Chapter 363: Seventh Young Master
The auction house was located on the third floor of the Ghost Tower. It looked just as wretched as the first and second floor.
There was a shabby old tform at the center surrounded by square tables and round chairs. It was practically the same setup as some theaters except that the walls were cracked and broken, the curtains and other fabrics were stained by blood, and even the floors creaked ominously when someone put their weight on the wrong nk. It was rundown and eerie.
A fair number of people had already gathered on the third floor. To Ye Qings surprise, not only was their appearance fully maskedto his eyes and demonic thought, they were like everchanging blobs of somethinghe couldnt even tell if they were weak or strong. It was as if they existed in a separate spacetime.
Ghost Six spoke up as if he could hear Ye Qings thoughts, Dont worry, dear customer. We value customer privacy very much. Your identity is fully protected throughout the bidding process, and once you are done, you may teleport away directly. Rest assured that you are never in danger.
That is a good setup. Ye Qing nodded in approval.
Please take a seat wherever you like. I shall be taking my leave since the auction will begin shortly. Ghost Six bade them goodbye after that.
After he got off the third floor, a ghost moved closer to him and said enviously, Did you run into a benefactor, Ghost Six?
I was lucky, Ghost Six replied humbly, though he couldnt conceal his jubnce no matter what he tried.
How much did you earn this time? Another ghost moved over and asked.
Not much. Just three to four hundred yin gold[1]. Ghost Six waved his hand casually.
Gasp!
Hells
A bunch of gasps broke out from everywhere.
A momentter, a ghost said with dripping jealousy, <em>Just </em>three to four hundred yin gold? Thats almost ten years of sry!
Today might just be the luckiest day of your life.
Assuming they still have enough yin gold to bid on the third floor, your bonus is going to be even bigger. Im so jealous
Hahaha, its not much. It really isnt that much money, people. If its two or three thousand yin gold, then were talking, Ghost Six dered arrogantly. He dearly enjoyed the feeling of being admired.
Heh. If you ask me, luck is all Ghost Six has. How often does anyone run into such idiots? A ghost said sharply and unkindly, Ghost Six almost killed them, but instead of screwing him over, they even gave him a ton of money. If they arent the dumbest fucks in the world, then who is?
An old ghost disagreed, So? If it wasnt for these dumb fucks, none of us would ever be rich. It wouldve taken us forever to be able to earn enough money to buy our way back to the cycle of reincarnation.
He then looked at Ghost Six and asked, By the way, why didnt they give you a tip? Considering how rich and generous they are.
Ghost Six: ... <em>If you shut up about the tip starting now, then we can still be friends.</em>
They did, but I didnt ept it. Im a rule-abiding member of the Ghost Tower, you see. I cant possibly ept a customers tip! Ghost Six dered.
Tsk Everyone clicked their tongues at the same time.
One ghost suddenly sighed in frustration. I wonder why the owner allows us to trick our customers through our products, but forbids us from attacking them directly. Thats like a prostitute pretending that its her first time.
Yeah, its like taking off your pants to take a farpletely unnecessary, another ghost echoed in agreement.
Silence! Are you crazy? Criticizing the owner is a death sentence! An old ghost rebuked the two ghosts in shock and terror.
Whats there to be scared about? The owner isnt here right now, Someone scoffed.
What are you guys talking about?
Suddenly, an attractive and melodious voice came from somewhere. A voice like this should awe and delight anyone like theing of spring, but instead the ghosts fell silent and shivered like leaves.
Why did you all fall silent all of a sudden? Am I that scary?
No one knew when the woman appeared. She was very attractive even though she was wearing a white jade mask. The lump on her throat revealed her true gender, however.
Seventh Young Master The group greeted him fearfully.
You. Answer me. Am I scary? Seventh Young Master asked in a sweet voice.
No No? The ghost stuttered.
Oh? So youre saying Im not worthy of your fear? Seventh Young Master chuckled and extended a hand. A mouth suddenly opened on his smooth, white palm.
I misspoke, Seventh Young Master! Mercy, please, mercy! The ghost screamed in shock and horror, but Seventh Young Master was unmoved by his screams. He grabbed the ghosts skull, and
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
The ghost let out a bloodcurdling scream. His facial features were literally shifting out of ce due to how much pain he was in. However, he was unable to move a muscle. It was almost as if someone had cast a freezing spell on him.
A series of sickening crunches noises paralyzed everyones limbs as the mouth on Seventh Young Masters palm ate the ghost bit by bit. His screamssted at least a dozen breaths before he waspletely eaten.
After Seventh Young Master was done eating the ghost, he produced a handkerchief and wiped away the stains on the mouth while asking casually, Lets try again. Am I scary?
Yes Yes No one dared to say otherwise after witnessing the bloody execution with their own eyes.
Oh? So youre saying Im a cold, unfeeling ghost who doesnt know how to care for my subordinates? Seventh Young Master smiled at one of the ghosts who spoke.
No! No! I meanAhhhhhhhhhh! When the ghost saw Seventh Young Master reaching out for him, he lost control and transformed into a gust of yin wind, trying to escape.
Hahaha Do you think you can escape me?
The mouth on Seventh Young Masters palm suddenly opened wide, and a long, barbed tongue shot toward the yin wind like lightning. It easily caught the ghost in its deadly embrace.
The next moment, the ghost disappeared into Seventh Young Masters mouth, leaving behind only a reverberating scream.
Burp!
The mouth let out a burp after swallowing another ghost. Seventh Young Master shook his head wistfully. Sigh I wasnt expecting my dogs to disobey my orders. Whatever shall I do?
You mustnt emte their bad behavior, okay?
Y-Yes. Every ghost bowed their head and trembled.
Alright, lets try again. Am I scary? Seventh Young Master asked gently.
The ghosts shook like leaves when they heard the damned question again. If they said yes, then they would die. If they said no, then they would still die. What should they do?
There was only one answer. They stayed quiet and said nothing at all.
The tension sat on their chests like a mountain. They felt suffocated even though they didnt need to breathe.
<em>Bang!</em>
Some timeter, a ghost couldnt withstand the pressure any longer andmitted suicide. He destroyed his own yin soul.
As a ghost, to lose ones yin soul was to experience true death. They would never enter the cycle of reincarnation. Even so, it was a far better fate than being devoured by Seventh Young Master.
Seventh Young Master was the seventh adopted son of the owner of the Ghost Tower. He was a Soul Devourer who consumed ghosts and human souls as food. Anyone he devoured would be his eternal puppet with no hope of escape. They couldnt live, nor could they die. That was why the ghost thought it was better tomit suicide.
The ghosts action was like a signal. A couple more ghosts emted his behavior and killed themselves as well.
Not everyone possessed their courage and determination, however. In fact, most ghosts would rather live like a ve than suffer true death.
An indefinite amount of timeter, when everyone thought that today was the day they all died, Seventh Young Master suddenly let out a chuckle and asked, Do you know why they died?
...
Its because they said the wrong thing. Ghost Eight told a lie, so he must die. Ghost Ten told a truth I dislike, so he died as well.
The ghosts trembled, but didnt dare to make even a squeak.
This is nice, isnt it? Just zip your mouths, and nothing bad will happen. Seventh Young Master nodded as if very pleased with their reaction. Here in the Ghost Tower, the dogs should bark if and only if their owner tells them to do so. Not even when the owner isnt around. Otherwise, they will die a horrible death. Understand?
The ghosts hurriedly nodded. By now, everyone figured out that Seventh Young Master was warning them not to backbite their masters. Otherwise, damnation was the only oue.
Alright. You may leave. Our business must go on. Seventh Young Master waved his hand, and everyone scattered in every direction like mice.
Ghost Six, stay with me.
Ghost Six was about to run off as well when suddenly, Seventh Young Master called out to him. Ghost Six froze for a second before his face turned deathly white, and his body shook like a leaf. His fellow ghosts could only shoot him sympathizing gazes before running off even faster.
Young Seventh Young Master? Ghost Six stuttered almost hysterically. <em>Hes not going to tell me that he hasnt had his fill yet, is he?</em>
Rx. Im already full, and you make a poor meal anyway. Your flesh stinks like trash, and your bones are anything but crunchy. Seventh Young Master smiled. I have some questions for you.
<em>So, he wouldve eaten me if I </em>am <em>crunchy?</em>
Ghost Six had never been so d that he was a Rotting Ghost. What do you want to know, Seventh Young Master? Ill answer to the best of my abilities.
Seventh Young Master asked, I heard that two wealthy customers showed up just now. Is that true?
That is correct, Ghost Six answered honestly even though he didnt know why he was asking this.
How rich are we talking about? Seventh Young Master prodded.
Ghost Six answered, Very. They spent over ten thousand yin gold in one sitting, and theyre currently participating in the auction right now.
Ten thousand yin gold, and they still have enough to participate in the auction? That is quite impressive.
Seventh Young Master asked another question, How strong are they?
Ghost Six answered, Er, the guy isnt very strong. The Human-faced Peach Blossom Ghost almost seeded in stealing his soul. Im not sure about the woman, but considering that theyre married, she cant be too strong[2].
Also, both their auras are incredibly young. I dont think theyre old monsters pretending to be young. Theyre probably prodigals of major ns who knew nothing about the world.
Is that so? That sounds fantastic. Seventh Young Masters voice grew increasingly sweet. I want you to keep an eye on them. When they leave, find out where they go and inform me about it.
What are you nning Seventh Young Master? Ghost Six gulped.
You already know, dont you? Seventh Young Master smiled kindly. There are kids roaming the streets while carrying bags of gold. What do you think Im nning to do?
But Ghost Six hesitated.
Ghost Six, Fengdu is no different from the human world in the sense that the weak are meat, and the strong do eat. The big fish eats the small fish, the small fish eats the shrimps and so on.
Seventh Young Master said slowly, If the small fish and shrimp are smart, they would hide in their holes and never show themselves. But they did, so its their own fault that they risk being eaten.
Its been a long time since I tasted human flesh, especially the flesh of a genius. Do you know that they taste like theyve been fermented in honey? The skin is thin, the flesh is delicious, and the juice is everywhere when you bite into it. Ah, that sweet taste
I cant wait!
1. Customer service truly sucks. Even the ferryman with his new tactic earns more than that in one sitting.
2. In Chinese culture (in fact in most cultures) if the male and female arent equal in some ways, chances are theyre just going to break up because of the inequality. This is doubly true for marriage.