At Gu Zhe's words,
a flicker of excitement crossed Qiu Jianguo's face.
Did my family have some mysterious connection like this? Had I actually met someone who knew me in the Underworld?
He kept searching his memory. Was it my great-grandfather who went missing, an old acquaintance of the Qiu family, or the beggar I gave buns to as a child...?
Gu Zhe did not let his imagination soar for long.
He said mildly,
"Your wife and child happen to be customers of my boss. For the sake of that connection, this Wooden Tumor Fruit will cover your rent!"
Gu Zhe had no intention of hiding anything.
After all, unless he killed this ghost, as long as the fellow survived and found a way to communicate with the living world, he would eventually learn the whole story.
The man had no quarrel with him and had even provided coordinates for the ritual. Why kill him? He was not some indiscriminate murderer.
Besides,
why hide it?
Rumors of supernatural phenomena were everywhere. As reality grew increasingly uncertain, people would not necessarily believe them.
And as reality gradually changed, he had no intention of skulking around like a rat in a sewer forever.
The Gu Family had once been the richest family in the country.
After their bankruptcy, everyone had scattered, as though everything they once had had turned to ash.
When they fell on hard times, no one offered help. Their connections had proved utterly useless.
But once they showed signs of rising again, certain things that had scattered would come back together faster than they would for ordinary people.
After all, the attention and name recognition were still there. The law firms they had once worked with and the various influential figures they had partnered with would still give them some consideration.
So Gu Zhe was not particularly afraid of attracting attention.
Of course, he was not that naive.
The most important reason was that, while patching up the spirit house over the past two days,
Gu Zhe had also keenly observed that certain changes were indeed growing more drastic.
For instance, news reports said that Dragon Country's government had begun regulating swords and blades. All factories producing them now needed special operating licenses, and their sale required dedicated retailers and registration...
Some people online mocked the government for being overly wary of its citizens. Others thought it was going too far. But those with keen instincts would notice that restrictions seemed to be tightening across several industries.
Some kind of change was taking place without anyone realizing it.
This was destined to be an age of fierce contention!
This was an unprecedented transformation. Naturally, the old rules of the game would be adjusted and changed.
From inside the Human Effigy puppet, Gu Zhe surveyed the Netherworld.
Certainty shone in his eyes.
"At least I already have the key to the new world!"
Understanding dawned on Qiu Jianguo.
So that was it. He felt even more grateful to his wife and child. What incredible judgment they had...
The other ghosts stared at Qiu Jianguo with gleaming eyes, privately resolving to uncover his secret.
Gu Zhe turned his gaze toward the man who had identified the Wooden Tumor Fruit.
He looked to be in his fifties, with a frail body and a sleazy expression. He coughed occasionally, looking every bit a consumptive ghost.
His eyes were darting about now, and there was no telling what he was thinking.
Gu Zhe looked him over.
His friendly smile-a twisted grin-made the consumptive ghost shudder instinctively.
"What should I call you, sir? How many years have you been a ghost? You seem to know a thing or two."
"Hehe, sir, my name is Ye Qiang. I've had a miserable time and never found an opportunity to grow stronger. I've barely managed to scrape by, but I've actually been wandering the Netherworld for nearly five years."
"I've just seen and heard a few more things, that's all!"
"Hehe, I'd say I qualify as a veteran little ghost..."
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward the sign.
"Hehe, sir, come to think of it, I have a connection with you too. Back when I was alive, the place I worked was also called the Gu Group. You could call that a connection."
"Oh, so you're a former colleague!"
A colleague?
The consumptive ghost's eyes lit up.
"Sir, I was part of the Gu Group's management too..."
Inside, he was utterly shaken.
Was this Gu Group apartment building in the Underworld really connected to the Gu Group in the living world?
The Gu Group was terrifying! Doing business in both worlds? That was a bit much.
Hadn't they supposedly gone bankrupt?
Could going bankrupt in the living world let you expand into the Underworld? That made no sense!
"Interesting. Which factory were you in charge of? Were you a general manager or a plant manager...?"
"Ahem, sir, I was a line supervisor. The dozen or so people on our production line were all under my command."
Gu Zhe was speechless. That certainly was a generous definition of management.
"Sir, I've only been around a little longer than the other ghosts and wandered through a few more places. If you don't mind, I'll tell you everything I know!"
Gu Zhe neither agreed nor disagreed.
After a while,
he said mildly,
"Since you're a former Gu Group employee, and our Underworld business is just getting started, this apartment building needs a manager familiar with the local situation. Would you be interested?"
"The monthly salary... hmm... let's set it at 0.3 ling for now! We'll adjust it once we sort out the currency system."
Gu Zhe remembered that the first old ghost had mentioned Nether Iron Coins, Talisman Money, Spirit Crystals, and the like. The Netherworld was vast, with horrors and myths lurking within it. Surely some of its factions had established systems of exchange.
That was hardly surprising. Whether ghosts, monsters, or gods, anything with intelligence would have a need to communicate and trade.
This Underworld they were in had supposedly returned from the chaos of some bygone era. It was not a newly born domain formed through the evolution of the void realm, as the Bone Dragon had described.
"Yes! I'm willing!"
Although he had no idea how much 0.3 ling was worth,
he would get to join a faction that was clearly far from ordinary and manage an apartment building for ghosts and monsters. Looking at those expressionless, frail-looking blade-wielders, he felt this would be much more impressive than his old job as a line supervisor.
He would also be spared rent and could absorb yin energy in peace. The longer he wandered this terrifying world, the more he understood how important it was to have a place where he could grow stronger without fear!
Naturally, he was more than willing.
Especially when he saw the other ghosts' envious gazes.
Even his sleazy ghostly form seemed to gain confidence.
After that,
they continued renting out the apartments.
Gu Zhe watched from the side.
"Pah! You little ghost, this dull gray rock-you think I don't know? You picked it up beside the Rocky Pool over there, didn't you?"
"Your spiritual essence is fairly clear and serene. Looks like you haven't been killing ghosts and devouring souls. Tsk, tsk, your body is pretty solid. You're almost a yin ghost. You've got a future, brother!"
"Damn, you've got Wooden Tumor Fruit too? Brother, it'll take at least two to cover the same amount! Why bother? You'd be better off saving them to eat yourself. Spiritual essence? A bit of cultivation will replenish that!"
"Hmm, brother, this apartment comes fully equipped. Isn't it better than living in a crack between rocks? What are you hesitating for? Your lack of ambition is infuriating! If spiritual essence weren't a substance of belief that you can only extract of your own free will, I'd do it for you. Honestly, what a waste!"
"You old ghost, you named this Crow Root Grass yourself, didn't you? Some nameless grass that looks strange and won't even get eaten by ghost bugs, and you want to use it to swindle our Gu Group apartments..."
"Hmm, this Nether Jujube is indeed quite good. It nourishes the soul. They say it even has a slight effect on the living, helping calm the mind and focus the spirit. Sir, it's worth three months' rent."
Gu Zhe nodded.
He gestured for it to be handed to the eerie Paper Figure beside him.
This consumptive ghost, Ye Qiang, was pretty good. He did know more than Gu Zhe and was more adaptable than his eerie Paper Figure subordinates.
"Use your own judgment. Just don't slack off, and be diligent in your duties. Hehe, the laws of the living world don't apply here. Our Gu Group can make its own decisions."
Ye Qiang ducked his head.
"Sir, whether in the living world or the Underworld, ahem, well, I've always been utterly loyal to our Gu Group!"
"Carry on!"
"Yes!"
A while later,
Ye Qiang stared fearfully at the woman in red before him.
His eyes quickly swept over her lovely face.
Then he looked at the expressionless guards.
Only then did he straighten up.
He gave a cold snort.
He seemed to be trying to impress Gu Zhe.
"You Red-Clothed Female Ghost, dressed like that-you must have died full of resentment. And with that sinister aura now, you're following the path of a Vengeful Ghost, aren't you? Hmph, your soul's spiritual essence has already been contaminated. It isn't pure... Besides, our Gu Family apartments have rules. Don't cause trouble. And anyway, you Vengeful Ghosts don't need... hurry up and..."
"Heehee, big brother, you're being too extreme. Look at me. Do I seem out of control? Heehee, we're all ghosts. Only ghosts with intelligence are good ghosts. That's what really matters. Heehee, do I look mad to you?"
For some reason,
Ye Qiang could hear an icy chill beneath her giggling.
"Then your rent..."
"Heehee, look what this is!"
"Ah, th-this... could it be Talisman Money...?"