The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 261 Tongtian Pavilion is a complete rip-off.
As soon as the ghost went in, Lang Jiuchuan's little paper figure quietly climbed onto his trouser leg and came in.

He sensed something was wrong, looked down, and saw the man, whose nickname was Mr. Liu Feng and whose real name was Sheng Huai'an, had just sat down. He looked up and asked, "Manager Piao?"

A-Piao kicked the air, cursed Lang Jiuchuan in his heart, and laughed, "I have long heard of Mr. Liu Feng's extraordinary demeanor, but seeing him in person, he is indeed remarkable."

He looked at the refined man in front of him, trying to discern something from his face, but whether it was because he had been an official for a long time and thus had a deep-seated cunning, or because he was simply innocent, he couldn't see anything amiss.

No, if there's no problem, Lang Jiu wouldn't have made so many underhanded moves.

He's already sitting here. If Lang Jiuchuan wants to know any news, he...

As a dead person, he won't follow the morals of the living. If she offers him some good incense, he'll definitely tell her everything he knows.

We're all on the same side.

Lang Jiuchuan probably knew this too, but she insisted on bringing a small paper doll to spy on him. Did she think Sheng Huai'an was inappropriate?

Indeed, although Lang Jiuchuan had only met Sheng Huai'an once, she felt somewhat uneasy after hearing his evaluation from Master Xue. Especially since the remnant soul she had picked up was attached to Sheng Huai'an's newly published collection, and now that this person had appeared, the remnant soul was acting violently. All these strange things naturally made her concerned.

She had only exchanged glances with him, yet she had already caught a glimpse of his sinister gaze. How could a learned scholar have such a look in his eyes?

Even if one doesn't have a temper like Master Xue, and is proud and aloof, one's eyes shouldn't be sinister or filled with malice.

With such eyes, one can only say that this person is extremely guarded and ruthless.

Another thing is that there's something strange about him. She was afraid that the ghost wouldn't notice, so she made little paper figures as eyes and ears.

Upon entering this place, she sensed an unusual and intense aura. It was not merely the auspicious energy of a scholar, but rather the presence of a magical artifact.

The ghost sat opposite him. As a paper ghost, he felt a little uncomfortable when he got close. Fortunately, his paper body was extraordinary, otherwise he would have been bounced out.

The ghost remained outwardly calm, secretly channeling its ghostly power to suppress its discomfort. It looked at Sheng Huai'an and asked with a smile, "I wonder if you've come to buy or sell information, sir?"

Sheng Huai'an reached for the silk pouch at his waist and said, "Is it rumored that Tongtian Pavilion can buy any kind of information?"

"Information is also divided into levels, and the price varies depending on the level. Let's see if the price is right. If it is, then we can buy it." A Piao said calmly, "If we accept the order but cannot deliver the information, we will not only refund the full amount, but our organization will also compensate half of the amount as a penalty for breach of contract."

Sheng Huai'an asked, "What about finding people?" He paused, then said, "To be more precise, what if I wanted to find a ghost?"

Ah Piao's eyes flashed, and she said, "It's not that our organization can't take on the task of finding people or ghosts, but we believe that it would be more cost-effective for you to consult a geomancer for such a job."

Sheng Huai'an was visibly taken aback, raising an eyebrow and asking, "Does the shopkeeper not want to take my order?"

"I was just telling the gentleman that there were better options."

Sheng Huai'an tapped the table lightly and said, "If we could find it, there would be no need to come to your esteemed establishment, as the price is quite high."

"Sir, have you already searched?" Ah Piao squinted and said, "If you are looking for a ghost, since you can't find one, either its soul has been scattered or it has been reincarnated in the underworld. Why are you still so persistent?"

"This person is very important to me, and he must not have entered the underworld." Sheng Huai'an's refined face darkened slightly; he couldn't have entered. He made this conclusion.

"May I ask, sir, why are you so certain?"

Sheng Huai'an froze, his eyes sharp and sinister as he looked at Shopkeeper Piao.

Shopkeeper Piao was not frightened at all and calmly said, "When a person dies, the lamp goes out and the soul returns to the underworld. If it does not return, it becomes a wandering ghost, and its final fate is either to be scattered or to be devoured and torn apart by other evil ghosts. How can you be sure that he is still in the human world?"

Sheng Huai'an's expression changed several times, as if he was suppressing his emotions, and he said, "I have my own channels for this. I just want to know if Tongtian Pavilion can take this order?"

Shopkeeper Piao curled his fingers and tapped them rhythmically, the sound like a tap on one's heart, making one feel somewhat anxious.

As Sheng Huai'an watched the other person's slender fingers tap lightly and listened to the crisp tapping sound, his face gradually showed irritation and some unease. It was as if he had fallen into a fog, and the fog turned into thin threads that wrapped around him, tightening and tightening, making it hard for him to breathe.

Not right.

Sheng Huai'an suddenly reached for the purse at his waist, pinched the magic artifact inside, and the scalding hot artifact instantly brought him back to his senses. He realized that he had fallen into a demonic possession, and was immediately terrified, cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He stared intently at Shopkeeper Piao, then suddenly stood up. The shopkeeper had stopped tapping on the table, his eyes indifferent.

The usually refined Da Xian just wanted to curse. What Tongtian Pavilion? As long as you can afford the money, you can buy any information. If he hadn't had no other choice, he wouldn't have thought of trying this place.

But unexpectedly, the deal fell through, and he almost fell into a trap.

This damned Tongtian Pavilion is a total rip-off!
The strange shopkeeper in front of him was also a scoundrel. He didn't believe that the knocking sound was unintentional; he was trying to trick him into revealing information.

Sheng Huai'an said in a deep voice, "It seems that your esteemed establishment does not intend to accept my order. Then I will take my leave."

Shopkeeper Piao glanced almost imperceptibly at the purse at his waist and said, "Mr. Liu Feng, why don't you tell me what kind of ghost you're looking for?"

"No need." If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he would ruin himself.

He strode towards the door, and as soon as he opened it, he heard the shopkeeper's chilly voice behind him.

"Mr. Liu Feng, are you controlling ghosts? Now that he's escaped, are you planning to capture him and bring him back?"

Sheng Huai'an was immediately shocked. He turned his head sharply and stared intently at Manager Piao, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

When the ghost saw this, its brows furrowed. Lang Jiu had indeed been right. The renowned scholar, deeply admired by students and whose book collection even sparked heated discussions, dared to control ghosts for his own use.
Controlling ghosts is not uncommon. His master kept him, and even Lang Jiuchuan kept Fu Qi, which can be considered a form of controlling ghosts, but it is different. They followed willingly, or to put it bluntly, they were willing to be ghost servants.

But what he hated most were those hypocritical, self-proclaimed righteous gentlemen who forcibly captured ghosts to achieve their own desires.

The sage before us has imprisoned a ghost spirit within him.

The ghost slowly got up, walked over, looked down at the pouch at his waist, and said, "Sir, why don't you take a look at the magical artifact in your pouch?"