"Master Yu, to be honest, I don't want to do this thankless job either, but I have strict orders from above. I have no choice," said Biao Tao helplessly over the phone.
"Come on, I know you, Old Biao. The higher-ups must have offered you a good deal for this," Yu Daohen saw right through him.
Biao Tao was silent for a moment before replying, "Master Yu, you know as well as I do that the money the higher-ups provide isn't enough to hire any real experts."
"Stop right there. Whether it's real or not, I'm telling you now, I'm not going this time," Yu Daohen refused.
Although the situation was serious, if enough manpower were deployed, it would be more than enough to not only annihilate the evil spirits but also prevent them from escaping to other areas.
If it were a normal time and he had nothing else to do, he might have gone to help. But now, Zhou Fu's death tribulation was only half a year away, and he had to find a solution before then.
Hearing Yu Daohen's refusal, Biao Tao quickly interjected, "Don't say that, Master Yu, the situation is urgent and concerns..."
Before Biao Tao could finish, Yu Daohen interrupted him, "I won't go this time, no matter what. I really have something to do. Besides, with so many experts in this vast Jiangsu province, does it really matter who goes? It's not like my presence, Yu Daohen's, makes much of a difference." He added, ".oΓg"
Honestly, knowing Biao Tao's personality, he had probably pocketed most of the money allocated by the higher-ups and couldn't find any decent experts, which was why he was trying to get Yu Daohen to take charge.
Biao Tao explained, "Master Yu, you've just been promoted to the Heavenly Ranking experts. If even you can't be persuaded, the higher-ups will definitely think I'm not making an effort. Moreover, if you agree to go, those old guys will surely follow suit out of respect."
Yu Daohen rolled his eyes. It seemed his guess was correct; this guy had definitely embezzled the funds from the higher-ups, otherwise, those old guys would have gone out of respect for the authorities.
"No way. I'm not going, and no amount of money will change my mind," Yu Daohen continued to refuse.
"Is there really no room for negotiation?" Biao Tao asked from the other end of the line.
Yu Daohen grunted, "None!"
Biao Tao, lying on his bed with a seductive woman in his arms, sighed, "Alas, I was actually going to tell you that we've found the female ghost you were looking for. Since you're refusing, I'll let her go then."
Upon hearing this, Yu Daohen's heart leaped with joy, and he quickly changed his tune, "Wait, wait, wait! It's just helping out, not a big deal. I'll go."
Old Huo from the Underworld had been urging him, and now that he had found her, it saved him the trouble of searching aimlessly.
"Let me state this upfront, I'll only stay there for five days," Yu Daohen added.
Biao Tao quickly agreed, "As long as Master Yu is willing to go, nothing else is a problem. I'll send someone to pick you up tomorrow morning."
Yu Daohen nodded in agreement, hung up the phone, and let out a helpless sigh.
This Old Biao was still so cunning. He who eats from others' mouths and receives favors from others can't refuse.
"Daddy, I want strawberry ice cream," Yu Yijun said, blinking her big eyes at Yu Daohen.
Yu Daohen patted Yu Yijun's little head, "Okay, Daddy will go buy it right away."
Looking at his adorable daughter, his unhappiness vanished instantly.
After finishing the ice cream, Yu Daohen took Yu Yijun to have milk tea and some snacks that little girls liked.
It wasn't until half-past eleven at night that Yu Daohen finally walked back to the shop with Yu Yijun.
Perhaps it was too late, but there were hardly any pedestrians on the surrounding streets.
As the two walked to a crossroads not far from the old street, Yu Yijun suddenly stopped, sniffing the air. "Daddy, the air smells so strongly of blood."
As soon as Yu Yijun said this, Yu Daohen's nerves immediately tensed. He sniffed the air around him and realized he had lost his sense of smell.
"Xiao Jun, which direction is the bloody smell coming from?" Yu Daohen instinctively reached for his lower back, only to remember he hadn't brought his Kanglong mace.
Yu Yijun looked at Yu Daohen doubtfully and pointed a small hand towards a road.
Yu Daohen looked at the intersection under the dim streetlamp, his expression turning serious. "Stay put. Daddy will be right back."
Yu Yijun nodded obediently, and Yu Daohen then walked towards the intersection.
Arriving at the intersection under the streetlamp, Yu Daohen looked straight ahead. Not far away, under a streetlamp, a figure was crouching, gnawing on something with a crunching sound.
Yu Daohen frowned. The figure seemed to sense Yu Daohen behind him and turned around.
The moment Yu Daohen saw the figure's face, he was instantly unsettled.
He saw a cat's face turn towards him, its mouth stained with blood, revealing bloody fangs, and emitting an aura of ghostly energy.
In its hand, it held a half-eaten bone covered in blood and flesh. There was no doubt what kind of bone it was.
Yu Daohen's expression turned grim as he looked at the evil creature before him.
It had the body of a demon but exuded the aura of a ghost.
Could it be a Yao Mian Gui (Demon-Faced Ghost)?
A Yao Mian Gui, as the name suggests, is a combination of a demon and a ghost, neither fully a ghost nor a demon, and extremely malevolent.
Legend has it that a Yao Mian Gui is formed when a ghost possesses a demon within an hour of its death.
However, the probability of this happening is extremely low. Not only is it impossible for ghosts and demons to fuse, but even if they did, the chance would be lower than winning the lottery.