Qiao Zhen thought being a ghost was pretty good, because she wouldn't feel eye strain when overusing her eyes, nor would she feel hungry or tired, and she wouldn't be afraid of accidents like car crashes or cancer. Apart from being bound by Cheng Zhao and turning to ashes when she died, Qiao Zhen couldn't find any downsides to being a ghost.

As the sun set, Cheng Zhao took Qiao Zhen to Sici Mountain.

Qiao Zhen whispered to the old man, making no attempt to hide it from Cheng Zhao. "Where do you think this place is? It looks like a temple to me. What if we get blasted away by a golden light and seriously injured?"

The old man looked at Qiao Zhen, who looked like a country bumpkin, and rolled his eyes disdainfully. "Those temples protected by golden light were blessed by Buddha. They were ruined long ago by these stupid and dull humans. What's left now are all low-class temples." He pointed to the temple's plaque. "Sici Temple, in the end, is still a place for serving charity. It's even lower than ordinary temples. There's no need to panic."

Qiao Zhen regained her composure and followed behind Cheng Zhao with the old man. They saw a three- or four-year-old monk leading the way, and she circled around him. "What an adorable little monk! He walks so steadily, so cute!"

The old man looked at the young monk with a smile, a rare expression of kindness, and said, "He's a good prospect for Buddhism."

Qiao Zhen twisted herself up like a pretzel at the old man. "You can even see human talent? Then can you look at Cheng Zhao's?"

The old man scoffed, "If you can't even figure it out with your fingers, how can you expect to see it with your eyes?"

"Oh," Qiao Zhen replied dejectedly, "So you're not all that great after all!"

The old man was so angry he wanted to hit someone!

The young monk led Cheng Zhao around another corner, then awkwardly clasped his hands together and bowed, saying, "Benefactor, Master is waiting for you inside. Please go in quickly."

Qiao Zhen replied with a grin, "Okay, let's go in now. You're so cute, little monk." She couldn't resist ruffling the little monk's head and pinching his chubby little cheeks, which felt soft and smooth.

Xiao Ling: [Do you think he's Tang Sanzang? He's so meaty and tender, isn't he perfect for hot pot?]

Qiao Zhen exclaimed in surprise, "Huh?", then said with a hint of regret, "You actually found out. Now I don't dare use it for hot pot."

Xiao Ling was so startled that the screen went blank for a moment. [Host! Calm down! He's innocent!]

Qiao Zhen spoke in an even more innocent tone, "But am I not innocent? Why should I lose my life and have to humble myself before Cheng Zhao?"

Xiao Ling: [Because you can't do what Cheng Zhao does.]

Qiao Zhen chuckled: "That little monk definitely can't beat me. Looks like we'll be having hot pot tonight. He's at his prime, with all that plumpness in his face. Once he gets older, his skin will thin out and become rougher, and he won't be as appealing. Seize the day, for good things come to those who need them."

Xiao Ling appeared on the screen with a pair of eyes, which then squinted together, giving the impression of mental disability. [Host, calm down, we can talk this over.]

Qiao Zhen sneered repeatedly. "What can we possibly discuss? You didn't mention a single word when you were setting me up. Now you want to discuss it? Too late!"

Xiao Ling's screen trembled violently, turning into a jumble of black dots. [Host! We're not trying to trick you. This is a very common hidden quest; you just didn't trigger it in the previous ones.]

Qiao Zhen: [Evidence?]

Xiao Ling sent Qiao Zhen statistics on the hidden missions triggered by previous hosts, along with their completion rates. [You won't believe me, but look, hidden missions are really just coincidences. It's just that the lower the mission difficulty, the higher the probability of triggering a hidden mission, and the higher the difficulty of the hidden mission itself.]

Qiao Zhen, furious, demanded: "Then why didn't you say so before?! Now you're just saying that after the fact!"

Xiao Ling trembled, her screen displaying static: 【It's...it's because I forgot while chatting with my fiancée, sob sob...Host, it's all my fault, please don't do anything rash and hurt innocent people, the punishment will be severe! Please don't do anything rash!】

Qiao Zhen: [Damn system!!!]

She blocked Xiao Ling.

When she came to her senses, she was already standing with Cheng Zhao in the old monk's meditation room. The old monk took out two wooden boxes and gave them to Cheng Zhao. "Benefactor, the matter you entrusted to me has been prepared by the monks in the temple."

Qiao Zhen and the old man both rushed over. Cheng Zhao opened the wooden box, inside was a golden statue. On the back of the statue were two large characters—Qiao Zhen—and next to them were the date of his birth, accurate to the hour. In another wooden box was Qiao Zhen's golden memorial tablet, which could be described in two words: luxurious.

Cheng Zhao thanked the old monk.

Just as Cheng Zhao had one foot in the door, the old monk suddenly called out to him, "Wait a minute."

Cheng Zhao did not turn around.

The old monk seemed to be talking to himself as he struck the wooden fish repeatedly, saying, "It's not too late to take back the foot you've already stepped out of. It's better late than never. Please think carefully before you act."

Cheng Zhao paused for a few minutes. Qiao Zhen and the old man were waiting for Cheng Zhao's choice. Anyone who heard the old monk's words would have some thoughts. What Cheng Zhao was going to do was definitely not a good thing.

Moreover, the old monk had a kind and gentle face; a bad person wouldn't have such a gentle expression.

Cheng Zhao still carried the wooden box out of the meditation room. Qiao Zhen, unusually quiet, followed Cheng Zhao silently, while the old man floated quietly beside her.

It was already eight or nine o'clock in the evening when the man and the two ghosts returned to Cheng Zhao's villa.

Qiao Zhen continued to focus on Cheng Zhao, only sitting silently on the bedside table when Cheng Zhao went into the bathroom. The mysteries were getting bigger and bigger, but she had no clue at all, which was really a headache.

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