After a shrill, piercing ârooster crow,â the chaotic yin energy outside the Yellow Springs Inn settled down significantly, and the âdaytimeâ of the underworld ghost realm began anew!
The bearded man opened his bloodshot eyes, clearly having only pretended to sleep all night without actually resting!
Beside him, the young woman Li and the mature woman woke with a start, both seemingly unaware of when they had dozed off against the wall!
Fortunately, no ghost attacks occurred last night, and no one died!
Lin Yu also stood up, having also been awake the entire night, but thanks to the first-rank ghost controllerâs spiritual sense, he felt fine.
Knock, knock!
Two knocks sounded from outside, instantly putting the three inside on high alert.
Lin Yu, however, was not particularly worried, walking to the door and opening it.
Standing outside was the ghost accountant.
Upon seeing Lin Yu, the accountant immediately broke into a smile.
âMr. Lin, youâre up!â he said with a somewhat ingratiating tone.
Clearly, everything Lin Yu had done yesterday had made a deep impression on this old ghost!
Mm.
Lin Yu nodded slightly, looking at the accountant.
âWhereâs the cook?â
âHe should be in the kitchen,â the accountant said respectfully.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lin Yu nodded and walked directly outside toward the kitchen.
The accountant watched Lin Yuâs departing figure, opening his mouth, originally wanting to say that according to the rules, they should be heading to their respective âworkstationsâ now.
But after some thoughtâ¦
Did Mr. Lin really need to follow the rules?
So the accountant gave up on pursuing that topic and turned to the other three, showing no friendly demeanor toward them.
âGet to work!â he said coldly, urging the remaining three.
Watching the accountantâs sudden change in mood, the other three did not dare to say anything more, and hurried off to their respective tasks.
Chopping wood, cleaning, running errands!
Meanwhile, in the kitchenâ¦
Lin Yu successfully found the cook, Zhu Jiang, who was simmering something.
âHey, brother.â Lin Yu greeted Zhu Jiang warmly, and upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhu Jiang turned his head.
âAh, itâs Brother Lin!â His voice was filled with joy as he lifted the pot lid,
âCome, have a taste of the fresh bone soup I just made!â
Lin Yu glanced at the human bones floating in the pot and quickly waved his hands, âNo, no, thanks⦠I came to find you for something important.â
As Lin Yu said this, Zhu Jiangâs expression shifted slightly.
He wiped his hands on his leather apron, his demeanor turning serious.
âOh? Brother Lin⦠what important matter?â
Lin Yu looked at Zhu Jiang, thinking for a moment before speaking.
âBrother, are you here as the cook at Yellow Springs Inn willingly?â
Hearing Lin Yuâs question, Zhu Jiangâs expression changed slightly,
and finally, he sighed.
Sigh!
âI really canât hide anything from you, Brother!â Zhu Jiang pointed to the shackle with a half chain around his neck, which was neither copper nor iron,
âOnce, I was a prominent figure in the deeper levels of the ghost realm, but I was betrayed.
âAfter a long struggle to escape, I was at the brink of death⦠and had no choice but to seek refuge with the innkeeper.â
Zhu Jiang sighed and continued.
âAlthough Iâve healed over the years, this innkeeper is no simple character⦠I signed a contract with her, so Iâm stuck here, unable to explore the vast world or enjoy fine delicacies!â
As he spoke, his tone was filled with uncontainable regret!
Hearing Zhu Jiangâs words, Lin Yu was also slightly moved.
âIf⦠Brother, if I offered you a chance, would you be willing to follow me and explore both realms?â
Upon hearing Lin Yuâs words, Zhu Jiangâs expression shifted.
A glimmer of hope crossed his face, but he ultimately shook his head with a bitter smile.
âThe innkeeper wonât let me goâ¦â
But he paused mid-sentence because Lin Yu had pulled out two sheets of paper.
One was a tattered yellowed contract he had signed with the innkeeper, and the other was a grayish sheet with ink words floating on it.
âI willingly serve Lin Yu!â
Just these simple words and a blank for a name.
There was no specified duration, but Zhu Jiang felt no aversion.
He was simply shocked.
âHow⦠how did you do this?â
Lin Yu smiled slightly. âIâm quite wealthy!
âSo, while I may not be able to promise you things like freedom or safety⦠I can guarantee there will be plenty of fine wine!â
As Lin Yu spoke, Zhu Jiangâs mouth dropped slightly, and then the tall ghost, Zhu Jiang, broke into laughter.
âAlright⦠since youâre willing to spend so much for me, Iâll treat you as a close friend!
âThen Iâll face fire and water for you, whatâs the harm?
âFine wine and delicacies are not what matters. What matters is adventuring together!â
As Zhu Jiang said this, his name appeared on the perfect-grade ghost binding contract!
And the original tattered contract turned to ashes in Lin Yuâs hand, disappearing without a trace!
ãDing! You have signed a contract with the ghost âZhu Jiang!âã
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