Shi Wei Eatery was once Xin Lu Old City’s famous restaurant. The signboard apparently had more than 200 years of history. Those who had lived in the old city knew this place, but most people wouldn’t have the chance to eat here. Han Fei looked around as he exited the shadow.
The former top restaurant was now an abandoned morgue. The two red lanterns that hung by the signboard swayed in the wind.
“The Yin Energy is strong here.”
Han Fei wore the black cap. The lazy ghost in the cap was awakened. It kept reminding Han Fei to leave. A lot of ghosts were gathered inside the eatery!
“Is it the Ghost Festival? Why does it feel like every ghost is moving here?” Shi Wei Eatery was just a Red Building. It had no Pure Hatred, but the Lingering Spirit inside had far surpassed a normal Red Building, and more was still gathering here.
“The random mission has been triggered, and the exam is happening soon. If I come back tomorrow, I won’t have enough time.” To enter Zone A, Han Fei’s mental corruption was already 32. If it worsened, he wouldn’t be able to protect himself, much less his students. Han Fei ignored the warning of the cap ghost and walked under the red lanterns. The last light of the day disappeared down the horizon. Darkness enveloped the city.
There were three floors to Shi Wei Eatery. The higher the floor, the rarer the dishes served. Han Fei entered the building, and it felt like he had returned to the past. The building itself radiated a special fragrance. The smell of food had imbued the building.
“Is the place reserved for guests tonight?”
There were red lanterns every few steps. The red light reflected human faces, the staircase banister with the dragon carving had been wiped, and the wooden floor was paved with new carpet. Han Fei silently approached the dining table closest to him. The red tablecloth was laid with dining sets. There was a cursed white paper underneath the plates. Only selected people could taste the food. Han Fei walked along the wall and avoided the giant sculptures of dragon and phoenix in the lobby. He wanted to go up the stairs, but he heard the sound of scolding.
Han Fei hid under the window to look. A fatty about the size of a barrel occupied Booth Three. He held a small knife in his left hand and a pair of chopsticks in his right. His beady eyes stared at the table. Another version of himself was placed on the table!
The giant body, the fatty folds, he was tied to the table like a turkey. The sound of gulping, scolding, and cursing mixed together. The fatty was eating himself.
“Notification for Player 0000! You’ve discovered the first guest of the blood feast.”
“This monster is here for the Blood Feast too?”
The mission required Han Fei survived until the end, so he didn’t want any conflict.
“Gluttony and greed. His persona was similar to Gao Cheng's. When I find the ghost blood, perhaps I can eat him.” Even though the side effect of using the Greed Persona was huge, it was undeniably strong. As long as one’s mental fortitude was strong enough, Greed Persona had endless possibilities. Han Fei silently retreated to the other side of the booth. The fragrance in the air thickened. It was very alluring. One wanted to stay here forever until one was served on the table.
“Lobby, booths, I’m getting closer to the kitchen.”
Due to its many secrets, the kitchen was a taboo location. No guest was allowed entry.
“Ghost blood is a kind of ingredient. Did Wang Chuqing get his vial here?” Ghosts were mostly resentment and hatred. Only a small handful would have a bleeding heart. Han Fei slowly approached the kitchen door. He looked at the waving curtain and slowly raised his hand. Han Fei was about to pull the curtain back when a hand fell on his shoulder.
“Shush. I’m Wang Chuqing. The kitchen is forbidden to all living humans. Do you want to die?” Teacher Wang’s voice appeared in Han Fei’s ears. He turned around. Teacher Wang had been hiding in the shadow between the stairs and the kitchen. He was certain that Han Fei would be there.
“Come with me.”
Wang Chuqing dragged Han Fei to First Floor’s Booth Eight. They hid under the table. “Why are you here?”
Wang Chuqing frowned. He didn’t waste time. He took out his black bamboo stick. “If you trade with me your exam location, I’ll get you the ghost blood!”
“Didn’t the headmaster forbid trading?” Han Fei stretched lazily. With Wang Chuqing there, his mission should be simpler.
“The cursed sticks are the keys to enter the exam buildings. You only need to trade with me. You don’t need to care about the rest!” Wang Chuqing’s eyes were red.
“I’m curious. Why do you want to protect your students so much? You found me even before the draw. You seem to worry that bad things will happen to your students.” Han Fei asked some sensitive questions.
“If I tell you the truth, will you trade with me?” Wang Chuqing hesitated after Han Fei nodded. “The last teacher of Class Five was my wife. Before she died, she told me that our child was in Class Five too.”
“Did you imagine your wife? Your name is your wife’s name, but none of the other teachers has seen her…” Han Fei felt the chill and quickly shut up.
“My persona is Loyalty. I will not lie to anyone.” Wang Chuqing took out a strange bone knife. “This blade is forged using my wife’s body. She has been watching over me to make sure that I don’t violate our vow.”
“Our school really doesn’t have a single normal teacher.” Han Fei held his chin. “Our test locations are at Zone C. If you really can find me enough ghost blood, I can trade with you. But you can’t release this info before the exam.”
“What do you mean by enough ghost blood? Do you think they’re easily acquired?”
“My current mental corruption is 32. I need enough ghost blood for my mental state to return to normal.” Han Fei held the Coin of Fate. “You should know my ability. I might not be able to kill you now but we can get away from this both heavily injured.”
“Deal.” Wang Chuqing didn’t trust Han Fei, but he didn’t have a better choice. “After tonight, I’ll give you the ghost blood. Give me the white stick, and I’ll help you keep it.”
“Sure.”
Wang Chuqing was surprised that Han Fei was so easygoing, “I’ve been here before. Even though this place is a Red Buildings, sometimes ghosts from Black Buildings will come here.”
“Ghosts can exit their buildings?”
“Normally, they won’t, but this place is special. Every few days, this place will hold a Blood Feast. As long as we avoid the feast, there shouldn’t be any problem.” This worried Han Fei because the system said that he was there to participate in the blood feast.
“Can you tell me what the blood feast is?”
“It’s to console the Ghost Mother.”
Han Fei heard a new term. “Ghost Mother? Is she a Pure Hatred or Unmentionable?”
“Ghost Mother is the most unique ghost at Zone A. No living human has seen her before, but some ghosts know of her existence.” Wang Chuqing whispered, “According to legends, she is a ghost that eats ghosts and most ghosts in Zone A are her children.”
“A ghost that eats ghosts?” Han Fei was reminded of Gao Cheng.
“The dishes served at the blood feast are made with ghosts and monsters. Last time, I was lucky to have found the ghost blood here.” Wang Chuqing sighed.
Suddenly, all the booth doors opened. Blood rain in the air. The carved phoenix and dragon wept. Screams echoed from every booth.
“Blood rain? Is tonight the blood feast?” Wang Chuqing’s lips trembled. Han Fei nodded. “That’s right.”
The giant sculpture in the middle of Shi Wei Eatery was drenched by the blood rain. The red lanterns swayed. The heavy doors were pushed open. Black-robed figures entered Shi Wei Eatery holding cursed food. They appeared to be cultists.
“Wilted flowers, yellowed missing person’s notices, dried cat body, children’s sweaters, moldy cakes, handwritten letters…” All the cursed objects on the trays came from the same person. The items looked common, but they radiated a Pure Hatred level of resentment. “All these cursed items belong to the Ghost Mother? How scary is she? Why would such a unique ghost exist in Gao Xing’s altar world?”
The strange black-robed individuals placed the cursed objects in different booths. The cursed objects appeared to be manifestations of the Ghost Mother.
Footsteps came to the booth door. Han Fei and Wang Chuqing tensed. They held their breath. The creature placed a thick stack of missing person reports on their dining table!
Wang Chuqing and Han Fei hiding under the table, felt immense pressure. They knew they had to escape before the blood feast started. Wang Chuqing and Han Fei lifted the corner of the tablecloth and crawled out.
“Leave! I’ll get you the ghost blood tomorrow night!” Wang Chuqing moved forward, but he noticed that Han Fei had stopped. “What are you doing?”
When Han Fei crawled out of the dining table, he glanced at the cursed object. He saw the words on it.
“My son has been taken away at Xin Lu’s First Hospital. There is a heart-shaped birthmark near his chest. He is bundled with a golden lock with his name, Gao Xing! I’m willing to pay 10000 for any info…”
“Gao Xing?” Han Fei’s eyes moved to see the picture.
The child in the black and white picture grinned wickedly at him. The child’s lips seemed to move to say, Your biggest greed is trying to steal my mother’s love!
Endless shadows appeared in Han Fei’s greed abyss. The pain tore at Han Fei’s soul. This pain didn’t originate from Han Fei but from Gao Cheng.
“The missing child is Gao Xing. He said that Gao Cheng’s biggest greed is stealing his mother’s love?
“Is the Ghost Mother Gao Xing’s biological mother or Gao Cheng’s adopted mother? But hasn’t she gone missing?”
Gao Cheng had lost his dignity and bottom line, but he didn’t back off this time. The greed abyss compelled Han Fei to tear up all the missing person notices.
