Chapter 543: He Saw Heaven!

When Lu Yibei arrived at Fat Master’s shop, the ghost market was already nearing closing time. Fat Master was no longer at the counter by the entrance, and the shop assistants were busy tidying up, preparing to shut down.

The assistant saw Lu Yibei, smiled, nodded to her, then turned around and called softly toward the depths of the shop.

“Master, Master! Lady Calamity is here!”

As soon as the words fell, heavy footsteps echoed from the back of the shop.

Following the sound, Fat Master, face full of smiles, twisted his bloated body, rolling along the “track” built from shelves like a ball of meat.

“Hehe, why did you come in person, Lady?” Fat Master rubbed his hands. “I suppose it’s about that batch of alchemical materials from last time?”

“The Flame Fish Scales you wanted, Fire Bloom has already been found. Whenever you say the word, I can deliver them to you. As for Longan Coral, you’ll have to wait a bit longer, but there’s a lead. Only the Spirit of Ignition… to be honest, still no news.”

Hearing this, Lu Yibei frowned slightly.

Almost forgot–I ordered these alchemical materials from Fat Master.

Actually, if Big Boss hadn’t “exploded,” those materials would’ve been easy to get at Dream Come True Entertainment City…

But not using materials exchanged from Dream Come True Entertainment City, which contain the world’s malice, is actually a good thing, Lu Yibei thought.

Given the nature of the world’s malice, if she really used those materials to complete the core entity of the haunting, her situation now would probably be a hundred times more miserable than the eyeball’s.

Lu Yibei shook her head. “That’s not why I’m here today.”

Unlike before embarking on the Dream Come True Journey, when she was anxious about her strength and eager to fix the flaws in her haunting’s core entity.

Now, she had just inherited Wang Meili’s legacy, hadn’t fully absorbed it yet, and even her power had changed to some extent. The previous formula for completing the core entity might not be entirely suitable.

It’s better to wait until she’s digested everything her mom left behind before making plans.

Thinking this, Lu Yibei said to Fat Master, “Since you mentioned the previous batch of alchemical materials, I’ll say a bit more. The materials I asked you to find before aren’t urgent for now. I might add some others later. I’ll let you know when I’ve decided.”

At this, Fat Master, fat as a ball but sharp as a monkey, immediately picked up some valuable information from Lu Yibei’s words.

After secretly investigating Lu Yibei’s two rounds of massive alchemical material purchases at the ghost market, he had vaguely guessed that Lu Yibei was completing her haunting’s core entity.

Now, Lu Yibei herself said the previous materials weren’t urgent and might add others, which meant her power had likely changed. For a high-tier haunting, unless it gets stronger, its power rarely changes.

So, Calamity has probably gotten stronger since last time!

Tsk tsk, Lady Calamity, you probably don’t know how many forces are interested in you now. The value of this intel is probably quite high…

But don’t worry, with our relationship, anyone wanting to buy your info from me has to pay at least five times the market price, Fat Master thought.

As a proper businessman, selling Lu Yibei’s intel at five times the market price was already giving her face and being generous.

While Fat Master was mulling this over, Lu Yibei continued, “Also, this time I’d like to trouble you to get me some Nether Soil, Five-Offering Stone, a jug of old wine, and a cypress or willow incense table–the older the better. Besides that…”

Halfway through, she changed her tone, raised her eyebrow at Fat Master, and waved her hand boldly, “Same as before, whatever alchemical residue you have, I’ll take it all.”

Fat Master was both shocked and delighted. “This, this, seventeen tons, you want it all?!”

He was shocked because whenever Lu Yibei bought alchemical residue from him, she’d soon make a big move.

Delighted because, except for Lu Yibei, almost no one bought alchemical residue in bulk, and he’d bought too much from that silly girl. If Lu Yibei didn’t come, the goods would rot in his hands.

“……”

Damn! How is there as much as seventeen tons?

What on earth has Gu Qianqian been up to lately?

I’ll have to find a chance to ask her what she’s doing, or else this cheap daughter-in-law might go astray, become a fake medicine dealer, head of an illegal psychic artifact trafficking gang, or a world-destroying factor, and then get wanted by the Midnight Watchers Society–what a headache!

Lu Yibei grumbled inwardly, raised the cooking oil canister in her hand to Fat Master, expressionless. “Too much. Not convenient today. I only brought these out. You decide.”

As long as no one sees my embarrassment, I’m not embarrassed!

Fat Master glanced at the cooking oil canister in Lu Yibei’s hand, his brain spinning rapidly. In just a few seconds, he calculated the numbers and smiled. “If it’s you, Lady, I can give you the best price. How about three tons?”

With the profit from three tons, he’d recoup almost half his costs.

Now everyone knows the disaster water in Fat Master’s hands is produced by Calamity, and it often sells for more than twice the normal price.

As for those buyers–whether they use disaster water as alchemical materials, for experiments targeting Calamity, or for some weird purposes–he doesn’t care. He only cares about making money!

If Lu Yibei would cooperate and let him stick some sexy photos on the containers holding disaster water, he was confident he could push the price to ten times the normal rate.

But he didn’t dare suggest that to Lu Yibei.

“A bit short, isn’t it?” Lu Yibei frowned.

Though Fat Master’s offer exceeded her expectations, her dad had always taught her to haggle when buying things.

“Well…” Fat Master looked troubled. “How much do you think is fair, Lady?”

“That depends on your sincerity!” Lu Yibei said expressionlessly.

Fat Master stared at her face, feeling anxious. The girl before him was like an emotional black hole–he couldn’t read her at all.

“Well… how about two hundred kilograms more?”

“A bit more.”

“Three hundred kilograms?”

Could she have found out about my little tricks and is messing with me on purpose? Fat Master grew even more nervous.

“A bit more?”

“That’s… can’t add any more…” Fat Master’s fat face twitched.

“Really?” Lu Yibei tilted her head. Just as Fat Master steeled himself to add four hundred kilograms, she pouted, “Fine! We’re so familiar, I won’t mess with you. Round it off, just give me three tons of alchemical residue.”

Fat Master was delighted, then heard Lu Yibei say, “The other four hundred kilograms, please convert to cash. I’ll pick out some other things, okay?”

Fat Master, “???”

How does rounding off end up with even more?

And you want to pick more things?

You really are a little business genius! Fat Master thought.

“……”

Stunned, huh?

I predicted you were about to raise four fingers! Lu Yibei secretly rejoiced.

From Fat Master, she obtained the materials and items needed for the directional soul-summoning spell formation, and instructed him to deliver the alchemy residue to Xingfu Community later. Then, Lu Yibei rode her little electric scooter toward the unfinished buildings near University Town.

She had spent about an hour at the ghost market, and there was still some time before sunrise. She wanted to take this opportunity to try out the directional soul-summoning spell formation for the first time.

A moment later, at the edge of Hua City’s University Town, inside an unfinished building.

Under the cover of night, the empty building was filled with an eerie and sinister atmosphere. In a corner shrouded by reinforced concrete, there stood a shabby cypress incense table.

On the table, a pale funeral candle was stuck into Nether Soil, its dim flame flickering. Under its light, the Five-Offering Stone used in place of animal sacrifices glowed with a crimson sheen.

Suddenly, a mournful suona began to play, flowing into a tune called “Crying at the Grave.”

When the tune ended, Lu Yibei shrugged, took out the incense she had prepared, lit it with the funeral candle, and stuck it into the Nether Soil. Then she offered a bowl of fragrant aged liquor.

I really am multi-talented. Once all these troublesome things are over, maybe opening a funeral service company wouldn’t be a bad idea.

From offering incense, to playing the suona, to reciting the eulogy, to cremation, and even cooking for the banquet–I could handle it all myself, no middleman taking a cut. How great is that!

Thinking this, Lu Yibei waved her small hand, and a passageway connecting to the embryonic Divine Land opened at her side. With a thought, the passageway clattered and spat out a pile of hairpins, rings, talismans, and other miscellaneous items.

All these things were picked up in Taoyuan. Since they didn’t carry Gou Meng’s aura, it was almost certain they were left behind by the psychics and hauntings who attacked Taoyuan.

Although Lu Yibei couldn’t be sure all those psychics and hauntings were dead, and she didn’t have any deep grudges with them, who told them to be so unlucky as to get caught up in this?

But after this, there might be a deep grudge.

“Well then, let’s pick a lucky audience member to participate in this free trial of the directional soul-summoning!”

Muttering to herself, Lu Yibei’s gaze swept over the pile of items, then suddenly stopped on a curved knife inlaid with agate, her eyes narrowing.

Sorry, correction: most psychics and hauntings have no deep grudge with me, but Suolang Baima is an exception.

“It’s you. With our relationship, I have to do a little behind-the-scenes manipulation!”

As she spoke, Lu Yibei stepped forward, grabbed Suolang Baima’s curved knife, came to the incense table, raised it with both hands, closed her eyes, and spread her psychic energy fluctuation to envelop the entire table, chanting under her breath.

“Youth fades, daylight shines, spring’s vigor surges, all things hasten. The nether descends, the soul cannot escape. Soul, return! Do not wander far. Soul, return! Neither east nor west, neither south nor north…”

As the incantation was recited, a silver-gray mist gradually spread over the curved knife. Carrying Lu Yibei’s voice and will, the mist stretched out like thousands of tendrils, spreading in all directions, then pulling into threads that slipped into the void.

Finally, the mist, fine as hair, began to tremble, stirring the psychic energy scattered in the air, making everything ripple like water.

Immediately after, whispers sounded in her ears. In a daze, it seemed as if countless eyes appeared around her–some sneaky, some cold, some indifferent… all watching everything.

It was as if a crowd of onlookers had appeared out of nowhere.

Qing Ji had told Lu Yibei that those “onlookers” were drawn by the aura of the directional soul-summoning spell formation, meaningless attention.

He was certain that the source of that attention was not real psychics or hauntings. He once thought it came from the legendary Yellow Springs, but it turned out the Yellow Springs didn’t exist.

He believed it was perhaps just the faint remnants left in all things after living beings died, not even enough to form a haunting.

As long as you didn’t interact with them or make promises to them, there was no harm.

Next, while continuing to recite the incantation, Lu Yibei gripped the curved knife tighter and silently called Suolang Baima’s name in her heart.

Then…

Deathly silence descended without warning, and the surrounding whispers vanished.

In the darkness before her eyes, Lu Yibei seemed to hear a buzzing sound in the silence, like a rope being pulled taut.

The next moment, she vaguely felt her psychic energy being touched by some distant existence, trembling slightly.

Just like a big fish testing the bait before biting.

The fish is about to bite? Then it’s time to add a little more bait! Lu Yibei thought.

Having used both charm and dream-invading abilities on Suolang Baima, Lu Yibei knew very well what he wanted.

So, she began her “promise.”

——–

Pain struck.

The despairing silence and darkness quickly dissipated, and Suolang Baima, who had been in deep slumber, suddenly woke up, feeling as if his brain was about to explode from the intense pain.

What’s… happening to me? Suolang Baima wondered.

He knew very clearly that he was already dead, like a candle snuffed out by the wind, falling into eternal silence.

But now, he could clearly feel that he had awakened.

He tried his best to focus his consciousness, wanting to figure out what was happening, but his awareness kept drifting, uncontrollable, like waking from a long sleep.

Like sand slipping through his fingers.

At that moment, he suddenly heard a voice.

“Suolang Baima, Does the soul return…”

The voice sounded from deep within his consciousness, then a faint psychic energy fluctuation touched his psychic sense.

In an instant, he gained a bit of understanding, a fierce and disdainful look appearing between his brows.

Heh, is this some kind of soul-summoning ritual spell formation?

When he was alive, as a high-tier psychic, Suolang Baima didn’t know how to use soul-summoning spell formations, but he could recognize them.

He didn’t know who was performing it… but he was sure they’d found the wrong person!

Fine, let’s see what you can offer me. If I’m not satisfied, I might as well possess you!

Suolang Baima thought viciously, tentatively responding to that faint psychic energy fluctuation.

Then…

The moment he established a subtle connection with that psychic energy fluctuation–

He saw paradise!

There was everything he had ever dreamed of!