"Your kidney?"
"Isn't it right here?"
Dangling the kidney and giving it a little shake, Ning Chen grinned.
With experience from last time, this cut was pinpoint precise.
Almost in an instant, he'd cleanly removed the ghost's kidney.
With a thought, the kidney dissolved into wisps of yin energy and dispersed.
Ding! Ghost kidney exchange successful.
Merit Points +20!
"Oh dear~ now it's gone…"
"Mr. Niu-Ma, how about it—
why not gift me your other kidney as well?"
Seeing that a Tier-4 ghost's kidney could actually be exchanged for 20 Merit Points, Ning Chen's eyes lit up and his smile grew even brighter.
"Go to hell, damn it!"
"Where the f— did you put my kidney?!"
"Give it back! Give it back!"
The streamer ghost's face twisted in fury as he clutched his sliced-open lower back and howled at Ning Chen.
He had already gone completely berserk.
A ghost claw, wrapped in massive ghostly energy, stabbed straight toward Ning Chen's chest.
But a crippled ghost missing half its kidneys posed zero threat to him now.
A faint red glow flashed in Ning Chen's eyes.
The chilling ghostly aura around him surged violently.
At the same time—
Behind Ning Chen, the phantom figure of the ghost bride in phoenix crown and rosy robes silently emerged.
She raised a jade-like hand.
Yin energy instantly condensed into a massive ghostly palm—
Which slammed down mercilessly on the streamer ghost rushing toward them.
Already heavily injured, the streamer ghost was hit by Ning Chen's internal Qi combined with Hongdou's accumulated ghostly power—
His soul body nearly shattered on the spot.
He collapsed limply onto the ground.
...
"Holy crap! A ghost tamer?!"
"That's insane!"
"Daoist friend, isn't your kidney-harvesting a bit too slick?!"
The Daoist had thought another ghost had appeared.
But in the blink of an eye, the situation flipped.
The moment Ning Chen attacked, the Daoist saw through his identity.
So-called ghost tamers were humans who signed contracts with ghosts and borrowed their power to fight enemies.
It was a profession developed by a former director of the Spirit Management Bureau.
They allowed humans to gain immense power in a short time.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't exactly the same as Spirit-Capturing, Ghost-Dispatching General—
But calling Ning Chen a ghost tamer wasn't wrong either.
Realizing he'd gained an ally, the Daoist let out a sigh of relief.
Using the pressure of the Golden Light Mantra, he quickly forced back the ox-horses that were no longer under the streamer ghost's control.
Then, dancing with excitement, he shouted toward Ning Chen:
"Nothing special! Just muscle memory!"
Waving his hand, Young Master Ning smiled modestly and turned his gaze toward the ox-horses.
Raising one hand lightly, black mist swirled around him.
"Spirit Capture!"
With a low shout, the gold-crimson glow in his eyes suddenly burst into a blinding silver flash.
Black Qi roared.
The ox-horse ghosts shattered instantly into streams of black smoke, converging toward Ning Chen's palm.
The Daoist stared, mouth hanging open.
"Mother of—! Isn't this a bit too outrageous?!"
"When did Jinling get a big shot like this?!"
...
By the time the Daoist finished shouting, dozens of ox-horse souls had already been compressed into a dense mass of pure yin energy in Ning Chen's hand.
Then, before the Daoist—and the streamer ghost—could react—
He swallowed it in one gulp.
Spirit-Capturing, Ghost-Dispatching General — Devour Spirits!
After system optimization, the side effects of Devour Spirits had been removed.
It could even allow captured ghosts to devour spirits themselves to grow stronger—
With a chance to inherit abilities from what they consumed.
Those dozens of ox-horses had just been fed to Hongdou.
"Ahhh~"
Patting her belly, she let out a satisfied burp.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, for killing a ghost.
Merit Points +1000!
Ding! Total Merit Points: 1600.
Lottery function unlocked!
Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the choice mission!
Golden Light Mantra delivered to system storage!
Listening to the system notifications ringing nonstop, Ning Chen grinned so wide he couldn't close his mouth.
This—
was what you called a massive payday!
This trip to Wanda Plaza was absolutely worth it.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Ning Chen dismissed the spirit-possession state.
The red glow faded from his eyes as wisps of black smoke drifted out of his body and condensed behind him into Hongdou's figure once more.
The Daoist stared at Ning Chen in astonishment.
Damn—
This brother's happiness was beyond imagination!
Deactivating the Golden Light Mantra, the Daoist sheathed his sword and walked over with a beaming smile.
"Hold it!"
Hongdou frowned slightly and flashed forward, appearing not far in front of him.
"Uh—this…"
Looking up at the ghostly bride radiating dense yin energy, the Daoist stiffened and scratched his head, glancing at Ning Chen as if asking for help.
Ning Chen naturally understood Hongdou's feelings.
After being sealed for so many years, she obviously had no goodwill toward Daoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain.
Of course he sided with his own ghost.
But after a moment's thought, Ning Chen chuckled.
"Hongdou~ come back."
She nodded slightly, dissolving into black smoke and reappearing behind him.
"Daoist, sorry about that—my Hongdou's a bit shy with strangers. Hope you don't mind."
"Come, come!"
"The other kidney from this ghost—leave it to you!"
"Uh… that…"
The Daoist scratched his head, glancing between the streamer ghost lying in dissipating ghostly energy and the surgical blade Ning Chen handed over.
Then his expression suddenly turned serious.
"Well then—
I'll accept it, with thanks!"
He rubbed his hands, took the blade, and grinned wildly as he approached the streamer ghost.
"Damn it! Daoist daddy hates people acting crazier than me!"
"Didn't you want authenticity? I'm satisfying your request!"
"Drop the beat! Keep dancing!"
Stepping on the ghost's body, the Daoist rolled up his sleeves and stabbed toward the streamer ghost's lower back—
Though his technique was clearly far less refined.
It took five stabs before he finally found the kidney.
"AAAAH!! My kidney!! My kidney!!"
"Give it back!!"
The streamer ghost screamed miserably, but was soon suppressed again by the Daoist.
A jet-black, blood-soaked ghost kidney was pulled out.
"Serves you right!"
The Daoist cursed, crushing the kidney in one hand, then kicking the ghost hard in the head.
"Daoist daddy's sending you on your way!"
Golden light wrapped around his fist as he smashed it straight down.
"AAAAH!!"
"I'm a Ghost King!!"
"Kill me and none of you will live!!"
Already on the verge of collapse, the streamer ghost spat out one last threat—
Before shattering completely into streams of black smoke that dispersed into the air.
At the same time, the black fog filling the third floor of Wanda Plaza slowly dissipated.
Ding! Ghost core detected. Exchange for Merit Points?
"Exchange!"
Ding! Congratulations, Host!
Merit Points +400!
"Tch! Ghost King? Daoist daddy's an eighth-generation disciple of the Celestial Masters!"
"You dare touch me?!"
The Daoist cursed and spat, then bent down and searched the ground.
"Huh? Where's the ghost core?"
"What kind of trash Tier-4 ghost doesn't even drop a core?!"
Listening to the Daoist's angry muttering, Ning Chen lit a cigarette nearby.
Deeply hiding merit and fame.