Chapter 30 The vengeful ghost that transformed into a 'human', the silkworm shedding its skin, the Three Pure Bells, suddenly...
Seeing these flashy system pop-ups, Zhou Fangdong, who had just finished treating Zhao Dawei, was stunned.
A ghost tenant? A period drama actress from the Republican era?
He didn't create any rules for room 103 tenants, nor did he sign any tenant contracts, so where did the tenants come from?
It automatically signed a rental agreement... and even created a new tenant profile for him...
Could this ghost tenant who appeared out of nowhere be the ghost that was originally in the room?
I have a bad feeling about this.
For safety's sake, Zhou Fangdong gestured for Miao Zheng to quickly return to her own room, and then helped the still very weak Zhao Dawei back to room 101.
After ensuring that his two human tenants were in safe rooms, Zhou Fangdong then entered room 103.
Pushing open the door, a musty, perfumed scent wafted out.
Zhou Fangdong instinctively covered his mouth and nose, looking at the unfamiliar room before him. The room 103, which had just been completely empty of furniture, had been transformed into something entirely different.
The two middle-aged men and women had disappeared. Room 103, which used to be a living room, had now been turned into a bedroom.
The entire house was decorated with wood, and the interior was dimly lit, with only two oil lamps as the sole source of light.
Against the wall stood a familiar mahogany clothes rack, upon which hung layers upon layers of theatrical costumes, each one exceptionally exquisite, like vibrant, living skins, their embroidery and beading shimmering with a faint light as if they were breathing.
On the wall next to it hung various kinds of jeweled headdresses. These hair ornaments and wigs hung on the wall together, and at first glance they looked like rows of beautiful women's heads hanging on the wall.
The most eye-catching thing in the room was the dressing table facing the door.
A person dressed in a white theatrical costume sat in front of a dressing table, applying makeup in front of a mirror by the dim candlelight.
The mirror reflected his appearance; the right half of his face was breathtakingly beautiful, while the left half was stiff and covered with a thick layer of white powder, like the burial makeup applied to a dead person.
Zhou Fangdong carefully examined the half-dead face in the mirror, feeling it looked somewhat familiar...
This face looks a bit like the human skin he saw under the white costume yesterday when he was cleaning room 103.
It is now confirmed that the ghost tenant, Mu Yuechan, is the ghost in room 103x.
Zhou Fangdong frowned.
What made him become like this? What's the difference between a ghost tenant's automatically signed tenant contract and a human tenant's contract?
As Zhou Fangdong pondered, Mu Yuechan, who was sitting in front of the dressing table, slowly turned her head.
Seeing Zhou Fangdong standing at the door, he suddenly smiled: "Landlord, thank you for bringing me the materials, which gave me a human body..." His voice was soft, full of tender affection, and every word was as affectionate as if he were whispering to his lover.
"I thought I would be trapped in this apartment forever..."
Material?
Zhou Fangdong recalled the missing middle-aged couple: "You took that couple..."
"They ate it." Mu Yuechan's smile grew wider and wider, and the half of his face, which was covered in burial makeup, twisted as the corners of his mouth rose. He quickly covered that half of his face with his water sleeve and continued, "This is the retribution they deserve."
Hearing that the middle-aged couple had been eaten by a ghost, Zhou Fangdong didn't react much. Anyway, those two were deranged killers who had almost killed his tenants, and his original plan was to feed them to the stairwell.
However, judging from Mu Yuechan's tone, this ghost tenant seemed to have some connection with the middle-aged couple, which aroused Zhou Fangdong's curiosity.
"You know that middle-aged couple... no, you know what organization that couple belongs to, right? What kind of cult are they? Or some kind of assassin organization?"
Zhou Fangdong wanted to extract more information from him, after all, the actress in front of him named Mu Yuechan had been the ghost of room 103.
Although I don't know how it turned into a human, it's good that it can communicate with reason. At least it doesn't have to use its skills personally anymore. The side effects of mind reading are still quite unpleasant.
Although room 103 has now been rented to this ghost tenant, and there is no need to look for the ghost's killing patterns to formulate tenant rules, Zhou Fangdong still wants to find out the cause and effect.
Not only because he had a role-playing task related to room 103 to complete, but also because he wanted to find out about Mu Yuechan's background, since she was his first ghost tenant.
Mentioning the couple, Mu Yuechan's expression suddenly turned sinister. He stopped covering his face, and under the heavy burial makeup, his face, with half of his skin separated from his flesh, became increasingly distorted.
Countless wriggling black runes, like dense worms, crawled on the peeled-off half of his face. He pressed the peeling skin back onto his face little by little, and then told Zhou Fangdong the story of his life.
Mu Yuechan was born during the Republic of China era and was once a leading actress in a theatrical troupe.
To succeed in the lowly profession of opera, one must be ruthless not only to oneself but also to others.
Mu Yuechan went from being a lowly actress who couldn't refuse to serve tea and entertain guests to becoming a famous star adored by thousands, her hands stained with blood... from childhood friends, rivals, customers who had bullied her, and her former boss.
Even after reaching the pinnacle of what an actor can achieve, Mu Yuechan remained anxious because she was well aware of her own limitations.
Performing opera is a career that relies on youth. With his health, he can't perform for many more years. If he wants to live comfortably in the future, he must take advantage of these peak years to plan for himself and find a way out.
Mu Yuechan was busy practicing martial arts from a young age and was illiterate. He learned to sing opera by listening to others read scripts to him and then memorizing them by himself. He also had a terrible personality and could not patiently teach younger generations as he would with a boss. Therefore, he could not become a playwright or a teacher of opera.
It was even more impossible for him to be the humble manager of the opera troupe. Having once reached the highest point, he could not accept returning to such a lowly position.
To prevent herself from ending up as a hostess in a brothel after she can no longer sing, Mu Yuechan has only one goal: to take advantage of her current popularity and try to hook up with a boss... preferably someone older and easier to control.
If the boss pays him, he'll go along with him and appease him until he's buried. If he doesn't pay, he'll find a way to kill the boss and run away with his money.
Mu Yuechan originally thought that with her personality, she wouldn't get caught up in love affairs, but to her surprise, she still fell for him.
A wealthy businessman took a liking to him. This businessman was not only handsome and rich, but even literary enthusiasts and people in the underworld gave him face.
This talented, wealthy, and powerful man had been supporting him for over half a year, and when he heard that the opera troupe was leaving the city, he even said he would take him with him.
Not only did they pay the opera troupe and their leader a thousand silver dollars as a termination fee and a thank-you gift, but they also brought a marriage certificate and betrothal gifts.
In an era where literary figures can kill with their spittle, in an era where actors are treated as playthings and even top male dan performers have no autonomy, this big boss actually publicly proposed to a male dan performer.
Not to mention Mu Yuechan, even the opera troupe leader found it unbelievable.
How can anyone resist falling for it?
Everyone envied his good fortune, and Mu Yuechan felt the same way... He felt that this was what he deserved after suffering for so many years, and that God had finally taken pity on him.
He thought they were destined to be together, but on their wedding day, he was brutally murdered.
"Landlord, do you know about a kind of Gu technique from southern Yunnan called 'Melting Silkworm'?" Mu Yuechan said with a smile. He slowly moved his hand that was covering his face up, lowered his head slightly, and touched the top of his head.
He slightly bent his fingers and gently tapped his head. "That silkworm burrowed into my body from here. When the silkworm burrowed into the top of my skull, it was like a sharp awl, constantly drilling into the skull. I could clearly hear the 'thump, thump, thump' sound."
"This worm will slowly devour your flesh and internal organs. During this time, you will live, listening to the sound of the worm gnawing at your flesh, and feeling your body slowly melt away like a burning candle..."
"In the end, your body will be completely devoured, leaving only a complete skin, piled on the ground like shed clothes. This is the origin of the name 'molting silkworm'."
Before anyone knew it, a thick, blood-red mist began to spread through room 103, completely consuming the already dim light in the room.
Mu Yuechan stood quietly amidst the blood mist. The movement of supporting his face caused the flowing sleeves of his opera costume to drape down his neck, like a white silk sash hanging from his neck... Now, not only had half of his face peeled off, but the other half was also on the verge of falling off, making him look like a vengeful ghost that had crawled back from hell to the human world.
Zhou Fangdong wasn't intimidated at all; he just continued to ask curiously, "And then? So what did that big boss want your skin for?"
The blood mist that was spreading outwards suddenly stopped. Mu Yuechan put her face back on and rolled her eyes at him: "...What an unromantic person. I showed you my scars, thinking you would comfort me, but you just asked me for details like you were listening to a story."
Zhou Fangdong coughed awkwardly.
It's hard to empathize with him, after all, the era this ghost tenant lived in is too far removed from the present, and listening to him recount his experiences in life is indeed like listening to a story.
Mu Yuechan sighed softly and began to recount what followed.
The real identity of that big boss is actually a cult leader. He founded a cult called the Bone Inheritance Society and worshipped an evil god.
Most cult members are people with blood on their hands, who have committed numerous evils, accumulated countless karmic debts, and are burdened with many karmic entanglements.
If one dies unexpectedly, one will surely fall into hell and never be reborn as a human. In an even more extreme case, one might be torn apart by the vengeful spirits clinging to one's body immediately after death, thus being completely annihilated and not even having the chance to be reborn as an animal.
So, to prevent his followers from being afraid of retribution and thus unwilling to work for the gods, the cult leader asked the evil god for a wicked spell.
This technique can not only transfer the accumulated bad karma of believers, but also steal the lifespan of others, allowing believers to live longer.
The main method involves finding a person with a compatible birth chart, skinning them, and processing their skin using special methods. Then, runes are embroidered all over the skin with the skin's hair—this hair must be from the person whose skin was peeled. So, if the victim's hair isn't long enough, the cult will "grow" it for a while until enough hair grows.
Mu Yuechan was an actress who always kept her hair long because she had to perform on stage. Therefore, he skipped the step of growing his hair out and was skinned alive on their wedding night.
Then the embroidered runes on the human skin are separated from the head and body, and the scalp is made into a human skin hat. Wearing this human skin hat for forty-nine days can transfer the evil karma on the person to the victim, making the victim bear the evil karma committed by the believer.
Moreover, after transferring all the evil karma, this human skin hat will transform into a magical artifact that can subdue ghosts and, to some extent, resist attacks from vengeful spirits.
Therefore, this technique is only available to the most dedicated believers within the cult.
Because the cult leader had accumulated too much evil karma, the person who would bear the burden of his evil karma had to be someone with a special birth chart. Therefore, he found Mu Yuechan.
Mu Yuechan's birth chart is very special. Although she was born to a man, her birth chart is entirely Yin, which normally would mean she wouldn't be able to raise a child. However, she miraculously lived to adulthood.
The reason this cult leader went to such lengths, pretending to be a boss and issuing marriage contracts and betrothal gifts, is because the greater the resentment a person with a completely Yin birth chart harbored in life, the more effective the human skin hat made after death would be.
However, after the skinning was completed, a mishap occurred midway through the ritual. Mu Yuechan's resentment was far more terrifying than the cult leader had imagined, and he couldn't suppress it, turning her into a deeply vengeful ghost in human skin.
Later, the cult leader found a master who was also a follower of the evil god. The two of them went to great lengths, first cursing and killing a female opera singer, and then paying a heavy price to seal Mu Yuechan inside the white opera costume that the female opera singer wore before her death.
Later, this costume became a ritual implement of the Bone Inheritance Society. Because raising silkworms that shed their skin was very costly and difficult to raise, this white costume that sealed Mu Yuechan's human skin became an important tool for these cultists of the Bone Inheritance Society to peel off human skin.
Later, a high-ranking member of the Heirs Society, dressed in a white theatrical costume, moved to the Liwan Apartments. Nourished by the Yin energy of the Liwan Apartments, the seal gradually loosened, and Mu Yuechan finally woke up.
But before Mu Yuechan could kill that high-ranking member of the Heirs of the Bone Society, he disappeared on his own—one day he chased after a little boy and never came back. From then on, Mu Yuechan stayed in room 103 by herself.
Mu Yuechan had also considered going out and killing the cult leader who had skinned him. However, because he had absorbed the yin energy of the Liwan Apartment, he was bound by an invisible contract and unable to leave the apartment area.
Moreover, the yin energy in the Liwan Apartment is very strange, with the inside and outside of the room being two completely opposite states.
Although it is easy to absorb the yin energy outside the room, if a ghost stays outside for too long, it will turn into a bloodthirsty beast with no ability to think and driven entirely by obsession and instinct.
The walls of the apartment room act like a filter, keeping out the negative energy mixed with other impurities. Moreover, if humans live in the room, the ghost's state becomes more stable.
Mu Yuechan didn't want to forget the hatred in her heart, nor did she want to lose her mind, so she dared not leave room 103, nor did she harm the scavenger who secretly moved into room 103 later.
Like the cult leader, the hoarder went out one day and never came back.
After that, no human was ever seen in the apartment again.
After that, the Liwan Apartments seemed to become a giant coffin that sealed countless ghosts and monsters.
The yin energy emanating from the building formed a huge vortex, constantly luring all kinds of ghosts and monsters and trapping them inside.
This situation continued until a landlord, whose identity was unknown, appeared.
At this point, Mu Yuechan looked at Zhou Fangdong with a smile: "Landlord, your appearance is like a stabilizing force, calming the increasingly restless ghosts in the building. Your brilliant idea of renting out the rooms to let the living and ghosts live together has gradually calmed the yin energy in the building... Now the yin energy in the corridor on the first floor is almost as stable as the room."
"The power you wield is truly fascinating. Not only can it allow the living to form contracts with ghosts, creating strange symbiotic relationships, but it can even transform vengeful spirits into beings almost indistinguishable from the living..."
Mu Yuechan clutched her chest, her smile widening: "I've never felt so good before."
"I am even stronger now than when I died. I can feel that the guy who skinned me is still alive."
As Mu Yuechan spoke, she slowly approached Zhou Fangdong, until only three steps remained between the two. "I can leave the apartment now. The reason I didn't leave immediately was to wait for you, Mr. Landlord... I hope you won't terminate my contract with this room."
After saying that, Mu Yuechan waved her water sleeves and looked around her bedroom. "I am very satisfied with the environment of Liwan Apartment, and I am also very satisfied with this body. After I kill that heartless man, I will come back to live here."
After hearing Mu Yuechan's words, Zhou Fangdong frowned slightly.
The rental agreement for a ghost tenant should be the same as the rental contract. If he wants to terminate the contract, he should be able to do so directly by simply telling the system.
From Mu Yuechan's words just now, it can be understood that the reason he can maintain his current body, which is similar to that of a living person, is because of the rental contract.
Zhou Fangdong frowned as he looked at the room filled with almost solidified, blood-red resentment. "You want to go out now? Can you control your power? What if it affects ordinary people and causes mass casualties?"
Hearing Zhou Fangdong say that, Mu Yuechan couldn't help but chuckle.
Even with his skin torn apart, the arrogance on his face was clearly visible: "Landlord, do you know how many insignificant commoners died every day during the Republic of China era? What do I care about the lives of ordinary people? If they are affected, it only means they are too weak, and their deaths are their fate. Do you know how long I have been waiting for this day? Are you going to make me hold back and give up my revenge because of a bunch of ants?"
"Besides, although you are the landlord of Liwan Apartments, you shouldn't have the right to restrict my activities, right?" Mu Yuechan raised her chin slightly, her posture arrogant and her voice full of disdain. "I'm telling you this to inform you that I'm leaving the apartment, not to ask you for permission."
Zhou Fangdong was so angry he laughed.
Ever since that hellish role-playing mission ended, he had been holding back a lot of anger, and now Mu Yuechan had completely ignited it.
He looked at Mu Yuechan with an expressionless face and said coldly, "Yes, I have no right to restrict the tenant's activities, but as the landlord of Liwan Apartments, I can still terminate the contract with the tenant."
“If the supernatural powers you possess harm ordinary people, I will immediately terminate our rental agreement, which is what you call a contract.”
The smile on Mu Yuechan's face gradually froze.
"By the way, I'm a little curious, if I terminate your lease, can you still maintain this form? I wonder if your human skin form can allow you to leave this apartment."
Mu Yuechan pursed her lips, her expression suddenly becoming somewhat tense.
"Now, could you please repeat what you just said?" Zhou Fangdong mimicked Mu Yuechan's tone, saying with a sneer, "I was just informing you—not asking you anything."
"Without Liwan Apartments, what do you think you are?"
"You were a human in life, but after death you desperately crave a human body, wanting to become human yet looking down on humans. What exactly are you being arrogant about?"
"I'm a pretty easy-going person. Normally, as long as the tenants don't do anything too outrageous, I'll be tolerant unconditionally. After all, everyone has their own difficulties."
"But on matters of principle, I will never allow tenants to go against my wishes."
"Since you live here, and since I gave you this body, you'd better behave yourself. Don't act so arrogant, like everyone owes you a fortune. There are plenty of ghosts who are suffering more than you, more desperate than you, and still trapped in their obsessions. Don't think the whole world owes you something just because you've had a miserable experience."
“If you don’t want to stay in room 103, I can find another ghost to move in anytime. There’s nothing else in Liwan Apartments, but there are a lot of ghosts.”
"Now, stay in room 103 and don't leave the room."
“I will always be watching you, and all the ghosts in the Liwan Apartments will be watching you too.”
“Once you leave this room, I will immediately terminate the contract and remove you from room 103.”
After finishing his sentence, Zhou Fangdong ignored Mu Yuechan's reaction and left Room 103.
He casually added Mu Yuechan to his list of special tenants, and then, just in case, Zhou Fangdong stood at the door of room 103 and lit three sticks of incense as an offering.
As the sandalwood incense wafted, layers upon layers of ghosts emerged from the shadows, like a rising tide in the darkness, visibly engulfing the entire corridor.
“Keep an eye on the ghost in room 103. If he tries to leave the room and I don’t arrive in time, stop him. I will reward you with incense afterward.”
After saying that, Zhou Fangdong teleported back to his room.
Actually, he had just wanted to terminate the rental agreement with this ghost tenant immediately. This guy was too murderous and had no human moral constraints, making him very difficult to control.
But then he suddenly remembered that after the ghost tenant successfully checked in, the system had unlocked many new features, which he hadn't had time to check yet.
Therefore, he decided to go back to his room to check out the new features before considering whether to terminate his tenant contract with Mu Yuechan.
Back in his room, Zhou Fangdong checked the tenant profile and the newly unlocked features.
Tenant Profile: [Special Tenant: Republican Era Actress]
Illustration: In life, he was a darling of the world, but after death, he became nothing more than a human skin without a body. His greatest obsession is to tear apart the cult leader who skinned him; he is deeply entrenched in this obsession and completely controlled by hatred.
Traits: Admiring of the strong, extremely arrogant, self-centered, and looking down on everyone equally. A special kind of ghost, possessing human rationality and capable of rational thought, but lacking any human moral compass. Due to the special nature of the Liwan Apartment, X will absolutely not terminate the lease.
[Special Tenant Illustration Unlock Reward: Special Item - Sanqing Bell]
[Special Item - Three Pure Bells]: Shatters the netherworld, terrifying demons and monsters.
Item Description: This bronze bell possesses the power to ward off evil spirits and dispel malevolent influences. Its sound contains pure yang energy, and when activated by the Celestial Master's spiritual power, it can shake the soul of ghosts, causing them to become dizzy. Against low-level ghosts, it can directly shatter their souls.
After reading the prop's instructions, Zhou Fangdong was stunned for a moment.
The new item reward unlocked a ghost-repelling tool that looks incredibly useful!
Zhou Fangdong took the prop directly and held it in his hand.
Before he could even try it, the system popped up a message:
A good horse needs a good saddle, and an unsuitable weapon is useless; please entrust it to the right profession.
Zhou Fangdong: ? ? ?
System, you even studied at Sword 03, didn't you?
"No, why can't I use the items I unlocked?"
[The profession is incompatible, and the host lacks spiritual power, making it impossible to activate the Three Pure Bells effect.]
"So this thing is just a decoration for me?"
[If the host gives it to a specific tenant, it will increase their favorability.]
Zhou Fangdong felt his blood pressure rise again.
The exorcism item he finally obtained turned out to be an item that increases his favorability. Is the system deliberately messing with him?
Out of sight, out of mind, Zhou Fangdong casually tossed the bell onto the table.
The bell rolled around and knocked over a book. A small green seedling stuck in the book also fell over, and both the bell and the seedling were buried under the book.
However, Zhou Fangdong was focused on checking the system pop-ups and did not notice what was happening on the table.
As I scrolled down, my mood instantly lifted after seeing the system pop-up below, which had been low because the exorcism item was unusable.
[Ghost Tenant Occupancy Bonus: 2000 Ghost Coins (per month)]
Unlike the other ghosts in the apartment who only pay rent after their human tenants have lived for a month, the ghost tenant in room 103 actually paid 2,000 ghost coins on the spot.
He originally had 1250 Ghost Coins, bought 300 basic medical kits to treat Zhao Dawei, and had 950 Ghost Coins left. But suddenly, his Ghost Coin balance jumped to 2950!
Looking at his account balance, Zhou Fangdong actually felt an urge to forgive Mu Yuechan's willfulness.
Money really can make the devil turn the millstone... Give him more ghost coins and he'll help the devil turn the millstone.
If there were more of these ghost tenants...
Although the system did not explain how these ghost tenants appeared, judging from Mu Yuechan's experience, it seems that humans need to be lured into the room to be eaten by ghosts.
If we were to go so far as to create these ghost tenants in batches... no, this is reality, not a game. Although this method can quickly earn ghost coins, once you cross the line, you can't stop yourself.
Moreover, we can't just look at the initial benefits. Ghost tenants are more dangerous and uncontrollable than human tenants. One disobedient Mu Yuechan is troublesome enough. We can't let such ghost tenants appear unless absolutely necessary.
Side quest 4 is also complete, rewarding 300 Ghost Coins, 1000 experience points, and a random skill point.
With these 300 ghost coins, he now has a total of 3250 ghost coins.
He's so rich, he's really rich now.
Zhou Fangdong wiped away non-existent tears.
I've saved up two skill points. I only need 1000 more experience points to level up and unlock another skill... Completing the role-playing task will give me exactly 1000 experience points. I'll complete the role-playing task in room 108 first.
The last remaining unviewed system pop-ups are: [Substitute Interface Unlocked, Map Exploration Function Unlocked, Dungeon Erosion Function Unlocked]
I never expected that a ghost tenant could unlock so many features just by moving in.
Zhou Fangdong curiously clicked on the [Substitute Interface].
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