You made all the streamers on the internet kneel before you when you were asked to make a game.

Faced with the enthusiastic invitation from the chinless old woman, Lu Zhixing simply glanced at her calmly and continued drifting forward.

He could sense that every ghost in this underworld city carried its own story and obsession.

Communicating with them might yield some intelligence.

But it could also lead to unnecessary trouble.

His current goal is to find the real culprit who murdered the entire Chen family.

Instead of tasting some kind of "heart and liver chaos" here.

He weaved through the bustling crowd of ghosts, his gaze rapidly sweeping across the stalls on either side.

He is searching.

Search for any clues related to the "Chen family" or the "Hundred Opera Troupe".

Sudden.

His gaze was drawn to an inconspicuous corner.

There, a small, thin figure was crouching.

It was a little boy dressed in a theatrical costume, who looked no more than seven or eight years old.

He was wearing clown makeup and drawing circles on the ground with his finger.

He was muttering something under his breath.

"Daddy...I'm so hungry..."

"I want to eat a sugar figurine..."

Lu Zhixing's heart stirred.

Costumes.

Could he be one of the members of that "Hundred Entertainments Troupe"?

Lu Zhixing floated over slowly and stopped in front of the little boy.

The little boy seemed to sense something and looked up.

When he saw Lu Zhixing, he was stunned for a moment, and then he gave a naive smile.

"Big brother, are you here to see the play too?"

Lu Zhixing did not answer, but instead asked a question.

"Do you know a woman named Qingyi?"

Upon hearing the words "Qingyi," the little boy's smile instantly froze on his face.

A hint of fear flickered in his eyes.

"Sister Qingyi..." He lowered his head, his voice becoming very soft, "She...she was kidnapped by bad guys."

"Bad guy? What bad guy?" Lu Zhixing pressed.

"It's...it's the owner of that big house."

The little boy's voice was choked with sobs.

"That day, after we finished our performance, the troupe leader took us away."

"But Sister Qingyi was kept by the master of the house."

He said that his wife really liked the opera singer Qingyi and wanted her to stay a few more days so he could sing for her alone.

"The troupe leader didn't dare offend them, so he agreed."

"But...but we never saw Sister Qingyi again after that."

"Then, I died too."

The little boy pointed to his stomach as he spoke.

There was a fist-sized, dark wound there.

"I starved to death."

"The troupe leader said that without Sister Qingyi, we won't be able to get any work."

"We have no food, everyone else has run away, and I'm the only one left..."

As Lu Zhixing listened to the little boy's story, a storm raged within him.

A darker version of the story came to mind.

The Chen couple, under the pretext of watching a play, forcibly kept the female lead in a Qingyi role.

Then he used evil magic to kill her.

They took her birth date and time, imprisoned her soul in the body of the paper bride, and arranged a ghost marriage for their son.

The "ghostly female role" performing on the stage was not a vengeful spirit at all.

Rather, it is the vengeful spirit of the female lead herself, unwilling to be imprisoned!

She hated everyone in the Chen family.

Therefore, she wanted to take revenge in her own way.

She is the true culprit behind the massacre of the Chen family!

[Main quest has been updated!]

The real culprit has been found: the Ghost Opera Troupe's Qingyi (a female role in a traditional Chinese opera).

[Mission Objective: To reveal the truth to the "paper bride" waiting in the mortal realm, and to dispel her resentment.]

The system notification confirmed Lu Zhixing's deduction.

So that's the truth.

The paper bride is nothing more than a pathetic puppet being manipulated.

The overwhelming resentment emanating from her didn't belong to her at all.

Rather, it originated from the tragic death of the woman in green.

Lu Zhixing looked at the mission objective before him and fell into deep thought.

Is it really that simple?

If I tell the paper bride the truth, will she believe me?

If I resolve her resentment, will I be able to complete my mission and find peace for my soul?

He felt that something was wrong.

This game, designed by a "good person," has never been so "straightforward."

"Big brother, can you do me a favor?"

The little boy's voice interrupted Lu Zhixing's thoughts.

"I...I want to eat a sugar figurine."

He pointed to a small stall selling sugar figurines not far away.

"I don't have any money, and that uncle won't sell it to me."

[Side quest triggered: A Sugar Figurine's Wish.]

[Task objective: Obtain a sugar figurine for "Ghost Troupe - Clown" to put an end to his obsession.]

[Task Reward: ???]

Lu Zhixing glanced at the sugar figurine vendor, a one-eyed giant with a ferocious face.

His stall was filled with sugar figurines of various shapes.

There are dragons, phoenixes, and butterflies.

But those sugar figurines weren't golden yellow.

Instead, it was a strange dark red, as if made from congealed blood.

"I have no money," Lu Zhixing said to the little boy.

"You do," the little boy said, pointing to Lu Zhixing's "body."

"Big brother, you haven't been dead long, and your 'yang energy' hasn't dissipated yet."

"This is hard currency in the underworld market."

"You can use a little bit of your 'yang energy' to exchange for that sugar figurine."

[Interactive prompt: Do you wish to consume one-tenth of your "Soul Power" to exchange for "Yin Market Currency"?]

Lu Zhixing frowned even more deeply as he looked at the notification.

Consume soul power to complete a side quest?

He didn't have much time left anyway.

Is it worth it?

The viewers in the live stream also engaged in a heated discussion.

[Don't switch, Master! Time is of the essence! The main quest is the key!]

[I think it should be changed! This game is terrible; there's always a crucial clue hidden in the side quests!]

This little kid looks rather pitiful; let's consider it a donation.

Lu Zhixing hesitated for only three seconds before choosing "yes".

He felt his soul weaken even further.

At the same time, he held a black copper coin engraved with a ghost face in his hand.

This is "underground currency".

He took the copper coin and floated to the stall where the sugar figurine was sold.

"A sugar figurine," Lu Zhixing said calmly.

The one-eyed giant raised his head, glanced at him, and then looked at the copper coins in his hand.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Kid, you're pretty smart."

He picked up a butterfly-shaped sugar figurine from the stall and handed it to Lu Zhixing.

"Here you go."

Lu Zhixing took the sugar figurine, turned around, and handed it to the little boy.

"Thank you, big brother!"

The little boy happily took the sugar figurine and couldn't wait to lick it.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

As his wish was fulfilled, his body began to become transparent, then turned into starlight and dissipated into the air.

The side quest "A Sugar Man's Wish" has been completed.

You have received "The Joker's Gift".

Something appeared out of thin air in Lu Zhixing's hand.

It was a small wooden sign with a painted face.

On the back of the wooden sign, a line of small characters is engraved.

This pass grants access backstage.

Backend?

What kind of backing?

Lu Zhixing hadn't had time to think about it in detail yet.

The entire Yin City suddenly began to shake violently.

All the ghosts showed expressions of terror and began to scatter and flee.

"It's dawn! It's dawn!"

"Run! The underworld messengers are coming!"

A ghost messenger?

Lu Zhixing was startled.

He looked up.

At the far end of the Yin City, in that chaotic darkness, two enormous blood-red lanterns lit up.

Accompanied by the sound of chains dragging on the ground.

Two enormous figures, each over three meters tall and dressed in black official robes, one wielding a mourning staff and the other an iron chain, slowly emerged.

These are the legendary Ox-Head and Horse-Face!

No, it's even more terrifying than Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

They have no heads.

On his neck were two constantly rotating vortexes composed of countless wailing faces.

[Warning! As day turns to night, the underworld patrols the streets!]

All lingering ghosts will be captured and cast into the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reincarnated!

Your time is running out!

Looking at the two terrifying underworld officials, Lu Zhixing knew he had to leave immediately.

He turned around, ready to return the way he came.

However, the bluestone path he came from has disappeared.

He was trapped in the underworld!

He watched as the two terrifying headless ghost messengers drew ever closer.

Lu Zhixing's brain was working at lightning speed.

The path we came by has disappeared; forcing our way through would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

The only way out might be hidden in the reward from that side quest.

This pass grants access backstage.

Backstage...

Lu Zhixing suddenly turned his head and looked at the eerie stage that he had never dared to approach!

The stage is for people to watch.

The backstage area of ​​that stage is naturally a place for ghosts to stay!

That place might be a blind spot for the underworld officials' patrols!