Niu Daji leaned against the wall and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

Panda glanced at him disdainfully, then took out noise-canceling earmuffs and put them on, entering a meditative state.

"Don’t go back to school today; head back tomorrow morning. It’s not safe for you or the school right now."

After advising Luo Ping, Liu Zheng prepared to return to the restaurant.

Just as he got in the car, a call from Niu Ma came through.

His heart sank; a call from Niu Ma at this hour was surely not good news.

"What’s up, boss? Calling me this late."

He answered the call, pretending nothing was amiss.

"You’re out this late too, aren’t you? What, did I interrupt something by calling?"

Niu Ma spoke in a sarcastic tone.

Hearing this, Liu Zheng sighed in relief; if this guy could still be sarcastic, then it wasn’t anything serious.

"Boss, you’re wronging me. I work diligently when you’re not around; I’m still out delivering food. You’re out enjoying life, what do you know of our suffering?"

He immediately protested.

"Stop with the nonsense, you must’ve taken some private work again, delivering someone else’s order, right?"

Niu Ma hit the nail on the head.

"Delivery is just delivery; I never discriminate. So, boss, what’s really up?"

Liu Zheng changed the subject.

"Do you know someone named Xia Kai?"

Niu Ma asked.

"Xia Kai?"

He paused, gradually picturing a pale moon and a chubby kid frantically escaping under its light.

"You ran into him?"

Liu Zheng asked.

-----------------

Xia Kai opened his eyes to see a crimson building.

The building was mostly wooden, but with quite a few metal parts and pipes exposed, and each floor’s eaves were adorned with colorful lights, giving it a cyberpunk vibe.

He looked up at the entrance where an old plaque hung, its black-brown paint mostly peeled off, but the three large black and red characters remained vivid, as if they could leap out at any moment.

"Hundred Ghosts"

He whispered those words and suddenly felt a cold breeze.

"Follow me in, keep your head down, don’t look around or speak out of turn, or I won’t be able to save you if something happens."

Jing Shang instructed.

"Yes."

Xia Kai obediently lowered his head.

"Very good, let’s go."

Jing Shang nodded in satisfaction, then led him into Hundred Ghosts.

"Welcome. Oh, isn’t it Uncle Jing Shang? What brings you here for a soak today?"

The usher at the door smiled in greeting.

"I don’t have the extra money for that. A friend’s son came to join me, so I’m thinking of recommending him to work at the bathhouse."

Jing Shang replied.

"Another human, huh."

The bird-faced attendant glanced at Xia Kai, sounding a bit disdainful.

"Humans are fine, smart, diligent, and adaptable, just physically weak, but that can be fixed with some training."

Jing Shang said.

"I’m not saying humans are bad, just considering the recent trouble—wasn’t it caused by two new human employees? So, hiring is currently a bit sensitive."

The bird-faced attendant whispered.

"Wasn’t the ringleader a Black Mountain Goat Cub hybrid? Hardly human, right? Is Minister Da Che Lun in? Let him have a look at this kid; if it doesn’t work, I’ll take him back."

Jing Shang said.

"He should be in his study now; come on, I’ll take you up."

The bird-faced attendant said.

"You’re on duty; leaving might not be good. I can go up myself."

Jing Shang said.

"Things are tense; better if I take you up."

The bird-faced attendant shook his head, gave instructions to the other attendants, and led the two to the elevators.

"Which one to take this time?"

The bird-faced attendant asked.

Hearing this, Xia Kai secretly glanced at the three elevators in front of him.

Each wooden elevator door had a mask carved on it, from left to right: an angry man, a crying woman, and a laughing old man.

"Let’s take the Samurai one again. Better a cut than crying with a woman or being forced to tell jokes."

Jing Shang thought for a moment and said.

"Haha, I prefer the old man’s; his jokes are sometimes really funny."

The bird-faced attendant laughed like a crow.

Despite his words, he still led the two to the Angry Man mask.

"Whatever you see inside, stay calm and tell yourself it’s fake, all fake."

"But don’t disrespect what you see, or the fake may become real."

Jing Shang advised Xia Kai before pushing him into the open elevator door.

Xia Kai first entered darkness, then a bright light surrounded him.

But the brightness was worse than darkness; he saw a crimson world where every patch of soil exuded ominous Blood Light.

Amidst this endless red, a completely black Samurai emerged.

His features and clothing were blurry, only the white bone sword at his waist was bewitchingly beautiful.

The Samurai walked towards Xia Kai, each step weighing down on his heart, suffocating him.

"It’s all fake, all fake..."

Following Jing Shang’s advice, he frantically hypnotized himself.

But everything before him was so real, he couldn’t ignore it.

"Is life just... huh?"

The Samurai spoke, his heavy presence pressing like a mountain, yet dispersing like wind.

He glanced deeply at Xia Kai, then drew his sword.

With a flash of the blade, Xia Kai collapsed softly, and the Samurai vanished.

"Ah!"

As the red light turned to dim yellow, Xia Kai belatedly screamed.

Instinctively, he reached for the spot just slashed, and the intense pain made him scream again."Stop screaming, you’re not dying."

Jing Shang said grumpily, then lifted his shirt to reveal a swollen bruise.

"Was this... struck with the back of the sword?"

Jing Shang quickly identified the mark.

Instead of asking immediately, he dragged Xia Kai out of the elevator first.

"What did you see back there?"

He asked.

"I don’t know, I just saw a Black Knight coming at me. It muttered something, slashed at me, and then this happened."

Xia Kai said innocently.

"What do you think?"

Jing Shang looked at the bird-faced attendant.

"Someone else took that elevator too."

The bird-faced attendant said solemnly.

"Should we take him to see that person or continue to Minister Da Che Lun?"

Jing Shang asked.

"Better go to Minister Da Che Lun, you’re no longer part of the bathhouse, and it’s improper to report beyond the chain of command."

The bird-faced attendant pondered and replied.

"Alright."

Jing Shang nodded, suddenly reaching for the top of Xia Kai’s head.

But his sure grasp missed as Xia Kai slid backward three meters, holding an empty bottle.

"Name: Oil for the Feet (One-time Use)"

"Type: Tool"

"Quality: Excellent"

"Effect: Instantly slide back three meters. If there’s an obstacle, the slide stops and the player takes some damage."

"Note: Do not use in school; injury means execution, death means expulsion."

"Can it be taken out of the instance: Yes"

"Phew, lucky."

Xia Kai thought with relief.

Luckily, he had remained wary of this cheap uncle; otherwise, he would’ve been caught.

Although he didn’t know who that person was or what they did, sudden changes like these were rarely good.

And the bird-faced attendant’s gaze was one he recognized—when his little gang tried to sell him out to the prison guards in the animal jail, it was just like this.

"You think you can escape? Better come quietly; once it’s clear you’re not involved with that person, you’re safe, and I can even ask Minister Da Che Lun to get you a good job."

Jing Shang said.

"Or a good way to die?"

Xia Kai replied with a cold laugh.