"Martial Commander is naturally beautiful and exceptionally graceful. I certainly wouldn't dislike her, it's just..." I hesitated for a moment. "We have a saying in the mortal realm: great kindness needs no thanks. I helped you today, and while it's not a great kindness, you don't need to come in person to thank me. If I ever need your help in the future, I hope you'll remember my small favor today and make things convenient for me or my people."
"That's naturally no problem," Wu Zhao smiled. She paused, then added, "His Highness Little King Yama's discerning eye is indeed not for the mundane. So... shall we leave it at that for now?"
"Alright, Madam Wu, bye-bye."
"Bye-bye? Oh, alright, bye-bye."
"Bye-bye" was English, and she didn't understand it.
I never expected this Wu Zhao to be so persistent. Before we could even return to our base at Chicken Comb Ridge, Wu Zhao contacted me using the Soul Reaping Token, requesting software support. I was driving at the time, so I handed the token to Zheng Bingbing. She could already use the software, and within ten minutes, the battle was cleanly concluded.
"All right, Martial Commander, you can contact me directly in the future," Bingbing said. After a few more pleasantries, she hung up.
"How much did she win?" I asked.
"Five hundred million."
They really play big in the Underworld!
"Wu Zhao also said that the King Yama's Palace is quite far from their outpost, so Wan'er will likely not return until sometime tomorrow evening. She asked us not to worry," Bingbing continued. This I hadn't expected. Wan'er's movement speed, like other Yin Messengers, was very fast, almost comparable to the speed of sound. For her to travel back and forth would take an entire day. Just how vast must the Underworld be?
Of course, there's also a possibility that ghosts in the Underworld don't actually move that fast. Although I've died once, I've never truly been to the Underworld. I only crossed the Bridge of Forgetfulness and boarded a small train, but I hadn't reached the final destination yet. The locations in between are points where the Underworld and mortal realm intersect, and they don't count.
Conversely, if ghosts in the Underworld could appear and disappear without a trace, what would be the point of fighting? If they were all on the level of deities, then something like the Jun Corps wouldn't exist.
When the four of us returned to the base, Yao Yao and Diana hadn't come back yet. I called her to ask about their situation. She said they were fine and were playing in Yin Kou with Diana, and would return later.
We had already eaten dinner, but after the journey, I was a bit hungry again. Chen Ke asked what I wanted to eat. I said I wanted something light. I had been eating with them lately, and all the main dishes were rich and meaty.
"Something light... stir-fried seasonal vegetables?" Chen Ke asked.
"Do we have any?" I inquired.
"In the refrigerator."
"Then fine, use less oil and salt," I instructed. Deep down, I was still a southerner. I had been in the Northeast recently and experienced the heavy oil, salt, and sugar of Liaoning cuisine. While delicious, it wasn't very healthy. No wonder people in the Northeast are so tall and strong, and there are many overweight individuals; it's all due to their dietary habits.
Before long, Chen Ke, wearing a small apron, emerged from the kitchen with a large serving platter. There were three small stir-fried vegetable dishes, a bowl of egg drop soup, a bowl of rice, and she even warmed a cup of yellow wine. It was exactly to my liking, and I ate it all.
Chen Ke watched me devour the food, frowning, "Is it that delicious? I can't even eat it if I just have the vegetables and no meat!"
"That's why I'm thin!" I laughed, a typical southern young man's physique.
After dinner, I didn't idle. I helped Chen Ke wash the dishes. Half of the fairies had gone hunting, and the remaining four... *cough*, four people, Mengmeng had somehow gotten a game console and was playing with Qianxun and Little Ginseng. It was called "King of Glory," something I never play; I'm not very good at it.
I needed to digest after eating so much, so I climbed from the top floor to the summit to gaze at the sea.
Stars hang low on the vast plain, and the moon surges with the rolling sea.
It wasn't because of the wind, but the tides. This bay was like a flared trumpet, making the tidal effect quite pronounced.
As I sat on the ground, smoking, I sensed someone approaching behind me. Activating my Qi sensing technique, I saw it was the fox demon.