Chapter 237: Chapter 200: Remuneration_2
"Fuck, fuck!!"
After a brief moment of excitement, Yang Xiao, having calmed down, didn’t know whether this was good or bad fortune; after all, the horsetail whisk corresponded to the Ghost Bodhisattva, whose evil nature was plain for all to see.
Fu Qingzhu’s Hanging Rope and the jade eyeballs that Black Sunglasses could summon Blindfolded Ghost with, together with his own Paper Lantern, only just managed to suppress the Ghost Bodhisattva.
If he hadn’t been quick-witted, he might have almost messed up today.
Besides, there was one more thing: that blind old man, Human Flesh Lama, how could he see the funeral procession he had summoned?
Was it only visible to him, or could all Evil Cultivators see it?
This question was of utmost importance to Yang Xiao, as it related to his own safety. After all, from his previous experiences, it seemed that apostles like Beibei and Fu Qingzhu couldn’t see it, and neither could ordinary people.
"I have to figure this out. If I get the chance, I’d better catch an Evil Cultivator alive, interrogate him thoroughly, and then silence him." The more Yang Xiao thought about it, the more reliable it seemed.
He didn’t go out again. Instead, Yang Xiao ordered takeout, sticking to the familiar chicken leg rice. He added six chicken legs to one box of chicken leg rice, compelling the owner to call and confirm the order with him.
After eating his fill, Yang Xiao took out the box of money the girl had given him and took a deep breath, feeling the air of his motherland growing ever sweeter. Inside was a whole 500,000, 10,000 a bundle, neatly tied with white money straps, all arrayed in order. This was the first time Yang Xiao had ever seen so much cash.
"Now that I have money, I can contact Zhao, pay for my own screenplay, and adapt my encounters in the Nightmare World; the readers will definitely like it."
Yang Xiao was extremely tired and went to bed early. To be honest, he had a very restless night, at first dreaming that he was being chased by the White-robed Great Bodhisattva, then switching to a dark, damp cave where, looking up, he saw the terrifying figure of the Great Black Buddha Mother.
With drooping eyes, the Great Black Buddha Mother seemed to be offended by something Yang Xiao had done, staring at him angrily.
An overwhelming sense of pressure descended, almost crushing Yang Xiao’s soul. Just as he thought he was done for, an alabaster arm suddenly emerged from behind him. He saw the arm swing wide and smacked him hard on the face. The next second, Yang Xiao woke up, the repeated shocks nearly making him bounce out of bed.
It was still dark outside, indicating he hadn’t slept long. Yang Xiao turned on the bedside lamp, intending to drink some water to calm his nerves, but as the light turned on, he was stunned to find the Drama Robe, which should have been neatly packed in his backpack, inexplicably lying out on the sofa.
What was more eerie was that the right sleeve of the Drama Robe had stretched out, dangling in mid-air, swaying slightly.
"What the fuck..." In an instant, Yang Xiao went numb. If he remembered correctly, the arm that had just swung wide was also the right one.
Yang Xiao made up his mind to go out and buy offerings like incense burners and paper money as soon as it was light, and after bathing morning and night, he would offer incense and kowtow to the Drama Robe Deity, begging for his mercy not to startle him by appearing suddenly again.
Of course, that excluded saving someone.
With bolstered courage, he said a load of nice things to the robe. Seeing no reaction, Yang Xiao carefully folded it up and respectfully placed it back in his backpack. Feeling insecure, he grabbed a cushion, knelt before the backpack, and kowtowed three times.
He wasn’t sure if it was psychological, but after this routine, Yang Xiao felt much safer, even walking with more vigor in his steps.
"You deserve the money~~ You deserve to get rich~~"
"Winning the lottery today~~ Tomorrow a wealthy lady’s love~~"
The phone on the table suddenly rang, and Yang Xiao glanced at it. It was Fu Qingzhu calling. Upon answering, Fu Qingzhu invited him to sit at a bar.
"Seriously, can’t you take one night off?" Yang Xiao was speechless, "Even waiting until dawn would be better."
These few words confused Fu Qingzhu too. After being reminded by Fu Qingzhu, Yang Xiao realized he had slept for a full day and night, which explained why his stomach was grumbling with hunger.
Half an hour later, in a private room of a bar named "Thon Thon Thon" in the southern part of the city, Yang Xiao met with Fu Qingzhu, who was wearing sunglasses and had changed into a suit, looking very spirited.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Fu Qingzhu took out a briefcase from under the table and slid it across the table to Yang Xiao, "Brother Yang, here’s 500,000. Count it."
"No need, I trust you." Yang Xiao accepted the box.
Fu Qingzhu pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and silently exhaled a puff of smoke. "I found the middleman who had assigned me the task, that bastard really isn’t anything good. The task he accepted was a high-difficulty task. The benefits from the Qi Family were more than these, and he pocketed them all."
"It was him who falsely reported the task’s level, leading to my misjudgment. If it weren’t for you, brother, this time I would have been screwed!"
"It seems we were fated to meet." Yang Xiao picked up his cup of wine, took a sip, and then looked at Fu Qingzhu’s shoulder. "How’s your wound?"
"It’s nothing serious. Right, there’s something else I need to give you, as compensation for this task."
"No need, we agreed on 500,000 and that’s that." Yang Xiao was very conscientious.
Fu Qingzhu suddenly laughed, his expression turned mysterious. "Don’t rush, take a look first, then decide after."
Slowly, he took out a silver box from his pocket. The box was flat and exquisitely crafted.
Yang Xiao felt it was familiar at first glance. It seemed like he had seen similar items before. Not long after, he suddenly remembered — during training, with special equipment, Lu Youdao had once brought out such a thing that contained the film of a Ghost Camera.
Seeing Yang Xiao’s eyes go wide, Fu Qingzhu shook the silver box and laughed. "Recognize it? This is a good item. Money can hardly buy it."
"Why give me something this important?" Yang Xiao understood the principle of not accepting rewards without merit and wondered if Fu Qingzhu needed a favor from him.
"This is part of the Qi Family’s task reward. There are a total of six Ghost Photos, and I managed to get them back from the middleman. Here are three of them; we each take half." Fu Qingzhu casually reached out and placed the box in front of Yang Xiao.
The incident made Yang Xiao look at Fu Qingzhu with newfound respect. Even if Fu Qingzhu had said nothing, he would have been none the wiser, and besides, these were indeed good items.
"Then I’ll accept it with respect." Yang Xiao didn’t let down Fu Qingzhu’s kindness and put away the silver box. Even if he didn’t need it, it would surely come in handy for the squad’s missions in the future; it could be a lifesaver at a critical moment.
"Have you heard?" Fu Qingzhu exhaled a plume of smoke.
"Heard what?"
"The Qi Family has sealed off Huirong Building. Apart from their own people, they’ve also brought in several teams. It’s like they’re looking for something."
As if he didn’t quite catch Fu Qingzhu’s implication, Yang Xiao asked in return, "What are they looking for?"
"If I’m not guessing wrong, they’ve lost their Resentful Eye — the one parasitized by the White-robed Ghost Bodhisattva. It was inside that silver briefcase."
Yang Xiao couldn’t help but become alert. "You don’t suspect me of taking it, do you, brother Fu?"
Upon hearing this, Fu Qingzhu quickly waved his hands. "No, no, you misunderstand, brother. The Qi Family people aren’t fools. Surely they already checked the items you carried before you left. If there was even the slightest suspicion, they wouldn’t have let you go."
"So brother Fu was searched as well?" Yang Xiao smiled understandingly.
"The same. But it’s better to be searched; otherwise, if the Resentful Eye was lost, we couldn’t clear our names." Fu Qingzhu picked up his glass of wine and drank with a smile.
In the span of two hours, the two chatted and got along very well. Fu Qingzhu and Yang Xiao revealed quite a bit about the internal affairs of the Apostles Union, such as the Qi Family’s weighty membership within it.
"But with this incident, the followers of the Great Black Buddha Mother Sect are at odds with the Qi Family, determined to not stop until death." Fu Qingzhu admitted frankly.
"Are all Evil Cultivators so crazy?" Yang Xiao recalled the look of the Flesh Lama and those followers who had been ruthless towards him.
Fu Qingzhu’s smile faded as he looked at Yang Xiao. "Not necessarily, most of these people wouldn’t really count as Evil Cultivators, they’re just misled poor souls. The truly frightening Evil Cultivators hide among the crowd, acting just like you and me."
