“You will be the驸马.”
Upon hearing this, I sprang to my feet, my stool toppling over with a clatter.
This immediately made me the center of attention on the third floor.
But I couldn't care less. If I had known the old ghost wanted me to be the驸马, I wouldn't have come to help him, not even if you beat me to death.
As the saying goes, humans have their paths, and ghosts have theirs. Humans and ghosts are like two parallel lines that will never intersect, unless there's a karmic debt from a past life that brings them together in this one.
I felt a rush of blood to my head, my face growing hot. I blurted out, "You want me to be the驸马? Are you out of your mind? If you want to do it, you do it. I'm not doing this wicked deed.
Besides, I'm the only child in my family. After I save my father, I plan to find a daughter-in-law and have a few children so he can enjoy the happiness of family life."
Facing my vehement reaction, the old ghost didn't even flinch. His expression remained calm and collected, as if all this was within his expectations. He took a leisurely sip of wine, smacked his lips, and then addressed the other onlookers, "Ahem… What are you all looking at? Haven't you seen a child throwing a tantrum? Go back to what you were doing."
As soon as the old ghost spoke, the surrounding onlookers quickly shifted their gaze back to their own tables, whispering amongst themselves.
"Who is he? How dare he talk back to him? He really doesn't know the meaning of death."
"Are you tired of living? If he hears you, he'll throw you into the latrine and suppress you for a hundred years."
"I was just saying…"
"Hmph."
With the old ghost's cold snort, the other "people" dining on the third floor all flinched and then sheepishly went downstairs. This surprised me.
Looking at the somewhat disheveled old ghost before me, I couldn't fathom how he was such an influential figure here.
However, the moment I thought about him wanting me to be the驸马, any curiosity I had vanished.
I righted my chair and sat down opposite the old ghost, staring intently at him. If my gaze could kill, the old ghost would have been dismembered countless times by now.
Seeing me sit down, the old ghost picked up his wine cup and took another delightful sip. "Tsk tsk… Kid, you should try the wine from Ju Xian Zhai. I'm telling you, if you miss this chance, you won't get another."
I gave the old ghost a big eye-roll and snorted, remaining silent.
Did he really think I was stupid?
The food consumed by spirits differs from that of the living. Looking at the four dishes and eight bowls of fine cuisine before me, they could very well be cooked from dead cats and dogs.
Seeing that I wasn't eating or drinking, the old ghost stopped persuading me. He simply continued to drink his wine and savor the delicacies, ignoring me.
As the floor became empty, my heart gradually calmed, and my mind began to race.
From the words of the people around me, I gathered that the old ghost before me was a powerful figure in this area, otherwise, the others wouldn't have been scared away by his mere snort.
Was the old ghost a fool?
That was even more impossible. If I were to call myself a fool, I wouldn't believe he was one.
But why did he specifically want me to "become" that驸马?
Could there be a reason I didn't know?
"Old ghost, I know you don't actually want me to be the驸马. Just tell me what you want me to do directly, don't beat around the bush."
The old ghost looked at me with a feigned expression of surprise, "Oh? You figured it out?"
"I'm not an idiot. I was just momentarily confused by your words. Hurry up and tell me what you want me to do."
The old ghost put down his wine cup and beckoned me closer with his finger.
"What if I really wanted you to be the驸马?"
I looked at the old ghost, his eyes filled with amusement, and gritted my teeth, spitting out eight words: "We'll both lose, I'd rather die than comply."
"Tsk tsk… Kid, don't forget, you still have two brothers outside. If you die, do you think they can leave this place?"
"You…"
I pointed my finger at the old ghost's nose, but the words of abuse wouldn't come out. Because outside were not only Zhang Dabiao and Sun Chuang, but also my unconscious father, who was waiting for my money to save his life.
"I can't help you with this. I'm going back now to find another way to leave. Goodbye."
As soon as I finished speaking, I turned to go downstairs, not wanting to spend another minute with the old ghost.
But before I could take two steps, the old ghost's voice reached my ears again.
"Safe travels."
"Deng deng…"
Since I wanted to leave, the sooner the better. If I didn't return by morning, I didn't know how worried Zhang Dabiao would be.
I descended the last step and walked towards where I remembered the door to be, but after only two steps, I stopped.
Because I didn't see a door. Instead, I saw the old ghost sitting by the window, enjoying his wine and snacks.
Seeing me, the old ghost even raised his wine cup in my direction.
"How could this be?"
The word "鬼打墙" (ghost hitting the wall) flashed through my mind.
Looking at the smiling old ghost, I cursed him inwardly for his despicable tactics.
But I wasn't a pushover. I didn't have many ways to deal with living people, but when it came to dealing with spirits and malevolent entities, I had more tricks than ghosts.
I casually felt around my waist, and two green willow leaves appeared in my hand. I chanted the "Qingming Incantation," drew the "Mingmu Talisman" with my hand, and then infused the spells into the willow leaves.
"Clear the eyes, enlighten the heart, break delusion, reveal truth, open for me."
I placed the two willow leaves on my eyebrows, and instantly, the scenery before me changed. The quiet third floor became lively again, just as it was when I first arrived, with people shouting for drinks, toasting, and discussing whether to participate in the驸马 selection.
This made me frown. Could what I was seeing be real?
Before going downstairs, I glanced back at the old ghost. He seemed to have seen none of my actions, continuing to eat and drink in his original position.
The stairs were only about a dozen steps, but it felt like a thousand. When I stepped off the last one, I looked back towards the window.
Indeed, the old ghost was still by the window.
"Second brother, bring another pot of wine."
"Coming right up!"
Hearing the old ghost asking for wine, I froze in place, wondering where the problem lay.
Suddenly, an idea struck me. I remembered my master saying, "There are people beyond mountains, and heavens beyond heavens."
With this thought, I abandoned the idea of leaving.
"Old ghost, I admit defeat this time. Anything except being the驸马, I'll do."
The reason I couldn't get out of the old ghost's "ghost hitting the wall" was not due to a lack of skill, but because my cultivation was lower than the old ghost's. If I continued, I would exhaust myself to death.
"Kid, I already told you, I'm not asking you to actually get married. I just need you to retrieve something from her. Once you get it, we'll leave immediately."
I looked into the old ghost's eyes and didn't "see" any deception. After a moment of hesitation, I asked, "What do you want me to get for you?"
"A jade piece on her neck."