Misleading

Zhou You chose the left path for two reasons.

First, the female ghost's path was the easiest to take. The path to the Eyeball Ghost on the right was far too dark, and the ground was in terrible condition. The Pious Ghost in the middle was at the end of the road, nearly doubling the distance he'd have to run.

Second, among all the ghosts, the Eyeball Ghost would kill him as soon as he turned around, while the Pious Ghost went a step further: just looking at it would cost him his head. Only the female ghost's Skin Peeling required some time to activate.

All things considered, this was the best option. The only question was whether triggering the female ghost would also trigger another spatial fold. But judging by the result, Zhou You had made the right bet!

The White-Clad Ghost's figure had disappeared from sight, but a furious howl rang out behind him. Yin energy that seemed to seep into his very bones swept toward him, but Zhou You didn't stop. He sprinted straight through the intersection, then turned without hesitation and ran in another direction.

His goal was simple.

The Gui Po's shop!

The howling behind him clung to him like a bone-deep curse. He couldn't see the ghost's face, but the shrill, resentful sound alone made it clear that if it caught him this time, his fate would be hundreds of times more terrifying than having his skin peeled off.

But he wasn't the least bit afraid. Whenever his pace began to slow, he cut into his arm with the knife. Only after his entire arm was slick with blood did he finally reach the shop.

At night, the shop seemed even more suffused with ghostly energy than it had during the day. Zhou You didn't bother knocking. He kicked the door open, grabbed the handle, and pulled it shut hard behind him!

A few seconds later, the lingering chill behind him finally faded. It seemed the old woman hadn't been lying: this house really could block monsters from sensing what was inside.

But the enraged Sinister Object had no intention of giving up. Even after Zhou You had made it indoors, he could still hear its ceaseless wailing.

"Still, at least I can catch my breath. I've lost a lot of blood on the way here..."

Zhou You shook his head with a wry smile. Just as he lifted it, he suddenly saw a pair of eyes.

Old, furious eyes, as if they wanted to devour him alive.

But when Zhou You met that gaze, he suddenly smiled.

"Oh, isn't this the shopkeeper? You're still open this late? You must be working hard. By the way, have you eaten?"

The other party ignored his exuberant greeting. Grinding her teeth, she spoke one word at a time.

"I think I told you not to cause me trouble. And yet you brought this thing here, deliberately leading it right to my door. What exactly are you trying to do?"

The smile on Zhou You's face didn't change. If anything, he spoke with even greater familiarity.

"Come on, shopkeeper, there's no need to put it like that. What do you mean, deliberately? I ran into this thing by accident, and with nowhere else to go, I could only come hide in your shop. You're such a kind old lady—you wouldn't turn me away, would you?"

At the unmistakable provocation, the Gui Po gave him a vicious grin. The fingernails on her hands twisted and stretched like dead branches. She was about to teach this ignorant brat a lesson—

But when she saw how calm he still looked, she suddenly stopped.

—No, something was off. He was acting completely differently from how he had during the day. There was no smoke without fire. Could this guy have... set a trap for me?

The Gui Po raced through the faces of all her enemies in her mind, but none of them matched the man in front of her.

In the end, she could only grit her teeth and point at the door.

"Get out. You're not welcome in my shop anymore. If you leave while you still have the chance, I might let this go!"

Who could have guessed?

The man grinned, then drawled, "And what if I don't?"

The Gui Po laughed in fury.

After all his taunting, she stopped thinking about her enemies. Zhou You couldn't turn the place upside down while he was inside her shop, and she could deal with whatever scheme he had later. Was she, a Gui Po, really going to let a human walk all over her?

She spread her hands, their fingers now as sharp as daggers, and gave a savage grin.

"Then you're not leaving. My legs have been giving me trouble lately, and I was just thinking of getting a new pair. So why don't you leave your body behind as compensation?"

But just as she was about to strike, a clear bell suddenly rang.

In the next instant, it was as if someone had hit pause. Every movement stopped.

The Gui Po froze with her claws poised to grab him, her body stiff as she stared toward the outside.

At some point, the wailing had stopped. Now, just beyond the shop's door, the faint sound of sobbing could be heard.

—The Faceless Ghost was right outside.

The shopkeeper suddenly looked up and glared at Zhou You with all her might.

"What did you do?!"

"Actually, it's nothing much."

Still smiling, Zhou You took the bell that could rouse monsters off his wrist and casually spun it around his index finger.

"This is just a little precaution on my part, so you don't get carried away in a fit of menopause. But don't get the wrong idea—I'm only doing this to protect myself. I mean no harm."

The shopkeeper didn't respond. She just stared fixedly at the spinning bell. After a long moment, she finally asked, "What do you want?"

"It's easy talking to someone smart." Zhou You stopped spinning the bell and smiled without warmth. "What I want is simple. You should have something that can help me avoid those ghosts, right? I'd really rather not have to pay with my organs, so... would you be willing to let me have them on credit?"

Her gaze instantly turned ravenous. But with the bell ready to ring at any moment, she could only grit her teeth, take a face from her stall, and throw it at Zhou You.

"Fine. You've got what you wanted. With this, the thing outside can't kill you. Now get out!"

But Zhou You didn't move.

He casually stuffed the face into his clothes, then said, "I said 'those ghosts,' so please hand over all the items, old lady."

"You son of a—don't push your luck!"

"Don't make me laugh. How could I possibly be worse than you, taking advantage of people and using them for spare parts?" Zhou You shook the bell. Its clear chime sounded faintly. "There are two more. Hand them over, or I don't mind going down with you right here. I'm just a nobody, and you're a crooked Gui Po. That's a good trade for me, isn't it?"

A dozen seconds later, an eyeball and a piece of incense were thrown at him.

"Now... are you satisfied?"

"Of course I'm satisfied. I never expected you to be so generous. Thank you." Zhou You smiled like a flower in full bloom. Just as the Gui Po thought he'd finally leave, he seemed to remember something and raised his battered right arm.

"Oh, one last favor. Look how badly I've hurt my arm getting here. Do you have any ointment you could spare?"

This time, the Gui Po couldn't even be bothered to get angry. She stared at Zhou You as if she wanted to carve his image into her mind, then tossed him several small boxes.

"That's all you're getting. If you make one more demand, I'll kill you even if it means we both die. Now get out."

Only then did Zhou You let his smile fade. He didn't turn around; he simply backed toward the door. When he reached it, he straightened up.

Then—

He put the bell back on his wrist and shook it hard.

The next instant, a shriek that sounded nothing like a human voice rang out.

"What are you doing?! I gave you everything you asked for! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Zhou You only raised the Blood-Stained Knife, aimed it at his heart, and smiled.

"I'm used to dying by now. It's no big deal to me. But since we've made enemies of each other, I'm not going to give you another chance to get in my way."

"Of course, the main reason is..."

Zhou You slowly drove the blade into his chest.

"—As someone who lives for the fun of it, I genuinely want to smash up your shop."

Then, with a piercing shriek, that flash of white rushed inside!