Eighteen Ghost Emperors of my ancestors, how dare you make me live in terror?

"Hey, why didn't you guys give a gift?"

"You come to this banquet without bringing a gift? Are you planning to eat and drink for free?"

In front of the house, a sinister-looking ghost wearing a wedding hat blocked Liu Zitao and his companions' way.

"Why do we need to give gifts? I've never heard of this rule before."

"Aren't we the ones escorting the bride?"

The men looked grim.

But judging from this situation, it's clear that without giving a gift, you won't even be able to get in the door.

After hesitating for a while, Liu Zitao took out a crumpled gray piece of paper and handed it over.

"One tael of 'impermanent money,' please."

The ghost tossed the five-yuan note into a box beside it, then beckoned to Liu Zitao, signaling him to come over.

"Take what you can, saving your life is the most important thing."

As Liu Zitao stepped over the threshold, he quickly said something to the people behind him.

Immediately, everyone else also took out the things they had prepared in advance.

In order to survive their first entry into the eerie instance, everyone had actually emptied their coffers and prepared some supplies beforehand.

"One tael of 'impermanent money,' please."

"Incense ash, three qian (approximately 15 grams), please purchase."

Amidst the constant chanting and shouting, one by one, the living people entered the courtyard with trepidation.

"Paper money, 100,000 taels~"

When the last person handed over a thick wad of banknotes, the ghost's smiling face suddenly turned numb and stiff.

"Trying to fool us with these dilapidated things? The Jiang family is the residence of a top scholar, not a playground! Throw them out!"

Immediately, two ghostly gatekeepers stepped forward and kicked the man down the steps, sending him tumbling into the mist.

At that moment, several hands suddenly reached out from the mist, grabbed the man's shoulders and dragged him backward.

I turned my head and looked.

They were the four classmates who had died earlier.

"You got kicked out, didn't you...?"

"Hehehe... Stay and keep us company."

"No! I don't want to stay with you! If you die, you'll all become ghosts!"

The man cried out and tried to struggle, but the hands behind him gripped him tightly like cold vises and dragged him backward.

"Brother Liu, save me! Save me—"

The man was completely drawn into the fog, and more swaying black shadows converged on him.

"Let's go, it's just bad luck, he can't blame anyone else!"

Liu Zitao walked in, his face pale, without daring to look back.

Lu, who was at the very back, withdrew his gaze, took out a hundred-yuan note from his pocket, and placed it in front of the ghost.

There was nothing I could do; the smallest denomination I had was one hundred.

"One hundred taels of 'impermanent money,' distinguished guest, please enter!"

This time, the ghosts' chanting was much higher in pitch, and they even added the words "distinguished guest".

But Lu Ye didn't move at all.

Turning his head, he saw a long line of faceless ghosts outside, carrying gift boxes of various sizes, all of whom had come to the Liu residence to give gifts.

Then he looked at the large box in front of him, which was full of congratulatory gifts.

Lu also gave the ghost in charge of collecting gifts a bright smile.

"Are you tired, bro? How about... I help you receive the gifts?"

"snort!"

The ghost looked up and glanced at the book, its hand holding a brush that seemed to have congealed blood, about to make a heavy stroke on the two characters "Lu Ye" written in the guestbook.

However, the next moment, the pen was blocked by the reckless human in front of him.

"Don't rush, let's discuss it some more. I think there's nothing in this world that can't be discussed."

With an even more charming smile, Lu Ye secretly slipped a Wuchang coin into the other hand of the Yin Ghost and patted it.

"Right?"

The ghost looked down.

A shiver of ghostly energy rippled across his body.

Damn, a thousand taels?

The ghost slowly raised its lifeless face.

He gave her a smile that was even more friendly than Lu Ye's.

"Young man, you really know how to care for people."

.........

"Another bribe?"

The crowd gathered on the playground of the Ghostly High School witnessed this scene.

The somber atmosphere was diluted.

"As a congratulatory gift, I gave one hundred coins of the Impermanence Coin, which is approximately equivalent to ten million Great Xia coins."

"Later, I secretly slipped in some money for the dead, but I don't know the exact amount."

"But for the eerie creature in the A-level dungeon to show such a smile and be willing to give up its position, the amount must be considerable."

"Is it worth spending so much money to get a job collecting congratulatory gifts for the Jiang family?"

The crowd now watching includes many formal trainees of the Ghost Hunter class.

Therefore, the focus is not on where Lu Ye got so much money from the dead.

The question is whether spending so much money on this uncertain thing is worth it.

Although buying a "job" in the "Settling Down" stage will be considered by the rules as increasing participation in some parts of the story.

However, it is clear that this input and output are not proportional at all.

Even if they manage to survive and receive the reward, it will definitely be a losing proposition.

"No, he's accepting those strange congratulatory gifts."

"I know, he's collecting gifts on behalf of the Jiang family."

"But look, he didn't put the gifts he received in that box."

"Where did he put it?"

"He put it in his own pocket."

"???"

........

"No! We can't just sit here like this!"

In a gloomy and drafty dilapidated woodshed.

Liu Zitao snapped a dead branch in his hand and got up to walk outside.

"Brother Liu, where are you going?"

"We finally have a moment to catch our breath, shouldn't we take a break?"

"The more you do, the more mistakes you make, Brother Liu, be careful, people could die! This is a level A eerie instance!"

The others offered their advice.

Finally, the grueling task of escorting the bride was over.

It's one thing if they don't give you a drop of water or a bite to eat.

They even sent all the remaining survivors to stay in this dilapidated woodshed.

But so be it, it's rotten.

At least it's a "safe zone," so there's no need to worry about dying for now.

"You know nothing! If we don't deepen the plot, even if we manage to get out of here alive, we'll still be useless! Do you want to be useless?" Liu Zitao looked at the others with disdain.

"I don't want to, but... I don't want to die even more."

"Then you all stay here, I'm going to become a genius!"

Liu Zitao pushed open the wooden gate and left without looking back, cursing under his breath.

"Damn cowards. I was thinking of finding a few to distract them and make them scapegoats, but it seems that won't work now."

"However, the protective artifact on my body gives me two more chances to save my life. As long as I don't provoke any extremely dangerous monsters, I shouldn't die."

Touching the strangely patterned jade pendant at his waist, he noticed a new crack on it, a result of the attack that had saved him from certain death when he knocked on the door earlier.

"You need to have a job so that the rules will recognize your participation in the dungeon storyline..."

The backyard was filled with eerie activity, and Liu Zitao walked very carefully, trying to minimize his presence.

They quickly identified a target.

Judging from the nameplate on his waist, he should be a minor steward in charge of the backyard.

"Sir...I wonder if you need any help? I'm strong and can definitely help you out!"

Thanks to having watched period dramas before, Liu Zitao was able to use such a convoluted phrase.

Moreover, while speaking, he had already secretly taken out a crumpled 10-yuan note and handed it over.

That's equivalent to casually giving away a million dollars; it's heartbreaking.

The weird creatures in the A-level weird dungeons have huge appetites!

But the effect is clearly significant.

The steward skillfully touched the money in his hand, and his gloomy expression softened considerably.

"You're strong, aren't you?"

"Yes, you can endure hardship!"

"Then go pick up some manure."

The steward was so busy that his feet barely touched the ground as he walked, turning back to give instructions as he went.

"Remember to mix it well and sprinkle it in the vegetable garden. You have to apply it three times. The top scholar is getting married these two days and we need vegetables. They need to grow a lot. Work hard."

Liu Zitao was struck dumb.

I stood there stunned for a long time.

"What are you standing there for? There are many guests now, so let's do this while it's hot. If you don't handle this well, I'll throw you away as fertilizer."

"yes........"

Liu Zitao caught the pass thrown at him, picked up his load from the side, and headed towards the stinking outhouse.

"vomit--"

After vomiting seven or eight times, he finally filled a load with the strange excrement, then mixed it with water to make it into sewage. He then carried the load, swaying, past the gate of the house.

Then suddenly, they saw Lu Ye standing impeccably at the entrance of the Jiang residence, receiving gifts.

The guests all bowed and presented their heavy gifts with both hands.

Liu Zitao stumbled.

He almost fell headfirst into the sewage.