"Boss, we need a room."

Heimu shouted loudly at the inn with a large blade on his shoulder.

Inside the inn, there was a young man dressed in a blue robe, with skin as smooth as jade.

He was leisurely drinking from a pot of wine, letting drops fall from the spout.

When he saw the guests arrive, his face showed neither joy nor sorrow.

"Damn, is this boss deaf?"

"Yeah, didn’t you hear me shouting for you?"

"Guests arrive, and you don’t even come out to greet them. No wonder business is so bad."

The group of people cursed as they walked into the inn.

One bad-tempered person immediately put his foot on the table, glaring at the shopkeeper.

Heimu frowned slightly, puzzled as to how there could be such an innkeeper. Doesn’t he want to make money?

The boss’s name was Outside Chrysanthemum.

After finishing a sip of wine, he slowly turned his head.

"We have a strange guest staying here. He rented this entire inn for twenty years."

"So, you’ll have to find another inn. I apologize for the inconvenience."

Outside Chrysanthemum spoke with a calm demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Heimu’s muscles twitched. If he could have found another place to rest, why would he come to this ghostly place?

"Who’s staying upstairs?"

"It’s a waste for one person to rent such a large inn."

"Boss, could you let me go upstairs and plead with that guest?"

The group had been traveling all day and were genuinely exhausted.

Some even sprawled directly on the table, displaying a reluctant-to-leave attitude.

Outside Chrysanthemum pointed to the stairs.

"If the honored guest upstairs agrees, you can stay here."

Heimu was the first to rush upstairs.

On reaching the second floor, he found cobwebs everywhere and fallen leaves that had blown in from outside littering the hallway floor.

A young man sat on a chair, gazing coldly out the window.

Heimu’s footsteps were heavy on the floorboards, but although they creaked loudly, the man seemed not to hear.

"This inn is full of weirdos."

He thought to himself.

Heimu had never encountered such an eccentric person before.

"We’ve traveled a long way and couldn’t find a place to stay. We’d like to stay here for a night."

When the man heard this, he turned but did not respond.

Heimu was a little confused; did he not make himself clear?

Perhaps this person was deaf.

Or maybe not even a person? Unable to understand human speech?

"Are you a person or a ghost?"

The man still did not respond, but the coldness in his eyes began to shift.

As if lost in thought.

Who am I?

Am I a person or a ghost?

He seemed to have many uncertainties swirling in his mind.

After pondering for a long time, he still couldn’t clarify if he was a person or a ghost.

However, he hadn’t forgotten his name; he remembered he was called Piaoran.

Heimu scratched his head.

Could this person be a fool?

How could someone not even know if they’re human or ghost?

"Then, are you a good person or a bad person?"

Heimu asked again.

Piaoran scratched his head, questioning himself, am I a good person or a bad person?

Once someone enters the Blackwater Secret Realm, the distinction between good and bad becomes clear.

You’re either good or bad.

Piaoran lifted his head, gazing at the green leaves outside the window, murmuring.

"Does it matter if I’m good or bad?"

To Piaoran,

Good and bad are just a thought away.

As the saying goes, a Buddha can become a demon, and a demon can become a Buddha.

He had seen many Alliance Hierarchs in the Blackwater Secret Realm, starting noble and wise, with benevolent hearts, yet later becoming absurd and incapable.

Some people strive to be good, but ultimately the demons in their minds take control, turning them into irredeemable monsters.

So, does it matter if I’m good or bad?

"I’m nothing."

Having said that, Piaoran’s body gradually became translucent.

Seeing this, Heimu leapt forward, attempting to grab him, but his body had already turned into tiny starlights, dispersing within the building.

"What’s going on? Could he really be a ghost?"

At that moment, Heimu was quite panicked.

A person who could make their body vanish even if not powerful must certainly be superior to him.

"Many experts hide themselves in the Blackwater Secret Realm. It’s best to be cautious."

Thinking about that recent scene, Heimu was still a little frightened.

He then hurriedly ran downstairs.

"So, what kind of person is upstairs?"

"Is he a fierce ghost?"

"Tell us, what kind of person did you see up there?"

The crowd swarmed Heimu with questions. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Heimu calmed his inner fear slightly, his voice trembling.

"There’s a young man upstairs, about my age, but suddenly he just disappeared. He must be a ghost. We better not stay here, lest we lose our lives."

After speaking, he was the first to rush out of the inn.

Upon hearing there was a ghost, everyone was startled and hurried outside.

Only one young man remained.

The young man wore a snow-white robe, his face pale, with an unhappy expression.

His name was Qiu Ming, a well-known old bachelor in the Blackwater Secret Realm, who hadn’t found a girlfriend in thousands of years.

Also, due to his overly upright nature and refined character, he couldn’t connect with ordinary folks, and therefore had no friends either.

If this inn had a ghost, he wouldn’t mind staying and making friends with it.

The night grew darker.

The inn was engulfed in darkness.

Only the innkeeper was bathed in a pool of pale golden light from a table lamp, the only source of brightness.

The innkeeper yawned, eyelids heavy with sleep.

Outside Chrysanthemum glanced at Qiu Ming, who had been sitting at the table for some time, raising an eyebrow.

This person had been sitting here for an entire hour and still wouldn’t leave?

"Sir, I’m closing up, please leave."

The innkeeper forced a smile.

For customers, it’s customary to greet them with a smile, though over the years, he hadn’t had many guests to entertain.

So his smile was awkward.

The smile was worse than crying.

Qiu Ming held a teacup, the tea in it having been refilled several times, changing from orange to clear.

He studied the cup.

"I’ll be staying here tonight. I wish to play a game of chess with the ghost in this inn."

His demeanor was incredibly relaxed.

Fear was absent from his face.

Outside Chrysanthemum thought this person standing before him was a freak, wanting to play chess with a ghost.

"Sorry, the ghost in our inn can’t play chess or drink tea, only take your life. Please leave."

Qiu Ming glanced toward the second floor.

His eyes filled with curiosity.

"Alright."

Seeing the boss persistently urging him to leave.

Qiu Ming had no choice but to leave reluctantly.

What could he do without Spirit Jade?

Qiu Ming was also poor as a church mouse, a real pauper.

As a pauper, he naturally wasn’t afraid of ghosts.