Chapter 10: The Puzzle of the Fierce Ghost

Chapter 10: The Puzzle of Malevolent Spirits

In the swirling mists of the nightmare world, a small shop, one that shouldn't exist, glowed with a faint, inviting light.

A boy in a still-damp school uniform stood, his face pale, yet his figure was tall and slender as bamboo, his features exquisitely handsome. One might feel the bareness of the shop, devoid of greenery or artwork, failed to complement his refined elegance.

Perched on the wooden counter opposite him sat a small boy with skin like jade and an adorable face. Perhaps it was because he had just been abruptly scooped up and placed on the counter, or for some other reason, but the child's cheeks were flushed, his gaze flitting aimlessly, even his ears a shy crimson.

"You looked tired from tiptoeing and craning your neck; it's better to sit here and talk," Su Bai said, a contented smile playing on his lips as he regarded the child now at his eye level on the counter. Though Xiao Wu appeared to be five or six, he was as light as a doll, so even Su Bai, whose strength was not yet fully restored, could lift him with ease.

"Ahem, thank you, Boss." Xiao Wu, who had previously tried so hard to meet Su Bai's gaze, now seemed inexplicably shy, his eyes darting everywhere but toward Su Bai.

After the exaggerated flush on the child's face receded slightly, he continued, "Boss, Xiao Wu really wants to help, but ever since my master sent me to the shop, I've been confined here. And because my strength is supplied by you and this shop, I'm very weak right now. Most of the time, I can't even maintain my human form."

"So, after you leave the shop, I'll revert to my original form and sleep to conserve energy," Xiao Wu explained, growing increasingly embarrassed, but soon looked at Su Bai with eyes full of anticipation. "Therefore, Boss, you must work hard to acquire more stock! That way, Xiao Wu can do more for you!"

"But I haven't agreed to let you stay in the shop yet." Su Bai didn't know the child's true form, but chatting with him brought a rare sense of relaxation, making him want to see more of the child's unguarded expressions.

"Ah?" Xiao Wu looked at Su Bai's serious expression, his dangling feet stiffening instantly. He emphasized with a pitiful tone, "Boss, Xiao Wu is truly useful!"

"It's 'Boss,' not 'Madam.' And hasn't Xiao Wu already told me how to run this shop? What else can Xiao Wu do if he stays?" Su Bai asked, half-jokingly. Though he now appeared to be just a delicate high school boy, before his rebirth, many had shunned him due to his mischievous nature.

"..." Xiao Wu's expression turned troubled. He frowned, deep in thought for a long time, as if pondering the value of his continued existence. "Xiao Wu will work hard to look after the shop for you. Sometimes... sometimes if you're outside and want to return but can't find a door with a handle, you can try calling Xiao Wu's name. As long as Xiao Wu can hear, I'll open the door for you!"

"That sounds somewhat useful, but aren't you asleep when I leave the shop?"

"I'll try my best!" Xiao Wu nodded earnestly, though it was unclear what exactly he intended to try.

"That barely counts. What else can Xiao Wu do?" The handsome but somewhat mischievous high school boy wasn't truly expecting Xiao Wu to come up with anything else—it was merely... a way to foster a bond between boss and subordinate.

That was all.

However, Xiao Wu, sitting on the counter, swung his legs and suddenly looked enlightened, as if he had genuinely recalled another significant use for himself. Smiling at Su Bai, he said, "Boss, Xiao Wu knows a lot about the nightmare world. Also, if you want to find something, someone, or some supernatural entity in the nightmare world, you can ask Xiao Wu. I'll work hard to find relevant information, just like the search engines humans use! This is a special ability my master secretly gave me!"

"That is rather surprising." Su Bai hadn't expected Xiao Wu to have another use. He had even considered letting the little one simply be a mascot in the shop.

"Boss, you can try it out!"

"Then, in this shop's search engine database, how much information is there about the shop's boss?"

Su Bai didn't believe in search engines, but he was curious about how much his supernatural fiancée on the other side of the marriage contract knew about "Su Bai."

The child's expression turned more serious. He looked directly into Su Bai's eyes and said earnestly—

"Su Bai, human."

"Trait: 'Enhanced Puzzle Ability.'"

"Advanced ability: 'Malevolent Spirit Puzzle.' This ability allows one to integrate subjugated malevolent spirits into oneself like puzzle pieces, borrowing their power and bearing their unfulfilled wishes. Since most of the subjugated supernatural entities are female, recorded titles include 'Enchantress,' 'Sorceress,' 'Siren,' 'Seductress,' etc."

Xiao Wu seemed to be reading from an invisible book. After reciting this, he cautiously glanced at Su Bai.

"It seems you don't quite like these titles."

"You really know a lot." Su Bai certainly didn't like those strange titles, but even if he resisted, he couldn't stop others from using them. Besides, the way he used his abilities was indeed somewhat unusual.

"But..." Su Bai leaned closer to the child sitting on the counter, his hands resting on the surface. "What you described is the 29-year-old Su Bai. The one standing before you now is the 18-year-old Su Bai. Isn't that strange?"

Xiao Wu shook his head, speaking as if it were the most natural thing: "My master often says time is meaningless in the nightmare world. Time and space here are often chaotic and interwoven, so Xiao Wu only needs to recognize the Boss standing before me. Whether 29 or 18, Boss is Boss."

Su Bai couldn't help but smile. Indeed, whether in his previous life or this one, rather than overthinking things, it was better to choose a path and move forward. In the nightmare world, aside from survival, nothing else seemed more important.

"So, can Xiao Wu stay in the shop?" The child's eyes were full of expectation.

"I have to return to the bus, so naturally, I need someone to watch the shop." Su Bai reached out and ruffled the child's hair, which was soft, unlike anything from the nightmare world.

"Thank you, Boss." Xiao Wu breathed a long sigh of relief and then pointed to two doors on the side of the counter.

"Boss, the door against the wall is your room. I'll introduce it to you next time you return. The other door next to it is the Mist Shop's warehouse. Just press the handle with your left hand and imagine what you need—whether it's food, clothes, or ordinary items to make into products—and the warehouse will provide what you need."

"The things created by the warehouse are hollow shells without any special powers or functions, so they can't be sold as shop products. But things in the human world seem to be like that too, so the items created by the warehouse are just like those used by humans."

"That's already quite good."

Su Bai glanced at the faintly visible Route 444 Last Bus outside the glass window and turned toward the warehouse Xiao Wu had mentioned.

"Xiao Wu, I have one more question." Su Bai suddenly stopped. "Since you know my ability is 'Malevolent Spirit Puzzle,' you might also know that my first puzzle piece was obtained on the Route 444 Last Bus. It was a woman, A Xi, sold by her family to a supernatural village for a spirit marriage. After death, she became a malevolent spirit in the form of a Ghost Bride, forever trapped en route to the supernatural village, unable to break free."

"Now, for some reason, I've returned to the Route 444 bus and met Ghost Bride A Xi again. Now..."

"Boss, your puzzle pieces are still inside you." Xiao Wu didn't wait for Su Bai to finish, explaining seriously. "Perhaps identical puzzle pieces exist in the outside world, but some things will always be different."

"Perhaps... experiences and memories?" Xiao Wu tilted his head, looking at Su Bai. "Xiao Wu after meeting you is different from Xiao Wu before meeting you. In short, the puzzle pieces with the most precious experiences and memories are still inside you, Boss. So even if you encounter identical pieces, there's no need to worry. No matter what happens, the Mist Shop will always be here for you."

"Thanks." Su Bai was speechless.

As Xiao Wu said, Su Bai, with his "Malevolent Spirit Puzzle" ability, could borrow the power of malevolent spirits but also had to bear their unfulfilled wishes.

Now that he had accepted the Mist Shop, what would he have to bear?

Su Bai had a premonition that the day he learned what he had to give would be the day he met his supernatural fiancée.

×

Watching Su Bai leave the Mist Shop, Xiao Wu, still sitting on the counter, suddenly shed his previously expressive demeanor. As if relieved of a heavy burden, he breathed a long sigh. His relaxed, indifferent expression and gaze were completely different from the lively child of moments before.

"Finally met." Xiao Wu's figure gradually turned transparent, leaving only a murmur in the empty Mist Shop: "Looking forward to our next meeting, my... Boss."

The child's form dissipated, leaving behind only a palm-sized black doll on the counter, stitched from thread, like a legendary voodoo doll.