Before making the deal, Su Er had conducted a cautious assessment.
Even if Gou Baopu refused, he could still use the pendant as a backup. The item was precious, but ultimately meant to save his life.
Worst case, if the other party made a move, he’d gamble with the stun gun.
Gou Baopu fiddled with the red beads on his wrist, spinning them faster and faster. When the beads finally slowed down and came to a stop, he squinted his eyes slightly, as if he'd made a decision.
“You've got guts.”
Su Er didn’t care whether the words hid a threat or praise—he was already working out an escape plan in case the trade failed.
Gou Baopu rolled up his sleeves, his chubby hand flattening mid-air. A red glow from the beads quickly began to swirl around him.
This time, the smiling merchant couldn’t keep smiling. His expression turned dark. “You’re really going through with this trade?”
“Why not?” Gou Baopu looked innocently puzzled at just the right degree. “A good middleman should never refuse a reasonable deal.”
The Smiling Merchant warned, “The other party is also a ghost king.”
Gou Baopu merely chuckled. The red glow around his palm didn’t fade—instead, it grew even stronger. As soon as the smile disappeared from his face, a flash of malice passed through his eyes. He said to Su Er, “Watch carefully.”
Even if he wanted to, the intense red light made it impossible to keep his eyes open.
“Remote Item Retrieval.”
The four words hit like thunder, echoing again and again in Su Er’s ears. His heart skipped a beat. Was a ghost king really about to answer the call?
Fortunately, Gou Baopu wasn’t that powerful. When the red light faded, all that appeared on the table was a small mountain of red paper. Gou Baopu picked one up and sniffed it under his nose, nodding in satisfaction. “Not bad. Full of yin energy. A great tonic.”
The smiling merchant shook his head. “Offending a peer ghost king just for one deal—it’s not worth it.”
Whether from guilt or nerves, Su Er felt a powerful sense of malice swirl around when the red paper appeared, like resentment radiating from a skeleton far away.
But he was already knee-deep in debt to the ghost king—deep hatred had long been established. Even when the voting ended, the skeleton had wanted to tear his arm off in rage. Deal or not, the killing intent wouldn’t lessen.
Su Er steadied himself. “How much bounty will I get?”
Gou Baopu raised five fingers. “This much.”
Su Er made a bold guess. “Five million ghost coins?”
Gou Baopu was impressed by his thick skin. “Five hundred thousand.”
Su Er muttered, “That’s all it’s worth?”
As he talked, he guzzled down the rest of the water on the table, asking casually, “Can I pack this up to go?”
Gou Baopu shook his head.
Without another word, Su Er ate everything on the table.
As he got ready to leave with the host, Gou Baopu knocked on the table. “Take the marriage contract with you.”
Su Er paused, frowning slightly.
Gou Baopu explained, “I’m taking its property, not the person.”
Su Er sat back down and probed, “Can it be resold?”
Gou Baopu gave him a long look. “...No.”
Regretfully tucking the marriage contract back, Su Er asked one last question: “Can I transfer the bounty to someone else?”
“Whoever owns the wealth keeps it,” Gou Baopu said as he absorbed the yin energy from the red paper. “But you can pay on someone else’s behalf—as long as it doesn’t exceed fifty thousand.”
After using up four or five sheets of red paper, Gou Baopu was in a good mood and added, “Rooms must be one per person. Same with food. Sharing doesn’t work in the welfare zone.”
A purple card appeared in Su Er’s hand out of thin air.
As he reached the doorway, Su Er glanced at the nearby merchant whose expression had turned sour. “You had ties with my late husband?”
The Smiling Merchant coldly shook his head.
“Then why,” Su Er asked, puzzled, “are you so angry I traded with him?”
The Smiling Merchant replied, “Because I’ll be blamed by the other ghost king.”
He’d always conducted business smoothly—offending no one. This time, he was just caught in the crossfire.
A ghost doll walked down the hallway toward them, its mouth back to normal. When it reached Su Er, it politely asked, “Would the guest like to make a purchase?”
Su Er asked about the room rates.
“10000”
“10,000 per night.”
Su Er handed over the card. “Two rooms.”
The ghost doll worked efficiently. In no time, it returned the card.
The rest of the players were gathered at a corridor corner, watching both directions so they could run at the first sign of trouble.
Hou Kewei had come and gone quickly earlier. Compared to him, Su Er had been gone a long time.
“Probably bit the dust,” Lu Huan said, shaking his head in regret.
“Didn't the host say he had valuable treasures on him?” The man who had been eyeing Su Er with ill intent previously now seemed to have doubts.
Cai Dou.
Yao Zhi particularly glanced at the value on the man’s name tag, his gaze growing heavy.
“He’s back!” Lu Huan suddenly looked ahead, his surprised voice interrupting the others' calculations.
Not only was Su Er back, but he was also holding two door cards in his hand.
Cai Dou eagerly asked, ‘What did you trade for?”
Su Er replied, “A big treasure.”
With that, he handed Yao Zhi one of the door cards.
Cai Dou’s eyes turned a little green with envy. “Can I borrow it…”
Zhu Yanyan cut him off, giving him a look as if he were an idiot. She then turned to Su Er and asked, “If I wanted to borrow money from you, what would the cost be?”
Su Er shook his head. “I can only pay on someone else's behalf up to fifty thousand. A night’s accommodation costs ten thousand.”
He was clearly planning to use the limit on Yao Zhi.
Zhu Yanyan didn’t press further and started thinking of other ways out, occasionally speaking a few words with Zhao Xue.
Cai Dou then looked at the Smiling Merchant. “Aren’t the details of the trade supposed to be announced?”
At this point, Su Er had already been assigned a room and had casually wished Yao Zhi goodnight. Upon hearing this, he softly sighed, “No trade, no harm.”
What he said only made the others more curious.
Yao Zhi had no intention of delving into his student’s secrets. Just as he was about to enter his room, he heard the Smiling Merchant speak in an unusually cold tone, “He sold part of his late husband's estate. If anyone’s capable, feel free to look up to him.”
Before the host could speak, Su Er had entered the room. His two quick entrances into the game had yet to spread the news about his ghost king marriage. The players were left confused after hearing this.
Zhao Xue quietly asked, “Did his partner also enter the game?”
Lu Huan frowned. “Is this child of legal marriage age?”
Cai Dou was more concerned with something else. “Why ‘late husband’?”
He remembered that same-sex marriage laws hadn’t passed yet.
No matter how Su Er managed it, there were already three players successfully checked into rooms, and the atmosphere grew tense.
Zhao Xue was wracking her brain, trying to figure out what she could exchange, unconsciously scratching her palm to the point of almost drawing blood. Zhu Yanyan noticed and said, “No need to stress too much. More people in the rooms is actually a good thing.”
Zhao Xue didn’t quite understand. “Huh?”
Lu Huan nodded. “The rooms are relatively safe. But the dungeon can’t keep players in a state of safety forever. The night might not be as long as we expect.”
Either way, the game followed a 24-hour day rule. If the night lasted 20 hours, only four hours would be left for day. Once players had exchanged for high-grade items, they could hide in their rooms for most of the time, which didn’t align with the game’s tendency to torment players.
Zhao Xue sighed, “I need to figure out how to earn the bounty.”
When they had fled earlier, she noticed a restroom sign on one of the doors, with a note at the bottom stating a 500 fee per use.
That night didn’t pass peacefully. They encountered another chef chasing them, but, as Zhu Yanyan had predicted, just as they were about to be drained of their strength, the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon.
One wall away.
Su Er slept soundly. Everything in the room, including the shower, was covered by the room fee. There was a warm reminder next to the mirror: raw water is not drinkable.
No one was foolish enough to test the rules the game laid out in plain sight. Su Er took a shower, feeling refreshed as he stepped outside.
Just as Yao Zhi also exited his room, the two walked toward the lobby together.
“Thanks to you, I slept well too.” Yao Zhi’s voice was a bit hoarse from not drinking water all night.
Before Su Er could speak, Yao Zhi adjusted his glasses. “I’ll find time to tutor you. I’ll repay you even a little bit if I can.”
Joking aside, Su Er knew that Yao Zhi had taken good care of him in the game. When danger had occurred before, Yao Zhi had been the first to pull him away. Feeling touched by the memory, Su Er made a promise, “Don’t worry, teacher. I’ll never sell you out.”
Yao Zhi’s eyelids twitched. When he looked up, he saw Su Er flashing a shy smile. He thought to himself, this brat is definitely getting back at him for that tutoring suggestion.
As they walked into the lobby, they saw only Zhu Yanyan.
Su Er asked, “Where are the others?”
Zhu Yanyan replied, “Doing tasks.”
With no money for breakfast, they had to hurry out to earn some bounties.
“Then you…”
“They chose some simple physical tasks,” Zhu Yanyan pointed to a few on the list, shaking her head. “The rewards are very low. At this rate, it will turn into a vicious cycle.”
Yao Zhi saw through it all. “You’re staying because you want to cooperate with us?”
Zhu Yanyan nodded and looked at the top mission: ‘Clean one of the guest rooms: 1211, 1233, or 1265.’ It seemed ordinary at first glance, but the bounty was the highest.
These happened to be the rooms Su Er and the others stayed in last night.
Yao Zhi narrowed his eyes. “What served as a refuge at night might turn into a death trap by day.”
It effectively prevented players from trying to hide in their rooms during the day to enjoy peace and quiet.
Zhu Yanyan expressed her hope that Su Er could cover the cost of breakfast for her: “If the task is completed, I’ll pay you back. I can also go in first when we enter the room.”
Su Er looked at Yao Zhi, who gave a small nod.
Zhu Yanyan’s physical power had just broken through a critical threshold. Against weaker monsters, she could still put up a fight. And since none of them knew what was waiting in the guest rooms, having someone lead the charge was ideal.
Su Er said, “Alright.”
Zhu Yanyan was very tactful and only picked the cheapest bread and a glass of water.
Even the cheapest food at the breakfast table cost 1,000. Su Er didn’t dare to be extravagant either and ate simply. After a brief rest, the three of them stood in front of Room 1233.
Zhu Yanyan kept her word and took the lead. She swiped the card, and as the door swung open, a foul stench rushed out to assault their senses.
Gripping the doorframe tightly, Zhu Yanyan barely suppressed her instinct to flee. “It’s that thing from last night.”
Su Er remembered the creature vividly. He still recalled the chilling presence it exuded—far more intense than the ghost doll’s. That was why he hadn’t hesitated to trade with Gou Baopu back then.
Zhu Yanyan looked up. “Seems like it can’t get out.”
The strange creature on the ceiling was squeezing a thin membrane through a crack, struggling to extend itself outward—it looked quite difficult.
She cautiously took a step forward and remained unharmed. The only danger was the poisonous liquid dripping down from above, which had a corrosive effect. Zhu Yanyan was fairly bold. She sprinted through the room, flinging open every window. If there was poison gas, good ventilation would at least help a little.
Yao Zhi watched the scene with no trace of relief. “Something’s off.”
The task seemed too easy.
“Don’t go in yet,” Yao Zhi said to Su Er. “The monster might be trying to lull us into letting our guard down—then kill us all at once.”
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind blew from behind. He quickly pulled Su Er aside. Though they dodged it, they also ended up stepping inside the room’s boundary.
Looking carefully, they saw that outside was also lined with translucent membranes. One of them dropped down and swept forward, slamming the door shut. All the surrounding cracks were stuffed tight with slime.
Yao Zhi nearly lost his glasses during the dodge and frowned. “This is bad.”
Su Er said, “This creature is huge—and not stupid.”
Its attacks weren’t strong, otherwise it wouldn’t bother trapping them this way.
Seeing what he was thinking, Yao Zhi said helplessly, “If it were any stronger, it’d already be a new Ghost King.”
Zhu Yanyan suggested, “We could try jumping out the windo—”
Before she finished, she backed away. The mucous membrane had smeared itself over the window, forming a translucent barrier. At that moment, the creature effortlessly squeezed through the crack—everything they saw before had been an illusion.
Dozens of yellow-brown eyeballs locked onto the players in the room. The monster didn’t attack right away. Like a cat playing with mice, it seemed to want to enjoy their struggle first.
Zhu Yanyan clenched her fists. “Even with all three of us, we’re no match.”
In this game, ghosts were almost impossible to defeat. There were exceptions, but they were far beyond what they could currently manage.
Su Er instinctively reached for his stun gun but shook his head and let go. Being too reliant on any one thing wasn’t a good habit.
Corrosive liquid kept dripping from above, forcing the three of them to stand back-to-back— a case of being trapped with nowhere to run.
Su Er quietly asked, “Do you think it’s intelligent—like a person?”
Zhu Yanyan gave a bitter laugh. “Not quite, but close.”
After all, it wasn’t a Ghost King yet.
Su Er: “How likely is it to understand human speech?”
No one could answer that.
Just then, the creature seemed to have played enough. The mucous membranes surged in from all directions—going for a killing blow.
Su Er suddenly looked up and asked, “Do you know who your parents are?”
The monster didn’t react. Su Er continued, “Actually, you have a very extraordinary origin!”
Whether human or monster, the essence of existence was to pursue power and uniqueness. Upon hearing this, the membranes stopped a meter away.
Su Er exhaled slightly in relief. Good—it seemed to understand human speech. Calming his heartbeat, he asked, “What would happen if I knocked over a glass of water here?”
The monster naturally didn’t answer. Su Er answered for it: “I’d probably have to pay several times its value. But look around…”
The bed and cabinets were already destroyed. The floor was riddled with tiny holes from corrosion—not to mention the carpet.
Su Er: “Last night, you also destroyed a very expensive carpet. The ghost doll serves customers in the castle. The chef handles cooking. Everyone has a job. Why would the Ghost King let you stay here… to wreck everything?”
Even Yao Zhi and Zhu Yanyan looked surprised by this line of reasoning. They’d only seen Gou Baopu once, but he clearly acted like a businessman. Why would he allow a monster to wreak havoc on his turf?
Su Er kept a straight face and flattered, “Besides, you’re still growing stronger. One day, you might evolve into a Ghost King and become the new ruler here. Why would he let you grow unchecked?”
Dozens of yellow-brown eyes now showed faint confusion.
Su Er declared, “That means you’re a Ghost Royal—your background is powerful.”
Several tentacles extended from the monster’s forehead. It couldn’t speak, and Su Er couldn’t tell what it wanted to express. To regain control, he said seriously, “Even if you asked him yourself, Gou Baopu might not tell you the truth. Why not help me complete a few tasks, earn some bounty, and I’ll exchange the money for information?”
A few drops of slime fell onto the side of Su Er’s clothes, corroding the sleeve instantly. He said in a low voice, “Gou Baopu is a businessman. He even dared to sell off a Ghost King’s widower. Of course he’d be willing to do other shady deals.”
As a middleman, Gou Baopu would never just buy without selling.
Zhu Yanyan couldn’t help looking at Su Er. His expression was utterly sincere. “The missions are only available to guests like us. You wouldn’t get paid even if you did them. So this is a win-win—I’ll just relay the info and take a runner’s fee.”
The monster didn’t make a decision right away. The toxic slime swayed closer and farther, clearly in thought.
At that moment, Zhu Yanyan suddenly felt that, compared to Su Er, Gou Baopu was a terribly underwhelming middleman.
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