Chapter 37

Chapter 37

As they witnessed the relentless torment of the ghosts, Kuang Zhiming and his wife felt an array of mixed emotions stirring within them...

Tan Fu and Lu Wenqing, who were initially terrified to the point of losing their composure, found themselves strangely invigorated. Tan Fu, now lucid, hastily stuffed the membership card back into his pants. Lu Wenqing, fueled by newfound courage, bravely drew the peach wood sword from his back and charged forward, yelling as he went to lend a hand.

This unfortunate spirit, born with eight Yin characters, had always been the one bullied by ghosts. As he rushed into the ghostly crowd, his psychological trauma was immeasurable. Fortunately, Wei Xi's relentless attacks had left the surrounding ghosts dazed and solely focused on escape, leaving them no time to single out vulnerable targets. As a result, Lu Wenqing's peach wood sword sliced through the ghosts, eliciting wails and howls.

Lu Wenqing was so thrilled that tears of joy threatened to spill over – it was as if the oppressed had finally risen up!

*********

On the other side, Wei Xi was far from pleased. Initially, he had eagerly dashed in to claim his delivery, but after signing for it, he realized something was dreadfully amiss! What was going on? What was happening?

He lashed out with his whip, capturing one for a closer look, only to discard it. He grabbed another, examined it meticulously, and threw it away once more!

Not a single vengeful spirit! Why not a single one!

How could this be?!

Fuming with rage, his mind clouded, he grabbed the male ghost's ankle and swung him violently against the ground, eliciting shrill screams from the male ghost and the Substitute Ghosts he collided with. His expression was so sinister, it surpassed that of any ghost. He casually clutched the neck of a bloodied Substitute Ghost who had been whipped, scolding fiercely, "You've never even taken a single human life?!"

The Substitute Ghost, whose skull was caved in on one side and nose crooked, quivered as he desperately tried to justify himself while being choked, "Master, please understand! I, I, I... I'm a Bound Earth Spirit! If I could harm humans, would I still be here?! I would have found a substitute and left long ago! I really didn't have the chance, I swear!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Xi vented his frustration by slamming the Substitute Ghost onto the ground, "Useless trash!!"

Substitute Ghost: "?????"

The second disciple, who had a rough idea of what had provoked Wei Xi, simply remained silent.

Kuang Zhiming and his wife, now recovered, joined in with their magical artifacts to lend a hand. Even though the Taicang Sect seemed incredibly powerful, they couldn't just stand idly by. There were simply too many ghosts; enough to form a small army.

However, Kuang Zhiming was momentarily stunned when he saw that the Substitute Ghosts were only huddling to protect themselves without any attempt at resistance. It seemed far too easy...

But when his gaze fell upon the white-robed male ghost, whom Wei Xi was still tormenting - likely the leader of the Substitute Ghosts - Kuang Zhiming seemed to understand something.

In short, the exorcism left him utterly speechless, and even after the battle subsided, he felt no sense of accomplishment.

"What a bother," Kuang Zhiming grumbled dispiritedly.

******

Moments later, the ghosts and humans were clearly separated. All the ghosts, except for the one still held by Wei Xi, were weeping and huddled together, resembling a scene from a karaoke bar that had just been raided for illegal activities. Unity counted them and was astonished to find over two hundred ghosts of all shapes and sizes. "There are too many of them. Aren't wandering ghosts supposed to act alone when harming people? How despicable to hunt in groups!"

Kuang Zhiming replied with a lack of energy, "Substitute ghosts should be bound by their obsessions at the place of their death. They must have been drawn by Mr. Tan's invitation and led by a ghost leader to appear in such a large group."

A ghost leader, as the name implied, was the head of the ghostly pack, usually the strongest among them and possessing a clear enough mind to lead the group. The strength of the leader was also related to the number of ghosts under its command, ranging from a few dozen to hundreds or even thousands. At a higher level, they could cultivate into Ghost Kings or Queens, occupying territories and commanding the region. Such tales were not uncommon in folklore.

With more than two hundred ghosts, it was a substantial group, all of whom were obsessed with finding substitutes and therefore dangerous. If Kuang Zhiming had encountered them in the past, he would either turn around and run or contact local fellow Taoists for a joint ritual before confronting them. But now...

He looked at the ghost leader hanging by its ankle, its right leg stretched out from the beating, gasping on the ground in agony.

Kuang Zhiming rubbed his face and turned away, unable to bear watching. "Their obsessions are too deep-rooted, and they all died violently. It won't be easy to resolve this. We'll have to perform individual liberation for each of them."

The substitute ghosts' desires varied. Some wanted to reincarnate as humans, while others simply wanted to pass on their obsessions to enjoy freedom. Hearing about liberation, some of the ghosts trembled and begged, "Master, can you release me after removing my obsession? I really don't want to be reborn, sob sob..."

Kuang Zhiming looked troubled, but his wife's face remained cold. "Let you roam free to cause chaos? Don't even dream about it."

Wandering ghosts were hard to track down, unorganized, and beyond any jurisdiction. Even without their obsessions, they might not behave. If released and they caused trouble again, where would they catch them in this vast world?

United Righteousness's spirit shimmered with an idea, whispering to his master, "Master, Uncle Shen mentioned the other day that the detective agency has been busy lately and they're short on staff. We're even planning to open a branch of our haunted house."

Wei Xi's anger subsided slightly upon hearing this. After pondering for a moment, he sought his second disciple's opinion. "Lu Que, what do you think?"

The second disciple was staring at his senior brother with a cold gaze that could freeze watermelons.

Not receiving a response, Wei Xi thought he hadn't heard him and tugged at his sleeve.

His precious disciple's hand was seized, finally lowering his head to meet his gaze. After a brief stare-off, he saw the eagerness in his face and reluctantly said after a long silence, "If we can dissolve their obsessions, it might be possible."

United Righteousness had just been stared at so intensely that his hairs stood on end, but he was used to being targeted by his junior. Hearing this, he immediately turned to Kuang Zhiming and his wife with delight. "Master Kuang, Master Xu, there's no need to trouble yourselves. Leave them to us."

Kuang Zhiming and his wife were puzzled. "How do you plan to handle them?" It would be a daunting task to help so many ghosts cross over one by one.

To their surprise, United Righteousness squatted down beside the male ghost that Wei Xi was holding, poking him and negotiating, "Hey buddy, are you interested in a high-paying job? Join us during our startup phase, and the future prospects are promising!"

Kuang Zhiming and his wife: "?"

Male Lead Ghost: "...?"

United Harmony introduced the job openings at his company in detail. The bruised and battered Ghost Leader was only half-understanding but thought United Harmony wanted to refine him. He firmly refused, "Kill me if you must! I'll never be your servant or lackey!"

United Harmony kicked him irritably, causing the valiant man to shed blood tears, "You... You can't enslave us!"

"How could that be considered enslaving? Where did you get that idea?" United Harmony clicked his tongue, "I'm clearly talking about an equal employment relationship. My master pays the salary, and you do the work. What does job hierarchy have to do with it? Our company's benefits are top-notch, and the relationships among colleagues are harmonious and relaxed. Who has the time to treat you as a lackey? Besides, don't you feel empty wandering around with these minions all day? It's not just empty, but also a waste of societal resources and could cause social unrest. Working happily and paying taxes legally are the rights and responsibilities of all citizens!"

The Ghost Leader was overwhelmed by his persuasion. Sniffing, he asked in confusion, "Am... Am I still a citizen now?"

"Of course," United Harmony said confidently, "You haven't reincarnated in another country yet, have you?"

"..." The Ghost Leader pondered, somewhat understanding, and felt that United Harmony made some sense. Wiping away his tears, he returned to the ghost group to discuss with his minions.

The ghosts stirred up, and many, intimidated by Wei Xi's strength, secretly glanced fearfully at the Taicang Sect disciples. After a while, a few ghosts stepped forward to discuss work benefits with United Harmony, "If... If we work, will you provide compensation?"

Thanks to Uncle Shen, who had started the business, United Harmony had established basic employee management rules with him earlier. He answered promptly and professionally, "Definitely. During the probationary period, you'll receive 100 RMB worth of spirit money and paper offerings per month, which will increase to 300 RMB after regularization. We also provide a free daily work meal – three dishes and one soup as offerings. Plus, there's alcohol and fruit on weekends and during holidays."

This was indeed a generous offer. Not only did wild ghosts without mourners starve after death, but even those with families mostly only had two meals a year – during Qingming and Double Ninth Festivals. As for spirit money, although the face value of hell banknotes kept increasing due to inflation, no family would spend hundreds of RMB each month to burn them regularly. Therefore, the hungry ghosts were tempted, and someone immediately asked, "Then, do you provide accommodation? I drowned, so I currently live in Tonghui River near Qingfeng Park. The water is too cold now that winter is coming, and factories often secretly discharge pollutants late at night, making it incredibly stinky. The ghosts in our area are so angry that we want to haunt the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau."

Another ghost angrily added, "I don't want to stay where I am either. I fell from a building, and my family has rented out that apartment. They moved in a family with terrible manners. Not only do they ignore hygiene, but they also make loud noises late at night, making it impossible for me to concentrate. If not for their children, I would've taken them as substitutes long ago."

"For now, that's not possible since the company is just starting out. But when we have more funds in the future, I'll consider it." However, Tuanyi was also surprised by the difficult living conditions of his employees. "But after your obsessions are removed, you won't have to stay in your original places every day… Let me think about it and see if there's any suitable place. I'll try my best to find a temporary collective residence for all of you."

The drowned ghost immediately perked up. "There's that abandoned construction site, Harbour City, in Wangfujing, right? It seems perfect with convenient transportation and bustling nightlife. There are pedestrian streets and big malls around. We can even go shopping from time to time. Let's move there as soon as possible!"

Wangfujing...

Tuanyi visualized over two hundred ghosts living in the city center and, without much consideration for public opinion, nodded. "Okay, okay, do whatever you want, as long as it doesn't affect work hours."

The drowned ghost asked again, "So how many days of annual leave does your company offer?"

To be honest, no employee had ever asked this question since the company opened. Tuanyi was confused. "You guys don't have anything to do anyway, what use would annual leave be?"

"It would be very useful!" The drowned ghost sighed wistfully. "Why do you think I'm always looking for substitutes? It's so someone can take over my shifts. For thirty-odd years of my human life, I worked like a dog, without leisure or money. All I could do was look at my friends' travel posts on social media while struggling to pay for food and shelter. I never got to travel anywhere before I died. As a ghost, especially a bound spirit, I've been stuck in Qingfeng Park all the time. It's worse than being human. Think about it, I don't need to buy plane tickets or apply for visas now. During annual leave, I can just sneak onto a plane and visit Hokkaido to see snow, or Hawaii to feel the sand. If I'm lucky, I might even be able to sneak onto a cruise ship to go to Antarctica or the Arctic. Do you know how much it costs to go there? I wouldn't have to spend a penny. Wouldn't that be a life like a deity?"

Lost in his fantasy, the drowned ghost's pale face glowed with a blissful radiance. "Ah, during my life, I could only focus on surviving each day. I never expected that, as a ghost, I'd have the chance to pursue poetry and distant lands..."

Everyone else: "..."