Chapter 103: Add Money!
Lin Huai was about to get out of the vehicle when she noticed Dong Xiaobao clinging tightly to her shoulder. Turning back, she climbed the stairs to the second floor, gently placed the baby in the crib, and laid out a fresh portion of food and incense.
“Xiaobao, be a good girl and stay in the car. This is the City of Wrongful Death, and you cannot come inside with me. Wait patiently for me to return, and don’t wander off, alright?”
Ever since receiving the rites of salvation, Dong Xiaobao had grown remarkably fast. She could already sit up on her own, no longer the helpless infant who could only lie flat and barely move.
Sitting in her crib, the baby sucked her thumb and gave a dreamy, slow nod.
Reassured, Lin Huai stepped down, locked the vehicle doors securely, and walked toward the towering city gate.
The sentries guarding Ghost Gate Pass were notoriously greedy and difficult. Without paying a proper toll, a traveler could not pass through the gates, let alone leave the City of Wrongful Death.
Holding ten Yin energy crystals in her palm, Lin Huai approached the gate calmly and pressed five into each Yaksha’s hand. “It is hard work guarding this threshold, brother Yakshas. It is only a modest token, but please open the gate.”
Looking down at the glowing crystals, the two guards beamed with delight. Their vicious expressions vanished instantly, shifting as smoothly as a performer changing masks in a Sichuan opera. Grinning from ear to ear, they eagerly hauled the heavy doors open.
Yet even with the way clear, Lin Huai did not enter immediately. She stood at the threshold, fixing the two guards with a pointed look.
Understanding her intent, the Yakshas offered the same warning they had given Cute and Sparkling.
Lin Huai had already heard those words in her past life. Every driver who paid the toll received that standard advice.
Crossing her arms, she gave a slight shake of her head. “I already know that. Tell me something new.”
The two looked at each other. Seeing her dissatisfaction, they each offered another line:
“Not everyone who dies a wrongful death was a good person in life.”
“The City of Wrongful Death receives no outside offerings.”
Lin Huai gave a slow nod, then produced four more crystals, letting them dangle before their eyes. “I can add more money. But I want real, useful information.”
Seeing hesitation on their faces, Lin Huai remained patient. She simply pulled out more crystals, one by one.
Only when the total reached twenty did the guards finally yield. Pocketing ten crystals each, they leaned close and whispered:
“General Horse-Face has a weakness for fine gold, silver, and precious jade.”
“General Ox-Head craves imperial delicacies, especially the dish Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.”
Her lips curving into a satisfied smile, Lin Huai gave a slight nod and walked through the heavy gates into the City of Wrongful Death.
The city served as a domain for souls who died prematurely with deep grievances—victims of suicide, natural disasters, war, sudden accidents, or murder.
After death, these spirits were gathered and confined here until the natural lifespan they were meant to live out in the mortal realm reached its end.
During this confinement, the souls lived much like ordinary mortals and could climb the city walls to watch whether their killers met with justice.
Their freedom, however, was tightly limited. They could not receive the paper money or spirit gifts burned by living relatives, nor could they return to the mortal world during the Ghost Festival to accept offerings.
Instead, all offerings sent by living kin were held in the Hall of Offerings, delivered only when their destined mortal lifespan expired, allowing them to depart the city and cross Ghost Gate Pass.
Even so, early departures were possible. If the person responsible for their death faced proper retribution, and the wronged soul witnessed their vengeance fulfilled, their hatred would dissolve. Free of resentment, they could leave ahead of time and proceed toward rebirth.
Lin Huai understood the mechanics of the city intimately, so the earlier warnings were of little use to her. Only the specific preferences of Ox-Head and Horse-Face—the gatekeepers of Ghost Gate Pass—held real value.
Having spent extra time gathering intel, she arrived at the first shop on the main avenue to find the Elite Squad already waiting.
The shop was a simple tofu stand, crowded with local spirits lining up for food. Her teammates stood awkwardly to the side, looking around with tense curiosity.
Spotting her approach, Cute and Sparkling waved eagerly. “Boss, over here!”
Lin Huai walked over, and the group gathered in a quieter corner away from the spectral crowd. Just as she was about to speak, Sparkling lowered her voice, whispering earnestly, “I bought some clues from the Yakshas at the gate!”
Old Wang looked puzzled. “I heard two clues as well.”
The others chimed in at once. “We got them too.”
Comparing notes, they quickly realized that everyone had received the exact same advice.
Sparkling puffed out her cheeks in frustration. “How annoying! I spent six Yin crystals, and they just handed out the same lines to everyone! That’s daylight robbery!”
Sister Cai chuckled. “Good thing I only parted with two crystals…”
Hungry Spirit Blue Knight clutched his chest, looking crushed. He ground his teeth in dismay. “I handed over twelve crystals!”
To soften the blow, Lin Huai smiled wryly. “Don’t feel too bad. I spent more than all of you combined—thirty crystals in total.”
Before they could react in shock, she steered the topic forward. “However, I bought four additional pieces of intel, including the specific tastes of Ox-Head and Horse-Face.”
She shared the details with the group, outlined the background of the city, and explained the fundamental rules.
After listening to her breakdown, Old Wang gave an appreciative nod. “Our Boss never disappoints.”
Jiangzhehu Inheritor looked at her with bright admiration. “You truly deserve to be the top-ranked woman on the server, Boss. You’re amazing.”
Fastest Hand at SF Express clapped his hands together with enthusiasm. “Fantastic! With the Boss guiding us, reaching the end of the road is guaranteed!”
With the essential information covered, the squad split up to find NPCs and take on tasks.
Lin Huai turned away from the crowded market, heading straight toward the dark river winding through the city.
It was known as the River of Wrongful Death. Every soul who drowned unjustly appeared within its dark waters. If their physical bodies were never recovered from the mortal world, their spirits remained trapped in the river indefinitely.
Even when their remains were found, many souls still lingered in the depths.
Lin Huai had searched these waters once in her previous life, but pressed for time during that trial, she had been forced to move on quickly.
Old Lin had lost his life to water. She did not know whether his spirit rested here, but as long as a sliver of hope remained, she refused to turn away.
The dark surface flowed with an unsettling calm. Yet the floating spirits within did not drift downstream with the current. Each remained pinned to a fixed location—some floating flat along the surface, others submerged up to their necks with only pale heads visible.
Deeper down, several were trapped entirely beneath the surface, their feet weighed down by massive river stones.
Lin Huai searched along the muddy banks for a long time, asking various spirits along the way, but found no trace of Old Lin.
Looking down at a silent ghost anchored to the riverbed by heavy stone, a chilling question crept into her thoughts: had Old Lin also been pulled into the deep, held down by something hidden beneath the dark water?
