Chapter 40: One Sixth of the Side Quest Completed

Chapter 40: One Sixth of the Side Quest Completed

“This setting is wrong...”

The hamster Xiao Pangzi hopped around on Zhu Chun’an’s shoulder, his face full of distress.

Pei Ye asked, “What’s wrong with it?”

The hamster’s tiny eyes flickered with confusion. “The human world is divided into yin and yang. Men are yang, women are yin. Their numbers should be about the same. Since there are tens of millions more men than women in the living world, then logically there should be tens of millions more women than men in the underworld. Why does this old ghost’s memory keep saying that male ghosts have trouble finding wives? Isn’t that wrong?”

Pei Ye was not a Celestial Master, but she also knew why.

“Except for a very small number of people, whatever you look like when you die is what you look like as a ghost.”

Xiao Pangzi: “???”

“If a baby girl dies, she remains a baby girl. If she was aborted after only a few months of pregnancy, then as a ghost she is also in an incompletely developed form... Do you think they’re suitable for matchmaking?”

Xiao Pangzi: “???”

Zhu Chun’an sighed. “I once heard a colleague who had been to Fengdu say that Fengdu has built countless childcare centers. Many underworld messengers also work part-time as nannies. Besides the population explosion, this is one of the reasons why land and commodity prices in Fengdu have skyrocketed. During those years in the human world... too many people used ultrasounds to determine sex and then aborted female fetuses, or killed baby girls after they were born. As a result, these baby girls... or rather, many of them couldn’t even be considered baby girls, only clusters of yin energy... all went to the government offices in Fengdu to file complaints. At first the higher authorities didn’t pay much attention. By the time the Great Emperor of Fengdu noticed something was wrong, Fengdu had already been overrun by these baby girls. They were very young, and most had been harmed shortly after reincarnating. Their soul bodies were extremely fragile and could not withstand entering the Six Paths of Reincarnation again, so they could only remain in Fengdu to recuperate. The natural growth of a soul body is very slow. Most require anywhere from fifty to one hundred years of recovery...”

There were many female ghosts in Fengdu, but most of them were baby girls.

The soul bodies of baby girls were fragile, forcing them to remain in Fengdu, turning Fengdu into something close to a gigantic kindergarten.

To prevent the balance between men and women in the living world from collapsing, Fengdu could only keep opening fast-track reincarnation channels for female ghosts. A gender imbalance would become even more terrifying otherwise.

Rumor had it that the Great Emperor of Fengdu had been extremely furious over this matter.

If the living world continued persecuting baby girls without restraint, Fengdu would take measures to protect them and reduce the rate of reincarnation.

If things continued like this, then let there be only men and no women in the living world!

Those were the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s exact words.

Incredibly impressive!

Zhu Chun’an then revealed another “unwritten rule” among Fengdu’s underworld messengers.

“I’ve heard that underworld messengers also prioritize female souls when collecting spirits.”

For example, Xiao Hong had been taken away by a nearby underworld messenger almost immediately after her soul left her body.

Xiao Pangzi hesitated. “They’re worried that female ghosts will be seized by male ghosts as soon as they drift out of their bodies?”

Zhu Chun’an replied gravely, “Something similar happened before. Some female ghosts were harmed. The Great Emperor of Fengdu flew into a rage and threw those ghosts into the eighteen levels of hell for a thousand years of punishment.”

Xiao Pangzi’s tiny hamster body trembled.

Ordinary people constantly talked about the eighteen levels of hell, saying the punishments involved mountains of blades, seas of fire, and being boiled in oil.

In reality, it was far more terrifying than that.

Being thrown into the eighteen levels of hell and punished for a thousand years was treatment reserved for utterly unforgivable fierce ghosts.

Zhu Chun’an sighed. “My master once said that if you can find a wife while you’re alive, cherish her. Otherwise, after you die, you might end up waiting in the reincarnation queue and remain a bachelor for a hundred years.”

The population explosion had become severe, and the waiting time for ghosts in the underworld to reincarnate was growing longer and longer.

Everyone who heard this felt deeply affected.

“How should this ghost be handled? Hand him over to the Special Investigation Department first?”

“Yes.” Zhu Chun’an looked at Pei Ye. “Didn’t Senior say earlier that this ghost had an aura somewhat similar to Lan Ying’s? That’s why we need to bring him back for investigation.”

If this ghost had also gained a huge increase in power because of a fragment, then it was even more important not to take the matter lightly.

With the fierce ghost captured, the Lu family’s case was finally brought to a complete conclusion.

Mr. Lu wanted to grab Pei Ye’s hand and thank her, but she coldly refused physical contact, so he could only switch targets and approach Zhu Chun’an.

Besides the money he had originally promised, he also wrote separate cheques worth one hundred thousand yuan for each of the two humans and the hamster.

“It’s only a small token of appreciation. Tonight’s masters have all worked hard...”

Mr. Lu stuffed the cheque into Zhu Chun’an’s hand and asked eagerly, “Can my parents stay at home and continue receiving our offerings? Will it affect them in any way?”

“Family members can be worshipped at home. Right now Fengdu’s population has exploded, and some souls waiting for reincarnation also return home to live.”

Mr. Lu asked again, “Then what do they eat now? The same things we do? Or are there special customs?”

Zhu Chun’an pulled a business card for a Taobao store from his wallet.

“This is a Taobao incense and paper offerings shop run by a colleague of mine. You can consult him.”

Why was Zhu Chun’an so popular?

Because he was genuinely kind-hearted and often recommended his colleagues’ businesses to clients in need.

Like the alchemist from before, or the colleague running an incense and offerings store this time.

“Thank you, thank you!”

Mr. Lu treated the card like a priceless treasure.

If Pei Ye and the others had not still been present, he would have logged onto Taobao immediately to buy things online for his parents.

By the time Pei Ye and the others left and drove away in the pink QQ car, it was already past eleven o’clock.

“If I remember correctly, the nursing college dormitory stops allowing people in after eleven, right?”

Pei Ye paused while taking out her phone and asked, “You seem to know quite a lot. Thinking about getting a girlfriend from the nursing college?”

Zhu Chun’an was so startled he nearly lost his grip on the steering wheel.

“Senior, please don’t scare me! Finding a girlfriend isn’t that easy. It’s only because Senior is there that I’ve learned a little more about the place.”

Pei Ye said, “The dormitory is indeed closed now. I’ll just find a hotel near the school.”

Zhu Chun’an advised her, “Hotels aren’t particularly safe for girls. How about staying at my place for one night, Senior?”

Afraid that Pei Ye might misunderstand, he quickly explained further.

“This case is finished, but there’s still follow-up work to do. I’ll probably be busy at the branch office all night, writing reports, assisting the underworld messengers with reviews, and so on. Conservatively speaking, I’ll be busy until five or six in the morning. I won’t be coming back tonight, and the apartment will be empty. Senior can stay there for one night first.”

Pei Ye nodded.

“Mm, thank you.”

There was a free place to stay, and she could save a night’s accommodation expenses.

Although she had earned quite a lot tonight, her regular expenses were also high, so she still had to be frugal.

After receiving a positive answer, Zhu Chun’an simply drove toward the apartment.

The apartment was located in the city center of T City and covered an area of 120 square meters (~1,292 sq ft). When he bought it, he happened to have handled a case for a property developer, so he received an internal employee discount. Combined with the substantial housing loan benefits available to Special Investigation Department members, and holding the mindset of buying a home for retirement, Zhu Chun’an had purchased an apartment there.

Pei Ye lowered her head and continued playing Love and Raising a Child.

[Battle! Hero, The Stunningly Beautiful Good-for-Nothing Little Celestial Master Has a Red Packet Group!]

[Team 2/2]

[Completion Rate 1/6]

[Investigate the Mystery of the Tragic Death of a Seventy-Year-Old Woman (Completed)]

[Investigate the Mystery of Hundreds of Sows Screaming Every Night (Incomplete)]

[Investigate the Mystery of Missing Condoms from the Convenience Store (Incomplete)]

[Investigate the Mystery of Stolen Underwear in the Girls’ Dormitory (Incomplete)]

[Investigate the Mystery of Stolen Bed Sheets from the Dormitory (Incomplete)]

[Investigate the Mystery of the Blooming Chrysanthemum of a Handsome Young Man (Incomplete)]

Surprised?

Unexpected?