Chapter 232

""At a glance I can tell it's fake, I don't look at marketing accounts." Star spread their hands."

""Hmph..." Gu Naifen curled the corners of her mouth into a meaningful smile, "I don't believe my family is in trouble this time. The video I'm about to release will prove that the Immortal Vessel really is a place full of the supernatural.""

"As she spoke, Gu Naifen handed the jade omen to Star."

"In the video, Gu Naifen was doing a deadpan livestream; she looked around, turned the camera, and the background behind her was a tranquil, secluded courtyard."

"The night wind wailed, the bamboo in Su Yuan rustled softly, and bamboo leaves cast ghost‑claw‑like shadows in the moonlight. Xiao Gui swallowed, steeled himself, and moved forward, murmuring under his breath:"

""Family, I, Xiao Gui, am now in the most terrifying supernatural holy land of Luofu—Su Yuan.""

""Family, please like, follow, and share to give Xiao Gui courage!""

"Su Shang finally poked her head out from behind, trembling as she looked left and right: "I've heard there have been a lot of strange things happening here lately…""

""You're so timid… you said you'd protect me!""

""But… how could the Cloud‑Riding Sword Technique possibly kill something intangible!""

"Suddenly, a patch of serene‑colored flame flashed across the livestream; before Su Shang could see it clearly it vanished. The two shivered, huddling together, warily lifting their heads to look around."

""Did something just run past!""

""Don't… don't… don't… don't panic… I'm here…" Su Shang stepped back, accidentally bumping into Gu Naifen, but the instant she turned her head her scream exploded in the livestream, the camera shook violently, and several patches of azure‑ghost fire swirled above their heads like floating ghost lanterns."

"Several hours later, when Huohuo and Xueyi arrived at the scene, Su Shang had already fainted from fright. Meanwhile, Gu Naifen vividly recounted everything that had just happened to the two."

""At the time it was just a little spirit fire, and it became this… big!""

""It… it came from over there, approached us, and then went 'gao~!'"

""'Yo—' and then Su Shang collapsed.""

""Sigh." After hearing everything, Huohuo let out a soft sigh, then crouched beside Su Shang with concern, gently shaking her: "Miss Su Shang, please get up, aren't you cold?""

"——"

"Monogatari Series."

"Night deepened; Araragi Koyomi sat cross‑legged in the middle of the room, staring at the eerily processed footage on the light curtain—inside it, Su Shang lay motionless on the ground."

""Heh…" Shinobu Oshino perched on his shoulder, her golden pupils narrowing slightly as the corners of her mouth turned up in an excited arc, "Pretty interesting, huh? Ghosts? Resentful spirits? …Even the Ten Kings Office has been mobilized, so this isn't just a ordinary haunting.""

""Besides, there are plenty of people with supernatural power on the Immortal Vessel; letting General Jingyuan handle it would be fine—any ghost would vanish before a deity's face.""

"Araragi Koyomi sighed: "Do we really need to trouble the general for such a small matter? He might not even be healed yet, and exorcising spirits shouldn't require his personal involvement—otherwise they'd just be trying to work him to death.""

""And that thing might not even be a ghost at all.""

""Oh? What's your opinion?""

""…I just feel that ghosts on the Immortal Vessel aren't scary at all—compared to those drifting things that only scare people, the blatantly covetous Abundance armies are obviously far more terrifying. For another example, the prisoners of the Immortal Vessel's Prison of the Hidden, who could be called a gathering of heroes, if you just released one from the cell they'd be far more frightening than a 'ghost.'""

"——"

"After discovering that the follow‑up handling of this matter was being done by the Immortal Vessel's Ten Kings Office, Gu Naifen figured there must be some unknown earth‑shattering secret inside, so she sincerely invited Star to go to Su Yuan together to see ghosts."

"Anyway, having nothing to do, Star readily agreed."

"At the appointed time, the two sneaked into Su Yuan's interior; as soon as they stepped in, Gu Naifen felt a chill run down her back, as if someone were watching her."

"Since Star knew nothing about the rumors of hauntings in Su Yuan, Gu Naifen dug out the script from her earlier video and gave Star a quick briefing."

"Su Yuan was originally a grotto‑heaven crafted by the fox people, but because many fox aviators were killed or wounded in the Abundance War thirty years ago, quite a few people spontaneously came to the fox burial mounds in Su Yuan to mourn the dead… This made Su Yuan rarely visited by tourists, and there was little laughter."

"Over time, the ghost fires in Su Yuan flickered on and off, mournful wails echoed seemingly from nowhere, and the haunting rumors spread throughout Luofu without hindrance."

"——"

"The Disastrous Life of Saiki K."

""Su Yuan is obviously just a graveyard, right? Exploring a graveyard, how could you not run into ghosts?""

"In the agency, Ling Huan Xinlong lounged with one leg crossed, propping his cheek on one hand, wearing a look of indifference: "Besides, those little ghost flames that showed up in the livestream just now are probably about the same as your errand‑running lackey, Dragon‑Stand.""

"The little wine‑dimple floating beside Dragon‑Stand glared fiercely at the man: "Bastard, I'm a high‑rank evil spirit—how could I be the same as those petty little ghosts!""

"Shigemitsu Shigeo sat cross‑legged on the floor, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the light curtain: "Master, if it were us, could we take care of those spirits?""

""Hehe, of course… but… just leave those petty ghost‑fire minions to you, Dragon‑Stand.""

"Thinking of this, Ling Huan Xinlong suddenly felt a pang of regret—too bad Su Yuan is in another world in the universe; otherwise we could totally bring Dragon‑Stand along under the banner of exorcism and give the Ten Kings Office a good beating."

"Or serving as a bodyguard for Star and Gu Naifen wouldn't be bad either—have Dragon‑Stand accompany them the whole way as a "professional supernatural consultant," charge by the hour; these two newcomers waving a phone and rushing in are basically delivering heads."

"Dragon‑Stand watched his master's mouth curl into an involuntary wicked grin and asked, puzzled: "Master, are you thinking about making money again?""

""Yeah, Dragon‑Stand, Gu Naifen isn't a supernatural‑exploration streamer, is she? We have plenty of those death‑defying streamers in Japan too… Why not… we open a new line of business, letting us professionals with real skill protect them?""

"——"

"After the briefing, Star and Gu Naifen continued onward, but just as they arrived at a quiet courtyard, several stern voices sounded from behind; a group of Netherworld Palace officers surrounded them from all sides, regarding them as suspicious intruders who had trespassed a forbidden zone, and were about to arrest them on the spot."

"Just as Star was about to act, a cold voice rang out from behind the group; Star turned her head to see Xueyi, Huohuo, and a pale‑faced, blood‑less gray‑haired woman walking slowly forward."

""Stand down, Netherworld Palace officers—these two mean no harm.""

"The leading Golden Hook‑Soul Envoy respectfully stepped back a few paces: "…Yes, Judge.""