Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Free from restraint, Le Ziyou slid down against the door panel, his mind still echoing that icy, damp, sinister whisper—sticky like a snake’s hiss, terrifying like a floor covered in blood—

"Love me.

Or die."

He certainly didn’t want to die, but how could he love a ghost? A male ghost?

Le Ziyou felt the world had gone mad—not just people, but even ghosts had gone crazy.

He remained kneeling on the floor, pressed against the door, dazed and motionless for a long while, still unable to make sense of anything. Fortunately, the other party didn’t do anything further to him.

Slowly, he clambered to his feet and pulled his pants back up. As the waistband brushed against his buttocks, the pain made him wince.

To live to this age and still have his pants pulled down for a spanking—anyone with a shred of self-esteem would rather die. Thankfully, he had little pride and believed that a wretched life was better than a good death.

Exhausted both physically and mentally, he glanced around. He really wanted to ask, "How could I possibly love you when you treat me like this? I’m not some pervert."

But he didn’t dare.

He really had no desire to engage in a heart-to-heart late-night chat with an unknown male ghost about love and devotion.

Miserably enough, Le Ziyou swept up the incense ashes from the floor. He glanced at the peach wood sword tossed on the ground, picked it up, and threw it into the trash.

"Useless thing."

Chen Zui, sitting on the chair: "Ao Tian, any way to clean these clothes?"

The stains left by the incense ashes were unbearable for Chen Zui.

Ao Tian: "Hold on."

In the past, it would have spent its own credits to get Chen Zui a new set of clothes, but after catching its superior in a compromising position, it went straight to the higher-ups.

"Get my host some clothes."

"You’ve given everything else; don’t tell me you’re skimping on clothes. Our Dark Transmigration Bureau is well-established and wealthy—don’t be so stingy, alright?"

Superior: …

Now, Ao Tian gave off the vibe of someone who would make a run for it after this job.

In any case, Chen Zui got a new set of clothes.

Xu Shuhuai: "Can anyone care about whether I live or die?"

His voice was filled with resentment.

Chen Zui bent down and looked under the bed. Xu Shuhuai’s face was covered in incense ashes, looking rather comical—probably from when Le Ziyou haphazardly tossed them around.

If Le Ziyou looked under the bed now, he would see a gray, blurry human face.

Chen Zui waved his hand, creating a breeze that blew the incense ashes off Xu Shuhuai’s face. Le Ziyou, meanwhile, swept over with a broom, even thrusting it under the bed a few times. Xu Shuhuai had no way to avoid it, several times watching as the broom came straight for his face.

*I want to die.*

*Wait, no—I’m already dead.*

*Just let me be wiped from existence.*

As he thought this, he also tried to catch a glimpse of Le Ziyou’s face through the narrow gap—that face identical to his beloved’s—but he couldn’t see it.

After cleaning up, Le Ziyou anxiously went to wash up, constantly feeling as though someone was watching him. He even tried to hide himself while showering, no longer strutting around naked but instead putting on a short-sleeved shirt and long pants.

The moment he sat on the bed, the pain made him jump up.

He swore under his breath, resigned to lying on his stomach. He opened his phone to find many messages from Mi Jin.

"How’s it going? Did you catch that ghost?"

"What’s the progress?"

"Say something."

"Le Ziyou, are you still alive?"

Le Ziyou pursed his lips and tapped forcefully on the screen: "Half-dead."

Mi Jin: "What happened?"

Le Ziyou truly didn’t know how to explain—saying he was haunted by a male ghost felt like inviting bad luck just by thinking about it.

Le Ziyou: "I ran it through with my sword."

As he typed those words, it almost felt as if he had actually done it. The corners of his mouth lifted, and he swung his legs back and forth casually.

Le Ziyou: "Although that ghost had some skills, it was nothing compared to me. From now on, I’m someone who’s actually killed a ghost—no longer a Fake Taoist Priest."

Chen Zui watched him from the side, amused by his self-amusement. He had to admit, Le Ziyou had a remarkably good mindset. After everything he’d been through, he still dared to lie here and chat nonsense with his friend.

This kind of toughness was good.

Hard to break.

As Le Ziyou chatted, he forgot about his sore buttocks and turned over—only to immediately flip back, his mood for making up stories vanishing instantly. "I’m going to sleep."

Just as he was about to lock his phone,

the screen suddenly went black, displaying a line of red text: "Why are you chatting with someone else?"

Le Ziyou’s heart leapt into his throat, and he almost dropped his phone.

The text changed again, and Le Ziyou stared wide-eyed, his recently relaxed expression turning pale once more.

"You’re too close to him"

"I’m going to kill him"

"You belong to me alone"

"No!"

Le Ziyou shouted desperately: "He is my friend! Just a friend!"

He even raised his hand: "I swear it!"

Le Ziyou spoke earnestly and urgently: "I swear Mi Jin and I are just friends. If there’s anything between us, may he be struck by lightning and die horribly!"

Ao Tian: "Did I hear that right?"

Xu Shuhuai: "Who’s going to be struck by lightning?"

Chen Zui was amused, finding Le Ziyou somewhat endearing, and for a moment felt the urge to pinch his cheek.

Le Ziyou stared at his phone, waiting for a response.

"Good night."

Le Ziyou stared at these two words—was this a sign he was believed? It seemed quite easy to talk things through. He put his phone down, then picked it up again and moved it farther away.

Anxious and lost in thought, he fell asleep lying face down.

He was a restless sleeper and soon turned over, the pain from his spanked butt making him frown as soon as it touched the bed.

Chen Zui turned him back over, swiftly pulled down his pants, and placed his hand, imbued with ghost qi, on the area struck by the peach wood sword. The cold ghost qi promoted blood circulation, reduced swelling, and dissipated bruising.

Le Ziyou’s frown finally eased.

——

Thanks to Chen Zui’s care, Le Ziyou’s bottom was back to normal by morning.

The moment he opened his eyes, he remembered the male ghost, and Le Ziyou felt life was hopeless. But he had a job to do today.

As long as he wasn’t dead, he had to work and earn money.

After washing up, Le Ziyou grabbed his fake gear and headed out.

Stepping outside, he wondered: was the ghost following him, or had it stayed behind at home?

He turned to look.

He couldn’t see it, but actually, his face was now buried in Chen Zui’s chest.

He blinked in confusion.

From Chen Zui’s perspective, it looked adorable—his thick eyelashes fluttering like two small fans.

His nose was perky and upturned.

For a moment, Chen Zui couldn’t resist leaning in closer, ready to take a deep inhale.

Le Ziyou turned and walked toward the elevator. Whatever! He’d be better off dead!

With his arms now empty, Chen Zui felt a slight sense of disappointment—an unsatisfied emptiness.

Inside the elevator, more people entered.

Chen Zui moved a step closer to Le Ziyou. Ghosts were sensitive to human scents, and after absorbing Le Ziyou’s yang energy, others’ smells seemed unpleasant—some even struck him as just rank.

Waiting at the entrance of the neighborhood, Mi Jin was excited to see Le Ziyou in one piece and rushed to hug him.

At that moment, the male ghost’s words flashed through Le Ziyou’s mind.

In an instant, he leaped two meters away like an agile rabbit, dodging Mi Jin’s embrace.

Mi Jin looked confused and baffled.

Chen Zui watched, very pleased with Le Ziyou’s reaction.

Le Ziyou: "Guys shouldn’t get so handsy."

Without waiting for Mi Jin’s response, he tossed out this line and hopped into the car. Sitting down, he felt no pain in his bottom and wondered—had it healed overnight?

Hell yeah!

My healing skills are insane!

Le Ziyou felt pretty good about that.

On the way to the client’s house, Mi Jin kept asking about what had happened the previous night. Le Ziyou went on and on, portraying himself as Zhong Kui incarnate, taking out evil left and right.

Chen Zui sat in the back, quietly listening to his smooth-talking bullshit.

He had plenty of flaws.

But totally lively.

This time, a family believed their child was possessed and wanted them to drive out the evil.

The mother pointed toward the tightly shut bedroom door: "He shuts himself in there all day, won’t come out no matter what we say."

The father added: "Only comes out to eat or use the bathroom, and even takes his meals back to his room. He’s been like this since he quit his job out of town and came back. Probably picked up some bad juju—he was such a good kid before."

The mother pleaded: "You must fix this. A man in his thirties cooped up at home all day—what kind of life is that?"

They went on, each adding their concerns.

Le Ziyou stared at the bedroom door: "There is indeed an evil presence."

He drew two fingers past his eyes: "Heavenly eye, open!"

He sold it well.

Chen Zui didn’t sense any ghost qi or demonic energy in the room—clearly, the change in their child wasn’t due to supernatural causes.

Le Ziyou: "It’s a boar spirit!"

The mother: "What? A boar spirit? What now?"

The father grew anxious too.

Le Ziyou: "Don’t worry."

They set up an altar in front of the door.

This time, Mi Jin handed him not a peach wood sword but a real one.

Peach wood swords were useless for capturing demons. Though they were fakes, they couldn’t make it too obvious.

Le Ziyou picked up the sword and began waving it around, then lit up some yellow talismans, making a big production.

Suddenly, dense black smoke rose from the altar.

The couple, seeing this, clutched each other, scared.

Le Ziyou: "Boar spirit! Time to die!"

As he swung the sword, he pressed a switch on the hilt, and flames shot out, making it look legit.

The thick smoke dispersed.

Le Ziyou sheathed his sword, and Mi Jin picked up a sack, putting on a show as he pretended to collect the non-existent wild boar demon carcass by the altar.

Le Ziyou turned to the couple: "I've slain the wild boar demon. However, your child has been under its control for so long that it has taken a toll both physically and mentally. They must see a psychologist, or they will not recover."

Chen Zui raised an eyebrow silently, thinking he wasn't completely heartless.

It seemed he knew there was no such thing as being haunted by a spirit—the child had probably had some issues while working out of town. But he still wanted to make money from this.

He'd covered all his bases.

The couple exclaimed, "What? She still needs to see a psychologist?"

Le Ziyou said with a serious expression, "It’s absolutely necessary. That was a wild boar demon that had killed before. It’s been tormenting your child all this time. Think about it—if you were injured, you’d go see a doctor. Your child’s wounds are just in the mind. Though invisible, they’re even more severe. They must see a doctor. You need to be patient and understanding, or she might lose her mind."

Frightened by his words, the couple quickly nodded, "We’ll definitely take her to a psychologist. Thank you, Taoist Priest."

Le Ziyou took the money and, before leaving, added, "Go easy on her and be patient. Don’t scare your child."

Chen Zui’s gaze at Le Ziyou held more respect.

After Le Ziyou and Mi Jin ate outside, they went their separate ways. They hadn’t earned much this time—only 1,500 yuan each—so they canceled their plans to go to a bar.

Le Ziyou didn’t want to go home. A male ghost was waiting at home for him, one who loved to beat him. He might get his ass kicked again.

Mi Jin, unaware of his troubles and worries, stepped on the gas and dropped him off at his residential complex.

Le Ziyou wandered around the complex, sighing in despair.

His phone vibrated.

He took it out and froze. Large red characters appeared on the black screen:

"COME HOME."

Le Ziyou didn’t dare disobey. With his head drooping, he entered the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors closed, he felt a wave of cold air rush over him. He was pinned against the elevator wall, unable to move.

The ghost must have been hovering right in front of his face.

He heard the sound of the ghost inhaling, and in that moment, he felt his blood run cold. Something was being sucked out of him, leaving him feeling hollow and weak.

The elevator doors, about to close, opened again. A couple stepped in and stood in front of him.

He wanted to cry for help, but though his mouth opened, no sound came out.

Having absorbed some of Le Ziyou’s yang energy, Chen Zui finally felt better, but it wasn’t enough. He looked at Le Ziyou’s open mouth and crushed their lips together forcefully.

Le Ziyou could feel something cold and slippery probing deep into his mouth, invading every inch of it, even sucking on his tongue until it hurt, fiercely grinding against his lips.

Something inside him—something he couldn’t name—was draining away. If he weren’t being restrained, he would have slid down the elevator wall by now.

He was being forcibly kissed!

Le Ziyou stared at the couple in front of him. If they turned around, they would see him with his mouth open, tongue out, drooling, looking utterly depraved.

Nervousness, shame, the discomfort of the kiss, and the emptiness of having his energy drained made his thoughts a jumbled mess.

But Chen Zui had no intention of showing mercy. He wasn’t just absorbing yang energy—sometimes he simply breathed in Le Ziyou’s scent.

He liked it.

Even though Le Ziyou burned incense, he carried a faint milky scent.

It was irresistible. Taking advantage of being an invisible ghost, Chen Zui did as he pleased, even in public.

Still, he kept an eye on Le Ziyou’s complexion.

He couldn't play around too much.

Pale golden yang energy slowly flowed from Chen Zui’s mouth back into Le Ziyou’s body.

Le Ziyou’s complexion quickly improved. The returning yang energy not only restored his strength but also brought an indescribable comfort—even pleasure! A pleasure he had never felt before.

He knew it was what the ghost had sucked out of him.

His yang energy?

His mind was hazy. He didn’t understand why his own yang energy, after being taken and returned, could feel so good. Originally warm yang energy, after passing through the ghost’s mouth, carried a chill that stimulated every cell in his body.

He was at his limit.

This yang energy couldn’t be returned to him any longer!

He was going to break!

His eyes reddened, welling up with tears.

He looked utterly pitiful.

He kept nervously glancing at the couple in front, hoping they wouldn’t turn around and see him like this.

Chen Zui’s dark, lifeless eyes never left him. Noticing his expression, Chen Zui, who had been slowly returning the yang energy, suddenly forced the last surge of it all at once back into Le Ziyou.

Under the overwhelming surge of yang energy, Le Ziyou’s eyes froze wide open. Tears fell like broken strings, soaking a large patch of his gray sweatpants.

Now he was truly completely wrecked.