OBS Chapter 13 Come on, give me a smile.
Chapter 13 Come on, give me a smile.
"Snap!"
A sound clearer than any ghostly wails or wolf howls exploded above the River of the Underworld.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
The enormous maw of the Soul-Devouring Beast, capable of blotting out the sky, stopped less than three feet away from the Yellow Springs Spirit Boat.
Its huge, lantern-like eyes slowly, slowly turned downwards, looking at its front teeth.
A clear crack appeared on the fang that it regarded as one of the hardest weapons in the world, capable of easily crushing the ghost general's soul.
The cracks are spreading at a visible rate.
"roar……?"
The Soul-Devouring Beast let out a low growl filled with confusion.
Immediately afterwards, excruciating pain surged through its soul like a tidal wave.
"Awooo—!"
A heart-wrenching scream that echoed through the nine netherworlds erupted from the throat of the Soul-Devouring Beast.
The shockwave from the sound directly shattered the souls of hundreds of nearby ghosts on the river, causing them to faint on the spot.
Even Meng Po covered herself with her sleeve, and the golden-armored general behind King Qin Guang frowned.
Chu Jiang was so shocked by the sound wave that he tumbled in the air and landed steadily on the bow of the boat. He shook the baseball bat in his hand, his face full of displeasure.
"I told you not to yell, but you still did?"
He slung the magical artifact, named the "Merit Physical Salvation Stick," over his shoulder, looking like a thug collecting protection money.
The Soul-Devouring Beast writhed wildly in the river in agony, and the giant waves it created almost swept the ghosts on the bank into the river.
Its enormous eyes were now filled with blood-red ferocity and madness.
How dare a mere ghost king injure it!
Unforgivable!
It suddenly raised its head, opened its huge mouth, and a black beam of light, which had been condensed with its resentment for thousands of years, shot towards Chu Jiang.
Wherever the beam of light passed, the space emitted a hissing sound as if it were about to be overwhelmed.
"Brother Chu!" Meng Po exclaimed, her bowl lighting up as she prepared to make her move.
King Qin Guang also raised his hand, a hint of solemnity flashing between his brows.
However, Chu Jiang acted faster than them.
"Well done!"
Instead of dodging, he charged straight at the beam of light.
"Let me show you what the power of a pay-to-win player really is!"
With a thought, Chu Jiang unleashed the power of the Ghost King within him, which surged wildly into the baseball bat on his shoulder.
On the stick of the "Merit Physical Salvation Stick", a line of small text lit up: "Mode Switch: Rebound Mode".
"Take this, and I'll return the favor with a home run!"
Chu Jiang gripped the staff with both hands, exerted force from his waist, and swung it fiercely at the incoming black beam of light.
"Bang!"
Another loud bang.
Under the dumbfounded gaze of all the ghosts, gods, demons, and monsters, the earth-shattering black beam of light was actually hit back along the same path by that small baseball bat, just like hitting a baseball, at an even faster speed.
The Soul-Devouring Beast clearly hadn't expected this kind of maneuver, and its massive head didn't have time to dodge.
"boom!"
The black beam of light slammed solidly into its own forehead.
The Soul-Devouring Beast's screams abruptly ceased. Its mountain-like head was jerked backward by its own attack, and its massive body flipped over in the river, revealing its white belly.
Its four short claws kicked weakly in the air, then floated on the water like a puddle of mud, motionless.
The entire Sanzu Ferry was deathly silent.
The ghosts lined up, mouths agape, forgot to run away.
The vampire count swallowed back the "My God!" that was about to come out of his mouth.
Meng Po held the bowl, her hand frozen in mid-air.
King Qin Guang slowly lowered his raised hand. He looked at the Soul Devouring Beast floating on the water with its eyes rolling back, and then at Chu Jiang, who was carrying a baseball bat and looked calm and collected. For the first time, an emotion called "bewilderment" appeared in those eyes that had seen through life and death.
"Done, job done."
Chu Jiang blew away non-existent dust from the baseball bat and turned to return to the boat to continue his business.
"etc."
King Qin Guang's voice suddenly rang out.
Chu Jiang stiffened, slowly turned his head, and forced a fawning smile onto his face.
"Your Majesty, you see, I was only trying to maintain order at the ferry crossing; it was justified self-defense."
"I did not say you were guilty." King Qin Guang walked to the riverbank, looked at the Soul-Devouring Beast that was still pretending to be dead, and slowly spoke, "This monstrous creature is an ancient and exotic species, born from the resentment of the Netherworld, and is immortal. Even I can only suppress it, not eradicate it."
He looked at Chu Jiang with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.
"What kind of magic weapon is that stick of yours?"
"Oh, this?" Chu Jiang weighed the baseball bat in his hand. "It's an heirloom, a rolling pin, which I sometimes use to crack walnuts."
King Qin Guang's eye twitched slightly.
Can your rolling pin deflect attacks at the level of a ghost general? Do your walnuts look like ancient ferocious beasts?
Just then, the Soul-Devouring Beast that had been feigning death in the river quietly opened one eye and secretly observed the situation on the bank.
When it saw the baseball bat on Chu Jiang's shoulder, its huge body involuntarily trembled.
It hurts so much.
That stick not only hurt its flesh, but also its soul.
"Stop pretending, I see you." Chu Jiang's lazy voice came over.
The Soul-Devouring Beast stiffened, its eyes snapping open, its enormous pupils filled with fear and resentment.
"Come here." Chu Jiang beckoned to it.
The Soul-Devouring Beast hesitated for a moment, then didn't move.
Chu Jiang slowly raised the baseball bat.
"Whoosh!"
With an agility completely disproportionate to its size, the Soul Devouring Beast instantly darted to the shore, its massive head bowed meekly against the water's surface, like a large dog that had done something wrong.
Chu Jiang jumped onto its head and gently tapped its hard scales with a baseball bat.
"I have a question for you."
The Soul-Devouring Beast blinked, indicating that it was listening.
"Would you like to eat this kind of clean and delicious spiritual energy every day?" Chu Jiang pointed to the surrounding river.
The Soul-Devouring Beast made a "gurgling" sound from its throat, and its huge eyes shone with a longing light.
"Do you want to never have to get beaten up again?" Chu Jiang shook the baseball bat in his hand again.
The Soul-Devouring Beast nodded frantically, like a chick pecking at rice.
"Okay, then I have a good job to introduce to you." Chu Jiang cleared his throat and began his recruitment presentation.
"My Three Crossings Ferry is now recruiting a [Chief Security Officer/Mascot]. Are you interested?"
Soul-devouring Beast: ? ? ?
"The job is very simple." Chu Jiang counted on his fingers for it, "First, you are responsible for the security of this ferry crossing. If any ignorant people come to cause trouble, you are responsible for throwing them into the river to feed the fish."
"Secondly, when I'm entertaining VIP clients, you can come out and shout a few lines, or do something like spraying water to liven up the atmosphere."
"As for the benefits..." Chu Jiang patted its head, "You can absorb as much of the merit and spiritual energy from this entire river as you want, as much as you want! If you perform well, I can even provide you with employee dormitory and the five social insurances and one housing fund. How about it?"
Five social insurances and one housing fund?
Not only did the Soul-Devouring Beast not understand, but all the ghosts in the line behind, including King Qin Guang, were completely bewildered.
"Roar?" The Soul-Devouring Beast let out a tentative roar, as if asking, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I, Boss Chu, never lie to my employees." Chu Jiang said, pulling out a glittering scroll from his pocket. This was the [Ancient Divine Beast Labor Contract] that he had just redeemed from the system shop.
"Come on, put your handprint here, and you're mine now."
The Soul-Devouring Beast looked at the contract, then at the baseball bat in Chu Jiang's hand. Finally, with a mixture of humiliation and anticipation, it stretched out a claw and pressed it heavily onto the reel.
The contract transformed into a golden light and entered the space between the Soul Devouring Beast and Chu Jiang's eyebrows.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully tamed the ancient Soul-Devouring Beast. The security level at the ferry crossing has been upgraded.]
[Trigger hidden achievement: The Soul of Working for Everything]
[Reward: Supernatural Power "Words Become Law (Pseudo)" - Within the Three Paths Ferry area, the host's words will carry a portion of the power of laws, forcibly affecting units with lower cultivation levels.]
Chu Jiang felt the newly acquired supernatural power in his mind and nodded in satisfaction.
He jumped off the Soul Devouring Beast's head and waved at it.
"Alright, go back to the river and wait for me to call you."
The Soul-Devouring Beast, as if granted a pardon, plunged into the river and disappeared.
The entire ferry crossing fell into an eerie silence once again.
Have you subdued them?
Just like that... you've subdued them?
They've turned ancient ferocious beasts into gatekeepers?
King Qin Guang looked at Chu Jiang with the same gaze he would give a monster.
He had lived for countless years and seen fierce and ruthless people, but he had never seen anything so outrageous.
"Chu Jiang," King Qin Guang slowly began.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You... it's a waste of your talents not to become a registrar in my Yama's Palace, in charge of the underworld's finances and personnel."
"No, no, Your Majesty, please don't. I'm used to being lazy, I just like to row a boat and enjoy the scenery." Chu Jiang waved his hands repeatedly.
Are you kidding me? Going to work overtime in the underworld? He's not stupid.
"It's not up to you." King Qin Guang laughed, a laugh that carried an air of undeniable authority.
He took out a black jade slip from his sleeve and tossed it to Chu Jiang.
"Perfect timing, the annual 'Underworld Awards Ceremony' is about to begin. Your Three Crossings Ferry has caused quite a stir, and many departments have expressed their opinions."
"Come to the First Hall at this time tomorrow. I want to see if your mouth is still so eloquent in front of the Ten Kings of Hell and the officials of each department."
"Huh? A meeting?" Chu Jiang held the jade slip, his face falling.
"This...this counts as overtime, right? Is there overtime pay? Are meals provided? Will travel expenses be reimbursed?"