Volume Five: Returning from the Other Shore - Chapter 388: About a Certain Boss (Part One)
Things calmed down.
An extreme calmness, as if his mind were completely empty.
Okay. I did it.
"--Do you really think these are fake?"
However, neither the Black Flame and the swamp, nor the hyenas and the insects, disappeared.
Even worse.
By the time I noticed, my left arm and right abdomen had disappeared.
It felt like something unseen had bitten off a part of my body.
Next came the thighs, calves, abdomen, and shoulders, all of which abruptly vanished into the void.
"I've started to look at you a little differently, Mr. Ye. While it's partly because I deliberately wanted you to live a little longer, it's truly remarkable that you could regain your composure so quickly in such a situation."
However, the tone shifted abruptly—
"But forcibly isolating yourself from emotions and sealing off your heart will only make things worse. After all, 'emptiness of heart' is also an emotional state. My many titles mean I can do many things, and 'when someone radiates a certain emotion towards me, they will experience a corresponding reaction to that emotion' is one of the most useful. This makes it impossible for any emotional being that confronts me to defeat me. I apologize for using coercive methods, but are you willing to talk to me a little longer now?"
Jili stared at the few small bottles placed in front of him with a bored expression, constantly fiddling with his long, flowing hair.
"... So, this is your new thing?"
"Yes, Leader!" Yu He smiled with the obsequiousness of a cunning businessman, "This is the masterpiece of the largest cosmetics manufacturer in the South Spirit Continent. It uses the finest ochre-black balsam, blended with black algae mud, and then—"
"Who wants to listen to your nonsense? You'll only know if it works or not after you use it!"
Jili out the small brush for nail polish, brought it to her nose and smelled it, then skillfully applied a base coat to her nails.
Yu He looked at Jili with trepidation, afraid of upsetting the short-tempered Leader.
"Speaking of which, Yu He..."
"Exist!"
Surprisingly, the Leader did not comment much on the nail polish.
Have you seen Yusuo Zai recently?
"... Eh?"
Yu He a little surprised, but still answered honestly, "I'm sorry, Leader, I haven't seen him recently and I'm not familiar with him."
That's the truth.
As the most successful businessman on Spirit Star, Yu He possesses an innate charisma that subtly influences others, allowing him to build good relationships with everyone. His sharp business acumen, exceptional ability to read people, skill in handling interpersonal relationships, and understanding that cooperation should always aim for win-win outcomes—all these qualities make him the most adept at interpersonal skills among the eccentric elites at the top.
Even so, he knew very little about Yusuo Zai.
The current order of new recruits to the upper echelons is: Gustav Vanma, Void Realm, Anubas, Huang Huo, Winsani Goldleyman, Yu He, Ai Warrensding, and Mengyin Turing Neumann. Among them, Madam, Yu He, and Blood Fiend joined two hundred years ago, with only a few years or a decade separating their seniority. Gustav, Void Realm, Anubas, and Huang Huo joined in the organization's early days, with Gustav and Void Realm being veterans. Little Nuonuo joined last, only seventeen years old, and has been a member for five years. Timid and introverted, her only truly close relationship is with Blood Fiend.
But when did Yusuo Zai join?
Earlier or later than him? He couldn't tell, because Yu He had been a high-ranking official for some time when he learned of this person's existence during a casual conversation with Gustav. He had met him a few more times afterward, but they hardly ever spoke—not because he disliked him, but because Yu He's instinct as a businessman made him want to cultivate good relationships with all the high-ranking officials. However, regarding Yusuo Zai... for some reason, he always had a strange intuition that "it's best not to get too involved with this man."
"Where has that guy surnamed Yu gone again... tsk, I can't find him half the time whenever I want to see him!"
"Mr. Yu probably has something important to discuss."
"Tch!" Jili dismissively. "What important matters could that guy possibly have? Scheming against those guys standing outside the tank? Finding a few fragments to feed his little pet? Spending three minutes killing any surviving big guy and then resurrecting him? Don't be ridiculous!"
Outside the water tank? Fragments? A big one?
The words were all incomprehensible to Yu He, but he wisely chose not to dwell on them.
Jili her anger, Ji Li calmed down and continued painting her nails.
Although I'm still very unhappy.
(Hey, you surnamed Yu... I don't know how long four thousand years is for you since you're not bound by time and space, but we've been working together for so long, so don't try to mess with me at the very end!)
Long, long ago, there lived an ancient tribe in the basin of a great river.
This tribe lived a secluded life, free from conflict with outsiders, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, living a simple and natural life.
Until one day, the chieftain's wife became pregnant.
This should have been a joyous occasion, but on the very first day of his wife's pregnancy, the clan chief heard a voice.
"Kill your wife and the child in her womb, or disaster will befall you."
This voice echoed in the chieftain's ears every day, like a divine oracle. From that time on, inexplicable natural disasters began to frequently strike the tribe. The most extreme example was when a meteorite fell from the sky and nearly hit their tent. The chieftain sensed that these disasters were just the beginning, and if they continued, some "more terrifying" being would personally intervene. He considered taking action several times, but his love for his wife and unborn child stopped him. As a result—despite the many calamities, the child was miraculously born and survived.
The birth of the young clan leader caused a sensation. Although he was still an infant, his exquisitely beautiful face was enough to amaze people. As he grew up, his appearance became more and more beautiful. In addition, he displayed powerful supernatural abilities of unknown origin. All the people of the clan, regardless of age or gender, were captivated by him and even worshipped him as a god.
Later, the young chieftain suddenly left the tribe, killing all several thousand people in the tribe before he left.
The old clan chief, dragging his dying body, asked him why he did this, only to receive a cold reply.
"Even if I don't take action, 'that thing' will eventually wipe you all out. It definitely won't let go of anyone connected to me, and I don't want to leave any unnecessary worries or constraints on myself."
After that, he began to travel the world, without intention or destination, simply traveling. He abandoned his original name and changed it to Jili and offering, Li meaning sorrow and suffering. No one knows what kind of feelings were hidden in this name. (Author's note: Although I believe most people know this, I'll still explain: Li is pronounced li, second tone.)
Time passed, the boy grew into a young man, the young man into an adult, and the adult into an old man, but his appearance remained unchanged, frozen in his youth. His forbidden ability could recreate lost lifespans, granting him true immortality. His existence was a miracle; most of those who had acquired abilities unacceptable to the world died in the womb, and only a very few survived to adolescence before being erased by the World Will. Yet he had lived through century after century, which could no longer be described as mere luck.
When he was still the young chieftain of his tribe, the world was just his small tribe to him. When he traveled the world as an adventurer, the world expanded to the entire planet. But for him, who had an infinite lifespan, the world was still too small.
In just a few hundred years, he had traveled to every corner of the planet. Bored, he immersed himself in the human world. He was a pioneering sailor, a profit-driven merchant, a healer, a painter, a writer, an official, a swindler, a prostitute, a cook, a worker, a bandit, a teacher, a farmer, a slave owner, a king... He had done almost every profession in the world.
Throughout his long life, his personality and state of mind constantly changed. At first, he was silent and cold, but as he traveled the world, he gradually became cheerful and brave. As a doctor, he treated every patient with sincerity; as a bandit, he was cruel and sadistic. He was both a tyrannical and a wise ruler, praised as a national hero many times, and condemned for causing disasters that killed millions many times. He had countless loves, married countless times, and left behind many children—now all of whom are just dust. Everyone he met in his life was just a fleeting passerby.
Many people assume that once a person lives for too long, they will become enlightened and indifferent to everything, even life and death—this is a huge mistake. The long years repeatedly Jili's passion for life, but also gave him endless time to rekindle his enthusiasm. After countless cycles, his character finally took its final form.
Ultimately, he became eccentric and short-tempered—because personality only influences one's life trajectory to a certain extent; he was inconsiderate of his subordinates and self-centered—since his goal was to subjugate them, overwhelming violence was sufficient; he abandoned benevolent governance and even neglected the management of the organization—the organization was ultimately just a means to achieve his goals, a consumable; he was extremely arrogant and despised everyone—because apart from the World Will, nothing could make him fear; he had hobbies typically associated with women, like hair care and nail art—and didn't care what others thought of them...
In the end, all those profound truths and grand principles are meaningless. In the long journey of life, the only one who can truly guide you is yourself.
However, it was at that moment that the limit was finally reached.
As if to make up for its long-standing dereliction of duty, the World Will launched a frenzied hunt for Jili. Even someone as powerful as Jili had to abandon all his pride and begin to flee. The long years did not make him indifferent to life and death; on the contrary, the only thing Jili cherished was his own life. It was because he had lived for so long that he could truly understand how precious life was.
He didn't want to die, he absolutely didn't want to.
One day, we will surpass everything.
One day, I will see through everything.
One day, I will rise above everything.
One day, he will break free from everything that restricts him.