I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Royal Dragon Bay, Villa No. 13.

The atmosphere in the living room was subtly harmonious.

Jiang Li sat cross-legged on the expensive leather sofa (although it was secondhand), munching on cookies that Su Qingge had brought, while complaining to his beautiful neighbor about the house's various "flaws".

"Hey, Ms. Su, do you think this developer is out of their mind? Such a big house, and they don't even have heating? I have to install an air conditioner myself."

"And this light, it was flickering just now, like in a disco. It took me a lot of effort to fix it (actually, the female ghost was eaten by Big Yellow)."

Su Qingge sat upright to the side, holding a disposable paper cup in both hands (Jiang Li hadn't had time to buy a tea set yet), with a polite but awkward smile on her face, but her heart was already churning with turmoil.

"Is it fixed?"

She clicked her tongue inwardly in amazement.

That's a [paranormal magnetic field interference]! It usually requires a mental awakener of B rank or above to set up a purification barrier to eliminate it, and this big shot actually said he "fixed" it?

Indeed, the greatest truths are the simplest!

In the eyes of experts, this level of paranormal phenomenon is probably as simple as a faulty circuit connection.

"Mr. Jiang is truly... resourceful," Su Qingge exclaimed sincerely. "You've found the right person to take care of this house."

"That's right, four and a half million! Even if it's a haunted house, I'd turn it into a five-star hotel!"

Jiang Li patted his chest, ready to boast about his glorious years as a cleaner.

Just then.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

A dull thud suddenly came from deep within the floor beneath our feet.

The sound was loud, even causing the ground to tremble slightly, and even the paper cups on the table rippled.

Big Yellow was sleeping in its den when it heard the sound. It suddenly raised its head, a fierce glint flashing in its triangular eyes as it stared intently at the door leading to the basement.

Su Qingge's expression changed instantly.

Her keen senses as an S-class investigator told her that an intense, nauseating stench of corpses and earth was emanating wildly from the basement!

The intensity of this aura...

Grade B!

It's definitely a Grade B or higher evil spirit!

"Could it be the evil spirit that accompanied that female ghost from before?"

Su Qingge subconsciously reached for her waist (where a folding tactical knife was hidden), her eyes sharpening. "Senior, be careful, there seems to be something in the basement..."

"Oh shit!"

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Li stood up cursing and slammed the cookies in her hand onto the table.

"This shabby house! I knew you get what you pay for!"

Jiang Li looked exasperated. "I heard noises in the basement earlier, and I thought a water pipe had burst. This sounds like... a mouse infestation?"

"A mouse?" Su Qingge was taken aback.

What kind of rat could cause such an earthquake-like commotion? That's a Class B evil spirit attacking the seal!

"These days, even rats are clever enough to destroy the house!"

Jiang Li grabbed a shovel left behind by the renovation team from the corner and stormed off to the basement.

"Big Yellow! Wake up! Come with me to catch mice! I'll give you extra food tonight!"

Upon hearing "extra meal," Big Yellow immediately perked up, wagging its tail and following along. It could smell it; the big creature below had firm, aged meat (often a zombie), and was quite chewy!

Su Qingge watched the backs of the person and the dog, hesitated for a moment, and then followed them.

"Although you are strong, what if there are traps down there... I have to lend a hand."

……

Basement entrance.

A cold, musty smell wafted over.

Jiang Li pressed a switch.

"Clatter".

The light is off.

"Damn, even the basement lights are broken. We've been paying the property management fees for nothing."

Jiang Li cursed, took out his newly bought Huawei phone, and turned on the flashlight function.

A blinding light pierced the darkness in an instant.

The basement was large and empty, except for an old well sealed with cement in the very center.

That was the former water source for this villa, and also the core of the legendary "gathering place of yin energy".

At that moment, the heavy concrete manhole cover was shaking violently, making loud noises.

"Thump! Thump!"

The cement on top has cracked, as if something terrifying is about to burst out of the ground.

Su Qingge stood at the top of the stairs, her hand tightly gripping a tactical knife, her palms sweaty.

She saw it.

Thick, black blood seeped from the cracks in the manhole cover, accompanied by low, guttural roars, like those of a wild beast or a vengeful ghost.

That's the [King of Ghouls] (Rank B)!

This creature lives in underground tombs year-round. It has thick skin, immense strength, and is highly poisonous, so even she has to put in some effort to deal with it.

"Senior, that's..." Su Qingge was about to remind her.

"Where did this commotion come from?"

Jiang Li shone his flashlight around and exclaimed, "Good heavens, is the sewer clogged? Or has a methane gas explosion occurred?"

He completely ignored the terrifying roar and walked over with the iron shovel in his hand.

"Bang!"

The moment Jiang Li approached, the manhole cover exploded completely.

Gravel flew everywhere.

A humanoid monster, over two meters tall, covered in black hair, with a blue face and fangs, jumped out of the well!

Its eyes were bloodshot, its claws were like steel knives, and it emitted a suffocating stench.

"roar--!!!"

The ghoul king let out a roar of renewed freedom, the sound shaking dust from the basement.

It saw the humans in front of it.

Fresh flesh and blood! Delicious soul!

It opened its blood-red maw and pounced on Jiang Li.

"Watch out!!" Su Qingge exclaimed in alarm, about to activate her ability to teleport and block the attack.

however.

Jiang Li's reaction was faster than hers... or more direct.

The flashlight beam shone on the monster's face.

In Jiang Li's field of vision (with the poverty filter on), he did not see any ghouls.

He only saw a creature that was taller than a person when standing up, filthy all over, with big front teeth...

"Holy crap! Such a huge rat?!"

Jiang Li was startled, followed by a wave of nausea and anger.

"Did this thing grow up on hormones? How can it be so big? If you were to settle down here, would I still want this multi-million dollar house?!"

"Die, you son of a bitch!!!"

Jiang Li roared and swung the iron shovel in his hand, smashing it down on the "big rat's" forehead!

This time, there were no fancy techniques, just a pure combination of power and anger.

"when--!!!"

A resounding boom, like the grandest bell.

The ghoul king's skull, as hard as iron, actually cracked with a crisp sound under this iron shovel.

"Snap!"

Its massive body suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if it had been paused.

Those bloodshot eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment.

It's a Class B evil spirit!

It has a body made of copper and iron that can even stop bullets!

Why did his head get split open by a rusty iron shovel?

"Aww—"

The ghoul king let out a scream that was distorted in tone, and was knocked to the ground by the shovel, creating a large crater.

Before it could even get up, Jiang Li had already rushed over.

"I'll teach you to destroy my house! I'll teach you to yell! I'll teach you to scare me!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Jiang Li, like a pile driver, slapped the "big rat" repeatedly.

Each strike carried immense force, causing the ground to tremble.

Su Qingge stood at the top of the stairs, staring in disbelief at the scene.

What did she see?

A mysterious powerful figure is using an ordinary farm tool to rub a B-grade evil spirit into the ground.

Moreover, although each strike lacked psionic energy fluctuations, it seemed to contain some kind of...

"The power of rules?"

Su Qingge muttered to herself, "Is that the legendary 'physical exorcism'? As long as the power is great enough, it can crush all evil?"

……

A few minutes later.

"Huff... huff..."

Jiang Li, leaning on the deformed iron paddle, wiped the sweat from his brow.

The "big rat" on the ground was no longer moving; its head had been flattened, and its limbs were twitching.

"This rat is really hard to catch; its skin is so thick."

Jiang Li rubbed the floor with the sole of his shoe in disgust. "It's filthy, all black water."

"Big Yellow! Do you want this thing? If not, I'll throw it away."

Big Yellow, who had been watching from the sidelines (drooling), couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Woof!" (Yes, yes, yes! This smells like an old, decaying corpse!)

Big Yellow rushed forward, bit the ghoul's neck, and swung it around forcefully.

The several hundred-pound corpse was dragged up by it as easily as if it were a rag doll.

"Click, click..."

With a few chilling chewing sounds, the B-grade evil spirit that struck fear into the hearts of the Night Watchmen became Big Yellow's midnight snack.

Jiang Li frowned as he watched.

"This dog is really... it eats everything, and it's not afraid of getting the plague."

He turned to look at Su Qingge, who was still in a daze, and smiled apologetically.

"Um... Miss Su, please excuse the sight. We just moved in and haven't cleaned the place yet, and there's such a big rat."

"I'll go upstairs and get you some disinfectant later. You can spray it on yourself so you don't bring germs back with you."

Su Qingge: "..."

A mouse?

You call that a mouse?

Looking at the remaining traces of the battle on the ground, and the black bloodstains on Big Yellow's mouth that hadn't been wiped clean, her perception of this "neighbor" was once again refreshed.

How could this be a reclusive master?

This is practically a walking, breathing taboo!

Treating B-grade evil spirits like mice, raising Tindaros hounds like mongrel dogs...

"No...it's okay, I don't mind."

Su Qingge put away her tactical knife and tried to make her expression look natural. "Mr. Jiang is really... skilled."

"Well, I got stronger from farming in the countryside."

Jiang Li waved his hand modestly, "Let's go, let's go upstairs, the basement smells too strong."

……

Back in the living room.

The lighting is bright, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere.

It was as if the bloody massacre in the basement just now was just an illusion.

"Um, Miss Su, that rat was really disgusting, and I've lost my appetite for snacks."

Jiang Li glanced at the cookies on the table and thought they were a bit dry.

"Perfect timing! A friend gave me a piece of fish yesterday, saying it was caught in the deep sea and is especially nutritious. How about... I show off my skills and make a fish soup for us to calm our nerves?"

He remembered that after distributing the meat to the sharks yesterday, he had deliberately saved the most prized piece of meat, the [Abyssal Giant Mouth Anglerfish Belly Meat].

That piece of meat has been kept fresh in that magical snakeskin bag, so it should still be very fresh.

"Fish?"

Su Qingge's heart skipped a beat.

Fish meat caught in the deep sea?

Could it be...?

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Jiang." She didn't refuse; instead, she was full of anticipation.

Jiang Li walked into the open kitchen and took out a piece of black fish meat weighing at least five pounds from the snakeskin bag.

As soon as the meat was taken out, a rich spiritual energy spread out, even forming a faint mist in the air.

Su Qingge's eyes narrowed.

That's... the essence of flesh and blood from a peak C-rank evil beast!

Moreover, it has undergone special treatment to remove most of the pollution and negative energy, leaving only the purest life energy!

Even the top chefs at state banquets in Beijing couldn't handle ingredients of this caliber!

"Sizzle—"

Jiang Li heated oil in a wok, sautéed scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant, and then slid the sliced ​​fish into the wok.

There are no fancy cooking techniques involved; it's just the simplest home-style cooking method.

But as the heat intensifies, an indescribable aroma bursts forth.

This fragrance is unlike anything in the mortal world; it carries a profound and fresh quality from the deep sea, and just one whiff makes your soul tremble.

"Ready! Sauerkraut and fish fillet soup!"

Ten minutes later, Jiang Li came out carrying a large bowl of steaming fish soup.

The broth is milky white, the fish slices are crystal clear, and the scallions are bright green.

"Here, have a taste."

Jiang Li served Su Qingge a bowl.

Su Qingge took the bowl with both hands, looked at the fish soup that seemed to be glowing, took a deep breath, and took a small sip.

"boom!"

The moment the soup entered her mouth, a massive surge of heat exploded within her body like a volcanic eruption.

That's not ordinary energy; it's high-purity life essence!

Her bottleneck, which had been stuck at the early stage of S-rank for a long time, actually loosened slightly under the impact of this energy!

Moreover, the slight damage to her mental strength caused by staring directly at evil spirits in the basement was instantly repaired and even made more resilient.

"this……"

Su Qingge stared wide-eyed at Jiang Li in disbelief.

The value of this bowl of soup is equivalent to a year of her cultivation!

Is this the boss's "home-cooked meal"?

It's practically a miracle drug!

"How is it? The taste is alright, isn't it?" Jiang Li looked at her expectantly. "Is it a little bland?"

"No...it's delicious."

Su Qingge put down her bowl and looked at the man who was gnawing on fish bones without any regard for his image with a complicated expression.

"Mr. Jiang, this fish... must be very rare?"

"Hey, what's so precious about it?"

Jiang Li spat out a bone. "There are plenty in the sea. If I want to eat them next time, I'll go catch a couple more."

"..."

Su Qingge fell silent.

Looking at Jiang Li, her decision became even more resolute.

This man is absolutely capable of changing the world order.

We must... cling to this powerful figure!

Mr. Jiang.

Su Qingge suddenly spoke, a stunning smile appearing on her face—the first time she had ever shown such a genuine smile in front of others.

"From now on, we'll be neighbors. Please take care of me."

"Of course, of course! A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative!" Jiang Li cheerfully raised his soup bowl. "Come on, bottoms up this bowl of fish soup!"

Outside the window, the night was deep.

In the basement of the villa, beneath the broken well, the surging black gas had completely dissipated.

In the deeper darkness, something seemed to sense the terrifying aura above, trembling with fear, and retreated back into the depths of the earth, never daring to show its face again.

That night, Villa No. 13 in Yulong Bay became the safest and most terrifying place in the entire Jianghai City.