Working: Start by earning the boss a hundred million!

Chapter 16 Remember to Collect Money
"Talking to you would shorten my lifespan by eight hundred years, so you'd better shut up." Shang Xingjian closed his eyes, choosing to refuse to communicate.

"What a coincidence, me too." Cheng Mai snorted and turned away, ignoring him.

The car fell silent as Cheng Mai scrolled through the news on his phone.

The weather bureau is reminding everyone to avoid unnecessary outings during thunderstorms.

Long Xu also sent a message to tell Cheng Mai that he had arrived home safely and to put her mind at ease. He even sent her a selfie of himself on his way home.

Cheng Mai replied, telling him to get back to him soon.

"Boss, boss." Cheng Mai replied to the message, then suddenly patted the shop owner's desk and called out twice.

"I'm not deaf, get to the point."

"Boss, the runes on Long Xu's necklace have turned red." Cheng Mai zoomed in on the picture. The talisman that Shang Xingjian had personally drawn was now red, as if stained with blood. "Could he have gotten something on it in the bamboo forest?"

"He's just famous, not dead, what's there to worry about?" Shang Xingjian took the phone and glanced at the photo. "He's just a luck-stealing ghost. It's normal for a few people to be jealous of Chairman Cheng's recent high-profile promotion of him."

"What should we do then?" Cheng Mai frowned.

Shang Xingjian tossed his phone to Cheng Mai, saying, "Tell him to find Xiao Qian and remember to collect the money."

"Money, money, money, I can't stop talking about money." Cheng Mai muttered to herself, sending Xuan He's company profile and address to Long Xu, telling him to go to the company whenever he had free time, and to say that she had sent him there. The receptionist would tell him what to do.

Although Long Xu didn't know what it meant, he replied immediately that he would go soon.

The car was parked in a desolate mountain area on the outskirts of the city, and Cheng Mai followed closely behind Shang Xingjian.

"Where is this place? You're not looking for a place to kill someone and bury the body, are you? I just cursed at you a few times, is that really necessary?" Cheng Mai grabbed Shang Xingjian's arm, warily looking around.

"Why would I need to bury your body if I killed you?" Shang Xingjian clicked his tongue, but didn't refuse her gripping his arm.

The further you go in, the more desolate it becomes. Each step on the withered yellow leaves makes a soft, crunching sound.

Dead leaves?

Or are they layered?
But it's only July now, the time when the leaves are at their greenest.

Cheng Mai looked down at the withered leaves at his feet in the moonlight, then looked up at the surrounding trees, which were bare and without any leaves.

"Boss, why does this place feel so eerie?" Cheng Mai whispered.

“The place where things that can’t stand the light of day live is bound to be eerie.” Shang Xingjian saw her getting closer and closer, almost wrapping her arms around his, but he didn’t warn her.

"I, I'm telling you, I'm not afraid of what's in here, I'm just afraid that this thing will suddenly appear. I'm not afraid of what it is." Cheng Mai held Shang Xingjian's arm tightly, still emphasizing this point.

"Okay, okay, fine, fine," Shang Xingjian replied perfunctorily.

Cheng Mai knew that Shang Xingjian was just giving her the runaround, so she decided not to argue with him and would talk to him outside.

The two walked deeper and deeper, passing through a muddy area. The merchant simply held up an umbrella and completely sheltered Cheng Mai under it.

After passing through the muddy area, the shopkeeper put away his umbrella and continued walking forward. The eerie atmosphere disappeared.

The two walked upwards for about an hour and reached the top of the mountain.

The moonlight was bright, and looking back, one could see a lush green mountainside.

Cheng Mai paused for a moment, "Why is this happening?"

"It's just an illusion." Shang Xingjian raised his hand, and the bright moonlight disappeared instantly, turning the lush greenery into a bare, withered tree.

"How does it feel to have come all this way?" Shang Xingjian asked.

"It was eerie and smelled of blood, like being outside in the scorching sun all day and then suddenly entering a room that had been air-conditioned all day," Cheng Mai described.

Merchant Jian: "..." Suddenly I don't want to turn on the air conditioner anymore.

"That person's hideout in City A is right where you just walked," Shang Xingjian said, ignoring her description.

Cheng Mai froze, then subconsciously looked back again. "But all we found here was barren mountains."

Shang Xing simply put his hand around her waist and, before Cheng Mai could react, jumped off the mountain with her. Cheng Mai clung to his neck with both hands, not crying out, but just holding him tightly.

The two landed, and Shang Xingjian looked at the person buried in his arms, "Okay, it seems you're really not afraid anymore."

Cheng Mai planted his feet firmly on solid ground, stomping a few times to make sure it was safe before letting go of the person. "You're not going to kill me."

Shang Xingjian chuckled softly, very quietly.

It was a pitch-black cave, with almost no light, so Cheng Mai could only hold onto Shang Xingjian's arm tightly.

Cheng Mai was blind here, but Shang Xingjian walked on flat ground as if on solid ground.

As we passed through the long, decaying passage, light gradually appeared—the brightness of candlelight.

Shang Xingjian cast an invisibility spell on Cheng Mai, and the two of them swaggered inside.

Cheng Mai looked at the dilapidated gate in front of him. Stepping inside stirred up a layer of dust. Inside, a courtyard was filled with lanterns.

"If this were a commercial haunted house, I'd call the police. If they just put on a bridal sedan chair, they could just start playing the 'new wedding dress' game." Cheng Mai's hand landed on the door, and she could actually pass through it. She looked at Shang Xingjian in shock, quite amazed.

"Let's go in and take a look." Shang Xingjian took her hand and led her straight through the door.

It was an abandoned Taoist temple. The old Taoist priest had his back to them, and a person was lying on the altar. Cheng Mai stepped forward.

"Cheng Ying?" Cheng Mai said in a low voice.

Cheng Ying lay on the altar, her eyes tightly closed. The slight movement of her chest indicated that she was still alive, but she was barely breathing.

The old Taoist priest sensed something and suddenly turned around to look, but he could see nothing.

"Find the ashes," Shang Xingjian reminded him.

Cheng Mai nodded and began searching for his mother's urn near the chicken altar.

The dilapidated Taoist temple had even its statues smashed to pieces. Shang Xingjian looked up and saw the crumbling plaque: Xuantian Taoist Temple.

The Taoist priest was still chanting incantations, and even without getting close, Shang Xingjian knew what kind of heretical and evil things he was reciting.

"I can't find it, it's not here?" Cheng Mai had searched everywhere he could think of, but there was no trace of his mother's urn.

"Master, Master, something terrible has happened! The giant zongzi has been captured!" The young Taoist disciple scrambled in from outside. It seemed they had offended someone they shouldn't have; even such a large zongzi had been captured.

The Taoist priest suddenly opened his triangular eyes. "This is bad."

He then turned to run away.

With a bang, the dilapidated gate of the Taoist temple was slammed shut.

The old Taoist priest not only got a cold shoulder, but was also bounced back by an unseen force.

The young Taoist priest's eyes widened instantly, and he knelt on the ground, calling him "Grandmaster."

The old Taoist priest waved his whisk, almost foaming at the mouth as he chanted, and finally shouted, "What kind of demon are you? Show yourself at once!"

The merchant simply pulled out a reclining chair, and after sitting down, he stirred up the courtyard, causing dust to rise and the dilapidated furniture to make various noises.

Cheng Mai: "..." I have to say, the boss must have profound magical powers to have lived this long.

"Who are you? Stop playing tricks and come out." The old Taoist priest looked around warily.

Cheng Mai: "He also knows how to play tricks?"

A sneer, clear and unambiguous.

"Who, who!" the old Taoist priest heard.

"Where are the ashes?" Cheng Mai asked in a deep voice when he saw that the man could hear him.

(End of this chapter)