In Order To Ascend, I Became A Modern Wage Slave - Chapter 29: Elemental True Monarch (2)

Chapter 29: Elemental True Monarch (2)

As soon as Lian Bei walked behind Bai Fan, the livestream ended, and the screen displayed the closing message, “Thank you for watching.”

It all happened in that instant.

Bai Fan turned around, resting her elbow on the back of the chair. She wasn’t going to let go of this perfect opportunity to mock Lian Bei. “Looks like you two really aren’t fated to be together.”

Without saying much, Bai Fan cut to the chase. She knew exactly what Lian Bei wanted to hear. “This is a paranormal streamer, the type that debunks superstitions. I’ve come across his streams before. My sister said he likes to trespass into haunted places. He’s a very rude person.”

After the underworld was reformed, vengeful spirits capable of harm were imprisoned in the eighth layer of hell for reformation through labor. Their fate would be decided based on their performance. Other spirits were evaluated and issued different levels of permits: Level 1 allowed access to urban areas, Level 3 to the suburbs, Level 6 to the countryside, and Level 9 meant staying in deep forests or being confined indefinitely.

This Chen Zhidao had a penchant for visiting such places.

Fine, go ahead. Maybe he’s just got a screw loose. But not only does he go there, he has the audacity to proclaim, “There’s no such thing as ghosts in this world!”

Bai Fan chuckled. “When he says stuff like that, the ghosts are literally right next to him, streaming with him.”

Chen Zhidao, relying on the fact that he couldn’t see ghosts, was wandering back and forth in a certain cave, repeating his statement with every step. The ghosts were so exasperated they almost revealed themselves to teach him a lesson about the wonders of the world.

“Where is he planning to go today?” Lian Bei asked.

“Yuanzhenguan?”

Xi Yu had a guess about which temple it was but still asked, “Who’s enshrined there?”

“Elemental True Monarch,” Chen Zhidao answered immediately.

He never went unprepared. Before heading out, he made sure to research. At this point, his livestream was back online, with a flood of fans rejoining. Upon seeing his face, the screen was filled with comments.

[“Where’s the handsome guy?”]

[“Where’s my husband?”]

[“Hey! Monster! Give me back my man!”]

Chen Zhidao had restarted the stream only to face a similar situation. Forcing a smile, he said, “Am I not handsome enough?”

[“Streamer, we know you’re confident, but don’t overdo it.”]

[“Checked out the account—it’s just an anti-superstition channel.”]

[“Boring, I’m out!”]

The screen was soon flooded with messages about leaving. Viewer numbers plummeted like a cliff, disappearing in an instant.

“He’s here, he’s here! Don’t go, don’t go!”

Chen Zhidao panicked. Looking up, he saw Xi Yu still standing there, arms crossed, watching him like a spectator.

Did he find his frantic attempts to salvage the situation amusing?

Swallowing his frustration, Chen Zhidao seemed to make a decision and switched the camera to rear-facing mode. “See, here he is. I was just joking earlier. Actually, we’re together. We’re heading to Yuanzhenguan for an adventure!”

“Me?” Xi Yu pointed at himself, walking over.

Seeing the viewer count surge, Chen Zhidao silently prayed: Please don’t refuse, please don’t, please don’t!

Unexpectedly, Xi Yu agreed readily. “Sure!”

Chen Zhidao breathed a sigh of relief, glanced at the chat, then at the giant locust tree beside him, recalling Xi Yu’s earlier question.

He must not know what he just agreed to.

Probably thinks Yuanzhenguan is some fun tourist attraction.

So naive.

Yuanzhenguan was located in the unnamed mountains to the north of Nancheng, an area that had been under so-called development for years. The result was a cluster of unfinished buildings, desolate and uninhabited, except for a nearby high school that brought some daytime activity.

At night, darkness descended like a giant claw, gripping everything tightly. The few rays of moonlight that seeped through the gaps only added to the eerie atmosphere, not illuminating but warning you of danger.

Yuanzhenguan, likely centuries old, was long in ruins. The ground had sunk, grass had grown wild, wooden doors were damaged, walls were partially collapsed, and the roof was caving in. In the center stood a statue, seated cross-legged, facing forward. Its facial features were worn away, leaving only a pair of eyes, which looked especially haunting.

Directly mentioning this might scare Xi Yu off. Even someone as experienced as Chen Zhidao had to mentally prepare himself for a long time.

So he took a roundabout approach, starting with the locust tree, explaining why he had come here first.

“It’s said that the Elemental True Monarch resides within this tree.” Chen Zhidao patted the tree as he spoke.

The tree was hollow in the middle.

Xi Yu smiled and asked, “Where did you learn all this?”

Baidu.

Chen Zhidao was a straightforward person; everything he thought was written on his face. Xi Yu figured he had likely been dismissed or oppressed in the past, leaving him with unresolved frustration. When given a chance, he would go all out to prove himself.

The good thing about such people was that a little praise could send them soaring, eager to achieve miracles for you. The downside was not knowing when or why they felt the need to prove themselves.

For instance, after Xi Yu’s earlier praise had left Chen Zhidao beaming, the man now looked at him with a resentful expression.

Did he write something insulting on his face by mistake?

Half an hour later, they got out of the car, which sped off into the distance, leaving the world eerily quiet.

While Chen Zhidao set up his livestream, Xi Yu quickly surveyed the surroundings. If anything happened to them here, it would be at least ten days before anyone found them.

Was Chen Zhidao out of his mind coming to a place like this? Or was he knowingly seeking death, suspecting his time was short?

Or perhaps Yuanzhenguan…

Xi Yu asked, “Have you considered that this place might be dangerous?”

“Danger is the whole point. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t bother coming.” Chen Zhidao quickly pointed the camera at Xi Yu, barely able to suppress his smirk, sly and smug. “Are you scared?”

Xi Yu nodded tentatively.

Chen Zhidao grinned broadly, relishing the feeling of superiority. The world might undervalue good looks, but strength was king!

He teased carelessly, “It’s dark in there. Who knows if there are ghosts?”

Scared of ghosts?

One had been bossing him around just yesterday.

Xi Yu rubbed his temples and said, “Why don’t you protect me and walk in front, then?”

Chen Zhidao wasn’t wrong. There were ghosts inside.

Ancient ones.

Two of them.

As soon as they stepped in, two female ghosts eagerly floated over, respectfully greeting him. “Hello, Your Excellency! Have you come to deliver our permits?”

“Three thousand years! We can finally see the outside world?”

Xi Yu replied, “Not me. But I can ask Bai Jie about it next time.”

“Bai Jie? That high-ranking official wouldn’t bother with us.”

“But if it’s possible, that would be wonderful.”

The two female ghosts began to wail and bicker, complaining about each other to Xi Yu.

“She’s had five thousand boyfriends in three thousand years!”

“That’s still better than you having one and getting dumped!”

“You haven’t bathed in three thousand years!”

“You haven’t brushed your hair in a thousand!”

…

Xi Yu interrupted, “Enough for now. I have some questions for you.”

Just as he was about to speak, Chen Zhidao’s amplified voice cut through. “What? Who’s the handsome guy talking to? Must be scared and talking to himself!”

Then he turned and asked Xi Yu, “Were you talking to me?”

Xi Yu: “I was talking to myself.”

“I thought so. Don’t worry, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” Chen Zhidao reassured him, then turned back to yell, “There are no such things as ghosts in this world! If there are, I’ll eat dirt while doing a handstand!”

Xi Yu and the two ghosts: “…”

After a pause, one ghost suddenly exclaimed, “Hey! I think I’ve seen him before. Hasn’t he been here before?”