Chapter 130 The Uninvited Guest

Days passed, another two of them. These two days were strange; not a single ghost came knocking. Boss Zhou sat in the bookstore every night, waiting and waiting, almost wearing out his eyes, but still nothing.

Bai Yingying couldn't bear to watch. It was rare for her lazy boss to throw himself wholeheartedly into his work, but no customers came.

As for the little girl who had tied up Bai Yingying, she hadn't reappeared, and her identity remained a mystery.

She might be an anomaly in that village, or she might not be from the village at all. Her appearance might have just been to connect the dots and guide him to pay attention to Sanxiang Village, using his hand to get rid of it.

Zhou Ze had speculated about her identity, even wondering if she might be a higher-level figure than a ghost messenger?

Like a captain?

Or even… a judge?

It was just that Zhong Kui's image was too deeply ingrained. If the judge was that little girl, Zhou Ze would be a little worried about hell's aesthetics and atmosphere.

A little loli was one thing, but a judge also being a delicate little girl? Did that mean the Ten Kings of Hell were all busty cute girls?

Of course, that was just a joke; it was probably impossible.

The little loli was still tracking down the priest's whereabouts. She sent a message once, saying she was close to finding him, so Zhou Ze didn't have her look for the little girl again. Someone who could directly overturn a two-hundred-year-old female corpse like Bai Yingying and tie her up—as long as she wasn't malicious, he didn't need to provoke her.

Besides, she hadn't played any bad role in the whole thing.

But when would he find the next ghost?

Just one more to go.

"Come back soon!
I can't wait any longer!
Come back soon..."

The song played on the bookstore's speakers. Zhou Ze coughed and looked at the monkey, who silently changed the song.

The old Daoist was sitting across from him. Since there weren't many customers, he was sitting there, cracking melon seeds and watching TV, quite leisurely. The international news had been quite rich lately, with one event after another, keeping people on their toes.

Zhou Ze stood up and poured himself a glass of water. As he passed the old Daoist, the old Daoist suddenly said, "Boss, does hell have television?"

"What do you think?"

"It should, right?" the old Daoist guessed.

"Heh." Xu Qinglang, who was over there mixing a new cocktail flavor, laughed.

"What are you laughing at? You haven't died before. You don't get a say if you haven't died," the old Daoist stubbornly said.

"Then tell me, if hell has TV programs, what do they show?" Xu Qinglang teased the old Daoist.

"Hmph."

The old Daoist subconsciously cleared his throat and then said, "Now broadcasting the Underworld News, here's a summary of the main points:

The Eastern Underworld representative, King Yama, meets with Hades, the Lord of the Western Hell.

The two sides conducted friendly consultations on the issue of ferrying the souls of the deceased in the East and West;

Underworld Judge Zhong Kui inspects the underworld land registration work, resolutely cracking down on evil ghosts occupying land."

Zhou Ze listened and shook his head, walking back to his original seat.

Xu Qinglang was stunned for a moment; he was impressed by the old Daoist's eloquence.

At this moment, it started to rain outside, and the rain was getting heavier.

Zhou Ze didn't take it seriously at first, but slowly, his expression became solemn. In the depths of the rain curtain, a woman in a qipao, holding a red paper umbrella, was standing there.

Her red umbrella shielded her head, but according to the angle, she was actually looking at him.

However, this time, not only did the old Daoist not notice anything, but even Xu Qinglang didn't feel anything.

The qipao woman didn't move, but her entire being gradually closed the distance with Zhou Ze, directly standing outside the glass window next to Zhou Ze's seat in a few moments.

A beautiful figure, a lovely face, the world's most exquisite shell, but inside, a nest of snakes, scorpions, and maggots.

Zhou Ze had seen these qipao women who held umbrellas and chanted on the road to the Yellow Springs more than once, but this time, she had appeared in the mortal realm.

Zhou Ze walked out of the bookstore door. The qipao woman turned around and began to increase the distance again. In this rain curtain, her figure seemed so hazy.

If it were an ordinary person, they might develop a sense of infatuation and pursuit for her. In the rain, this kind of woman could often make you ignore fear and strangeness, and instead, fall head over heels at her feet.

"Hey."

Zhou Ze called out.

But she kept walking. Her arrival seemed only to attract Zhou Ze's attention and then lead him to another place. She was probably like a messenger.

To be able to use a qipao woman who could walk back and forth on the road to the Yellow Springs as a messenger, the person behind her must be extraordinary.

Seeing that the qipao woman had already put some distance between them, Zhou Ze directly turned around and went back to the bookstore.

What a joke.

You come coolly, without saying a word.

Then you leave coolly; did you expect him to chase after you and shout like the male lead in a tragic drama?

This wasn't hell; this was the mortal realm.

Such a bad habit; she was just spoiled.

Closing the bookstore door, Zhou Ze stretched and sat back in his seat, asking Bai Yingying to pour him a cup of coffee.

What he didn't know was that the moment he turned around and entered the bookstore, the ethereal qipao woman in the distance "splashed" and stepped into a puddle.

She turned her head, revealing her face, which was full of maggots feasting.

Some were in disbelief!

He...

Actually just went back like that?

After that, she seemed to hesitate, wondering if she needed to walk through it again?

With the same posture and the same aura?

"Splosh."

A pair of black rain boots stepped into the puddle. A man with completely white hair reached out and flicked the water droplets from the brim of his hat. His slightly pale hand rested on the qipao woman.

The qipao woman immediately began to wither, turning into a paper figure, slowly getting soaked in the rain. In the end, it completely rotted in the puddle.

"Forget it. Since I can't invite him, I'll just pay a visit myself."

The man was dressed in a coffee-colored coat with a distinct British style, but his white hair made his aura seem a bit out of place.

At this age, this kind of hair...

It was exactly like the emo style that was popular ten years ago.

But the man still did his own thing, walking slowly. Eventually, he arrived at the bookstore door and pushed it open.

What came into view was a woman mixing drinks at the bar.

Oh no.

Looking closely, there was an Adam's apple.

It was a man?

The white-haired man couldn't help but take another look at Xu Qinglang.

Interesting.

A man who was even prettier than a woman was working as a bartender here.

Looking further, Bai Yingying appeared in the white-haired man's line of sight. She was carrying coffee and walking over, petite and charming.

A zombie?

Kept as a pet in the store?

The man pondered to himself. He had come, but no one in the store could see him, including Zhou Ze, who was sitting there taking the coffee and preparing to read the newspaper.

People had an innate fear of something, something they couldn't see.

And Zhou Ze was able to see the woman holding the umbrella, but he couldn't see the person who was standing at his bookstore door, someone even he couldn't see.

A little monkey ran past the white-haired man with its toy hammer. Naturally nimble, it didn't notice anything unusual, completely unaware that there was someone beside it, looking down at it.

In the white-haired man's eyes, this monkey exuded a strong baleful aura.

Originally a clever monkey, it had cultivated the feeling of a vengeful ghost, but these things were suppressed, unable to manifest.

"Achoo!"

The old Daoist sneezed loudly.

The white-haired man looked at the old Daoist.

Then, his gaze directly fell on the old Daoist's crotch, where there was a cluster of bright yellow light runes.

The white-haired man closed his eyes. He felt a little offended.

This store...

Was truly interesting.

A small ghost messenger had arranged his residence to be so rich, filling it with so many strange people and things.

Finally, the white-haired man looked at Zhou Ze and walked up to him.

Zhou Ze frowned slightly. His hand suddenly shook, and some coffee spilled on his sleeve.

Bai Yingying quickly came over to help wipe it off, and at the same time, helped Zhou Ze take off his stained coat to get him a clean one to change into.

When the boss was particular, he was very particular.

But fortunately, Comrade Yingying was used to it.

The white-haired man sat down in front of Zhou Ze. The two were actually sitting face to face.

"A temporary ghost messenger?"

The white-haired man muttered to himself.

"In a small place like Tong City, the ghost messengers are changing so quickly."

Zhou Ze looked around in confusion, feeling that something was wrong. Did that cool qipao woman just leave like that?

She left, and that was it?

Zhou Ze didn't know that the "that" was sitting right in front of him.

A writing brush appeared in the white-haired man's hand, gently stroking it between his fingertips.

"Ninety-nine percent done; just a little bit more to become official."

The white-haired man smiled.

"Then I'll do you a favor and help you with that last bit so you can become official.

But since it's a public matter, you have to kneel down to me, and pay your respects to me."

Zhou Ze suddenly felt a pain in his knees, and the feeling was intensifying. It all came so inexplicably.

The white-haired man sat there calmly, holding the brush. Seeing that Zhou Ze only stood up and rubbed his legs, he was a little surprised. Why was Zhou Ze's reaction so slow?

Ordinary ghost messengers, after being stimulated by a trace of his aura, should have trembled and prostrated themselves immediately.

Are you different from others?

The white-haired man frowned slightly and said softly, "Kneel."

Zhou Ze's pupils shrank suddenly.

His body also stiffened, as if someone who had been lying on a warm bed had suddenly been sent to the frozen wilderness naked.

"Boss, your license, you forgot to take your license out of the dirty clothes."

Bai Yingying walked over with Zhou Ze's license and handed it to him.

The license returned to Zhou Ze's hands.

And the previously indifferent white-haired man suddenly opened his mouth.

Behind Zhou Ze, he saw a large mountain, and under the mountain, there was vaguely the figure of a monkey.

The monkey moved the mountain, an ape that moved mountains,

Its body was ten thousand feet tall,

Only bearing Mount Tai!

With a crisp "thump," the white-haired man was directly frightened and knelt down, with an incredulous expression.

"Lord... Judge?"

After saying these words, the white-haired man's already invisible form directly collapsed, disappearing into nothingness.

………………

In a pitch-black place, the white-haired boy who was dozing off against the old locust tree suddenly opened his eyes.

He seemed to have had a dream, covered in cold sweat. Behind the boy was a giant brush, which looked a bit out of place.

The boy looked distraught.

Suddenly, below, at the old locust tree, a pair of blood-red eyes as big as two houses appeared, like two giant lanterns, suspended in the sky.

The old locust tree grew on its body.

It grew with horns like a deer, a head like a camel, a mouth like a donkey, eyes like a turtle, ears like an ox, scales like a fish, whiskers like shrimp, a belly like a snake, and feet like an eagle. It was a complete chimera, more exaggerated and bizarre than a kirin.

"Didn't I allow you... a spirit journey... for three months... You woke up... a little early..."

The boy pursed his lips, with a flattering expression on his face, and said, "Thinking of waking up early to weed and catch lice for you, Old Ancestor."

The boy wasn't telling the truth.

The behemoth below seemed very satisfied with this answer, slowly lowering its head and saying, "You have a kind heart... It was not in vain for me to ask the Bodhisattva... for the Judge's Tablet... for you..."

"That's right, that's right. Without you, Old Ancestor, I would still just be a wandering soul in the underworld. How could I have today's good fortune?"

The boy began to weed the locust tree, very diligently, and meticulously.