"Hey, Lord Qi, I've finished making the delivery, but there's a traffic jam on the road. I might be a bit late getting back."
Wujin looked at the long line of traffic ahead, feeling utterly miserable.
"Where does he live?"
"Jingguan Garden!"
Lord Qi was really something, still asking that!
"Specifically."
"Uh..."
Crestfallen.
Needless to say, Qi Jingtao knew that useless Wujin hadn't written it down.
Never mind. As a leader, he always believed there were more solutions than problems.
"I'll disburse half a year's rent for you. Rent a place near his home and keep an eye on him."
That was Lord Qi for you! If someone like Shang Yu, a Level 3 Ghost Exorcist, hadn't quietly been cooking up something big this time, they wouldn't have even known.
Recalling this morning, when Lord Qi had stood there looking all business-like while calling higher-ups for funds just to uphold the dignity of the Mingning City Ghost Master Management Bureau, Wujin knew Lord Qi was truly wise!
Wujin hung up the phone, looked at the transferred funds, and thought about the shabby little place where Shang Yu lived. This money—let alone half a year—would have plenty left over even after renting for a full year!
Half an hour later, at a real estate agency.
"What did you say? How much is a rundown dump like this per month?"
Wujin stared wide-eyed, raising his voice.
The agent was a thirty-four-year-old middle-aged man who looked worldly and smooth.
He smiled ingratiatingly at Wujin and said, "Brother, here's the deal! This Jingguan Garden is a proper school-district housing area, you see! It's split into three phases in total, and the one you're looking at belongs to the third phase, so naturally, it's a bit more expensive."
Hearing the price, Wujin struggled internally for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go look at the place first."
"Hey! You got it!" the agent agreed enthusiastically.
Their storefront was right at the entrance of the residential compound, so he immediately led Wujin inside.
The apartment Wujin meticulously selected was in the building directly across from Shang Yu's place.
From here, not only could he clearly see what was happening inside Shang Yu's apartment, but he could also observe the comings and goings of the residents downstairs.
The funds Qi Jingtao had disbursed were just enough to cover six months' rent—not a penny more, not a penny less.
"Bro, so what do you think of this place?" the agent asked, his face full of anticipation.
"I'll take it!"
You still have to hand it to Lord Qi! Everything he did was just right!
The agent beamed from ear to ear; it was rare to find such a straightforward tenant who didn't even try to bargain.
Still, seeing as this guy looked pretty young, he figured it was probably his first time renting a place and he lacked experience.
Having reeled in a big catch this time, the agent handled the entire package deal right then and there, running back and forth to help Wujin move his things.
Wujin hadn't brought much. The landlord's furniture was fully complete; all he needed were his bedding, a change of clothes, and some toiletries.
So, everything was all set by that afternoon.
To avoid arousing the agent's suspicion, he waited until the man left before taking the binoculars out of his car, drawing the curtains in the small room, and training the lenses directly onto Shang Yu's place.
At this hour, Shang Yu was still asleep.
The kid didn't even draw his curtains when he slept; even without binoculars, Wujin could clearly see him sprawled flat on his back on the bed, with just a corner of the quilt covering his navel.
Wujin sat back down in the living room and called Qi Jingtao.
"What is it?"
"Lord Qi, I've got everything settled here."
It was just that this kid could sleep way too much!
"Good, keep watching."
With that, Qi Jingtao hung up.
In front of him sat two jars, pure white and identical to the plastic bottle Shang Yu used—both used for capturing ghosts.
The only difference was that no matter what grade of ghost was placed inside these jars, the person holding them would suffer no adverse effects.
Qi Jingtao opened the one on the left. The moment the lid was lifted, a white shadow flashed out from within, rapidly drifting toward the window.
"Bang—"
The entire room shook slightly. Qi Jingtao sat calmly in his spot as if nothing were amiss, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the rim of the opened jar.
The tremors in the room continued, and the white shadow could be seen darting wildly everywhere inside. It was as if something utterly terrifying lurked here, making a first-grade ghost flee in panic and leave her with nowhere to hide.
After roughly ten minutes, Qi Jingtao flicked his left hand, his sleeve sliding back slightly to reveal the string of prayer beads he wore year-round.
A crisp sound rang out, and the frantic white shadow instantly froze.
Without a second thought, she scrambled back into the jar.
The lid twitched, seemingly about to close itself, but Qi Jingtao caught it mid-air.
"Come on, tell me what I want to know."
From the ghost's perspective, she could see Qi Jingtao's brow and eyes, those cold pupils looking as though they were ready to make her soul scatter into nothingness at any moment.
"I was killed by a car."
As soon as she finished, she heard Qi Jingtao let out a cold laugh.
The ghost swallowed hard. "My corpse was abandoned out in the wilderness, left exposed."
Qi Jingtao's brow and eyes vanished from the jar opening as the lid descended.
"The person that day was trying to kill you!"
The lid pulled back, and Qi Jingtao's face appeared once more.
"Go on."
"I don't know who they are either. You know how it is—I suffered a violent death and my body was left exposed, so I turned into a fierce ghost. For a while after that, I was out of it and completely unconscious," the ghost stammered. She was certain that no matter how good-looking the man outside was, he had long since transcended the boundaries of humanity.
"So they found you, restored your consciousness, and had you lure me to that place so they could kill me using the Soul Extermination Array."
"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Qi! You are spot on! Oh, Lord Qi, you're so handsome, and so smart..."
The lid closed, and Qi Jingtao's ears were finally at peace.
Only, the ghost inside didn't know if the jar was soundproof or not, and kept showering him with flattery. After all, back when she was in Shang Yu's plastic bottle, she could hear sounds from the outside world.
Knowing the lesser ghost inside wouldn't settle down, Qi Jingtao pulled out a small speaker, disabled the jar's soundproofing, and played the Great Compassion Mantra.
To an evil ghost, this was nothing short of supreme torture.
"Lord Qi! Lord Qi! I was wrong!"
She didn't know what she had done wrong, but confessing first was always the right move!
"Lord Qi!"
Qi Jingtao had already opened the door and walked out. The lesser ghost in the other jar was of a lower grade and wasn't very sensitive to the Great Compassion Mantra, so it wasn't suffering all that much.
Standing in the corridor, Qi Jingtao looked at the bustling crowd coming and going through the inn, deep in thought.
"Lord Qi, Brother Jin says he doesn't have money for food." Xiao Nan quietly sneaked up beside Qi Jingtao, finding that this was a reliable way to give people a mild scare.
But when it came to Qi Jingtao, twice was the limit.
Since he'd been startled last time, it wasn't going to work this time.
Without even turning his head, Qi Jingtao took out his phone. Sure enough, there were five missed calls from Wujin.
This kid would never spend his own money if he could avoid it!
Without a word, he transferred some money over to him and then muted notifications for Wujin's messages.
"Is Lord Qi just standing there again?"
Xiao Nan had only just walked back when she ran into Zhao Chengyu.
"Yep, standing there day in and day out. With how lively this place is, it's mostly thanks to Lord Qi!"
"Hey, so why do you think Lord Qi doesn't become an internet celebrity instead of catching ghosts with us here?"
"Money, money, money—all you think about is money all day long!" Zhao Chengyu rolled her eyes. "Lord Qi has lived for hundreds of years, his state of mind is on a totally different level!"
...
The conversation drifted right into Qi Jingtao's ears, every single word of it. He was well aware of such things; a single person could hold up half the sky on their own—how could his hearing possibly be poor?
A different level of existence? He couldn't even remember how long he had lived anymore. It felt as though countless dynasties had passed—chaotic ones, prosperous ones, decaying ones. None of them were eternal, save for him. Therefore, the years he had lived certainly numbered more than just a few hundred.
Just as Zhao Chengyu had said, after hundreds of years, one's state of mind changes entirely. Having lived for millennia and usually maintaining such an aloof, indifferent demeanor, if his brain ever short-circuited and he suddenly started chatting about everyday trifles with them, these people would probably be scared out of their wits.