Chapter 176: Old Friend on the Bus

10:00 and three seconds.

On the second floor of the Apartment, Gao Tian found two residents willing to help him.

One was a fitness coach, and the other was a construction worker who hauled bricks. Both were packed with solid muscle.

The rules for their help were simple.

Gao Tian would first step one foot out of the Apartment. Ten minutes later, he would step the other foot out.

During this time, if Gao Tian showed any dangerous expressions—a smile, a raised corner of his mouth, or curved eyebrows—the two men wouldn't listen to a single explanation. They would immediately and viciously kick him right back into the Apartment.

Even if Gao Tian left the Apartment without exhibiting any abnormalities, the two would block the door and wait for a full hour. This ensured he was truly fine.

At 10:05, Gao Tian stepped through the Apartment's main doors. The moment he lost the Apartment's suppression, all three of their hearts leaped into their throats.

Although the two Apartment residents didn't know the exact details, they vaguely understood that this was a dangerous curse.

Time ticked by, minute by minute.

Gao Tian felt completely normal; absolutely no mutations occurred.

It had been too long since he last faced the sunlight. It glared so brightly that tears continuously leaked from the corners of his eyes, making it hard to keep them open.

The world outside the Apartment—the woods, the asphalt roads—felt so real it was almost surreal.

A full four months and one week after the great battle in Minghai City, Gao Tian had successfully stepped out of the Apartment and gained his freedom for the very first time.

Within the gray fog, a distant yellow light loomed like a giant beast dwelling in an abyss.

A rusted Bus reeking of foul odors slowly came to a halt in front of the station. As the doors of Bus 444 opened, Gao Tian—for whom entering the Inner World was no longer a first—carried his Gray Ticket Stub and stepped aboard.

For the Bus heading to the Inner World, the station timetable changed randomly on every trip.

Gao Tian glanced over it. This time, the route sequence was the Old District, Longshu Temple, and finally Blood Door Village.

In other words, if everything went smoothly, he would secure the Hanged Man's Ghost Domain and request the Ghost Card on Ling's soul. Then, he would enter the temple to converse with Yusheng. Finally, he would arrive at Blood Door Village to help Shen Nian find the real child, which would simultaneously complete his sixth Green Text Mission.

All of this, of course, was predicated on things going smoothly.

Before setting out, Gao Tian had searched the internet in an attempt to gather information related to the Old District.

After all, every stop in the Inner World corresponded to a specific incident in reality.

It was a district plastered with signs warning "Living Persons Prohibited." Aside from that, all sorts of warning placards were scattered everywhere.

Unfortunately, Gao Tian couldn't find a single corresponding location in reality.

He had no idea how this place was born in the Inner World.

When the time came, he could only play it by ear and take it one step at a time.

Just as he was pondering this, the empty Bus slowly reduced its speed. The first stop, Scarecrow Dock Station, had arrived.

As the front and rear doors of the Bus slowly opened, a massive, dark silhouette climbed aboard.

The passenger count also ticked up to two.

Although the cabin rules explicitly forbade passengers from killing each other, Gao Tian's muscles still tensed as he prepared for combat.

The Inner World was full of incomprehensible horrors. He could never know what exactly was boarding or what it might do.

A tall, obese "man" wearing a black bowler hat bent over with difficulty, squeezing through a door that was unbearably narrow for its frame.

A high-end black cashmere coat tightly wrapped around everything beneath its thick, short neck. With every step this gentleman took, the cabin vibrated slightly. Once aboard, four distinct faces on the front, back, left, and right of its head opened their eyes simultaneously, glancing around.

With nowhere to hide, Gao Tian could only meet its gaze.

"It's you?"

Upon seeing that the only passenger on the Bus was Gao Tian, the Ghost Merchant curled its toothless lips and burst into laughter.

The next moment, as if having found its target, it took massive strides toward the back row where Gao Tian was sitting.

The two of them had crossed paths once before in the Inner World. Originally, on the way to the Abandoned Pagoda School, Gao Tian had just narrowly escaped the Orphanage Ghost Mother when he bumped into the Ghost Merchant. The Ghost Merchant had proactively tried to strike up a conversation, but Gao Tian—terrified that "talking" might be one of the ghost's Killing Rules—had completely ignored it.

"Long time no see. How many years has it been in your real world?

"It really isn't easy to run into a familiar face or two in the Inner World.

"I am the Ghost Merchant. I don't know if you remember me, but if you want to buy local specialties from the Inner World, you can come to me. Lifespan, organs—

"—anything can be used as collateral. My prices are fair, and I never cheat anyone, young or old."

The Ghost Merchant chattered on as it plopped heavily into the seat beside Gao Tian. The face on its left side leaned close, radiating a foul, sour stench, and started babbling the moment it opened its mouth.

Gao Tian had no idea why this thing possessed intelligence, nor did he understand its goal in wandering back and forth across the Inner World, seeking out the living to do business.

What use were the things it earned to a ghost?

Judging by its appearance, it didn't look like a member of the Divine Tree, either.

The Ghost Merchant remained seated beside him, talking a mile a minute. If it were the Gao Tian of the past, he definitely wouldn't have dared to respond, terrified of accidentally triggering some Killing Rule.

But the current Gao Tian had grown significantly. Both the quantity and quality of Supernatural Items in his possession had undergone a qualitative leap. He could afford to take this slight risk.

Having made up his mind, Gao Tian still remained silent, avoiding direct conversation with the Ghost Merchant. This was to bypass any potential rules.

With a thought, he summoned the Wind Attendant Buddha, placing it directly in the seat in front of the Ghost Merchant. It turned its head and said, "I need to ask you for some information. If you can tell me what I need, the price is negotiable."

After the Wind Attendant Buddha appeared on the Bus, Gao Tian kept the corner of his eye trained on the red sign at the front, watching to see what the passenger count had reached.

The number jumped from two to three.

The Bus had confirmed that the Wind Attendant Buddha was also one of the "passengers."

The Wind Attendant Buddha was an incredibly wondrous item. Even though it was merely a puppet, many Supernatural Items classified it as either a living person or a Fierce Ghost.

The moment the Wind Attendant Buddha appeared out of thin air, the Ghost Merchant was visibly startled. All four faces widened their eyes in shock. "What are you?

"How did you get on? Why didn't I see you?"

The Wind Attendant Buddha slowly replied, "I am a person.

"If you have any deals to make, talk to me. My friend is a little tired and wants some peace and quiet. Stop bothering him."

Gao Tian firmly maintained his rule: his main body would not engage in any dialogue with the Ghost Merchant.

After entering the Inner World, everything had to be considered from a worst-case scenario. Gao Tian had already assumed that "talking" or "trading" was highly likely to be the Ghost Merchant's Killing Rule.

He let the Wind Attendant Buddha perform all the dangerous actions on his behalf.

The Ghost Merchant was highly resistant to the Wind Attendant Buddha. "I'm only willing to negotiate with the living. You're neither human nor ghost—what exactly are you? Stay away from me."

The Wind Attendant Buddha insisted, "Either deal with me, or don't deal at all.

"This friend of mine is mute. He won't say a single word to you. If you can't accept that, then the trade is canceled immediately."

The more the Ghost Merchant insisted, the more it proved there was indeed a trap.

The two sides remained at an impasse for a long time, right up until another stop passed. The Ghost Merchant's left face continuously stared with greed at Gao Tian, who was looking at the scenery outside the window. After some bargaining, the other three faces agreed. "Fine. I'll negotiate with you.

"What is it that you want?"

The face on the left let out a shriek. "No! If we're dealing, it has to be with this living person! That ghostly thing has no right to trade with us!"

The other three faces completely ignored its protests.

With a flicker of Gao Tian's thoughts, the Wind Attendant Buddha continued, "There's a ghost in the Inner World called Hanged Man 57. It's that blood-black cross that parasitizes the heads of the living.

"It was last seen getting off at the Old District stop and walking into the depths of the Old District.

"I want to know, is Hanged Man 57 still in the Old District? If not, then what stop should it be at?"

The front, right, and back faces of the Ghost Merchant whispered among themselves. They spoke in encrypted, strange mutters that no one could comprehend.

A moment later, the front face spoke up. "Hanged Man 57 is still in the Old District. It went in and never came back out.

"But that place is a spatial loop. Even if you go inside, it's impossible to find it without a special Supernatural Item."

The back face yelled, "Don't go to that place! It's for your own good!"

The right face said, "However, you can make a deal with us.

"We have something here called the Bone Compass. Input the person or ghost you want to find, and the compass will constantly point in their direction.

"You really need this item. Without it, you'll never find Hanged Man 57."

The left face kept screaming, "Let the living human speak to me! Stop talking to this freakish thing!"

Gao Tian pondered for a moment before the Wind Attendant Buddha said, "How do I know this Supernatural Item of yours is actually effective, and you aren't just scamming me?"

The front face reached up to adjust its bowler hat. "I never lie.

"For example, any human who speaks to me will die a violent death in five minutes.

"As for the Bone Compass, any living person who uses it must sacrifice fifty years of lifespan after every input.

"Use it once, and a young man becomes an old geezer. Use it twice, and you'll instantly turn into a pile of white bones.

"By talking to me, you're already dead; by buying my item, you also die. Why would I bother lying to you about how it functions?"

The face on the back of its head screamed, "You idiot! Why did you explain the Bone Compass's effects in so much detail!"

The front face yelled back, "If I explain it in detail, he'll overlook the fact that talking to us also triggers death!"

So that was it.

This Ghost Merchant was surprisingly honest.

Avoiding conversation and trade with the Ghost Merchant during that first Bus ride was the right choice. Sure enough, there were lethal traps everywhere.

The Wind Attendant Buddha slowly opened its mouth. "This Bone Compass meets my requirements. I'll take it.

"What's the price?"