Chapter 10

Xia Lingze had no idea what a complex mix of emotions his Uncle Tiedan was feeling, and asked cheerily, "How was it?"

Tiedan opened his mouth, words hovering on the tip of his tongue, only to hesitate and stop. Finally, he managed, "...It was fine."

Watching the boy’s cheerful silhouette fade into the distance, Tiedan felt a wave of gloom as he recalled the lecture Changgui had given him yesterday.

Changgui had pointed out that while they had resolved the issue with the Bear Ghost, leaving such a gaping hole in the marketplace was a dangerous liability. If there was a Bear Ghost today, there could be a second, a third, or a fourth tomorrow, the day after, or the day after that.

Lingze had been raised by them to be so innocent and kind that he was an easy target for any scam. If something truly irreversible were to happen, there would be nowhere left to cry.

The logic was sound. But what could Tiedan do? The situation was already set in motion; even if he offered his own ghostly life as an apology, it wouldn't change anything.

He repented, he regretted, he was wrong.

Truth be told, to avoid exposing their secret, the residents of Guiyi Village—who were all powerful ghosts capable of self-sufficiency—had to maintain their human facade. They insisted on giving Lingze items to barter at the market, acting as if they were desperate to trade. This was the very reason the village chief had "urged" Xia Lingze to go at the start.

Heaven knows the items they got in return were practically useless to them, while the ghosts who received their goods were likely grinning from ear to ear.

It was like someone trading a head of ordinary cabbage for a bar of gold (assuming no famine and normal cabbage status).

They were making an absolute killing.

***

Flash back to one month ago.

The Snake Lady, an S-rank phantom who called herself She Jie, noted down what Xia Lingze needed and returned to her own ghostly domain, summoning her butler.

Her butler was a D-rank minor ghost. Not particularly strong, he was valuable for his useful abilities, especially in the realm of gossip, which was the only reason the Snake Lady had kept him around.

The reason was simple: the Snake Lady loved gossip. Whenever there was juicy news, she would rush to the scene to consume it fresh; if she missed it, listening to a broadcast was just as good.

The Snake Lady had even named her butler "Bagua" (Gossip). His ability was to randomly conjure up one piece of explosive gossip every day.

He was practically made for the Snake Lady.

Bagua thought so, too. Among humans, he could get by, but among his own kind, he was essentially cannon fodder. His life before being taken in by the Snake Lady couldn't be called good—it was a cycle of starving and getting beaten up. Only after being under the Snake Lady’s protection did his life improve. He wouldn't go as far as to say he swaggered, but at least he could walk with his head held high, and no ghost dared to touch him.

Of course, he didn't dare to show off in front of powerful ghosts; he only acted tough in front of weaker ones.

At the same time, based on his own experiences, Bagua had realized a truth: before meeting the Snake Lady, he hated his own useless, trash-like abilities. After meeting her, he realized there were no trash abilities, only trash ghosts who hadn't found a use for them.

Yes, the profound wisdom in that statement was deafening. He truly was a genius.

Because his previous ghostly life had been so difficult—where smaller ghosts were often eaten as snacks by stronger ones—Bagua had developed the instincts of an intelligence officer to survive.

If he was lucky, combined with his gossip ability—such as leaking where a certain powerful ghost was heading or what they were planning—he could avoid dangerous areas at the first sign of trouble.

Thus, the Snake Lady hadn't summoned Bagua for gossip this time. She asked him if he knew where to find festive items like bridal gowns, incense, candles, and couplets, emphasizing that they couldn't be ordinary—they had to be high-end and worth showing off.

Upon hearing this, Bagua realized she was preparing a gift. He rubbed his hands together and asked cautiously, "May I ask who this gift is for?" Fearing the Snake Lady might think he was prying, he quickly added, "Everyone has different tastes. To satisfy the recipient, you have to cater to their preferences and start with the details."

The Snake Lady pondered. She had only met Xia Lingze a few times, and each meeting was short. She hadn't paid attention to his personal tastes, only knowing that he wanted these items because someone around him was getting married. To put it bluntly, the gift wasn't for Xia Lingze, but for the person—no, the ghost—getting married.

Thinking of this, the Snake Lady said, "Atmospheric, luxurious, prestigious, elegant... it must reflect my status. Therefore, you must consider many factors: quality, appearance, and even fame must be weighed carefully."

Bagua nodded. "I understand."

Then he fell into a brainstorming session.

A while later.

"Regarding the bridal gown, I think we can target the Bridal Ghost. For incense and candles, the Incense Guest is perfect. For the couplets, we can use paper from the Paper Doll Wraith, use the Shadow Ghost as a brush, and find the Painted Skin Ghost to write the characters—its calligraphy is the best..."

If there was ever a death list, this was it.

The Snake Lady adopted Bagua’s suggestions.

And so, some ghosts were about to have a very bad day.

The "Ghost Wedding" instance. It was a name coined by people trying to find humor in misery, but in reality, it wasn't a game. The official designation was the Ghost Wedding Domain.

The reason the sharp-witted netizens hadn't changed the name "Ghost Wedding," only the suffix, was because the core theme of this domain was a ghost wedding. It was the most fitting and descriptive term; no other word would do.

Everyone who entered this domain began with a coffin. They lay inside, playing the role of a bride in a ghost wedding.

The only way to survive and escape the mansion—set in the home of a wealthy landlord from a bygone era—was to flee. The landlord's eldest son had died young, and his parents, fearing their son would be lonely in the afterlife, decided to hold a ghost wedding for him.

Since their son was so precious, they naturally wanted a bride who was both beautiful and excellent. They set their sights on the daughter of a local farmer.

Even though she was of humble birth, the girl was clever, sweet, and delicate. The couple took a fancy to her immediately.

But she was alive; how could she be a ghost bride?

When the farmer learned the landlord was willing to pay a high price, he smiled obsequiously. "Don't you worry, I'll have her sent to you tomorrow!"

The rest goes without saying; for the girl, it was a tragedy of the highest order.

Survival time was limited to seven days; exceeding that meant certain death.

To this day, only one person had successfully escaped, let alone found the core of the domain to take the fragment and destroy it entirely.

Fortunately, as long as one didn't approach the domain, they wouldn't be pulled in—a lesson learned over nearly sixty years since the resurgence of ghosts.

That was why, when Duan Xuexue simply opened her door to pick up a delivery and suddenly felt the world go black, she nearly screamed when she opened her eyes to find herself lying in a coffin.

Besides her, there were four other unlucky souls.

Because the government had released textbooks and notices informing citizens what to do if they accidentally entered a ghostly domain, the five of them remained relatively calm and began to search for clues after leaving their coffins.

High-level domains were dangerous because the ghosts within them were dangerous; correspondingly, their conditions for killing were much harsher than those of minor ghosts.

As long as you didn't break the rules and helped them fulfill their wishes or satisfy their regrets within the time limit, they couldn't touch you.

—This was why the market domain was so special; the ghosts there couldn't harm humans at all from start to finish, and humans just had to find the exit and run.

Hu Maocai searched around but found nothing special. Like a thief, he pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard, finding four rooms in total, including his own.

Perhaps the clues were in the other rooms.

Thinking this, Hu Maocai swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and chose the room on the left, reaching out to push the door open.

Just then, the person inside opened the door.

Eyes met, and two screams rang out.

The people in the other three rooms heard the commotion; the timid ones lay back in their coffins, while the braver ones pushed open their doors to investigate.

Two minutes later.

The five of them stared at each other in silence.

There were seven S-rank ghost domains in total, highlighted in red on the official website. Almost everyone had seen them—even if they couldn't reach them, it was good to be informed.

This habit was the only reason the five of them weren't completely lost.

"How did you all get in? I was sleeping at home when I felt something hard beneath me, and it turned into a coffin."

"I was opening the door for a delivery."

"I was working overtime at the office."

"Playing ball."

"In class."

...It seemed they had all been pulled in inexplicably.

"How could this happen? Has the domain evolved? Can it forcibly drag people in?"

"We'll only know that if we make it out alive," Zhai Zhiyu said, his voice laced with despair. "An S-rank domain... and none of us are professionals. We're just ordinary people. We're as good as dead."

Everyone understood this truth, and expressions of hopelessness washed over their faces.

Indeed, they were dead. Even when professional teams went in, often only one survived. They didn't stand a chance.

Just as the five of them were sinking into despair, a series of roars suddenly erupted from outside the courtyard, accompanied by shrieks.

"What do you think you're doing! We aren't even in the same domain!"

"I need your bridal gown."

"Impossible!"

"I figured you'd say that."

A female ghost wearing a red bridal gown, her face livid with rage and her eyes bleeding, looked ferocious.

So you just started by robbing me, too lazy to waste your breath?

The bridal gown was the foundation of her existence; how could she give it to another ghost?

Moreover, the opponent was stronger than her. Why would she want her gown? It had to be intentional! She knew—she wanted to annex her territory.

Inside the courtyard.

Duan Xuexue said uncertainly, "Uh... it sounds like a fight has broken out outside?"

Hu Maocai’s eyes lit up. "This is our chance! While the ghosts are busy, let's find the exit!"