Ye Jianghuai coughed lightly, a hint of a smile in his clear eyes. He turned slightly, reminding the angry young girl, "Shouldn't you save him first?"

Ling Ji snorted, her gaze as sharp as a knife landing on the cowering, trying-to-escape white figure. "Was it you who took his soul?"

"Yes, it was them and another one, Black Guardian." Before White Guardian could argue, Jin Hong, freed from the oppressive aura of the Ghost Gate, sprang up and jumped in front of Ling Ji, her hands clasped under her chin, eyes sparkling as she recounted the whole incident. She ended by emphasizing, "My lord, they knowingly broke the rules, blatantly disrespecting you!"

"Oh." Ling Ji looked at White Guardian, cracking her knuckles and beckoning him with a finger.

White Guardian's face was a mix of bitterness and regret that words couldn't express. He cursed Black Guardian countless times in his heart for abandoning him to face this alone. However, his body, knowing its place, obediently moved closer.

"My lord, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once." White Guardian dropped to his knees three meters away, tears streaming down his face. "Although I'm just a lowly new recruit in the underworld, your great name has long echoed in my ears, deeply engraved in my heart. My admiration for you is endless, like the surging floodwaters, longing to serve by your side."

Wiping his tears, he kneeled closer, his tone increasingly sincere. "My lord, though I am insignificant and lack seniority, I had no choice but to follow Black Guardian's orders to take Brother Mu's soul. Please consider my deep admiration for you, forgive my helplessness."

"If you still can't calm down, I'm willing to sneak into the underworld and bring out Black Guardian for you to deal with as you wish!"

Ling Ji: "..."

Never heard such blatant flattery before.

But something fell off.

Jin Hong & Mu Bai: "..."

Had they not witnessed everything, they might have believed his words.

Do underworld guardians have no shame?

If White Guardian could hear their thoughts, he would undoubtedly confirm.

— Absolutely not!

It wasn't that he was falsely accusing Black Guardian; Black Guardian abandoned him first.

Why else hadn't he returned?

He must have feared Ling Ji, leaving him alone to face her wrath.

Hmph, an unfaithful colleague.

Inside the Ghost Gate, winds howled and ghostly wails echoed. Black Guardian ran down the Yellow Springs Path like a dog was chasing him, the spirits he dragged flying in the air, resembling a string of kites from afar.

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"Lord Black Guardian..." A green-faced, tusked ghostly messenger greeted him respectfully, but before he could finish, a black wind whooshed past and Black Guardian disappeared.

The messenger wondered for a moment, "Is he seeing ghosts? Why is he running so fast?"

Black Guardian, sprinting towards the Ghost Emperor's palace, didn't hear the messenger's muttering. His mind was filled with one thought: "The troublemaker is out. I must inform the Ghost Emperor to prepare the underworld."

Taking the soul of someone she protects, with her temper, she wouldn't let it go. He didn't want to row a boat for decades again.

As for White Guardian left behind, his fate was not his concern.

Each to his own.

"..." Seeing Ling Ji unmoved, White Guardian, fearing for his life, made a desperate decision. "My lord, I can help Mu Bai return to life. Please, in light of my sincere repentance, spare me."

Ling Ji: "..."

Alright, you've said everything there is to say. I have nothing left to add.

...

On a mountain road several dozen kilometers from Fengchuan County, two mud-splattered nanny vans bumped along, passing a village. Looking at the muddy road ahead, Jiang Lingyan frowned deeply.

"System, do I have to go to Fengchuan County for disaster relief?"

"You don't have to." The mechanical, cold voice replied, emotionless. "Refusing the task will deduct double points and impose a level-three punishment."

Level-two punishment was needles, which she experienced ten years ago when she failed a task. The pain in her fingers, even for half a minute, was something she never wanted to experience again.

Level-three punishment was—beaten and kicked for half an hour.

Thinking about being brutally kicked and slapped, Jiang Lingyan's budding resistance and fear of the flood vanished.

She could lose her head but not her beauty.

Just a live broadcast at the flood site for her fans, nothing to fear.

"System, you'll ensure my safety, right?"

She heard Fengchuan County was severely flooded. Despite the system's assurances, she still worried.

"Rest assured." The system's cold voice reassured her. "You redeemed an hour of underwater breathing and swimming skills. If you're in danger, you can redeem other survival skills."

"Don't worry about consuming points." The system knew her thoughts. "Think about the points you'll earn after completing the task, enough to redeem your desired skills."

Hearing she could redeem her coveted skills, Jiang Lingyan's last bit of hesitation vanished. She was now full of fighting spirit. "I'll do as you say!"

The system rolled its eyes where she couldn't see.

Sigh, people from ancient planets are so easy to fool.

"By the way, system, why did you go silent on Fengling Mountain?" Jiang Lingyan had one lingering question.

"..." The system paused. "It's your fault. If you had performed better, I wouldn't have run out of energy and gone into hibernation at the critical moment."

Jiang Lingyan: "..."

Jiang Lingyan shrank back, not daring to speak further.

Little did she know, the system's blame was a cover. It had sensed a terrifying energy back then and had hidden in fear.

Behind her nanny van, another silver-gray van followed. Its body bore a flying phoenix logo, now splattered with mud, looking more like a dirty chicken.

"Tch, such a show-off." Yang Zhen, holding a tablet, sneered at the latest trending news on Weibo.

"These fans are ridiculous, praising a female star's kindness and bravery. Instead of praying for her, they should pray for the soldiers risking their lives for the people."

Wiping his camera lens, Dong Shanmin didn't even lift his eyes, speaking indifferently. "She’s famous."

True heroes often go unnoticed, while attention-seekers get all the praise and attention.

"Hmph, let's see if she can keep up the act at the flood site." Yang Zhen said childishly.

Dong Shanmin shook his head, noncommittal.

For fame and fortune, people will do anything. Yang Zhen was still too young.

...

High above, a yellow figure flew through the clouds towards Fengchuan County. As it neared, the rainfall around Fengchuan County increased again, the floodwaters rising visibly.

A blue figure heading for Fengchuan County noticed the abnormality, pausing briefly before moving again.

"Elder Ming, the beast is ahead." A bearded man squinted at the massive shadow in the clouds, frowning. "Its power has grown."

Silence followed, then a voice full of anger said, "Damn, it must have eaten more people!"

"Stop talking and hurry." The leader, an elder, said. "We must stop it before it reaches Fengchuan County."

A serpent transforming into a dragon wreaks havoc.

This beast didn't follow the proper cultivation path. Its demon core was impure, power unstable, causing floods and heavy rains, killing many.

The Special Management Bureau sent them to stop it before it transformed.

"My lord, it's done." White Guardian returned Mu Bai's soul to his body, glanced at Ling Ji, and stepped back cautiously. "However, to fully revive him, you'll need to amend the Book of Life and Death at the King of Hell's palace."

"You mean I have to go to the underworld?"

"..." Thinking of her past deeds, White Guardian quickly handed over his phone. Under Ling Ji's puzzled gaze, he opened the underworld app, pointing to a gray icon in the contacts. "You can contact King Qinguang directly."

He added, "Brother Mu was marked in red by King Qinguang."

Ling Ji took the phone, examining it curiously. Seeing her reflection, she asked, "A communication mirror?"

"Uh..." Remembering her long isolation, White Guardian explained, "It's like a communication mirror, but better. It combines video calls, entertainment, and communication, a very useful, convenient new artifact."

Ye Jianghuai looked at the sleek phone in Ling Ji's hand, deeply silent.

Even the underworld has kept up with the times.

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