For the first time, after making a decision, Su Er didn't execute it immediately. He lingered at the doorway for a moment. The Ghostbone Flower could obscure a ghost's perception, but that didn't necessarily mean it could fool the Host.
According to the brochure, the Host had the ability to monitor, meaning that players’ little tricks wouldn’t escape their notice.
“No… that’s wrong…” Su Er muttered, shaking his head. “That’s a fallacy.”
The stun gun was also considered a tool, and it could affect the Host—just in a completely different way than it did ghosts.
With that thought, Su Er narrowed his eyes. Even Ji Heng probably didn't know whether this thing worked on the Host, since players primarily faced ghosts while the Host merely needed to be on guard.
“Let’s give it a try.”
There wasn’t a better place to go anyway. He couldn’t very well head to the ancestral hall and drive out Wen Buyu and Ji Heng. He neither had the inclination nor the ability to do so.
Moving carefully, Su Er climbed over the wall into the courtyard, the skeleton trailing him like a shadow.
Inside, Mister Sea of Books was leaning against the headboard, flipping through a book. Hearing movement in the yard, he frowned.
Su Er deliberately made some noise to lure him out to investigate, but it didn’t work. Thinking back, when Ge Xuyan was killed on the first day, the Host must have heard something but had chosen to ignore it.
Gritting his teeth, Su Er simply pushed the door open and walked in.
The moment he did, his nerves tensed—his hand never strayed from the stun gun, as if seeking some kind of psychological comfort.
Mister Sea of Books glanced up, his gaze passing over Su Er to land on the skeleton behind him.
Su Er was secretly delighted—it worked!
But the joy didn’t last long. He quickly noticed that the Ghostbone Flower in his pocket was blooming faster than ever. While Mister Sea of Books was still focused on the skeleton at the door, Su Er quietly crept toward the foot of the bed, moving slowly and carefully onto it.
Mister Sea of Books seemed to sense something and began to turn around. Su Er instantly froze. No matter how cautious he was, his weight left a slight indentation on the thin mattress. Fortunately, the living quarters provided by the Yutang were poor—just a single thin blanket—so the change wasn’t too obvious.
Taking a deep breath, Su Er inched forward a little more.
Before Mister Sea of Books could investigate further, his expression suddenly shifted. A swarm of writhing maggots was crawling toward the bed, some even trying to burrow into his shoes.
“Filthy creatures!”
Behind him, Su Er smirked. Just from Mister Sea of Books’ usual attire and mannerisms, it was clear he loved cleanliness and books; his clothing rarely wrinkled. Now, faced with this sight, how could he possibly remain calm?
A sizzling sound filled the air as the maggots ignited one after another, bursting apart in rapid succession.
“Hand him over,” the skeleton rasped, unfazed by the maggots' deaths. It moved slightly, its voice hoarse and eerie, as if something else was mixed into it.
Su Er raised an eyebrow. That voice sounded familiar—exactly like the one he had heard from the grave mound earlier that day.
Zhou Lijun.
He remembered the name from the tombstone. Judging by the final words left behind—’Whoever keeps the red paper becomes the Guard Chief’—it was clear that despite the many ghosts in the burial ground, this one was the dominant force.
“Ghost King, we have no quarrel…”
“Hand him over,” the skeleton repeated.
Their gazes locked, neither side willing to back down. Realizing the skeleton wouldn't have stormed in without reason, Mister Sea of Books furrowed his brow and finally spoke. “Step back three feet.”
Once the skeleton withdrew past the threshold, Mister Sea of Books casually swept his book through the air. Instantly, every piece of furniture in the room disintegrated into powder, vanishing without even a trace of breaking apart. Su Er was stunned. The Host’s power far exceeded his expectations. And the precision of that strength—despite obliterating everything else, the small flowers sprouting from the cracks in the walls and floor remained untouched.
“If there were any living beings here, no matter how well they concealed themselves, they wouldn’t have survived,” Mister Sea of Books stated. His gaze was sharp as a blade, his tone calm yet carrying an undercurrent of menace. “Ghost King, are you causing trouble on purpose?”
Su Er wasn’t one to be overly confident, but even he had to admire his own brilliance at this moment. As expected, the safest place really was the bed.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even have a complete corpse left by now.
The skeleton also seemed surprised by the outcome.
Mister Sea of Books’ voice turned cold. “Don’t be a fool who falls for someone else’s tricks without even realizing it.”
The Host’s every word was crystal clear to Su Er. The brief relief of survival faded as a new realization dawned—The Hosts weren’t as omnipotent as he had imagined. Not only were they bound by the rules, but they also had to deal with powerful ghosts.
Su Er cursed himself for his lack of experience. If Ji Heng had been here, he surely would’ve found a way to extract more useful information.
Because it only had half a body, the skeleton’s turn was stiff and awkward. Its voice grew even raspier. “His life… belongs to me.”
The clanking of bones echoed through the courtyard before fading into the night. The skeleton was gone.
Watching its retreating figure, Su Er frowned. Before she disappeared, Zhu Yun's dream was to study medicine. If he ever got the chance, he wanted to capture that skeleton and hand it over to her for research. How was it even speaking without vocal cords?
The thought passed in a flash, and Su Er lowered his gaze. The skeleton had said—only it could kill him.
Did that count as the beginning of love?
Su Er couldn't help but glance sideways at Mister Sea of Books. Maybe he should kick this one aside and go seduce someone new instead? If the Host himself had addressed it as ‘Ghost King,’ then its abilities must be nothing short of impressive.
While he was amusing himself in his misery, Mister Sea of Books had already lain back down on the bed. Su Er held his breath, pressed tightly against the wall. The Ghostbone Flower had already bloomed more than halfway—forget lasting until dawn, even lasting another hour would be tough.
Su Er tried to move a little. Without the distraction of the skeleton, almost at the same moment, Mister Sea of Books frowned slightly. He didn’t dare make another move.
For the next ten minutes, Su Er practically reverted into a snail, even turning his head with extreme caution. After much difficulty, he finally got off the bed. Just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of the maggot corpses beside the bed.
According to his earlier theory, the skeleton had been drawn by the maggots. But those worms were just underground creatures—not intelligent. Could they really be that mystical?
Su Er bit his lip, his eyes flickering with thought. After a moment, he pulled out the red paper he’d gotten during the day. He kept only three marked ones on him and stealthily stuffed the rest into the crevice of the bed.
Even after leaving the courtyard, he didn’t dare put the Ghostbone Flower away.
Outside the courtyard.
Ghosts had no shadows—but the skeleton did.
The moonlight stretched its broken bones into a long silhouette. Su Er’s eyelids twitched hard. No wonder it was called the Ghost King… even knew how to lie in wait. It was now pressed against the wall opposite the courtyard, clearly not fully believing Mister Sea of Books’ words.
The moment Su Er appeared, the skeleton seemed to sense something and moved forward slightly. But not long after, it retreated again, stubbornly guarding the outside of the courtyard.
The ancestral hall was no longer an option. After weighing his choices, Su Er quickly headed in the direction of the Li residence.
Once he was far enough away, he immediately put the Ghostbone Flower back in its box. The blooming slowed noticeably. As he closed the lid, Su Er thought to himself that the box must be a valuable item too.
With nothing to cover the scent anymore, he had to rely on hiding behind obstacles to advance, and his speed slowed considerably.
He climbed over the wall into the Li residence’s courtyard. Familiar with the layout, he found the workers' quarters. Just then, a complaint drifted through the air— “What kind of luck is this today?” The speaker had sharp senses and immediately turned at the sound by the wall. Their eyes met—Wan Yi looked surprised: “Su Er?”
Even more surprised was Wen Buyu: “What are you doing here?”
Su Er: “Hiding from a ghost. Looking for help.”
Su Er guessed Wen Buyu was probably here seeking protection. He frowned: “Where’s your red paper?”
Wen Buyu was clearly a bit wary.
That was a normal reaction. Su Er didn’t take offense. “Find a way to spread them out. The paper attracts ghosts.”
Wen Buyu was stunned, then her face went pale. Wan Yi cursed under his breath, “F**k.”
A man who usually seemed refined and gentle, swearing without any regard for his image—it was unexpected.
“No wonder…” Wan Yi glanced at Wen Buyu. Ever since she came, even with props, ghosts still managed to find them.
“It’s a waste to just throw them out,” Shen Jiangbei, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. “Everyone takes a few and then we split up.”
That had been Su Er’s idea too—hence he used the word ‘spread.’ But he was more concerned about Wen Buyu: “You didn’t go to the ancestral hall?”
It would’ve been fine if he hadn’t brought it up. At the mention of it, Wen Buyu couldn’t help but feel aggrieved: “Ji Heng kicked me out.”
Of course, she had no grounds to argue—after all, when she arrived, Ji Heng was already there.
Su Er: “I’ll go tell him about the red paper.”
Upon hearing that, Wan Yi looked at him with admiration. Regardless of how Su Er handled matters, at least he was a decent person.
Su Er gave him a slight nod, glanced at Shen Jiangbei, and then asked: “So, who’s willing to come with me?”
Su Er: “None of my values are at the threshold. I can’t take down a ghost.”
Wan Yi was someone who always weighed profit: “If we help you, what do we get?”
Su Er: “Ji Heng has the most red paper.”
The more red paper they had by the end, the more advantageous it would be for them.
Trying to get something for nothing—but they had to admit he had a point. Wan Yi sighed and said to Shen Jiangbei: “I’ll go with him.”
Once they left the Li residence, Wan Yi’s whole demeanor shifted, becoming highly alert, eyes scanning the surroundings with no hint of carelessness.
Su Er: “We’ll take a detour. There’s a big problem at the courtyard I used to stay in.”
Wan Yi gave him a long look but didn’t ask. They were lucky—didn’t run into a single ghost along the way. The deeper into the night it got, the quieter it became. Outside the ancestral hall, towering trees blocked out nearly all the moonlight.
Wan Yi carefully advanced in the dark. The door to the ancestral hall was open. The moment they stepped inside, they felt a sharp killing intent. It weakened noticeably when Ji Heng saw Su Er.
Ji Heng was leaning against a pillar and looked over. “Took you long enough.”
Su Er gave a bitter smile: “Got targeted by a skeleton—one that’s a Ghost King.”
“Impossible.” Before Ji Heng could speak, Wan Yi blurted out, “If you really ran into a Ghost King, you wouldn’t still be alive.”
Su Er: “I went to a temporary refuge.”
In a few words, he recounted his experience. But when he got to the conversation between Mister Sea of Books and the skeleton, he repeated it word for word: “What do you guys think… is the relationship between the hosts and the ghosts?”
A few seconds passed after the question—but no one answered.
Su Er looked up and saw Wan Yi staring at him in shock, with a look that was hard to describe.
What’s with that expression?
Su Er turned to Ji Heng and saw him deep in thought as well, so he asked, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Ji Heng finally spoke after a moment of silence, his voice returning to its usual calm. “It’s just… the story’s so absurd, I’m not sure who to feel sorry for.”
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