Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 116: Infernal Affairs

“Ding—”

The crisp notification sound rang out beside the Ghost Spring, interrupting the still-deliberating Captain Xu and Advisor Wu. They received good news from their teammate.

[Owl: Congratulations on finding the 5/23 Ghost Mansion badge!]

Xu Wang, squatting beside the well, turned to look at Wu Sheng with a pitiful expression. “Heaven didn’t hear your prayer.”

Wu Sheng sighed and nodded, rarely admitting his own lack of divine power.

“No team happened to submit their papers just now,” Xu Wang added, sounding utterly disheartened.

Wu Sheng asked, “Have you decided what to do?”

Xu Wang took out a yellowed little paper packet from his pocket, staring at it blankly. It was hard to imagine that such an inconspicuous thing, thrown into the spring, could annihilate all the ghosts in the Eastern Courtyard.

Though they were called ghosts, Xiao Hungry and those in charge were all very much alive, with emotions, friendships, and loyalties.

“Who let you in here!” Suddenly, a stern voice came from behind.

The two turned around sharply to see the manager from the Heavenly Realm.

Seeing the paper packet in Xu Wang’s hand, the manager’s body was suddenly enveloped in dark energy, his voice deepened, and his eyes shot sharp lights. “What are you planning to do with the Ghost Spring?”

The two immediately stood up and faced the manager.

Xu Wang instinctively clenched the paper packet in his palm, gripping it tightly, his lips moving, but he couldn’t answer the manager’s question. Perhaps the earlier dilemma had exhausted all his mental energy, and now the usually ready lies deserted him.

As their eyes met, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. But then, a very short “ding!” sound came from their arms.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were both surprised.

Not only surprised by the timing of the notification but also that they had never heard such a “ding” before!

Since joining the Owl, they had heard three types of “dings”: the first was the common notification “ding—”, the second was the paper submission notification “ding-ling-ling—”, and the third was the record-breaking notification “ding-ling-ling-ling-ling~~~”.

But this short “ding”, almost unnoticeable if not paying attention, was a first!

With the situation urgent, they no longer cared about revealing their identities and simultaneously raised their arms—

[Cheat Sheet]: 1 minute. Countdown begins now.

The two exchanged a quick glance, baffled.

They had seen countdown notifications before, but they always knew what the countdown was for!

For instance, the 4-hour bomb defusal on the red-eye flight, the 15-minute cross-dimensional battle in the doomsday city, or the 5-minute grace period for disbanding or kicking out members after forming a 5-person team in the Owl.

But this vague countdown, what were they supposed to race against time for?!

Wu Sheng’s gaze shifted to the paper packet tightly held in Xu Wang’s hand, his voice low and fast. “Ghost Spring”.

Xu Wang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Only one minute left to poison the Ghost Spring?!

They had been deliberating for ten minutes and still hadn’t made a decision!

“What are you sneaking around for?” The manager stepped forward, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Leave the Ghost Spring now, or I’ll be forced to be unpleasant.”

There were 50 seconds left in the countdown.

Sweat in Xu Wang’s palm dampened the paper packet.

“Wu Sheng,” Xu Wang suddenly called in a low voice.

“I’m here,” Wu Sheng replied.

“Even if I throw this packet into the spring, even if it causes destruction, the Eastern Courtyard will still be the same tomorrow, right?” Xu Wang asked softly.

“Right, otherwise, how would other teams continue their challenges?” Wu Sheng quietly answered, watching the manager on the other side of the spring.

“Then why can’t I bring myself to do it…” Xu Wang’s eyes heated up, and his throat turned bitter.

Wu Sheng gave a helpless smile. “I can’t answer that question for you because I feel the same way.”

There were 35 seconds left in the countdown.

Xu Wang: “Why isn’t the manager coming over?”

Wu Sheng: “He’s probably waiting for the countdown too.”

Xu Wang: “What happens when the countdown ends?”

Wu Sheng: “He’ll probably come over to send us on our way.”

There were 20 seconds left in the countdown.

Xu Wang: “Will Lao Qian and Xiao Kuang blame us?”

Wu Sheng: “Xiao Kuang probably won’t.”

Xu Wang: “And Lao Qian?”

Wu Sheng: “That depends on how much trouble he went through to get the badge.”

There were 10 seconds left in the countdown.

Xu Wang: “What if I say you were too soft-hearted to do it?”

Wu Sheng: “I don’t mind. It’s up to them whether they believe it or not.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Wu Sheng: “You said I was rational and not inhumane.”

Xu Wang: “…That was you who said that!”

The countdown ended.

The manager didn’t move but slightly tilted his head towards the right upper space, respectfully saying, “Boss, you won.”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were stunned, following his gaze upwards.

Above the Ghost Spring, a dark figure faintly appeared.

A black robe, red eyes, and the same gaunt face with a sallow complexion, but the expression was now imposing, no longer showing any signs of frailty or pity. Instead, there was a sense of danger and oppression.

Xiao Hungry had become a formidable figure.

Overwhelmed by this turn of events, Xu Wang couldn’t accept it, even with the evidence right in front of his eyes, and he still asked in disbelief, “Xiao Hungry?”

The Starving Ghost floated down, not going to his manager, but landing in front of Wu Sheng and Xu Wang.

Just a step away, they faced each other directly.

The Starving Ghost gave a faint smile. “You deceived me, and I deceived you. We’re even.”

Anger boiling up inside him, Xu Wang pushed the Starving Ghost away. “Get lost! We only hid our task from you, but you’ve been playing us for fools from the very beginning!”

The Starving Ghost staggered backward, the smile fading from his face, but his eyes still held no hostility.

“I only lied to you about my identity,” he said, eyes downcast, his emotions hidden in the shadows.

“Ha, just that? What about ‘leading many people but no one ever willing to take you out of the Underworld’? A ghost’s lie*? Oh, I forgot, you are a ghost! What kind of double agent are we, compared to your supreme undercover act!” Xu Wang had never been so emotionally invested in an NPC. As much as he had been troubled before, he was now equally furious.

*(鬼说) It’s a term referring to something equivalent to a “tall tale”.

The Starving Ghost looked up slightly, his expression much colder than Xu Wang’s agitation, but if one listened carefully, there was deep sincerity in his voice. “I didn’t lie to you.”

“Not lie to me? You’re the boss of the Eastern Courtyard. Do you even need someone else to take you to the Heavenly Realm? The heavens will follow you wherever you go!”

“It’s different, whether the heavens follow me or someone is willing to take me to it.”

“So, those who ignored you were lucky enough not to be deceived by you?”

“They didn’t need to. Because I wouldn’t let them enter the Human Realm.”

“……”

Xu Wang, already infuriated and mentally short-circuited, was even more frustrated by the ghost’s sharp retorts.

Wu Sheng held Xu Wang’s shoulder and patted it soothingly. He asked the Starving Ghost on behalf of Xu Wang, “Is your death real?”

The Starving Ghost frowned slightly, not understanding. “Huh?”

Wu Sheng was much calmer than Xu Wang. Although he felt awkward, his logic was still clear and organized. Rather than being upset by the deception, he cared more about “clarifying matters for Xu Wang”.

“You said you starved to death in your previous life and have been hungry ever since, unable to be satisfied. Is that true?”

The Starving Ghost said without hesitation, “Yes.”

Wu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “The boss of the Western Courtyard said that the boss of the Eastern Courtyard is the Heart-Digging Ghost.”

The Starving Ghost remained calm. “Always hungry, always wanting to dig out hearts to eat.”

Wu Sheng: “At the manager’s place in the Underworld, you knew we weren’t ghosts. Why didn’t you dig out our hearts?”

The Starving Ghost looked at him quietly. “I dig out the hearts of evil people, not friends.”

Wu Sheng was silent for a long while, his eyes flickering. “Our goal was to poison the Eastern Courtyard. With one small packet, all the ghosts there would be annihilated. Do you think we consider you a friend?”

The Starving Ghost looked at Xu Wang, still tightly clutching the paper packet. “But you still didn’t do it.”

“Are you done questioning!” The manager by the Ghost Spring, unhappy now, interjected. “You were already exposed at the manager’s place in the Underworld. If it weren’t for the boss, you wouldn’t even be able to enter the Human Realm, let alone the Ghost Spring!”

Just as Wu Sheng was about to respond, Xu Wang asked the Starving Ghost first, “Why did you help us, knowing we were going to poison the entire Eastern Courtyard?”

“I didn’t know at that time.” The Starving Ghost shook his head. “As for why I helped?” He thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head again. “I can’t explain.”

Xu Wang looked at him and suddenly realized that although the entire demeanor and expression of the ghost had changed, becoming completely cold, the eyes of the Starving Ghost still held some familiar elements from before.

“When did you find out that we were going to poison the place?” Xu Wang’s anger had passed, and now he just wanted a clear understanding.

The Starving Ghost answered, “When you persuaded me to leave the Eastern Courtyard.”

Xu Wang asked, “Knowing that, why didn’t you expose us?”

The Starving Ghost said, “I thought you wouldn’t go through with it.”

Xu Wang smirked. “So you made a bet with the manager to see if we would go easy on you?”

The Starving Ghost paused for a moment, then said, “It was to see if you cared about me as a friend.”

Xu Wang looked at him intently. “You won. We indeed couldn’t go through with it. And then?”

The Starving Ghost said, “I regretted it.”

Xu Wang: “……”

The Starving Ghost: “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing, boss?” The manager floated over and landed next to the Starving Ghost. He angrily said, “If you hadn’t stopped me, I would have sent them to the afterlife just now!”

Xu Wang’s chest heaved with turmoil, his mind in chaos, unable to sort out who was right, who was wrong, and who owed whom more. It was a complete mess.

Suddenly, the Starving Ghost grabbed his arm.

Xu Wang was startled and instinctively tried to pull away, but the Starving Ghost’s grip was so strong that he couldn’t break free.

Looking down, Wu Sheng was in the same predicament.

The Starving Ghost held each of their arms, eyes closed, surrounded by black energy, muttering under his breath.

Xu Wang panicked. “Xiao Hungry, there’s no need to curse us over a quarrel…”

Before he finished speaking, a combined “ding—” sounded.

On their arms, held tightly, the owl emblem on the [Cheat Sheet] automatically opened, entering [Cheat Sheet].

The new notification in the [Cheat Sheet] already stunned Xu Wang and Wu Sheng, but what shocked them even more was that the mission inside the [Cheat Sheet] had changed!

The original mission was — [Cheat Sheet]: [Mission] Infiltrate the Eastern Courtyard, find the Ghost Spring, and pour in the Soul Annihilation Powder!

The new mission was — [Cheat Sheet]: [Mission] Infiltrate the Eastern Courtyard, find the Heart-Digging Ghost.

Xu Wang was dumbfounded.

Even Wu Sheng’s mind was a bit muddled.

The one-minute countdown earlier was without a clear indication; now the mission had inexplicably changed. Encountering two “inconceivables” in one night was a bit too much, wasn’t it?!

And… find the Heart-Digging Ghost? Wasn’t that Xiao Hungry? They had already found him!

“Ding—”

[Owl: Congratulations on passing the 5/23 test and handing in your papers! See you tomorrow~~]

They succeeded?!

Xu Wang looked at the Starving Ghost in astonishment, his eyes nearly popping out. A myriad of questions flooded his mind, each one begging for an answer.

But time was already running out.

Before the world spun around him, Xu Wang, following his instincts, said what he most wanted to say, “My name is Xu Wang, and he’s Wu Sheng. We’ll remember you, and don’t you forget us either—”

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