Chapter 2685 The Mad City Lord's Love-Hate Relationship 07

The door closed, and Jin Chen set up a barrier.

[Host, the ghosts here seem a bit more normal than those in the outer city.]

Ling Gun Gun finally dared to open its eyes and perched on Jin Chen's shoulder, chattering, "[The ghosts in the outer city aren't very strong either; they can't control their death expressions well.]"

Jin Chen hummed in agreement and patted its head. [What's Fu Lingjing doing over there?]

He walked to the rosewood table in the hall, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water.

[Sleeping.]

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Ling Gun Gun explained, "Host, the flow of time seems different; only an hour has passed outside."

No wonder the outside world's imperial advisors haven't discovered it yet.

Jin Chen glanced at the lifeless side hall and felt the burning heat emanating from the treasure bag in his arms.

With a slight thought, he took out the glass bead, which seemed to have flames flowing inside, and was extremely hot.

Remembering the Imperial Advisor's instructions, Jin Chen forced a bead of bright red blood from his fingertip, which dripped onto the glass bead. He then channeled his spiritual power and slowly poured it into the bead.

The blood droplets melted upon contact with the pearl, radiating great brilliance, and a phantom image appeared.

"Senior brother!" Chu Jiushan was the most excited, rushing to the light screen and letting out a long sigh of relief, "Thank goodness you're alright."

He asked curiously, "Senior brother, are you alright? Did you beat up the Ghost King?"

Liu Shuoyue and Zang Huai'an: "..."

Liu Shuoyue couldn't help but say, "Shouldn't we ask Brother Jin first if he's being harassed by that Ghost King?"

Jin Chen looked at the three people in the light screen with a calm expression. "It's alright, I'm safe right now. Please be careful in the inn and try not to go out unless necessary."

Zang Huai'an frowned. He had sensed that Jin Chen's unusual calmness since dawn, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother Jin, do you... know something we don't?"

Jin Chen pondered for a moment, “The passage of time in Ghost City is different from that in the outside world. Two days have passed here, while only about an hour has passed in the outside world.”

Before he could process it, Jin Chen continued, "The ghost powder I gave you is more potent than the one given by the Imperial Advisor. If you really need to go out and investigate, apply it thickly."

Liu Shuoyue's expression softened slightly. "That's good. Brother Jin, please be careful in the inner city."

Chu Jiushan hurriedly stepped forward, looking at Jin Chen expectantly, "Then, senior brother, could you also bring me to the inner city? I can come and help you!"

Ever since he parted ways with his senior brother, he felt uneasy, as if his courage had been left with his senior brother. Alone in this eerie inn, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Jin Chen glanced at him and said, "No, you stay in the outer city and train hard, or I'll beat you up."

Before Chu Jiushan could shout any more, the connection to the glass bead was severed.

Jin Chen looked out the window; the ghost town was devoid of stars and moon, only endless darkness.

That night, however, he slept very restlessly, as this ghost town continued to erode the vitality of the living.

As dawn approached, Jin Chen grew increasingly tired from sleeping, so he sat up cross-legged and focused his mind, subtly releasing his divine sense to scan the massive ghost city palace.

Everywhere one could sense was an intense, eerie ghostly aura, far surpassing the wandering spirits of the outer city. If one were to reveal their human identity here, the consequences would be unimaginable.

[Host has requested this service~]

Zero Rolling pops up at just the right moment, very enthusiastic: [Limited-time special offer in the System Shop! One Thousand Faces Disguise Candy Bean. After consumption, it perfectly simulates the aura of a designated race, flawlessly. The duration depends on the environment, and there are no side effects! Originally 8888 points, now only 6888! Don't miss this opportunity!]

Jin Chen's lips twitched slightly. "Are you getting darker and darker?"

Zero Rolling said confidently, "[Because you, host, are completing more and more tasks, and your points are getting richer and richer! Prices are rising with the market, which is perfectly reasonable!]"

Too lazy to argue with the little Pixiu, Jin Chen still exchanged for one and swallowed it.

There was a knocking sound outside the door.

Jin Chen concealed his aura, walked to the outer room, and opened the door from a distance with a flick of his sleeve.

Standing outside the door was a... skeleton.

A stark white humanoid skeleton. The skeleton was perfectly proportioned, each bone so white it was almost blinding, gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Its empty eye sockets looked at Jin Chen, its jaw opening and closing, its voice cheerful, "Greetings, sir! I was sent by the city lord, and I will serve you from now on!"

Without waiting for Jin Chen's response, it happily darted into the door and even gave Jin Chen a proper bow.

Jin Chen looked at it silently, then stretched out his finger and poked at the empty space between its ribs.

"Hehehe..." The skeleton seemed to have been tickled, its frame trembling. "Young master, you are the city lord's ghost, you can't lay a hand on me."

Jinchen: "..."

He withdrew his finger and asked expressionlessly, "What's your name?"

The skeleton shook its bald head: "My lord, I don't have a name yet. There are many other skeleton servants like me in the city lord's mansion, and none of them have names."

Jin Chen glanced at its shiny white bones and casually said, "Then let's call it Bone White."

[Hehehehe.] Zero burst into laughter, [The family of reduplicated words has gained another member.]

"Great! Gu Baibai loves this name!" Gu Baibai danced with joy, shyly covering her non-existent mouth with her finger bones. "It's all worth it for polishing and maintaining my bones every day!"

Jin Chen promptly changed the subject, which was a bit strange, "I'm hungry."

"Breakfast is ready!" Little White immediately responded, striding along its long legs to the outside of the hall, and quickly returned with a tray.

Jin Chen sat down, picked up his chopsticks, tasted a bite of pastry, then scooped up a spoonful of porridge and chewed it a couple of times.

I took another bite, and another... No need to try anymore.

He put down his chopsticks and looked at Xiaobai: "Why does this food have no flavor at all?"

"Does it tasteless?"

Gu Baibai propped up his empty head and thought, then pulled out a small bone stick from some joint gap and started rubbing it against the area below his eyes.

A white powder, like plaster, fell down and landed in the bowl in front of Jin Chen.

Jin Chen's pupils dilated.

As he watched the bone powder fall continuously, he couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of rubbing yourself away?"

“Oh, this won’t do.” Gu Baibai stopped what she was doing. “This is the keratin layer of my bone, it’s just from metabolism. Rubbing a little bit won’t hurt. I heard that you… uh, some ghosts like to add a little bit of this to your food for flavor.”

Jin Chen silently put down her chopsticks, her appetite completely gone.

He stood up and said to Gu Baibai, "Don't follow me. I'm going to find Yin Chaosheng."

Gu Baibai, who had just taken a step forward with his long, skeletal leg, immediately retracted it and stood properly. "Oh, yes, young master, please make yourself at home."