Shang Yu sat in a small, dark room, having nothing to say.
"If you couldn't afford to pay, you should have just said so! Was all this really necessary?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than his phone chimed. He looked down—the bank transfer had arrived!
Excellent. As long as he didn't go on any vacations, he wouldn't need to go to any bars to catch lesser ghosts for the next half-year!
Shang Yu stretched happily. Since there was no one around, he meandered about until he found a spot and simply laid down.
He shouldn't have come over so early! He should have just gone to sleep right after his shower at home. He could have come over after a good, long rest—his bed at home was so large, soft, and comfortable! It was far better than lying on this cold floor!
Exhaustion took hold, and he lost consciousness shortly after lying down.
Two rooms away, Qi Jingtao watched Wujin hanging up the phone with a miserable look on his face, holding a plastic bottle.
The bottle, however, was already empty.
"Lord Qi, what should we do about that kid?"
He had chased down a Jia-xia lesser ghost without losing his trail, and along the way, he had even managed to bag an Upper-Yi water ghost.
"Send two people to his place to check it out, and get me two breakfasts."
"Lord Qi, didn't you just say you weren't eating?" Wujin asked straight away. He hadn't prepared extra because Lord Qi had declined earlier.
"Buy two steamed buns and two cups of soy milk at the entrance."
Though Wujin didn't fully grasp the reasoning, he went to get them.
Ten minutes later, Qi Jingtao had finished reviewing Shang Yu's background.
Shang Yu, male, twenty-two years old—turning twenty-three this June. A native of Mingning City, he had graduated from university last year and quit his job after only a few months. That timing coincided perfectly with the release of the official bounty orders for lesser ghosts.
For the past six months, Shang Yu had been frequenting various bars and clubs, specifically the seediest ones he could find.
Those in the know could tell at a glance that such chaotic places were breeding grounds for lesser ghosts; Shang Yu was there to hunt.
But since most people were not in the know, in the eyes of his neighbors, Shang Yu was just an unemployed delinquent.
As for his parents, Shang Yu’s astrological signs were cursed; his parents had long since been "fated" to their deaths. To the day, it had been exactly ten years since his mother passed, and eight years and five days since his father.
None of this concerned Qi Jingtao. He skimmed those pages and began looking over the records of the ghosts Shang Yu had captured over the last six months.
Most were Bing or Ding-level lesser ghosts, with the occasional Yi-xia one. Hence, his official rating was a Level 3 ghost catcher.
Qi Jingtao didn't know much about the rules, but he knew one thing: a Level 3 ghost catcher, even if they risked their life, shouldn't be able to catch a Jia-xia.
Take Wujin, for example—a Level 2 catcher who was already struggling with just a single lesser ghost sealed in a bottle.
With these thoughts, Qi Jingtao headed toward the room where Shang Yu was being held.
The room was pitch black; neither the lights nor the curtains had been opened.
Yet, it was empty.
Qi Jingtao pressed the light switch on the wall, and a stark, white glare flooded the room.
At his feet, a person was asleep, leaning against the wall.
Shang Yu was jolted awake by the harsh light. He opened his eyes with a touch of resentment and saw Lord Qi looking down at him.
His gaze was cold and detached, but because he was so good-looking, that coldness somehow only added to his appeal.
Still groggy, Shang Yu stared at Qi Jingtao for a long moment.
The man was wearing sportswear, and his fashion sense was mediocre. His hair was neither long nor short, not unlike many of the eccentric characters he’d encountered in bars.
His features, however, were exquisite. There was a classical beauty to him, and the moment he stood there, his presence instantly elevated the sportswear by several grades.
Shang Yu came to a final conclusion: this guy was perfect, except for being a bit too pale.
"Are you that tired?"
Qi Jingtao truly couldn't understand it. He could go all night without sleep, yet this kid, barely twenty, was this exhausted. Today’s youth, tsk-tsk—
Shang Yu scrambled to his feet, standing at attention like a student. "Lord Qi, can I leave now?"
Qi Jingtao sneered. "Going back to sleep?"
"That ghost—I didn't know it was that high-level at first! If I had known, I would have stayed eight hundred meters away!"
"Lord Qi! Lord Qi! The breakfast is here!" Wujin’s voice rang out from outside, and he reached in to hand over the two breakfasts.
Qi Jingtao gave Shang Yu a look, and Shang Yu immediately took the food.
"Lord Qi, I'm heading off then! Call me if you need anything!"
As Wujin’s footsteps faded, Shang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Qi..."
"Sit." Qi Jingtao had already taken a seat behind the only table in the room. There was a chair opposite him—the only other piece of furniture in the room.
Shang Yu placed one of the breakfasts in front of Qi Jingtao. He truly hadn't expected someone of Qi Jingtao’s stature to eat street food.
Weren't people like him supposed to be fastidious?
Transcendental masters, enlightened beings—they weren't supposed to touch the common world or concern themselves with worldly affairs. To get an audience with them, you’d usually have to knock on their door three times.
He thought this, but Shang Yu had already started eating. He was starving, and getting a free breakfast out of the deal felt fantastic.
"Shang Yu, is it?" Qi Jingtao looked at his own food without touching it, his gaze fixed on Shang Yu.
"Yeah. 'Shang' as in business, 'Yu' as in feather." Shang Yu laid it all out. "Parents are both dead, no one else at home. I live alone, just turned twenty-three. I frequent bars and clubs to catch lesser ghosts. Catching two or three a week earns enough for me to eat."
As he spoke, he wiped his greasy hands on his clothes and pulled out a small blue booklet. "Look, here's my license."
It read: Level 3 Professional Ghost Catcher.
"I’m not working without a permit!" Shang Yu took a large gulp of soy milk. It was a bit hot, but he didn't care. "As for why I don't go to KTVs, they require private rooms, and the ones without rooms are too chaotic. I’m just one person, I don't dare go."
Qi Jingtao finally spoke. "And bars aren't chaotic?"
"It’s different! The one I go to is a national chain; it’s guaranteed safe!" Shang Yu stated with conviction.
Qi Jingtao grabbed his breakfast and stood up. "Once you're finished, have Wujin take you home."
That was it? Shang Yu thought. But the money was already in his account, so what more could he ask for? Being allowed to go home was the best possible outcome.
"Lord Qi!" Shang Yu stood up. "If I run into a ghost above Yi-level next time..."
Qi Jingtao shot him a glance, and Shang Yu immediately fell silent.
Shang Yu didn't dare speak again, watching him leave.
His phone buzzed—a friend request.
"Qi Jingtao?" Shang Yu understood; this was so he could contact him if anything came up.
He had just successfully added the most powerful man in Mingning City, and perhaps the entire Southwest!
However, the man's profile picture was just a gray silhouette.
What an old-timer, he thought. He didn't even bother to change his avatar.
There wasn't a single post in his feed, and the background was just black.
Shang Yu silently tucked his phone away. When he walked out after finishing breakfast, Wujin was waiting for him.
It wasn't yet the morning rush hour, so the drive back would be clear, though it would likely be busy by the time Wujin returned.