The moment Qi Yuan was about to join the Knock Knock Ghost faction, he heard someone cry out loudly.
The murals that Xue Shiyun had just introduced rapidly faded in color, replaced by rows of golden words.
These golden words were different from the incomprehensible words. They looked like the ancient texts of some dynasty in Dragon Country.
Although the people in the hall could not really understand ancient texts, they could guess the general meaning by piecing similar characters together.
The golden words seemed to be specially prepared for those who had stumbled into Ghost Market. Skipping over the meaningless initial praises of the visitor's piety and so on,
the remaining content meant that if one wished to leave, one had to piously worship the God of the city. One had to summon the spirits with the Yin-Yang Five Elements Incense. The God of the city would then judge whether this person could return to the world of the living.
If the judgement was passed, the God of the city would give the visitor a pass. Holding the pass, going in and out of the entrance plaque of Ghost Market seven times would allow one to return to the human world.
One thing to note was that no matter what one heard when passing through the entrance, one must not look back.
After reading the golden words, the people in the hall looked towards the offering table. Five incense sticks rose with curling smoke in the incense burner. Beside the table stood that extraordinarily handsome youth.
It seemed...
Just now it was also him who had suggested coming to the temple of the God of the city to take a look...
This man must not be... unbefriended!
A moment later, Cheng Yizhou reacted and laughed loudly, "Qi Yuan, you rascal. You obviously had ideas but were hiding them, preparing a surprise for us, right?"
The others had also lit incense sticks earlier, but only three each.
He had lit five sticks straight away. Cheng Yizhou did not believe for a second that Qi Yuan had done so by chance.
Qi Yuan was also somewhat stunned. This works too?!
Seeing everyone look at him expectantly, waiting for his next step, if anyone still believed that Qi Yuan knew nothing at this point, they must be a fool.
But since the God of the city had not appeared, how to follow the instructions?!
Weren't they stuck right at the judgement stage?
Suddenly, Xue Shiyun's eyes widened, "I understand!"
Cheng Yizhou also had an knowing smile, fully comprehending.
The others also came to a realization one after another. Some exchanged looks with those around them, showing they understood without needing to say it aloud. Some slapped their foreheads, shocked that such a simple thing had required a reminder before they reacted.
"Let's go try it out."
"The young have nimble minds. I have to admit my inferiority."
"You're only forty. Don't act like an old man."
Lv Cheng once again followed the majority in confusion. Suddenly everyone understood, yet he still seemed like an idiot.
As he pondered deeply, he went with the flow to stand under the entrance plaque.
"Let me try."
Cheng Yizhou said as he touched the plaque, speaking to everyone.
"I should go instead. Captain Cheng."
Xue Shiyun was somewhat worried. If something happened to a B-rank esper, it would be a considerable loss for every city.
Especially since Cheng Yizhou was part of the patrol squad. Compared to espers from the Esper Association dawdling around, it was more reassuring to have one of their own people handle things.
"My abilities are stronger than yours, so it's better for me to deal with any incidents."
After speaking, he noticed Qi Yuan and added,
"Of course, Qi Yuan's abilities are on par with mine. I'm just more experienced. Let me test the waters for everyone first."
Standing under the plaque, Lv Cheng finally understood.
Right now, there were neither gods nor ghosts.
Judgement and passes alike, these were all rules imposed on humans by gods and ghosts.
Ordinary people feared ghosts, so they needed passes for their own protection. But they did not require such things.
Cheng Yizhou went in and out of the entrance seven times. On the last time out, he disappeared from everyone's view.
Not long later, he returned.
Cheng Yizhou was relaxed. He explained to everyone, "As expected, just as I thought, since it's an exit, it can also be an entrance."
There were cheers among the crowd. Someone shouted,
"That's great. Now we can leave."
Lv Cheng went to Qi Yuan's side and gave him a thumbs up.
"Brother Yuan, I have to admit defeat."
Lv Cheng acknowledged he had been too rash, failing to grasp the implications. Earlier, he had actually thought Brother Yuan was spouting nonsense just like him.
This reminded him of that day when Qi Yuan had so casually toyed with him.
When the two returned to the indoor stadium in Ghost Market, they realized Qiao Bai had been abandoned at the temple of the God of the city.
Qiao Bai looked at them reproachfully, trying to awaken their conscience.
But sadly, they had no conscience.
Qi Yuan and Lv Cheng pretended not to see him and went to leave Ghost Market with the three children.
Xue Shiyun led the patrol squad to orderly evacuate the students and teachers trapped in Ghost Market.
Voices clamored excitedly. Some sixth grade students had reached puberty. They couldn't help sneaking peeks at Qi Yuan.
A few girls gathered together, whispering about something and occasionally bursting into laughter, slapping their girlfriends' shoulders.
Qi Yuan only glanced briefly before losing interest and averting his gaze.
After awakening his psychic powers, the first lesson he learned was not to wonder what others were thinking.
Sometimes, girls could be just as murky as boys...
Don't ask how he knew that...
Back at school, they waited a while before the domains completely merged and ended.
When parting, Xiao Qian suddenly stopped them.
Just as Qi Yao thought his performance in Ghost Market had captured Xiao Qian's maiden heart,
in that instant, he smiled foolishly, fantasizing about how many children they would have in the future and what to name them.
Then he heard Xiao Qian say in her tender voice, "Brother Yuan, when I grow up, can you marry me? I want to be your bride."
Crack!
The hearts of the two little boys shattered.
...
In a certain shopping mall,
Lv Cheng immediately spotted Qi Yuan and waved at him.
Qi Yuan naturally exuded an aura in the crowd. People all around made way, retreating three paces, but beyond three paces was definitely a circle of onlookers.
As Qi Yuan approached, Lv Cheng spoke first, "I didn't expect you to actually agree to help out?"
Previously, they had helped a long-haired beauty. Following his philosophy of adding any pretty girl's WeChat, Lv Cheng added her.
On a certain day after leaving Ghost Market, the woman had asked if he could help pass on a message, asking if Qi Yuan was free to help her out. She would pay the standard rate to hire espers.
Lv Cheng had of course...refused.
Joking aside, he was also an esper. Why should only Qi Yuan get to help?
But the woman politely declined him, saying only Qi Yuan could help her, and indicated she had already contacted Qi Yuan through the Esper Association. He had agreed.
Seeing this, Lv Cheng couldn't sit still. He immediately said he would tag along to see just what had moved Qi Yuan.

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!

ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"