Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 657 Professional counterpart
In the hazy distance, there was an endless expanse of withered trees and forests. As far as the eye could see, there were either white bones or desolate graves and broken tombstones.

Every now and then, a furtive black shadow would flash quickly through the shadows.

At that moment, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand.

A small boat was seen moving forward quickly, being dragged along by several little devils.

Xiao Ran sat cross-legged at the bow of the boat, with a paper figure standing beside him. The paper figure was the same height as a person and held a flower basket in its hand. Every now and then, it would grab a handful of money from the flower basket and sprinkle it out.

The gleaming white guiding money fluttered in the cold wind, like white cotton wool filling the sky. Upon seeing the guiding money on the ground, the surrounding ghostly figures immediately retreated far away, knowing better than to approach.

Of course, there were also those who didn't know what was good for them. After picking up the money on the ground, they turned their greedy eyes to the flower basket of the paper figures on the boat, tiptoed over, and stretched out their dark claws, trying to climb onto the boat.

Xiao Ran didn't tolerate this and took out the [Locking God Whip] to strike.

The evil spirits were immediately driven away, howling in pain, and dared not have any further designs on Xiao Ran's small boat.

Although the small boat was designed for land travel, the little imp beneath it was incredibly capable, lifting the boat with astonishing speed.

These five little devils were summoned by Xiao Ran using the Zhou family's secret technique, the Five Ghosts Moving Technique.

The Five Ghosts Transporting Technique summons five little ghosts named Cao Shi, Zhang Si, Li Jiu, Wang Ren, and Zhu Guang.

Although he is a minor ghost, his rank in the underworld is actually not low.

Some people even worship them, hoping to steal other people's wealth through their power.

That's not entirely untrue, but those who make offerings to the deities are unaware of it.

Associating with ghosts will inevitably lead to misfortune; borrowing from ghosts will result in being repaid tenfold.

If we're talking about the most principled people in this world, it's definitely not humans, but rather these little devils.

If you treat me with respect, I will forgive you tenfold.

You ask me to borrow other people's fortune, then I will take more from you to fill this hole.

For example, if you borrow three parts of your neighbor's fortune, when you repay it, you will be asked to give them seven parts or even more of your fortune.

Therefore, people who raise ghost children often experience a decline in luck.

If you don't believe me, look at those who raise ghost children; they usually don't end up with a good ending.

Even if they die, their souls will become snacks for these little devils, never to be reborn.

However, there are always exceptions. As long as you understand the reasons behind it and give the little devil an appropriate reward, you can avoid backlash.

Just like Xiao Ran at this moment, although she was ordering people around, Xiao Ran was never stingy with her money. She gave each of the five little ghosts a hundred ghost money for their travel expenses, making them grin from ear to ear.

With these five little devils leading the way, Xiao Ran saw Fengdu in less than half a day.

To be honest, the City of the Wrongfully Dead is where the Underworld is located, but unfortunately he entered in the wrong direction. He was very close to Fengdu, but too far from the City of the Wrongfully Dead. Even with the help of the Five Ghosts, it would still take at least three days.

So Xiao Ran decided to try his luck in Fengdu. If all else failed, he could always go to the City of the Dead later.

When they arrived at the gate of Fengdu City.

Xiao Ran jumped off the small boat and took out five hundred ghost coins, handing them to the little ghosts: "Could you please help me find a few ghosts?"

"Alright, alright, sir, just tell us who you're looking for, and we'll find them for you in no time."

Cao Shi took the money, his mouth sweeter than honey.

Although he called Xiao Ran "Grandpa," he already regarded him as his own grandfather in his heart.

"Chongshan, Yangdai, Zhanggu..."

Xiao Ran called out the names of several people and described their characteristics. These were all her junior brothers who were adopted by her. They were supposed to be together, but Xiao Ran was worried about something going wrong, so she called out several names in a row.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Cao Shi noted down the names, and the Five Ghosts immediately transformed into a cloud of black smoke, rolled on the ground, and disappeared from Xiao Ran's sight as quickly as a black coal ball.

Xiao Ran wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently at the city gate.

During this time, a ghost messenger thoughtfully brought Xiao Ran a stool.

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Cao brothers returned.

"Sir, these people are all here. We have already notified them, and they are on their way back now."

"Thank you so much. I don't have anything else to do, so you can go back and rest now. I can call you again if I need you."

Xiao Ran's original intention was to let the five little devils find a place to rest, but he obviously underestimated Cao Shiwu's "filial piety" and they all surrounded him: "Grandpa, we are all free spirits, and we don't even have a place to eat on weekdays. Although you don't need us, we are happy to stay by your side. Please feel free to order us around. Just give us a pair of chopsticks when we eat."

“Yes, yes, yes, this Netherworld is vast and boundless, but apart from the Nether Mountain and the Blood Sea, we have been to all other places. We dare not offer advice to you, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask us.” The second brother, Li Jiu, said with a smile.

Well, since they've put it this way, Xiao Ran can't force them to leave, whether she needs them or not.

On second thought, it wouldn't be bad to have these five kids around. After all, Chongshan and the others are of too low a rank, and if I were to ask them for advice on how to ask for help, they might not be able to give me any suggestions.

"Alright, if you don't mind, then please come along."

"No, no, I will obey your orders."

Upon hearing this, Cao Shi, Li Jiu, and the other five little devils were grinning from ear to ear. Following this inspector was already an official duty, and they could also receive an extra bonus. They had never encountered such a good thing in the underworld for countless years.

As they were talking, Xiao Ran saw Chong Shan and the others hurrying towards them.

"Big Brother!!"

When Chongshan and the others saw Xiao Ran return, their facial muscles trembled with excitement.

Time in the underworld moves much, much faster than in the outside world.

Xiao Ran had been away for so long, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that each day felt like an eternity. Seeing Xiao Ran arrive now filled them with joy.

"Thank you for your hard work. This isn't the place to talk. Let's go inside and discuss this further."

Xiao Ran spoke up to reassure Chong Shan and the others.
"Alright, alright, senior brother, let's go into the city first and talk about it."

Upon hearing this, Chongshan immediately realized that Xiao Ran must have something important to do, and dared not delay. The group led Xiao Ran to a private room in a restaurant.

After everyone was seated, Xiao Ran made no attempt to hide her intentions and started beating around the bush.

Two things.

He took out a stack of ghost money from his spatial storage; this money was the ghost money he had collected from Donglongfang.

A full 100,000.

Xiao Ran handed the money to Chong Shan. Seeing such a large sum of money, Chong Shan and the others' eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Ten thousand coins of ghost money are not the kind of underworld currency issued by Fengdu.

This thing is a real hard currency in the underworld.

"Keep 30,000 of this money in hand, and use the rest to buy as many [Warrior Masks] as you can."

"Huh?? All of them??"

Xiao Ran's words left the Chongshan brothers and their companions stunned. So much money, all spent on such low-end items as [Warrior Masks]? How many of them would they buy?

Actually, in Fengdu, there are many treasures more valuable than the "Hercules Mask".

If Xiao Ran had enough time, he would stroll around here at his leisure, compare prices, and carefully select the best items, which would definitely make him a fortune.

But Xiao Ran doesn't have that time now.

Instead of picking and choosing, it's better to buy all the [Warrior Masks] at once. This way, you can use the quantity advantage to further drive down the price.

Furthermore, there's no need to worry about sales; the company guarantees it. They'll take as much of this stuff as there is, even if it's worth 100,000 yuan in ghost money, and they'll ensure fast payment.

"Don't worry, the profits here are enough for us to live on for a long time. After we open up the market, we can slowly move into the high-end area. There's no end to making money. If we take steady steps, I guarantee we'll have plenty of money in the future."

Xiao Ran's words made Chong Shan and the others feel that they made even more sense.

"How's the work going on with the joints I asked you to open up?" Xiao Ran looked up at Chong Shan and the others and asked.

Upon hearing this, Chongshan and the others looked rather unnatural. Logically, since they possessed Xiao Ran's seal, they should have been able to move freely without any obstacles.

But for some reason, a group of ghost generals suddenly appeared, and they were unyielding to both soft and hard tactics, even refusing to acknowledge Xiao Ran's seal.

“We made some inquiries and found out that these people are all ghost generals under the command of Emperor Zijie, and it seems…” Chongshan lowered his head and said in a very low voice, “They seem to be targeting you, Senior Brother.”

“Empty-headed!!”

Hearing this name gave Xiao Ran a headache. He couldn't understand why this Ghost Emperor, the mighty Ghost Emperor, would insist on making things difficult for him.

This put Xiao Ran in a difficult position.

"Senior Brother, these goods are easy to buy, but difficult to deliver now. They can't be delivered out of Yin Guan. Should we still buy them?"

Another junior brother asked softly.

Xiao Ran frowned, pondering how to solve the problem.

“Um…we brothers can give it a try.” Just then, Cao Shi suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran's eyes widened, and she turned to look at the five Cao brothers.

"really!"

“Indeed, we brothers are not hindered by that Yin Gate. Although we are clumsy, it is not difficult for us to deliver goods or run errands for you, sir.”

In fact, they had already been shocked by Xiao Ran's extravagant gesture.

Realizing the potential for unimaginable profits, how could Cao Shi and the others not be tempted? Unfortunately, they didn't have the capital to invest, and then they heard what Chong Shan and the others said.

Cao Shiyi slapped his thigh, thinking to himself, "Isn't this exactly what my major is all about?"

"Hahaha, you're really blinded by a leaf, unable to see Mount Tai." Xiao Ran threw her head back and laughed loudly.

I must have lost my mind. With the Cao brothers around, why make Chongshan and the others run errands? From now on, let Chongshan and the others be in charge of purchasing goods, and let the Cao brothers run errands.

As for the necessary carriages and horses, Peng Tianju, the cunning merchant we met last time, can arrange that.

Now all that's left is for the Amazing Pavilion to officially open and for us to complete the handover with Cao Shi and the others.

Thinking of this, Xiao Ran immediately agreed to give 10% of the shares to the Cao brothers, and would also settle a separate freight charge for each shipment based on the amount delivered.

These words truly resonated with Brother Cao Shiwu, who was overjoyed.

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Xiao Ran stopped wasting time and quickly brought up her second request: to ask for help.

When Xiao Ran recounted the trouble she had encountered, Chong Shan and the others were quite taken aback.

“Senior Brother, you should report this to Luo Feng Liutian,” Chongshan said.

But as soon as he finished speaking, his fellow disciples waved their hands, saying, "Absolutely not, senior brother, have you forgotten? The Six Heavenly Palaces of Luo Feng and our eldest senior brother have a history of conflict."

"Holiday?"

Xiao Ran listened with great interest, wondering how she could have a grudge against someone who didn't even know what the Six Heavenly Palaces of Luofeng were.

Seeing Xiao Ran's blank expression, a junior brother reminded him, "Senior Brother, have you forgotten that you sentenced the Nine-Lives Flood Dragon, the Golden-Haired Roar, and several other mounts to hell in the City of the Wrongfully Dead? Some of those were even the mounts of several palace masters..."

(End of this chapter)