Chapter Forty-Five: Do Not Impose Upon Others What You Yourself Do Not Desire

Tu Junfang’s suggestion sounded rather unreliable, but in the end, Huang Boreng still chose to compromise.

There was no other way—Liao Zhong and his companions were simply too important, almost the elite main force of South China. If their future prospects were ruined because of the Three Corpse problem, the South China branch would suffer a devastating blow, perhaps even face a generational gap. This was something Huang Boreng could not allow to happen.

As a board member, he had to consider the bigger picture and couldn’t let emotions sway his decision. So, he compromised. Even if it meant spitting out the hard-won Absolute Nature, returning it intact, he had no other choice.

But a compromise was just that; Huang Boreng wasn’t a fool. There was no way he would let Tu Junfang go just because he handed over a method. At the very least, until the corpse demons plaguing Liao Zhong and the others were removed, Tu Junfang would have to remain a guest in the southern borderlands. On this point, there was nothing further to discuss.

Tu Junfang himself expressed no objections.

They found their people and settled the matter. All that remained was to wrap things up and handle the ordinary people who had been caught up in the incident.

Three helicopters landed in a clearing in Hake Village, and from each, a large group of employees in the Everywhere Express uniform poured out, efficiently organizing the evacuation of personnel in batches.

Amidst the busy crowd, Ye Yan spotted Huang Boreng. The little old man, slightly hunched, wearing a white baseball cap, was utterly inconspicuous; it was hard to imagine he was a board member of Everywhere Express.

“Chairman Huang,” Ye Yan called out from a distance.

After exiting “Blackened Mode,” his expression had returned to normal, no longer so cold.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ye,” Huang Boreng approached, hands behind his back, making no attempt to put on airs, looking at Ye Yan with sincere gratitude.

Huang Boreng’s thanks were genuine, without a trace of falsehood. He knew clearly that if not for Ye Yan’s coincidental presence, the situation in Hake Village would not have been resolved so smoothly.

It wasn’t that the company lacked the strength to deal with someone like Tu Junfang, but the organization was vast; most of its experts were scattered across the nation. Mobilizing them would take time, and coordinating between departments would take even longer. By then, Tu Junfang could have vanished into some remote corner, making him nearly impossible to track down. The fate of Liao Zhong and the others would also be uncertain.

Tu Junfang might not risk being hunted down by the company to kill a division chief, but whether Liao Zhong and the rest could ever rid themselves of the corpse demons, or continue their lives among the Unusuals, was anyone’s guess.

“You’re too kind, Chairman Huang,” Ye Yan replied modestly with a smile. He didn’t take the praise to heart, knowing exactly why he was here. His involvement in this rescue wasn’t to curry favor with Huang Boreng or the company; it was simply because he felt responsible for the trouble that had befallen Liao Zhong, and so he was obliged to help resolve it. Nothing more.

“Ye, though you’re not an official member of the company yet, you did excellent work this time. I’ll report your contributions to the board, and when you join us in the future, there will be commendation—”

“Thank you, Chairman Huang,” Ye Yan replied lightly.

As they talked, Huang Boreng’s tone became hesitant, as if he had something difficult to say.

“Is there something on your mind, Chairman Huang?” Ye Yan asked, noticing the uneasy look on his face.

“Well, Ye…” Huang Boreng scratched his head, embarrassed.

“Please, just say it.”

“Alright, I’ll get to the point.” Huang Boreng set aside his dignity. “Would you mind staying here in the southern borderlands for a few more days?”

“A few more days?”

“Yes. I’d like your help keeping an eye on Tu Junfang. The company’s a bit shorthanded.”

Ye Yan was momentarily speechless. So that was it? From the old man’s hesitant manner, he’d expected something far more serious.

Seeing Ye Yan’s silence, Huang Boreng assumed he was busy or couldn’t stay, so he hurried to explain, “Don’t worry, it won’t be long—three days at most. I’ve already discussed with the other board members; we’re transferring people from other regions.”

“Alright,” Ye Yan agreed readily. His schedule was flexible, with nothing pressing, so there was no rush to leave. Besides, doing someone a favor when it was so effortless—why not?

“Thank you so much!” Huang Boreng was overjoyed.

There were very few people who could restrain Tu Junfang without being affected by the corpse demon. Ye Yan was one of them. With him helping to monitor Tu Junfang, Huang Boreng’s biggest headache was resolved. Otherwise, Tu Junfang would remain a ticking time bomb—a bomb with a chain reaction.

Ye Yan, Chen Duo, and Tu Junfang left Hake Village together by helicopter. They were taken to a small, heavily guarded courtyard, which would serve as their temporary residence. The two were tasked with watching over Tu Junfang, to prevent him from escaping at the first opportunity.

“My job is to keep an eye on you—you’re aware of that, right? Behave yourself, don’t cause trouble. It’s better for everyone that way.”

Before the rooms were assigned, Ye Yan gave Tu Junfang a warning, hoping to discourage any mischief.

“I’m not that bored,” Tu Junfang replied lazily, yawning as if he hadn’t slept enough.

“That’s best,” Ye Yan nodded. Beside him, Tu Junfang sighed, “So, Mr. Butler, can I go to my room and sleep now?”

Tu Junfang truly had nerves of steel. Despite being a prisoner, he showed no sense of his predicament. The first thing he wanted to do was sleep.

“As you wish,” Ye Yan shrugged, not inclined to waste words. As long as Tu Junfang didn’t try to escape or do anything outrageous, Ye Yan wasn’t about to micromanage—he’d simply turn a blind eye.

After Tu Junfang returned to his room, Ye Yan released Old Ma and several other flag spirits, instructing them to guard the courtyard and take over the surveillance. Then, he called Chen Duo to lay a layer of gu creatures around the perimeter, forming a double line of defense.

With the flag spirits and gu creatures in place, as long as Tu Junfang wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t do anything reckless—nor did he need to. With all that set up, Ye Yan planned to head back for a nap himself.

For Chen Duo, who was experiencing this kind of stakeout for the first time, it was all a bit unsettling. “Teacher, is this really how we watch him? What if he runs away?”

She glanced around nervously. As a temp, she’d always taken her assignments seriously and meticulously. This was the first time she’d seen someone so openly slack off, and she couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

“Don’t worry, he won’t,” Ye Yan said with a smile. “Smart people don’t go looking for trouble. And as for those who like to make trouble, I’m always happy to discuss the Analects with them—so they learn what it truly means to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”