"I'm sure!" Gao Jianfei nodded in confirmation.
Soon, another virtual display screen popped up. On the screen, a bunch of jumbled radio waves first appeared, then a piece of information lit up...
Ghost's name, ghost level, ghost's origin, gender, special skills in life,
The Masterful Scholar Zhu Cong, 2, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, Male, Dislocating Tendons and Bones Hand (Town Level), Empty Fist (City Level), Magic Trick (Provincial Level), Theft (Provincial Level)
This time, Zhu Cong's origins and specific strengths were directly revealed. The information on this virtual Level 2 ghost differs from that of real-world ghosts; it lacks the cause of death and age, but includes an additional description of its origin.
Gao Jianfei was quite satisfied with his first virtual level 2 ghost.
This skilled scholar, Zhu Cong, has three special talents: martial arts, magic tricks, and theft.
The term "magic trick" is probably an old folk term; in modern terms, it would be... magic.
Moreover, Zhu Cong's two special skills, magic tricks and theft, are extremely impressive, even surpassing his martial arts skills!
provincial!
At this moment, Gao Jianfei's exorcism points were also exhausted. He asked, "Next, what I need to do is to piece together Zhu Cong's soul completely and then take him into the second level of the Ghost Den, so that I can learn his special skills, right? However, I've used up all my exorcism points, what should I do?"
The intelligent program said, "Dear user, you don't need to worry. As long as you choose to piece together Zhu Cong's ghost, the Super Ghost Instrument will automatically piece it together, and the required exorcism points will be deducted little by little from the exorcism points you recover tomorrow. The number of exorcism points required to piece together Zhu Cong's soul is the same as his ghost, which is 580 points."
Next, a prompt box popped up again... (To assemble the level 2 ghost Zhu Cong's soul?)
(whether)
Gao Jianfei naturally chose (yes).
In this way, a progress bar directly overwrote Zhu Cong's data; however, the progress bar showed... 0%.
The intelligent program said, "Dear user, please don't worry. After midnight today, your exorcism points will begin to recover. The recovered exorcism points will be directly used to assemble Zhu Cong's soul. You can rest assured and sleep well. Tomorrow, Zhu Cong's soul will be fully assembled and placed in Ghost Nest 2-1."
"Okay, then I estimate that I'll be able to see the virtual level 2 ghost Zhu Cong sometime tomorrow afternoon, or at the latest tomorrow evening. Hmm, no problem!" Gao Jianfei smiled. "Okay, I'll enter the ghost's den tomorrow!"
Afterwards, Gao Jianfei played in the ghost den for another hour before leaving.
Outside the ghost's den, the full moon was already high in the sky.
The bright moonlight bathed Moonlit Park in a poetic and beautiful light.
Gao Jianfei returned the way he came. When he passed the lawn, all the corpses on the ground had been moved away. Chen Yaohui and Liu Feng had long since disappeared.
Gao Jianfei checked the time on his phone: 9:20.
He went straight home, feeling joy at the prospect of gaining three special abilities, but also experiencing a strange feeling... a sense of unease after committing murder.
Fortunately, the murder was committed with a throwing knife, and it was a swift, instantaneous kill; there was no blood. It wasn't like stabbing or hacking someone to death with your own hands, so the psychological impact was much smaller. Gao Jianfei ran home, thinking to himself, "Xiaoxiao is still at home waiting for me to teach her to read!"
Chapter 42 You'll be stuffed to death!
Chapter 42 You'll be stuffed to death!
The moon hangs high in the sky, sometimes hiding behind the clouds, sometimes revealing its ethereal beauty, bathing the earth in its gentle glow.
Gao Jianfei returned home under the moonlight. The lights were on. Gao Jianfei tiptoed into the downstairs living room. Xiaoxiao sat beside the eight-immortal table, her chin resting on her hands, her head drooping, her eyes slightly closed; she had actually fallen asleep.
"This little girl is going to set up a stall with Yan Kui soon, working until 2 or 3 in the morning every day, and then getting up to prepare breakfast for me in the morning. She's really working hard." Gao Jianfei quietly walked over and sat down next to Xiaoxiao. The table was covered with various literacy materials that Gao Jianfei had bought for Xiaoxiao. The incandescent light shone on Xiaoxiao's face, reflecting a faint halo, and Gao Jianfei could even see the light downy hairs on her face. Her small mouth and nose looked very peaceful and cute at this moment. A pleasant scent of soap lingered in Gao Jianfei's nose, making him feel comfortable and at ease.
"Xiaoxiao..." Gao Jianfei called softly, "If you're sleepy, go back to your room and rest! I'll teach you another day." For some reason, Gao Jianfei's tone contained a strange sense of heartache for Xiaoxiao.
"Ugh..." Xiaoxiao swayed, opened her sleepy eyes, and rubbed them. "You scumbag, you're back? Then start teaching me to read! It's not even 10 o'clock yet! I was waiting for you alone and fell asleep without realizing it... Wait for me, I'm going to wash my face!"
Xiaoxiao quickly washed her face with cold water, temporarily waking herself up, and then...
Gao Jianfei began to give her her first lesson.
Gao Jianfei started by teaching Xiaoxiao some simple characters. However, Xiaoxiao wasn't a little child; the time when she should have received early literacy education had long passed. Therefore, Gao Jianfei found it somewhat difficult to teach her. Fortunately, Gao Jianfei was quite patient, teaching her again and again without getting tired of it.
Xiaoxiao is very studious and studies with great enthusiasm.
Under the lamplight, in the dead of night, one taught earnestly, and the other studied intently... Three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was now 1 a.m.
Xiaoxiao got sleepy again and yawned several times. Finally, the first lesson ended like this. Today, Xiaoxiao learned about twenty very simple characters.
Gao Jianfei took a cold shower at the bathhouse in the courtyard, then returned to his room to rest. Before going to sleep, he turned on the virtual monitor and saw that the progress bar for piecing together Zhu Cong's soul had already started reading, "2%".
"Well, it seems I'll have to wait until tomorrow night. Alright, time to sleep!" Gao Jianfei knew that haste makes waste, so he simply covered his head and went to sleep.
The next morning, the alarm clock woke Gao Jianfei. He quickly got out of bed and picked out a somewhat decent outfit from the closet… a beige short-sleeved shirt from Dancing with Wolves, light-colored Levi's jeans, and a pair of slightly worn sneakers. The combination gave him a slightly casual look. This was Gao Jianfei's best outfit!
Tonight, Gao Jianfei is hosting a dinner for his colleagues in the planning department, so he needs to dress somewhat presentably.
It was morning. Gao Jianfei was, as always, the first person to arrive at the office. As usual, he fetched water, wiped down the desks, chairs, and air conditioner, and then washed everyone's cups. Of course, Gao Jianfei didn't bother with Zhang Liang's desk, chair, or cups again.
Just as Gao Jianfei finished his work and was about to sit down and rest for a while, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor rang out, and then a graceful figure slowly walked into the office. It was Qin Leshi.
Today, Qin Leshi dressed up a bit. She wore a purple sleeveless round-neck t-shirt, milky white capri pants printed with some light green flowers, and white high-heeled sandals. She looked very cool and refreshing. Combined with her short, ear-length hair and quiet, elegant temperament, she was truly captivating!
However, her eye bags were a bit dark; even though she had applied eyeshadow, it was still noticeable—a dark ring around her eyes. Clearly, she hadn't slept well last night.
Their eyes met, and both simultaneously recalled what had happened yesterday. An awkward yet subtly ambiguous atmosphere instantly enveloped them. Qin Leshi blushed slightly and turned her head away.
"Heh... Miss Qin, you look beautiful today." Gao Jianfei quickly used the tactic of changing the subject.
"Well, you're treating us to dinner tonight, it's a gathering of colleagues, so... I specially wore an outfit... Is it alright?" Qin Leshi was still a little uneasy.
"The clothes match Miss Qin's temperament very well; they look really good. It seems Miss Qin is someone who knows how to choose and coordinate clothes very well," Gao Jianfei said honestly.
Just then, Zou Yan walked into the office. The young woman was wearing a Kappa women's sportswear outfit today, looking very youthful and energetic. As soon as she entered, she loudly greeted Gao Jianfei, "Gao Jianfei, where are we going to eat tonight? Have you decided yet?"
Gao Jianfei smiled and said, "I'll leave the food ordering to Zhang Liang. I don't know much about it, but he'll find out when he comes to work later."
Zou Yan nodded, then walked towards Qin Leshi with concern, took Qin Leshi's hand and said, "Sister Leshi, were you alright yesterday? Did Liu Qiang give you any trouble?"
In front of Qin Leshi and Zou Yan, she put on a better act. The blush on her face faded, and her expression became natural. "Heh, it's nothing! Yesterday, Xiao Gao and I acted as a couple. We did a good job and got rid of Liu Qiang. He won't bother me anymore!"
"Wow! That's great!" Zou Yan was happy for Qin Leshi, and a sincere and straightforward smile appeared on her youthful face.
Next, Huang Cuiyun, Zhang Liang, and Chen Xian arrived one after another.
Except for Chen Xian, who didn't dress up deliberately and dressed the same as she usually goes to work, Huang Cuiyun and Zhang Liang's outfits were clearly carefully selected and matched.
Huang Cuiyun wore an all-black evening gown. The shimmering silver accessories perfectly complemented her black chiffon maxi dress, paired with a pearl necklace and black strappy high-heeled sandals. She was absolutely radiant and breathtaking!
Zhang Liang wore a white Armani casual shirt with red stripes, black denim capri pants, and a pair of retro-style tricolor sneakers. He also wore an Omega watch on his wrist and had a trendy hairstyle, exuding the aura of a fashionable and handsome man.
"Xiao Gao, I've already arranged dinner for tonight. We'll head straight there after get off work! It's on Violet Avenue. I've chosen a Macau-style hot pot chain restaurant. It's the first Macau-style hot pot restaurant in our flower market, so we'll try it out tonight. What do you think?" Zhang Liang looked at Gao Jianfei with that half-smiling, half-mocking gaze, a hint of mockery deep in his eyes.
Before Gao Jianfei could answer, Qin Leshi quickly asked, "What price range is Macau Doulao? I saw it in a magazine before. It's a hot pot where each person has their own pot, and they cook fresh broth and vegetables, mainly seafood."
Zhang Liang laughed, "It's not expensive! Macau Doulao is actually about the same level as a KFC buffet, it's really not expensive. Besides, there's a discount for the opening, I've already reserved a private room, let's go there tonight!"
Not expensive. Zhang Liang is right, Macau Doulao is really not expensive, especially considering the price level of the flower market. But... a serving of snowflake beef is 88, a serving of "pissing" beef balls is 48, a serving of salmon balls is 68, and a serving of deep-sea silver cod is 78...
Is this price expensive for a migrant worker like Gao Jianfei in a small city?
That's expensive!
Gao Jianfei genuinely wanted to treat his colleagues to dinner. Seeing the expressions on Huang Cuiyun and Zou Yan's faces, he realized they had basically agreed to Zhang Liang's arrangement. So, Gao Jianfei nodded in approval, "Okay! Let's go to Macau Doulao tonight!"
In fact, although the 500,000 yuan in the ghost den was intended as retirement money for his parents and aunt, Gao Jianfei wasn't a rigid person. If he urgently needed money, he could borrow it in advance and pay it back later when he earned more. Moreover, as he became a Level 2 exorcist, he would have many opportunities to learn different skills. With these skills, making money wouldn't be an extremely difficult task.
Yes, when you need money, spend it generously! If you run out of money, earn it again!
"Great! Xiao Gao, that's awesome! Don't worry, tonight's expenses will be very affordable!" Zhang Liang gave Gao Jianfei a thumbs up.
After saying that, Zhang Liang calmly walked to his desk and sat down, forcibly suppressing his laughter... "Xiao Gao, tonight's going to be fun! Haha!"
After getting off work in the afternoon, Zhang Liang and Huang Cuiyun, who both owned private cars, drove the other passengers to Violet Avenue in a great hurry.
The car stopped in front of a restaurant with a nice decor that looked to be slightly above average.
The restaurant's signboard has four large characters... "Macau Doulao".
The six people got out of the car and walked inside. There were six tall, young hostesses in cheongsams at the entrance, bowing respectfully and saying, "Welcome to Macau Doulao."
Upon entering the restaurant, the interior decoration features a rustic Chinese style, but the chandeliers and some details also highlight the style of a medieval European castle. The two styles are seamlessly combined and blend together harmoniously, giving the restaurant a rather upscale feel.
Welcome to Macau Doulao!
Welcome to Macau Doulao!
...
The service staff, lobby manager, and cashiers all bowed slightly.
Gao Jianfei surveyed his surroundings, thinking to himself, "The prices here definitely aren't as cheap as Zhang Liang said! This kid's obviously trying to mess with me. But as long as my colleagues are happy and have fun, spending a little more money is fine. Sometimes, you really can't be too calculating in your dealings with others."
Zhang Liang snapped his fingers nonchalantly, and a young man in a black vest and bow tie walked over properly. Zhang Liang smiled arrogantly, "We've reserved room 257. Take us there."
"Everyone, please follow me." The young man in the vest bowed and led everyone to an elegant private room on the second floor.
The private room was quite large, over 20 square meters, and decorated in a very upscale style. It had marble floors, expensive floral wallpaper on the walls, and a perfectly placed 42-inch LCD TV. In the center was a large dining table.
Everyone took their seats in turn. Soon, a waiter came in with a thick menu.
Zhang Liang stood up abruptly and snatched the menu from the waiter's hand. "Hehe, let me order. I know everyone's tastes, so, well, I'll order!"
No one seemed to care; it didn't matter who ordered the food.
Zhang Liang flipped through the menu in his hand, his gaze scanning the more expensive dishes... "So, what's the deal with this golden shark fin hot pot?"
This Macau-style hot pot is served individually with a soup base. You heat the broth, add the ingredients, and cook until done. The golden shark fin hot pot that Zhang Liang inquired about is an expensive option, priced at 188!
In other words, even before ordering any food, just ordering a hot pot base for 6 people would cost over a thousand yuan!
The waitress was specifically responsible for serving dishes in this private room, and she received a commission from each customer's spending. Seeing Zhang Liang inquire about an expensive hot pot, she was immediately delighted and launched into a long, enthusiastic boast, "Well, sir, the Golden Shark Fin Hot Pot is one of our most nutritious hot pots. It's made with an ancient and special secret recipe, mainly using shark fin and Chinese herbs. It's light, elegant, nutritious, and delicious. Not only is it good for your health, but it also nourishes your skin! Many customers who come here order this Golden Shark Fin Hot Pot!"
They've gone overboard with the hype, making up all sorts of beauty and health benefits!
Actually, Zhang Liang hadn't listened to the waiter's introduction at all. After the waiter finished praising it, he nodded repeatedly, "Hmm, this is good, this is really good, let's get this kind of hot pot base. Now let me order... Premium Snowflake Beef, 20 servings; 'Peeing' Beef Balls, 20 servings; Spanish A-grade Beef, 20 servings; Secret Recipe Short Ribs, 20 servings; Assorted Sashimi Platter, 20 servings..." He was completely focused on ordering the expensive dishes, and the portions were terrifying... Every single dish, 20 servings each!
"Wait!" Qin Leshi exclaimed anxiously, "Zhang Liang, is it really necessary to order so much? There are only six of us, can we possibly finish all this food?"
Huang Cuiyun also sensed Zhang Liang's sinister intentions. "Zhang Liang, that's enough. Although Xiao Gao is treating today and you don't have to pay, you should still think about Xiao Gao's feelings. Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for him?" Huang Cuiyun didn't give Zhang Liang any face and directly reprimanded him. Indeed, Zhang Liang's actions were truly despicable!
Zou Yan glared at Zhang Liang, "Order less food, and order more after you finish eating, is that not okay?"
At this moment, Zhang Liang ignored the women and looked directly at Gao Jianfei. "Xiao Gao, when you're treating people, the main thing is to make sure everyone eats happily, is satisfied, and is full! Although the dishes I ordered look like a lot, the portions of each dish are actually not very large! You can't just save a few bucks and let us eat until we're half full, can you? A man should spend money when he needs to, and be generous when he needs to be. Don't be so stingy!" After saying that, he deliberately turned to the waitress whose eyes were already gleaming and who kept throwing him flirty glances and said, "Miss, don't you think so?"
"Yes! The portions you ordered are actually not that big! You can order some more." The waitress nodded vigorously.
Huang Cuiyun, Qin Leshi, and Zou Yan were all getting angry. This wasn't a meal at all; it was a trap set for Gao Jianfei! Even Chen Xian, who was usually very aloof, looked at Zhang Liang with disdain.
At this moment, Zhang Liang was completely blinded by his rage to get revenge on Gao Jianfei and his determination to teach Gao Jianfei a lesson. To embarrass Gao Jianfei, he had almost lost all sense of shame! "Xiao Gao, say something! You're the host, give us an explanation. If you can't afford it, we'll immediately move to another place, even a street food stall will do. Just say the word!"
Gao Jianfei noticed that his female colleagues' moods had been affected, which was something he didn't want to see. He had genuinely invited everyone to dinner, and from the bottom of his heart, he wanted everyone to have a satisfying and happy meal, without any unpleasant feelings.