Chapter 2690

Jin Chen politely nodded at those around him, "Thanks for your help, everyone."

Having said that, he no longer glanced at the Right Protector whose face was ashen with rage, on the verge of exploding, and commanded the skeleton behind him: "Gu Bai Bai, bring the person, we're leaving."

"All right, sir!" Gu Bai Bai replied cheerfully, striding on its long leg bones, clack-clacking over to the limp human male on the ground.

The man had just briefly fainted from fear; now he slowly came to, opened his eyes, and saw a bone-white skeleton with eerie light glowing in its eye sockets, reaching out bony claws to grab him. He was so terrified his soul fled, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

Gu Bai Bai effortlessly hoisted the man onto its seemingly fragile but actually sturdy skeletal shoulder, hefted him, and let out a dissatisfied complaint.

"He's so heavy, he almost broke my old bones."

In the side hall.

Jin Chen locked the door behind him, and Gu Bai Bai tossed the unconscious man like a sack onto the cold floor, propping its bony pelvis with no flesh, and twisted exaggeratedly.

"Sir, look, my precious bones almost got fractured by his weight!"

Jin Chen took an interest, glanced a few times, helped it realign a few displaced ribs and leg bones, took out some pearl powder from his sleeve pouch and tossed it to it, saying, "Stand guard outside; no ghost is allowed to enter."

Upon seeing the pearl powder, the light in Gu Bai Bai's eye sockets brightened a bit; it loved using this to maintain its bones, making its skeleton gleam white and shiny!

"Yes! Sir, enjoy it to your heart's content!" it said obsequiously, making a tearing motion, "Do you want me to help you peel his skin first? It would taste better that way!"

The man on the floor, who had just shown signs of waking, shuddered violently at those words, eyes squeezed shut, refusing to wake again.

Jin Chen: "... No need for that; you just need to guard the door."

Gu Bai Bai then clack-clacked out the door, dutifully guarding outside the hall.

Jin Chen walked over to the man curled up on the ground, feigning death poorly, found a zitan wood master's chair to sit in, and leisurely examined him.

The man felt Jin Chen approaching, could no longer pretend, braced his hands on the floor, and shrank back in terror all the way to the corner, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Don't… don't come over! Please… don't eat me!"

Jin Chen poured a cup of tea, took a slow sip, then said, "Relax, I'm not really going to eat you."

Liu Zhou eyed him warily, secretly glancing up to assess Jin Chen.

All he saw was that the other's features were handsome, his bearing extraordinary; although in this gloomy ghostly place, there was a strange flower mark between his brows, but he showed none of the ferocity of a fierce ghost, his gaze clear and calm, indeed not looking like he wanted to eat him.

He trembled as he asked, "Are you… human… or ghost?"

Jin Chen naturally wouldn't easily reveal his identity, only vaguely saying, "I'm a good ghost."

Liu Zhou was half-believing, half-doubting, but his survival instinct made him cling desperately to this lifeline, yet he couldn't stop trembling.

Jin Chen leaned back in the chair, beginning to threaten and lure.

"I'll ask you a few questions; if you answer honestly and satisfy me, I'll grant you a way to live, and even send you back to the human world if possible."

Liu Zhou jerked his head up, his voice cracking, "Is... is that really true?!"

"Of course." Jin Chen set down his teacup and looked at him, eyes lowered, "Now tell me, where do you come from? What is your surname and name? And how did you end up here?"

Liu Zhou swallowed, struggling to calm his pounding heart; recalling his earlier experience drained the color from his face, fear reaching its peak.

He spoke haltingly, "I'm called Liu Zhou, I... I'm a resident of the capital, working as a cleaner on the official road outside the city. Just this morning, at daybreak, I and my companions went to work as usual; when we passed the moat, somehow my foot slipped, and I... I fell into the river!"

Liu Zhou's face showed extreme confusion, "That river water was freezing to the bone! Moreover... moreover I felt something down there sucking at me! I normally swim decently, but then I couldn't control myself at all, sinking straight down! Then... then I knew nothing... When I woke up again, I... I was in this ghostly place!"

As he said this, his whole body trembled more violently, his eyes full of terror, "Old Li Tou and I both fell in! We didn't know where this was, we wanted to find someone to ask for directions... but... the moment we grabbed an old man, he turned his head... his face rotted!... He outright bit off Old Li Tou's head in one gulp! Blood sprayed all over me! I fled for my life, but... I was caught..."

Jin Chen listened, his brows slightly furrowed.

"You mean you fell directly from the moat outside the capital into this place?"

Liu Zhou nodded frantically, "Absolutely certain, sir! I wouldn't dare lie! There's something strange in that river! Definitely something strange!"

Could it be that the moat is connected to the ghost city...

Jin Chen had not yet sorted out the clues when a deathly pale, panicked voice came from outside the hall doors:

"City Lord! The orders were, no ghosts allowed inside... aah!"

Immediately followed by the crisp sound of bones scattering.

Boom!

The heavy hall doors swung open of their own accord, a chilling, icy ghostly wind rushed in, and the temperature plummeted.

Yin Chaosheng approached slowly, his crimson long robe trailing the ground, his strikingly handsome face shrouded in an irrepressible gloom, his aura surging violently.

Liu Zhou felt a terror aura countless times more frightening than a ferocious ghost, his soul fleeing his body; he didn't even bother to consider whether Jin Chen was a good or bad ghost, scrambling and crawling to shrink behind the grand chair where Jin Chen sat, wishing he could embed himself in the wall cracks.

Jin Chen leaned back steadily in the chair, raised his hand to pour another half cup of tea, his fingertips rubbing the icy rim, he lifted his gaze to the newcomer, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, teasing smile.

"City Lord, how do you have the leisure today to come see me?"

Yin Chaosheng's gaze fell on Jin Chen, seeing him relaxed and at ease, as if nothing had happened, and he also caught sight of the mortal man, terrified like a quail, curled behind his chair, exuding vibrant vitality, recalling the nervous report of the Right Protector.

— Jin Chen was rather protective of this person, not allowing any ferocious ghost to approach.

An inexplicable displeasure, a feeling of vexation as if everything was slipping from his control, surged in his heart.

Yin Chaosheng spoke coldly, "What use do you have for this human?"

His eyes sharp, fixed on Jin Chen, with scrutiny, "If you merely want to devour vital energy, you may act now; I permit it."

Jin Chen heard this, his teasing smile deepening, a faint hint of mockery, "City Lord, your words sound... like sour grapes and jealousy."

Yin Chaosheng: "..."

He realized he could not have a normal conversation with this mad dog; every time he spoke, the other could twist his words off course.

Yin Chaosheng suppressed the murderous urge surging in his heart, no longer wasting words, he barked an order, "Hand over the person."