Stranger Danger

Chapter 362: Money Makes The World Go Round

“What’s wrong? You’re not going to force me into a contract, are you? Is this how the Ghost Tower operates?” Ye Qing smirked.

“Of course not. We’re all about consent and fairness,” Ghost Six replied, but his smile was gone. At this point, it was clear that Ye Qing was neither going to buy their products nor sign a contract. In that case, why would he offer him a smile? It wasn’t exactly easy plastering his flesh back to his face, you know!

“Goodbye. You can walk yourself to the exit,” Ghost Six added coldly before turning away.

“He’s looking down on you, husband!” Greenlake chuckled beside Ye Qing. He had no idea when she was there, though it didn’t matter.

Ye Qing shrugged uncaringly. Both his fists and his wallet were smaller than the Ghost Tower’s. It was natural that they would look down on him.

“But don’t worry. I shall retrieve your dignity for you!” Greenlake beamed at him.

“Oh really? How? Are you going to curse him or something?” Ye Qing didn’t know what Greenlake was planning, but he had to admit that he was a little touched. He advised her, “It’s fine. It’s not worth it.”

After all, the price of failure was, of course, death.

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing,” Greenlake returned with a playful smirk before pulling Ye Qing to the counter where Ghost Six was standing.

“Back already, customers?” Ghost Six said tauntingly when he saw that they had returned.

Greenlake smiled politely. “We never left in the first place. We just needed some time to discuss what we wanted to buy. After all, your products are pretty good.”

“But of course! Ghost Tower only sells quality goods!” Ghost Six declared proudly before side-eying Ye Qing. “Unfortunately, that also means not everyone can afford it.”

“What should we buy, husband?” Greenlake ignored the subtle jab at her “husband” and voiced her conundrum. “Should we buy it all, or should we just buy half of it?”

“Cough! Cough! Just er, just take it easy, okay?” Ye Qing nearly choked on his own spit. Buy it all, or buy half of it? Now that’s a boast if I ever heard one!

“I see, you don’t think that these items are a good fit with your stature. Very well. There is no point in buying items you don’t need,” Greenlake said gently. “That said, it’s not everyday you can visit the Yin Market. We can’t possibly leave empty-handed, can we? We’ll just buy eight or ten items, okay?”

Did I say anything? I didn’t say anything! Why are you doing this? Ye Qing blinked rapidly while desperately trying to think of a solution that wouldn’t smear his face in mud.

Ghost Six simply crossed his arms and watched the duo disdainfully. Keep talking. You’re only digging a bigger grave for yourself.

Greenlake pointed toward the racks and said casually, “Let’s see, I want the Void Prison, Void Stealer, Bone Rakshasa, Human-faced Peach Blossom Ghost, Yin Fire Ghost Bull, Three-lived Boy, Shadow Dancer, Smoke Veil and Yaksha of Evening. That’s enough for now.”

Heh… she has a discerning eye for value at least, Ghost Six sneered mentally. The ghosts she chose seemingly at random were some of the most valuable ghosts they had. Of course, they were also the most expensive. Here comes the question: Could she actually afford it?

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Ghost Six. He put on a bright smile on his face and produced a handful of exquisite-looking boxes seemingly out of thin air. Then, he somehow pulled a square space out of the Hundred Ghosts Racks as if it was a physical object and put it into a wooden box. He would repeat this until every ghost Greenlake had ordered was packed.

After that, he pushed the boxes in front of Greenlake and said, “Here’s the stuff you ordered, customer. That would be five thousand yin gold, please.”

“Er… that… we…” Ye Qing gasped again.Five thousand yin gold? My poor heart!

Ye Qing was going to say that it was just a joke, but Ghost Six interrupted as if he had anticipated his answer, “Just a reminder, but we don’t do takebacks. Once the good is removed from the shelf, you’re expected to pay for it one way or another.”

Ghost Six’s smile turned cruel. He looked like a fisherman who saw a big fish entering his net of its own volition.

He didn’t believe that Ye Qing or Greenlake could pay five thousand yin gold. The second they admitted that they couldn’t produce the money necessary to purchase the ghosts, he would accuse them of making a fool out of their business, kill them, and transform them into the Ghost Tower’s slaves. It was buy one get two free!

Ye Qing side-eyed Greenlake. Well, we’re in deep shit now. What are you going to do?

Ye Qing was already channeling his energies in secret. The second Greenlake showed weakness, he was going to get the hell out of here. If that failed, then he was going to… surrender, of course. What else was he supposed to do?

“Five thousand? That’s cheaper than I expected.”

To everyone’s surprise, Greenlake smiled and produced a huge bag of yin gold. She dropped it on the floor and said, “Here it is. Please check if the numbers are correct.”

Ghost Six: “...”

Ye Qing: “...”

You actually have five thousand yin gold? It has to be fake, right?!

A few seconds of stunned silence later, Greenlake side-eyed Ghost Six and urged, “What are you doing? Count it already!”

“R-Right…” Ghost Six crouched on the floor in a daze and began counting the ingots. A long time later, he finally rose back to his feet and answered numbly, “There are… There are eight thousand yin gold, dear customer. You… You overpaid!”

“Is that so? It’s fine. You can keep it,” Greenlake said uncaringly.

Both of Ghost Six’s eyeballs tumbled to the floor for the third time. He had encountered a customer who gave away three thousand yin gold as tips his whole life. He literally couldn’t make three thousand yin gold even if he slaved away at the Ghost Tower for centuries. If this is a dream, I don’t ever want to wake up!

Ghost Six struggled not to burst with delight—possibly literally—while replying perfunctorily, “It’s okay, dear customer. It’s my honor to be able to serve you.”

He was trained to turn down the tip at first and accept it later as a show of courtesy. It was a mistake.

“Is that so? You don’t want the money? Fine,” Greenlake replied and took back the three thousand yin gold.

What?

It took him a second to process her words. Then, his mind exploded like a million galaxies.

What did I just do? What. did. I. JUST. DO?!

He was just trying to be polite! But because of that, three thousand yin gold flew out of his hands!

Words couldn’t describe the turmoil he was feeling when he saw Greenlake putting the three thousand yin gold back into her Nature’s Shell. His breathing stopped, and his ghastly heart had literally stopped beating as a result. If he knew the woman was like this, he would never have bothered with courtesy. If he got a second chance, he would have just dropped to his knees and yelled, “THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BOSS!”

But there was no cure for regret. When the pile of yin gold was gone, a pair of tears slid down his cheeks and hit the dusty floor soundlessly. He looked like he had lost his soul.

Once upon a time

I had a chance to take

Three thousand yin gold

But it flew away

Because I didn’t cherish it

Fuck my life

Written by Ghost Six

P.S. Seriously, fuck my life[1]

While Ghost Six was questioning the meaning of life, Ye Qing was wondering if he was transported into another dimension. Again.

I thought you were faking it! You even made me pay for you repeatedly! How am I supposed to process this?

“There’s nothing left to see on the first floor, husband. Let’s go to the second floor. The second floor is where they sell all kinds of precious treasures. Some might capture your fancy,” Greenlake said before grabbing Ye Qing’s arm and dragging toward the stairs.

What happened next could only be described as a fever dream. For Ye Qing and Ghost Six at least.

“This thousand-year-old Ghost Bracken is pretty cute. I want it.”

“This Ghost-faced Sunflower is pretty cute as well. Pack it up.”

“Huh, the Evergreen Fu Ling Grass? They say it’s literally green all the time, and it gives off a fragrant, refreshing scent. I can use one in the living room.”

“Yellow Spring Rock Milk? I can boil it for tea. Ghost Six!”

“The Resentful Tear and the Hateful Heartstone? Now that’s a pair. I can use it to make a pair of earrings.”

“A ten-thousand-year-old Clear Sky Wood? Yes, it can be made into furniture…”

Ghost Six couldn’t stop picking chunks of his face from the floor as he listened to Greenlake’s comments.

The Ghost-faced Sunflower looks like a ghost in the middle of a scream, and you think it’s cute?

The Evergreen Fu Ling Grass can save a Spirit Purifier ten years of hard training, and you’re going to raise it like a house plant?

A single drop of Yellow Spring Rock Milk can repair soul damage and extend one’s lifespan, and you’re going to use it to boil tea?

The ten-thousand-year-old Clear Sky Wood is a prime material for forging Strange Artifacts, and it is itself a potent Hatred-class Strange Artifact, but you’re going to turn it into furniture?

Just because you have money doesn’t mean you can waste it like that! Do you think money makes the world go round?

Ghost Six was swearing like a sailor on the inside, but on the outside he was acting like Greenlake’s loyal servant. He smiled as brightly as he could and gave his 120 percent to satisfy Greenlake’s needs.

Okay fine, money can make the world go round. Bury me in yin gold, please!

It was at this moment Greenlake shot Ye Qing a look—this whole time, the guy had been standing there with his jaw on the floor, unmoving—and chided him, “Husband, don’t just stand there and do nothing. Pick something you like too! My mouth is getting dry here!”

“Are you… are you rich?” Ye Qing gulped audibly before sending her a sound transmission.

“My family is doing okay, I suppose,” Greenlake replied uncaringly. “We have five gold mines, several hundred stores, and thousands of servants. It’s not really impressive.”

Ye Qing didn’t know what to say. Your family own not one, but five GOLD MINES, and you’re telling me it’s not really impressive? Are you kidding me right now?

“Is there anything you want, dear customer?” Ghost Six asked Ye Qing carefully.

Just now, he had lost three thousand yin gold because he was a fucking idiot. That was why he was treating Ye Qing with the utmost respect even though it was clear who wore the pants in the household. Each sale netted him a small percentage of profit, and at the rate Greenlake was going through their wares, he was going to be a very rich ghost regardless. If Ye Qing would join in the shopping spree, then even better.

In any case, there was no harm in licking the boots of such wealthy customers. What? He tried to kill them earlier? Bullshit! The thought had never crossed his mind!

Back to the moment, Greenlake called out to Ghost Six again, “Oh, my husband just told me that he’s too lazy to choose. Just give me that whole cabinet of wares over there, will you?”

“No problem! Just give me a moment!” Today was eyeball tumbling day, it seemed. Ghost Six didn’t mind it though. Not in the slightest.

Did I say anything? I didn’t say anything! Ye Qing glanced back and forth between Ghost Six and Greenlake, stupefied.

“Are you happy now, husband?” Greenlake asked gently while beaming at him.

“Is this what you meant when you said you’re gonna… retrieve my dignity for me?” Ye Qing blinked. As satisfying as it sounded, he wasn’t sure that burying his enemy in a literal pile of money was the way to go.

“But of course! As your wife, it’s only natural for me to defend your honor, isn’t it?” Greenlake replied sweetly. “If you think it’s not enough, I can buy that cabinet over there as well.”

“No, no! It’s enough!” Ye Qing hurriedly stopped her. Although Greenlake was doing it for his sake, and he himself hadn’t forked a single yin gold since entering the store, it was still too much. The rate Greenlake was throwing money, he literally felt like she was exhaling gold with every breath. Next time, just give me that money!

“Don’t worry, husband. This really is nothing. I’m willing to pay the world if it means making you happy.” Greenlake watched him with warm, loving eyes.

“Ahaha… thanks, but seriously, you didn’t need to go this far.” Ye Qing looked away and coughed. He might have believed she was sincere if it wasn’t the fact that they had met each other less than an hour[2] ago.

“As long as you’re happy.” Greenlake smiled again and said, “The auction’s about to start, right Ghost Six? Can you take us there?”

“But of course, dear customer.” Ghost Six held out his hand and declared, “This way, please.”