Probably because the White Tiger had left, the Red-Furred Fox finally dared to venture out of the chicken coop. Chen Ji was very pleased about this. That dimwitted critter had finally vacated the coop; otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to buy any chickens!
Chen Ji petted the whimpering Red-Furred Fox and gently shooed it away. “Baby, you’re an all-powerful fox great immortal, right? How could you rely on a useless human like me who can’t do anything? This incompetent weakling can’t afford to keep a great immortal anymore. Baby, you should head home.”
The Red-Furred Fox ignored him. Instead, it burrowed into Chen Ji’s arms, exposing its fluffy white belly and nuzzling its head into his palm. Its eyes glistened with moisture as it let out sweet, coquettish yips.
Chen Ji couldn’t resist. His hand slipped to its belly for a pinch. The Red Fox lay perfectly still, letting him do as he pleased. Chen Ji wondered if he’d cut off its food for at least three days—didn’t it know what hunger felt like? But when he pressed a little harder on its belly, he felt it was plump and full. The fox even let out a satisfied burp under the pressure.
Chen Ji glanced at the shiny, mirror-like food bowl that the Red-Furred Fox had just brought over. He’d thought it had come begging for food out of starvation.
Second Master Huang snorted. 【It’s just latched onto you. It sneaks out hunting every night—haven’t you noticed it’s put on some weight?】
Chen Ji stroked the sleek, glossy fur beneath his hand and muttered, “I thought it just had thick fur…”
Turns out it was solid.
The Red Fox knew it had been found out, but it didn’t dare glare at Second Master Huang, the one who’d exposed it. Crestfallen, it slunk back to the chicken coop, not forgetting to snatch its food bowl on the way. It even dragged the bowl to the well for a self-service drink.
Chen Ji beckoned to Second Master Huang. The old fox jumped down from the eaves, landing squarely in Chen Ji’s arms. Chen Ji winced—his thigh might end up bruised from that. Second Master Huang claimed the spot recently vacated by the Red-Furred Fox and comfortably rolled onto his back to expose his belly.
Chen Ji obliged with a rub and grinned. “Not napping during the day today, Second Grandpa?”
Second Master Huang crossed one leg cockily over the other. 【Nice sunshine today. Just basking.】
“Word around the village yesterday was they were throwing a feast for Second Grandpa,” Chen Ji continued. “Did you get any?”
Second Master Huang shrugged indifferently. 【Too lazy to go. Let those punks under me eat it.】
“Still planning to settle things with the Wang Family?” Chen Ji massaged Second Master Huang’s neck. The fox instantly went limp like a noodle, squinting his eyes as he said, 【This ain’t over! If that sorry bastard shows his face in front of Second Grandpa again, Second Grandpa will make him regret it!】
Second Master Huang’s territory was limited to Little Azure Mountain and Yang Village. He had no interest in venturing farther. This was his way of saying Xiao Wang could scram—or stay, if he didn’t mind dying.
Chen Ji shook his head but said nothing. Second Master Huang jabbed a paw at his nose and berated him. 【You’re no better, you good-for-nothing! Second Grandpa oughta drop dead from frustration. Staying silent means you’re up to no good! Second Grandpa’s lived this long—what haven’t I seen? Trying to tell me killing ain’t right? Second Grandpa eats two lives a day easy. Human lives matter, but rat and chick lives don’t?!】
Chen Ji hugged him close, his brow calm and gentle, his smile unchanged. “So am I just like a rat or a chick in Second Grandpa’s eyes?”
Second Grandpa Huang barked a laugh. 【Bullshit! If you were, I’d have stewed you alive today!】
Chen Ji chuckled. “Aw, Second Grandpa, don’t kill me. Spare this dog’s life—I’m scared.”
Second Master Huang punched Chen Ji’s palm with his paw. It wasn’t big; how heavy could it be? Chen Ji caught the paw and toyed with it between his fingers.
Once they’d rested enough, Chen Ji set the noodle-like Second Master Huang down in the sunshine and headed off with the System Cat to unpack their delivery.
It was already April, and the mountain was warming up. Chen Ji had ordered a few sets of cotton-linen loungewear online. The fabric was durable and breathable—okay, fine, he admitted it: he’d been watching too many rustic hermit vlogs lately and wanted to treat himself to some new Chinese-style outfits.
He released the fully charged robot vacuum, which whirred around the temple, cleaning busily.
Chen Ji stuffed the new bedsheets and duvet covers into the washing machine, planning to do a big load while the weather was nice. As he tidied up, he suddenly heard someone call from outside. “Chen Ji? Is Master Chen home?”
Chen Ji slipped on his shoes and stepped out, only to see two young men at the door. One wore a sharp black suit, the other white—both tailored perfectly. They didn’t look like they’d hiked up the mountain. And Chen Ji hadn’t heard any helicopter either.
The one in black, a cigarette dangling from his lips in a roguish way, spoke first. “Chen Ji, right? Relax, just routine business.”
Chen Ji blinked. “Huh?”
The white-suited one seemed steadier. “On March 29th, Zhou Yunfan fell off a cliff at Little Azure Mountain and died. We’d appreciate it if Master Chen would release the soul.”
Chen Ji suddenly realized what was off. Standing at the temple entrance, he hadn’t noticed they cast no shadows. When the white-suited man mentioned Zhou Yunfan, Chen Ji had assumed Lady Zhou had sent more people—or maybe an official investigation team. But “release the soul” tipped him off: these two weren’t alive.
Seeing Chen Ji subtly step back half a pace, the white-suited man remained patient. “Please don’t be nervous, Master Chen. I’m White Impermanence, employee ID 14444. He’s Black Impermanence, ID 20001. Any issues, complain to the Underworld.”
He even pulled out an official badge—black leather with a gold seal and stamp.
Though Chen Ji had never seen one like it, it felt authentic somehow. He nodded. “Sorry, it’s a special situation, so I won’t invite you two inside… Zhou Yunfan already went back to W City with his mother. Haven’t you two located him?”
White Impermanence glanced at Black Impermanence. The latter fumbled with his phone, scrolling frantically before stiffly handing it over. White Impermanence checked: Zhou Yunfan’s soul location had updated to W City long ago, with several game verification codes below. Clearly, Black Impermanence had missed the update.
Black Impermanence looked at White Impermanence, scalp tingling. “…I… too many notifications…”
White Impermanence sighed and turned to Chen Ji. “Apologies for the work error, Master Chen. We’ll take our leave.”
Chen Ji remembered something and called out. “Wait—White Sir, one more thing I wanted to ask?”
White Impermanence nodded. “Go ahead.”
“I found a set of bones in the mountains earlier. Fully skeletonized.” Chen Ji explained. “Probably eaten. Awkward spot to report to police. Can you connect me to the owner or family?”
These cases weren’t usually theirs, but they’d already shown up and botched a job. White Impermanence nodded. “Sure. Can you bring the bones out? Just a bit will do.”
He didn’t offer to enter—just have Chen Ji bring it. Everyone knew this temple wasn’t welcoming to outsiders. With a real god inside, better not risk trouble.
Chen Ji had jarred the bones that morning, so retrieving them was easy. Moments later, he emerged with the jar and a basket slung over his arm. White Impermanence had him set the jar down and took a pinch of bone powder to scan via the System.
Meanwhile, Chen Ji offered a drink from the basket to Black Impermanence, who gulped half the bottle in one go. “Thanks, man! I was parched.”
Chen Ji set the basket before Black Impermanence, stocked with smokes and candies. The ghost popped a chocolate without looking, just as White Impermanence finished. “Master Chen, let’s add each other on WeChat. I’ll send the family’s info. The soul’s gone.”
Chen Ji shared his contact. Tricky—having the family’s details didn’t mean he could just call and say, “I found your relative’s bones; come pick ’em up.”
White Impermanence smiled faintly. “If needed, we offer dream messenger services.”
Chen Ji’s eyes lit up. “Perfect, thanks. WeChat for details.”
“Alright, we’re off.” White Impermanence vanished. Black Impermanence, munching snacks, grumbled but followed—after Chen Ji pointed to the unopened drinks. He snatched one and a handful of candies. “Catch you later, bro! Holler if you need anything!”
Then he was gone too.
Chen Ji picked up the jar with a chuckle. So these were Ghost Messengers? No different from regular folks.
No shadows, but they ate and drank straight-up, no proxies needed.
Perks of a government gig.
Chen Ji returned the jar inside, checked his phone, and found two new contacts: Black Impermanence’s cartoon avatar, White’s blue sky and clouds. White had sent the family’s info. Black messaged that the dream service was handled—no need for Chen Ji to worry. Family would come for the bones, or toss them after a month if not.
Strange connections gained.
The thought popped into Chen Ji’s mind.
An ordinary day passed. That night, as Chen Ji slept halfway into the night, a wail pierced the silence. His heart jolted; he sat up abruptly and checked the time: 2 a.m.
Who was wailing?
Not another trick to lure him out?
The System Cat sat up alertly. [Chen Ji, don’t go out! Midnight sounds—ignore them. Life and death are fate; wealth in the heavens. Don’t meddle!]
Chen Ji nodded, planning to play deaf. He knew how dangerous Little Azure Mountain got at night. Hard to say if that wail was even human.
Suddenly, a dull thud echoed from ahead. Chen Ji and the System Cat both peered out the window. A fierce wind from nowhere rattled the doors and shutters. Chen Ji felt a bad premonition brewing, though he couldn’t pinpoint why.
Something seemed to be drawing near. Chen Ji scanned his surroundings warily, but he saw nothing at all.
It was getting closer… closer… Goosebumps prickled across Chen Ji’s back, and he began to tremble uncontrollably. He clutched a Five Thunder Talisman in one hand while dragging the System Cat toward the wall—hoping whatever it was wouldn’t come bursting straight through without any regard for fair play.
Chen Ji even felt his own breathing grow labored, as if oppressed by some invisible force. The air around him inexplicably thinned. Just as he debated hurling a Five Thunder Talisman, a roar that shook the heavens erupted. The White Tiger smashed through the window and landed on Chen Ji’s bed, snarling ferociously at the empty space ahead of him.
