Caution is the Better Part of Valor

This caused a great emotional shift deep within Xu Changjun, though he didn't show it outwardly.

Contrary to his usual behavior, he began to consider the issues Chen Shuo had raised. He still believed he could defeat the Ghost King on his own.

After all, with his strength, he didn't need anyone's help.

But things are often not that simple. If the enemy remained hidden in the shadows, he would have no way to track them down.

As the leader of the Capital City Monster Hunters Association, he also had many other matters waiting for his attention.

He couldn't just stay trapped in Su City indefinitely just to eliminate this one Ghost King, could he?

A month or two would be fine, but what if it took longer?

Even if he was willing to stay, the capital would eventually call him back.

So to resolve the Ghost King situation, his only option was to cooperate - to work with Chen Shuo.

But he was still conflicted. He had never collaborated with a vampire before, and moreover, he utterly despised vampires, considering them mortal enemies.

To suddenly overturn his entire worldview and cooperate with a vampire... he truly couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I know what you're worried about, but tell me, what will your concerns achieve? Can they help you defeat the Ghost King?"

"Work with me. If you agree to cooperate, I guarantee we can successfully take down the Ghost King within three days."

Chen Shuo raised both hands in a solemn vow, showing his sincerity.

This was the only way forward now, and he had to try his best to persuade Xu Changjun.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts'. You're just using a different method to do what you consider righteous. Even though I'm a vampire, I've never done anything to harm heaven or hurt people. I only want those around me to be safe - that's my sole wish. Please!"

Chen Shuo clasped his hands together, his attitude extremely earnest.

With each persuasive argument, the old Xu wavered.

Deep down, he wasn't actually opposed to Chen Shuo. If he truly rejected him, he wouldn't have let Chen Shuo go after learning his identity, nor would he have chosen to help him.

Having made this choice, the only path now was to see it through to the end.

"It seems there's no other way. But let me be clear upfront - our cooperation is solely to capture the Ghost King. After this, we'll have no further connection. You're not to mention this to anyone outside, or else..."

Old Xu spoke gravely, leaving the final words unsaid. He trusted Chen Shuo understood his meaning.

Seeing that the other party had finally agreed, Chen Shuo was elated: "Thank you, Old Su. Rest assured, if we follow my plan, we'll definitely be able to draw out the Ghost King."

"No need to thank me. I'm only doing this to punish evil and uphold justice. Tell me the details of your plan so I can understand it."

Chen Shuo didn't dare show any negligence and laid out his entire plan.

He had spent many days and nights developing this plan, refining and perfecting it, accounting for many contingencies.

What they needed to do now was to play their parts well. Only by performing convincingly could they make the Ghost King believe.

After hearing the full details of Chen Shuo's plan, Old Xu remained deep in thought for a long while: "Very well, I'll trust you this once. When do we start?"

"There's no rush. We should wait a bit longer. If nothing unexpected happens, I think we can begin in two days."

Before then, Chen Shuo needed to meet with that female ghost one more time.

At the very least, he had to let her know he was about to make his move. Otherwise, if they sprang into action and there was no response from the Ghost King's side, their performance would fall flat.

"Alright, we'll do as you say. Just notify me when it's time. If there's nothing else, you may go now."

Xu Changjun waved his hand, indicating Chen Shuo could leave.

Although he had prepared himself to work with Chen Shuo, the lingering unease in his heart still made it difficult for him to face Chen Shuo directly.

Chen Shuo hadn't expected to be dismissed so quickly. He hadn't even had a chance to drink any tea since sitting down.

He had thought that after discussing everything, he might at least get to have a sip of tea, but instead he received his marching orders.

Oh well, as long as they had reached an agreement on working together, missing out on some tea wasn't a big deal.

"Then this junior shall take his leave,"

Chen Shuo said, bowing with cupped hands before walking out alone. As soon as he exited, the door behind him closed firmly.

Chen Shuo looked back and couldn't help but sigh.

The old man was good in his own way, but he was a bit set in his ways, unable to let go of his misgivings.

But it was understandable. After all, vampires and monster hunters were mortal enemies. For him to agree to cooperate was already a huge concession.

Chen Shuo was also grateful. If not for his earlier wall-climbing stunt, today's developments would likely have been much more uncertain.

It was truly a blessing in disguise; at least the injury had been worth it.

During these days of recovery, Chen Shuo had noticed a strange phenomenon.

As his body healed, it seemed to have grown significantly stronger.

It was a noticeable increase in strength, which he initially thought was just his imagination.

But when his body had fully recovered, he discovered his physical form had become much more robust, filled with power, feeling like he had boundless energy.

Without exaggeration, while before his body could withstand bullets, now he felt he could probably endure a missile strike without much issue.

If the body grew stronger after each injury and recovery, wouldn't continuously getting injured and healing make one increasingly powerful? Could one eventually destroy the universe with a single punch?

This idea had occurred to Chen Shuo more than once, but there was no easy way to verify it.

He couldn't just put himself in danger to test a hypothesis, could he?

Chen Shuo wasn't a masochist; he had no such inclinations.

Besides, he was already invincible in this world, so why worry about becoming even stronger? No one could match him anyway.

Having resolved matters here, Chen Shuo wanted to inform Su Xiyan right away.

However, after searching the Su residence thoroughly, he couldn't find Su Xiyan anywhere.

Along the way, Chen Shuo had asked nearby servants if they knew Su Xiyan's whereabouts, but all said they hadn't seen her.

This puzzled Chen Shuo - how could a person just vanish into thin air?

Chen Shuo immediately called Su Xiyan's phone, but a cold mechanical female voice quickly came from the other end:

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later..."

This result was unexpected for Chen Shuo. He remembered telling Su Xiyan to keep her phone accessible.

Perhaps she hadn't heard the ringtone? With this thought, Chen Shuo called again.

But the result was identical to before, which made Chen Shuo start to panic a bit.

He tried calling two more times, with the same outcome each time.

Chen Shuo's heart raced with worry. How could a person suddenly lose contact like this? Could it be...

No, it couldn't be. This definitely wasn't the Ghost King's doing. Even with immense courage, the Ghost King wouldn't dare cause trouble at the Su residence.

Forget about Su Yuanying - with both himself and Old Xu present at the Su home, no vampire, no matter how powerful, would dare to make mischief here.

But if it wasn't that, then where had Su Xiyan gone?