— Meanwhile - Underworld —
The Lord of Death had just come back from a toilet break, feeling quite satisfied. After brewing a cup of coffee and holding it in his bony hand, he began walking back to his office.
The moment he stepped through the doorway, the sight before him made his mind go blank. The documents he had just finished organizing were now scattered across the floor, mixed together with the ones still awaiting his approval.
He quickly hurried to his desk, certain he had placed a paperweight on top of the stack. But where the f*ck was it now!?
"Youqi!!" he called out.
In an instant, a green portal appeared beside him, and a beautiful ghost dressed in an office lady outfit emerged.
"Yes, my lord?"
The Lord of Death pointed at the chaotic mess of papers. "Where's my paperweight!? I remember putting it right there!"
Youqi rushed over to where her lord pointed, searching through the pile of disordered documents and checking the floor where the papers had fallen.
"Strange… is the underworld wind really that strong? I remember your lordship's paperweight was a shard of a sword capable of leaving a mark on the Wheel of Samsara. It shouldn't be affected by the underworld wind," Youqi muttered in confusion.
"Right? That's why I used it as a paperweight in the first place!" The Lord of Death agreed, letting out a weary sigh.
"No matter. Youqi, help me rearrange the documents and find me a new paperweight," said the Lord of Death, resigning himself to his fate.
"Yes, my lord," Youqi replied with a nod.
— Dusk - Outside Thousand Treasure Pavilion —
Under the dusk sky, Wei Chen hurriedly left the Thousand Treasure Pavilion, just in case that money-grubbing girl changed her mind. He decided to stroll around the city for a bit and find a quiet place to plan the content for his next broadcast.
"Hmmm… where should I go?" Wei Chen muttered to himself.
There were many things he needed to do to ensure his probation would be successful. He didn't know exactly what he would receive after passing it, but he was sure that at the very least, the eight-year time limit would either be extended or removed.
Beyond that, he wasn't certain, but usually, after passing probation, there should be some kind of reward… maybe even something like health care?
No matter what, he needed to do his best.
While Wei Chen was lost in thought, his feet carried him to a busy commercial street. The place was chaotic but lively, filled with all kinds of businesses, food stalls, tailors, apothecaries, and more.
In short, finding something decent to eat in such a place was a real pain. Lion dancers and street performers crowded the street, one of them breathing fire above a food stall. Brothel workers tried to dodge the flames while cursing at the performers, who cheerfully cursed back.
All in all, it was a noisy, chaotic mess with absolutely no concept of urban zoning.
Wei Chen sighed inwardly but continued his search for a good place to eat.
After wandering for about half an hour, he finally found a decent mid-tier restaurant, judging by its decor, environment, and clientele.
Once he settled into a private room that cost one spirit stone to rent, Wei Chen finally had some peace and quiet to think about his next broadcast and how to execute it.
While waiting for his food to arrive, he looked out from the balcony at the bustling street below. His thoughts drifted back to his previous life, a date with his ex, Cindy Liu, in Chinatown.
That had been their first date, which ended with him visiting her home and meeting her entire family, her father, mother, aunt, uncle, and more, all crammed into a small apartment. Her grandfather, who had immigrated from China, was the first to speak, calling him "Gwailou."
After that, everyone in her family referred to him as "Gwailou" or "Xiaotong's Gwailou boyfriend." as for Xiaotong, it was Cindy Liu's Chinese name.
Remembering those fond, funny memories, Wei Chen couldn't help but smile unconsciously.
At that moment, he heard the sound of the door sliding open.
"Oh? You seem to be in a good mood, Mr. Wei. Thinking about that young miss Mo, perhaps?" a familiar voice said, pulling Wei Chen out of his thoughts.
He turned toward the door and saw Ximen Hao walking into the VIP room with two bodyguards behind him.
Wei Chen stared at Ximen Hao, who helped himself to a seat opposite him. He had no idea why this young master had come here.
Once seated, Ximen Hao started the conversation. "Never thought an expert like you would enjoy a mortal restaurant. If you have time, I'd like to invite you to one of my establishments in this city. It's a restaurant for cultivators and experts like you."
Wei Chen felt slightly irritated. His peaceful moment and train of thought had been completely interrupted by this young master. His eyes showed his annoyance without hiding it.
"When someone pays for a VIP room, it means they don't want to be disturbed by anyone except the restaurant staff or their friends. As far as I know… you're neither," Wei Chen said bluntly.
That sentence made Ximen Hao's face twitch in anger, and his bodyguards tensed up, clearly wanting to teach Wei Chen a lesson. But Ximen Hao quickly calmed himself down and laughed it off.
"Ah hahaha, Mr. Wei, you jest. We can become friends right now if you like. I can even pay for your meal."
"That's a start," Wei Chen replied with a nod. "So… why are you here, Young Master Ximen?" His gaze sharpened, urging the young master to get to the point.
"I like befriending experts, so… I'm here to do you a favor," Ximen Hao said.
"What kind of favor?" Wei Chen asked. "I hope it's not just paying for a meal."
Ximen Hao scoffed. "Who do you think I am? Of course paying for a meal doesn't count as a favor. It's just a gesture of goodwill."
Then he turned to one of his bodyguards and made a small gesture with his finger, as if to say, "Give me that thing."
The bodyguard nodded, took out a piece of paper from his storage ring, and handed it to Ximen Hao.
"Do you want to know what this is?" Ximen Hao teased, showing the back of the paper to Wei Chen.
Wei Chen nodded, curious about what kind of nonsense this young master was up to.
Not dragging it out any further, knowing Wei Chen's patience was thinning, Ximen Hao placed the paper on the table in front of him.
"Take a look," said the young master.
Wei Chen looked at the paper and saw a drawn portrait, his own face. It wasn't a flattering likeness, but it was definitely him.
What really caught his attention, however, was the text written beneath it.
—
Name: Wei Chen
Age: ???
Sect: None. A lone vagabond.
Cultivation Realm: Soul Transformation
Notes: A Demonic Path cultivator. Extremely fast and highly skilled in combat techniques, which appear to draw upon the power of death.
Bounty: 4,500,000 Spirit Stones
—
This was a bounty poster. Wei Chen felt a mix of apprehension and excitement, it was the first time in both of his lives that he had a bounty on his head. Wait… no, not the first time. He remembered that some haters had once placed a bounty on him back when he was still a nuisance streamer in his previous world.
But still… this was the first time it had become something official.
Seeing that Wei Chen didn't seem particularly alarmed, Ximen Hao smirked. "I must say, someone must really hate you. A bounty of 4.5 million spirit stones is no small sum, especially considering the cultivation level mentioned here."
"It's that much?" Wei Chen asked, genuinely curious.
"Of course, Mr. Wei, it's that much. If your combat power wasn't equivalent to someone in the Soul Transformation Realm, I bet even some mid-sized sects would have already taken this bounty," said Ximen Hao.
"When did this come out?" Wei Chen asked. Since arriving in this world, he hasn't offended many people. If he knew when the bounty appeared, he might figure out who issued it, and maybe have a little talk with that bastard.
"About last week," Ximen Hao replied.
"Last week?" Wei Chen murmured under his breath. Thinking back, there was only one person who hated him enough and had the resources to issue a bounty of this scale.
Azure Sky Elder.
After coming to that conclusion, Wei Chen nodded and stored the bounty poster in his storage space. Until the bounty was canceled, he needed to be extra careful.
"Thanks, I owe you one," said Wei Chen.
Ximen Hao smiled and replied, "As a gesture of goodwill, I'll tell you this: someone has already accepted your bounty. His name is Lie Ren. Be careful of his traps and tricks; he's killed many people stronger than himself."
"Thanks," Wei Chen said, then continued, "Let me ask you something, young master. Have you ever offended some poor young guy, or some trash who couldn't cultivate? Or maybe… have you ever snatched someone's girlfriend?"
"Huh?" Ximen Hao looked confused.