Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 42: A Request for Confessions

Recalling what had just happened, the ghost immortal A’Shou was furious.

She had been carefully inspecting a seal in her room when the paper figure Dian’er suddenly rushed in wailing like a ghost, shouting that the Mid-Autumn E had been broken.

A’Shou was stunned.

The Mid-Autumn E and the “half-step ghost immortal” Li Shuo were interlinked, bound by cause and effect. They were strangely compatible. If Li Shuo consumed enough living souls to build his strength, he could easily ascend to ghost immortal.

To destroy the Mid-Autumn E, the sacrifices would have to survive days of carnage, see through the real form of the “Mid-Autumn E”, discover Li Shuo behind the scenes early on, and then deal with him somehow.

In previous rituals, the offerings never got close to figuring out the real nature of the Mid-Autumn E, much less discovering Li Shuo.

And now Li Shuo was just a step away from becoming an immortal. A’Shou thought surely no one could break the Mid-Autumn E at this point. She was already poised to welcome a newly born ghost immortal at the end of this ritual.

…Yet Dian’er was now claiming that the Mid-Autumn E had been destroyed?

No, no, no—something else was more important.

Beneath her bridal veil, A’Shou’s brows knit. “Since the ‘E’ is broken, you should go meet the sacrifices. What are you sniveling to me for?”

Dian’er, kneeling on the ground, opened its mouth several times but couldn’t get the words out. Finally, in a small voice, he said, “Li… Li Shuo wanted to give it all up on his own, so I used the Underworld’s detection spell to provoke him a bit…”

“…You did what?!” A’Shou shot to her feet.

She was already tall to begin with. Adding her thick-soled wedding shoes, she stood at least 1.84 meters tall. She halted in front of the paper figure, leaning forward slightly, her blood-red veil swaying ominously.

The paper figure didn’t dare lift its head. “Li Shuo must have been confused, or else what ghost wouldn’t want to become an immortal… Once he came to his senses, he’d surely be grateful to us. My Lady, he just needed this final ritual… My Lady…”

A’Shou let out a furious laugh. “There are countless battles where the underdog emerges victorious. Have you ever seen a general throwing a tantrum, refusing to accept a fair defeat?”

“All things follow their destined course. If you lose, you lose. Forcibly meddling in karma goes against the Heavenly Way. Even if Li Shuo had ascended, he’d be a crippled ‘fake immortal’ from the start!”

Seeing the ghost immortal enraged, the paper figure shook from head to toe. “I-I-I failed anyway. The spell got broken… Please spare me, my lady. I was just confused for a moment…”

Dian’er’s spell was broken?

A’Shou paused.

Though Dian’er was rather useless, the ghost officers in the Tower had at least been carefully vetted. They weren’t so easy to handle.

After thinking a moment, she said, “Go to the ‘Temple of Ten Thousand E’s’ and reflect. Come to me tomorrow to receive your punishment. As for the Mid-Autumn E’s sacrifices, I’ll fetch them myself.”

With that, she stepped right over the paper figure, flattening Dian’er into a thin sheet. The paper figure didn’t dare complain, plastered to the ground, not moving for a long time.

……

Now, A’Shou finally saw the one who had undone the E.

She recognized the name “Fang Xiu”. Apparently he was the one who had solved the Weishan E too.

A young man dressed in red, with quite a decent face, though so thin he looked like a penniless scholar. She could pick him up with one hand.

A’Shou observed him for a while and detected no cultivation or sign of magic on Fang Xiu… He was ordinary as could be, neither a hidden master of the metaphysics nor a natural spirit medium who could perceive the Underworld.

Could it be that Dian’er’s spell had been broken by Li Shuo himself?

Very likely. By now, Li Shuo was practically a half-step ghost immortal. It was a pity he’d completely disappeared, leaving her unable to question him.

All she could do was explain the situation to Fang Xiu and offer an apology. Who would have guessed that the moment Fang Xiu heard the word “compensation”, he perked up on the spot?

“Since when does only the guilty party get to call the shots on compensation? Come on, let’s have a good talk!”

He spun around sharply, his eyes brighter than any light bulb in the living world.

A’Shou: “……”

A’Shou: “Fine. I’ll take you all back to the Tower first. Then we can discuss further.”

Indeed, Dian’er’s misconduct was the Underworld’s mistake. This human might be shamelessly greedy, but he had a point, so she’d accept it.

Fang Xiu thought for a moment. “You can take them back first. Let’s talk here.”

It was early morning in the human world now. The sun had just risen, the warm rays shining in through the window, slanting across Fang Xiu’s feet.

Bathed in the sunlight, the ceramic Bodhisattva’s features glinted faintly, as though dawn light had formed drops of dew.

Even though the room was cramped and run-down, and even though a scorched corpse lay at his feet, Fang Xiu wanted to linger a little longer.

A’Shou nodded. With a casual closing of her five fingers, the other five people in the small apartment vanished in an instant, leaving only Fang Xiu.

After sending them away, she asked offhandedly, “Where’s your ghost?”

Fang Xiu reflexively looked to Bai Shuangying, and A’Shou followed his gaze. She noticed a vague silhouette in the corner. The concealment was decently done, neither too weak nor strong enough to fool her.

Like an animal trying to hide in a bush with its tail still sticking out.

“My ghost is a bit shy,” Fang Xiu said, scratching his nose.

A’Shou: “…Your ghost?”

What an odd way to phrase it.

Fang Xiu didn’t seem to get the point. “Sure, my ‘seductive ghost’.”

Oh, a “seductive ghost”. A’Shou remembered.

This kid had probably been bewitched; that was why he spoke so intimately. It wasn’t strange for a seductive ghost to have some beguiling illusion magic. If it wanted to hide, let it hide.

Fang Xiu, however, could see Bai Shuangying’s form clearly, along with the distortions around him for concealment, something A’Shou couldn’t discern nearly as well.

Bai Shuangying’s expression showed annoyance, not shock or panic. He didn’t seem to like A’Shou much, but that was it.

In fact, it felt more like the opposite: those pale eyes kept glancing over from time to time, as though wanting to say something but hesitating.

Fang Xiu gave a little smile, winking at Bai Shuangying.

Then he turned to A’Shou. “Anyway, never mind my ghost. Let’s talk about compensation… What were you going to offer us before?”

A’Shou answered honestly, “I will open the Support Magic Weapon Vault for you to pick one protective magic weapon each. Also, I’ll grant you all another day of rest.”

“You mean that ‘cheating’ was controlling Li Shuo to go berserk, right? Without his timely recovery, we’d all have been done for. That really breaks the ritual’s rules.”

Fang Xiu wasn’t lying, but he omitted Bai Shuangying’s involvement. A few steps away, Bai Shuangying visibly relaxed.

So easy to read, Fang Xiu thought with amusement.

He continued, “Underworld magic weapons for protection aren’t that hard to obtain. Last time, I got a Jade Buddha and an Earth Knocking Cauldron. This time I snagged two Five-Emperor Coins… Simply handing us magic weapons is a bit lacking as compensation.”

A’Shou: “???”

No, no, no. An ordinary person can’t just “grab” things like that. Besides, looting is hardly the same as formally choosing what you want.

Before she could retort, Fang Xiu changed direction. “You see how easy it is to grab magic weapons. If we pick some perfect protective items, then someone else comes along and snatches them, we’ll have lost out.”

A’Shou considered. “I can apply a special binding so no one can take them from you.”

Fang Xiu nodded, still muttering, “That’s only slightly better than owning a magic weapon that’s sworn to a master. You people use the ritual to nurture ghost immortals, which is already quite excessive, and I tried my best to break the E yet nearly got screwed over by the Underworld. That’s a pretty half-hearted reward…”

“What exactly do you want?” He obviously knew quite a bit, so A’Shou lowered her voice.

Fang Xiu: “I’m not sure about the others, but as for me, I’d like a Qiankun Bag*, something that can hold lots of stuff and can be sewn onto the inside of a pocket. Can you get me one?”

*A spatial pouch. It’s a bag that has a vast space and can store almost an unlimited number of things inside it, but its size is that of a regular bag.

With that, he concluded seriously, “You could call it a customized item for the dead.”

A’Shou: “…”

Such a detailed request. How annoying this person was.

If this kid actually made it through all eight rituals, who knew what he might ask for then?

She thought back. The Support Magic Weapon Vault indeed didn’t have something like that. But it wasn’t as if Fang Xiu was asking for anything outrageous…

He hadn’t demanded some big weapon that would unbalance the ritual. All he wanted was to store the things he carried. It was more for defense against other humans than against evil spirits.

Given that this kid was the one who solved the Mid-Autumn E, making him the biggest victim in this affair, A’Shou stayed silent for a few seconds, then agreed.

Fang Xiu let out a relieved breath. “Now about my second magic weapon…”

“What second one?”

“Huh? I solved the E, yet I only get the same single item as everyone else? That’s not fair, logically or emotionally. I was on the front line, so I should at least get one extra.”

A’Shou: “……”

A’Shou: “…Go on.”

If this kid tried to name some ridiculous price, she’d definitely teach him a lesson.

Fang Xiu scratched his head apologetically. “I don’t mean to trouble you all the time, so how about I just pick it out with everyone else when we visit the Support Magic Weapon Vault?”

A’Shou pressed her lips together. Fine, she could tolerate that. She had to give him credit for being sensible enough not to push it further.

“Now that it’s settled, I’ll take you back…”

“Wait, I’m not done!” Fang Xiu interrupted.

“We’ve only discussed magic weapon so far. There’s still the matter of that ‘extra day off’.

“Look, the Disaster Relief Tower has no entertainment at all. For us humans, having one more day off there is basically no different from having none, so that’s not really fair.”

A’Shou: “……”

A’Shou: “…Go on.”

Fang Xiu looked up at her pitifully. “Hey, Boss Lady, can we go play outside?”

“No need to send us back to our real bodies. Just let us run around for a day. Let’s stay in this city, is that okay?”

A’Shou eyed him warily. “That’s all?”

“That’s all.” Fang Xiu nodded emphatically.

A’Shou clenched her teeth. “All right.”

She really didn’t want to keep haggling with this guy. She had the sense that the longer they talked, the more she’d lose out.

Besides, the ritual was indeed being held in the human world, so the sacrifices could freely move about among the living.

Their bodies were all Underworld constructs, so there was “nowhere to run and hide”. Plus, with the ritual under way, ghost officers were stationed around the region. Choosing this city made sense. It didn’t require much extra effort on the Underworld’s part.

Such a crafty brat. He always managed to push her right up to the point where she couldn’t reasonably refuse.

“You’re the best, Sister,” Fang Xiu said gratefully. “Just give me a few minutes, okay?”

Before A’Shou could respond, Fang Xiu snapped off a piece of Lao Jin, using it like a charcoal stick, and drew a circle around the corpse. “Bai Shuangying, don’t forget to pack it up—”

Sure enough, Fang Xiu’s ghost ambled over. Maintaining his clumsy concealment right under A’Shou’s eyes, he extracted the newly dead soul bit by bit, stowing it away in his arms.

A’Shou was at a complete loss for words.

It was like these two were reincarnations of a juicer, wringing out every last drop.

And the ghost was just like the human. Even with such a formidable ghost immortal (herself) standing there, that “seductive ghost” dared to overcome its apprehension for the sake of a meal.

The moment Lao Jin’s living soul was stripped away entirely, A’Shou couldn’t stand it anymore. She reached out, grabbed both of them, and hauled them back to the Disaster Relief Tower.

The abandoned apartment once again fell silent and empty.

After the tragedy, the so-called “Hoodlum Building” was officially condemned. The city government gave compensation to the owners and decided to demolish it soon. The only reason it hadn’t been torn down immediately was the influence of the Mid-Autumn E.

Now the entire building was utterly quiet. Forget any human bustle. You couldn’t even hear whispers of ghosts.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, a steady rapping sounded at the apartment door.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

The bloodstained door trembled slightly and then went still again, suspended in the air.

Sunlight tinged red by dawn fell across the door, making everything look the same as before.

……

Disaster Relief Tower.

Fang Xiu lounged in the courtyard, looking relaxed and planning to have breakfast before returning to his room.

His mood couldn’t have been better…

He’d earned two more Five-Emperor Coins this time, and now the Underworld had promised him two new magic weapons. On top of that, he still had a new anomaly skill on the way.

It felt exactly like leveling up and waiting to claim your reward pack.

And it was only morning. The “full day of rest” would start tomorrow, plus the promised extra day after that. He effectively had three days off in total!

Most importantly, they no longer had to remain cooped up in this dreary courtyard. They could actually go back out into the human world for a bit!

The breakfast was bountiful. Dian’er was nowhere to be found, and the atmosphere felt quite relaxed. Humming a little tune, Fang Xiu picked up some steamed buns, swaying back and forth with contentment.

Meanwhile, Bai Shuangying was methodically preparing a “Lao Jin mooncake”, asking in a low voice, “How did you know to cover for me?”

His tone carried a slight haughtiness and a hint of satisfaction, as though saying, “Finally, Fang Xiu has caught on.”

Fang Xiu eyed him in surprise. “You’re a ghost belonging to the Underworld, and you stepped in to stop some Underworld agent’s sneaky ploy. Once the ritual’s over and I’m gone, wouldn’t they give you trouble?”

“That’s why you seemed anxious, wasn’t it?”

Bai Shuangying lowered his gaze slowly.

For some reason, Fang Xiu sensed a hint of dejection in his ghost.

Hurriedly, Fang Xiu added, “I realize now I misunderstood you at first. Actually, your support magic is really strong. If not for you, I’d definitely have died there this time.”

Bai Shuangying: “……”

He turned away, quietly nibbling on the Lao Jin mooncake.

Oh well, never mind. He himself had also played weak in front of the ghost immortal.

It was more important for him to break his seal. There was still much to digest from the cause-and-effect revealed by the Mid-Autumn E.

…Speaking of Mid-Autumn, the Lao Jin mooncake really tasted great.

Li Shuo had practically shredded Lao Jin’s soul, leaving behind a refined and complex flavor. The taste was balanced in an intriguing way, with layers that danced across the palate.

Deciding to focus on the unique taste, Bai Shuangying ignored the bothersome humans for the time being.

Right now, Fang Xiu was clearly in the best spirits in the courtyard.

Knowing all that had happened with the Mid-Autumn E, Cheng Songyun, Guan He, and Mei Lan were subdued. Jia Xu and Blondie, on the other hand, had just been freed and seemed comparatively cheerful.

Blondie just treated it like another free ride, burying himself in his food. Jia Xu was more cautious. Sitting close to Mei Lan, he quietly asked about what had happened.

“Oh, so it all came down to a photo, huh,” he concluded. “That’s not too hard to guess, but Lao Jin captured me before I could figure out the death taboo.”

Mei Lan ignored him.

Glancing aside at Fang Xiu, Jia Xu raised his voice a bit. “With the ritual over, shouldn’t we be happy? Fang Xiu, I heard that female ghost say there’s going to be compensation for us. What is it?”

Fang Xiu explained, including mention of his extra Qiankun Bag. He didn’t bother hiding it. They’d all find out eventually anyway.

Jia Xu shook his head. “Why go for that little extra day in the human world? You could’ve just asked for more magic weapons, right? I’ll tell you…”

Guan He slammed his porridge bowl down with a bang. “You didn’t do anything at all. Could you just shut up?”

Jia Xu hesitated for a couple of seconds, then gave a short laugh. “Young people get heated so easily.”

“I heard about the ritual. A narc officer died, right? Your first time seeing that, of course you’d feel upset.”

He paused meaningfully. “But the police get paid with taxpayers’ money. If they don’t want to do the job, they don’t have to. You see how calm Fang Xiu is. Once you grow up, you’ll realize that someone like Lao Jin can’t thrive so long unless he has police insiders. Don’t oversimplify. Some cops do it just for the pay…”

Before he could finish, Guan He flung his porridge bowl at him. It flew off-target, smashing between two Eight Immortals tables, hot congee splattering everywhere.

Fang Xiu had half expected Cheng Songyun to stop Guan He, but she only frowned, pressing her lips together.

Jia Xu’s face stiffened. “Fang Xiu, say something to him.”

Fang Xiu took a bite of a steamed bun. “He’s not my kid. Why should I?”

“I’m just pointing out some facts. If he can’t handle reality, he’ll drag everyone else down later,” Jia Xu replied with feigned helplessness.

Fang Xiu: “‘You’ll die someday’ is also a fact. Should I remind you about it every day?”

Blondie let out a careless laugh, nearly choking on his soymilk.

Jia Xu: “……”

Jia Xu: “…No need to single me out. All I said was you shouldn’t have wasted your reward by asking for that trip. I’m just giving an objective opinion.”

Fang Xiu chuckled.

Ignoring Jia Xu, he turned to Guan He, who was still breathing hard. “Xiao Guan, do you know why in that photo only Lin Ge’s face showed?”

Guan He’s attention was immediately drawn in. “Why?”

“Because when he left behind his obsession, he was focused on protecting anyone still alive and looking after the families of fallen comrades. He never thought about protecting himself—he knew he was alone. If he died, it would all be over.”

Guan He: “…Yeah.”

“For me, I’m the same way. If I die, that’s the end of it.”

Fang Xiu grinned. “But people call Lin Ge a ‘lone hero’. People like me, well, they’d call me a ‘desperado’.”

Guan He, Jia Xu: “……”

The courtyard fell silent.

Fang Xiu was still smiling. “Well, now that we’re all on the subject, let me break the ice.”

“That Mid-Autumn E fiasco made it pretty clear how the Underworld chooses sacrifices. Everyone here, including me, carries at least one life on our conscience. We’ve gone through life-and-death together, so there’s no point keeping secrets or guessing at each other’s pasts.”

“We happen to have some free time today, so how about we all come clean? Let’s share who we got killed.”

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The author has something to say:

This arc has come to an end! 

Now it’s time for them to collect their rewards and go on a date ☆ 

They can finally head out shopping together!

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