A master of comedy!

Stepping through that dark door, Zhou Sheng immediately felt a strong sense of weightlessness, his whole body spinning as if he had fallen into a deep well.

However, this process only lasted for a few breaths before he felt a sense of grounding.

Upon closer inspection, everything around was shrouded in a dark mist, as if veiled in a light gauze, blocking all prying eyes. Even one's divine eyes and spiritual senses seemed to be ineffective here.

Only one magnificent high-rise building was clearly visible, without any haze or smog.

The plaque above the door bears three large, distorted, and strange characters: Lao Gui Zhai (Old Ghost Studio).

The handwriting wasn't very neat; it looked like scribbles, messy and illegible, like grotesque ghostly figures, exuding an eerie aura.

On either side is a couplet.

"Selling all sentient beings of the three realms, selling the karma of a thousand autumns."

The horizontal inscription reads: "Prices are determined by fate."

Looking at the couplet, Zhou Sheng's eyes flickered, and he thought to himself that the host here had quite the arrogance.

However, considering that even the Buddhist treasure of the Eight Merits Water is included, it's not too much of an exaggeration.

He strode toward the Old Ghost's Abode, but before he even stepped inside, he suddenly heard a Peking Opera tune, the melody of Lotus Flower Ballad.

"Mu Guiying was born beautiful, like a fairy from the moon. She had willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, and her black hair was tied up in a cloud-like bun. She walked like a willow swaying in the wind, and her bound feet were only three inches long."

"She only said one sentence to me, and I was lovesick for more than ten days..."

Zhou Sheng's eyes lit up slightly. Although the singing style was a bit vulgar, it was quite charming and showed some skill. In some smaller theaters, it could even be performed on stage.

Could it be that the owner of Lao Gui Zhai also enjoys opera?
Perhaps he was also a practitioner of occult arts?

As he stepped into the house, the opera singing abruptly stopped, and a middle-aged man of medium height, with a round face and a light beard, and a cheerful smile, hurriedly came to greet him.

"My name is Xu Zhao. I have met Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Zhou Sheng looked him up and down, then nodded and said, "Jiao Zan sang well. Has Boss Xu ever been on stage?"

The scene just now was from "Mu Ke Zhai," and the other person was singing Jiao Zan.

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhao's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "It seems you are an expert. I'm just showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu."

"To be honest, I am a 12-year veteran actor, and I have indeed performed on stage as Jiao Zan. I can play a few notes on the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) that are 'better than a dog scratching a door,' but that's all. I was able to perform on stage purely because the bosses were kind to me."

Xu Zhao spoke modestly, and Zhou Sheng's gaze swept over his palm, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He saw a corner of the coin, as well as the calluses on the other person's hand and fingertips.

This is a master of hidden weapons, probably skilled in using flying coins to strike pressure points, and those Arhat coins are no ordinary items, they must be magical artifacts.

"Mr. Xu is too modest."

While being polite, Zhou Sheng carefully observed the place and found that the furnishings and layout were very ordinary, and there were no goods on display. It didn't look like a business, but rather like an ordinary residence.

“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, you misunderstand. I am not the owner of this place, but just a waiter who came here specifically to greet you.”

"pick me up?"

Zhou Sheng was somewhat surprised.

"That's right. My manager said that we will have distinguished guests visiting today, and asked me to come here to greet them. We absolutely cannot neglect them."

"Brother Xu—"

"You're too kind. I'm the second oldest in my family. If you don't mind, you can just call me Xu Er."

"Alright, Xu Er, this is my first time here. Could you please introduce me to Lao Gui Zhai?"

Zhou Sheng is still full of confusion about this Old Ghost Studio.

"Of course, let's talk as we walk."

As Xu Zhao spoke, he picked up an umbrella that was placed in the corner of the wall. It was an "oiled paper" umbrella with a copper frame, iron shaft, and fire-resistant cloth cover. When opened, an octagonal wind chime fell down, hanging from a wire, but strangely, it did not make a sound.

Holding an umbrella indoors?

As Zhou Sheng was wondering, he saw Xu Zhao push open a wooden door, behind which was a long corridor with paintings hanging on the walls on both sides.

There were beautiful ladies, generals wielding halberds, soaring eagles, and fierce tigers descending the mountain, as well as various demons and monsters from supernatural tales. Zhou Sheng's expression sharpened as he keenly noticed the gazes fixed upon him.

The moment he appeared, all the figures, ferocious beasts, and demons in the painting moved their eyes.

These paintings are not dead, but alive!

If it were an ordinary person, even a strong man with plenty of yang energy, being stared at by so many pairs of eyes filled with yin energy would either kill him or make him seriously ill.

Ding-a-ling~
The wind chimes under the umbrella suddenly rang, deflecting the prying gazes.

Zhou Sheng then understood why Xu Zhao had been holding an umbrella indoors.

"These paintings are all from my family's collection. They live in the Old Ghost Studio year-round and are used to being alone. They are bound to be a little excited when they see strangers, so please don't be offended."

Xu Zhao held an umbrella over Zhou Sheng as they walked.

Indeed, as he said, Zhou Sheng could feel the umbrella swaying slightly and hear all sorts of strange noises as he walked under each painting.

In fact, with his magical powers, it wouldn't be difficult for him to suppress these "dirty things," but since he's new here, it would be best to keep a low profile.

At the end of the corridor was a painting of a beautiful skeleton.

The woman in the painting removes her skin, revealing her skeletal body, and applies makeup to the skin with a vermilion brush, which looks extremely eerie.

When Zhou Sheng passed by, she put on the skin bag, looked at Zhou Sheng's tall and straight figure, and smelled the abundant yang energy. Her eyes lit up and she actually flicked her hand out of the painting.

The wind chimes suddenly became more urgent, and the umbrella shook violently, as if facing a gale.

Clearly, this skeleton beauty was no ordinary person; she was able to break through the protective umbrella and attempt to drag Zhou Sheng into the painting.

Zhou Sheng frowned, just as he was about to make a move, when a golden light flashed before his eyes.

"You wretched child, do not disturb our honored guest!"

With a shout, Xu Zhao sent the Arhat Coin flying from his fingertips like a golden light that subdued demons, causing the skeletal beauty to scream in agony.

The umbrella returned to calm, and the skeletal beauty in the painting now had a red-hot brand on her exquisitely crafted and beautiful skin, shaped exactly like a copper coin.

"I'm sorry you had to see this."

Xu Zhao stretched out his hand, and the golden Arhat coin swirled around his fingertips before finally flying into his sleeve.

Zhou Sheng gave him a deep look. The other man had a humble smile on his face, like a shrewd businessman, completely different from his performance of repelling the demon with a flick of his finger just now.

If a mere waiter possesses such extraordinary abilities, then what level of cultivation must the so-called manager have?

"What kind of business do you Old Ghost Shop run?"

Zhou Sheng continued walking without making a sound, asking questions aloud.

Upon hearing this question, Xu Zhao revealed a mysterious and proud smile, and said, "Our Old Ghost Shop sells something special."

"what?"

"desire."

"desire?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes; he clearly hadn't expected this answer.

"My boss is called Old Ghost. No one knows his origins, but he has extraordinary abilities. As long as you can afford the price, he can grant any wish."

"Of course, the bigger the wish, the more expensive it will be."

After a pause, Xu Zhao closed his umbrella and stood still.

Ahead stood a vermilion gate, adorned with mysterious golden patterns, as if sealing away some indescribable entity.

Xu Zhao didn't dare to take another step forward.

"Our staff can only go this far. Please open the door, our manager is waiting inside."

...(End of this chapter)