Chapter 127: The Yang Energy of the Living

A simple stage had been set up in the center of the hotel lobby, where several female ghosts were performing song and dance. When the clock struck midnight, the Netherworld Inn grew even livelier. The number of spirits in the hall increased, with almost every table fully occupied. Some ghosts even tried to share a table with Zhang Shouzheng, but he declined them one by one.

Nie Thirteen was particularly restless, nervously glancing around. Zhang Shouzheng tapped the table lightly and whispered, “Don’t be anxious. I can already smell the scent of the living.”

“Heh heh, the inn’s special offerings are about to appear.”

Suddenly, a female ghost dressed in a red cheongsam appeared on the stage. She looked to be in her twenties, with delicate features, but her expression was cold and aloof. Her brows were slightly furrowed as she fixed her gaze outside the hotel.

“Stop dragging it out. I know this Netherworld Inn serves the living. We're all here to feed on their yang energy. Hurry up and bring the people up! I’ve been waiting so long I’m getting impatient!”

At a large table near the stage sat a corpulent, coarse-looking ghost. He wore a Zhongshan suit, a thick gold chain hung around his neck, and when he spoke, his teeth gleamed with gold. He occupied the entire table by himself, and behind him stood several ghostly servants clad in black.

The female ghost clapped her hands and from the side, a few staggering figures were brought forward. Their eyes glazed over, their hands shackled, feet bound with iron chains. These black chains linked them together, exuding a dense, sinister black mist that enveloped them in a ghostly haze, rendering their faces indistinct.

Zhang Shouzheng’s eyes flickered with a blue light as he fixed his gaze on the prisoners. His expression darkened with fury when he recognized Ma Yuxu among them. Ma Yuxu’s yang energy was severely depleted; his face was haggard, his eyes dull and lifeless. Alongside him were two men and five women, identifiable by their attire as hotel security and staff. They all appeared dazed and unaware of their surroundings.

“Soul-binding chains… These are the reaping weapons of the underworld’s ghostly enforcers. To be used on living people now—perhaps to prevent their spirits from fleeing after death and reporting to the underworld? Could it be that this Netherworld Inn is backed by the ghostly enforcers? It must be, or else why would the underworld’s agents be involved here? This complicates things; the underworld’s enforcers intervening directly!”

Zhang Shouzheng’s mind raced. It was clear that the ghostly enforcers secretly “watching over” this inn had a significant relationship with its owner.

“Everyone, quiet down. I know most of you come from the underworld, and many are just passing through. Let me reiterate the rules of this inn—everything must follow the regulations. If you anger the boss, none of you will have a good outcome. Now, you all know the rules for feeding on human yang energy: one hundred million nether coins per sip. These three men can each take five sips, while the women are limited to three sips each; exceeding this will cause death. Everyone understands, right? Those who need to feed, pay the ghostly servants and line up!”

The female ghost cast a cold, disdainful glance at the wealthy male ghost before standing aside, motionless.

“You stay here. I’ll give you a Taiqing protection talisman. Ghosts below the Manifest Realm won’t dare harm you. If the situation gets chaotic, use the confusion to escape.”

Zhang Shouzheng patted Nie Thirteen’s shoulder and handed him a yellow talisman. Then, clutching a black plastic bag, he approached the ghostly servants. These spirits had long resided in the underworld, where no living humans existed, so they couldn’t feed on human essence there. Human essence was a precious tonic for ghosts, enhancing their strength, so many craved it. But the quota was limited. Thinking quickly, Zhang Shouzheng plunged his hand into the plastic bag, producing a thick stack of nether coins, which he tossed into the air.

The coins were of high value, all large denominations, immediately stirring a scramble among the ghosts. Zhang Shouzheng sneered and approached one of the ghostly servants, handing over a one-hundred-million coin. The servant nodded without expression, his demeanor mechanical, then led Zhang Shouzheng toward the stage.

The female ghost on stage glanced at Zhang Shouzheng with surprise; such generosity was rare among ghosts. Zhang Shouzheng reached Ma Yuxu, who remained dazed and failed to recognize him. Looking around at the gathered ghosts below, Zhang Shouzheng noted their weak strength. Most were at the Qi-Feeding Realm, with only a few reaching the Day-Walking Realm. If they were stronger, the inn wouldn’t operate only at night; they catered to these lower-level spirits.

Zhang Shouzheng felt no fear. He had stayed here this long precisely to confirm Ma Yuxu’s safety. Now that he had, he was relieved.

“Soul-binding chains… Hmph, maybe a month ago, I would have feared them. But now—cut them!”

He drew his broken sword, channeling his spiritual power into it. Silver patterns shimmered along the blade. With a flick of his wrist, the soul-binding chains at Ma Yuxu’s feet and those shackling the other hotel staff shattered, dissolving into wisps of black mist.

“Wake up!”

Zhang Shouzheng touched Ma Yuxu’s forehead, and the others followed suit. Their eyes snapped open. Before they could fully react, Zhang Shouzheng held an eye-drop bottle, applying some drops to their eyelids.

“You’re human? How did you get into the Netherworld Inn? Aren’t you afraid the boss will capture you?”

The female ghost’s expression changed drastically. She waved her hand, releasing a cloud of black mist that enveloped the entire stage, obscuring the scene from the other ghosts.

“Since you’ve come, what’s there to fear? Your boss is bold, seizing one of my aunt’s hotels and converting it into a Netherworld Inn without permission. Not only that, but he’s also detained my friends, keeping them captive and siphoning their yang energy daily. Hmph, audacious! If the underworld’s ghostly enforcers find out, you’ll all be doomed!”

With one hand supporting Ma Yuxu, Zhang Shouzheng’s tone turned grave and fierce.

Ma Yuxu’s eyes fluttered open weakly. “Shouzheng… you’re here, thank goodness. Be careful—the boss is a Manifest Realm evil ghost, and he has the backing of an underworld ghostly enforcer.”

“What nerve! Who dared break the soul-binding chains?”

An angry voice thundered from outside. Instantly, the surrounding black mist dissipated, revealing a cloaked ghostly enforcer who stepped onto the stage. Turning toward the female ghost, he demanded, “Zimei, explain what exactly is happening here!”