Chapter 238: As Long As There’s No Cheating

Night had fallen, and thick layers of dark clouds loomed overhead, resembling a vast black umbrella shielding Four Corners Town.

It was nearing midnight, and the Golden Guard members had reconvened in the private room where they had gathered earlier in the day.

Golden Guard Yang sat at the table, his right hand resting on its surface, tapping his index finger rhythmically, producing a steady tap, tap sound.

“How long until midnight?”

Beside him, the timekeeper responded, “Fifteen minutes remain.”

“Alright, then we’ll wait fifteen more minutes.” Golden Guard Yang nodded and fell into contemplation.

Earlier, when Gu Ning’an left, he had arranged for two Golden Guards to follow him. However, it wasn’t long before the two lost track of him.

Becoming a Golden Guard might require some connections, but that didn’t mean everyone who got in was incompetent.

At the very least, the two he had sent were skilled enough that even certain swift-moving monsters found it difficult to shake them off in a short time.

Yet, those two had completely lost Gu Ning’an within just fifteen minutes.

That alone was proof that the man had some real ability.

With that in mind, Golden Guard Yang found himself taking the situation more seriously. After all, if Gu Ning’an truly managed to call back Yang Yong’s soul, would that mean he would have to put himself at risk as bait?

Knock, knock, knock.

A steady knocking sounded at the door, and everyone instinctively looked up.

“The door’s not locked. Come in.”

With a creak, the door opened, and Gu Ning’an, clad in white, stepped inside.

The moment he entered, several people felt the temperature in the room drop, turning eerily cold.

“Did you bring Yang Yong’s soul back?” Golden Guard Yang narrowed his eyes.

Gu Ning’an didn’t answer. Instead, he simply pointed at Yang Yong, who lay on the bed, and said two words in a calm tone:

“Go back.”

Though the words were simple, they sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

It was obvious who he was speaking to—Yang Yong.

And his meaning was clear: he was telling Yang Yong’s soul to return.

Did that mean Yang Yong’s spirit was actually here, unseen?

Thud!

Suddenly, Yang Yong shot upright on the bed, gasping for breath.

“Haa… haa…”

“Water… water…”

Still reeling from shock, External Agent Ma hastily grabbed a teapot, filled a cup, and handed it over.

Yang Yong drank the entire cup in one go, his breathing gradually stabilizing. He looked around at the people in the room, his eyes filled with confusion.

“What… what happened?”

Golden Guard Yang stood up and walked toward the bed.

“You went to the latrine last night and suddenly lost consciousness. Now tell me—what happened after that?”

Hearing this, Yang Yong furrowed his brows, then lowered his head in thought for a moment before speaking:

“Last night, after I finished at the latrine and was heading back, I suddenly heard the sound of a wooden clapper.”

“Then… it felt like someone struck my head. The world spun around me…”

“After that, all I remember is being trapped in a pitch-black space, so dark I couldn’t see my own hand in front of me.”

“And then… I think I heard someone calling my name… And then I woke up and saw all of you.”

Yang Yong’s words were so bizarre that it took a moment for everyone to process them.

Especially Golden Guard Yang—he had never expected that the random External Agent he had reluctantly assigned would turn out to have such an uncanny ability.

If he had known this earlier, maybe he wouldn’t have pocketed that two taels of loose silver.

If he could build a good relationship, he might even gain a formidable ally!

With that thought, Golden Guard Yang waved his hand and said, “Alright, take a rest for now. I’ll go back and think this over.”

Seeing this scoundrel pretending to be clueless and trying to leave, many External Agents secretly cursed him for being shameless.

He was the one in charge, while they weren’t even official Golden Guards, meaning they had no right to voice their opinions.

The four Golden Guards accompanying Yang Wang also felt embarrassed when they saw him blatantly trying to avoid responsibility. Unable to do anything, they simply lowered their heads and followed him out in silence.

“Golden Guard Yang, weren’t you willing to act as bait?” Gu Ning’an’s voice rang out slowly.

His calm words, in this setting, carried an oddly piercing tone.

Golden Guard Yang froze mid-step, his hand stiffening in the air as he was about to push the door open.

All the External Agents gasped. They never expected Gu Ning’an to be this bold—he saw that Golden Guard Yang was trying to worm his way out of it, yet he still called him out directly!

Golden Guard Yang sneered. “Agent Gu, didn’t you hear me say I would go back and think it over?”

“Or do you think I’m trying to weasel out of it?”

“As long as Golden Guard Yang doesn’t cheat, that’s fine,” Gu Ning’an said, smoothly shifting the conversation toward Zhou Zhongtian with a smile. “It’s our turn to patrol tonight, right? When should we head out?”

“Patrol?”

He’s still thinking about patrol duty at a time like this?

Zhou Zhongtian was momentarily stunned before nodding. “Then let’s go now. We haven’t wasted much time anyway.”

Seeing that he was being completely ignored, Golden Guard Yang snorted coldly and left the room without looking back. The four Golden Guards followed suit.

Now that the ones who had been “watching from the sidelines” were gone, External Agent Ma stepped forward and said earnestly, “Brother Gu! Thank you for saving Old Yang. If not for you, he might’ve been a goner!”

“Yeah! Good thing you have real skills, Brother Gu, or our brother here would’ve been lost just like that!”

Hearing this, the still-confused Yang Yong recalled the voice that had called his name in the darkness—it was exactly the same as Gu Ning’an’s.

Now, after listening to his comrades’ words, he finally understood: he had narrowly escaped death, and it was this newly arrived External Agent who had pulled him back.

Despite his lingering weakness, he made an effort to stand and express his gratitude.

Gu Ning’an, however, simply waved it off as “a small effort” and used the night patrol as an excuse to slip away…

Meanwhile, back in his room, Yang Wang couldn’t shake off his unease.

He grabbed the wine jug that always sat on his table, tilted his head back, and took a long, hard swig.

The burning liquor helped ease the tightness in his chest just a little.

“As long as you don’t cheat… What did he mean by that?”

“I was just asking him a question—I never said I wouldn’t try to weasel out of it!”

“So why did he say… ‘As long as you don’t cheat’?”

Muttering to himself, Yang Wang downed the rest of the jug in a few gulps, then slammed it onto the table. He let out a drunken burp and was about to lie down on the bed.

But just as his head touched the pillow—

A crisp bang of a clapper rang out in his ears!

Almost instinctively, Yang Wang shot up from the bed, grabbing the longsword hanging by the bedpost and scanning the room warily.

“The weather is dry—beware of fire!”

“The weather is dry—beware of fire!”

Hearing the night watchman’s distant calls outside the window, Yang Wang let out a relieved breath.

“Damn it… It was just the watchman…”