Chapter 33 First Use of the Substitute Function (Bonus Chapter for 5,000 Points of Nutrition) ...
After buying a bed at the Guijia Furniture Store, Zhang Qingyang originally thought he could easily deal with all the evil spirits around the Taoist temple today.
But to his surprise, just as he and his beloved furniture were fighting side by side against those vengeful ghosts, a sudden gale arose, sand and stones flew, and a soaring crimson resentment appeared out of nowhere on the small hillside.
Then, a pale figure appeared before him—it was an actor dressed in a white theatrical costume and wearing a female lead headdress.
The oppressive force emanating from this seemingly alive actor was terrifying; for a moment, the air on this small hillside seemed to freeze.
Although he had a graceful figure, his body was unusually stiff, as if he had been sealed for too long and had forgotten how to use his body.
The cool moonlight shone on his head full of jewels, reflecting a shimmering light, as if the entire Milky Way had been scattered from the night sky, adorning his cascading black hair.
There were still seven vengeful ghosts to deal with, and now another one that looked even more terrifying had appeared out of nowhere. Overwhelmed by immense despair, Zhang Qingyang couldn't help but cry out in shock.
However, after shouting it out, Zhang Qingyang immediately regretted it and wished he could slap himself.
The actor seemed to have noticed his presence because of the sound and looked at him.
What a face it was! One half was stunningly beautiful, while the other half was distorted beyond recognition, the skin and flesh extremely uneven, like a wet tissue stuck to glass. A thick layer of white powder was applied to that distorted half of the face, like mortuary makeup… This heavy makeup, instead of concealing anything, only added to the eeriness.
However, what is most undeniable is the dense, crimson aura of resentment surrounding him, resembling a sea of blood...
As the white-clad actor awoke from his dazed state, the terrifying resentment seemed to take on a physical form, like a python hunting its own prey, instantly coiling around all the vengeful spirits present.
The vengeful ghost that had left Zhang Qingyang helpless for several nights was as weak as a few newborn babies in front of this actor. It was almost instantly devoured by the scarlet resentment, its soul shattered, turning into wisps of green smoke, merging with the boundless sea of blood and resentment.
Seeing the white-clad actor staring intently at him, Zhang Qingyang trembled on the bed, clutching a chair.
He stammered, "Um, um, you can't kill me after you kill them, I'm just a weak little Taoist priest."
"Is this the furniture you bought from Guijia Furniture Store?" The actor suddenly spoke. Although his tone was cold, his voice was very pleasant, melodious and clear, and every word seemed to pluck at the heartstrings.
Zhang Qingyang was taken aback by the question.
The name of the Home Furnishings store, spoken by this actor who looked as if he had traveled from the Republican era, gave him a strange feeling of being out of place.
“Ah, yes, I bought them from Guijia Furniture Store.” Zhang Qingyang tightened his grip on the chairs and stools. “They’re all good ghosts, they died young and violently, they didn’t do anything sinful after death, they just stayed in the furniture. I spent several sticks of incense to successfully redeem them. By the way, don’t let my appearance fool you, I actually know how to make offering incense. I’ll give you the incense, can you please let us go…”
From Zhou Fangdong's perspective, all the ghosts on the stool, chair, and bed were hugging Zhang Qingyang. The four ghosts and one person were huddled together, looking rather pitiful.
Zhou Fangdong sighed, "Why would I kill you? I just came out for a walk."
Zhang Qingyang nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes, yes, you're right." He had only gone out for a walk, and in the blink of an eye, he had killed seven fierce ghosts. He really didn't dare to think about it if he were to get serious.
Zhou Fangdong looked at the somewhat dilapidated Taoist temple not far away, and then at the barren, overgrown hillside, wondering what this place had to do with Mu Yuechan.
Could this place have been a base of the cult "Succession Society" before?
"Where is this place?" Zhou Fangdong asked again.
Seeing that the actor in white had no intention of killing him, Zhang Qingyang relaxed. He sat cross-legged on the bed, with a stool on his head, and obediently replied, "This is Chuyun Temple in the northern suburbs of Linjiang City. I am Zhang Qingyang, and I am the current abbot of Chuyun Temple."
Zhou Fangdong felt that the combination of Taoist priest and furniture was somewhat familiar. He suddenly remembered the strange Taoist priest that Zhao Dawei had mentioned who came to Guijia Furniture Store to buy furniture... Could it be this young man in front of him?
"Did you buy this furniture a couple of days ago?"
Although he didn't know why he asked that, Zhang Qingyang still obediently nodded: "Yes."
Zhou Fangdong understood.
Zhao Dawei said that the Taoist master came to Guijia Furniture Store to buy furniture because a cult follower was performing some kind of ritual next to his Taoist temple, which attracted a lot of evil spirits.
The cult members who were performing random rituals next to the Taoist temple were very likely members of the Bone Inheritance Society, which is why the system teleported them here when using the causal line to randomly teleport them.
Zhao Dawei almost died in the morning during a ritual performed by those cultists.
Thinking of this, Zhou Fangdong said to Zhang Qingyang, "Where are those cultists drawing their rituals? Take me there to see them."
Although it's unclear how this actor in white knew that cult members had been active here, since this bigwig had spoken, it was best to obediently do as he said in order not to anger him.
Zhang Qingyang got out of bed, placed the chair and stool beside the bed, and then led Zhou Fangdong towards a place surrounded by talismans not far away.
There were many loose stones on the hillside. Zhang Qingyang turned left and right to avoid the rocks blocking his way. When he glanced behind him, he found that the white-clad actor seemed to have no feet on the ground. The rocks blocking his way seemed to be non-existent in front of him. With bloody resentment churning, his body floated straight toward him.
Sweating profusely, Zhang Qingyang averted his gaze, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
Okay, it's confirmed now. This is definitely not human; it must be a ferocious and terrifying ghost with a physical form.
It was the first time Zhou Fangdong had walked using Mu Yuechan's body, and he found it quite novel—it felt like he was traveling on a balance bike.
I wonder if it can float a little higher.
However, to avoid frightening the young Taoist priest leading the way, Zhou Fangdong abandoned the idea.
Following Zhang Qingyang, Zhou Fangdong arrived at an open space surrounded by yellow talismans. After seeing the symbols on the ground, Zhou Fangdong unconsciously frowned.
There's no mistake, these deformed, tadpole-like oval question mark runes were left by members of the Bone Inheritance Society. I wonder what they were trying to do by performing this ritual here.
These runes looked as if they were drawn with blood, with traces of crimson to black liquid left on the muddy ground, carrying a putrid stench.
The system's cold, electronic voice suddenly rang out:
The host can move closer to the ritual symbol; the system will automatically record the ritual atmosphere.
Hearing the system say this, Zhou Fangdong leaned down slightly, rolled up his sleeves, and held his hand above the runes.
Zhang Qingyang was startled and was about to stop them when he saw the yellow talismans on the ground suddenly ignite without fire. Then, the dried-up symbol traces on the ground turned into a crimson liquid, which flew up from the soil drop by drop as if time had reversed and melted into his fair palm.
Zhang Qingyang was dumbfounded. Those yellow talismans on the ground were all exorcism talismans he had drawn himself!
He admitted that his cultivation was still incomplete and he wasn't very skilled at infusing spiritual power into the talismans. He also considered that these talismans wouldn't have much effect on the white-clad actor, perhaps only causing a slight stinging sensation.
He had tried to stop him because he was afraid that the big shot's palm would be pricked by the talisman and he would be blamed... But he never expected that not a single one of the talismans would work.
The actor in white simply stretched out one hand, and the talismans burned away silently, like toilet paper melting into water.
"So heartbreaking, so incredibly heartbreaking." Zhang Qingyang clutched his chest, tears welling in his eyes.
Although I didn't say a word, I felt like I was being called a noob.
Luckily, my master is no longer here. If he were to see this, I would get kicked in the butt again.
Zhou Fangdong didn't notice Zhang Qingyang's reaction; his attention was entirely focused on the pop-up window from the system.
[Beep—The system has recorded the residual ritual aura. The next time the host uses the substitute function, or when the ghost tenant goes out to explore the map, the system can help teleport to a location where the residual aura is strong.]
The map exploration interface then unfolds, and on the map of Linjiang City, several small red dots flashing are particularly enticing—those should be areas where believers of the Bone Inheritance Society frequently go about their activities.
Zhou Fangdong mentally called out to the system: "Can we teleport now?"
No, currently each use of the Stand function only grants one teleportation opportunity. Once your Stand proficiency reaches 100%, you will receive one additional teleportation opportunity.
Zhou Fangdong checked the proficiency level of [Mu Yuechan] on the stand-in interface—it was a pitiful single-digit number: 5.
How long will it take to reach 100?
"Master, is there a shortcut for players who use in-game currency?"
[3000 Ghost Coins can add one teleportation attempt]
"Sorry to bother you, just pretend I didn't say anything."
I can only teleport when I use the substitute function next time.
Zhou Fangdong's obsession with the cult of the Bone Inheritance Society stemmed from the fact that such cults had to pay the price for harming Zhao Dawei.
Another factor was his simple sense of justice. He figured he had nothing better to do than beat a child on a rainy day, and since he already knew this cult was still active, he figured he might as well deal with it; otherwise, they would continue to harm people as long as they existed.
Moreover, two cult members have already disappeared from his apartment today. If the Heirs of the Bone Society discovers that his two followers have disappeared and sends people to harass him at his apartment, he will be in for a lot of trouble.
Instead of waiting for these bastards to come and harass us, we might as well take the initiative and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
Looking at the runes that had disappeared from the ground, Zhou Fangdong hid his hands in his sleeves again and turned to Zhang Qingyang: "I've heard my tenant talk about you before. Your physiognomy is very accurate; the bloody disaster that befell him has already come true."
Zhang Qingyang paused for a moment, then quickly remembered something: "The uncle from the Guijia Furniture Store? Is he alright now?"
"It's alright, he has successfully weathered the crisis."
Zhou Fangdong looked at Zhang Qingyang, pondering how to get him to move into the Liwan Apartments.
This is a Taoist priest with the ability to exorcise ghosts. If he can move into Liwan Apartment, he will most likely be a special tenant. At that time, the tenant encyclopedia rewards will definitely yield good items.
Moreover, he seems to be able to draw talismans. Maybe once the favorability rating is raised, there will be no need to buy talisman props for the tenants anymore. They can just exploit them... and ask this Taoist master to draw them.
Zhou Fangdong scanned the surroundings, and the somewhat dilapidated Taoist temple behind Zhang Qingyang came into his view.
After carefully considering his words, Zhou Fangdong said, "Your Taoist temple looks like it hasn't been repaired in a long time. Can it still protect the residents from ghosts and monsters at night?"
Zhang Qingyang smiled awkwardly: "Indeed, the talisman left by my master has become mostly ineffective, so I usually patrol and keep watch outside at night to prevent ghosts from invading."
Zhou Fangdong then said, "There are still vacancies in Liwan Apartments. Would you like to move in with us? The ordinary people in the Taoist temple who are under your protection can also come over. I can guarantee their safety."
The small Taoist temple not far away was really tiny, just a main hall and a small courtyard, without even a side hall. Excluding the space in the main hall for the statues, Zhou Fangdong figured the remaining area would only be enough for three people to move around in.
There are currently three rooms in the apartment that are not yet rented out, so we can rent them all out right away.
Zhang Qingyang was taken aback when he heard Zhou Fangdong's invitation.
A powerful figure who kills ghosts as easily as breathing invites you to stay at his place. Would you accept?
However, Liwan Apartments... how could it be Liwan Apartments?
Is this person actually the landlord of Liwan Apartments...?
Remembering his master's words and the furniture store manager's warning, Zhang Qingyang hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "Okay, thank you for the invitation, landlord. I'll go to Liwan Apartment tomorrow after I've settled things at the Taoist temple. I hope you can reserve a room for me."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Zhou Fangdong tried hard to suppress the urge to smile. Fortunately, half of Mu Yuechan's facial nerves were not under her control, otherwise she would have almost lost control.
I never expected to find a special tenant so easily.
To prevent his future tenant from not knowing how to get to the apartment, Zhou Fangdong told him, "To get to Liwan Apartment, just pick any bus stop, think about going to Liwan Apartment, and then wait for a random bus without license plates to come."
Zhang Qingyang nodded: "Yes, I know how to get there."
Seeing this, Zhou Fangdong said nothing more.
This trip was very fruitful. Not only did I learn about the locations of the activities of the cultists from the Bone Inheritance Society, but I also brought back a Taoist priest who was suspected of being a special tenant.
Zhou Fangdong looked around and realized there was really nothing to see on this small hillside, just weeds and pebbles. It was also far from the city center, so he decided to go back to his apartment.
I'm already content just to be able to get out and enjoy some fresh air. Actually, staying outside for too long isn't all that great; it's much more comfortable to lie on my own bed in my room.
Zhou Fangdong didn't linger there any longer and teleported back to Liwan Apartment.
Zhang Qingyang watched his disappearing figure and sighed sadly.
I'm moving... I don't know if this decision is right or wrong, I hope my master will bless me.
*
When I got back to the Liwan Apartment, it was still dark.
Zhou Fangdong sat on the bed, checking his unfinished tasks to kill time.
He currently has two unfinished tasks: side quest 4 and main quest 1.
Side quest 4 involves repairing the garbage disposal station at Liwan Apartments, finding the garbage station manager, and then searching for and hiring cleaners.
When you have some free time tomorrow, try to find the garbage disposal station in the apartment building.
In fact, Zhou Fangdong had a bad feeling because he had already searched the entire first floor of Liwan Apartment and hadn't seen anything that could be used as a garbage disposal station. Now he could only pray that it wasn't outside the apartment, otherwise this side quest would be very difficult to complete.
The first main quest is to rent out all the rooms on the first floor. Today, he found the second ghost tenant and rented room 108 to the zombie Taoist priest. Now, there are still three rooms left to be rented out: 105, 106, and 107.
If that Taoist priest can bring people over, the main quest can be completed smoothly.
Thinking of his second ghost tenant, Zhou Fangdong suddenly remembered that he hadn't claimed the reward for [Zombie Taoist Priest Zhang Zhiwu] in the encyclopedia yet.
Zhou Fangdong opened the tenant profile.
Tenant Profile: [Zombie Taoist Priest Zhang Zhiwu]
—If one ignores the suffering of all beings and ascends to immortality alone, what kind of immortality is that?
Illustrated Guide: Unresolved karma led him to abandon ascension. To remain in this chaotic world, he defied ancestral teachings and personally transformed himself into a zombie. Due to the unique nature of the Liwan Apartments, he retained his former sanity, resulting in a peculiar state of being half-ghost and half-zombie.
Traits: Upright, humorous, and optimistic, willing to give everything for the principles he believes in. He is a good master, true to his conscience and to his sect. Having chosen to sacrifice himself for his cause, he will remain here until the balance of Yin and Yang is restored.
[Special Tenant Encyclopedia Unlock Reward: Ancestral Artifact - Iron Hoe]
[Ancestral Ritual Weapon - Iron Hoe]
Prop Description: This is the hoe Zhang Zhiwu used to dig the ground for planting medicinal herbs. The iron hoe is inlaid with five-emperor coins, and the handle is made of jujube wood struck by lightning. This hoe can protect the wearer, ward off evil spirits, and is used for digging and planting vegetables. It also has the effect of warding off evil spirits in the hands of ordinary people. It is sturdy and durable, and is a simple and unadorned Taoist ritual implement.
Zhou Fangdong took out the prop.
It's a small hoe, about the length of an adult's forearm. It's a bit heavy, but it's easy to handle and swings around with great force.
Unlike the Three Pure Bells, which have a barrier to entry for using spiritual power, this item is also usable by ordinary people, making it truly practical.
Although he didn't need it for the time being, Zhou Fangdong still put the hoe into his inventory.
After opening his inventory, Zhou Fangdong discovered that one of his inventory slots contained [the organized collection from Room 103].
These are the messy collections that were taken out of room 103 this morning. Besides folk artifacts, there seem to be cursed items and the like... Just thinking about the terrifying size that took up the entire room gave Zhou Fangdong a headache.
There are too many to list. I'll organize them when I need to kill time later, like opening blind boxes.
The next morning arrived quickly, and the familiar system pop-up appeared before my eyes:
[Announcement: Dynamic Event: Night Attack of a Hundred Demons (Countdown: 15 days)]
Zhou Fangdong sighed softly.
I'm starting to feel anxious; it feels like the countdown to the college entrance exam is on.
Zhou Fangdong left the room, intending to tidy up another room first.
Zhang Qingyang said last night that he might visit the apartment today. It would be too embarrassing if the tenants arrived and his room wasn't ready yet.
After glancing at the remaining rooms on the rental page, Zhou Fangdong decided to clean room 107.
Yesterday, in order to clean room 108, he bought two fully automatic cleaning tools. But before he even used them, he, in a moment of madness, asked the gossipy ghost to help him find a powerful ghost to move into room 108.
Instead of finding a powerful ghost, they found a ghost tenant who successfully moved into room 108, thus completing the side quest of cleaning and renovating the room directly, saving them the need for those two items.
Just as Zhou Fangdong reached the door of room 107, the system suddenly notified him:
[Beep—A new tenant has been detected viewing the apartment. Please proceed to the entrance hall as soon as possible.]
Zhou Fangdong was somewhat surprised.
They arrived so quickly? It's only five in the morning. Did that young Taoist priest not sleep all night?
Zhou Fangdong strode to the entrance of the apartment and found Zhang Qingyang, whom he had seen last night, standing at the door looking energetic. His handsome face was free of dark circles, and he didn't look like someone who had stayed up all night.
The apartment door opened automatically, and Zhang Qingyang saw Zhou Fangdong standing in the entrance hall.
He paused for a moment, but quickly realized: "Landlord?"
This must be the human form of the landlord of Liwan Apartment during the day. Even the manager of Guijia Furniture Store has turned into a human, so it's not surprising that the landlord of Liwan Apartment has a human form.
However, the landlord looked much more reassuring now than the white-clad actor he had been in the evening; he seemed very human, and Zhang Qingyang's tense mood relaxed considerably.
Hearing Zhang Qingyang address him, Zhou Fangdong nodded.
He momentarily forgot that he had used Mu Yuechan's body when he met Zhang Qingyang that night, so he was not surprised that Zhang Qingyang recognized him.
Seeing that Zhou Fangdong had responded, Zhang Qingyang did not enter the apartment building, but stood outside and continued, "Landlord, I didn't come here to see the room. I know that Liwan Apartment has been abandoned for too long, and it will definitely take you some time to clean the room."
Hearing him say that, Zhou Fangdong breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he heard Zhang Qingyang say, "I came here this morning mainly because there was something I forgot to tell you yesterday. Besides me, there are thirty-two other people in our Taoist temple. Can they come with me to Liwan Apartment and receive your protection?"
Zhou Fangdong thought he might have misheard: "You just said, how many people?"
“Thirty-two. There are thirty-two people in the Taoist temple.” Zhang Qingyang obediently repeated, “Can they all come?”
Zhou Fangdong is numb.
He thought there might be two or three ordinary people in that small Taoist temple, and he had three rooms left on the first floor, which should be enough for him to stay.
But to my utter surprise, it wasn't just two or three, but thirty-two... How could that tiny, dilapidated Taoist temple, with only one main hall and no side halls, accommodate so many people? There's simply no room for them to move around!
"With so many people living here... how do you enshrine the statues of gods in your main hall?" Zhou Fangdong's voice was somewhat weak.
“Ah, I moved all the statues that used to be enshrined in the temple outside. After all, these statues aren’t afraid of ghosts.” Zhang Qingyang replied matter-of-factly. “Master said that people are the most important thing, and statues are just inanimate objects. If the Ancestral Master really manifests and sees that we threw away their statues to protect ordinary people, he won’t blame us.”
“Master also said that those who disregard the life and death of believers for the sake of so-called faith and offerings are evil gods. Even when there is a drought, they will drag the statue of the Dragon King out to bask in the sun. We are just asking the statue of our ancestral master to make room for the living. It is not a great disrespect.”
That makes perfect sense; there's no way to refute it.
"So, can everyone from our Taoist temple come to the apartment?" Zhang Qingyang stared at Zhou Fangdong with bright eyes.
Seeing Zhang Qingyang looking at him expectantly, Zhou Fangdong maintained a calm and expressionless face, but inside he was burning with anxiety.
Oh no! There are only three rooms left in the apartment. How am I supposed to take in thirty-two people? He promised to protect the ordinary people in the Taoist temple. If he can't keep his promise, he'll lose face big time.
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Author's Note: There will be an extra chapter at midnight tonight.
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