Chapter 23: Why is There a Ghost King Here?

The place where Lin Feng and Nie Chuxia were staying was a ghost inn. The tables and chairs were all ancient-style redwood, comfortable enough, but the sight of the server made them uneasy.

In front of Lin Feng stood a server dressed like an old-time errand boy, but he was a paper doll with white eyes, a ghostly pale face painted with two spots of rouge, and wearing unnaturally bright blue clothes that made him quite creepy.

"Guest, what would you like to eat?" he asked.

"Some wine and steamed buns. Bring a plate of mock chicken and a dish of vinegar. The rest is your tip," Lin Feng said, handing the server a silver ingot made of paper. The server grinned and went off happily.

Before long, the food and drinks were ready, served in rough porcelain bowls, each with an incense stick stuck in it.

Lin Feng pulled out the incense and started eating heartily.

Nie Chuxia was astonished. "Are you really eating that?!"

"Of course," Lin Feng replied. "This is all the offerings burned for the innkeeper after his death, not poison. Want to try some? It's pretty tasty."

Nie Chuxia gagged. Just the thought of it, food meant for the dead, made her feel queasy.

Watching Lin Feng eat so heartily, she asked, "Do you not have any fear? How can you even stomach this?"

Lin Feng scoffed. "When I was young, my family was poor. We barely ate meat all year, so whenever there was a festival, I'd go to the rich folks' graves to grab offerings for a treat. What's the big deal? Look at Lin Xuebai, all plump and picky. If I hadn't snatched those goodies for her back then, her naïve self would've been lured away by food in no time. You, miss, just don't understand life in poverty!"

Nie Chuxia indeed couldn't understand. She had always lived in luxury, and she'd never imagined Lin Feng had such a past.

After finishing his meal, Lin Feng wiped his mouth. "Hey, server! Go fetch your boss. I have a few questions for him."

The blue-clad paper servant nodded and bowed, saying, "Right away, sir."

Nie Chuxia whispered, "Doesn't he get angry with you talking to him like that?"

"This paper servant is just an item burned for the innkeeper, given a hint of intelligence from lingering ghostly energy. He's even lower in rank than a ghost, just a servant," Lin Feng replied.

"Oh? I see," Nie Chuxia said.

Soon, the innkeeper appeared—a chubby ghost with a prosperous-looking face and dressed in silk. In life, he must have been a wealthy man.

The fat ghost innkeeper approached, smiling cheerfully. "Well, well, it's a living guest! Sir, how may I help?"

Lin Feng smiled and handed over a handful of paper gold ingots.

The fat ghost innkeeper didn't take them right away; instead, he noticed the oil lamp Nie Chuxia had set on the table and smirked. "Sir, feel free to ask questions, but no need to come at me with force."

The innkeeper's expression darkened as he spotted the lamp, which Nie Chuxia had subtly pushed closer to him.

"A mere little ghost," she said coldly. "Just answer what you're asked."

Ever cautious of ghosts, Nie Chuxia maintained her vigilance and hostility toward them.

The fat ghost innkeeper blew at the lamp, snuffing it out, and replied with a grim expression, "That's just a Yuluo Lamp—nothing new. I've met ghost hunters from the Dragon Huai Ghost Market before, and none of them are that arrogant."

Nie Chuxia's face changed. Ever since she became a ghost hunter, this was only the second time her oil lamp had been extinguished. She became flustered, standing up quickly, only for Lin Feng to press her back down.

Lin Feng respectfully nodded toward the ghost innkeeper. "My senior sister is here for the first time and doesn't know the customs. Please, forgive her."

Nie Chuxia pulled out a dark-gray candle and said, "Lin Feng, you're a companion to the celestial dog; you don't need to be so deferential."

Lin Feng gritted his teeth. The last two things he wanted to hear were compliments about his handsomeness or being called a dog! What was with these people? They're the real dogs!

"Miss Nie," Lin Feng sighed, waving his hand, "please, stop stirring things up when you don't know the customs. Just leave, alright?"

Nie Chuxia barely stepped outside when she noticed the fat ghost innkeeper surrounded by a thick aura of ghostly energy. In her hand, the gray candle had somehow snapped in half.

She shivered—this candle was harder than steel!

Inside, Lin Feng sat near the fat ghost innkeeper, feeling the oppressive ghostly energy pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Suddenly, Lin Feng coughed up blood.

With a loud bang, the room shook, and a ghostly figure with a bull's head and a human body appeared behind Lin Feng.

The fat ghost innkeeper's neck seemed to be grasped by an invisible force, and he struggled to speak, astonished.

Wiping the blood from his mouth, Lin Feng said, "Innkeeper, they say the common folk can't compete with officials. Ready to talk now?"

The ghostly energy dissipated, and the innkeeper's face returned to a more pleasant expression.

"Oh, you're from the Fengdu magistrate's office? My apologies! How may I assist you, sir?"

Lin Feng chuckled bitterly. Even a little ghostly aura from the innkeeper had injured him. This guy was at least a fierce ghost! Thank goodness for Niu Meng's help.

For ghosts at level 20 and above, Lin Feng didn't even consider putting up a fight. Fortunately, he hadn't provoked him.

Pretending nothing had happened, Lin Feng dismissed Niu Meng and asked, "Innkeeper, with your level of skill, you should know that the Ghost Market and the mortal world are intertwined. The place where the Ghost Market overlaps with the mortal world has seen a spike in hauntings lately. Word is there are ghost soldiers causing trouble at night. That's my friend's territory, and I want to know who's behind it."

The fat ghost innkeeper hesitated. "If it's ghost soldiers, that's a tricky matter. In the Dragon Huai Ghost Market, there's only one place with ghost soldiers—the tomb of the Dragon Huai Ghost King. The ones causing trouble are likely his guards. These are soldiers who haven't received offerings for centuries, and they're notorious for robbing the shops in the Ghost Market. Causing trouble in the mortal world isn't beneath them."

A Ghost King? Guard soldiers?

The International Trade Building was in Nanyang City's Long Huai District, and Lin Feng never would've guessed that the underworld in Long Huai District had a Ghost King in residence! No wonder the wandering souls and wild ghosts were rampant here, and no underworld enforcers dared to come and take souls to the underworld. It was the Ghost King's territory!

A Ghost King was technically subordinate to the Ten Yama Kings but practically an independent force. Only Fengdu didn't recognize him.

Well, damn... so it was the Ghost King's guards causing trouble.

Leaving the fat ghost innkeeper, Lin Feng wore a troubled expression.

The system classified ghosts as wandering souls, wild ghosts, fierce ghosts, evil spirits, ghost generals, and ghost kings.

Ghost kings were level 50-59, and Lin Feng had just reached level 13 recently. How was he supposed to handle this?

When Nie Chuxia saw Lin Feng, she assumed he was angry.

"Is everything okay? I don't know why I acted so impulsively just now. I thought the fat ghost wasn't very powerful, so…"

Lin Feng shook his head. "It's not your fault. The Yin Seal Water hides and suppresses Yang energy, and in this eerie environment, Yin energy clashing with Yang energy can easily make one impulsive. I used to get impulsive and irritable too, but I'm better now."

"What?" Nie Chuxia was surprised. She hadn't realized this. "So you're not mad at me?"

"Why would I be petty? I'm frowning because we've got a problem. Those ghost soldiers troubling the Trade Building have some powerful connections."

Lin Feng didn't mention the Ghost King, just explaining that the ghost soldiers belonged to a formidable ghost. After witnessing the strange Ghost Market, Nie Chuxia was also at a loss.

"So what now? Are we still planning to eliminate them? Or should we find a way out? I could call my grandpa from the Seven Stars Palace."

Leave?

Yeah right... without completing the mission, there's no way out, lady!

As for the ghost soldiers, of course, they had to go; otherwise, how would he earn the system's rewards?

"I found out that these ghost soldiers are broke and camp outside the Ghost Market. We'll gather some offerings and see if bribery works. Maybe then they won't cause trouble in the mortal world. But if they don't know what's good for them, then don't blame me for being merciless."

The system's mission was to exorcise three ghost soldiers to unlock the main quest.

For now, they'd have to capture three for the urn.