Chapter 277: Accidentally Drawn In

After completing the delivery mission, Li Yi stayed in the third-floor room of the Ghost Post Office for two full days, verifying multiple times before finally confirming that the two ghosts—large and small—had not followed him; it seemed they had used the Ghost Post Office's unique properties to escape the pursuing specter.

This finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Though the journey had been perilous, it was worth it: they had successfully reached the third floor, and after completing this delivery, he would not need to deliver any more letters for the next three months—if all went well, he could wait until the next cross-dimensional gate opened.

"We can't stay in the Ghost Post Office any longer; we'll starve to death if we do. We need to go out and get something to eat." Guo You could no longer bear being cooped up—he felt that if he stayed in the room any longer, he'd die without needing a ghost to kill him.

Li Yi and Liu Qingqing were unusual: the former regulated his blood and qi, absorbed cosmic energy, and reduced his body's consumption; the latter, a spirit controller, had her body altered by supernatural forces and could survive without food or drink—both could remain in the Ghost Post Office for ten days or even half a month without issue.

"The ghost chasing us should be gone by now. If you want to go out, you can take a look." Li Yi said.

"Li Yi, what about you? Aren't you coming?" Guo You asked, hoping to find a companion to leave with, to avoid danger on the road.

Li Yi paused, then asked: "Do you have money?"

Guo You blinked, then replied: "I've got some savings, not much. Why are you asking?"

"I'd like to borrow some." Li Yi said.

"No problem," Guo You agreed immediately, then added in surprise: "But wait—you're such a powerful cultivator, and yet you're short on cash?"

"Even the best fighter needs to eat. I can't go rob people—get caught, and you're executed. Better to avoid breaking the law. Besides, once you become a messenger, you won't have time or opportunity to earn money even if you wanted to. Look at Wang Chuan downstairs—he's poor as dirt because of this." Li Yi said.

"That's true."

Guo You froze, realizing it made sense—but upon deeper thought, something still felt off.

"Since you've decided to leave the Ghost Post Office, let's all go together. We don't know when the next delivery will be, and it'll be safer with three of us. Even if that ghost is still waiting out there, we can escape together and avoid accidents," Liu Qingqing said now.

"Makes sense," Li Yi nodded.

The three of them descended from upstairs during daylight, when the Ghost Post Office's lights were on.

They were cautious, checking the lobby thoroughly to confirm no ghosts were present before daring to push open the door.

As the familiar winding path appeared, they followed it to leave the Ghost Post Office. Along the way, Li Yi kept observing. The good news: the ghost that had pursued them was gone—though he didn't know where the Ghost Post Office had sent it, as long as it wasn't near him, that was enough.

And then something strange happened.

At first, the three walked together—but soon their distances rapidly widened, and then Liu Qingqing vanished, as if she had already left this place and returned to some point in reality.

Li Yi, after walking a few steps, experienced the same.

He did not appear near the terrifying collection hall, but instead found himself in a corner of Dazhuang City.

This was exactly where he had last gone to the Ghost Post Office.

"Normally, when I leave the Ghost Post Office, I should be sent to the outside of the collection hall—I lit the letter there. So why was I sent back to where I last visited the Ghost Post Office?" Li Yi found this odd, but now he was too tired to care.

From today on, he didn't need to deliver letters anymore—he didn't have to worry about any of it.

Soon.

His phone buzzed with a text message.

It was a transfer from Guo You—twenty thousand yuan.

With the borrowed money, Li Yi wouldn't have to worry about expenses for a while—he could afford basic food and drink. But living off savings wasn't sustainable. He needed to find a way to earn money, since he still owed people favors—and if he crossed over again, he might never get another chance.

"I'll just keep crashing at someone's place."

Li Yi wandered through the unfamiliar city, avoiding places he didn't know, afraid of encountering another ghost. After thinking it over, he decided to return to Zheng Yaoyao's rental apartment.

But when he arrived at the familiar balcony, he saw Zheng Yaoyao lying in bed, clutching her phone.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work at this time?" Li Yi set down his backpack and sat in his usual spot.

Hearing his familiar voice, Zheng Yaoyao instantly brightened. She put down her phone and hurriedly got out of bed: "Li Yi, you're back? That's great!"

"My business is temporarily finished, so I have nowhere else to go. I'll crash here for a while longer," Li Yi said.

"If only I could be as carefree as you. I've been unemployed, can't find a job—I'm desperate," Zheng Yaoyao sighed. "If I don't start earning money soon, I'll starve to death in this rental."

Li Yi said: "You should go back to your hometown. Staying in a big city isn't a good choice. I've been to many cities—almost every one has haunted places, while small villages rarely have supernatural incidents."

"Really?" Zheng Yaoyao's eyes widened. "Then I need to pack up and head back home right away. Wait—if I go back, what about you? You don't have a place to stay anymore."

"I'm leaving in two months too," Li Yi said.

"Where are you going?" Zheng Yaoyao asked.

Li Yi glanced at the sky outside: "Your sky here is too bright, the sunlight too harsh. I'm not used to it. I'm going home."

"You're crossing over again?" Zheng Yaoyao exclaimed. "But weren't you unable to return?"

"I never said I couldn't return. I just haven't found the right moment," Li Yi said. "Besides, in this world, I see no future or hope. Supernatural incidents will soon be everywhere. Be careful—try to stay in quiet places, avoid big cities. If you can, build a safehouse out of gold. Though that's probably unrealistic for you."

"Can you take me with you when you cross over?" Zheng Yaoyao suddenly asked, excited.

Li Yi smiled: "Abandon everything, leave this world behind—can you make that decision?"

At that question, Zheng Yaoyao froze.

She had spoken impulsively—but upon reflection, she realized she couldn't do it. She had parents, family, friends—how could she abandon them all to cross over alone?

"Just live well. Don't overthink it," Li Yi said. "Also, I don't have much money. As payment for staying here and eating your food, I'll give you ten thousand."

He disliked owing favors. If he could pay for something, he would—so he wouldn't be in debt.

In the following period, Li Yi's life was calm and dull—just passing time, waiting for the cross-dimensional gate to open.

Time slipped by, and half a month passed.

During this time, Li Yi received only one call from Guo You: the old messenger on the second floor, Wang Chuan, seemed to have died—he was unreachable and hadn't appeared at the Ghost Post Office. He must have died during a delivery.

Was Wang Chuan dead?

Li Yi fell silent.

He still owed Wang Chuan a favor—he'd planned to earn money to repay it. He hadn't expected the man to die after only half a month.

Also, a new messenger had arrived on the second floor: Qin Bing.

This news pleased Li Yi—Qin Bing had been his partner during his last crossing. He hadn't expected Qin Bing to have reached the second floor already. But this time, no third letter had been given to him—he'd be stuck on the second floor for a while. Still, that wasn't necessarily bad: delivering letters on the second floor was less dangerous. If all went well, Qin Bing might survive until the next crossing.

As for the first floor, Guo You heard a new group of messengers had arrived—but the death rate remained high, and few survived.

Li Yi had assumed he'd continue living this dull, monotonous life.

Until one evening, something shocking happened.

On the balcony.

As darkness enveloped the area, the familiar winding path to the Ghost Post Office reappeared before him.

"How is this possible?" Li Yi's face darkened instantly.

According to the schedule, he shouldn't have another delivery yet—why was the Ghost Post Office's path appearing again?

There was no choice.

He could only grit his teeth and follow the winding path back to the Ghost Post Office, back to the third floor, to find out what was happening.

Not only had Li Yi returned—Liu Qingqing and Guo You were also forced back into the Ghost Post Office.

"Li Yi, what's going on? Didn't we only get one delivery every three months on the third floor? Why is there another delivery?" Guo You asked, bewildered, as soon as he saw Li Yi.

"I don't know. I just got here," Li Yi said grimly. "Liu Qingqing, do you know what's happening?"

Liu Qingqing shook her head: "I don't know. I'll ask a friend later—he should know. But there's no signal here; I'll have to go outside to call."

"It's simple," came a voice suddenly. "This isn't your delivery. It's ours. You're just unlucky—you got dragged into the group delivery mission in Room 34."

The door to Room 34 opened, and several unfamiliar messengers stepped out.

They appeared to be veteran third-floor messengers who had just received a delivery mission.

"Reality is this: blame yourselves for entering the wrong room. If you'd gone to a room with fewer people, you'd surely get one letter every three months. After all, you all made it to the third floor together, so your delivery times are roughly the same. But there are plenty of messengers in Room 34; sometimes others' delivery tasks drag the room's residents into them—I got dragged in once myself." The stranger from the third floor said.

"That's just how it is. Blame yourselves for entering the wrong room. If you'd gone to a less crowded room, you'd have one delivery every three months. Since you all arrived on the third floor together, your delivery cycles are similar. But Room 34 has many messengers—sometimes someone else's delivery drags others in. I've been dragged in before." The stranger said.

Li Yi said coldly: "If I kill you, won't we be freed from being dragged into these deliveries?"

The other messengers blinked, then laughed: "If we die, the mission falls to you. Go ahead—try it."

"Li Yi, calm down," Liu Qingqing urged. "If we kill them and the mission lands on us, it'll be worse. Right now, there are many of us—if there really is a delivery, it'll be easier to complete. No need to fight to the death."

"You don't understand," Li Yi said, looking at Liu Qingqing. "You want to deliver letters to escape the Ghost Post Office. I don't."

He knew Liu Qingqing didn't oppose deliveries—more deliveries meant faster escape for her. But Li Yi didn't need to deliver letters—he only had to wait another one and a half months to cross over.

"Even if you have other reasons, killing them won't help now," Liu Qingqing said. "You know how cruel the Ghost Post Office is. We have no choice."

Li Yi lowered his gaze slightly. He understood—he was too late. The moment the Ghost Post Office's path appeared, he had lost all choice.

"Do whatever you want. I won't lift a finger for deliveries that aren't mine—unless all of you unrelated people are dead."

He felt a crushing sense of helplessness, as if bound.

He should've stayed on the second floor.

With a weary sigh, Li Yi turned and walked back into the room: "Don't bother me. I'm in a bad mood."

In the following period, Li Yi lost his former drive; he no longer cared about delivery tasks, and even when other messengers died, he remained unmoved—only when real danger arose and directly involved him did he act.

In the following period, Li Yi lost his former drive. He no longer cared about delivery missions—even when other messengers died, he remained unmoved. He only acted when real danger arose and directly threatened him.

Over one and a half months, Li Yi, Liu Qingqing, and Guo You were dragged into two delivery missions.

The first was completed by other messengers; Li Yi chose to sit back and let them handle it. But during the second mission, the danger was too great—nearly all the messengers in Room 34 died. With no choice, owing Liu Qingqing a favor, Li Yi intervened and completed the second mission.

Thus, Li Yi endured the full three months.

The cross-dimensional departure was coming in just a few days.

But that day, Li Yi received a text message—from Qin Bing. It said he needed Li Yi to retrieve something, left at their previous crossing point.

Li Yi went and retrieved a backpack.

Inside were few items: a locator, a lighter, a pack of cigarettes, and a farewell letter.

"Li Yi, if you're reading this, I'm already dead. I have nothing left. If you cross back, please deliver this letter to my family. Thank you."

Qin Bing's message was brief—he must have anticipated this outcome and prepared accordingly.

If Li Yi didn't survive, Qin Bing's belongings would be buried in the river, lost forever.

"He's dead too," Li Yi said, staring at the few items, a bitter smile on his lips.

【101】 Of the six who crossed over, only he remained.

Having secured Qin Bing's belongings, Li Yi sat by the river, gazing at the familiar cross-realm location, waiting for the signal to appear.

He now only hoped the Ghost Post Office would not come looking for him in these few days, so he could depart in peace.