Chapter 230: ‘Scare People Ten Times’ Achievement Unlocked
Before Zhu Yao could even react, Chen Zhen had already dragged her out of the Door to the Underworld, and floated to a small farmer’s house nearby. The surroundings were pitch-dark, and that house was the only one dimly lit with an oil lamp. There were movements of human shadows within the house.
“What are we doing here?” As a ghost, going to the mortal realm was never comfortable as the yang energy was too heavy.
“To scare people, of course.” He said with a stern expression.
“…” Why do we have to go out to scare people all of a sudden!? “Are there any benefits to scaring people?”
Chen Zhen was stunned. He swept a glance at her, and said with a stern look. “As a ghost, if you don’t even know how to scare people, won’t that be extremely embarrassing?”
==!
She didn’t feel that way at all.
“Huo Yuanjia, don’t be sad.” He said with an empathizing look. “It’s fine if you don’t know how to scare people, big brother can teach you.”
“Hoho…” She didn’t want to learn it in the slightest, alright? “Thank you!”
“Don’t be courteous, we’re neighbours, after all!” He patted on Zhu Yao’s shoulder and then shook his body, returning back to his ghost-like form with blood flowing out from his seven orifices. He then said pridefully. “Today, big brother shall show you what an outstanding ghost really is.” After saying that, he confidently floated into the house. “Wait here, this big brother shall demonstrate how a ghost scares people.”
“…”
Zhu Yao’s expression darkened, while Chen Zhen had already seeped through the wall to conduct his master plan of scaring people. However, two hours passed, yet there was not even a slightest noise in the house, let alone a scream or anything like that.
He couldn’t have been captured, right?
She could not help but feel a little worried. With her present location, she was still a little far away from the house. Stretching out her head, what she could see was merely the blurry shadows moving behind the window. “If only I can see a little more clearly.”
“Here!” A tall and skinny ghost suddenly popped out next to her. Blinking his only left eye, he passed her a gift. “You can borrow this to take a look.”
Zhu Yao was stunned for a moment, and she thought that he was giving her some mystic artifact that could display images or allow her to clearly see objects from afar. When she lowered her head to take a look, a round eyeball was lying in his hand.
“…” Like your eye has any use here!? -Flips table- And can this thing be taken out this easily to play with?
“You don’t want it?” That tall and skinny ghost tilted his head with a disappointed look. Thus, he pressed his hand onto his left eye, and with a plop, he took out his other eye as well. “Fine, I shall lend you both of them.”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. It’s not about the number here, hey.
“No… No need.” Taking a deep breath, she still decided to take a look on her own.
She floated directly into the house.
There was a woman in the house, and she was currently sitting on the chair, diligently stitching something? Her surroundings were very quiet.
Other than…
Chen Zhen, who was trying his best to do various ghastly faces in front of the woman!
Using both of his arms and legs, he stretched his face which had blood flowing out from all his seven orifices, into various shapes. Square. Circle. Trapezoids of different angles. His face seemed to change every second, and there was never a single repetition. He was putting so much effort in his performance it was becoming a little moving.
But… that woman did not seem to have any reaction at all! She was seriously knitting the cloth in her hands. She would only raise her head occasionally, and they were to adjust the oil lamp next to her.
She… basically couldn’t see him, right!?
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, just wait a few more moments, I’m just about to scare her.” Chen Zhen said with a stern look, as he put in more effort in pulling his face.
This obstinacy, was rather… moving!
Just as Zhu Yao was about to remind him.
A cold wind swept past. The skinny and tall ghost who wanted to lend her his eyeballs with such passionate earlier, was now floating towards the woman as well. The ghastly air surrounding him was dark and sinister, looking as though he was planning to do something big.
Suddenly, in front of the woman, he popped out two of his eyeballs, and then he threw and caught them within his palms. As though he was doing acrobatics, he began to juggle them one at a time.
Zhu Yao: “…” This truly was… frightening!
==!
“It’s this death-by-falling ghost again?” Chen Zhen glared at the tall and skinny ghost who suddenly appeared, and instantly flared up. He furiously shouted. “Even if you try to steal, it’s no use. I will definitely scare her before you do.”
“Hmph! Whoever manages to scare her gets the score.” The tall and skinny ghost coldly snorted. Then, he took down one of his ears, and began to juggle the three pieces, putting even more effort into it.
Chen Zhen’s fighting spirit seemed to have ignited as well, as he pulled his face even more desperately. After making the shape of the letter ‘S’, he squeezed out the letter ‘B’ a moment later.
Zhu Yao: “…” Just where did these scaring methods come from?
Did no one notice that the woman was basically unable to see ghosts at all? She must be a normal mortal human, right? So her third eye was basically not awakened, right? No matter how scary you two try to be, it’s no use, hey.
Why did they have to enter undergo such a childish competition?
“Speaking of which…” Zhu Yao probed. “Just how many mortals have you two scared off before?”
Ka…
The moment she said these words, it was as though she had pressed on their ‘stop’ buttons. The two ghosts stopped at the same time, and their expressions turned awkward.
Zhu Yao suddenly had a bad premonition. “It can’t be… not a single one, right?”
The tall and skinny ghost looked down and counted his eyeballs.
Chen Zhen squatted at the corner of the wall and drew circles.
Zhu Yao who accidentally guessed it right: “…”
-Flips table!- He hasn’t even scared a single person before! Just where did you find the confidence to say that you’re going to teach me how to scare people!?
“Kuh kuh… Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy.” Chen Zhen decided to find back his pride as a big brother. “Scaring people is a profound field of study, it’s not as simple as you think. Furthermore, this woman’s capabilities are too powerful, and her willpower is extremely firm. She won’t be scared so easily.”
“…” She simply could not see you two, alright?
“It seems we have to change to another target.” Chen Zhen looked around, and his line of sight swept towards the baby who was in the cradle at the side. In an instant, his eyes shone. “Let’s choose him this time then!”
The corner of Zhu Yao’s lips twitched. Where’s your sense of shame? You’re not even letting a child go.
Chen Zhen was already floating eagerly towards the cradle. Strangely, the child in the cradle was actually giggling. Grabbing onto a small wooden horse with one hand, he happily waved his other little hand at Chen Zhen.
An infant’s state of mind was pure and clean, and one could indeed see many things that adults were unable to. Thus, infants being able to see ghosts were not really strange.
Chen Zhen became joyous, as he began to make scary faces in front of the little child with all his might.
Unfortunately, the child did not cry from fright.
The child giggled.
Giggling ever so happily.
Chen Zhen was not disheartened as he changed his tactics. He turned his face pale white and terrifying, and a dark, ghastly air surrounded him. Stretching out of his lips was a long, purple tongue, and it drooped directly down onto the cradle. It stretched longer… and longer…
And then…
It was grabbed by the child.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts…” Chen Zhen bounced up and down from the pain, and only managed to save his own tongue after sparing lots of effort. With a pitiful look, he hid far away.
“Let me!” The tall and skinny one stared straight at the child. Suddenly, he blew out cold air, and slowly, he took out his two eyeballs, which he then passed to the child. With a sinister voice, he said. “I… don’t have eyes.”
The child’s little hands waved about, instantly smacking his eyeballs away.
“Ah… my eyeballs.” The tall and skinny one instantly broke character, as he turned about and began to find the eyeballs that rolled off.
“…”
Were they monkeys sent by idiots? Just who was scaring who?
Zhu Yao sighed. Turning around, she looked at the child in the cradle. He seemed to have lost interest in the small wooden horse, and was now playing with the other eyeball which the tall and skinny ghost had dropped.
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, watch out!” Chen Zhen spat out his tongue, and warned her fearfully. “That child is too frightening. You can’t beat him.”
Zhu Yao ignored his comments and looked at the child. Then, she immediately reached out her hand and swiped away the eyeball from the child’s hands.
With the sudden disappearance of his toy, the child dazed for a moment. In an instant, a frown appeared on his small face, as he began to bawl, crying ever so sadly.
The child’s cries startled the woman, as she hurriedly carried the child to pacify him.
Just as Zhu Yao was about to return the eyeball to the tall and skinny ghost, she was faced with two worshipping faces when she turned around.
“Death-by-sickness ghostly little missy, how did you do it?” Chen Zhen’s eyes were dyed with a green glow.
“Ah?”
“You scared that child.”
“Uh… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Aaaaaaah!” Chen Zhen twirled around from excitement. “You actually managed to scare someone. I have never managed to scare someone, you know? He even cried from your scare! You’re really too amazing.”
“…” Was this really something to be proud of?
“If you continue like this, you will be able to scare even more people at an amazing pace.”
“…” I don’t want to scare people in the least, alright? “Speaking of which… Just why must we scare people?”
“To become a ghost officer, of course!” Chen Zhen said with a matter of fact.
“Ghost officer?” The hell’s that?
“As long as the people you scare amount to ten, you will be able to become a ghost officer. Only by being a ghost officer can you cultivate a spiritual body.”
One could only cultivate a spiritual body after scaring ten people?
Just who came up with this rule? This was a little random, wasn’t it? It’s no wonder Chen Zhen gave her such a sympathizing look when he found out she was merely a ghost who died from sickness. With a ghost who had a body as intact as hers, she definitely wasn’t as frightening as those ghosts who even had their organs spewing out from the stomach.
Weren’t ghost officers in charge of arresting souls? When did they start cultivating as well?
Zhu Yao felt that she needed to rebuild her view of this world.
Looking at the eyeball in her hands, she then looked at the child who was placed back in the cradle. Wasn’t it just ten times?
Reaching out her hand to pass the eyeball to the child, when she saw that he was reaching out his own hands to receive it, she immediately retracted it back.
The child’s lips creased, just as it was about to bawl again, she immediately passed it towards him, and then retracted it back…
And then passed it…
And thus she repeated these actions!
Ten times!
Mission Complete.
Title Unlocked: Bad Auntie
As expected, when all ten times were completed, the green “Under” word on her hand released a bright light. Slowly, it turned into the word “Officer”, which was white in colour.
She became a ghost officer just like that?
This really was random…
“Huo Yuanjia.” Chen Zhen and his little companion was dumbfounded. With trembling hands, he pointed at the child, and then pointed at her. “You, you, you… You actually completed ten scares in a single day, this is unbelievable… You’re a real genius!”
==!
“It’s not even a challenge, alright?” Zhu Yao immediately returned the eyeball to the tall and skinny ghost.
“I have never seen any other ghost do such a thing.” Chen Zhen said seriously.
A hint of doubt flashed past Zhu Yao’s mind. Before she could even think this through, several rooster cries suddenly sounded.
“The sun is rising.” The tall and skinny ghost yawned. “Let’s hurry and return home to bury ourselves.”
After he said that, he floated off.
Chen Zhen dragged Zhu Yao along and followed after him. Along the way, his eyes were sparkling when he looked at her, as though he was a fan who saw his idol.
As they floated to the Door to the Underworld, the ‘Officer’ wording on her hand garnered the attention and awe of various ghosts.
“Wah, you’re a ghost officer. This is my first time seeing one.”
“That’s right, that’s right. You managed to scare ten people so quickly, incredible.”
“Mighty ghost officer, let’s become friends?”
“How did you do it? Teach me too, I… I can give you a bone to play with.”
“Me too! I can let you count my intestines.”
“Me too…”
Zhu Yao’s face darkened. I’m not the least bit interested in your bodies, alright!?
Chen Zhen on the other hand a proud look on his face. “All of you scram. Huo Yuanjia is my neighbour, and you people have no part in this. If she wants to play, then of course she will be playing with my body!”
Zhu Yao who plays with bodies: “…”
Zhu Yao fled back home under the passionate and intense gazes of the crowd of ghosts.
Before she entered her home, Chen Zhen still pulled onto her with a reluctant look, wanting to invite her to his residence.
“Huo Yuanjia, why don’t you stay at my home today? The tree here is big enough, it can hang lots of ghosts.”
“…” Like hell I want to be a death-by-hanging ghost!
Zhu Yao rejected Chen Zhen and floated back to her own basement.
Looking down, she studied the “Officer” wording on her hand. Earlier, when she became a ghost officer, she clearly felt a sort of energy flowing out from the word and entering her ghostly body. After paying attention to the sensation, her body seemed to have become more corporeal than before.
Could the word actually aid her in cultivating a spiritual body? Then what’s the correct method of using this ghost officer mark?
She had once asked Chen Zhen about it, but he only had some superficial knowledge of it as well. As he spoke back and forth, he seemed to be only aware that ghost officers could cultivate their spiritual bodies. As to the process and how the cultivation worked, he was not able to elaborate on them.
Not just him, while they were queueing for the Door to the Underworld, she asked the other ghosts as well. Without an exception, all of them were unaware of it.
Zhu Yao faintly sensed that there was something amiss with these ghosts, but she was unable to ascertain it.
After pondering for a moment, she decided to take a look at the Realm Definition Council Hall where she obtained her identification.
When she arrived at the Realm Definition Council Hall, the sky was already bright. The street that initially bustling with activities, was now empty without the sight of a single person. Though this was the Underworld, ghosts never liked to stroll under the daylight in the first place. Adding that she was already here for two days, but she had yet to encounter any bad incidents. The public safety in the Underworld was unexpectedly great, matters such as fights and brawls had never occurred before.
The pool of the Realm Definition Council Hall was by the roadside. Zhu Yao glanced at the reflection on the water surface, and what she saw was the face of a woman of about twenty years old, which she was all too familiar with. Probably because she had turned into a ghost, this was her former appearance in the modern era. However, compared to the first time she saw it when she came to the Underworld, her current body was evidently a little different. Before, it was a see-through illusory figure. However, suddenly, it felt as though someone had dyed her with colours, making her a little clearer than before.
She immediately stretched the hand, which had the “Officer” word written on it, into the pool.
Suddenly, the water surface stirred. Ripples of water marks scattered across, and there seemed to be something slowly rising from within the pool. A moment later, a red light flashed, and a circular formation instantly appeared on the water surface.
A teleportation formation!
Zhu Yao was stunned, as she saw a human head suddenly popping out from the teleportation formation. When he saw Zhu Yao, his eyes brightened and with an excited look, he said. “Finally someone has awakened her spiritual consciousness, I’m about to turn dog-tired from all the work. Hurry, hurry! Newcomer, come with this senior to scare some ghosts!”
“…” Were scares trending in the Underworld?