Chapter 377: The Yang Energy Share is About to Arrive

Once his conversation with the World Will was over, It departed.

Emperor Zhiyue returned as well, though he didn’t notice any changes.

"When did you get here? I must have been so exhausted I actually got some decent sleep for once." Emperor Zhiyue rubbed his temples, assuming he had simply passed out from fatigue.

"Just got here. I hadn’t even had a chance to wake you before you came to," Qi Suian said.

There wasn’t a hint of falsehood in his words. The World Will had accelerated the flow of time within the Imperial Study, so from the perspective of the outside world, he really had only just stepped inside a moment ago.

So it wasn’t a lie to say he had just arrived.

As for why the World Will used Emperor Zhiyue as its vessel, it was because the position of Emperor is quite special.

It served as the anchor the World Will used to lock onto the human race.

After all, humans in this world were simply "spawned" into existence. With this anchor in place, they would no longer spawn randomly, but would instead appear exclusively within the borders of the Ziyue Dynasty.

Of course, the World Will didn’t care who the Emperor was. It only cared if they were capable of maintaining the human race.

If an Emperor who lacked the necessary ability was propped up onto the throne, they would either fail to take power or be replaced before they could do any real damage.

But if their abilities met the standard, they would be worked to death. Longevity Dew, for instance, was one of the products used to squeeze a few more years of life out of the Emperor.

In short, as long as they were useful, they would be worked to death.

Thus, for someone like the current Emperor Zhiyue, whose capabilities met the requirements, he wouldn’t be "laid off" until every last life-extending treasure had lost its effect on him.

And being "laid off," in this case, meant death.

’The World Will must have learned its management style from some ruthless capitalist,’ Qi Suian thought.

"Are you alright? I received a report earlier that you were trapped in the Eternal Purgatory for three days," Emperor Zhiyue asked.

"I was. That survivor had a ghost called a Truth Ghost, and he could also rewind time after dying." Qi Suian didn’t bother hiding it; it wasn’t exactly a state secret.

Emperor Zhiyue’s interest was piqued. "A Truth Ghost? Is it related to the Eternal Purgatory?"

After all, Qi Suian himself had referred to the Eternal Purgatory as the "Truth Layer." The two names were just too similar.

"Somewhat. It’s not convenient to discuss," Qi Suian stated bluntly.

’Of course there’s a connection. According to the World Will, the Truth Ghost is basically a derivative of the Truth Layer.’

’In other words, it’s a father-son relationship.’

’The World Will invested so heavily in it for the sole purpose of opening a better passage between the two worlds.’

’You don’t just use any Tom, Dick, or Harry as bait and a coordinate.’

’Nothing ventured, nothing gained. There was no way the World Will didn’t understand that rewards are proportional to risks.’

"It seems you’ve uncovered quite a lot." Emperor Zhiyue didn’t press the issue, changing the subject instead. "So, what were your gains this time?"

"Not bad. A lot of it hasn’t been liquidated yet." The thought made Qi Suian remember the final payment the World Will still owed him, which in turn reminded him of the ghosts Emperor Zhiyue still owed him.

"What about the ten ghosts I asked for? Why aren’t they ready yet? It’s been forever."

Qi Suian wasted no time in pressing him.

"It takes time. Give it another half a month or so," Emperor Zhiyue replied, giving him a timeframe.

"Your efficiency is abysmal..." Qi Suian grumbled.

"It’s not that the Royal Shadow Guard is inefficient; it’s that you’re too powerful," Emperor Zhiyue stated frankly. "Speaking of which, that thing you have that can destroy ghosts... is it for sale?"

"Name your price. I’d give you this throne without batting an eye."

Qi Suian rolled his eyes. "In your dreams. Besides, it’s not like I dare to kill too many of these ghosts anyway."

This statement made Emperor Zhiyue’s brow furrow. He then asked, "Can you elaborate?"

"The ghosts and you Zhiyue People are symbiotically linked. You Zhiyue People are said to appear from thin air, but you actually have a source."

"Both the ghosts and your people are integral parts of this world. Do you really think the world would let me exterminate ghosts on a massive scale?" Qi Suian countered.

"Of course not." Emperor Zhiyue’s expression remained unchanged, his composure perfectly calm.

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard such a theory; in fact, he’d heard it many times before.

"There you have it. Why else do you think I have you guys kill ghosts for me?" Qi Suian said bluntly. "For one, I don’t have the time. For two, I’d rather not offend the powers that be."

"After all, you and the ghosts are siblings, born of the same mother, so to speak. I’m just an outsider."

"If I do it, it’s a heinous crime. If you do it, it’s just a sibling squabble."

"Besides, I only need this one batch." Qi Suian had no intention of harvesting any more ghosts from this world.

The fuel needed for the Tai Sui God would be sourced from the survivors’ world from now on.

’The World Will of this Ghost World is far too hands-on. It even intervenes personally. If I kill too many ghosts, what if it docks my final payment?’

"Anyway, enough of that. What did you call me here for?" Qi Suian brought the conversation back on track.

Emperor Zhiyue got back to business as well. "Thanks to your help this time, we’ve acquired a great deal of Yang Qi. We can give you a ten percent share."

"Well, that’s fantastic." Qi Suian hadn’t expected to be called here to divvy up the loot.

It might seem like Qi Suian hadn’t done anything, but without him, the Royal Shadow Guard would never have even found the survivors, let alone acquired any Yang Qi.

"I’ll have the Royal Family send your share to you."

"Of course, if you feel it’s more than you need, you can sell some of it to the Royal Family. I’m sure they’ll give you a satisfactory price."

"This is a sizable amount of Yang Qi; you might not be able to use it all." Emperor Zhiyue wasn’t just shilling for the Royal Family; he was offering Qi Suian a genuinely practical suggestion.

"Besides, it’s mainly that you don’t have anything I’d actually want," Qi Suian said.

Not everything the Royal Shadow Guard brought back from the Truth Layer was as tempting to Qi Suian as the "Toxic Nova."

Most of it was just a random assortment of junk, like alcohol, musical instruments, or other daily necessities.

Of the items in the chest the Crown Prince had given him, only the Toxic Nova had been useful. Qi Suian had tossed the rest into his warehouse to collect dust.

Many of the items looked exotic, but were completely useless in practice.

They didn’t even register on the Apocalypse Game’s interface, which made them utterly worthless.

"True. You have the Apocalypse Game backing you. It’s dangerous, to be sure, but I imagine you don’t lack for resources to grow stronger," Emperor Zhiyue nodded.

Qi Suian wanted to argue, but seeing the Emperor’s expression, he knew it would be pointless. He just nodded. "If there’s nothing else, I’m heading back."

Qi Suian had no desire to continue exchanging pleasantries.

’He wants me to keep him company without offering any perks? Does he think my ’talk therapy’ is free?’

’And the Yang Qi? That’s my share, not a gift from him.’

Before Emperor Zhiyue could say anything more, Qi Suian stood up and walked out.

He figured the real Emperor Zhiyue didn’t have anything else to say to him anyway. The one who had summoned him had been Emperor Zhiyue while possessed by the World Will.

Seeing this, Emperor Zhiyue could only smile helplessly and let Qi Suian go. He then lowered his head and returned to his paperwork.

As Qi Suian left the Imperial Study, he spotted the Crown Prince—the very same one who had delivered that lucky opportunity to him. His face immediately lit up, and his voice dripped with warmth. "Well, if it isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince! Long time no see. I’ve missed you dearly."

His attitude was a complete one-eighty from how he had treated Emperor Zhiyue.

Of course, what he really missed wasn’t the Crown Prince himself, but the opportunities the Crown Prince brought with him.

Qi Suian sincerely hoped that the next time the Crown Prince paid him a visit, he would bring another such "opportunity."

How could Qi Suian bring himself to be rude to a Treasure-Bringing Child like this? He couldn’t even flatter him fast enough.

The Crown Prince was taken aback by Qi Suian’s sudden warmth and wasn’t quite used to it, but he quickly composed himself.

"Hahaha, you have a peculiar sense of humor, Your Excellency. It has only been a few days since we last met." The Crown Prince’s laughter was a little forced.

The main reason was that Qi Suian’s behavior was somewhat mortifying.

"Nonsense! As they say, a day without seeing you is like three autumns," Qi Suian replied, spouting a casual excuse.

He then launched into a conversation with the Crown Prince, completely ignoring Yan Jingxing and the other guards. He spoke without reservation, spouting whatever nonsense came to mind.

Everything he said, both explicitly and implicitly, made the Crown Prince wonder if perhaps he should send Qi Suian another gift.

The change in his attitude after the last gift was, admittedly, quite significant.

"Another day! I’ll visit you at home another day. I have urgent business today, so it’s really not convenient," the Crown Prince said hastily after chatting with Qi Suian for a moment.

Even if he wanted to win Qi Suian over, now wasn’t the time. He couldn’t let it interfere with his official duties.

Winning over Qi Suian would just be icing on the cake; successfully handling his own responsibilities was what truly solidified his position.

Putting private affairs before public duty would open him up to criticism. While it wouldn’t be enough to threaten his position as Crown Prince, it would still put him at a disadvantage.

"Alright, you go on and get busy." After speaking, Qi Suian glanced over at Yan Jingxing, who was standing guard with impeccable form, his eyes fixed forward. "You’re busy too."

With that, Qi Suian took his leave.

Yan Jingxing’s taut nerves finally relaxed.

He had been terrified that Qi Suian would come over and strike up a conversation.

This was the Imperial Study in the Imperial Palace. If Qi Suian said the wrong thing, Yan Jingxing felt he’d be the one dragged away for interrogation.

With that mouth of Qi Suian’s, his methods for stirring up trouble were crude, but they were undeniably and shockingly effective.

What’s worse, Qi Suian would say his piece and then just walk away, completely unaccountable, and no one dared to give him any trouble.

The same couldn’t be said for the person he was talking to.

Yan Jingxing strongly condemned Qi Suian’s unethical behavior.

The Crown Prince, on the other hand, cast a curious glance at Yan Jingxing. He knew his background and, assuming he was a friend of Qi Suian’s, wondered if he could use him to further his efforts to win Qi Suian over.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. Clutching his documents, he strode quickly into the Imperial Study.

He would deliver his report first; the matter of recruitment could wait.

’Phew... I made it through that ordeal safely,’ Yan Jingxing thought. He had noticed the way the Crown Prince looked at him, but he pretended he hadn’t.

He didn’t want to get involved in all this messy political maneuvering for one simple reason: he just wanted to live long enough to see Shengshi Mansion purified.