Chapter 30

Seeing these flashy system pop-ups, Zhou Fangdong, who had just finished treating Zhao Dawei, stood frozen in shock.

Ghost Tenant? Republic Era Dan performer¹??

He hadn’t established any Tenant Rules for Room 103, nor had he signed a Tenant Contract. Where did this tenant come from?

Automatically signed a rental agreement… and it even unlocked a new entry in the Tenant Illustrated Guide…

Could this inexplicably appearing ghost tenant be the original ghost that haunted this room?

He had a very bad feeling about this.

For safety’s sake, Zhou Fangdong signaled for Miao Zheng to return to her own room immediately. Then, supporting the still-weak Zhao Dawei, he escorted him back to Room 101.

Only after ensuring both of his human tenants were safely in their rooms did Zhou Fangdong step into Room 103.

As he pushed open the door, a scent of cosmetic powder mixed with the smell of mildew wafted toward him.

Zhou Fangdong instinctively covered his nose and mouth as he surveyed the unfamiliar room. The Room 103 that had been completely devoid of furniture just moments ago had transformed into something else entirely.

the middle-aged man and woman were nowhere to be seen. Originally, the door to Room 103 opened into a living room, but now it had become a bedroom.

The entire room was decorated in wood, and the lighting was dim, with the only sources of light being two oil lamps.

A familiar mahogany garment rack stood against the wall, draped with layers upon layers of opera costumes. Each piece was exceptionally exquisite, looking like vibrant, living skins. The embroidery and beadwork shimmered with a faint light, as if they were breathing.

Various jeweled headpieces hung on the adjacent wall. These hair ornaments were displayed alongside wigs, looking at first glance like several rows of beautiful women’s heads mounted on the wall.

The most prominent feature in the room was the dressing table directly facing the door.

A figure dressed in a White Opera Costume sat before the mirror, tracing eyebrows by the dim yellow candlelight.

The mirror reflected his appearance. The right side of his face was breathtakingly beautiful, but the left side was unnervingly stiff, covered in a thick layer of white powder like the funerary makeup applied to a corpse.

Zhou Fangdong studied that half-dead face in the mirror carefully; it felt strangely familiar…

This face looked somewhat like the human skin he had seen inside the White Opera Costume while cleaning Room 103 yesterday.

It was certain now: this ghost tenant, Mu Yuechan, was indeed the ghost of Room 103.

Zhou Fangdong’s brow furrowed.

What had caused him to turn into this? What was the difference between a ghost tenant’s automatically signed agreement and a human’s Tenant Contract?

While Zhou Fangdong was lost in thought, Mu Yuechan, seated at the dressing table, slowly turned his head.

Seeing Zhou Fangdong standing at the door, he suddenly smiled. “Mr. Landlord, thank you for the materials you sent me. They allowed me to possess a human body…” His voice was soft and lingering, filled with a tender affection. Every word was spoken with such deep emotion it felt as if he were whispering to a lover.

“I thought I would be trapped in this apartment forever, never to be released…”

Materials?

Zhou Fangdong thought of the disappeared middle-aged couple. “You took that couple and…”

“Ate them.” The smile on Mu Yuechan’s lips widened. The half of his face covered in funerary makeup twisted along the curve of his rising mouth. He quickly used his water sleeve to hide that half of his face before continuing, “It was the retribution they deserved.”

Hearing that the middle-aged couple had been eaten by a ghost, Zhou Fangdong didn’t have much of a reaction. They were psychopathic serial killers who had nearly killed his tenants anyway; his original plan had been to feed them to the staircase.

However, listening to Mu Yuechan’s tone, it seemed this ghost tenant had some history with that couple, which piqued Zhou Fangdong’s curiosity.

“You knew that couple… no, you know what organization they belonged to, don’t you? Was it some cult? Or an assassin organization?”

Zhou Fangdong wanted to fish for more information. After all, this Dan performer named Mu Yuechan was the original ghost of Room 103.

Though he didn’t know how the ghost had become human, having a rational entity he could communicate with was a good thing. At the very least, he wouldn’t have to use his skills personally; the side effects of Mind Reading were quite unpleasant.

Even though Room 103 was now rented to this ghost tenant and he no longer needed to find the ghost’s killing rules to establish Tenant Rules, Zhou Fangdong still wanted to understand the cause and effect.

This wasn’t just because he had a Roleplay Task related to Room 103 to complete, but also because he wanted to know Mu Yuechan’s origins. After all, this was his first ghost tenant.

At the mention of that couple, Mu Yuechan’s expression suddenly turned vicious. He no longer hid his face. Beneath the heavy funerary makeup, the half of his face where the skin and flesh were separated became increasingly distorted.

Countless writhing black runes crawled like dense insects over the peeling skin of that half-face. He pressed down on the lifted skin bit by bit, sticking it back onto his face, and then began to tell Zhou Fangdong the story of his life.

Mu Yuechan was born during the Republic Era and was once the star attraction of a certain opera troupe.

To fight for a place in the “lowly” profession of opera, one had to be ruthless not only to oneself but also to others.

Mu Yuechan had transformed from a minor performer who couldn’t refuse to entertain guests at tea parties into a famous star adored by thousands. His hands were stained with much blood… the blood of companions he grew up with, of competitors, of guests who had humiliated him, and of former bosses.

After reaching the absolute pinnacle of what a performer could achieve, Mu Yuechan remained anxious because he understood his own situation perfectly.

Opera was a profession for the young. With his body, he couldn’t perform for many more years. If he wanted to live comfortably in the future, he had to use these years of peak popularity to plan a way out for himself.

Mu Yuechan had spent his childhood practicing his craft and was completely illiterate. He learned his roles by listening to others read the scripts and then memorizing them by heart. He also had a terrible personality and lacked the patience to teach juniors the way he patiently humored his bosses… Thus, he couldn’t become a playwright, nor could he be a teacher.

It was even more impossible for him to become a lowly troupe manager. Having stood at the highest peak, he could not accept returning to the dust of humility.

To prevent himself from falling into the life of a host in a “Xiang-gong²” hall once he could no longer perform, Mu Yuechan had only one goal: to use his current fame to secure a patron… preferably an older one who was easy to manipulate.

If they gave him money, he would follow the patron’s lead and humor them until they were in the ground. If they didn’t give him money, he would find a way to kill them and flee with their wealth.

Mu Yuechan had originally thought that with his temperament, he would never be lost in love. To his surprise, he fell.

A big boss took an interest in him. This boss was not only handsome and wealthy but even the literati fans and the underworld figures gave him face.

Such a talented, wealthy, and powerful man had supported him for over half a year. Upon hearing that the opera troupe was leaving the city, the man even said he wanted to take Mu Yuechan with him.

He didn’t just pay the troupe and the leader a thousand silver dollars as a contract termination fee and a teacher-thanking gift; he even brought a marriage contract and betrothal gifts.

In an era where the spit of scholars could drown a person, where performers were treated as playthings and even top male Dan performers had no autonomy, this big boss actually publicly sought to marry a male Dan performer.

Forget Mu Yuechan—even the troupe leader found it unbelievable.

How could one not fall for that?

Everyone envied his good fortune, and Mu Yuechan felt the same… He felt this was what he deserved after so many years of suffering, that Heaven had finally shown him some mercy.

He thought it was a story of lovers finally uniting, but he never expected that on the day of the wedding, he would be skinned alive.

“Mr. Landlord, do you know of a Diannan voodoo technique called the ‘Clothes-Shedding Silkworm’?” Mu Yuechan said with a smile. The hand covering his face slowly moved upward, and as he lowered his head slightly, his fingers brushed against the crown of his skull.

He curled his fingers slightly and tapped his head lightly. “That silkworm bored into my body from right here. When it entered my skull, it felt like a sharp awl, constantly drilling and chiseling through the bone. I could clearly hear that ‘thump, thump, thump’ echoing in my ears.”

“This insect eats your flesh and internal organs bit by bit. You stay alive during the process, listening to the sound of the bug gnawing on your flesh, feeling your body slowly melt away like a burning candle…”

“In the end, your body is eaten clean, leaving behind nothing but a perfect, intact skin, piled on the ground like discarded clothing. That is where the name ‘Clothes-Shedding Silkworm’ comes from.”

At some point, a thick, blood-colored mist began to spread through Room 103, completely swallowing the already dim light in the room.

Mu Yuechan stood quietly amidst the blood mist. The way he held his face caused the flowing sleeves of his opera costume to drape down from his neck like white hanging silks… Now, it wasn’t just half of his face peeling off; the other half showed signs of falling away as well, making him look like a vengeful wraith that had crawled back to the mortal realm from the depths of hell.

Zhou Fangdong wasn’t frightened at all. Instead, he continued to ask curiously, “And then? Why did that big boss want your skin?”

The blood mist that had been expanding outward suddenly paused. Mu Yuechan pressed his face back into place and rolled his eyes at him. “…You really have no sense of romance. I bared my scars to you, thinking you’d offer a few words of comfort, but here you are pressing for the sequel like you’re listening to a story.”

Zhou Fangdong cleared his throat awkwardly.

It was indeed a bit difficult to empathize. After all, the era this ghost tenant belonged to was far too distant; hearing him recount his life experiences really did feel like listening to a tale.

Mu Yuechan sighed softly and began to continue the narrative.

The true identity of that big boss was actually a cult leader. He had founded an evil organization called the Sigu Society, which worshipped an Evil God.

Most cultists were people whose hands were stained with blood, who had committed countless atrocities, accumulated immense karmic debt, and were entangled in numerous webs of cause and effect.

If they died accidentally, they were destined to fall into hell, never to be human again for eternity. In more extreme cases, their souls might be torn apart by the vengeful spirits haunting them the moment they died, causing them to dissipate entirely without even a chance to be reincarnated into the animal realm.

To prevent his followers from refusing to serve the deity out of fear of retribution, the cult leader sought an evil ritual from the Evil God.

This technique could not only transfer the accumulated evil karma from a believer but also steal the lifespan of others, granting the believer longevity and eternal life.

The primary method involved finding a person with a suitable horoscope, flaying their skin, and processing it using a special method. Then, runes would be embroidered onto the skin using hair—this hair had to be the victim’s own. If the victim’s hair wasn’t long enough, the cult would keep them alive for a while until enough hair grew.

Mu Yuechan was an actor. Because he had to perform on stage, he had always kept his hair long. Thus, the step of growing out his hair was skipped, and he was flayed alive on his wedding night.

Afterward, the scalp of the embroidered skin was separated from the body to be made into a Human Skin Hat. By wearing this Human Skin Hat for forty-nine days, one could transfer their evil karma onto the victim, forcing the victim to bear the weight of the believer’s sins in their stead.

Furthermore, once the transfer of karma was complete, the Human Skin Hat would transform into a magical artifact capable of suppressing ghostly entities, providing a degree of protection against attacks from powerful wraiths.

Consequently, only the believers with the highest contributions within the cult were eligible to use this ritual.

Because the cult leader’s own evil karma was too heavy, the person bearing it for him had to have a very specific horoscope. Thus, he found Mu Yuechan.

Mu Yuechan’s horoscope was very peculiar. Although he was a man, his horoscope was entirely Yin³. Normally, such a person would not survive to adulthood, yet he had miraculously lived to see his majority.

The reason the cult leader had gone to such lengths—playing the role of a boss, sending marriage proposals, and presenting betrothal gifts—was because the greater the resentment felt by someone with such a pure Yin horoscope before death, the more powerful the resulting Human Skin Hat would be.

However, after the flaying was complete, something went wrong during the ritual. Mu Yuechan’s resentment was even more terrifying than the cult leader had imagined. It couldn’t be suppressed, and he turned into a vengeful skin-wraith of profound malice.

Later, the cult leader found a master who was also a worshiper of the Evil God. The two of them exerted immense effort, first cursing and killing a female lead actor, and then paying a significant price to seal Mu Yuechan inside the White Opera Costume that the actress had worn just before her death.

From then on, the costume became a ritual tool of the Sigu Society. Since the Clothes-Shedding Silkworms were costly to raise and difficult to keep alive, the White Opera Costume sealing Mu Yuechan’s skin became the primary tool used by the Sigu Society cultists to strip human skin.

Later, a high-ranking member of the Sigu Society carrying the White Opera Costume moved into the Liwan Apartments. Nourished by the Yin energy of the building, the seal gradually loosened, and Mu Yuechan finally woke up.

But before Mu Yuechan could kill that high-ranking member, the man disappeared on his own—one day he chased a young boy out of the building and never returned. Since then, Mu Yuechan had remained alone in Room 103.

Mu Yuechan had thought about going out to kill the cult leader who had flayed him. However, because he had absorbed the Yin energy of the Liwan Apartments, he was bound by an invisible contract and could not leave the premises.

Furthermore, the Yin energy of the Liwan Apartments was very strange; the conditions inside the rooms and outside the rooms were diametrically opposed.

While the Yin energy outside the rooms was easy to absorb, staying outside for too long would turn a ghost into a bloodthirsty beast devoid of the ability to think, driven entirely by obsession and instinct.

The walls of the apartment rooms acted like a filter, keeping out the Yin energy mixed with chaotic impurities. Moreover, if a room was inhabited by a human, the state of the ghost would be even more stable.

Mu Yuechan did not want to forget the hatred in his heart, nor did he want to lose his sanity. Therefore, he did not dare to leave Room 103, nor did he harm the scavenger who later secretly moved in.

That scavenger, who had a hoarding problem, was just like the cult official; he went out one day and never came back.

After that, no other humans appeared in the apartments.

Since then, the Liwan Apartments seemed to have become a giant coffin sealing countless ghosts and monsters.

The Yin energy continuously emanating from within the building formed a massive vortex, constantly luring in all sorts of supernatural entities and trapping them inside.

This situation persisted until a landlord appeared, though it was unclear if he was human or ghost.

At this point, Mu Yuechan looked at Zhou Fangdong with a smile. “Mr. Landlord, your appearance was like a stabilizing pillar, calming the increasingly restless ghosts in the building. Your genius idea of renting out rooms to let the living and the dead coexist has caused the Yin energy in the building to gradually settle… Now, the Yin energy in the first-floor corridor is almost as stable as it is inside the rooms.”

“The power you wield is truly fascinating. Not only can you make the living sign contracts with ghosts to reach a strange symbiotic state, you can even turn powerful wraiths into existences nearly identical to the living…”

Mu Yuechan clutched his chest, the smile on his face growing wider. “I have never felt better.”

“My power now is even greater than when I first died. I can feel that the fellow who flayed my skin is still alive.”

As Mu Yuechan spoke, he slowly approached Zhou Fangdong until only three steps remained between the man and the ghost. “I am now capable of leaving the apartment. The reason I haven’t left immediately was to wait for you, Mr. Landlord… I hope you will not terminate my contract for this room.”

With that, Mu Yuechan flicked his flowing water-sleeves and surveyed the bedroom. “I am very satisfied with the environment of Liwan Apartments, and I am quite fond of this body. Once I have killed that heartless man, I shall return here to live.”

Hearing this, Zhou Fangdong’s brows furrowed slightly.

A ghost tenant’s residency contract should be the same as a rental agreement; if he wanted to terminate it, he likely only needed to notify the system to execute the operation.

From Mu Yuechan’s words, it was clear that the reason he could maintain this human-like body was entirely due to the residency contract.

Gazing at the blood-colored resentment that filled the room, thick enough to almost turn solid, Zhou Fangdong frowned. “You want to go out now? Can you control your power? What if you affect ordinary people and cause mass casualties?”

Hearing Zhou Fangdong’s concern, Mu Yuechan couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

Even though his flesh was detached from his bone, the arrogance on his face was unmistakable. “Mr. Landlord, do you know how many ant-like commoners died every day during the Republican Era? What does the life or death of ordinary people have to do with me? If they are caught in the crossfire, it only means they were too weak; dying is simply their fate. Do you know how long I have waited for this day? You expect me to hesitate and abandon my revenge for a swarm of ants?”

“Furthermore, while you are the landlord of Liwan Apartments, you shouldn’t have the right to restrict my movements, should you?” Mu Yuechan tilted his chin up slightly, his posture haughty and his voice dripping with disdain. “I am leaving the apartment. Telling you this is a notification, not a request.”

Zhou Fangdong was so angry he actually laughed.

Since the end of that hellish Roleplay Task, he had been suppressing a surge of irritation, and Mu Yuechan had just completely ignited the fuse.

He stared at Mu Yuechan expressionlessly and said coldly, “True, I have no right to restrict a tenant’s movements. But as the landlord of Liwan Apartments, I can certainly manage to terminate a contract.”

“If your supernatural power harms a single ordinary person, I will immediately terminate your residency contract—or as you call it, the covenant.”

The smile on Mu Yuechan’s face gradually stiffened.

“By the way, I’m a bit curious. If I break your contract, can you still maintain this form? I wonder if that human skin of yours will even let you walk out of this apartment.”

Mu Yuechan pursed his lips, his expression suddenly becoming tense.

“Now, would you mind repeating what you just said?” Zhou Fangdong mimicked Mu Yuechan’s tone, sneering, “I’m just notifying you~ I’m not requesting~”

“Without Liwan Apartments, what exactly do you think you are?”

“You were human in life, yet after death, you desperately crave a human body. You want to be human, yet you look down on them. Just what are you so arrogant about?”

“I’m generally an easy person to talk to. Normally, as long as a tenant doesn’t go looking for death, I’ll be unconditionally tolerant. After all, life—and death—isn’t easy for anyone.”

“But on matters of principle, I will never allow a tenant to defy my wishes.”

“Since you’re living under my roof, and since I’m the one who gave you this body, you’d better start being a little more obedient. Stop acting like the whole world owes you eighty billion. There are plenty of ghosts out there who are in more pain and despair than you, still trapped in obsessions they can’t escape. Don’t think the world owes you just because you had a tragic past.”

“If you don’t want to live in Room 103, I can swap in another ghost at any time. Liwan Apartments might lack many things, but ghosts aren’t one of them.”

“Now, stay in Room 103 quietly. You are not to take a single step out.”

“I will be watching you, and all the ghosts in Liwan Apartments will be watching you too.”

“The moment you leave this room, I will terminate the contract and purge you from Room 103.”

Without waiting for Mu Yuechan’s reaction, Zhou Fangdong turned and walked straight out of the room.

He immediately added Mu Yuechan to his special tenant watch list. Then, as a precaution, Zhou Fangdong stood at the door of Room 103 and lit three sticks of Offering Incense.

As the sandalwood scent drifted, layers of ghosts emerged from the shadows like a rising tide in the darkness, occupying the entire corridor at a visible speed.

“Keep an eye on the ghost in Room 103 for me. If he tries to leave and I haven’t arrived in time, block him. I’ll reward you with Offering Incense afterward.”

With that, Zhou Fangdong teleported directly back to his own room.

In truth, he had wanted to terminate the contract with this ghost tenant immediately. The fellow’s murderous intent was too heavy, and he lacked any human moral constraints, making him very difficult to manage.

However, he suddenly remembered that after a ghost tenant successfully moved in, the system had unlocked several new functions that he hadn’t had time to check yet.

Thus, he decided to return to his room to review these new features before deciding whether to terminate Mu Yuechan’s contract.

Back in his room, Zhou Fangdong checked the Tenant Illustrated Guide and the newly unlocked functions.

Tenant Illustrated Guide: [Special Tenant · Republican Era Diva]

Guide Description: In life, he was a famous opera star adored by all; in death, he became a skin without a body. His greatest obsession is to tear apart the cult leader who flayed him. He is deeply mired in obsession, completely controlled by hatred.

Traits: Admires the strong, extremely arrogant, self-centered, and looks down on everyone equally. A special entity with human rationality capable of logical thought, but possesses no human moral concepts. Due to the unique nature of Liwan Apartments, he will never voluntarily move out.

[Special Tenant Illustrated Guide Unlock Reward: Special Item · Three Purities Bell]

[Special Item · Three Purities Bell]: Shakes the underworld, strikes fear into demons.

Item Description: A bronze bell with the power to dispel evil and break baleful energy. The ringing contains pure Yang essence. When triggered by a Celestial Master’s spiritual power, it can vibrate the souls of ghosts, stunning them. If facing low-level ghosts, it can directly shatter their soul forms.

After reading the item description, Zhou Fangdong paused.

The new guide reward had actually unlocked a ghost-dispelling tool that looked incredibly useful!

Zhou Fangdong claimed the item and held it in his hand.

Before he could even try to use it, a system notification popped up:

[A good horse needs a good saddle; a weapon is useless in the wrong hands. Please give this to the correct profession.]

Zhou Fangdong: ???

“System, did you take a side job in some MMO?”

“Wait, why can’t I use an item I unlocked?”

[Profession mismatch. Furthermore, the host has no spiritual power in his body and cannot trigger the effects of the Three Purities Bell.]

“So this thing is just a decoration to me?”

[If the host gifts it to a specific tenant, it will increase Favorability.]

Zhou Fangdong felt his blood pressure rising again.

A ghost-dispelling tool he finally managed to get had turned into a mere Favorability-boosting gift. The system was definitely screwing with him.

Out of sight, out of mind. Zhou Fangdong tossed the bell onto the table.

The bell rolled a few times and knocked over a book. A small green sprout tucked inside the book fell over as well, and both the bell and the sprout were pinned beneath the book.

However, Zhou Fangdong was focused on the system windows and didn’t notice what had happened on the table.

He continued scrolling down. When he saw the next system notification, his mood, which had soured over the unusable item, instantly brightened.

[Ghost Tenant Residency Reward: 2,000 Ghost Coins (Monthly)]

Unlike the other ghosts in the apartment who only paid rent after a human tenant survived for a month, the ghost tenant in Room 103 had actually paid 2,000 Ghost Coins on the spot.

He originally had 1,250 Ghost Coins, but after spending 300 on a basic medical kit to treat Zhao Dawei, he was left with 950. With this sudden influx, his Ghost Coin balance had surged directly to 2,950!

Staring at his account balance, Zhou Fangdong actually felt a sudden urge to forgive Mu Yuechan for his willfulness.

Money truly made the world go ’round… if someone gave him enough Ghost Coins, he’d be willing to push the grindstone himself.

If only there were more of these ghost tenants…

Although the system hadn’t explained how these ghost tenants appeared, judging by the circumstances of Mu Yuechan’s arrival, it seemed to require leading humans into a room for a ghost to consume.

If he abandoned his conscience and manufactured such ghost tenants in batches… No, this was reality, not a game. While this method could earn Ghost Coins quickly, once certain lines were crossed, there would be no stopping.

Furthermore, he couldn’t just look at the short-term gains. Ghost tenants were far more dangerous and uncontrollable than human tenants. A single disobedient Mu Yuechan was annoying enough; unless absolutely necessary, he couldn’t allow more ghost tenants like him to appear.

Side Quest 4 was also complete, rewarding him with 300 Ghost Coins, 1,000 Experience Points, and one random Skill Point.

Adding those three hundred Ghost Coins, he now had a total of 3,250 Ghost Coins in his possession.

So wealthy—he felt truly wealthy right now.

Zhou Fangdong wiped away a non-existent tear.

He had accumulated 2 Skill Points, and he was only 1,000 experience away from reaching the next level, which would unlock another skill. The Roleplay Task provided exactly 1,000 experience upon completion, so he decided to finish the task for Room 108 first.

The last remaining system notifications he hadn’t checked were: “Avatar Interface unlocked, Map Exploration function unlocked, Instance Erosion function unlocked.”

He never expected that a single ghost tenant moving in would unlock so many features.

Curious, Zhou Fangdong clicked on the Avatar Interface.

Translator’s Notes