Movie variety show soul travels between two worlds to become a rich man

Chapter 752 Withered Tree, Beauty, and Tree Demon Granny?

At midnight, the neon lights of Gangnam District, like a flowing galaxy, illuminated the entire sky in a mesmerizing purplish-red hue.

The facades of skyscrapers shimmer with dynamic light effects, the windows of luxury stores are as bright as day, and the songs of street performers and electronic music from bars intertwine to create the sleepless pulse of the city.

A constant flow of people, stylishly dressed men and women smiling as they brush past each other, the air filled with the scents of perfume, food, and a faint hint of alcohol—all of this constitutes the most bustling and modern cityscape in the eyes of ordinary people.

However, in Gao Dongxu's eyes, the world was completely different.

Twisted light and shadow ripple beneath the neon lights, and translucent figures stagger through the bustling crowd. A faint black mist covers the building surfaces, and in some corners, grotesque faces can be vaguely seen flashing by. A foul atmosphere lingers with the bright lights and bustling activity, as if two realities have overlapped: decay lurks beneath the glitz, and an eeriness spreads behind the prosperity.

"Huh? Stop the car—" Gao Dongxu suddenly spoke up, his brows furrowed.

Wang Jianjun, in the driver's seat, quickly turned on the turn signal and steadily pulled the car to the side of the road. He touched the ghost-killing water gun tucked into his waistband. With this, he did feel much more at ease, at least he was no longer completely powerless when facing those "things".

"What's wrong?" Ah Ning asked curiously. She followed Gao Dongxu's gaze to the car window and saw only a narrow alley between buildings, with almost nothing special in the dim light. "There's nothing there."

Gao Dongxu had already opened the car door and was standing by the roadside. His gaze was fixed on the space between the two commercial buildings—to ordinary people, it was just a dark passageway filled with clutter, but in his eyes, it was a magnificent building rising from the ground.

"A very high-end luxury hotel has suddenly appeared here," Gao Dongxu said, his voice tinged with confusion. "I shouldn't be mistaken—"

Aning got out of the car and walked to his side, squinting as she looked closely, but still could only see that ordinary alley. "Are you sure there's a hotel here?" she asked, puzzled. "Isn't this just an alley? The kind that connects two back streets."

Gao Dongxu did not answer immediately, but stared ahead. In his eyes, a colossal building, a blend of Gothic and modern styles, stood majestically, piercing the clouds.

The Hotel Del Luna's sign, with its elegant English lettering, gleamed with a cool light. The doors were tightly shut, but through the glass, one could see that the hotel interior was brightly lit, yet completely deserted. An eerie atmosphere enveloped the entire hotel, both luxurious and unsettling.

"Looks like this isn't a hotel for living people." Gao Dongxu finally turned to A Ning and smiled, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Ah Ning immediately understood, frowning and whispering, "A hotel prepared for ghosts?" She shook her head, her tone tinged with helplessness, "This city really has all sorts of strange and unusual things."

Gao Dongxu chuckled softly, then closed his eyes. He released his divine sense, which extended towards the hotel like invisible tentacles. His divine sense easily penetrated the hotel's outer walls and entered its interior space.

Surprisingly, the interior was not the opulent grandeur one would expect from a luxury hotel, but rather a vast, empty space. In the center stood a huge, withered tree, its trunk thick but lifeless, its branches stretching out in all directions like dry arms.

What surprised Gao Dongxu even more was that the tree seemed to have its own consciousness. It sensed the probing of the external divine sense, and instead of resisting, it exuded an alluring aura, as if inviting him to explore further.

Gao Dongxu cautiously withdrew his divine sense, and when he opened his eyes, his brows furrowed even more.

"A dead tree?" Ah Ning noticed the confusion on his face and asked curiously.

“Hmm, a very strange tree,” Gao Dongxu said solemnly. “It actually tried to lure me into using my divine sense to investigate. Interesting—” He sneered, a wary glint in his eyes.

“Let’s go to the photo studio first, one by one—” Ah Ning suggested, nodding solemnly.

The two returned to the car, and Wang Jianjun immediately started the engine. The vehicle smoothly merged into the night traffic. The next moment after they left, the heavy doors of the Del Luna Hotel were suddenly pushed open.

A woman stood in the doorway, dressed in a vibrant purple princess dress. The cinched waist accentuated her slender yet curvaceous figure. Her face was as radiant and proud as moonlight, her small, beautiful face filled with a somber expression, and her eyes burned with obvious anger.

Her left hand, painted with black nail polish, pushed open the door, while her right hand gripped a splendid yet antique rifle, creating an eerie contrast with her fashionable attire. Jang Man-wol—the president of Hotel Del Luna—was punished for her numerous crimes as an assassin, bound to the Sacred Tree and granted immortality along with it. Her beautiful eyes swept across the hotel entrance, searching for the intruder who had dared to disturb the Sacred Tree.

Seeing the empty doorway, she parted her lips, painted with bright red lipstick, and muttered, "Damn it—"

Just then, the hotel door was pushed open again. An elderly man with gray hair and impeccable clothes walked quickly to Zhang Manyue's side, his face full of worry: "President, are you alright?"

"Ah-shi—it's nothing." Zhang Manyue replied impatiently, but still gripped the rifle tightly in her hand. She turned around haughtily and walked into the hotel with her slender, straight legs, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.

"President," the elderly hotel manager behind him said, his voice growing increasingly worried, "that was...?"

“Just a rude rat,” Zhang Manyue sneered, putting away the ornate rifle as if it had never been there. “But it runs fast.”

She turned, her skirt tracing a sharp arc as she walked into the hotel. Beneath the dazzling crystal chandeliers, her figure carried a hint of loneliness and wariness. The hotel lobby remained luxurious, with ghostly guests moving about, some joyful, some sorrowful, enacting the myriad aspects of the afterlife. But Zhang Manyue's mind was far from at peace.

The sacred tree, which only she could sense, was still trembling slightly, conveying a strange feeling—not entirely hostile, but more like a cold curiosity and assessment. For so many years, no external being had ever been able to touch the sacred tree so directly.

"Check if there have been any unusual new guest registrations recently, or... if any unruly individuals have offended someone they shouldn't have," Zhang Manyue instructed the elderly manager who had followed her. Her voice regained its usual arrogance and indifference, but Jin Shusheng could detect a hint of seriousness in it.

"Yes, President," the elderly manager replied respectfully, his eyes filled with worry. Zhang Manyue walked towards the bar counter, habitually trying to suppress her unhappiness with a drink. Her fair fingers tapped on the table, but her gaze unconsciously drifted towards the hotel entrance.

Who is that spy...? A living person? Or some kind of being she has never seen before? And what is his purpose?
Meanwhile, inside a moving car.

"Is that tree troublesome?" Ah Ning asked, noticing Gao Dongxu's still slightly furrowed brows. Although she couldn't see it, she could sense Gao Dongxu's focused attention and the subsequent chill just now.

Gao Dongxu tapped the edge of the car window lightly with his fingers: "Hmm, not simple. That tree is the core of that hotel, filled with ancient resentment and constraints, more like the key and guard of a... prison. And..."

He paused, a playful smile curving his lips. "It seems to be trying to lure my divine sense... Although I withdrew my divine sense, it should have alerted the hotel manager."

"Administrator? A ghost?"

"A... a woman who is neither human nor ghost, wearing a purple dress, holding an old-fashioned rifle, very beautiful but with an even fiercer temper." Gao Dongxu described her casually, but inwardly he was filled with emotion. He really didn't expect that the sweet-looking and cute Lee Ji-eun would turn into a proud, beautiful, eccentric, and short-tempered leading lady.

Hearing "a female ghost with a rifle" in his rearview mirror, Wang Jianjun involuntarily tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Ah Ning remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Let's deal with the immediate matter first. What are your plans regarding the photo studio?"

“Hmm,” Gao Dongxu nodded, his gaze drifting into the deeper darkness of the city night. “Let’s see how things go first.”

The car accelerated and headed straight for the suburbs where the photo studio was located.

On the top floor of the Hotel Del Luna, Jang Man-wol sat alone on a massive, throne-like chair, overlooking the city where humans and ghosts mingled. She held a glass of amber wine in her hand, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

The intrusion of that uninvited guest was like a pebble thrown into the long-dormant lake of her heart.

“Whoever you are,” she muttered to herself, taking a sip of her drink, a dangerous glint in her eyes, “you’d better not cause any trouble.”

(End of this chapter)