As the Ghost King died, the vengeful spirits lost all will to fight. Like startled birds, they stared in terror at Zhang Chao and the Black Demon Fairy beside him, then turned and fled.
"Stop them, don't let a single one escape," Captain Sun shouted.
But before his voice had even faded, Zhang Chao had already made his move, letting the Black Demon Fairy handle it.
At the same time, a serene, otherworldly voice echoed from behind them:
"Amitabha."
The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to reverberate in everyone's ears. Xia Mei's body trembled, and she looked towards the source of the sound with surprise and delight:
"Wu Nian!"
Xia Mei cried out in surprise.
From the direction Captain Sun and his team had come, a figure in monastic robes appeared. The foremost figure was tall and slender, exuding an ethereal and transcendent aura in his youth. His appearance was exceptionally handsome, drawing the attention of everyone who looked his way.
As Xia Mei spoke, everyone learned the identity of the newcomer: the boyfriend of the beauty with the prayer beads, the one known as the young eminent monk from Mount Wutai.
While Xia Mei and her group noticed Wu Nian, on the other side, Wu Nian, who had come to provide support, also noticed Xia Mei. Upon arrival, after scanning the fleeing vengeful spirits and instructing his senior and junior brothers to drive them away, his gaze swept across the crowd, searching for Xia Mei.
Although he didn't know what had happened here, Wu Nian saw the fallen corpse of the Ghost King and knew the greatest danger had passed. Concerned about the civilians, Wu Nian did not join his fellow disciples in pursuing the vengeful spirits but went to check on the crowd.
"Amitabha, esteemed benefactors, are you all alright? Is Xia Mei benefactor alright? I apologize, this young monk arrived late."
Wu Nian clasped his hands together, his eyes scanning Xia Mei from head to toe to see if she was injured. Seeing that Xia Mei was unharmed, a hint of relief appeared on his usually stoic face, though he himself didn't notice it.
However, Xia Mei and her two friends, who had been watching Wu Nian, all saw it. Xia Mei smiled happily:
"You're not late at all. Didn't you also ask your friend Zhang Chao to come? Wu Nian, you have no idea, if Zhang Chao hadn't come, we would have been in real danger. It's a good thing you called Zhang Chao."
Mentioning what had just happened, Xia Mei and her friends chattered incessantly. Wu Nian was amused and exasperated. Although he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, he knew from his previous WeChat conversations with Zhang Wei and Zhang Chao that Zhang Chao had a way to deal with the Ghost King, having been given a magical artifact by Zhang Wei.
Then, he clasped his hands together and explained:
"Amitabha, Xia Mei benefactor, you've misunderstood. Zhang Chao is indeed a descendant of the Maoshan Sect. That 'Balala the Fairies' summoning technique wasn't a summoning, it was a magical artifact..."
Before he could finish, a voice interrupted him.
"Oh, Wu Nian, you arrive and immediately look for your beloved, openly showing off your affection in front of me."
Zhang Chao appeared, carrying the life-sized Balala the Fairies figure, and walked towards them with a smile. He even grinned at the girl in jeans and her friends:
"Everyone, the Ghost King has been killed by me. You're safe now. No need to thank me, it was just a small effort."
As soon as he spoke, the girl in jeans and the others' eyes lit up. Many rushed forward to surround Zhang Chao, thanking him and examining him.
"Are you really Zhang Chao? Xia Mei said you're Wu Nian's friend and a Maoshan Sect descendant, is that true?"
"Heh heh, Little Brother Zhang Chao, I didn't expect you to look so ordinary, yet you're the most powerful among the three of you, Wu Nian and the others. Xia Mei just told me that ghost was very powerful, even ordinary ghost exorcists might not be able to defeat it. You're so amazing."
The girl in jeans and the JK girl spoke one after another. Zhang Chao enjoyed the admiration but was momentarily stunned:
"The most powerful among the three? Huh? You know me?"
"Of course, we know you! We're Xia Mei's friends. Xia Mei even showed us your photo earlier, a group photo of the three of you."
The girl in jeans explained briefly, then continued:
"I thought the person in the photo was Xia Mei's boyfriend, or that Zhang Wei guy who's supposed to be powerful, because Xia Mei had praised all three of you as very capable before. But now it seems being handsome doesn't necessarily mean being the most powerful. You're the most powerful, you even defeated the Ghost King."
"Exactly, as expected of a Maoshan Sect descendant," the JK girl chimed in.
As she spoke, Zhang Chao and Wu Nian both froze and instinctively glanced at each other.
The next moment, Zhang Chao burst into laughter:
"This must be the worst portrayal of Zhang Wei. Ladies, you're mistaken. While being handsome doesn't guarantee power, Zhang Wei is indeed the most powerful among us three. And... actually, this Balala the Fairies of mine isn't mine, it belongs to Zhang Wei."
Wu Nian also clasped his hands together and said serenely:
"Amitabha, esteemed benefactors, you mentioned earlier that the ghost was a Maoshan sorcerer in his past life, but Zhang Chao's summoning technique couldn't be broken by it. Zhang Chao is very powerful, but it's not that the ghost couldn't break it, it's that what Zhang Chao used wasn't a summoning technique at all. It was the magical artifact given by Zhang Wei, which is this Balala the Fairies."
Zhang Chao nodded:
"Honestly, our Maoshan Sect is quite proper. How could we summon Balala the Fairies? Hahaha, let me tell you a secret, Xia Mei was right. That kind of ghost is very powerful, and ordinary ghost exorcists might not be able to defeat it. However... Zhang Wei has killed quite a few."
As he spoke, Zhang Chao glanced at the Ghost King's corpse not far away and then looked at Wu Nian beside him:
"Wu Nian, you forced me to show off this time, but this Ghost King should be credited to Zhang Wei. Although it's not as good as Zhang Wei's imported goods, it's still a Ghost King's corpse, right?"
"Ah??"
The girl in jeans and the others were completely stunned.
...
That night, in a presidential suite of a nationwide chain hotel in Hawaii.
It had been over two hours since the haunting incident in Jin City. With the system points boost, Zhang Wei, even though not present, knew the situation and wasn't worried. He was browsing the Wei Dao Division forum, waiting for Zhang Chao to handle the aftermath and brag to him.
As expected, with a WeChat notification sound, Zhang Wei picked up his phone to check. It was a message from Zhang Chao.
[Zhang Chao]: Kid, are you asleep? Your Fairy Castle's Fairy Prince is here to chat. Fairy Prince with a gun.jpg
[Zhang Wei]: Not asleep, waiting for you to brag to me.
[Zhang Chao]: Damn, hahaha, you truly are my brother from another mother, you know me best. Yes, I'm here to brag to you. Zhang Wei, now I know why you like killing Ghost Kings so much. Honestly, killing Ghost Kings is so satisfying.
Then, just as Zhang Wei expected, Zhang Chao came to brag to him.
[Zhang Chao]: You have no idea the admiring looks they gave me, haha. But don't worry, Zhang Wei, I also bragged on your behalf for a while, haha. After Xia Mei's two friends found out that Balala the Fairies was made by you, they became very interested in you. Or perhaps it was sexual interest?
[Zhang Wei]: Should I thank you then? When drinking water, don't forget the source.
[Zhang Chao]: Of course. Gratitude is a traditional virtue of our Great Xia. You're welcome.
After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Wei seemed to recall something and sent a message to Zhang Chao.
[Zhang Wei]: By the way, Zhang Chao, I remember you said there's an international forum similar to the Wei Dao Division abroad, right?
[Zhang Chao]: Yeah, why? It's all written in English, I can't understand it. Oh, I forgot, you graduated from a prestigious university, you can understand it.
[Zhang Wei]: That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm abroad now. Send me that international forum, I want to take a look.
[Zhang Chao]: Wait a moment. I rarely go on that forum, I've forgotten my account. Let me find it.
Meanwhile, while waiting for Zhang Chao's reply, Zhang Wei's stomach rumbled. He couldn't help but touch his stomach:
"I'm so hungry."
He said this, glancing at the digital clock by the bed. It was 10 PM.
"Let's go eat something, it's free anyway."
Zhang Wei muttered, then exchanged a few words with Zhang Chao before heading to the elevator, preparing to go to another restaurant in the hotel.
Not long after, he arrived at the restaurant.
However, before he could sit down, his peripheral vision caught sight of two familiar figures.
"Is that them?"