The sudden question.
The maids were stunned for a moment, but upon seeing them in suits, their eyes lit up:
"You're looking for the manager? Are you interested in the haunted store? The manager is currently entertaining guests. Would you gentlemen like to sit down at our shop?"
They didn't know who the visitors were, assuming they were white-collar workers who would surely spend money.
In response to this.
How could the young Onmyoji not understand? As locals in their twenties, they knew about maid cafes and had frequented them. However, they didn't have time for a maid cafe now; their attention was focused on the haunted alley.
Recently, supernatural events had been occurring all over Sakura Country, and the Onmyo Bureau had even issued orders requiring every member to achieve a certain performance quota. They were currently worried about not meeting their quota for the day and were searching everywhere for supernatural incidents. Now that they had found one, they naturally wanted to complete it quickly to avoid having their performance stolen.
"No, perhaps another time."
He said this as he took out some money, handed it to the maids, and continued:
"However, could you please ask the manager to come out? We are interested in the haunting in that alley. Could you invite the manager out to tell us about it?"
"Certainly, certainly, sirs. We'll go call the manager out right away."
Seeing the prospect of earning money, the maids didn't hesitate and turned to find the manager.
Seeing this.
The young Onmyoji exchanged glances:
"Do you think this haunting is real?"
"Most likely. I tested it with an onmyo-gi earlier, and there is indeed residual yin energy nearby. And judging by the direction, it's towards that alley."
"Then why ask? With Brother Abe's onmyo-gi, shouldn't we just go to the alley? Yours is a high-grade onmyo-gi, capable of detecting even ghost kings."
"That's true, but for safety's sake, it's better to ask first. What if the ghosts there are very strong? Many powerful spirits have appeared recently, so it's always wise to be cautious."
"Brother Abe is right. Although Brother Abe is equipped with many magical artifacts, we must still be careful."
"Then let's ask quickly. After we've asked and dealt with the ghosts there, we can quickly complete our quota and go home. The anime I'm following aired its latest episode today."
...
Meanwhile.
Zhang Wei was unaware of the maids' conversation, but even if he had known, it wouldn't have mattered much. Upon arriving on the street, he had also sensed the presence of a spirit. He had originally planned to visit the figurine shop first and then come to "harvest wool," but when the maids pointed this way, he was more than happy to oblige; it was on the way.
At this moment.
Zhang Wei arrived at the entrance of the alley.
He looked intently.
The alley was under repair, with a road construction warning sign placed at the front and some iron plates erected to block the view. Only the alleyway was visible. Apart from the lights, there was no one else. Perhaps due to the roadwork, the lights flickered intermittently, forming a stark contrast with the vibrant lights outside the alley.
Seeing this.
Zhang Wei walked in without a word, murmuring to himself:
"It's late and quiet, so I don't have to worry about being discovered when I act. This is great."
With these words.
He had already entered the alley. In the deserted environment, his footsteps echoed clearly throughout the alley.
As he went deeper into the alley, reaching the halfway point, where he was no longer visible from the outside, the footsteps echoing in the alley suddenly changed.
Tap, tap, tap...
Although Zhang Wei was the only one in the alley, he heard three sets of footsteps, as if two people were approaching from behind him.
Immediately after.
A voice suddenly came from behind Zhang Wei:
"Excuse me, sir ahead. Could you please help us with something?"
Along with the voice.
In this alley where only Zhang Wei was present, two figures appeared behind him. They seemed to materialize out of thin air; as the footsteps sounded, two pairs of feet appeared, and then their figures gradually materialized.
Although their forms were human-like, their shattered heads with brains exposed and their fallen eyeballs confirmed that they were not human. If the maid cafe manager were here, she would surely recognize the two 'people' appearing behind Zhang Wei as the ghosts she encountered last night.
However.
Unlike the manager, Zhang Wei turned around directly after hearing the voice, looked at them, and smiled slightly:
"Sure, what do you need help with?"
Then.
Their eyes met, Zhang Wei smiling, while the two 'people' were stunned.
[Ding! Ghost couple is stunned... What kind of reaction is this? Why isn't this person screaming or startled? Are we not scary enough? That shouldn't be the case.]
[Host gains System Points +80]
Instinctively.
The ghost couple exchanged glances.
[Ding! Ghost couple... Strange, my boyfriend (girlfriend) looks disgusting and scary. Even I, a ghost, would be scared to death. Why doesn't he react? Is he so scared he doesn't know how to react anymore?]
[Host gains System Points +90]
As they were thinking this.
Zhang Wei spoke:
"What do you need my help with, my two ghost friends? Please, tell me."
As soon as he said this.
The ghost couple was stunned, instinctively wanting to ask, "Aren't you afraid of us? Do you think we're cosplaying?" However, when Zhang Wei uttered his last sentence, their hearts trembled. It was clear that the person in front of them knew they were ghosts and was not afraid of them.
In this situation, the ghost couple understood that the young man in front of them was either incredibly dense or an Onmyoji!
[Ding! Ghost couple... Run!]
[Host gains System Points +100]
Rather than believing Zhang Wei was dense, they were more inclined to believe he was an Onmyoji, precisely because Zhang Wei was too calm, and because they could feel a trace of terrifying aura emanating from him.
However, as they turned to flee.
With two clicks.
Zhang Wei placed his hands on their shoulders. They felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them, and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't break free.
"My two ghost friends, why are you running? Didn't you need my help?"
"We don't need it anymore. We don't need your help with anything."
The ghost couple shook their heads like maracas, wishing they could cry.
[Ding! Ghost couple... Top-tier Ghost King aura! My Emperor...! ]
[Host gains System Points +110]
At this moment.
They knew they had kicked a steel plate. No, this wasn't kicking a steel plate; this was kicking Adamantium.
"Onmyoji-sama, we were really just asking for directions or something. We haven't done anything evil. Please let us go."
The boyfriend ghost pleaded.
In response.
Zhang Wei smiled slightly:
"Don't be afraid, I won't kill you. And don't call me an Onmyoji. I'm not an Onmyoji; I'm from Great Xia."
"You won't kill us? Really? As expected of a great person from Great Xia, you are truly kind-hearted, benevolent..."
However, before he could finish speaking.
Zhang Wei interrupted him, smiling slightly:
"I really won't kill you, so there's no need to be so polite. I just wanted you to help me with something, but actually, I want you to help me with something too."
As soon as he said this.
The ghost couple was stunned and instinctively replied:
"What kind of help?"
Hearing this, Zhang Wei smiled slightly and slowly said:
"I want to find you to practice my newly learned 'Plastic Surgery Technique' on your faces."
"????"
Seeing the ghost couple looking at him in utter confusion, Zhang Wei didn't keep them in suspense. He smiled again and slowly said:
"Have you ever watched the anime 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'? Do you know about Jotaro Kujo and his Stand, Star Platinum?"
...