Chapter 28 Extortion

"Give me the money."

"I... I don't have much ghost currency left."

Facing the man extorting him with such seriousness, Zhu Jun managed a strained smile.

But in the next second, a palm, swift as a hurricane, struck him hard, whipping his head to the side. His cheek instantly swelled and reddened.

"I'm not negotiating with you. You have to hand over your ghost coins."

Ji Linmo expressionlessly shook out his hand, grabbed Zhu Jun by the collar, and raised a tightly clenched fist high above his head.

"This is your ransom. You don’t want to end up like Liu Bi and Wang Dazhi, do you?"

As the fist was about to come down, Zhu Jun let out a shriek.

Hurriedly, he handed over the last of his ghost coins from his pocket to Ji Linmo.

No more, no less—just a single coin.

Glancing at the skull-marked 100-ghost-coin piece, Ji Linmo pinched it between his fingers.

The silver-gray coin spun through the air with each toss, dancing nimbly between his fingers.

"This is all you have?"

"Maybe selling you to the vending machine would be the best deal..."

Catching the coin again, Ji Linmo looked at Zhu Jun with indifference.

He had always lived by the rule of neither offending nor being offended.

Last night, Zhu Jun, together with Liu Bi and Wang Dazhi, had robbed him. By his principles, if not for a certain accident, he would never have let the three of them go so easily.

"Wait, I’ll give you more!" Zhu Jun, seeing Ji Linmo truly intended to kill him and sell him to the vending machine, shouted desperately, his voice trembling with pleading.

"I don’t have money now, but I’ll earn and pay you! Just give me some time!"

"Earn money?" Ji Linmo’s interest was piqued. "I forgot to ask—how have you been earning ghost coins these past days? Tell me everything, every detail."

Seeing a chance to survive, Zhu Jun hurriedly began to recount his recent means of getting by.

—Helping clean room 202.

"So, Ji Linmo... Brother, do you remember Ma Jianguo, the old man who likes chess?"

"He and his wife live in room 202."

"As long as I help them clean, the old lady in 202 gives me three hundred ghost coins."

"It’s not much, but she loves to cook and will feed me a meal. That’s how I’ve made it so far."

Finishing, Zhu Jun put on a sycophantic smile, eager to please.

Ma Jianguo’s wife?

Ji Linmo thought of the golden ring. That ring belonged to Ma Jianguo’s wife, Gu Yulan.

He had come down here this time precisely to return the ring and thank Ma Jianguo properly.

"Brother, about the old lady in 202, I do know a little something," Zhu Jun said, lowering his voice conspiratorially as he glanced at Ji Linmo.

"Speak."

"The old lady is very vain—she loves wearing the skins of young girls. If you flatter her on her youth and beauty, you’ll get a lot of help."

Ji Linmo nodded impassively. That was useful news.

"Zhu Jun, today I’ll spare your life, but from now on, you owe me three hundred ghost coins every day. Otherwise, you know what’ll happen."

"Three hundred ghost coins! Brother, please, give me a way to live! I barely scrape together three hundred a day!"

"That’s not my concern. I know you live in 201. I’ll come find you."

Ji Linmo brushed the dust from his hands, stepped over the collapsed Zhu Jun, and strode toward the community gate.

"Damn it! Damn it! Why won’t he just die!"

Staring at Ji Linmo’s retreating figure, Zhu Jun’s eyes blazed with hate.

Last night had not been meant to end this way!

Last night, Zhu Jun had deliberately set the clock in room 402 ahead by thirty minutes.

He knew full well that even with Liu Bi and Wang Dazhi, he was no match for Ji Linmo.

So, the real plan wasn’t to win, but to distract him.

As long as Liu Bi and Wang Dazhi could barge into room 403 the moment the "Ghost Bride" appeared and disrupt Ji Linmo’s rhythm, making him break the rules and die, the plan would succeed.

—After all, the side items wouldn’t disappear just because their owner died. He’d simply pick up the items afterward!

"But... that old woman said the Ghost Bride was tough, that few who lived in 403 could survive long. How did this happen!"

His face twisted with rage, Zhu Jun kicked the ground in frustration and spat.

Outside the community, the sky stretched vast and ashen gray. The dark green grass looked as stagnant as a dead pond, only shuddering and rippling when the wind swept by.

Ji Linmo took in his surroundings, the morning breeze carrying a chill unique to dawn, leaving him feeling unexpectedly refreshed.

"Strange. Normally, he’d have set up his stall by now..."

Ji Linmo looked around, but the chess-loving old Ma wasn’t at the plaza by the gate.

Could it be that, after giving me his wife’s wedding ring yesterday, a family quarrel broke out, and that’s why he didn’t come out as usual?

The thought flashed through Ji Linmo’s mind, and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Player — Ji Linmo]

[Status: Exhausted]

[Strength: ?]

[Speed: ?]

[Perception: ?]

[Funds: 800 ghost coins]

[Inventory: "Girl’s Short Skirt" (Intermediate Item)]

Standing before the vending machine, Ji Linmo glanced at his status bar and rubbed his hair in resignation.

He felt fine, but after a sleepless night and all the energy spent at "Ghost Singer—Yang Xingxing's" place, fatigue was catching up with him.

"Let’s get some food... That one at home can eat, too."

Ji Linmo carefully selected a few items, then, arms full, returned to his dorm—room 403.

Back in the bedroom, the youth, still bound tightly by the electric whip, remained fast asleep.

"Is he ever going to wake up?"

Frowning, Ji Linmo checked the boy’s neck.

His pulse was steady, his breathing even—nothing seemed wrong.

But why wouldn’t he wake?

Was it because he’d lost the "Ghost Bride" identity?

"Qin Feng, stop pretending. Wake up."

Ji Linmo shook the boy vigorously.

Still, he wouldn’t stir.

After hesitating, Ji Linmo opened a can of eight-treasure congee he’d bought, and spooned some towards the boy’s mouth.

Because the whip kept him bound, it was hard for Ji Linmo to get close, so the congee trickled from the boy’s lips.

It should be fine to loosen him.

He surely couldn’t cause trouble for the time being.

With that thought, Ji Linmo reached for the electric whip’s handle.

With a sharp crack, the moment the whip loosened, the boy’s eyes snapped open.