Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Gu Yuan’s Valentine’s Day Return Gift: A Fengdu Ghost City

"Why do I have to choose one myself?"

Yun Zhenyue peered at the three rewards, puzzled.

She was terrible at making decisions.

’These three rewards all look pretty good!’

Yun Zhenyue blinked, reading over the descriptions of the rewards before falling into thought.

Ghost Perfume.

Collected from the natural scent of over ten thousand maidens.

A single drop grants its wearer a unique, irresistible charm.

It was effective on both ghosts and humans.

The upside to this reward was increased charm, but the downside was that it could attract trouble.

Yun Zhenyue was already confident enough in her own charms.

She set that one aside for now.

The Ghost Artifact Tree, on the other hand, was like a fruit tree, but its fruit were Ghost Artifacts. This specific tree could bear 33 Ghost Artifacts of dark-red grade or lower each year, and would produce fruit for three years.

’So that means I could harvest nearly a hundred Ghost Artifacts?’

For the chosen participants from other countries, this was undoubtedly a god-tier reward!

But for her, who already possessed two Calamity Star Ghost Artifacts, it seemed a bit lackluster.

Yun Zhenyue looked to the last reward and murmured, "The never-wilting Flower of Love?"

According to the system’s description.

This flower needed to be nurtured with love.

Only someone with a true heart could make it bloom.

Once it bloomed, it would never wither.

The one who planted it could make a wish upon it and receive an unexpected reward.

True love creates miracles!

"What’s wrong? You look troubled."

At that moment, Gu Yuan, who was playing a video game nearby, asked casually.

Upon hearing this, Yun Zhenyue told him about the three rewards.

"The Flower of Love?"

Gu Yuan glanced sideways, slightly surprised.

He had actually created the flower himself.

Back at the orphanage, he’d wanted to plant some flowers as decoration.

Annoyed by how slowly they bloomed, he had dripped three drops of his blood onto three ordinary flowers.

Later, these flowers underwent a strange transformation, their seeds scattering on the wind throughout the entire Ghost World.

They came to be known as the Three Great Ghost Flowers of the Ghost World!

The Flower of Evil, the Flower of Love...

And the Flower of Man.

Each flower needed to be nurtured with a different catalyst.

Absolute malice, flawless love, and the complexities of human intent.

"You choose. Any of them will do," Gu Yuan said, turning away again.

"Ah..."

Yun Zhenyue agonized over the choice.

After much hesitation, she finally chose the Flower of Love.

BUZZ!

A flash of white light!

Instantly, a seed landed in Yun Zhenyue’s palm.

She cupped the seed carefully in her hands.

It was a small, pink, ordinary-looking seed. ’Can this thing really grant wishes?’

Yun Zhenyue thought for a moment and realized there wasn’t really anything she longed for.

’If I had to name just one wish...’

’...it would probably be to understand Gu Yuan better.’

’I want to know everything about him!’

’His origins, his stories, all the suffering and joy he has ever experienced...’

’In short, I want to know it all!’

"Please bloom soon, Little Love."

Yun Zhenyue whispered in prayer.

She buried the Flower of Love in a pot on the balcony and watered it with fresh water.

She even named the flower "Little Love."

"Honey, I have a new outfit to give you~"

"A Valentine’s Day gift."

Just then, Yun Zhenyue took out Mengmeng’s outfit, handing it to Gu Yuan with a chuckle.

...

「Meanwhile.」

It was time for a segment the Dragon Country audience loved to see.

After every mission ended, a gaggle of foreign experts and scholars would crawl out of the woodwork to slander Gu Yuan.

They just couldn’t stand seeing the Dragon Country do well.

The audience had gotten used to it, and they all watched with the amusement of seeing a monkey perform.

And sure enough!

Some helpful netizen had reposted comments from the Great Cold Country’s forums.

A task that many netizens dubbed "shit-posting."

They still held that expert from the Flower Flag Country up on a pedestal.

_I apologize for my previous disdain. I am re-evaluating Gu Yuan’s strength and completely retracting my previous conclusions._

_He might not have been severely injured, but was instead sealed by some Great Evil. His true strength should be that of a mid-tier Evil Star!_

_The Nightmare Hunter does indeed exist; he founded it before he was sealed. And it is true that he controlled the Meng Ghost with a single word!_

_However, I cannot agree with the other claims. The idea that mid-tier Evil Stars are merely low-level members, or that he annihilated one hundred thousand Crimson-robed Ghosts with a single strike and created an SSS-rank dungeon—these are clearly fabricated lies._

_As a mid-tier Evil Star, the ability to control ghosts of his own tier and lower is the absolute limit of his power._

_Unless he can prove it by bringing a top-tier "butterfly-form" member for me to see, or by demonstrating a Ghost Skill that allows him to control a ghost stronger than himself._

_Of course, the most direct method would be for him to take action personally._

_I’ll stand by my words. I welcome anyone from the Dragon Country to prove me wrong._

The Dragon Country audience thought this was all bullshit.

’Gu Yuan needs to prove something to *you*?’

’Who the hell do you think you are!’

As for Gu Yuan’s true strength, the mainstream speculation in the Dragon Country placed him somewhere between a high-tier and top-tier Evil Star.

But this expert’s analysis was spreading like wildfire across the Great Cold Country’s social media!

At one point, it was firmly cemented as the number one trending topic.

By now, only a few countries hostile to the Dragon Country, such as the Great Cold Country, still treated this expert’s words as gospel.

Especially after seeing Han Sumei get kicked out of the clothing store.

In the end, she actually stole a pair of socks as a gift.

This incident had turned the Great Cold Country into a laughingstock among all nations. Viewers from the Sun Country had even started derisively calling it the "Thieving Country."

The audience from the Great Cold Country was already stewing in frustration.

Seeing the Dragon Country’s audience gloating, they were practically losing their minds with rage.

_Damn it, this expert is giving that Dragon Country ghost way too much credit!_

_He’s just a sealed ghost! At best he’s a mid-tier Crimson-robed Ghost right now. He still can’t compare to Mr. Niu!_

_Maybe that Nightmare Hunter only has ten ghosts in total. What kind of leader does that make him?_

_Niu Dali is the strongest! He has a whole farm!_

_One sword strike against a hundred thousand Crimson-robed Ghosts? I doubt even a Great Evil could do that._

...

After planting the seed, Yun Zhenyue watched it eagerly every day.

After half a month of normal life, the seed finally broke through the soil, and a small seedling emerged.

Yun Zhenyue took a photo with her phone and sent it to the group chat.

She was met with a flood of amazed messages from her friends, all cheering "Awesome!"

And at this moment, a message arrived from the marriage pairing system.

_[Ding! You have a new marriage pairing mission.]_

_[Gaining a certain standing will help ensure equality between husband and wife, allowing you to live out your days together.]_

_[Please proceed to Fengdu Ghost City today and obtain an official post!]_

_[Mission Reward: The marriage pairing system will grant a corresponding reward based on the rank of the official post obtained by the participant!]_

’Fengdu Ghost City?’

Yun Zhenyue, still holding her small trowel, looked stunned.

’This mission is going to be tough!’

’An entire city!’

’This is so much bigger than a hospital or a mall!’

’It’s bound to be much more dangerous!’

"Honey, I have a new mission..."

Yun Zhenyue informed Gu Yuan about this matter.

Gu Yuan put down his controller and chuckled. "Fengdu Ghost City, eh? Interesting."

"You gave me a Valentine’s Day gift, but I haven’t given you one yet. Hmm... go to the bedroom and open the top drawer of the nightstand on my side of the bed."

"Those drawers are full of gifts other people have given me. The top one has gifts from men, the second has gifts from my female friends. They all hold very precious meaning for me."

"Let me think... there’s a Fish Talisman in there. Go ahead and take it. It should be perfect for this mission."

Gu Yuan had once served as the City Lord of Fengdu Ghost City.

Later, he couldn’t be bothered to manage such a large city, so he made an excuse and slipped away.

That Fish Talisman was the City Lord’s token of office and symbol of authority.

In other words.

His Valentine’s Day gift was an entire ghost city...