One can accept one or two, but never three.

“What is Old Chen up to now?”

Tilting her little head, she watched Chen Sheng walk away. Suddenly, the dark, gleaming eyes flickered with a sly glint, as if a mischievous idea had taken root—a little fox spotting its prey. Without a sound, she stealthily followed behind him.

To avoid being noticed by Chen Sheng, she kept her distance—two streets apart.

After all, Chen Sheng was far too easy to track. Even if she couldn’t see him, she could sense where his spiritual weapon was. The noose frame he carried was like a nanny, radiating his energy in all directions, distorting the senses of those around him. Such an effect was not unheard of but certainly rare—too conspicuous to go unnoticed.

Naturally, Chen Sheng was unaware that a little shadow trailed him. After all, the follower was too far behind—at least two kilometers away.

At that distance, even a sniper rifle couldn’t zero in, let alone Chen Sheng’s nearsighted eyes.

His peculiar training had granted him a superhuman physique and terrifying speed surpassing that of the fastest beings, allowing him to seemingly teleport instantly as long as no obstacles blocked his path. Yet, he was no invincible Superman; his eyes could neither shoot beams nor regain perfect vision.

Chen Sheng moved swiftly, dodging people and obstacles that appeared before him, finally arriving at an old mansion.

Before he could knock, the door suddenly swung open on its own.

“You’re here!” Naturally, it was Qian Shaoshao who opened the door. After Chen Sheng returned to Sanjiang City, she had come back to this “old mansion” with him. After all, a haunted place like this was not easy to find.

Especially this old mansion, now occupied by a little female ghost. It offered her considerable protection, and she could even use the “fast track” created by the little ghost to swiftly travel to the “Realm of the Departed.”

Such privileges made all bloodthirsty-level spirits envious.

Although bloodthirsty-level ghosts were qualified to return from the Realm of the Departed to the human world, most had to rely on ghost coins as passage fees, crossing the “Uncrossed River” by “Boat of Rebirth” to come back.

This wasn’t because returning from the Realm of the Departed necessarily required ghost coins.

The Realm of the Departed never imposed such a rule.

As a world dominated by spirits, it naturally favored its ghostly inhabitants.

In fact, any ghost with bloodthirsty-level malice could return directly to the human world from their small “residence” allotted by the Realm of the Departed.

---

But could bloodthirsty-level power alone guarantee a ghost’s hold on their little “residence”?

The “residence” in the Realm of the Departed held special significance.

No matter how weak a ghost was, their allocated “residence” was identical to that of a powerful ghost, or one who inherited a vast estate from ancestors—there was no difference, embodying true equality among all beings.

No ranks or classes existed at birth.

Whether one was once a wealthy noble or a commoner, all “residences” granted in the Realm of the Departed were exactly the same.

And these “residences” were more than mere refuges; they held an irresistible attraction for all spirits—a means to evolve nightmares in the human world.

The benefits they brought were unparalleled temptations for ghosts.

So, faced with such enticement, how many ghosts could resist?

Therefore, unless a ghost was among the elite, just a step away from ascending through the fierce spirit sacrificial rites, they couldn’t hold onto their “residence.”

They could only watch helplessly as their little refuge was seized.

The reason they didn’t resist fiercely was that the ghosts who took these “residences” often did so with admirable grace.

Even the bloodthirsty, violent ghosts couldn’t blame their adversaries for their manner of acquisition and often only cursed their own lack of self-control—or resented their ancestors for not securing a legacy for them.

“You told me earlier about that corpse ghost who was torn apart. Tell me more about it,” Chen Sheng said bluntly.

After all, he was here on a mission.

Complete three tasks and get promoted to an intermediate officer sooner.

What surprised Chen Sheng was the severed-head girl’s reply: “That corpse ghost came here a few days ago, wanting me to shelter him. But I refused and chased him away.”

“Can you bring him to me?” Chen Sheng didn’t expect such an unexpected favor.

“Of course!” Qian Shaoshao agreed without hesitation. This time, it wasn’t fear that made her comply, but the fact that the corpse ghost had been severely injured by the Black-Faced Enforcer, drastically weakening its power. Now, the malevolence within the corpse was very faint. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have sought her refuge.

Although bloodthirsty-level fierce ghosts were among the upper echelons of ghostly strength…

---

“Well, aren’t you going then?” Chen Sheng said, sounding like a merciless taskmaster.

“Okay, okay!” Used to obeying Chen Sheng’s orders, Qian Shaoshao quickly agreed and stepped out, showing none of the temper typical of a fierce ghost.

Chen Sheng then approached the television and turned it on.

Static! Static! The screen flickered with chaotic images, and Chen Sheng felt the temperature around him drop sharply.

He was familiar with this—it meant a ghost was coming.

Yet the familiar pale gray face never appeared on the screen.

So Chen Sheng called out, “Master, Master, I’m back! Come out! Stop playing hide-and-seek! I’m not here to catch you!”

Hearing this, the little female ghost inside the television knew she couldn’t hide any longer.

Why had this rebellious disciple come again?

With a face full of grievance, she reluctantly poked half her face out from the screen.

“What do you want?”

It was clear she really didn’t want to see Chen Sheng.

But before she could hear his reply, she felt her head pressed down, then a “pop” sound, like pulling a cork from a wine bottle or pulling a carrot, and she was yanked out of the television.

This time, the little ghost showed no panic or confusion; she didn’t mentally bombard Chen Sheng’s family with elegant curses either. Instead, she looked at Chen Sheng expressionlessly and said nothing.

After all, she was no match for him…