I gasped and quickly retreated back into the stairwell, whispering to Huang Jiu, "We're only on the third floor—why are we already running into something like this?"
Huang Jiu replied, "We showed up with such a fanfare. You think they wouldn't prepare? I reckon we're about to be dragged into some sort of tower climb."
This building has over forty floors, and each side of the corridor is lined with office rooms—tons of space.
If we really have to climb to the top like this, won't we be dead from exhaustion?
Huang Jiu ruffled my hair and asked, "Did you see what that thing was slapping?"
Isn't that obvious?
Just a head-slapping ghost.
And I didn't back off because I was scared. I just wanted to test out one of the Divine Generals from the Blood Thorn. But after what Huang Jiu said, I decided to hold back. It's best not to reveal my trump card too early.
After all, the weaker ghosts don't dare go higher up, but the strong ones can come down at any time.
With that thought in mind, I stepped right onto the third floor.
The head-slapping ghost immediately turned around, looking agitated, and threw the severed head it had been slapping right at me.
Huang Jiu hiked up his floral shorts and cursed, "You little brat! Just because the Earth is round doesn't mean your head should be too!"
As he cursed at the ghost, he also blew out a puff of demonic energy, which enveloped the severed head. The head suddenly expanded like a giant ball and rolled back toward the ghost.
Although it wore red, just as Huang Jiu said, this head-slapping ghost wasn't a true red-dressed specter. Its yin energy was weak—it was just a child ghost.
Seeing the giant head rolling back, it was instantly terrified and began crying and calling for its parents.
Huang Jiu was about to go in for the kill, but I quickly blocked the demonic energy he was about to spit out and said, "Even if you want to beat a dog, you have to ask its owner first. If you kill it now, we might not make it to the eighteenth floor later."
Just then, from the other end of the corridor, a graceful figure suddenly emerged from one of the rooms and stood protectively in front of the ghost. With the sharp sound of a trigger clicking into place, an arrow shot out from a crossbow—piercing the child ghost and flying straight at me.
My reflexes weren't bad—I tilted my head just in time to dodge. But in doing so, I accidentally exposed Huang Jiu.
Before I could react, a rune-carved arrow had already pierced into Huang Jiu's mouth.
The child ghost didn't even get a chance to scream before it was obliterated.
I turned my head to look at Huang Jiu, my mind blank. There's a saying: "Only the good die young, while the wicked live forever." But why was Huang Jiu gone so fast?
How was I supposed to explain this to Huang Xian'er?
Just when I was frozen in panic, the little figure on my shoulder moved—Huang Jiu grabbed the arrow with his tiny claws and slowly pulled it out of his mouth.
Phew!
Once the arrow was fully out, Huang Jiu let out a breath and boasted, "Luckily, your Ninth Master here has the skill to catch blades with his bare mouth. Otherwise, I'd be toast today!"
I let out a breath too, finally relaxing, and turned my eyes toward the woman approaching us.
She was alive.
I could tell from the moment she appeared.
As she walked over, I put on a fierce face, ready to ask what the hell that was all about.
Huang Jiu also bared his teeth, looking ready for a fight.
But when she got closer, both of our eyes froze.
Any thoughts of arguing or revenge went out the window. There was only one thing in our minds: huge.
Watching her approach, I had the urge to hold out a hand—just in case she lost her balance and fell forward.
She was so well-endowed, it was hard to look away.
Huang Jiu swallowed and murmured, "Big. Really big…"
I mentally measured it up—this was something I couldn't handle. Even with two hands, I might not be able to get a grip.
When I finally managed to look away, my eyes landed on her long, slender legs.
She was wearing something like a modified qipao—very short, just barely reaching the back of her knees. The whole outfit was split high and cut low, practically designed for maximum distraction.
We both stared in silence. She seemed used to this kind of reaction and proudly puffed out her chest as she asked coolly, "You two okay? I was in a hurry just now and didn't notice you."
Her voice was like music.
I snapped back to my senses, quickly averting my eyes and blushing.
Huang Jiu completely forgot that she nearly killed him a minute ago and, looking like a love-struck fool, asked softly, "Miss, are you a demon hunter?"
My head was clear again. And to be fair, my dazed reaction wasn't out of lust—it's just that no corpse I'd seen could compare to this woman. She was simply overwhelming.
Now that I was focused, I instinctively shifted half a step away and subtly placed my hand on the Blood Thorn at my waist.
When Huang Jiu mentioned demon hunters, I noticed the crossbow in her hand.
That was a demon-hunting crossbow—the signature weapon and symbol of identity for demon hunters.
I'd heard about them from my grandfather. They're scattered all across the country, hunting not just vicious spirits and demons, but also those who stray from the righteous path.
Basically, they're bounty hunters who chase down the supernatural.
But they never take on private jobs—only assignments from within their own bounty system.
They even have an internal ranking system.
But that's all shrouded in secrecy. Outsiders rarely learn who's on the list.
Now that she appeared here—could this Ghost Building be on the demon hunters' bounty board?
And when exactly did she enter?
I said, "My name's Li Yang. May I ask what to call you, Miss?"
"I'm Zhan Ling," she replied casually, then asked, "Are you two planning to keep heading up?"
From the way she spoke, it sounded like she wasn't going any further herself. I nodded and said, "A client asked us to take a look upstairs."
Demon hunters are generally known for being righteous, but I couldn't be sure about her, so I kept things vague.
Zhan Ling said, "Whatever's upstairs has already fully taken form. I won't be going up—I'm waiting for someone down here."
Different goals meant no need to linger or argue.
I turned to leave. Huang Jiu looked back reluctantly, and even I sneaked another glance before heading to the fourth floor.
After confirming that Zhan Ling wasn't following, I whispered to Huang Jiu, "You might be right for once. What happened here twenty years ago might not have been a natural disaster after all—but manmade."
Huang Jiu's mind wasn't completely lost in the gutter. He caught on quickly and asked, "You think she's waiting for the person behind all this?"
I nodded.
Huang Jiu cursed under his breath, "Then we're just being used by her?"
I said, "It's mutual. She's after the mastermind, we're hunting ghosts. We're technically helping each other. But honestly, I don't think she's strong enough. Whoever created this ghost building is probably way out of her league."
No sooner had I finished speaking than a black mist rose in the fourth-floor corridor—and a charred, smoke-covered ghost appeared right in front of us.