Chapter 2: You Dare to Deceive a Ghost

Outside the room, the hallway lights were dim and dreary. The delivery driver no longer bothered to pretend; it was a Delivery Ghost. Its eyes were pitch-black, devoid of pupils, and its face was as pale as snow, as if coated in layers of thick foundation. Most terrifying of all was its massive mouth. Both cheeks were split all the way to the ears, revealing rows of jagged, sharp teeth. Judging by how wide it could open, it could easily swallow a human head whole.

It could sense that the delivery had already been opened by the human inside. According to the rules of death, it was time to dine. Having descended into the mortal world, this was its first target. It felt a sudden, irrepressible impatience. It had heard from older ghosts that fresh, living humans were not only delicious but could also enhance a ghost's power upon consumption. Droplets of saliva leaked from the corners of its mouth, pattering onto the floor. It was hungry.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The knocking grew more forceful, the sound echoing through the stairwell, yet there was no response from within. The Delivery Ghost grew annoyed; it could sense the human was right there. Since that was the case, it would have to use a little trick. It raised a hand toward the door lock and made a grasping motion in the air. An invisible force surged forth, turning the handle from the inside and swinging the door open.

It strode into the room, searching the living room and bedroom, but finding no one. Finally, it discovered its target in the kitchen.

"Sir, this delivery was sent to the wrong address. Please return it to me."

The Delivery Ghost drooled with repulsive anticipation, eager to feast. However, according to the rules, it had to complete the final steps. If the other party could produce nether-coins for compensation, it would be unable to consume them. But it was certain that no living human could possibly know how to obtain nether-coins, let alone possess any.

"I’ve already eaten it!"

Xia Tianqiong stood in the kitchen, holding the takeout and eating away. He showed no surprise at the terrifying appearance of the Delivery Ghost. The meal was braised pork, and although it was condensed from nether energy, the texture was soft and melted in his mouth—even better than real braised pork. However, it didn't fill his stomach; instead, he felt waves of mysterious power surging through his body. He immediately felt refreshed and invigorated, as if he had taken a stimulant.

Seeing the man eating like a starving ghost, the Delivery Ghost felt a surge of contempt, though its face remained twisted in a cold, sinister smile.

"You ate my delivery. Either pay up, or pay with your life!"

"How much? I'll pay," Xia Tianqiong asked.

"Eighty-eight yuan!"

"Here is a hundred. Keep the rest as a tip."

"I only accept nether-coins! If you have no nether-coins, you pay with your life!"

As the Delivery Ghost spoke, it prepared to pounce, certain that the man could not produce such currency.

Suddenly, Xia Tianqiong extended his right hand. "Are you blind? Isn't this a nether-coin?"

He opened his palm to reveal a thumb-sized silver ingot, shimmering with a metallic luster under the light. The Delivery Ghost froze on the spot, its pitch-black eyes filled with shock and frustration. It was a real nether-coin, suffused with a faint trace of nether energy; it was impossible to mistake for a fake.

"You... a living human, how could you have nether-coins?"

The ghost was deeply frustrated. It had finally opened for business and was ready to taste the deliciousness of a human, only for this guy to produce a nether-coin and terminate its rules of death.

"Found it on the side of the road!" Xia Tianqiong lied casually.

In truth, just before the ghost opened the door, he had remembered that the kitchen had a gas stove. Paper-folded silver ingots, when burned as part of a specific ritual, would turn into metallic ingots once the ash settled—identical to real silver. If tested with instruments, they would be deemed genuine. However, if the nether energy within them were absorbed, they would crumble back into ash. The nether energy in these coins wasn't created from nothing; it was converted from the vitality and spirit of the human body. After burning the silver, Xia felt as if something had been drained from him; his head swam, and he felt exhausted and sleepy. This was the consequence of over-consuming his essence. Under normal circumstances, he would need three to five days of rest to recover, provided he didn't burn more coins. But Xia Tianqiong didn't have that worry now; he found that by eating the ghost's food, his vitality was rapidly returning.

The Delivery Ghost eyed the silver ingot with longing. To ghosts, nether-coins were not just currency but a vital resource for cultivation. Yet, it didn't want the money right now; it wanted to taste the flesh and soul of a living human. But according to the rules of the Ghost Realm, it had to accept the payment. Violating the rules would mean death for the ghost.

The Delivery Ghost snatched the silver with a look of extreme reluctance. Just as it was about to speak, Xia Tianqiong said, "Give me my change!"

The ghost paused, weighing the silver in its hand; it was about three taels. The price of eighty-eight yuan referred to paper currency, but it had received silver. There were several forms of nether-coins: ancient gold, silver, and copper, as well as modern, gaudy paper notes. According to the conversion rules, one tael of gold equaled ten taels of silver, and one tael of silver equaled one thousand copper coins. Copper coins were equivalent to paper currency, where one coin equaled one yuan. This meant the three taels of silver were worth three thousand yuan in paper currency. It would have to provide over two thousand nine hundred in change.

"What? Can't break such a large denomination?" Xia Tianqiong mocked as the ghost stood motionless.

The Delivery Ghost's eyes flickered, and a trace of embarrassment appeared on its terrifying face. As a low-level wild ghost, it never had the habit of saving money; it always absorbed the coins immediately to boost its strength, fearing other ghosts would steal them.

"If you give me all this silver, I can spare your life," the Delivery Ghost threatened. Although ghosts were bloodthirsty and loved eating humans, they had to abide by specific rules when dealing with them. They could not kill or rob without cause, nor could they even lie to humans.

Xia Tianqiong continued to wolf down the braised pork, unable to stop. He glanced up and said disdainfully, "Hurry up and give me my change!"

The ghost glared at him, radiating a terrifying aura, but it dared not kill him to steal the silver. "I will absorb the nether energy equivalent to eighty-eight yuan—no, one hundred yuan—and return the rest to you." It hadn't forgotten that Xia had offered one hundred. Once stated, it became a rule. The ghost could rightfully accept that amount and not a penny more.

As it spoke, a wisp of dark light drifted from the silver into the ghost's pale palm, and the silver shrank slightly. Having collected its fee, it threw the remainder back to Xia Tianqiong.

Xia pocketed the silver and said, "I've paid. You can leave now, right?"

The Delivery Ghost grinned, a look both terrifying and bizarre. "Since I delivered the wrong order, I must verify your information. What is your specific address?"

The Delivery Ghost mastered two rules of death. Once the first was triggered and resolved, it could employ the second.

Xia Tianqiong stiffened, feeling an inexplicable force envelop him. If he didn't answer, he would trigger the rule of death, so he had to reply.

"This is Room 701, Unit 5, Building 7, Haikang Residential Complex."

"What is your name?"

This was the true purpose of the second rule. As long as Xia Tianqiong said his name, the rule would trigger. It was like the Purple-Gold Red Gourd from *Journey to the West*—if you answered when called, you were doomed to be consumed.

"My name is Xia Guofeng," Xia Tianqiong was forced to answer.

The Delivery Ghost laughed, "Xia Guofeng, come into my mouth!"

The rule was triggered; it was time to eat!

"What's happening? What did you do to me?" Xia Tianqiong shouted in panic, his legs moving stiffly toward the ghost, as if he were feeding himself to it.

The ghost's grin widened, its mouth gaping open to receive the meal. As Xia approached the foul, cavernous maw, he suddenly thrust his left arm inside. The ghost bit down hard. Just as it broke the skin and tasted a drop of blood, the arm was suddenly jerked away. Xia Tianqiong retreated several steps.

"How did you..." The Delivery Ghost was stunned, wondering how he had escaped the control of the rule.

In the next instant, a powerful force of law descended from the void and engulfed the ghost. The Delivery Ghost stood there, stunned, its black eyes wide with realization.

"That wasn't your real name! You dared to lie to a ghost?"

"Your rule requires me to answer the question, but it doesn't restrict whether I tell the truth. Don't blame me for that!" Xia Tianqiong looked at the row of teeth marks on his arm, where blood was trickling from a minor surface wound. "How was my acting just now?"

He was well-versed in the ghost's two rules and the effects of the second. He had acted that scene out specifically to make the ghost believe the rule had been triggered, baiting it into attacking him. By causing substantial harm, the ghost had violated the laws of heaven and earth. No matter how powerful a ghost was, once it violated the rules, it would be obliterated by the force of those laws.

The Delivery Ghost was now being shredded by the force of the law, its body floating uncontrollably into the air. Ribbons of dark blue nether energy were stripped from its body and vanished into the void. The ghost was filled with terror, unable to resist. Without intervention, it would soon be torn to pieces and dissipate into nothingness.

"Signing a contract with me is your only chance to survive."

Xia Tianqiong finally stated his goal. From the moment he suspected the visitor was a Delivery Ghost, he had planned to turn the rules against it. This wasn't something he had invented; in his previous life, many had done the same.