparently having no intention of explaining herself.

"It seems I was right just now; your performance this month truly surprised me," Deng Feng said.

Xu Meijing still remained silent.

"Meijing, you've always been the most outstanding Night Watcher under my command. I have very high expectations for you, so I hope you won't disappoint me," Deng Feng said earnestly to Xu Meijing.

Xu Meijing nodded again, still not speaking. At Deng Feng's signal, she returned to her seat.

It was then that Deng Feng finally turned his gaze to Yang Haoran. With a stern face, he waved, signaling Yang Haoran to approach.

Deng Feng held no hope for Yang Haoran. If even Xu Meijing, who always had the best performance, had such poor results this month, then in his view, Yang Haoran's results would certainly be even worse; he naturally wouldn't harbor any expectations.

Yang Haoran displayed his signature smile. He stood up, tidied his clothes, then quickly walked towards Deng Feng.

"The scoundrel is so pretentious! " Seeing Yang Haoran even primp his clothes, Xu Meijing couldn't help but curse under her breath.

Her voice was very low; besides herself, no one else heard it clearly. Others only heard her mumble something.

Her performance this month was so poor that Xu Meijing's voice, even when mocking Yang Haoran, had grown quieter.

"Present it now; I'm quite busy," Deng Feng said, looking at Yang Haoran.

Deng Feng had completely different attitudes towards Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing. Yang Haoran's expression remained unchanged, still wearing a smile. Without superfluous words, he flipped his palm, and a Soul-Gathering Bead floated above his open hand. He then respectfully offered it to Deng Feng with both hands.

Yang Haoran kept his posture very humble. Let alone facing his boss, even when confronting a completely unrelated stranger, he would try his best to lower his stance.

Deng Feng, who had initially shown impatience, saw Yang Haoran's decent attitude and his expression improved slightly. But when his gaze fell upon the Soul-Gathering Bead Yang Haoran handed him, he froze again.

This scene had just occurred with him. Previously, his stupefaction was because Xu Meijing's performance this month was unexpectedly poor, which had caused him to freeze then.

Now, the reason he was stunned was because Yang Haoran's performance this month was unexpectedly *good*, leaving him momentarily bewildered, unable to react.

It wasn't just Deng Feng; all the Night Watchers present, including Xu Meijing, had a sudden change in expression after clearly seeing what was inside Yang Haoran's Soul-Gathering Bead. It was as if they had witnessed something utterly unbelievable.