Chapter 22: The Bizarre Architecture

"Fifty taels is plenty; how much is enough? From now on, you'll receive fifty taels for every spectre we hunt."

Xia Tianqiong spoke coldly, then ignored them. This was the benefit of a Master-Servant Pact: absolute control. Although spectres had their own petty thoughts, they were compelled to execute their master's orders and could not rebel. Even if he didn't give them a single piece of gold, they would be powerless, not even daring to slack off.

It would be different if it were an equal contract. If they obtained this much underworld currency, he would have to split it evenly with them. If a spectre were in a bad mood, it could even refuse to listen to the human, denying them the use of its ghostly arts.

The Delivery Spectre looked at the depressed Mirror Spectre and chuckled. "The Master is already very good to us; otherwise, how could we have earned so much gold? Come, I'll treat you to a meal to celebrate our first time teaming up to help the Master kill enemies."

Using its own nether energy, it condensed two portions of food and handed them to the Mirror Spectre and the Gambling Spectre. For spectres, nether takeout was also an excellent item for boosting strength, so the two spectres didn't stand on ceremony; they accepted the food and began to eat heartily.

Seeing this, Xia Tianqiong's evaluation of the Delivery Spectre rose significantly. Though this wild spectre lacked much potential for upgrading, it was very sensible. It not only knew how to flatter but, more importantly, knew how to handle situations. With it around, he could leverage it to win over other spectres.

"Delivery Spectre, take another ten taels. Consider it my treat for your meal."

"That would be wonderful! Thank you, Master."

Inside the mirror space, the Delivery Spectre bowed toward Xia Tianqiong through the glass to express its gratitude, then proceeded to condense dozens more portions of food, filling the entire room.

The Mirror Spectre looked at Xia Tianqiong, then back at the Delivery Spectre, seemingly understanding something. So, the Master likes this kind of spectre!

"Iya, iya!" The Ghost Infant protested within Xia Tianqiong's body; it couldn't stay quiet the moment it saw food.

"Fine, you go in and eat too. Even though you didn't contribute, we wouldn't have been able to shake off the Sedan Bride without you."

Xia Tianqiong transferred the Ghost Infant into the mirror space to let it eat, then teleported away from the restaurant. Strange things had happened here; someone would surely call the police, and he didn't want to get involved with the authorities.

He had no off-road vehicle now and couldn't wait until morning to set off. It was better to take advantage of the night and use Shadow Teleport continuously to reach Jiuhua City as soon as possible. If he encountered any spectres on the road, he would kill them if he could, or flee if he couldn't.

With his mind made up, just as he was about to start teleporting, he suddenly saw a glowing mist appear in the fields behind the rest area. The mist was moving, albeit slowly. About a few hundred meters away from the rest area, he could faintly discern a glowing pavilion within the fog, its pointed roof emerging like something forged from glazed crystal.

Seeing this, Xia Tianqiong's expression suddenly turned to one of great joy. He immediately used Shadow Teleport to dash toward it.

Most spectres were humanoid, but there were also a small number of animal-shaped, plant-shaped, object-shaped, and the extremely rare building-shaped spectres. The moving pavilion ahead was a building-shaped spectre.

After ten consecutive teleports, Xia Tianqiong appeared at the edge of the mist. After a careful observation, he stepped inside. The mist was cold and viscous, offering slight resistance as he walked through it. Fortunately, after only three or four steps, a bright light appeared before his eyes, and his vision suddenly opened up.

An ancient-style octagonal pavilion stood before him, appearing as if it were constructed from golden glazed crystal—crystalline, dazzling, and exuding luxury. It was dozens of meters high, with nine stories, each illuminated brightly. It seemed very lively inside, with intermittent sounds of bustling noise drifting out.

The octagonal pavilion looked like a pagoda, but it was actually a restaurant.

A plaque hung above, inscribed with the four blood-red seal-script characters: "Wujian Restaurant."

"It really is it."

Xia Tianqiong looked up at the plaque, his heart surging. This was a place filled with both opportunity and crisis. The restaurant itself was a spectre, its location fickle and unpredictable; encountering it was entirely a matter of luck. Various levels of spectres dined and drank inside, and it was said that even Ghost Kings could be found there. It could be said to be extremely dangerous.

Yet, countless spectre hunters and spectres would break their heads trying to get inside. The food and drink provided by Wujian Restaurant had special effects, and both humans and spectres flocked to it.

Xia Tianqiong walked toward the restaurant. As soon as he entered, the aroma of wine wafted into his nostrils; even someone like him, who didn't drink often, felt an urge to have a glass. The restaurant was very lively, with many humans and even more spectres. Those dressed in modern clothes, looking either astonished or inexplicably excited, were basically humans. The rest, wearing ancient attire, having terrifying appearances, or acting indifferent, could generally be identified as spectres.

Humans and spectres lived in peace, dining in the same room—this was one of the characteristics of Wujian Restaurant.

"Buddy, move aside." A voice came from behind him.

Xia Tianqiong turned around to see a young man and woman dressed in windbreakers, carrying large backpacks—evidently camping enthusiasts. When he had walked in, there was clearly no one behind him; these two had evidently come from elsewhere. It was said that Wujian Restaurant had many entrances scattered everywhere, and it seemed that was true.

Xia Tianqiong stepped aside to let them go first. The young man suddenly asked, "Buddy, do you know what place this is?"

Xia Tianqiong shook his head. "I don't know. I just got here too."

The young woman looked nervous, clutching her boyfriend's arm. "In the middle of the night, a strange building like this just appears out of nowhere—there must be something wrong. Let's not go in."

The young man, however, was full of excitement and didn't mind. "What are you afraid of? Maybe it's a fated encounter with the immortals. Look inside, there are plenty of people dressed in modern clothes just like us. Let's go in and ask."

The couple then walked into the lobby of the restaurant.

The first floor of the restaurant was very spacious, with an open-style kitchen in the center that occupied a small area. Around the kitchen were many square tables—about seventy or eighty of them.

Xia Tianqiong chose an empty table by the window. No sooner had he sat down than a waiter in a gray long-sleeved tunic, with a blood-stained rag draped over his shoulder, hurried over.

"Guest, what would you like? Our shop's food and wine are all top-notch. Order whatever you like; I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

In the old days, the rags on waiters' shoulders were white, but this one was blood-red, as if it had been used to wipe up blood so often that it had been chosen specifically for its color. However, the enthusiasm on its face seemed genuine.

"Do you have a menu? Bring it here."

"Of course."

The waiter waved a hand, and wooden plaques the size of a palm flew out from its sleeves, landing neatly on the table—about thirty or so in total.

Xia Tianqiong picked up a wooden plaque at random. On it, written in black ink, were the words "Braised Flower Duck." He flipped it over; on the back, in red ink, it read "Steamed Lamb."

Someone who didn't know better might think both sides of the menu could be ordered. In fact, the black menu on the front was called "Yang Food," made from normal ingredients for humans to eat. The red menu on the back was called "Yin Food," or "Spectre Food"; the ingredients used for these were not necessarily normal and could very well contain human flesh—these were for spectres.

If a spectre ate Yang Food, there was no problem, but if a human ate Yin Food, there was a high probability they would die instantly, with a very small chance of turning into a spectre. In any case, it wouldn't end well.

The waiter stood silently to the side, not offering a warning, but instead hoping the guest would order the Yin Food; it would be good if they died from it.

"Both sides—bring one of every dish."

"..."

The waiter was slightly stunned, then rolled its eyes. It thought this human must be used to showing off in the mortal world and was still trying to act tough even here. Its smile remained. "Guest, ordering everything on the menu costs quite a bit; most people can't afford it."

In truth, there was something else it didn't say. Even if you just ordered a bowl of the cheapest plain noodles, you wouldn't be able to pay the bill. This place didn't accept mortal currency; it only accepted underworld currency from the spectre realm. If you didn't have underworld currency, you would be sent to the kitchen to be made into Yin Food and sold to other spectres.

For every human it tricked to death, the waiter could get a commission of a leg, so it would never warn the guests.

"Guest, since this is your first time, you might not be aware. Our restaurant's food and drink are not cheap. Why don't you start with two items, and if it's not enough, you can order more?"

This human was ordering too much. If everything were prepared, even if they tricked this person to death in the end, it would still be a losing business for the restaurant. Therefore, it was impossible to let him order so much.

"Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and get the chef to cook for me. And bring two jars of your best wine."

Xia Tianqiong sat there with an air of arrogance, truly looking like a vulgar, wealthy upstart.

Seeing that this person wouldn't listen, the waiter immediately dropped its smile. Its face became ferocious, as if it had instantly transformed from a living person into a corpse, emitting a cold, chilling aura. It was just about to reveal its terrifying form to scare this posturing human when it suddenly saw the other party pull out a small piece of gold and toss it over.

The gesture was like feeding a stray dog with snacks—arrogant and extremely disrespectful. Yet, when the waiter sensed the nether energy radiating from the gold, its eyes widened in shock. It hurriedly caught it with both hands and brought it close to its eyes to inspect it carefully.

"Underworld currency! Gold!"

The waiter was both shocked and delighted. In this restaurant, even Spectre Generals and Ghost Kings rarely used gold to settle bills. This human not only had underworld currency, but it was the most precious kind—gold.

However, the bigger surprise was yet to come.

It heard the other party say, "This is a tip for you. If I'm satisfied, there will be more later."

The waiter immediately bowed its head and bent its waist, a fawning smile returning to its face. "It was this small one who was blind and failed to recognize a great personage. My noble guest, please do not hold it against a servant like me. I will go notify the chef immediately to serve your dishes."

"Go."

Xia Tianqiong found it amusing. It seemed that whether in the mortal world or the spectre realm, as long as you had money, you were the boss.

While he was ordering, a succession of people and spectres walked into the restaurant, and the empty tables gradually filled up. The spectres all knew this place, so their expressions were relatively normal. The humans who entered were mostly filled with a sense of exploration and adventure, arriving with great caution.

However, there were some special ones: Bai Jingjing and Bai Yichen. Like Xia Tianqiong, they were full of excitement and anticipation, clearly knowing the benefits of this place as well.

"He really is here!" Bai Jingjing spotted Xia Tianqiong sitting by the window at a glance.

Bai Yichen's expression suddenly turned joyful. "I have a way to approach him."

"What way?"

"Wujian Restaurant has many rules; one careless move can trigger them. We can save his life at a critical moment, and then it should be very easy to recruit him."