Chapter 109: He Is Not a Ghost
From the moment she was born until the day she died, the little girl had never experienced such a tender embrace. She stood frozen in place, utterly stunned. When she finally came to her senses, tears burst from her eyes. Throwing her small arms around Lin Huai’s neck, she sobbed loudly:
“I’m sorry, Big Sister… I’m so sorry! I shouldn’t have lied to you!”
Sniffling against Lin Huai’s shoulder, she choked out, “Sister, can you hold me a little longer?”
Lin Huai gently wrapped her arms around the child again, patting her back in a soothing rhythm. “Of course. I can hold you as long as you need.”
A long time passed before the little girl finally stepped back, releasing her grip. Her small silhouette began to glow with faint, translucent light, gradually turning see-through.
She offered Lin Huai a bright, peaceful smile. “Thank you, Big Sister. My time has come, so I’m heading to Ghost Gate Pass now. Goodbye~”
She paused, looking down with a trace of shame. “Sister, I’m sorry… I actually don’t know the real trick to clearing Ghost Gate Pass. But I do know another secret. That elderly man with the red birthmark between his eyebrows—the one you’re searching for—I’ve seen him before! When my parents met their tragic end, that old man was the one who helped me get my revenge.”
The little girl’s form grew fainter, drifting backward toward the sky.
Lin Huai’s heart leaped. She lunged forward, desperately trying to catch the girl’s sleeve so she could demand a clear explanation, but her fingers passed straight through thin air.
“Sister, you won’t find him in the City of Wrongful Death,” the child’s voice echoed, fading into the distance. “Because… he isn’t a ghost at all…”
With those final words, her figure vanished into the gray sky, leaving no trace behind.
Lin Huai stood frozen in the middle of the street, completely stunned.
Old Lin… isn’t a ghost?
Then what on earth is he? A surviving player? An underworld NPC?
Knowing with certainty that Old Lin was not trapped within the City of Wrongful Death, Lin Huai had no reason to linger. Turning back toward the main thoroughfare, she leaned against a stone guardian lion outside the Hundred Flavors Tower, waiting for the rest of the squad to regroup so they could finish their shopping and clear Ghost Gate Pass.
Before long, footsteps approached. Old Wang was the first to arrive, laughing heartily as he shared his grand escape:
“Hahaha! Thanks to the Boss’s advice, I finally shook off that stubborn ghost who was building the wall! I kicked the bricks over onto another passing NPC, and while the two of them were busy screaming at each other, I bolted! Hahaha!”
Beside him, Hungry Spirit Blue Knight walked with a drooping head. Tied tightly around his forehead was a wide cloth banner bearing three prominent, glowing characters: Tragic King.
He looked on the verge of tears. “Boss, I can’t take this headband off at all. Can you help me pry it loose?”
Lin Huai pressed her lips together, fighting with all her might to keep a straight face. She patted Blue Knight on the shoulder, offering gentle comfort: “Don’t worry, it’s fine. When we see the Yakshas later, I’ll have them remove it for you.”
Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar skipped over, proudly displaying two small tokens in the palm of her hand—a miniature strawberry hairpin and a fresh green willow leaf. “Look, Sister Bone Ash! I’ve already completed two quests!”
Cute and Sparkling bounced over right behind her. “Me too, me too! I finished two as well!”
If You’re Bad, Practice More stared at Milk Tea’s shiny tokens with open envy. “Milk Tea has such a sweet, gentle personality, so she always gets the easy errands. Meanwhile, I got into five separate brawls with three different NPCs! We fought to a standstill every single time, so I didn’t get a single token out of it…”
Peace and Violence pushed up his spectacles, eyeing Sister Cai with an amused, complicated expression. “Sister Cai, you and the Boss are truly cut from the same cloth. One of you gets into endless fistfights, while the other ends up wanted across the entire city. Both of you are truly impressive.”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea stepped forward, his eyes scanning Lin Huai with quiet concern. “Boss, is the trouble fully settled? I noticed the wanted posters around town were just taken down.”
Lin Huai nodded, reassuring the group: “Everything is handled. I had a clear discussion with the Yaksha captains. In fact, they agreed to grant our entire squad a direct escort straight through Ghost Gate Pass, so no one needs to finish any more quests.”
Jiangzhehu Inheritor looked skeptical, raising an eyebrow. “Since when are those greedy Yakshas so generous? Boss, did you use some kind of special superpower on them?”
Lin Huai smiled vaguely, turning toward the entrance of the restaurant. “You could say that. The power of money certainly counts as a superpower.”
Bringing up the rear, Fastest Hand at SF Express and Flash Delivery Yellow Knight slumped their shoulders, groaning in theatrical despair: “Waaaah! We despise the rich! Down with the wealthy elite!”
The Hundred Flavors Tower here appeared nearly identical to the branch they had visited in the hub town, though the interior decorations were far more lavish and eerie.
Yellow Knight glanced nervously at the crimson lanterns hanging from the ceiling. “Is this a chain franchise? Do they serve pre-made frozen meals? I have a feeling the food here isn’t meant for living stomachs…”
Jiangzhehu Inheritor spotted the restaurant’s emblem carved into the central stone pillar and nodded firmly. “It’s definitely a chain. The branding is identical.”
Old Wang’s appetite vanished in an instant. “Well, that settles it. There’s no point in even looking at the menu.”
Everyone agreed. Skipping the dining tables, they walked straight to the counter, each ordering a sealed takeout jar of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to serve as their tribute for General Ox-Head.
Just as they had suspected, the moment the heavy lids were fastened, the rich aroma carried a sickening undertone. Old Wang caught one glimpse of the floating ingredients through a crack in the clay and nearly threw up on the spot—the stew was packed with preserved human organs.
Holding their sealed jars, the group crossed the stone street to the Golden Jade Tower.
Knowing General Horse-Face’s fond tastes, Lin Huai spent one hundred thousand underworld coins on a gold-inlaid jade Pixiu statue. Jiangzhehu Inheritor, living up to her wealthy background, casually dropped one hundred and fifty thousand coins on a miniature money tree crafted from solid gold.
Those with deep pockets purchased high-grade treasures. The others, working with modest budgets, picked out smaller jade pendants, gold chains, and silver trinkets that fit their wallets.
As she prepared to leave, Lin Huai noticed a small, beautifully carved statuette resting in a glass display in the corner. It was carved from midnight-black jade, depicting the underworld deity Black Impermanence. Intrigued by the fine craftsmanship, she called the clerk over.
“Excuse me, how much for this Black Impermanence statuette?”
Recognizing a wealthy patron, the saleswoman bowed with extreme politeness. “Honored customer, that fine piece is only ten thousand underworld coins.”
Lin Huai nodded. The price was entirely reasonable. She reached for her pouch, but before she could hand over the coins, the clerk pulled a second, lined wooden box from beneath the counter.
“However, Black Impermanence cannot be purchased alone,” the clerk added with an apologetic smile. “To take him home, you must buy him alongside White Impermanence as a matched set.”
Inside the second box rested a statuette of White Impermanence, carved from flawless mutton-fat white jade. It radiated a pure, lustrous sheen, clearly belonging to a much higher price tier.
Lin Huai asked cautiously, “And how much is the White Impermanence?”
The clerk’s smile widened greedily. “The White Impermanence statue is one hundred thousand underworld coins.”
Lin Huai’s brow twitched. Having spent money like water over the past few days, her remaining balance had dwindled to barely twenty thousand coins.
She frowned, crossing her arms. “I’m a solo fan of Black Impermanence—I only want the black one! If you refuse to sell them separately, forget it. I won’t buy either.”
Seeing how much Lin Huai liked the carving, Jiangzhehu Inheritor stepped forward to handle the negotiations.
“This is blatant forced bundling,” the young heiress declared coldly. “If they cannot be sold separately, why did you assign them two vastly different price tags in your catalog? Setting independent prices means they are independent goods. Bundling them by force violates fair trade practices, and as paying consumers, we can report your shop for illegal conduct.”
Lin Huai backed her up without missing a beat: “She’s right. If you refuse to sell it individually, I will file an official complaint with the Yaksha patrols right outside. I happen to be on very close terms with the patrol captains.”
The clerk had hoped to squeeze a massive commission out of the transaction, never expecting such a wealthy customer to pinch pennies over a bundled item. Fearing trouble with the guards, she had no choice but to back down, begrudgingly wrapping the black jade Black Impermanence statue for Lin Huai on its own.
Stepping out into the street with the polished figurine safely stored in her inventory, the young heiress still looked slightly puzzled.
“Boss, aren’t Black and White Impermanence always paired together as partners? Why is the white one priced ten times higher than the black one? Is Black Impermanence unpopular with the public?”
Lin Huai shook her head gently. “I’m not entirely sure either. Though historically in traditional folklore, White Impermanence, Xie Bi’an, was always considered a harbinger of sudden wealth, making him far more popular among common folk than Black Impermanence, Fan Wujiu.”
