Chapter 9: Shadow Teleportation

"Ah!" Another scream rang out from downstairs. Jiang Yu shuddered; she could no longer remember how many times she had heard that sound. The Ghost Mother was killing people, and once she finished with the others, she would return for her. Faced with the choice between life and death, she finally made her decision. "I'll sign. I'm willing to sign the Master-Ghost Contract." After all, it is better to live as a coward than to die a hero.

Xia Tianqiong had already anticipated her choice and was not particularly surprised. "Baby, sign the Master-Ghost Contract with her." The Ghost Infant was too young to speak, but after signing the contract, Xia Tianqiong could communicate with it through his thoughts.

"Iya, iya!" The Ghost Infant glanced at Jiang Yu, and a trace of contractual power suddenly materialized out of thin air, surrounding her. Xia Tianqiong immediately prompted her, "Now, state that you are voluntarily signing the contract and recognize it as your master; that will complete the bond." Jiang Yu hurriedly repeated the words, and the contract was successfully established.

At that very moment, the Ghost Mother finished off everyone in the apartment building and instantly appeared before Jiang Yu. "Ah! Don't kill me! I've already signed a contract with your child!" The Ghost Mother sensed the contract, but her expression remained sour. She glared at Xia Tianqiong, "Why did you have my child sign a contract with this piece of trash?"

Xia Tianqiong smiled calmly. "What’s wrong with finding your child a nanny? Besides, as long as they are with me, there is no such thing as 'trash.' Why don't you sign a contract with me as well? Then you and your child won't have to be separated."

"Hmph, you think you're worthy?" The Ghost Mother let out a cold snort, her figure abruptly vanishing. Her voice echoed from the void, "Take good care of my child. I will come to see it whenever I please."

"Safe travels! Don't bother coming back!" Xia Tianqiong shouted at the empty air.

Jiang Yu asked tremulously, "Is it really gone? It won't come back, will it?"

Xia Tianqiong turned to look out the window. The sky, which had been as black as ink moments ago, now showed a faint glimmer of dawn on the horizon. The Ghost Mother had left, and the Ghost Domain that had shrouded the entire building had dissipated with her. It was now past three in the morning; dawn was approaching. "It’s gone. You won't be eaten."

"Wah~" Jiang Yu suddenly collapsed to the floor and burst into tears. More terrifying than death itself is the waiting for it; ever since the Ghost Mother appeared, she had been trapped in the suffocating dread of impending doom. Now that she was finally certain she would live, the relief of surviving a near-death experience could only be released through loud, cathartic weeping. After a while, realizing her clothes were soiled, she rushed home to shower and change.

Xia Tianqiong sat on the sofa, holding the Ghost Infant, and tallied the gains from his rebirth. He had contracted two entities: the Wild-Ghost-level Delivery Ghost and the Fierce-Ghost-level Ghost Infant. He now had access to three ghost arts: the Delivery Ghost's "Door-Opening Technique" and "Nether Delivery," and the Ghost Infant's "Shadow Teleportation." He also possessed sixteen strands of the Ghost Mother's hair and a silver ingot larger than his fist, which he estimated to be worth over a dozen taels.

"To gain all this in just two or three hours... it's almost equivalent to my entire net worth in my previous life," Xia Tianqiong sighed softly, feeling hopeful for this new life. His next goal was to contract as many powerful ghosts as possible during the early stages of the Ghost Descent, or to hunt them down to forge Underworld Coins.

A prime target had already presented itself. Tomorrow night, a Cruel-Ghost-level entity would appear in Jiuhua City, killing sixty or seventy thousand people in a single stroke. This event would be remembered as the prelude to the full-scale Ghost Descent, forcing the authorities to finally reveal the truth about the supernatural. In his past life, this entity had rampaged for years, killing countless victims, before finally being defeated and contracted by a ghost hunter who possessed the Delivery Ghost. Now that Xia Tianqiong had the Delivery Ghost, he could plot to claim it for himself. It would be dangerous, but fortune favors the bold.

Jiang Yu returned to her apartment, still shaken. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, she returned to Xia Tianqiong's room. "Tianqiong, what on earth is going on?"

Xia Tianqiong looked at Jiang Yu, her hair still damp, and an idea struck him. His contract with the Ghost Infant was one of equals, but the Ghost Infant's contract with Jiang Yu was a Master-Ghost Contract. As long as he paid the Ghost Infant the appropriate price, he could command Jiang Yu just as easily as he could use a ghost art. After all, she was now essentially an accessory to the Ghost Infant; it could strip away her lifespan and soul at any moment.

"The Ghost Descent has begun; the world is falling into chaos. Pack your things. We are leaving here before dawn."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there." Jiang Yu wanted to protest, but she dared not. She obediently returned to her room to pack.

"Eat here by yourself. I'm going to test your teleportation ability." Xia Tianqiong left the Ghost Infant on the sofa, intending to try out the Shadow Teleportation. Once a human contracts a ghost, they can borrow its abilities, provided the ghost remains within a certain range. Xia Tianqiong focused his senses and found that the Ghost Infant’s "Shadow Teleportation" allowed him to perceive every shadow within a radius of forty to fifty meters. It felt marvelous, like having a three-dimensional radar in his mind. He could clearly see the location, shape, and size of every shadow. He saw Jiang Yu in the next room, moving about. Or rather, he perceived her shadow moving—not the person herself.

Suddenly, a mischievous thought crossed his mind. Jiang Yu was in her room, rummaging through her suitcase, packing clothes while lost in thought. She could tell that Xia Tianqiong seemed like a different person today, distinct from his usual self. Most crucially, she had signed some kind of Master-Ghost Contract with the child of a female ghost, effectively becoming a slave. She had no idea how he would treat her in the future.

Just as she was feeling anxious, the shadow at her feet flickered, and a figure abruptly emerged from it.

"Ah!" Jiang Yu clutched her chest and stumbled back in terror, thinking the ghost had returned.

Xia Tianqiong quickly said, "Don't scream, it's me."

"Tianqiong? Are... are you a ghost?" To Jiang Yu, only a ghost could appear and disappear so mysteriously.

"Of course not. I just used a ghost's ability. Keep packing; I'm going to check the other rooms." Before he even finished his sentence, he vanished, leaving a bewildered Jiang Yu behind. Why did he come to her room? Just to scare her?

She was right; he had done it on purpose.

By four in the morning, the sky was brightening, though the sun had yet to rise. The two of them drove away from the apartment complex in an SUV. Xia Tianqiong had found the vehicle at the home of the burly man; since the man was dead, there was no one to report him for theft.

"Tianqiong, are we running away?" Jiang Yu asked from the passenger seat, unable to contain herself any longer.

"No, we're going ghost-hunting," Xia Tianqiong replied casually as he drove.

"Ah!" Jiang Yu shrieked. "Ghosts are so dangerous—why would you go hunting them?"

"I am hunting ghosts, but I have other tasks for you." The "ghosts" they were talking about were not the same thing, but Xia Tianqiong couldn't be bothered to explain. He planned to head to Jiuhua City tomorrow to subdue that Cruel-Ghost-level entity. But before that, he needed to hunt down some lesser Wild Ghosts to earn more Underworld Coins. If he encountered any with useful ghost arts, he could contract them to bolster his own strength.