Pokémon: Starting as a Farmer Instead of a Trainer

Chapter 156 The Curse of Beishang Township, There Really Is a Ghost!

Hearing Mingyou's apology, Qishu realized that he was still live streaming after a while, so he quickly looked at the live stream.

"Waaaaah... My popularity is absolutely going to plummet! How did I manage to faint from fright?!"

She was extremely anxious, but upon seeing the data in her live stream, her expression froze: "Seventh in peak popularity? What happened? I was so scared I almost fainted..."

"It seems to have scared quite a few people, and then the word spread. It's really quite terrifying to think about. It doesn't rely on ghosts and spirits to frighten people. The more you experience, the deeper your understanding of the strange core will become..."

The assistant, who was watching the live stream outside, said, "It's really a novel haunted house. I'm amazed that you guys could come up with it and even design it."

"Ha ha……"

Mingyou smiled awkwardly, realizing that she had never actually been inside the haunted house and only knew about its contents.

The Night Demon has been agile for hundreds of years and has studied how to scare people extensively. Simply jumping out to startle you is the most basic approach.

The truly sophisticated way to scare people is through Chinese-style horror, which makes things that are originally familiar become both familiar and strange, ultimately leading to a chilling realization upon closer examination.

It's not that we moved the strange tree's old home here, but no matter what, in that environment, the earth can always find things that are familiar to it and gradually feel that everything around it is familiar.

This gradually breaks down the defenses psychologically, completely crushing the person's spirit, and then it's time to eat... At this point, the energy is at its most delicious.

Of course, Mingyou does not allow the haunted house staff to hurt people; they will only scare people, not eat them.

At this moment, Qi Shu nodded happily: "Hehe, the traffic has finally returned, all thanks to your haunted house! No need for compensation for emotional distress, how about letting me experience it again! But I want to try the daytime difficulty."

She was still a little scared. There really were ghosts at night. She felt that if she hadn't been woken up, she would have been trapped in the dream and wouldn't have been able to get out. She felt suffocated and helpless.

Upon hearing this, Mingyou asked, somewhat puzzled, "Huh? Aren't you in a hurry to go back?"

"Go cancel my plane ticket. I'll go back for Chinese New Year before the end of the year. I haven't even experienced the hot springs yet; I can't let this trip be a waste!"

Qi Shu called to her assistant, explaining that she wanted to experience all the themes of the haunted house over the next few days, and since the tourist season was approaching, she could also livestream the winter scenery and traditional food of Beishang Township.

For example, she bought and ate sticky rice cakes at Taoze Store near the Civic Center yesterday. They were peach-flavored and tasted really good.

Moreover, in this world, all regions celebrate the Lunar New Year on the last day of the year. Today's haunted house experience made her feel a bit like her parents, and she plans to take a two-week break from broadcasting during the Lunar New Year this year to go back and spend more time with them.

"Oh well!"

Since Qishu wanted to continue live streaming in the haunted house for a few more days, Mingyou was overjoyed. Although there was a small accident, the publicity effect was indeed good. When the year-end and beginning of the year tourist season arrive, there will definitely be many tourists who come specifically to experience it.

"Then we'll head back now. We need to adjust our mindset, and we also need to edit the live stream clips... I feel like I might have nightmares again tonight."

Qi Shu waved his sleeve and then left with his assistant. The remaining onlookers also left amidst their conversation.

However, most of them clearly had a slight aversion to haunted houses and avoided them. Some older people in Beishang Township were still quite superstitious and believed more in ghosts and monsters.

Only after all these people left did Mingyou breathe a sigh of relief. Then she looked at the Night Demon and asked, "Now you can tell me, right? What exactly happened? It's definitely not that simple."

He runs a haunted house, so ensuring the safety of his guests is definitely his top priority. Today might be an accident, but what if it happens again tomorrow? Then it won't be an accident anymore; it'll be the end of the business.

"Hehehe..."

The Night Demon nodded. There were too many people earlier, so it couldn't say directly that the previous accident wasn't entirely due to the haunted house, but rather that the human himself had a problem.

From the moment that human entered, it sensed a strange spiritual energy emanating from him... As everyone knows, Ghost-type Pokémon do not have life energy, but rely on spiritual energy to survive. As long as the spiritual energy does not dissipate, they can continue to live.

"You mean, Qishu smelled like other Ghost-type Pokémon, which is why that accident happened when she was challenging the haunted house?"

"Hehehe~"

That's roughly it, but that's not enough to fully explain it.

The human was probably trapped in some kind of hallucination, but the power of that Ghost-type Pokémon amplified the hallucination and almost controlled it.

"I remember that Qishu's ace Pokémon was a Mismagius... Given Mismagius's abilities, it's normal for it to control this kind of thing."

Mingyou nodded gently. It was indeed just an accident, so she could rest assured. However, another question arose: where did the hallucination that Qishu experienced come from?

"Mmm..."

Upon hearing this, Simocha attempted to slip away quietly, but Mingyou instantly noticed its movements: "So, you're one of those heavyweights, huh!"

"Mmm..."

"Alright, the truth is out."

Mingyou rubbed his forehead and shook his head, finally letting out a sigh of relief. He hadn't expected that it was Simocha who was behind it all, which had almost ruined his own reputation.

"Mmm..."

Simocha disguised itself as a tea canister to minimize its presence and avoid being scolded again.

However, Mingyou said he would definitely say something, but just then, a figure slowly walked towards them from a distance. It was already past midnight, and the time to watch the excitement had passed, which made him a little curious, so he greeted him.

"Uncle, is there something you need?"

He recognized the other person as Xue Zhong, the grandfather of Dan Yu and Wu Li. He had visited the haunted house a few days ago, but he didn't know why he was here so late.

At this moment, Xuezhong also stopped, bent down, and responded with a shout. Then, he said anxiously, "Looks like I'm not too late. I heard from the people who went back that the haunted house is really haunted?"

"Actually, it's not that..."

Mingyou explained the truth, and Xuezhong nodded slightly after listening, saying, "It's alright... but I came here to tell you something, it's best if this haunted house doesn't continue to operate."

"Huh? Why?"

Mingyou didn't refuse immediately, but was curious.

Xuezhong responded, "A few days ago, after seeing the haunted house, I suddenly remembered something and went back to check the books my father left behind. That's when I learned... there really are ghosts in Beishang Township!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Mingyou's face instantly darkened, and he waved his hand, saying, "If you're talking about the ghost that killed the treasure companions, then forget it. This kind of story is completely unbelievable!"

"It's not the Cursed Pagoda..."

"Um?!"

Hearing the other party call out Ponpo's name, both Mingyou and Ponpo, who was hiding not far away, were very surprised.

"Not 'Evil Spirit Pagoda'... what does that mean?"

"Egui Peng is the name of the ghost that appears in the Bao Ban story, but in fact, there were ghost legends in Beishang Township long before Bao Ban was killed... or even earlier. Ghost Mountain is actually named after this, not because the ghost appeared after Bao Ban was killed."

Xuezhong revealed some shocking truths: long before Pengpeng was branded a "ghost," there were already ghosts in Beishang Township? What era was that?

"Hmm..."

Not to mention Mingyou and Pengpeng, even the Night Demon, who had lived in Beishang Township for hundreds of years and dreamed of dominating Ghost Mountain and becoming the Ghost King, had no idea about this.

"Uncle, please explain in detail!"

Mingyou's attitude changed instantly, and she became eager to know the truth about the "ghost".

Xuezhong stroked his beard and continued, "In the stories my father told me when I was a child, ghosts were a curse that accompanied Beishang Township. When something special happened in Beishang Township, ghosts would appear and cause chaos in the township."

"So I'm very worried that this haunted house, which is different from the traditions of Kitakami Township and is the first thing created to break with tradition and attract tourists... especially with such a sensitive theme as a haunted house, could very well lead to ghosts reappearing in Kitakami Township!"

Xuezhong spoke in a serious tone, but he was only there to give a reminder; he wasn't actually a superstitious person.

However, he did not believe that the legend of the "ghost" was unfounded, because the ghost could be found in the history of Beishang Township.

"Is it a curse...?"

Mingyou stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Ponpon is not a ghost, that's absolutely certain, but I never expected that the title of "ghost" came from something else. Ponpon has been blamed for the other party's actions.

"This person can throw Beishang Township into chaos; what kind of expert is this? Let them appear!"

Mingyou was quite eager to see it.

It is estimated that Ponpo killed three treasure companions in Beishang Township, and was regarded by the people of Beishang Township at that time as a ghost that would cause chaos in Beishang Township.

It was bad enough that I was wronged because of the three births, but now I'm being blamed for it...

Thinking of all this, he looked at Xuezhong and said with a smile, "Don't worry too much, Uncle. If the ghost really appears, we'll take care of it. Besides, it will prove that a legend is real. I'm sure many people will be looking forward to that, right?"

Seeing the other party's confidence, Xuezhong sighed and said, "Alright then... It's clear that the young man is quite capable; I often hear about you from the administrators. But don't be too careless; the abilities of demons... can be very powerful, and they're also cunning!"

"Don't worry, I can assemble a Demon Slayer Corps in no time and take it down."

As she spoke, Mingyou suddenly remembered something and asked with a smile, "By the way, Uncle, are Danyu and Wuli going on vacation soon?"

"The holiday starts in a few days, but why are you asking this?"

"They are my friends."

Mingyou responded with a smile, and at the same time, she was also looking forward to it. Perhaps this time she would be fighting against Wuli. She had heard that he had changed a lot!

……

(End of this chapter)