Chapter 529: Fishing in Troubled Waters

The branch leader was surprised. He had thought that Xue Wei would do anything to increase his sphere of influence; however, when he looked at the younger man, he quickly found that he genuinely had no interest in these other leaders of the regional capital.

After thinking about it for some time, he began to understand why. Xue Wei was from the world of the living. Even if he curried favor with these ghosts, he would get nothing from it. Even so, he, the branch leader, had helped him previously, and thus he was willing to help him chase away these annoying bugs.

The other ghosts were instantly shocked upon hearing Xue Wei declining their hospitality. They had thought that since he was relatively weak, he would not dare to deny them, but they soon found that they had overestimated themselves.

Lan, who was resting on Xue Wei's shoulder, could not help but smile mockingly at these ghosts. While he was still not their opponent, as his seal was very far from being unraveled, he had a good understanding of the personality of these ghosts.

While they dared to cause problems here, they were still very apprehensive. They clearly feared the branch leader. They were still behaving courteous and friendly, something you did not often see in the Ghost Realm.

Since they feared the branch leader, there was no reason for the two of them to fear these newcomers.

The branch leader glanced at Xue Wei. He understood this young man's thoughts and felt quite satisfied. He nodded his head, and while his expression did not change, one could still sense his gloating as he opened his mouth and spoke.

"As you heard, my guest is very good here. No need for you guys to go out of your way to take over."

Seeing that both the guest and the host were so adamant about not letting them in on what was happening, their expressions turned ugly, and the greed in their eyes turned more profound.

They could not help but feel that the more these two acted like this, the more important this was.

They were unwilling to let go of something, which would cause even the branch leader to be so alert. While they understood that this was connected with interests, dangers, and risks, they were more than willing to fish in troubled waters.

The branch leader was aware of their mindset. Usually, he would not mind, as he would have to exert quite an overwhelming amount of energy to defeat them, and even if he could beat them, it was not certain that he could absorb their energy, so fighting them was a losing battle.

However, the situation was different now. If he could leave this realm, then he was willing to even start from scratch as he exited. So why would it matter if he had to use all his energy now?

The intruding ghosts had not expected that the branch leader would take such a strong stance. Incomprehension flashed in their eyes as they narrowed.

They did not understand what could have such a great temptation to this branch leader, that he was willing to suffer through something that might result in his cultivation base declining.

One has to know that the Whispering Oak Inn was no friendly faction. If his strength dropped, his position would be taken over by someone else.

The more resolute the branch leader seemed, the more greedy and curious these intruding ghosts became.

However, while the branch leader knew what was in play, they were in the dark and were still considering whether or not it was worth taking a risk to try and gain this unknown thing.

In fact, although the branch leader was willing to risk everything for the chance to leave the Ghost Realm, he was truly grasping for straws. He was not even aware if there was a chance for him to leave this dreaded prison, but if he failed, then he would gladly give up. He would be without regrets as he had tried everything within his ability to leave, and he was at a point where he was no longer willing to stay as such a gloomy existence.

Xue Wei was unsure what the branch leader was thinking, but Lan could guess his mind when he looked at him. The desolate and despaired expression in his eyes was enough to make him understand that while he was ruthless, he was actually extremely unhappy with the situation he was in.

He had likely accumulated strength throughout the years in a desperate attempt to escape the hell that was the Ghost Realm, but as the years had passed, he came to realize that the chances to do so were near impossible.

Lan understood his despair. While he kept the mask of a happy person who ruled, he was, in fact, feeling loneliness and despair that was similar to that of this ghost.

Xue Wei did not know Lan or the branch leader's thoughts. He had experienced many things, but his life was still young. When compared to those monsters who had lived for many thousands of years, his thoughts were very tender.

The branch leader noticed the contemplating eyes of Lan, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise, but he did not have the time to have a heart to heart conversation with him, as he was still focusing on chasing away the other ghosts.

Returning his gaze to the intruding ghosts, the emotion in his eyes had changed and became filled with mockery and disdain.

These ghosts also wished for a better life; however, they were cowardly. The only reason they were willing to take risks now was because of their understanding of the branch leader.

He was a hegemon amongst the ghosts, and he would not do anything he was not sure about.

Since he put such importance on Xue Wei, then he had to be certain that he would benefit from him.

Since he was so confident, how could they not try to grasp the same benefits?