While the Underworld buzzed with gossip about the Eighteenth Hall's latest happenings,
The Eighteenth Team's training continued as usual, unaffected by the chatter.
Or rather, they simply had no time for idle talk.
After finishing their daily tasks, they all stormed into the Eighteenth Hall with fierce determination.
To battle shredded potatoes once more!
They refused to believe that a mere dish of shredded potatoes could stump them!
What a joke!
They had endured the arduous process of becoming ghost officers; they could certainly overcome a plate of shredded potatoes!
At this point, it was no longer about improving their strength.
It was about the burning fighting spirit of ghost officers!
"!!!"
At the entrance, Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo stood guard before the Eighteenth Hall.
Seeing the ghost officers charging in with grim expressions, they were startled.
Their very hair seemed to stand on end.
For a moment, they thought something had gone terribly wrong.
But upon looking inside, they saw that all the ghost officers had rushed into the kitchen space.
Burying themselves in the task of making shredded potatoes!
"Phew~ Glad they didn't start fighting."
Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo breathed a collective sigh of relief.
As the two gatekeepers, they had heard plenty of the rumors circulating outside.
But no matter how others questioned them, they said nothing.
Firstly,
They were at the entrance and didn't have a clear understanding of the situation within the kitchen space.
Secondly, although they had great confidence in their Hall Master,
No results had emerged yet, and nothing was clear.
Why waste time with those gossiping ghosts?
Once the Eighteenth Team achieved something, there would be no need for them to spread the word; the other ghosts would naturally recognize the excellence of the Eighteenth Hall.
And the might of their Hall Master.
As the two were contemplating this, a small ghost floated towards them.
It was a girl, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a light cyan uniform.
A white jade waist token hung from her waist,
Indicating her identity and position.
— Intern Ghost Officer - Patrol Department - Qi Yao Yao.
Although part of the Patrol Department, the nature of intern ghost officers was to be deployed wherever there was a shortage of personnel.
Therefore, they would be involved in other tasks as well.
Like when she was transferred to the Eighteenth Team to assist during the ghost shopkeeper incident.
Or recently, when she was assigned to the Gill Team to help guide the souls of aquatic creatures.
Their daily work rarely allowed for complete idleness.
"Meow~!"
The black cat perched on Qi Yao Yao's right shoulder let out a small meow.
It nervously licked its fur.
This place… it remembered it.
It was the residence of that terrifyingly powerful being.
"Isn't this Miss Yao Yao?"
As Qi Yao Yao floated closer, Xu Duo Bao greeted her.
As a gatekeeper, his observation skills and memory were commendable.
Niu Xiao Guo also smiled and greeted her, asking, "Miss Yao Yao, are you looking for the Hall Master?"
Qi Yao Yao nodded, but then waved her hand.
"No need to call Senior Jiang out. I'm here because I heard the Eighteenth Hall has been using ghost energy for cooking recently…"
As she spoke, she looked down and rummaged through her storage bag.
As intern ghost officers, their storage bags were not very large.
However, if they only contained daily necessities, they were sufficient.
A few seconds later, she took out several baskets of vegetables and placed them on the ground.
Then she said to Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo, "My friend grew some vegetables herself, and we thought we'd bring some over for Senior Jiang."
"They should be useful."
Her friend was the same ghost friend she had played cards with in the abandoned building in the human world.
After being brought to the Underworld by Jiang Lin, some ghosts had reincarnated, while others remained in the Underworld.
This friend had earned some money over the past few years and started his own business.
Now, in a corner of the Ghost Market, he had opened a self-service home-style restaurant.
— Customers picked their own vegetables from the fields, and then the chefs would prepare them.
Some wealthy ghosts enjoyed this, calling it "connecting with the common folk."
That friend later told Qi Yao Yao that he was quite grateful to Jiang Lin.
If he hadn't come to the Underworld, he might still be drifting aimlessly in the human world.
Upon hearing about the Eighteenth Hall, he proactively selected several baskets of vegetables with Qi Yao Yao.
And offered to let her pick fresh ones daily.
While these baskets of vegetables might not be a lot for the entire Eighteenth Team,
They represented a thoughtful gesture.
Xu Duo Bao glanced at them; they were lush and green.
Some vegetables still had water droplets on them, looking remarkably fresh.
He smiled and said, "Don't worry, we'll definitely deliver them to the Hall Master… Are you sure you don't want to go in and take a look?"
Qi Yao Yao shook her head. "Senior Jiang must be busy, and I still have patrols to do. I'll pass."
She had only come to deliver vegetables this time.
She wasn't trying to make an appearance before her senior or say anything significant.
The gesture was enough.
Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo exchanged glances and didn't press further.
They were just gatekeepers.
As the two ghosts were moving the items into the Eighteenth Hall's courtyard, another ghost arrived at the entrance.
It was another familiar face.
— The Hall Master's friend, the child of Black Impermanence Xu Shu Zi, Xu Gu Zi.
He had even come to deliver New Year's gifts in the past.
Since becoming a formal ghost officer, Xu Gu Zi had adjusted and transformed his appearance to seem more mature and reliable.
He now looked significantly older, appearing to be seventeen or eighteen years old from the outside.
A tall young man.
Seeing the gatekeepers, Xu Gu Zi politely greeted them, "Brother Duo Bao, Brother Xiao Guo, is Uncle Jiang in?"
Hearing this, Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, the Hall Master is in."
"Young Master Gu, please don't call us 'brother.' Just call us Duo Bao/Xiao Guo."
This young man called their Hall Master "Uncle." If he called them "brother"…
Even if Xu Gu Zi dared to call them that, they wouldn't dare to accept.
"You are older than me, so calling you brother is only right."
Xu Gu Zi smiled and didn't argue the matter further.
It was just a form of address.
He knew who was closer to him in his heart.
Just like his father, who often called other Black Impermanences "brothers."
But in reality, his father knew who his true brothers were.
Sometimes, a title was just a title.
It was merely for convenience and to appear polite and approachable when dealing with others.
Calling someone "brother" didn't make them a literal brother.
Everyone understood this.
"Is Uncle Jiang busy with the Eighteenth Hall's training recently?"
Xu Gu Zi said, rummaging through his storage bag.
Compared to intern ghost officers, the storage bags allocated to formal ghost officers like him had a much larger capacity.
Moreover, Uncle Jiang sent him gifts every year during festivals.
He had accumulated quite a few treasures.
Hearing this familiar opening and seeing Xu Gu Zi's familiar actions, Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo…
A guess formed in their minds.
As expected,
A few seconds later, the entrance of the Eighteenth Hall was once again lined with baskets of vegetables.
There were at least a hundred baskets.
"I work in the Agricultural Department, and that's where we have the most crops,"
Xu Gu Zi scratched his head, smiling with a simple and gentle demeanor. "I was passing by today, so I thought I'd bring some over."
His family didn't have many valuable treasures to offer in return, so they could only give what they had.
He added, "They aren't worth much."
Xu Duo Bao and Niu Xiao Guo nodded. "Don't worry, we'll definitely deliver them to the Hall Master."
After stating his purpose, Xu Gu Zi glanced into the Eighteenth Hall.
— Occasionally, the sounds of the busy ghost officers could still be heard.
"Alright, I'll be going then."
Xu Duo Bao asked, "Aren't you going in to see?"
Xu Gu Zi replied, "No."
Uncle Jiang was busy, and he also had work to do.