Chapter 78: Even Ghosts with Official Positions Are Still Ghosts

Chapter 78: Even Ghosts with Official Positions Are Still Ghosts

Ten minutes later, Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang politely materialized and sat demurely on the sofa, while Jing Yi leaned silently opposite, his injured leg propped up on Li Wenzhao's knee, quietly waiting for the wound to be treated.

"So, uh..." Bai Wuchang glanced warily at the talisman by Jing Yi's side, "Could you maybe put that thing away for a bit?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's way too close," Hei Wuchang sniffed, sharing the sentiment, "I can't stand it either."

Even ghosts with official positions are still ghosts, after all. How could they withstand such divine Buddhist light?

This was Li Wenzhao's first time meeting the legendary duo. After the initial surprise, all that remained was deep wariness.

When ghosts show up, it's never good news. Though the two seemed humble and unassuming, who knew what they were really up to?

Perhaps... they were here to take Jing Yi away?

At this thought, Li Wenzhao, without a word, picked up the talisman and slung it right around Jing Yi's neck.

"Aaaahhh!"

Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang were instantly blown away, whooshed out into the sky like streaks of light.

Jing Yi: "..." Wow.

Li Wenzhao: "..."

The money was well spent, and the talisman was worth every effort.

Ten minutes later, two forlorn figures appeared outside the window again, "We really have something important. Can you put that thing away for now?"

Hei Wuchang nodded, "Yeah, yeah, we'll be out of your hair as soon as we're done."

Li Wenzhao's expression softened slightly, and he adjusted the talisman, tucking it behind Jing Yi's neck.

The neck was Jing Yi's sensitive spot, and he squirmed like a worm at the touch, "Hehe, it tickles..."

As soon as Li Wenzhao secured the talisman, Jing Yi squirmed uncomfortably, "It's too tight, it's choking me."

"..." Li Wenzhao reached out and loosened it a bit.

Jing Yi turned to look out the window, "Is this alright?"

Hei Wuchang cautiously passed through the glass, tiptoed to the sofa, and seeing that the talisman didn't react, chuckled, "Heh, it's fine."

Jing Yi craned his neck, "Are you here for me?"

"Yeah," Hei Wuchang rubbed his hands together, "Just a little something, we need your help."

Jing Yi narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "You have something to ask of me?"

What, did they realize they reincarnated the wrong person and are here to take me back?

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Jing Yi felt the hand on his ankle tighten.

His heart immediately leapt into his throat.

"Here's the thing," Bai Wuchang stepped forward, looking awkward, "The underworld has been really strict about performance lately. Mistakes like capturing the wrong soul or reincarnating the wrong person are tied to our year-end bonuses."

Jing Yi's face tensed, and he clung to Li Wenzhao's arm, "I'm not going."

Li Wenzhao's breath paused for a moment, his chest heaving as if a storm was raging inside him. His worrisome suspicion was almost confirmed. Facing this power that surpassed technology, he felt a wave of helplessness and couldn't help but fiddle with the talisman on Jing Yi's neck.

"Don't, don't, don't! We don't mean it like that!!" Hei Wuchang frantically extended his hand in a gesture of stop.

Bai Wuchang also quickly explained, "Whether you stay or go, it's up to you."

Both Jing Yi and Li Wenzhao visibly relaxed.

"Then what do you want from me?"

"We need you to provide a letter of forgiveness," Bai Wuchang said, his wide sleeve fluttering as he produced a piece of paper emitting black mist. "Jing Yi, please help us out, sign this, and we'll leave immediately."

Jing Yi skimmed the content of the paper. The wording was somewhat archaic, but he could roughly understand it. It was indeed a straightforward letter of forgiveness, just as Bai Wuchang had said.

It seemed that frequent incidents of wrongfully capturing souls had caused many innocent deaths, and the underworld had started implementing a performance review system. Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang, being skilled at capturing souls and ghosts, were naturally the first to face the consequences.

It was unclear whether they had gotten into trouble with their superiors in the underworld, but both of them looked somewhat embarrassed, as if trying to curry favor.

Jing Yi and Li Wenzhao exchanged a glance, both seeing a clear sense of scheming in each other's eyes.

—What a great opportunity, with Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang showing up at their doorstep. It would be a shame not to seize the chance to gain some benefits, especially given their business-minded nature.

A cold wind suddenly swept through the tightly closed room.

Both Wuchangs shivered.

Hei Wuchang seemed to sense something from the shared look between Jing Yi and Li Wenzhao and asked nervously, "Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?"

Bai Wuchang shrank back, "Could something go wrong?"

Jing Yi replied calmly, "Don't worry, something will definitely go wrong."

Both Wuchangs: "..."

Jing Yi continued, "My hand is injured, so I can't sign for now."

Hei Wuchang glared, "You were just wriggling like an eel!"

"I got scared by you," Jing Yi turned his face and said defiantly, "Is that not allowed?"

Both ghosts were speechless: "..."

They had heard of people trying to scam others, but never of someone trying to scam ghosts. This was a first for them.

However, they were prepared for this.

They had already experienced Jing Yi's tricky personality during their first meeting, and now he had found a protector and was wearing a talisman, making him even harder to deal with.

Without offering some compensation, they had no chance of getting the letter of forgiveness.

Bai Wuchang asked, "What do you want?"

Jing Yi replied, "I haven't thought about it yet."

"..."

Hei Wuchang suggested, "How about we give you some more money?"

Jing Yi asked curiously, "Are you a prosperity spirit?"

Hei Wuchang: "No."

"Then no thanks." Jing Yi shook his head in distress, "We're loaded—couldn't spend it all in ten lifetimes."

Bai Wuchang: "..."

He frowned and stared at Jing Yi for a while, "You can't just drag this out like this. Humans and ghosts don't mix; hanging around us too long is bad for you."

Jing Yi was totally stunned.

Bai Wuchang grinned, "So, we can totally work this out nicely. Whatever you need, we can hook you up..."

Jing Yi turned and slapped Li Wenzhao's arm twice, "Hurry up, donate more temples, get the masters to make more talismans—we’ve got cash to burn."

Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang: "..."

Seeing Jing Yi wasn’t budging, Bai Wuchang turned his attention to Li Wenzhao, "Mr. Li, any unfinished business or dreams? We can help you with anything, as long as..."

"Besides the letter of understanding," Li Wenzhao suddenly spoke, his eyes blazing, "What else are you after from Jing Yi?"

Bai Wuchang clammed up, his mouth shutting slowly.

Jing Yi leaned in, "Huh? Seriously?"

Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang exchanged a glance, cold sweat dripping down, they had really hit a snag this time.

Jing Yi: "How did you know?"

Li Wenzhao lowered his gaze calmly, "They were way too eager."

These two were well-known ghost officers in the underworld, bowing and scraping for a letter of understanding wasn't enough reason unless there was something more important forcing them to come personally.

Jing Yi: "Oh, so it’s either a scam or a steal."

Li Wenzhao gave an approving look.

Jing Yi: "No wonder I felt like a weasel showing up with a gift."

"..."

Hei Wuchang and Bai Wuchang quietly withdrew their gaze, exchanged a look, and helplessly told the truth, "We kinda... lost Meng Po’s little toy."

"?"

Jing Yi: "What kind of toy?"

Hei Wuchang: "Just... a small horn."

Li Wenzhao's gaze fell to Jing Yi's throat, "A glitch that leaks thoughts?"

"Exactly," Hei Wuchang said with a bitter face, "That was Meng Po’s thing for us two. We messed up and mixed it into the golden finger cards... For the past two days, Meng Po hasn’t heard our inner ramblings, followed the trail, and found out about our mistake in capturing souls. Now we gotta get the golden finger back and that letter, or our bonus is toast."

Jing Yi was silent.

"Seriously, we’ve spilled everything," Hei Wuchang said, "Name your terms, we’ll agree... mmm!"

Bai Wuchang covered his mouth, "No breaking the rules of the world."

Hei Wuchang then realized, "Uh-huh, uh-huh!"

Li Wenzhao spoke up: "After retrieving the golden finger, will Jing Yi have any side effects?"

Bai Wuchang answered honestly: "He’ll be mute for seven days."

"No way!" Jing Yi immediately objected.

He loved to talk, and going a day without speaking was unbearable for him. Losing his voice for seven days was something he couldn't even imagine. He wouldn't be able to tease the Third Young Master, joke with Secretary Fan, or discuss which snacks are better with the young master.

It was torture, plain and simple.

Jing Yi's eyes widened, and he covered his neck: "No, the golden finger is mine now. No way, no way, no way!"

Li Wenzhao stayed quiet.

Indeed, the ability to hear inner thoughts had helped him a lot. The Li family had turned things around and grown to its current size, largely thanks to Jing Yi's bug assistance.

But this was still an external tool. The young butler had been practically invisible lately, and everyone deserves some privacy.

Li Wenzhao gently squeezed Jing Yi's fingers.

Jing Yi was momentarily stunned but got the message. However, the bug had to be removed, and his conditions had to be stated.

Bai Wuchang saw their hesitation and jumped at the chance: "Why not do it today..."

"That won't do," Jing Yi said. "Something as serious as losing my voice has to be done on an auspicious day."

Hei Wuchang: "We're not taking your voice..."

After thinking about it, he sighed and changed his tone: "Fine, you pick the day, and we'll wait."

Bai Wuchang: "...How long will it take you to decide?"

Before Jing Yi could respond, Li Wenzhao spoke up.

His voice was calm, as if he were making casual conversation: "I don't know. Why don't you two go deal with the other victims you've accidentally killed first?"

Hei Wuchang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt enlightened: "You're right, Seventh Brother. We should start with the easy ones first. Why did we go straight for such a hard case?"

Jing Yi: "?" Who's the hard case?

Bai Wuchang, usually unflappable, widened his eyes.

He nodded, dazed, muttered "Alright," and then called Hei Wuchang to follow him as they floated out the window.

The unnatural chill in the living room faded significantly. Jing Yi watched the two ghosts vanish out the window and only realized a moment later: "Did he just insult me?"

Who's the hard case?

I'm clearly soft.

Li Wenzhao quickly changed his bandages and wrapped them up, "Not tough, very soft."

Jing Yi: "..."

"I think you're making a dirty joke, and I've got proof!"

Li Wenzhao didn't hide it. His gaze was intense as he leaned in, brushing his lips lightly against Jing Yi's, "You're right. This is your reward."

Jing Yi turned red instantly.

A thought suddenly crossed his mind: he would soon face a seven-day speech ban, so he wouldn’t be able to speak his mind freely. So, he should say whatever he wants now...

Jing Yi pushed himself up and, mimicking Li Wenzhao, lightly brushed the corner of his mouth. "Is that really what a lover should say?"

He daringly pinched the man's chin and gave it a little shake. "Xiao Li, you really need to work on your language skills."

Li Wenzhao: "..."

He chuckled.

Jing Yi turned his head, feeling a sense of satisfaction, only to accidentally lock eyes with two onlooking Wuchang heads.

"..."

Jing Yi: "........"

What are you two doing back here?!