Chapter 1 A Close Call

The car fishtailed, like something out of a police movie, half of it already up on the sidewalk, the rear bumper a hair's breadth from a fire hydrant.

The old Taoist swallowed and let out a long breath.

Bai Yingying, the little loli, and Zhou Ze piled out of the car and rushed into the bookstore.

Inside the bookstore,

the air reeked of blood.

Xu Qinglang sat propped against the wall, still bleeding, his face as pale as paper. If it weren't for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, one would have feared he’d kicked the bucket.

A strange man sat behind the counter.

His skin was pale, but he was covered in disgusting filth, as if he'd fallen into a vat of sauce and just crawled out.

As Zhou Ze and the others entered,

the man slowly raised his head.

He grinned,

his teeth, sharp as blades, radiating a strange chill.

His crimson eyes fixed on Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze watched him, his own eyes narrowing.

“Roar!”

The man slammed his hand on the counter,

vaulting over it,

landing on his feet,

and charging toward Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze didn’t move,

because Bai Yingying, standing beside him, stepped forward, spread her arms, grabbed the man, and with a burst of power from her waist, slammed him onto the floor in an exaggeratedly tomboyish fashion.

“Crack…………”

The tiles began to spiderweb.

Zhou Ze frowned.

He was a bit annoyed at Bai Yingying.

This was his home.

Didn't she know how much it cost to replace floor tiles?

However, the man scrambled back to his feet after being slammed down, trying to get past Bai Yingying and attack Zhou Ze again. His eyes seemed to be fixated solely on Zhou Ze.

Of course, Bai Yingying wouldn't let him succeed.

“Whack!”

Yingying smashed a chair beside her, gripping the steel pipe inside.

As the chair shattered,

Zhou Ze frowned again.

“Bang!”

The steel pipe whistled through the air in Bai Yingying’s hand. The man, just managing to sidestep Bai Yingying, took the full force of the blow to his back, caving it in.

“Crash!”

The man slammed into the bar. The stylishly designed counter and the bottles of wine and coffee, as well as the glasses displayed on it, scattered across the floor.

Zhou Ze couldn’t stand it anymore.

If this continued,

the whole place would be wrecked.

“Hurry it up,”

Zhou Ze said.

“Yes, Boss!”

While the man was still sprawled across the bar, not yet recovered,

Yingying tossed the steel pipe up into the air, caught it again, and thrust it straight down into the man's chest!

“Thunk!”

The steel pipe pierced the man's chest, burying itself in the floor.

Even then,

the man pinned to the ground continued to flail, his eyes fixed on Zhou Ze.

Seizing the lull in the fighting, the old Taoist rushed to Xu Qinglang's side, checked his injuries, and immediately gestured for his little monkey to urinate. He needed to mix the urine with mud to help Xu Qinglang heal.

Monkey urine and mud were better than the best wound medicine.

Zhou Ze looked around the bookstore, feeling like something was missing, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Because that thing had never been very noticeable, and now it was even less so.

After thinking for a long time,

Zhou Ze finally realized when he saw the shattered glass tank in the corner.

The dead servant with grass growing on its head,

where had it gone?

“Hiss…………”

Xu Qinglang, who had been on the verge of unconsciousness from blood loss, was jolted awake by the old Taoist applying monkey-urine mud to his wound. He opened his eyes in confusion, looked at the people around him, and finally, at the man pinned to the floor with a steel pipe, and said weakly,

“The Dead Servant… swallowed him.”

“So, this is the Dead Servant?”

The little loli squatted beside the man and poked him on the forehead, continuing:

“So, when he rushed at you just now, he wanted to hug you and call you Daddy?”

“…………” Zhou Ze.

“And then, you had your maid beat him up and pin him to the ground?”

The little loli looked at Bai Yingying.

“…………” Bai Yingying.

The little loli shook her head and patted the Dead Servant's face. The Dead Servant didn't bite her, but even looked aggrieved, with tears welling up in its eyes.

“Poor baby, finally grew up and got a body, so happy to see his old man,

and now he's like this.

Such a heartless dad.”

Zhou Ze walked over and grabbed the little loli's ponytail, pulling it upwards.

“Hey, what are you doing!

I'll report you for child abuse!”

Zhou Ze let go of the little loli and squatted down beside the Dead Servant himself.

The Dead Servant couldn't move with a steel pipe through his chest, but he still tried to rub his forehead against Zhou Ze's shoes.

Zhou Ze was a little dumbfounded.

However, he noticed that new skin was growing over the Dead Servant's wound at a speed that was visible to the naked eye.

Such astonishing regenerative ability was shocking. Zhou Ze was a surgeon in his past life, and the postoperative recovery of patients was often a headache for doctors.

“Boss, this…………”

Bai Yingying stood to the side like a child who had done something wrong.

“He should be all right. Pull it out.”

As he spoke,

Zhou Ze stood up,

keeping a distance.

He didn't want blood to stain his clothes.

For someone with a clean freak, it was best to stay clean if possible.

Bai Yingying nodded, grabbed the steel pipe, and pulled it out.

“Hoo…………”

The Dead Servant sat up abruptly, his arms flailing, his body twitching spastically.

Soon,

the hole in his chest began to close over with flesh. Although there was still a dent, the recovery was incredible.

This time, he had learned his lesson. After standing up, he didn't dare rush at Zhou Ze again, but stood quietly by his side.

“Go back to your original spot. And Lao Dao!”

“Yes, Boss!”

The old Taoist had just finished treating Xu Qinglang’s injuries.

“Take the Dead Servant to buy some clothes this afternoon, and buy some materials to repair the place.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Damn, what a cheapskate!

The little loli held the glass bottle, tapping it gently. The rat inside wasn't as lively as before.

“Where's the ghost?” Zhou Ze asked.

Xu Qinglang shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.

At that moment, the Dead Servant, who was sitting in the corner, opened his mouth, and a cloud of black mist emerged, causing the temperature in the bookstore to drop several degrees even without air conditioning.

As soon as the evil ghost was released, it tried to run.

“Trying to escape?”

The little loli flicked out her tongue and bound the evil ghost.

“The underworld has order…………”

Forcing herself to interrupt the rhythm, the little loli didn't dare send the evil ghost to hell herself, but used her tongue to tie it up and bring it to Zhou Ze.

If she sent it down, she would get the lion's share of the merit points, and Zhou Ze would get the smaller share.

Bai Yingying pouted when she saw this, secretly despising the little loli.

Heh,

woman,

saying one thing and doing another!

In the end, you still have to suck up to our boss!

Zhou Ze extended his fingernail and grabbed the evil ghost.

The evil ghost was covered in wounds, but its soul was still strong, and it was filled with resentment.

Those who could escape from hell were no ordinary people.

“You and I are actually the same!”

The evil ghost roared.

Zhou Ze nodded.

In fact, he was a little different.

The evil ghost in front of him was similar to Liang Chuan and Tang Shi.

They had also escaped from hell, and their souls were just as battered and scarred.

But one had turned good, and one hadn't.

If you were recruited, you were part of the army.

If you weren't, you were a bandit.

Zhou Ze reached out, drew a circle with his fingernail, and opened the dark gates of hell. He tossed the evil ghost inside.

Then,

the gates of hell didn't close again. Zhou Ze turned and looked at the rat in the glass bottle.

With a "crack,"

the little loli's tongue shattered the glass bottle, scattering glass shards everywhere.

Zhou Ze licked his lips subconsciously.

He didn't know how the little loli had trained her tongue skills,

nor was she afraid of pain.

The rat was snatched by her tongue and died instantly. A cloud of black smoke emerged from its body, and the little loli once again tied it up with her tongue and brought it to Zhou Ze.

Very obedient,

very compliant,

like you had showered, put on a uniform, brought your own lubricant and condoms,

and proactively laid down on your bed,

even drawing a hot bath for you.

Bai Yingying puffed out her cheeks.

So annoying!

It was a female ghost, and her soul also looked incredibly wretched.

“Let me………… let me have one last hit before I go down…

Just one hit!

If you let me have just one more hit, I'll do anything you want, really!”

Zhou Ze chuckled.

Was the addiction really that terrifying?

Even after death,

she couldn't quit?

“In your next life, don’t do drugs. If you have a next life.”

With that,

Zhou Ze threw her into the gates of hell.

Then,

the gates of hell vanished.

“Phew…………”

Letting out a long breath,

Boss Zhou couldn't wait to take out his Ghost Official Certificate.

Although he was always a slacker,

every slacker dreamed of getting rich by basking in the sun every day.

Sure enough,

the merit point bar rose rapidly, at an astonishing rate.

5211000!

It went up by two hundred!

He usually only got four or five merit points for sending a ghost to hell, and it depended on luck. Often, no ghosts came for days.

This,

evil ghosts were worth a hundred points each!

If he caught five more,

he'd meet the merit point requirement for a constable!

For a moment,

the eyes of the slacker Zhou flickered with fire,

the fire of ambition!

Boss Zhou had never been so eager to catch ghosts,

to make his own contribution to a harmonious society!