Chapter 92

The new policy of recruiting ghosts lingering in the human world to work for humans was jointly developed by the Special Unit and the Underworld. Zhang Daoist and others submitted the recruitment plan to the Yin Messengers, who approved it with a single word: “Allowed.” The next morning, a black plaque appeared on the office desk, inscribed with the words “Supernatural Affairs Office” in bold, sweeping strokes. The imposing calligraphy exuded an eerie chill.

Liao Yuan the Monk accompanied Gu Feiyin to visit the Supernatural Affairs Office and found that it was much like any ordinary workplace for humans. There were offices for managers, directors, and secretaries, as well as a general workspace for employees. Each ghost was provided with a desk, chair, and computer. Additionally, there was a cafeteria, rest areas, and meeting rooms. Even the little ghosts could eat in the cafeteria, each equipped with a meal card.

It was, one could say, quite humane.

Liao Yuan the Monk couldn’t help but marvel. Who would have thought that nowadays, ghosts could not only participate in post-disaster rescue efforts but also collaborate with humans and secure legitimate jobs?

Jingxing also couldn’t resist commenting, “Shizhu Gu is truly remarkable. Without her, the situation for ghosts would likely never have improved to this extent.”

“Of course!” Liao Yuan the Monk puffed out his chest. “Sis Gu is undoubtedly the best.”

Jingxing watched his Shifu puffing up his chest like a fighter jet, wearing a proud and self-satisfied expression. 🙂

Zhen Du joined in the fun, his injured arm still in a sling. “I’m really curious about Shizhu Gu. To achieve what she has today, her fate must be extraordinary.”

Liao Yuan the Monk glanced at the fresh bump on Zhen Du’s forehead and remarked, “I’m curious about you too. To be as unlucky as you, your fate must be quite unique as well.”

Zhen Du squinted and smiled, lifting his eyelids to glance at his forehead. With a resigned tone, he said, “I guess I was born with a cursed fate. Nothing special about it.”

…Well, at least you’re self-aware.

Gu Feiyin wandered around the little ghosts’ office several times, so envious she was nearly in tears. She still didn’t have a proper desk! She didn’t even have her own office! At most, she had a changing room, let alone a decent desk, chair, or computer.

At that moment, she had to admit she was jealous.

The little ghosts were brimming with excitement. “Wow, is this where we’ll be working from now on?”

“It’s so nice! Is the food here expensive? Is there a convenience store? Can I buy some snacks or maybe a shroud? I want to get my wife some new clothes.”

“I heard meal costs are deducted from our salaries. We can use either human currency or Ghost Money, and just exchange it at the finance office. As for new clothes, you can probably get them made at a shroud shop.”

“I’d like that, but wouldn’t the shopkeeper be scared to death if I showed up?”

“We can apply to the higher-ups. If enough of us need clothes, they might approve a group order.”

“…”

Gu Feiyin drooped her head, feeling even more envious. But on second thought, her current workplace wasn’t bad either. The work was easy, her kind boss treated her well, and she occasionally received red envelopes. Thinking about it, she felt a bit more balanced. After all, she was different from the little ghosts. She couldn’t turn invisible, walk through walls, or leap across rooftops. In terms of actual abilities, she really couldn’t compare to them.

Suddenly, she felt the pressure of her job increase. What if a haunted house developed a project where real little ghosts played the role of ghosts? Would her haunted house still stand a chance? After all, how could humans compete with real ghosts? She might actually end up unemployed! That would be terrifying.

…

After touring the “Supernatural Affairs Office,” Gu Feiyin and the others had dinner at the cafeteria. Zhang Daoist, ever the gracious host, prepared a feast of fish and meat for her. Meanwhile, the three little monks dined on tofu and green vegetables, their meals delicately prepared. As for the little ghosts, they naturally queued up at the cafeteria windows for their meals, with dishes like drumsticks and braised pork aplenty. After dinner, they could even buy a candle as a snack. Their lives were, to say the least, quite comfortable.

Zhang Daoist mentioned that once the “Supernatural Affairs Office” gained a reputation, more benevolent ghosts would surely come to submit their resumes. They were even planning to burn a few more buildings by the river, fearing that there wouldn’t be enough housing for all the ghosts. After all, not just any ghost could be hired. If the place became overcrowded with ghosts, they couldn’t just float around aimlessly, as it might disrupt public order and cause panic. They needed proper accommodations.

Currently, the office was just a pilot project. If it proved successful, it could be implemented nationwide.

Gu Feiyin’s eyes lit up. Couldn’t she open a ghost hotel? Burn a few large buildings with a hotel-style layout, charge tens of thousands per night, and wouldn’t the little ghosts flock to it?

That would be another source of income.

Gu Feiyin immediately shared her idea with Zhang Daoist, who was also on board. As government employees, they couldn’t privately engage in ghost-related businesses, but Master Gu was different. She had the ability and the brains, and no little ghost would dare cause trouble in her presence. She could suppress ghosts and manage the property. Opening a high-end hotel was a surefire success. Besides, they couldn’t compete with Master Gu for business. If they did, she’d surely be upset.

With that in mind, the plan to burn more haunted houses was put on the agenda. Of course, Zhang Daoist would handle everything, and she wouldn’t need to invest much money. It was quite considerate.

Liao Yuan, Jingxing, and Zhen Du listened to Shizhu Gu’s grand money-making scheme while eating their tofu with scallions. They couldn’t help but silently chant “Amitabha” in their hearts. As monks, they were supposed to be compassionate and detached from worldly possessions. Money was but a fleeting concern, and they were meant to embrace the emptiness of the four elements…

Gu Feiyin left the “Supernatural Affairs Office” with a full belly and a satisfied heart. Since they had visited after work hours, it was already dark by the time they left. The group strolled back leisurely, chatting along the way. Naturally, the topic of conversation revolved mostly around her prosperous fate. Liao Yuan the Monk felt a pang of sorrow, lamenting that his Sis Gu still hadn’t remembered him.

Of course, he didn’t forget to ask Sis Gu about that strange dream. However, it seemed the dream only featured the scene of her being killed, with no additional details. He was quite disappointed, and his round, shiny head seemed to dim with gloom.

It seemed that his Shifu was right-making Sis Gu remember them was no ordinary challenge. But Gu Feiyin did remember, so why would she need to “recall” anything?

Zhen Du asked curiously, “What dream? Shizhu Gu, you’re alive and well, how could you have been killed?”

Shizhu Gu replied, “…It was a dream. Things in dreams are, of course, all fake.”

Zhen Du scratched his head in sudden realization. Oh, that made sense.

Shizhu Gu finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had almost forgotten that the people in front of her were monks with some knowledge of Buddhist teachings. If they found out she had been reincarnated by borrowing a corpse, they might just try to enforce heavenly justice. Besides, she really had lost her memory before and couldn’t recall anything about her previous life-how she died or how she became a ghost. But ever since she had that dream, all her doubts had been resolved.

In her previous life, she had been an ordinary human child. After witnessing her parents and elder brother being brutally murdered, she was consumed by Resentment Energy. Upon her death, she turned into a Malevolent Ghost and killed all fifty or so bandits in one breath, even devouring their souls. Heaven, seeing her excessive misdeeds, struck her with a bolt of heaven thunder. But instead of killing her, the lightning gave her a concussion, which resulted in her memory loss.

When she woke up after losing her memory, the original Gu Family Town had long since disappeared. Decades had passed, and in its place was Mu Village.

Perhaps that was her life story.

…

The three young monks escorted Gu Feiyin to the entrance of the alley. Gu Feiyin said, “It’s late. You should head back now. Goodbye.”

Liao Yuan, Jingxing, and Zhen Du were currently staying in a temple on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t too far but not exactly close either. Walking would take more than half an hour, while taking a bus would only take ten to twenty minutes. The problem was that the bus they needed stopped running early, so they had to hurry.

Liao Yuan the monk waved reluctantly, watching Sis Gu walk away before finally turning to leave. Jingxing couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him. Anyone who didn’t know better might think they were parting ways forever.

Zhen Du also watched Shizhu Gu’s retreating figure. Scratching his head, he recalled their earlier dinner together: he hadn’t choked, been scalded, or tripped while walking, and no flower pots had fallen from the sky. Today, his luck was surprisingly good.

It seemed that being near Shizhu Gu reduced the frequency of his misfortunes compared to before.

Gu Feiyin hadn’t walked far when she saw three young Taoist priests and a shifty-looking man running out in panic. The man looked somewhat familiar to her. The Taoist priests were none other than Daoist Li and his two disciples, the ones who had previously driven them out of the unfinished building. As for the shifty man, wasn’t he the thief who had tried to steal from her house?

Now, the four of them were running away in terror, their short legs moving at lightning speed. They dashed past her in a flash, glancing back as if a Malevolent Ghost were chasing them.

When she turned to look, she saw a Long-haired Woman standing eerily under the shadows of the trees. Her arms dangled limply as she swayed them back and forth, her head tilted, her wide eyes staring blankly at them.

Daoist Li stumbled back a step in fright, and the thief fell to the ground in shock. The four of them froze for a few seconds before snapping out of it, screaming, “There’s a ghost!” “Help!” “Run!” and other such cries. They scrambled to their feet and fled, disappearing in no time.

Gu Feiyin was furious when she saw the thief, but Daoist Li’s presence startled her. She was afraid he might throw a talisman to exorcise her. To her surprise, they were the ones who ran away first, their screams so heart-wrenching that she couldn’t help but glance back nervously. Which little ghost had done such a good deed? She would have to thank them properly.

However, when she looked behind her, there was nothing but empty space. Where was the ghost? By the time she turned back, Daoist Li and the others were long gone.

That thief! Using a diversion to escape!

But it was too late for her to chase after him now. She could only let it go for the time being. She wondered if the thief had his eyes on someone else’s property in the area. That thief was truly despicable-he hadn’t learned his lesson even after being sent to the police station. He was clearly not a good citizen. When he died, he deserved to be deep-fried in a vat of oil. She decided to visit the Ghost House under the overpass later and ask the Headless Ghosts to keep an eye out. If the thief came back to cause trouble, they could toss him straight into the police station to prevent further harm.

Just as she took a few steps, she heard the distant cries of a little ghost: “Fire! Fire! Quick, everyone, come put out the fire!”

Gu Feiyin froze, then sprinted forward with her long legs and swinging arms. When she arrived, she was so shocked she almost cried. The place on fire was none other than her own home! The flames were roaring, and smoke billowed from the windows. The smell of burning filled the air.

There were sausages and cured meats hanging by the window; they were probably nearly cooked by now.

This was a disaster! She was on the verge of wailing. All her belongings were inside!

“Where’s the kid? Is Wei Xu still inside? Did he get out?”

Gu Feiyin shouted, but there were no ghosts around to answer her. The Old Lady and Jumpy were nowhere to be seen. She rushed upstairs and burst into her home. The fire had already died down significantly. A group of little ghosts had gathered, carrying pots and pans to douse the flames. After a while, the fire was finally extinguished, leaving only choking smoke.

Standing in the room, Gu Feiyin stared at the dying embers. Suddenly, her head throbbed, and a memory surfaced. She seemed to recall rushing into a blazing room in the past. But the scene in her memory wasn’t a home-it looked more like a temple or a Buddhist hall. Statues of Buddha stood on all sides, and burning beams collapsed, falling toward a Handsome Monk lying on the ground.

She clutched her head, confused. What was going on? She had no memory of this happening.