Free Web NovelChapter 591: Chapter 504: Prisoner_2
Just as Yang Xiao reached out to drag the upright suitcase, he had barely exerted any strength when the half-person-tall case toppled over, crashing to the ground with an empty sound. Yang Xiao was stunned for a moment, and when he opened the suitcase, he saw that the money which had once filled the box was gone; it was just an empty case.
"Where’s my money?!" The scene before his eyes immediately made Yang Xiao’s eyes turn red with fury. He frantically checked the other cases and his carry-on. Soon, he staggered backward and collapsed onto the bed, completely deflated.
Gone, all gone... Cash, gold bars, everything had been cleaned out, leaving only a bunch of empty cases. Yang Xiao felt an immense grief wash over him; he had worked so hard for so long only to have this little bit of possessions, and now everything had been stolen. This felt worse than death itself.
No need to ask, this was the Mirror Ghost’s retaliation. But Yang Xiao couldn’t understand why a ghost would need money and gold bars.
In fact, the reason was quite simple, most likely just to aggravate him. Ghosts might not understand the significance of money and gold bars; they only observed that these items seemed very important to him, so they stole them. This was retaliation, pure and simple!
Having thought of something, Yang Xiao meticulously inspected his room again. His shoe cabinet had also been rummaged through, and two shoes were missing.
Yes, two shoes, and not a pair, because they were two different styles of left shoes, both leather.
Yang Xiao’s only two pairs of leather shoes had been ruined just like that.
However, the Mirror Ghost’s theft of the shoes also served as a warning to Yang Xiao: it only stole the left shoes, which indicated that the Mirror Ghost’s left foot was completely healed, or at the very least, nearly so. This recovery was much faster than Yang Xiao had anticipated.
Based on this rate of healing, in no more than 10 days, the Mirror Ghost’s legs would be fully recovered, and then Yang Xiao would face even crazier retaliation from it.
Dealing with the Mirror Ghost had become a matter of urgency, even more so than guarding against Monk Wukong. After all, if he didn’t handle it properly, he wouldn’t be around for Monk Wukong to find him; the Mirror Ghost would have killed him, or more likely, possessed him. freēwebnovel.com
A strange, even somewhat amusing thought suddenly popped into Yang Xiao’s mind: if he were really replaced by the Mirror Ghost, would the one occupying his body die in an inexplicable way when Monk Wukong came looking for him? Hmm... thinking about it that way felt quite unjust.
Although it was a slim hope, Yang Xiao, unable to swallow his pride, still took the Ghost Lantern and checked the surrounding rooms carefully, holding the Ghost Lantern in his left hand and the Human Bone Staff in his right, ready to give the Mirror Ghost a thrashing and make it cough up the money if he caught it.
But after searching for a full half-hour, he couldn’t find any trace of it. The creature was too cunning, and in the end, Yang Xiao reluctantly had to let it go. freewebnøvel.com
Back in the real world, the following days were very calm, until one afternoon, Yang Xiao received a letter from Yang Cha urging him that he could set off now, which was several days earlier than the time Yang Cha had previously notified him.
After inquiring in detail, Yang Xiao learned that there was actually a so-called preliminary competition before the true secret contest. Only by winning the preliminary would one earn the right to participate in the upcoming secret contest; it was like a threshold.
Director Nalan had grown accustomed to Yang Xiao’s asking for leave. Recently, thanks to the joint operation from a while back, Rongcheng’s public order was surprisingly good. Nalan Shuo treated it as giving Yang Xiao a break to go out and have some fun, relax a bit. In truth, he felt sorry for his young team leader Yang Xiao, who had experienced so much at such a young age.
After sorting things out with Director Nalan, Yang Xiao then went to Tong Han. As for Yang Xiao’s suggestion to take her along, Tong Han readily agreed and immediately began to pack her luggage. Concerned about Tong Han’s travel convenience, his good friend Fu Qingzhu arranged transportation, driving them all the way to Yun Qi City.
Sitting in the back seat of the car with Yang Xiao, Tong Han was dressed in casual clothes, as if she were going on a trip. It was clear she was in high spirits. Infected by Tong Han’s mood, the gloom that had been weighing on Yang Xiao’s mind gradually dissipated. Let come what may, he thought.
They hardly stopped to rest on the road, and by the following evening, they had finally arrived at Yun Qi City. This was a city much larger than Rongcheng, with high rises standing in rows, a stream of cars and horses, and the hustle and bustle of the mundane world vividly displayed in this moment. Tong Han leaned against the car window dreamily, her eyes still reflecting the neon glow of the night.
"Do you like it here?" Following Tong Han’s gaze, Yang Xiao didn’t see anything particularly special, just passersby hurrying along the roadside.
"Yes." Tong Han nodded lightly, her bright eyes looking out the window, "I like these people. It was only after leaving the sect that I realized they too are living beings, with lives of their own. You don’t have to hustle through life; the more you want, the more you lose, and some pursuits are like a mirage—merely adding to one’s troubles. Living simply and peacefully like them is also very nice."
"Angels aren’t above it all; we’re just prisoners of the Nightmare World," Tong Han said quietly.
After a pause, when Tong Han didn’t hear Yang Xiao speak, she turned back, only to see Yang Xiao had pulled out a small notebook from who knows where, and was currently scribbling away. The handwriting in the notebook was sloppy and dense, "What are you writing?" Tong Han couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
Yang Xiao continued to write without stopping, not looking up as he replied, "Those few sentences of yours are pretty good; I’m writing them down. From now on, they’re mine."
Once Yang Xiao finished writing, Tong Han asked for the notebook and flipped through it. Inside, many sentences were excerpted, among them even some phrases that were familiar to Tong Han: I’m a businessman, businessmen value promises. The price agreed upon must be respected to the letter, saying one will kill someone’s entire family means not sparing even the dog.
Knowing that Yang Xiao and the other person were coming, Yang Cha had booked a private room in a hotel early in the morning to entertain his two friends who had come from afar.
Seeing Tong Han, Yang Cha was so excited he almost cried, "Miss Tong, I’ve missed you terribly since our last parting! Were it not for Yang telling me that you’ve made a full recovery, I’d have sent someone to find you. I will never forget the life-saving grace!"
"You’re too kind. Last time, it was a group effort," Tong Han modestly declined to take credit.
After three rounds of drinks, Yang Cha slapped his chest and assured Yang Xiao that he had Miss Tong’s school enrollment matter well in hand.
The three of them enjoyed a good catch-up, reminiscing about every little moment in the Nightmare World, and then brought up Sui Chengguo. Upon hearing about Sui Chengguo’s real-life ordeal, Tong Han couldn’t help but frown, "Sui wouldn’t possibly kill a friend he had worked with for many years just to seize a Magic Artifact. This is framing, a shameless trap!"
Putting down his drink, Yang Cha also exhaled a breath of alcohol, "Exactly, but unfortunately, we can’t get in touch with Sui right now, otherwise it would be good if he could come hide at my place."
The topic was somewhat heavy, so Yang Cha shook his head and changed the subject, "By the way, I’ve seen the registration list for the secret competition. Including you, a total of 4 people from Rongcheng have come."
"Four?" Yang Xiao was taken aback.
"Yes, 4. At least they were in Rongcheng when they registered. You came in through my connection, while they took a public route," Yang Cha explained.
"Do you know their specific identities?" Yang Xiao asked.
Yang Cha shook his head, "That I can’t find out. They were only in Rongcheng at the time of registration. Whether they actually live in Rongcheng or even near Rongcheng is hard to tell. However, since they registered for the secret competition, it means that they can’t afford to show their faces, and they must have some skills."
"It’s late today, I’ll arrange for you to rest first. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come pick you up. Miss Tong’s school enrollment is not in a hurry, but Yang, you need to go to the site to pay the registration fee, draw lots, that is, draw your opponent for the qualification round, and also receive a specially made mask," Yang Cha instructed, "I’ve already paid the registration fee in advance, so just focus on competing. The qualification round uses an 8-to-3 elimination system, lasting thirty minutes. Theoretically, you can surrender to save your life if you can’t win, but if you encounter some vicious-minded people, it can be troublesome since it’s a secret competition with hardly any rules to speak of."
