Yun Tutu quickly got to work packing the items while asking, “Sister Ming, what will you give me in exchange? We don’t accept things that are of no use to us.”

Ming Jiayi disappeared in an instant, returning shortly after with a chest in tow. She placed it in front of Yun Tutu and said, “Here, I’ve collected some jewelry. If that’s not enough, this Taoist master can figure something out.”

Master Shifang pointed at himself in disbelief, “Are you talking about me?”

This damned Ghost King had been lurking around the whole time and even fought with him on multiple occasions. Now that he thought about it, she was clearly toying with him.

Wait a minute, she’s the only Ghost King here. Where are the others?

“Of course, it’s you,” Ming Jiayi replied, reverting to her blood-soaked, sinister face. The transformation was terrifying, as her facial features twisted grotesquely. “We’ve been sparring with you for a while now. Don’t you think we deserve some compensation?”

Master Shifang scowled, “This is pure slander! I, Master Shifang, do not need ghosts like you to spar with me!”

“Really? You think we have nothing better to do?” Ming Jiayi’s demeanor shifted suddenly, and the four ghosts behind her revealed their true forms, exuding the overwhelming aura of Ghost Kings.

A cold sweat broke out on Master Shifang’s forehead. All four of them were Ghost Kings, and he hadn’t even noticed until now.

As he looked at each of them closely, he realized they were familiar—he’d crossed paths with them before, but none had shown this kind of power.

Now it all made sense. His face drooped as he picked up the red cinnabar and talisman paper from the ground. “I’ll just go over there and make you more talismans.”

There was no winning this fight. Better to get to work.

Curiosity sparked in Yun Tutu. “Sister Ming, what would have happened to this Daoist if I hadn’t come?”

“What else? We’d have left him half-alive and tossed him out,” Ming Jiayi said nonchalantly. Unlike other Ghost Kings, she wasn’t dumb enough to fight Taoists to the death. She’d known of Master Shifang in her lifetime. He was a good person who often helped those in need.

Yun Tutu finished sorting everything and opened Ming Jiayi’s chest. It was filled with ancient jewelry. Noticing several spirits with short hair, she asked, “What about these items?”

“Don’t worry, they’re all burial goods from a thousand years ago,” Ming Jiayi replied, glancing down at her newly acquired qipao. She’d seen it on other female ghosts before and was thrilled to finally own one herself. “Some of the items were damaged, so I didn’t bring them.”

Yun Tutu was speechless. She literally dug up her own grave.

But having already encountered ghosts, Yun Tutu wasn’t bothered by such taboos. After all, many historical artifacts were also excavated. “These will do. I’ll burn everything for you now.”

Ming Jiayi’s grin widened as she saw her collection grow. “Burn me a few more servants. After the Ghost Festival this year, I won’t be staying here anymore.”

With this newfound wealth, she could live a comfortable life in the underworld without worrying about Daoists constantly attacking.

Master Shifang, who was busy preparing a second talisman, looked up in shock. “You can go to the underworld?”

“Of course I can,” Ming Jiayi’s smile deepened. With the extensive goods Yun Tutu was providing, there was no reason to continue living a miserable existence here.

Master Shifang muttered to himself, “Money really can make the world—no, the underworld—go round.”

Yun Tutu ignored him and continued promoting her products. The Ghost Kings, especially the one who had tried to ambush her earlier, were big spenders.

One small ghost, who Yun Tutu hadn’t expected to be so powerful, dragged over a few raw gemstones and pushed them toward her. “I’ll trade these. Don’t worry, they’re from my family’s mine.”

Ming Jiayi cast the small ghost a disdainful glance. “A-Mu’s right. This one came from the northern mines of Myanmar. It’s got some skills. It was supposed to be made into a ghost slave, but it managed to escape.”

Yun Tutu suspected there was more to the story. She looked at A-Mu with some pity. The little ghost seemed only about five or six years old.

A-Mu placed his head back on his neck and gave it a little shake. His face, pale but cute, broke into a smile, showing two dimples. “Sister, I’ll take everything the boss lady ordered, except the dresses. I don’t need those. Got anything more my size?”

Yun Tutu rummaged through the remaining stock and found some child-sized clothing from the funeral goods. She handed them all over, and A-Mu took everything in one go.

The ghosts waiting behind could only look on with envy. The four Ghost Kings had already claimed the bulk of Yun Tutu’s inventory, leaving little for the others.

Despite their discontent, the lesser spirits couldn’t cause a scene. Their power simply wasn’t enough to compete.

The remaining spirits made smaller trades, but some of them had to relay information about their hidden treasure stashes to Master Shifang, who was now responsible for retrieving their wealth.

Master Shifang had no choice but to agree, the pressure from the four Ghost Kings weighing heavily on him. Exhausted, he completed twenty talismans with the last of his strength.

Yun Tutu carefully examined each talisman. “What’s this one for?”

“That’s a protection talisman,” Master Shifang explained, realizing that Yun Tutu was a complete novice in Taoism. He gave a thorough explanation, “If you wear it, it can protect you from one strike from a Ghost King. It can also block lethal attacks, like car crashes, up to three times.”

Yun Tutu eagerly took notes. “This is great! But why is there only one?”

Master Shifang shot her a glare. “It takes me three months to make one of these. I was saving it for my own life.”

If it weren’t for the Ghost Kings not allowing him to leave, he wouldn’t have parted with it.

“Next, next,” Yun Tutu smiled apologetically and resumed her note-taking.

“This one repels ghosts. Lesser spirits won’t dare come near you.”

Yun Tutu hesitated. “Song Song, there aren’t any ghosts back home, are there?”

“Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they’re not there.”

Song Song’s response startled Yun Tutu. “Are you serious?”

“The energy fields are different, so don’t worry. Your world doesn’t have malevolent spirits. Most dissipate soon after death.”

“Then, isn’t this a bit pointless?”

“It still works. If you don’t need it, you can always trade it with someone else later.”

“Good idea,” Yun Tutu said, quickly writing down notes.

Master Shifang was bewildered by how quickly her attitude shifted from skepticism to enthusiasm.

After the exhausting exchange, Master Shifang had little left—only a few supplies and the hope that the spirits hadn’t lied about their hidden treasures.