By the time Gu Jiu reached the fifth level of the ancient tower, the number of ghosts around had noticeably dwindled.
It seemed as though the higher one climbed, the more desolate it became—perhaps the cold heights were unbearable, or perhaps the ghosts instinctively feared something, keeping them from daring to ascend further.
Gu Jiu observed her surroundings carefully for a moment and noticed that the ghosts brave enough to continue climbing were all remarkably powerful, exuding dense ghostly energy that made them appear anything but friendly.
For most other players, encountering such a concentration of formidable, malevolent ghosts would have been enough to make their skin crawl, prompting them to devise ways to escape this ghost-infested tower.
But escaping was not an option.
Gu Jiu estimated that the Ghost Tower was sealed; entry was allowed, but no one could leave. Once players entered, their only choices were to keep climbing or use a Spirit Communication Card to exit.
As she ascended from the fifth to the sixth floor, Gu Jiu paused at the corner of the staircase, where there was a window. She looked outside. The sky was so overcast it seemed ready to plunge into darkness at any moment. The ground below the tower was a hazy blur, as though separated by countless dimensions. Through the haze, she could faintly make out a semblance of the normal, bustling human world.
When entering the “Death Notice” time period, both time and space would become severed from the real world.
Such methods indicated the immense power of the boss behind this game world, strong enough to manipulate certain rules at will.
When Gu Jiu reached the sixth floor, the number of ghosts was even smaller—only three.
She looked up, and those three ghosts turned their gaze toward her.
In an instant, Gu Jiu understood: these ghosts were not like the ones on the lower levels. They were fully aware of their own ghostly nature and, at the same time, had realized that Gu Jiu was human.
A malicious smile appeared on their faces, their eyes filled with unbridled greed and hunger as they began to approach her.
Gu Jiu, however, remained unafraid. In fact, she even returned their gaze with a gentle smile—a smile so soft it resembled a delicate lotus floating on water.
Unfortunately, the divide between humans and ghosts was insurmountable. The ghosts couldn’t appreciate human beauty; all they saw was the abundant spiritual energy emanating from her body and her powerful soul. If they could devour her soul and flesh, their own strength would increase significantly—perhaps even allowing them to reach the level of ghost generals.
The three ghosts revealed their monstrous faces, baring sharp fangs as they lunged at her. Just as they did, a peculiar melody began to play.
The music wasn’t particularly unpleasant, yet somehow, as it reached their ears, their bodies began to move uncontrollably.
The three ghosts, unable to stop themselves, wore horrified expressions as they spun and danced. Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw the human standing there, holding a music box in her hand.
It was this human who had done something to them.
Realizing this, the ghosts were both shocked and furious. What they had assumed to be prey had turned the tables on them.
Gu Jiu lazily wound up the Death Music Box, and two eerie dolls crawled out from behind her, settling on her shoulders. They watched the three ghosts dance helplessly, clapping their hands and laughing gleefully.
“Lisa, do you want to eat them?” Gu Jiu asked one of the dolls.
Lisa stared at the three ghosts and nodded, her eyes brimming with ravenous hunger—the same look the three ghosts had just directed at Gu Jiu.
The mermaid doll, on the other hand, seemed to disdain the ghosts, declaring them too ugly to eat.
“No problem. Then Lisa can have them,” Gu Jiu said, indulging no protests from the mermaid doll.
When the three ghosts were nearly vomiting blood from exhaustion, their ghostly energy dissipating and their forms growing weak, Gu Jiu gestured for Lisa to go ahead and feed. The mermaid doll, unwilling to be left out, reluctantly joined in as well.
See? How obedient they became in the end.
Gu Jiu watched with a cheerful smile as the two eerie dolls devoured their prey ferociously, then tucked the Death Music Box away.
Once the dolls were full, they returned to her shoulders, looking content. With everything settled, Gu Jiu continued ascending the tower.
The Ghost Tower had seven levels in total, and only the final level remained.
As soon as she reached the seventh floor, the sharp cry of a baby pierced the air. The sound was like a steel needle stabbing directly into her mind, causing a moment of dizziness. She stopped in her tracks, pressed her fingers to her forehead, and closed her eyes slightly.
The two spirit dolls sitting on her shoulders straightened, baring their sharp fangs and glaring in the direction of the sound.
Thick blood began to seep from the ceiling and walls, spreading rapidly until it seemed ready to flood the entire space.
The baby’s relentless crying burrowed deeper into her mind, threatening to drive her mad.
Finally, Gu Jiu snapped, “Stop crying!”
The crying paused for a brief moment—then grew even louder.
Her headache worsened to the point where she could barely keep her eyes open. Resisting the urge to silence the source of the noise permanently, she retrieved the Magic Clock.
With a soft “tick,” the entire world fell silent. Everything froze in place.
The Magic Clock could halt time, but only for five minutes—a fleeting reprieve.
04:59.
Gu Jiu opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the room, stained red with thick blood. It dripped from the ceiling and ran down the walls, forming a waterfall of crimson that completely obscured the windows.
Scanning the tower’s interior, her eyes quickly locked onto the source.
Amid the spreading blood on a far wall, there was a blood-red infant. It seemed both fused with the wall and soaked in the blood around it.
Gu Jiu approached and pulled out her Ghost Thread, using it to stitch the baby’s mouth shut.
04:37.
She put the Magic Clock away, noting that only twenty-three seconds had passed.
The ghost infant, lying in the pool of blood, glared at her with venomous crimson eyes. It opened its mouth to cry, but the stitches prevented any sound. Its malicious gaze was far too intense for an infant, its eyes brimming with raw hatred.
Unfazed by the ghastly surroundings, Gu Jiu casually pulled out a chair and sat down. With an air of leisure, she asked, “Are you going to disappear on your own, or do I need to kill you first?”
The ghost infant’s mouth was stitched shut, but its limbs were free. Slowly, it tore itself away from the wall.
It sat in the pool of blood as the surrounding liquid surged toward it, coating its skin. Its crimson flesh looked like it had been scalded by boiling water or frozen into a solid layer of blood, giving it an eerie, grotesque appearance.
The infant sat amid the torrent of blood, resembling a newborn—fragile, pitiful, and helpless.
“Are you trying to outlast me?” Gu Jiu raised an eyebrow at it.
The ghost infant pointed at its mouth, clearly indicating it couldn’t speak with its lips stitched shut.
Gu Jiu refused outright. “You want me to undo the stitches so you can cry me to death? No chance.”
The infant slapped at the blood around it in frustration, sending droplets flying. Some splattered onto Gu Jiu’s dress, leaving behind clusters of black, corroded holes. Her beautiful dress was ruined in an instant.
The ghost infant clapped its hands in delight and was preparing to splash more blood at her when she spoke in a chilling tone.
“Looks like you really want to die. Let me help you with that.”
Scarlet claws, radiating an overwhelming demonic aura, extended toward the ghost infant, reaching out to snatch it.
The ghost infant, terrified, tried to scream, but with its mouth stitched shut, it could only flail its limbs. Blood dripped from the four holes already punctured in its head by Gu Jiu’s demonic nails, forcing it to crawl away in pain, desperate to distance itself from this terrifying human.
Seeing its pitiful retreat, the two eerie dolls burst into laughter. The mermaid doll, in particular, laughed the loudest, pointing at the ghost infant and making mocking gestures while babbling incomprehensible taunts. The ghost infant was so furious it wanted to drown the doll in blood but didn’t dare provoke Gu Jiu further. Instead, it cowered, fully embodying the image of being weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Gu Jiu smirked. “Oh dear, you look so pitiful. Do you want to come over here and let big sister comfort you?”
The ghost infant: “…” Comfort? Or kill?
Gu Jiu pulled out a Hypnotic Smoke Pipe and blew some faint blue smoke toward the ghost infant. It inhaled the smoke, looking momentarily entranced, but its sharp instincts kept it on guard.
Seeing this, Gu Jiu realized the ghost infant’s level was too high. The Hypnotic Smoke Pipe, a C-level artifact, was ineffective against it.
“Seems like this thing is better off being gifted,” Gu Jiu muttered.
The stalemate continued.
Gu Jiu didn’t want to waste a Spirit Communication Card to escape, and the ghost infant refused to let her leave. So, the two remained locked in a tense standoff.
However, the situation was not in the ghost infant’s favor. With its mouth stitched shut, it couldn’t use its cry to attack, leaving it with little offensive capability. Meanwhile, the pool of blood surrounding it was nearly drained of its power and posed no real threat to Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu tilted her head. “Did someone order you to trap me here, to stop me from leaving?”
The ghost infant hesitated, its gaze shifting nervously. Then, upon noticing her casually resting her hands on her knees, her slender fingers with their brilliant red nails gleaming ominously, it quickly nodded. Clearly, it didn’t want another hole punched into its head.
Gu Jiu wasn’t surprised by its response. She already had a suspicion about who—or what—might be behind this.
She beckoned to the ghost infant, but it kept a wary eye on her. Only when she took out a Ghost Eye did its caution falter. Its gaze locked onto the object, and it couldn’t help but gulp audibly.
The Ghost Eye was a treasure loved not just by spirit dolls but also by ghosts—and especially by ghost infants.
“Let’s have a chat. If you satisfy me, this Ghost Eye is yours,” Gu Jiu said, dangling the treasure in front of it. Noting how its full attention was fixed on the Ghost Eye, her smile deepened.
The ghost infant finally obeyed, crawling over and fixating on the Ghost Eye in her hand.
“Take a look at this,” Gu Jiu said, pulling out her smartphone. “Familiar with it?”
The ghost infant glanced at the phone, hesitated, then shook its head.
“You haven’t seen this before,” Gu Jiu continued, “but the aura on it—you recognize that, don’t you?”
The ghost infant nodded quickly, its expression filled with curiosity. It seemed surprised that she could interpret its body language so accurately.
“Do you know whose aura it is?” she asked.
The ghost infant shook its head. Its memories were limited. It was, after all, merely a ghost sealed within the tower. Were it not for the inhumane torment it endured before death, transforming it into such a vicious spirit, it wouldn’t have become the strongest ghost in the tower.
Gu Jiu, true to her word, handed the Ghost Eye to the ghost infant as a reward for its obedience.
The Ghost Eye had been something she acquired during her time in the “Reincarnation School” dungeon. At the time, she and Chai Yingying had collected several of them, splitting the spoils evenly. After gifting a few to the mermaid doll and Lisa, this was the only one she had left.
The ghost infant, delighted with the gift, cradled the Ghost Eye carefully. Its previously hostile gaze softened as it looked at Gu Jiu, even taking on a hint of friendliness.
Gu Jiu let out a snort of laughter. Ghosts might not have the complex and treacherous minds of humans, but most of them were utterly driven by self-interest. As long as you offered them benefits, they’d bow down and call you their master without hesitation.
However, Miss Gu had no interest in becoming a ghost’s “master.” What intrigued her was unraveling the mysteries of the Death Notice.
“Even you can’t break the time constraints of the Death Notice, right?” she asked.
The ghost infant, still captivated by its Ghost Eye, nodded obediently.
Having confirmed her suspicions, Gu Jiu felt no urgency to leave. She sat comfortably on the blood-soaked seventh level of the Ghost Tower, sipping on a taro bubble tea she had bought earlier in the ancient town.
By the time she finished her drink, she glanced around, feeling a sense of clarity. But something was off—the ghost infant, previously engrossed in its new toy, had disappeared. All that remained in its place was a single strand of ghost thread.
Not only was the ghost infant gone, but the pools of blood had vanished as well.
Tilting her head slightly, Gu Jiu extended her senses. The Death Notice’s time hadn’t ended, and the space she was in was still severed from the real world.
She smiled faintly and pulled out another cup of bubble tea to enjoy.
Meanwhile, her two spirit dolls seemed to sense something unusual. Both appeared uneasy, clutching tightly to her shoulders as their eyes darted around warily.
Suddenly, the dolls turned in unison, focusing their gaze on the staircase.
The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the deathly silent space.
Someone was ascending the stairs from the sixth floor, each step slow and deliberate, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.
Finally, the figure reached the seventh floor.
He was dressed in an elaborate red groom’s robe, styled like an ancient wedding outfit. His face was pale as paper, his ink-black eyes devoid of any light, but his features were strikingly handsome, exuding a noble and regal air.
He looked directly at Gu Jiu and spoke with a touch of shyness. “Wife.”
Gu Jiu’s eye twitched, and she quickly replied, “Don’t call me that.” If he kept calling her “wife,” she worried that she might not even make it out of this game world before Lu Ji—her real-life partner—showed up to destroy this ghostly groom.
The ghost groom looked a little hurt. “Wife, do you not miss me?”
“Not at all!” Gu Jiu replied without hesitation. “Didn’t you say you’d come to fetch me in three days? Why are you here now?”
The ghost groom replied matter-of-factly, “I will come to take you to the Youdu City in three days. But there’s nothing stopping me from visiting you before then.”
So that’s how he interpreted it!
Gu Jiu was momentarily speechless.