This voice came from the side, the wind it blew raised goosebumps all over Liu Lian's body, like a cold reptile flicking its tongue along her spine.
Liu Lian looked at Chu Qing in terror.
His calmness, however, surprised her. Snapping back to reality, she forced a smile and said, "When did you buy this lantern?"
"I bought it yesterday. It's too dark at night otherwise."
"Really? Then it's good you bought one. But why didn't you get a streetlamp?"
"Streetlamps are expensive."
Neither of them spoke again.
They walked out of the gates of North Mountain Cemetery in silence.
Stepping through the massive iron gate, Liu Lian inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
She stood by the entrance, turned to look at Chu Qing, who was still smiling behind her, and finally couldn't help but ask:
"Chu Qing, do you know King Chujiang?"
As soon as she asked, Liu Lian regretted it.
However, Chu Qing in front of her didn't even hesitate, smiling and nodding:
"Of course I know!"
Meeting Liu Lian's astonished, shocked, terrified, and confused gaze, Chu Qing blinked.
"One of the Yama Kings from mythology, the second king among the Ten Kings of Hell, who governs the Great Hell of Water Below. All drowned spirits belonging to the strange phenomena of water are under King Chujiang's jurisdiction."
Liu Lian's expression instantly shifted from complex to something else. She forced a smile. "So that's how it is. You're really knowledgeable."
"I've always been very interested in these things. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come here to work, right? When I was in school, I occasionally saw ancient murals, and there were murals of the Ten Yama Kings. I even imitated them and drew a few times," Chu Qing said.
Liu Lian opened her mouth, seeming to want to say more, but Chu Qing interrupted.
"Alright, judging by your condition, you're not feeling well. Go back and rest. If there's anything you don't understand, or if you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me."
Liu Lian nodded, as if she had forgotten that the reason she came was to warn Chu Qing to be wary of someone.
Seeing Liu Lian off.
Chu Qing was about to return to his small room.
A familiar engine roar sounded, and the bright yellow SF90 drove over from the distant road.
An Ruoxue opened the car door, holding breakfast in her hand.
"Who was that cow you were with just now?"
Chu Qing shot her a glance. "Speak carefully."
An Ruoxue pouted, then followed Chu Qing into the inconspicuous, even somewhat dilapidated gatehouse.
"A Qing, I'll pay to have this place renovated. It's uncomfortable to live in such a dump all the time."
"We'll talk about it later."
He picked up the egg drop soup and took a sip before Chu Qing asked, "The investigation should have yielded results, right?"
Getting down to business, An Ruoxue nodded.
"The Underworld God of Wealth was indeed given to the Lin Family half a month before the incident. The person who gave it is also the biggest beneficiary of the Lin Family's misfortune, besides me!
He is the second largest shareholder of Senmu Group and also the chairman of Gaojian Company in the Provincial Capital. He's a behemoth not only in Luocheng and Yingcheng but also throughout Zhongyuan Province.
This statue of the Underworld God of Wealth was given to Lin Yuancheng by Chairman Gao Hong half a month before Lin Yuancheng's accident. At the same time, these past two days, Gao Hong and Gaojian Company have been acquiring shares of Senmu Group."
Chu Qing nodded. "It seems Chairman Gao has capable people around him."
According to speculation and calculations from his previous life, the premonitions appeared about half a month to a month before the official arrival of the Era of Terror.
It's likely that the moment the Underworld God of Wealth statue had a problem, it was discovered and sent here immediately.
With this thought, Chu Qing looked at An Ruoxue.
"Your situation is probably not easy either, right?"
An Ruoxue nodded.
"I met Chairman Gao that day. He directly stated that he wanted to acquire the shares held by Lin Yuancheng and his son in Senmu Group... and his offer was very low..."
"Tsk..."
Chu Qing smiled. After gaining some extraordinary power, some people always think they can arbitrarily rise above others. Of course, even he himself is the same.
This is the instinct of the strong preying on the weak.
"Alright, I know what you're thinking. When Chairman Gao appears again, explain it to him clearly. Tell him and the person he relies on to come to me."
"Okay, I'll tell him next time he comes. Qing Ge, there's one more thing..."
As she said this, An Ruoxue's large eyes looked at Chu Qing with anticipation.
Chu Qing naturally knew what this woman was thinking.
In his previous life, An Ruoxue could become a Ghost Controller. After witnessing Chu Qing kill Lin Hengtian with Blood Eyes,
her recent behavior—bringing meals punctually, readily giving money, buying North Mountain Cemetery, and planning its renovation—was all driven by her curiosity and yearning for such power.
Chu Qing never feared ambitious people; ambition is a good thing.
So, he thought for a moment and said:
"I know what you're thinking, and I'll tell you in advance, wielding this kind of power comes at a price.
Of course, you probably won't care about that. Come find me tonight at midnight."
Chu Qing's eyes flickered, a good idea forming in his mind.
An Ruoxue's eyes lit up with excitement. She stood up abruptly. "Really?"
Seeing that Chu Qing's expression hadn't changed, she quickly hugged his neck and planted a kiss.
"Qing Ge, I knew it, you still love me."
Chu Qing chuckled.
Love? This emotion was too extravagant for King Yama, who had fought in hell for ten years.
However, the An Ruoxue in front of him was indeed a good test subject.
That's right, if possible, Chu Qing wanted to see if An Ruoxue could be the first 'user' to experience the Death Apartment after it was summoned.
He just didn't know if An Ruoxue could stand out from it.
In his previous life, the Ghost Controllers who emerged from the Death Apartment not only had many methods for controlling strange phenomena but also possessed numerous Underworld Artifacts.
He also wanted to see if there would be any changes if the Death Apartment was under his control. An Ruoxue was the perfect 'test subject'.
"Alright, go do your thing."
Seeing off An Ruoxue, who was eager to leave.
Chu Qing returned his attention to the laptop, back to the 'House of Strange Tales'.
This time, he didn't continue browsing posts that were either nutritionally devoid or of little significance. Instead, he opened the channel, skillfully switched through countless IP addresses, set up his proxy, and then typed in the input box:
[Guide to Surprising Survival!]
'The Era of Terror is about to arrive! Teaching you how to learn basic survival in this world filled with strange phenomena...'
'Poster: King Yama'
'Viewing price: 100 points.'