Chapter 44 Main Quest 1 Completed (Bonus Chapter for 10,000 Words) Zhang Zhi Wu Hao…
After Zhou Fangdong clicked on the details of the newly unlocked Ghost Market, a location information pop-up appeared.
[Ghost Market]: Located between the Yin and Yang realms, it is a place where rational ghosts trade with each other, and some humans who can communicate with the Yin realm occasionally buy supernatural items here.
Note 1: You can earn Ghost Coins by consigning unused items to the Ghost Market shop.
Note 2: If you choose to set up your own stall, you need to have the [Cursed Item - Human Skin Mask] to unlock the Ghost Market stall owner identity.
Note 3: The Ghost Market holds auctions periodically, where you can use Ghost Coins to bid on your favorite items. If you have overwhelming offensive capabilities, you can also choose to purchase items for free at the auction.
Seeing that he could consign items at the ghost market, Zhou Fangdong remembered the [Room 103 Collection] that he had taken out from Room 103 and which was still lying in his inventory.
He was too lazy to sort through all this stuff anyway, so he decided to just throw it all up in the ghost market to sell and earn some ghost coins. Even a small amount is still something.
As for selling human skin masks at a stall in the ghost market... putting aside whether he has the time, that human skin mask is a cursed item, and wearing it will have random negative effects. As an unlucky person, he dares not gamble on what he will be randomly given.
But speaking of consigning unused items...
Zhou Fangdong lowered his head and pondered for a moment before teleporting back to his room.
He walked to the table and began rummaging through the messy surface.
Zhou Fangdong vaguely remembered that he had obtained a special item called [Sanqing Bell] that he couldn't use. He vaguely remembered that he had casually thrown it on the table and didn't know where it rolled to.
Eventually, he found the bronze bell under an agricultural book.
Zhou Fangdong picked up the bell with two fingers, his expression a little strange.
This...this style is a little off, isn't it?
Was this what the bell he unlocked originally looked like?
Zhou Fangdong remembered that the bronze bell that had just been unlocked, though small and worn, had an ancient and majestic aura, and was obviously an antique.
But this bell looks too eerie.
Not only were all the rust spots on the bell gone, leaving it smooth, but its color had also changed to a strange, jarring fluorescent green. The 'mountain' shaped handle on the bell was now tightly wrapped by unknown vines, and a small, two-leaved green bud sprouted from the top of the handle, trembling incessantly like a cockroach's antennae.
— Antiques from the Shang and Zhou dynasties have been completely transformed into Yiwu toys produced last week, the kind of glow-in-the-dark plastic dyed toys sold for a few yuan each at street stalls.
Holding this bell, Zhou Fangdong was afraid that the eerie fluorescent green color on it would bleed onto his fingers.
How did it end up like this?
Silently watching the trembling little green sprout wrapped around the bell handle, Zhou Fangdong finally remembered that he seemed to have obtained a growthable item called 'Ghost Seedling'.
It seems that after feeding it a stick of incense, he forgot all about it.
I thought it would wither and die in some corner of the room like the other green plants I used to have, but to my surprise, it not only survived, but also stubbornly grew together with the Three Pure Ones.
Zhou Fangdong sighed softly and asked without much hope, "System, can I still sell this bell for money?"
[Beep—Strange item detected...]
【The Mysterious Item: The Three Pure Ones Bell (Ghost Miao Fusion Version)】
(The Three Pure Bells, which can be used by the zombie Taoist priest, can greatly increase favorability when given as a gift.)
Item Description: A strange bell in which Yin and Yang energies coexist harmoniously, with the power to ward off evil spirits and suppress malevolent forces.
The bell contains both pure yang energy and pure yin energy. When activated by the zombie Taoist priest's power, it has a soul-shaking effect on ghosts, causing them to become dizzy. If facing a low-level ghost, it can directly shatter its soul. When the zombie Taoist priest uses this bell, he can also suppress or seal ghosts that already have physical forms.
Unexpectedly, this led to an upgrade of the Three Pure Ones Bell... Zhou Fangdong scratched his cheek, his gaze falling on the last sentence, "It can also suppress or seal existing physical ghost tenants."
He remembered the lottery feature he had unlocked not long ago, which allowed him to draw ghost tenants and props from the back building of the apartment. The system also gave him a lottery ticket that guaranteed him to draw a ghost tenant.
I was worried that I might not be able to suppress the ghost tenants who were pulled out, but now I don't have to worry about that anymore.
He then gave the bell to the zombie Taoist priest. Ghost tenants could receive two thousand ghost coins upon checking into a room, and when they needed more ghost coins later, he could use Zhang Zhiwu's guaranteed lottery ticket to draw a ghost tenant.
If the ghost tenant that is drawn out is murderous and disobedient, then have Zhang Zhiwu use the Three Pure Bells to seal it in the room.
This way, he has ghost coins and doesn't have to worry about the ghost tenants leaving the apartment and going on a killing spree—perfect.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fangdong put the Sanqing Bell into his inventory, opened the rental preview interface, and teleported directly to Chuyun Temple.
*
Just as Zhou Fangdong left Liwan Apartment, Miao Zheng returned listlessly.
Because the incident happened so suddenly, she had to redeem an investigator from the factory manager, and she didn't even get to enjoy herself at the slaughterhouse before being kicked out by the manager.
After leaving the slaughterhouse, she happened to run into Hong Zhong, who was loitering nearby.
Hong Zhong had just driven back to the Supervisory Bureau with the comatose investigator named Li Zhe, while Miao Zheng, not knowing where to go, simply took the ghost bus back to his apartment.
So boring...
Just then, Miao Zheng, who was about to go back to his room, suddenly noticed a short figure standing in the dimly lit corridor.
It was a little girl with two braids, wearing a blue Peter Pan collar short-sleeved shirt with white lace trim, her empty, lifeless eyes staring straight in her direction.
Miao Zheng frowned slightly.
A ghost? I don't think I've ever seen this child ghost in the hallway before. Is it new?
As they got a little closer, Miao Zheng's brows furrowed even more.
...This isn't a ghost, it looks like a living person!
Miao Zheng quickly walked up to the little girl, took her hand, and said anxiously, "Little sister, this place is dangerous. It's not a place for a child like you! Where do you live? I'll take you home."
She initially thought the girl was a child who had wandered into the Liwan Apartments by mistake, but to her surprise, the little girl spoke very calmly after hearing her question, saying in an adult-like tone: "I am Xiao Xiaoyu, a new tenant of the Liwan Apartments. I just moved in this morning and am currently living in room 105."
Miao Zheng looked the little girl, who was only up to her waist, up and down in shock.
Seriously? The landlord actually rented the room to such a young child?
...No, we shouldn't question the landlord's decision; he must have his reasons for doing so.
And if the landlord can even shelter such a young child, doesn't that further demonstrate his strength?
Almost instantly, Miao Zheng accepted the fact that the little girl was also an apartment tenant.
Looking at Xiao Xiaoyu's lifeless eyes, Miao Zheng pursed his lips, not asking about the problem with her eyes, but instead said to her, "Xiaoyu, where were you going after you came out of room X? I'll go with you."
"Then I'll trouble you." Xiao Xiaoyu didn't refuse. After all, her eyesight wasn't very good, and she didn't know where the apartment was or how to get to the city center.
"I want to go to Penghu Jiayuan in Jinxi District. Is this place far from the apartment?"
Xiao Xiaoyu left room 105 because she wanted to go home and see her parents.
After being taken away by the main god, she struggled to survive for ten years in various supernatural dungeons. She has a strong mental fortitude. Although she was just startled by the unfathomable landlord, she quickly recovered.
The reason she was so eager to see her parents was because she had discovered something.
Although the skills she obtained from the main god are still there, her storage space disappeared along with the points system.
Over the years, all the supernatural items she collected from various supernatural dungeons, such as her most frequently used life-or-death dice, substitute dolls, and witchcraft puppets, have disappeared along with her storage space. The gold bars she redeemed with points are now only the two that she gave to Duan Wenyu but he returned to her.
The disappearance of these things made Xiao Xiaoyu feel very insecure, so she wanted to go home and see her parents as soon as possible.
After fulfilling this wish, even if she were to die at the hands of a ghost someday because she had no props, she would have no regrets.
Hearing that Xiao Xiaoyu wanted to go to Jinxi District, Miao Zheng was a little surprised: "Jinxi District? That's in the city center, it's indeed far from here... But although our apartment is in a remote location, the tenants have a shuttle bus, so there's no need to worry about not finding a ride."
As soon as he finished speaking, Miao Zheng took Xiao Xiaoyu's hand and walked out of the apartment.
After discovering that Xiao Xiaoyu had some difficulty moving around, she simply picked her up and carried her.
*
Just as Zhou Fangdong teleported to Chuyun Temple, he suddenly noticed that several tenant activity tracks popped up in the special tenant watchlist.
The above describes Miao Zheng taking Xiao Xiaoyu away from the apartment.
Zhou Fangdong thought about it and decided not to stop it.
Miao Zheng is skilled in martial arts, carries exorcism talismans, and has a camera prop that can trap ghosts. Xiao Xiaoyu is an experienced player of the infinite flow game, possessing the ability to see ghosts and a soul-binding lock; the two of them should encounter no problems going out.
As for the tenant taking Xiao Xiaoyu out, which might trigger the buff of the main god's supernatural instance... such a special buff should not be so easy to activate.
Xiao Xiaoyu had just gone through a dungeon, and the two of them were heading towards the city center, which is the most crowded and has the strictest security. It was unlikely that they would be so unlucky as to run into another main god dungeon.
Zhou Fangdong closed the [Linjiang City Map] and walked out of the main hall.
Zhang Zhiwu continued to meditate under the shade of the tree as before.
Zhang Qingyang, who was reciting lessons with several children in the courtyard, noticed Zhou Fangdong appear. Just as he was about to greet him, he heard his master cough lightly.
The young Taoist priest was so frightened that he immediately sat up straight and focused all his attention on the children.
Seeing Zhou Fangdong walk under the shade of the tree, Zhang Zhiwu asked, "Young friend, did you come to the Taoist temple to see me because there's been a problem with the cat ghost in room 106?"
"It's not a cat ghost. I found a bell and wanted to give it to you." With that, Zhou Fangdong took out the upgraded Sanqing Bell from his inventory.
Upon seeing the bell, Zhang Zhiwu suddenly stood up from the ground.
...The movement of standing up was such that the knees went straight from sitting cross-legged to standing upright, without any bending over, completely violating the structure of the human body, standing up straight.
It wasn't until this inhuman, eerie feeling appeared in Zhang Zhiwu that people truly realized that this old Taoist priest was no longer a living person.
"This...this is...the Sanqing Bell that I lost in my previous life?" Zhang Zhiwu trembled as he took the bell, his voice shaking slightly. "It still works! I never imagined that it would still work in my current state..."
That deep, hoarse voice carried a poignant and unbelievable feeling, like someone who has weathered countless storms looking back to find an old friend still waiting in the same place.
He was silent for a moment, his black, withered fingers stroking the small green bud on the bell's handle, before finally saying gratefully to Zhou Fangdong, "Young friend, you are very kind. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, I will go through fire and water for you."
[Beep—A ghost tenant [Zombie Taoist Priest Zhang Zhiwu] has reached 100% favorability]
[The reward for reaching 100 points of favorability has been unlocked. Please claim it promptly.]
After delivering the Sanqing Bell, Zhou Fangdong did not immediately return to his apartment. Instead, he stood in the courtyard and watched Zhang Qingyang teach the children to recite their lessons.
This little courtyard has some kind of magic; just standing here makes your tense mind feel much more relaxed.
The sandalwood scent in the air, the perfectly soft sunlight, the dappled shadows of trees scattered on the ground, and the white noise of children reciting their lessons in the distance... all make one want to lie down and take a nap.
Moreover, it's quite interesting to watch Zhang Qingyang interact with those children.
Sometimes Zhang Qingyang was so angry with the kids that he didn't dare to lay a hand on them because his master was there. He could only patiently and gently persuade them, his handsome face turning red and the veins on his forehead throbbing.
When he was at Izumo-kan until noon, the system suddenly popped up a notification that Hong Zhong, his future tenant in room 106, had arrived at the apartment door.
Zhou Fangdong was instantly jolted awake from his drowsy state and immediately teleported back to his apartment.
After taking Li Zhe to the hospital, Hong Zhong drove straight to Liwan Apartment without even packing his luggage.
He had so many questions in his mind and couldn't wait to become an apartment tenant, hoping that the landlord would answer them for him.
A strange peddler abducts children at night; the investigation leads to a ghost market, but Li Zhe inexplicably appears at a delicious slaughterhouse...
Since the landlord was able to presciently arrange for Miao Zheng to save Li Zhe, he must know something. Perhaps he can get Miao Zheng to go to the Ghost Market and rescue the missing children.
As Hong Zhonggang stepped out of the car, he looked up and discovered that the elusive landlord had appeared at the apartment door at some point.
He stood there as always, the apartment's automatically opening door seeming to become the frame of a shrine, the sunlight streaming in from outside shining precisely on him, casting a hazy halo around him.
Those phoenix eyes, with their upturned corners, were still habitually lowered. Their obsidian-like, icy eyes held no emotion, only an indifferent detachment that seemed to see through everything.
He seemed to have anticipated his arrival, like an omniscient and omnipotent god, with everyone's thoughts, ideas, and final choices all under his control.
A sense of awe inexplicably rose in Hong Zhong's heart. He lowered his head slightly, no longer daring to look the landlord in the eye.
Zhou Fangdong tilted his head in confusion.
What is Hong Zhong doing standing outside with his head down? Why isn't he coming in yet? He's anxious to move into room 106 and complete the main quest.
Seeing Hong Zhong standing at the apartment door for a long time without making a move, Zhou Fangdong grew impatient and asked, "Aren't you coming in?"
Zhou Fangdong's voice brought Hong Zhong back to his senses from the inexplicable shock he had just experienced. He smiled apologetically at Zhou Fangdong and quickly walked into the dark apartment, as if he were willingly throwing himself into the darkness.
Zhou Fangdong led Hong Zhong to room 106.
They must have seen the stranger Hong Zhong, because all the cat ghosts in the room hid.
Zhou Fangdong took out the revised tenant contract for Room 106 and handed it to Hong Zhong.
Hong Zhong quickly finished reading it.
Although the rental rules were a bit complicated, they weren't too harsh on him.
The most important thing to note is that you must not touch the talismans in the four corners of the room, and if you smell a milky smell in the room on the first or fifteenth of the lunar month, you need to go next door to find a young Taoist priest to come to the room to chant scriptures.
As for getting up at four in the morning to prick his finger and let it bleed... he usually gets up to exercise around four or five in the morning, so he can get up.
The phone volume is fine too, just remember to mute it before entering the room.
He has a buzz cut, doesn't like to dress up, has little need to look in the mirror, and doesn't care whether he sleeps on a mattress or a straw mat; he has slept in the most difficult conditions.
Hong Zhong decisively signed his name under the tenant's rules, then took out thirty yuan in cash and exchanged the money and the rental contract with Zhou Fangdong.
Zhou Fangdong suppressed his excitement and handed him the key to room 106: "This is the key to room 106. Remember to keep it with you and don't lose it. The key will allow you to freely enter and exit the apartment and protect you from attacks by ghosts in the building. If you lose the key, it will be considered an automatic termination of the lease."
Hong Zhong nodded solemnly and accepted the room key with both hands.
After Hong Zhong received the key to room 106, a system pop-up window suddenly appeared:
[Congratulations, host! Main quest 1 has been successfully completed! All rooms on the first floor of Liwan Apartment have been successfully rented out!]
After a few cyberpunk fireworks went off, a large number of reward pop-ups appeared.
Upon seeing the rewards for the first two main quests, Zhou Fangdong almost lost control of his expression; the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile that was harder to suppress than an AK.
[Main Quest 1 Reward: ① All upgradeable skills unlocked by the host will be upgraded by one level]
[②Reward: A jar of kerosene lamp oil worth 30,000 Ghost Coins, which can burn for 12 hours]
【③……】
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