Two hundred years ago?
Jiang Luo had once seen a temple named “Bailu Temple” in the inner world of the Fated One. If that temple was indeed the predecessor of Dazhao Temple, as Ge Zhu said, then didn’t that mean the Fated One had lived for at least two hundred years?
Jiang Luo immediately said, “Once we wake up, can you take me to visit Dazhao Temple?”
Ge Zhu agreed cheerfully, “Of course.”
After their exchange, Wenren Lian looked at Jiang Luo in a probing manner. He considered himself to be on close terms with Jiang Luo—they were trustworthy friends. So he asked directly, “Jiang Luo, what are you planning?”
“There are some things I need to verify.” Facing Wenren Lian’s sharp gaze, Jiang Luo composed his expression. “But I can’t tell you just yet.”
Wenren Lian studied his face, then shrugged. “Then we’ll wait for the day you tell us.”
“Hey,” Zhuo Zhongqiu interrupted, “don’t keep us guessing. Let’s talk business. Did you guys see the high-rise next to Glory Hotel when you came over?”
“You mean this one?” Cyril ran to the window, pulled the curtain open, and pointed to a tall building outside. “The Ghost Tower Building?”
“Ghost Tower Building?” Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow.
Lu Youyi said curiously, “When we were taking a cab here, the driver mentioned something about a ‘Ghost Tower Building’ too.”
Cyril replied, “I heard two hotel guests mention it. They also called that building the Ghost Tower Building. It’s said to be packed with the fiercest ghosts. The building has eighteen floors—the higher you go, the stronger the ghosts. Rumor has it the ghost on the top floor is the most powerful one.”
After he said this, he found himself being stared at by seven pairs of eyes. Cyril stammered a bit. “W-What is it?”
“Cyril, your Chinese has really improved,” Lu Youyi marveled. “Your vocabulary’s getting so rich, and the way you speak even has a scholarly touch. You could totally work as a translator.”
Cyril scratched his head sheepishly. “I don’t know why either—my Chinese just suddenly got really good!”
Jiang Luo looked out the window, his gaze settling on the towering high-rise.
The top floor—that was probably where Chi You was.
If he found him, they might finally wake up from this dream.
Just then, Wenren Lian turned his phone screen toward them. “Found it.”
It was a forum post discussing the Ghost Tower Building, with an aerial photo of the building as the main image.
There were plenty of buildings taller than the Ghost Tower Building, but none of them gave off such an overwhelming sense of oppression. From above, the Ghost Tower Building looked like a giant upright coffin—just looking at it made one feel breathless and anxious.
The post itself caught Jiang Luo’s attention.
[8th floor: Lately, I don’t know what’s going on, but every shop from the first-floor mall to the fifth-floor Shunxin Gym seems ready to explode. I don’t even dare go near anymore.]
[26th floor: Bet you just couldn’t get a reservation. The first-floor mall’s having crazy sales too. People who want to get into the Ghost Tower Building have to line up before dawn. But the Tower only lets 500 people in per day. So few slots—it’s impossible to snag one.]
[39th floor: Do any of you know why the Ghost Tower Building’s been so weird lately?]
[44th floor: Word is, someone on the top floor is waiting for a human to show up for an appointment.]
[76th floor: The top floor? Hahaha, no way! Let’s not even talk about whether he’d invite a human. Even if he did—who would dare fight their way up the Ghost Tower Building and actually reach the top?]
Jiang Luo read each line slowly, word by word.
Chi You had practically laid a trap tailor-made for Jiang Luo in broad daylight, hinting: If you’re strong enough to keep our appointment, come find me on the top floor.
If you miss this date, it means you’re not as powerful as I thought you were.
He’d struck directly at Jiang Luo’s pride. Jiang Luo didn’t care about the appointment itself, but he couldn’t ignore the matter of winning or losing. Chi You’s grand, theatrical challenge was like shouting through a megaphone at Jiang Luo’s ear—and even though Jiang Luo saw through it clearly, he still wanted to charge straight in.
If this was a declaration of war—or a provocation—then Jiang Luo accepted it.
He would reach the top floor, see Chi You, and attend the most insane date of his life.
After silently reading through the entire post, Kuang Zheng asked in confusion, “Why do they want to go to the Ghost Tower Building?”
“I find that strange too,” Ge Zhu said, resting his chin on his hand. “From their conversation, it sounds like the building is packed with ghosts. These ghosts appear unpredictably and in all sorts of ways—it’s incredibly dangerous. So why would people still want to go?”
Jiang Luo thought of the driver’s blood-red teru teru bozu and mused, “There must be some kind of life-saving items in the Ghost Tower Building that protect people from ghost attacks.”
He continued, “Why don’t we go check it out too? The Ghost Tower Building stands out so much, and now all this information about it is being dumped in front of us—it’s like someone is deliberately guiding us into it.”
Wenren Lian put away his phone. “That’s what I was thinking too.”
Zhuo Zhongqiu looked a little green in the face. “The stuff we encountered just last night was already terrifying. What’s inside this Ghost Tower Building is bound to be even worse.”
Despite her words, she didn’t object. Instead, she started convincing herself, “But hey, since we’re dreaming anyway, let’s treat it like a test. Gotta admit, one thing after another—kinda thrilling.”
Jiang Luo gave her a look like he’d found a kindred spirit. “Yeah, I think it’s pretty thrilling too.”
Once they decided to go, they wasted no time. Since it was still early, they headed straight for the entrance of the Ghost Tower Building.
A long line had already formed outside the tower—just a glance told them there were clearly more than 500 people.
Aside from this long queue, there was also a much shorter one with only a few people.
Jiang Luo tapped the shoulder of the man in front of him. “Uncle, why is that line so short and this one so long?”
The man didn’t seem keen to talk at first, but when he turned around and got a look at Jiang Luo’s face, his attitude instantly shifted. “That’s the VIP line. As long as you have a membership card from any store inside the Ghost Tower Building, you can skip the wait and go straight in. Folks like us? We can only envy them. Say, young man, interested in making some serious cash? I’ve got a deal…”
Jiang Luo cut him off, “How many people can one card bring in?”
The man chuckled darkly, “As many as you want. But the real question is, can they survive bringing that many in? There are only 500 slots per day. If they want to cut the line, even if the ghosts don’t kill them, we might.”
Jiang Luo smirked and said deliberately, “Thanks for the shortcut, Uncle.”
He pulled out the “Shunxin Gym Membership Card” from his pocket and spun it around his finger in front of the man, showing off. Then he swaggered over to the smaller line with his companions. Under countless envious and hateful glares, the card-checking staff warmly returned the card to Jiang Luo and opened the door leading to the first-floor mall of the Ghost Tower Building.
The man stared in stunned silence for a moment, then scowled darkly and spat on the ground. “Bunch of d*mn brats. Let’s see how many of them crawl out alive.”
The woman standing in front of him had eyes even more greedy than his. “Those ones look pretty good. When they come back out, don’t kill them—sell them. They’ll fetch a high price.”
The man quickly said, “I’ve got dibs on the one with long hair. A skin-stealing ghost I know needs a new face. Don’t any of you dare fight me for him!”
….
Inside the building, shop after shop lined both sides, all open for business. The shopkeepers were busy inside, each minding their own space.
There were few people walking through the mall. The shops on both sides all had full-length glass windows and doors that didn’t block the view. The shopkeepers’ eyes, full of malice and cruelty, swept constantly over every human who passed.
Jiang Luo looked up at the elevator sign. The elevator was located at the far end of the mall, meaning they’d have to cross the entire first floor to reach it.
The rules of the first-floor mall were posted on a wall where they could be easily seen:
- Every twenty minutes, the door of one randomly chosen store will open, and the shopkeeper will come out.
- Each person must buy an outfit most suited to them, with a minimum spend of 200 yuan.
