Working: Start by earning the boss a hundred million!

Chapter 18 I Have a Child

Cheng Mai rolled his eyes at him, then turned around and saw the young Taoist kneeling in front of the old Taoist priest and earnestly kowtowing three times before getting up and leaving.

Cheng Mai was somewhat surprised as he looked at the young Taoist boy who had come out.

“If you’ve decided to come with me, you have to forget everything from the past,” Cheng Mai reminded him.

The young Taoist priest turned to look at the old Taoist priest inside, who was laughing wildly, and asked, "May I offer him incense during festivals?"

"His actions are enough to keep him in the eighteenth level of hell for hundreds of years. Burning him won't do him any good," Shang Xingjian retorted ruthlessly.

The young Taoist priest tugged at his tattered clothes and whispered, "Then I'll do it secretly."

The merchant glanced at him briefly but didn't say anything more to discourage him.

The moonlight soon appeared, illuminating the mountain path.

The police had arrived, and Shang Xingjian and Cheng Mai led the young Taoist boy and the ashes down the mountain from the back.

They took the ashes back to the interrogation room in the slums, and before they even got close, they heard the sounds of fighting. Even with only one arm, General Meng An's fighting prowess remained off the charts.

The ghost soldiers inside were no match for him, but fortunately Meng An did not kill them.

Shen Luo and the others had already used magic to trap his entire body, but they couldn't hold him back at all.

General Meng An roared and swatted away a ghost soldier with one hand.

"Boss, he's out of control! He's going to turn into a beast!" Shen Luo shouted.

"General Meng An, I've brought back his ashes!" Cheng Mai shouted before General Meng An faced his fate.

She held up the urn in her hand and looked carefully at General Meng An. "I brought the ashes back."

Meng An stopped, but grabbed the lightning bolt tightly with his own hand, as if worried that the lightning would strike the urn containing the ashes.

Hu Hu exclaimed in shock: "My god, he can still catch the lightning tribulation with one hand after the boss cut off his hand. That's terrifying!"

Xiaoqian bent over, panting, "That scared the hell out of me! He almost ate me whole."

Shen Luo also took a step back and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

A zombie that can withstand lightning strikes would be terrifying once it levels up.

"Ah, Ran." The stiff voice softened with warmth as the large hand gently accepted the ashes, as if catching a diluted treasure.

Meng An silently walked to the corner, held the urn, and sat down, embracing it in his arms.

Cheng Mai slowly approached, and when he was sure that Meng An had no intention of attacking, he squatted down beside him and tried to touch his hand.

Meng An was wary of everyone, and Shen Luo instinctively wanted to bring him back.

Suddenly, Shang Xingjian handed her a sleeping child, saying, "Go wash him and find him some clean clothes to wear. He's filthy."

Shen Luo hurriedly caught it. "You've already had a baby while you were out?"

Is the speed too fast?

"Those who are injured, go treat your wounds. Those who are fine, go back and rest. Aren't you going to work tomorrow?" Shang Xingjian gave the order.

With the merchant's son present, Shen Luo didn't say anything more and left with the child, who was suspected to be the owner's illegitimate child.

“My name is Cheng Mai, and I am her child in this life.”

Meng An seemed not to hear her, only holding the urn containing ashes in her arms.

“You can continue to hold her, but her soul is unstable. If she cannot be reincarnated before sunset tomorrow, she will only have one path left: her soul will be scattered.” Shang Xingjian Wuqing reminded her.

Meng An suddenly looked up at Shang Xingjian, his face filled with anger.

Even Cheng Mai glared at him angrily. Shang Xingjian didn't care and sat down on the dilapidated table. "Over the years, as a protective artifact, her soul has been severely damaged. Twenty years is already the limit. Even if she is reincarnated tomorrow, it will be because I'm pulling strings for you. There's no need to thank me."

The merchant wanted Cheng Mai to see her one last time. Before he cast his spell, he saw Cheng Yueran shaking her head slightly at him with a pleading look.

The merchant's arm, which had been raised, fell back down.

Cheng Yueran's empty hand landed on Cheng Mai's face. Her child had grown up and was very good-looking. She had also met a benefactor who could truly protect her for a lifetime.

Shang Xingjian coughed lightly, "It's getting late. If there's nothing else, everyone should go home and rest early. Your house is quite big."

Cheng Mai felt that his boss today was really asking for a beating.

"Go to your home." General Meng An said each word slowly and deliberately, clearly indicating that this was Cheng Yueran's intention.

Without hesitation, Cheng Mai agreed.

Besides, there's also that annoying guy who wants to hitch a ride with her.

It was already past midnight when Cheng Mai got home. Exhausted from a day and a night, Cheng Mai tried hard to stay awake, but he couldn't help but fall asleep on the way home.

She fell asleep in Cheng Yueran's arms.

Upon arriving home, Shang Xingjian carried the sleeping Cheng Mai back, with General Meng An following behind him carrying the ashes.

After settling the sleeping Cheng Mai down.

Cheng Yueran sat by the bed and watched her.

"Of course, why should we agree to make them the protective artifact?" Shang Xingjian asked.

Cheng Yueran kept looking at Cheng Mai, gently patting her even though she couldn't touch her, just like she used to gently coax a baby to sleep in swaddling clothes.

“I was taken away by them back then. If I hadn’t agreed to do it, they would have killed Maimai too. Rather than her dying, I would rather she live in a daze. As long as she’s alive, there’s still hope,” Cheng Yueran said softly.

"You were mother and daughter two thousand years ago." This is not a question, but a statement.

Cheng Yueran looked up at Meng An, who was standing to the side, and said, "When Maimai was young, she loved her father the most. Every time Meng An returned from his patrol, Maimai would sit on his shoulders and brag to others that her father was the most powerful general in the world."

"What started as a child's joke turned into a weapon for others to attack him. The king was wary of Meng An, and as soon as the country was settled, he accused Meng An of holding military power and plotting a rebellion. This accusation was ridiculous. He used us, mother and daughter, as bait to lure him into the palace. He was pierced by a thousand arrows."

"And my son is only five years old."

Meng An placed one hand on Cheng Yueran's shoulder, as if to comfort her.

"Two thousand years ago, when the world was at peace, the Heavenly Court recruited a group of heroes to join the ranks of immortals. If I remember correctly, General Meng An and his wife were on the list."

It was only because Meng An refused to be granted a title back then that his soul was trapped inside his body, which led to his becoming the Zombie King he is today.

The general's wife also chose to be reincarnated as a human.

“If I were to become an immortal, it would completely sever my bond with my daughter, Maimai. I would exchange my merits for the continuation of our mother-daughter bond, just so that I can still protect her from the wind and rain in this world.” Cheng Yueran raised her hand and placed it on the back of Meng An’s hand, smiling slightly at him.

"Although I don't know which deity you are, I have a request. This life of mine has come to an end, and I can no longer protect her. I am willing to exchange a thousand years of blessings for your protection of her for the rest of her life." As Cheng Yueran spoke, she was about to get up and kneel down.

"There is, me."

“Madam, there’s no need.” Shang Xingjian raised his hand to remove her from kneeling, seemingly asking only one question: “Is it worth exchanging a thousand years of good fortune for her peace in this lifetime?”

Cheng Yueran turned to look at her daughter, "As parents, anything is worthwhile for our children."

"When you have your own children in the future, you will understand my thoughts."

Shang Xingjian's expression darkened, as if a wound had been reopened: "I once had a son."

(End of this chapter)