CG Chapter 155: Dearest Brother Li

With the departure of the old imp, the dark cavern did not merely become lifeless. Instead, it was as if one of the supporting pillars beneath the decayed walls of the place had crumbled.

The place now held only two remnants of life force, two faint stars in a sea of darkness. On one side stood Aretius, his life force faint but resilient. On the other stood Manager Li, his presence like a giant ball of flames attempting to swallow the faint life around it.

Even with the body handlers moving dutifully from one corpse to another and the living corpses begging for the sweet release of death, there was no hint of life force coming from them. Instead, they seemed to be siphoning the already scarce life from the place.

The cold flames flickered. The hearts were beating without a hint of hope, like motionless, lifeless puppets continuing their tasks long after they had decayed and until nothing remained.

No, perhaps at some point or another, we are all but lifeless corpses moving around wearing the skins of the living, playing pretend during the day with sewn painted smiles and fake songs before returning once more to our coffins at night, waiting for the final song to ring so we can stay there for the remainder of our lives.

A lot went on in the darkness, yet none of it seemed to affect Aretius as he stepped to the other side, not minding the body handlers or the stench of rotting corpses.

In the long, stretching cavern, Manager Li seemed busy, holding a dark piece of wood in one hand as he carved it into the shape of a plaque.

Sensing the approaching footsteps behind him, he asked, "It seems that the senior has already gotten bored with you. I don't plan on keeping you long, so give me the title you want to use so we can finish all of this."

He said that while keeping his back to Aretius, muttering with a slight grin, "At least for now."

Aretius heard the clear, perverted desire in the fat man and the threat hidden within. No, he didn't merely perceive it; he felt it. But instead of feeling disgusted, he simply felt interested.

He, too, had the same perverted desire. However, while the pot-bellied man only wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood, just like how he had drunk the corpse oil from the hanged peasants, he wanted more; he needed more.

But none of that mattered at that moment. Aretius seemed unaware of what Manager Li said as he tapped his shoulder twice, saying with a smile, "I am sorry, Brother Li. It seems that we have gotten off on the wrong foot; I am sure we can fix that. A crane flies for a thousand miles before finding its nest, and things aren't over until they are."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

He said that while glancing for a fleeting moment at the Manager's feet.

"Oh! Brother. Not bad. Why not? Saving a single life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, and having a good brother is better than a mountain of gold and jewels."

He clapped his thick hands, calling over one of the dull women, ordering her to bring a set of cups.

As he held the two white cups, he filled them from an expensive-looking bottle of alcohol that was placed on the table next to the plaque.

"Good! Good! Good! If you wish to become my brother, then what right do I have to refuse? From here on out, you…"

As he was about to continue, he remembered that he still didn't know Aretius's name or title.

Seeing this, Aretius spoke in a humble tone, "Brother, I am ashamed to say that I come from a common origin, born under the stars and surviving until now thanks to the mercy of the heavens. But please, if you wish, you can call me White Ghost from here on out."

Hearing of Aretius's humble birth, Manager Li didn't seem disgusted by it. Instead, he continued to smile as he handed over the cup.

Aretius received the cup with his left hand, his index and middle fingers perfectly straight, with his pinkie pointing downwards in a relaxed manner, before drinking the whole thing in one sitting to show respect to his new big brother.

Their conversation didn't last long, as the Manager handed over the new plaque with the engraving "White Ghost" on it.

Before leaving, he gave the Manager a sidelong glance as he smiled at him.

Once Aretius left the cavern, he noticed that the shop was silent without the creaking sound from the imp's rocking chair and with no sign of him anywhere.

As he was about to step out of the shop, Aretius noticed that the chair was still rocking, indicating the imp hadn't left that long ago.

Still, none of that mattered, as he had completed his goal: acquiring an identity that he could use to step into the game.

…

Beneath him, however, another conversation was taking place.

"Brother Li, why did you let him go so easily? Didn't we agree that we would split his corpse instead of registering him in the hall?"

The previously dull-looking woman who handed Manager Li the two cups spoke in an angry, pampered tone as she questioned his decisions.

From their previous interactions, once a weak peasant wanted to join the Withered Shadow Hall, they would make use of their positions to drug them before adding them to the collection of hung bags.

As for the high lords above? They would turn a blind eye as long as the branch had enough members, not to mention the oil barrels sent as a gift every so often.

During this time, Manager Li looked at the woman as if he were looking at an idiot.

Clap!

Manager Li gave the woman a hard slap that reverberated through the cavern. The slap left a huge red mark on her tender and delicate face as she was left speechless on the ground. Where was her Brother Li? Where was the person who gave her everything she asked for? Where was the man who had sworn to keep her by his side for life?

"It seems like I gave you so much that you have forgotten your true position. A mere lowly body handler whom I rescued from a pile of corpses."

He sat in silence for a moment before saying,

"That man… he was aware of all of our pitiful schemes and the tricks we tried to play. Yet, you know what he asked for? To become my brother? He offered me that cup while pointing a hidden sword to my neck, holding my life in his hand, as he pointed to my grave with a single pinkie."

The woman, in staunch disbelief, argued, "He couldn't possibly. He is merely a frail, aged man at the end of his robes."

"Ignorant whore! You weren't even able to notice his sidelong glance at you. He saw through all of your deceptive pretenses, unlike the others. Yet he didn't say anything. Now, stop talking before you force me into turning you into one of the hung bags."

"What are you waiting for? Get out of my face now!" he shouted at her with disgust.

On the receiving end of his wrath, the woman was in a state of mixed emotions, feeling fear, anger, and frustration as she ran out, tears streaming from her eyes.

Manager Li didn't care for her cheap, crocodile tears, however, as he was thinking of that stare. He could sense the cold sweat covering his back. It wasn't simple killing intent, but as if he were being glanced over by an ancient beast that looked at him like a toy, fearing he would break too soon.

As he thought about his recent activities, he wondered if he had overstepped and the Hall had sent someone to clip his wings from growing any further.

…

As for Aretius, he merely used the same trick he had used previously on Qi Hao. Only this time, the person facing him was experienced enough to know what kind of monster he was facing.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.