Chapter 10: Great Harvest of Tourists!

Gu Wang knew the root of the problem was right here.

Zhou Tong switched on the lights in the room one by one, still explaining, “My great-aunt was a music teacher when she was young; she was educated. I never heard her talk about ghosts or gods.”

Gu Wang nodded, said nothing more, and entered the room to examine it.

Chang Xu hesitated briefly but chose to wait outside the door. He mainly came along because he was worried about Zhou Tong’s safety and didn’t want to invade someone else’s privacy.

Gu Wang could sense that the demonic energy was slightly stronger in one particular room. After asking Zhou Tong and learning it was her great-aunt’s bedroom, he had a rough idea.

On the wall hung a photo of an elderly woman sitting on a sofa, smiling with her lips pressed together. She wore a dark red cheongsam, her silver hair neatly combed, with lipstick on, and a jade bracelet on her wrist. She was a very elegant and beautiful woman; she must have been stunning in her youth.

Zhou Tong said, “I took this photo for my great-aunt on Sports Day. She said she hadn’t taken a photo in years, so I used my phone to snap one for her.”

Gu Wang said softly, “She must have known her time was almost up, so she left a trace of demonic energy in this photo.”

Zhou Tong paused, as if she hadn’t heard clearly. “What?”

Gu Wang then joined his fingers like a brush and quickly drew a talisman on the photo. The still image suddenly rippled, as if something was breaking, and the picture changed before their eyes.

The beautiful old lady slowly transformed into a half-human, red-furred fox. The large fox was fluffy and sat on the sofa. The fur around its mouth was slightly white, indicating it was very old, but its eyes were very gentle.

With a “Thump!”, Zhou Tong stumbled backward, hitting the tea cabinet, her expression bewildered. “It, she… this is my great-aunt… a fox…”

Gu Wang said, “This kind of thing isn’t common, but there have been precedents. Some fox demons, after giving birth, will swap their children with those of wealthy human families, allowing their children to grow up in human households.”

“After all, fox demons need to learn human manners, and little foxes raised this way can achieve twice the results with half the effort in their cultivation.”

Zhou Tong was still confused, not out of fear or anything, but it just felt surreal. Her elder, whom she’d known since childhood, was a fox spirit…

“However, your great-aunt seems to be a different case.” Gu Wang removed his hand, and the photo gradually returned to its original state. He said, “She should be a half-demon. From her appearance, she has a blood relation to you, but you’re an ordinary person, so you must have inherited the human bloodline from one of her parents.”

“Furthermore, the enchantment bead is, after all, a supreme treasure of the fox clan. If she had ties to the fox clan, she wouldn’t have let this treasure stay outside. In short, this is my first time encountering a half-demon born with an enchantment bead.”

“Ah…” Zhou Tong steadied herself. “Blood relation or not, it doesn’t matter anymore. I know she genuinely cared for me. It’s just this enchantment bead,” she said with a bitter smile, “Why would great-aunt think of leaving it to me?”

Gu Wang comforted her, “She was a half-demon and lacked guidance from demon elders, so she probably misunderstood the enchantment bead’s true function. After all, with the enchantment bead on her, she could feel others’ goodwill, making her more amiable and well-liked. That’s why she wanted to leave it to you.”

“But what she didn’t know was that on an ordinary person, the enchantment bead can only attract those who can’t resist desire. She wanted to leave you the best, you see.”

Zhou Tong was momentarily stunned, then felt relieved. She turned to look at the photo and, in a trance, heard a gentle, kind voice: “Tongtong, my great-aunt’s dear grandchild! How about great-aunt leaves you a treasure?”

Zhou Tong snapped back to reality and heard Gu Wang ask her, “Do you still want to remove this enchantment bead?”

Zhou Tong thought for a moment, then nodded. “If great-aunt knew that the enchantment bead was like this on me, she wouldn’t be happy either.”

Gu Wang understood and told her, “Close your eyes, and don’t resist.”

Without waiting for Zhou Tong’s reaction, he channeled his spiritual energy, aimed at the top of her head, and made a grabbing motion.

Zhou Tong felt something being pulled out, like a layer of cling film being peeled from her body. It wasn’t painful, just a bit odd.

A pink bead, about the size of a winter date, appeared above her head.

Gu Wang: “It’s done.”

When Zhou Tong opened her eyes, the bead dropped into her hand. She picked it up and examined it closely; it was translucent pink, somewhat like rose quartz, and surprisingly warm to the touch.

As she looked at it, an involuntary feeling of affection arose, as if this bead were the most precious treasure in the world.

Zhou Tong’s heart immediately sobered as she felt deeply about the enchantment bead. She handed it to Gu Wang and said, “Please handle this. If possible, return it to the fox clan; I imagine that would be great-aunt’s last wish. If not, please use it where it’s needed.”

Gu Wang was surprised. He reached out and took it. This girl’s resolve was quite strong. One must understand that the enchantment bead inherently carried a powerful charm.

By the time the matter was settled, the sky was already faintly brightening.

Early risers outside were beginning their commutes.

Zhou Tong pushed open the door, and Chang Xu, who had been dozing, leaning against the doorframe, jolted awake. “How was it? Is it resolved?”

Zhou Tong uttered an “Oh?” and couldn’t help but lean closer to him. “I thought you had left. The enchantment bead has been removed, and you still like me?”

Chang Xu’s face instantly turned scarlet. He looked at the sky, then at the ground, daring not to look at her, and mumbled, “It’s not because of that whatever enchantment bead that I like you.”

His face burned, yet he said earnestly, “You have so much self-control and are kind. Even without the enchantment bead, someone would like you. You’re very likable!”

Zhou Tong’s face also reddened. She lowered her gaze and said, “Let’s go to self-study together from now on.”

Chang Xu: “!!”

Chang Xu was surprised, excited, and thrilled! He gesticulated wildly for a long time, then spun around sharply, staring intently at Gu Wang.

Gu Wang was speechless, thinking, Your freshly minted girlfriend is right next to you, why are you looking at me?

Chang Xu: “Master Gu! Thank you for helping me get a girlfriend! I’ll go to your amusement park every day from now on, and I’ll even promote it for you! I’ll do it as soon as I get back, and I’ll post videos on Tieba and my Moments!”

Zhou Tong also smiled. “Exactly! I’ll also help Master Gu promote it! I know a few seniors who work at the TV station. Fengdu’s scenery is so beautiful; a production team would definitely be willing to film there. Tell the amusement park boss to give you a raise when that happens!”

They both thought Gu Wang was just a part-timer working for the amusement park.

Gu Wang didn’t explain, his face beaming. “Then I won’t be polite. When the amusement park has annual passes later, I’ll give one to each of you.”

The trio took a taxi back to the North Suburbs in the early morning.

Meanwhile, across more than half of China, in a lively bar in a thriving city, a graceful woman in a bright red dress looked up in surprise. Her curly hair brushed her charming face, and a hint of playfulness flickered in her eyes. “Hmm? An enchantment bead has appeared?”

Gu Wang returned to the amusement park, while the young couple went back to school.

Inside the amusement park, Gu Wang called over the Candle Maiden and the Lamp Shadow Hag, then released the female ghost. “This is your new colleague.”

The Candle Maiden was quick to act. She immediately took the female ghost’s hand. “What’s your name, sister? How long have you been dead? Can you act and tell stories? You seem young and can’t manifest during the day yet, so I’ll cover you with my ghostly power, and you’ll be able to work during the day.”

The female ghost, bewildered, said, “My name is Sun Fei, and I think I just heard something about colleagues…”

The Candle Maiden: “Has the boss not told you yet? Our amusement park has great benefits! You get a wisp of Yin energy every month, and you can even scare those living guests – it’s so fun… I mean, it brings a lot of joy to the guests.”

Sun Fei listened, then let out a wail and burst into tears. “I don’t want to work anymore! I was a wage slave when I was alive. Why do I have to work after death?! Don’t they say evil spirits are suppressed in front of Buddha statues? I apply for suppression! I don’t want to work!”

Gu Wang: “…” Is that really necessary? Preferring suppression over work?

He said, “First, I cultivate Taoist methods, so even if you were suppressed, it would be under the Three Pure Ones Altar, nothing to do with Buddha statues. Second, we don’t have punch cards or performance reviews here, no salary deductions, and no team-building activities; it’s better than your previous company.”

“Finally, working here, you’ll see many living people. I heard your friends helped arrange your funeral. You were at the bottom of the lake and haven’t seen them since, right? Don’t you want to see them again? Your resentment isn’t heavy, but your obsession hasn’t dissipated, and it might be related to them.”

The female ghost was persuaded. She sniffled. “No punch cards? No salary deductions?”

Gu Wang nodded vigorously.

Female ghost: “Then, then fine. I’ll work for you.”

Gu Wang sighed in relief. He finally managed to persuade someone to join. He was short-staffed, so every person he could recruit helped. He added, “Let her play Miss Li; that way, the Embroidered Building scenario will have enough people. We can also change the plot: let the tourists rescue Miss Li, only to discover halfway that Miss Li is the mastermind. That twist will definitely attract more people.”

The Candle Maiden, Sun Fei, and the Lamp Shadow Hag looked at him. What kind of devil are you…?

Meanwhile, the young couple. After Chang Xu said goodbye to his newly made girlfriend, he reluctantly went back to his dorm. He had been out all night with a girl, so his dorm mates immediately started teasing him when they saw him come back.

Chang Xu, smugly, opened his computer and uploaded the video from his phone. He was too excited and thrilled to even think about sleeping.

Sleep? What’s sleep? There’s no sleep in love!

He just wanted to do his part for his matchmaker!

His editing skills weren’t very advanced; he simply cut out the spoiler and travel sections, leaving over thirty minutes of pure content.

Then he uploaded the video to the school Tieba forum and his Moments, praising Fengdu Amusement Park enthusiastically.

Finally, he didn’t forget to throw shade: “Those who were scared by the amusement park and responded with reports are just ??”

College students without classes are the most idle people in the world, especially at Yaoguang University, which is in the middle of nowhere.

Soon, comments started appearing below the video.

1L: “Where’s the bar owner? Where’s the bar owner? Where’s the bar owner? You’re even advertising at Yaoguang University? Please, bar owner, don’t delete it. I’m getting sick of being cooped up at school all day. Let me enjoy some entertainment!”

2L: “You’re saying this amusement park is close to the school? I laugh. Just for that, never mind if it’s an amusement park, I’d even go check out a pigsty!”

3L: “Three-minute video, who can watch that… Oh, it’s 30 minutes, never mind, good guy, OP. Don’t come to Yaoguang University in your next life; go to the city and see the world.”

The first few comments were joking around.

Half an hour later, people who had finished watching the video started appearing.

23L: “Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow! OP, are you really not studying special effects? Is this amusement park really that good?”

25L: “It’s too amazing! The gate-keeping monster even has lines! And reactions!”

32L: “Such a large area of white fog, just the fog machines must cost a lot of money, right? But I have to say, the effect is superb! This is what an immortal realm feels like!”

33L: “Reply to the floor above, it’s a ghost realm [dog head emoji]”

…

67L: “Holy cow! Did you guys watch the whole thing?! I got scared when that embroidered building came out; it was truly eerie!”

69L: “Hahaha, out of seven people, only the girl memorized the Nine-Character Mantra! How did you guys even get into Yaoguang University, hahaha!”

85L: “Doesn’t anyone think the embroiderer sister is beautiful? Her aura is so good, so ancient. Better than those actors in historical dramas whose features are all over the place!”

89L: “I can’t take it anymore; I have to go to this amusement park! Anyone wanna go together? Group up, group up!”

Below was a row of “+1,” “Me too.”

Some people were so impatient that they walked out while still looking at their phones.

So, when Gu Wang woke up after catching up on sleep, there was a long line at the entrance.

Gu Wang’s eyes instantly widened.

B-I-G harvest!