Chu Hao grinned, "Hold on a sec, let me buy a phone first."
The middle-aged man said anxiously, "Buddy, whichever one you like, just take it. As long as you help me with my problem, a phone’s cheap—I’ll give you ten if you want."
Damn, my luck’s off the charts today—walked out the door and someone hands me a new phone!!
The middle-aged man turned to the clerk, "Little Zhao, whatever this young man likes, grab it for him."
The boss is seriously generous. Female clerk Little Zhao eyed me enviously: "Okay, boss."
So he owns this phone shop—no wonder he’s ballin’ like that.
Chu Hao got ready to pay, "And I’ll need a SIM card, too."
The middle-aged uncle said, "Little Zhao, grab a number for him—the one ending with six eights."
Chu Hao: "Top it up for me, too."
The uncle said, "Little Zhao, charge up a thousand yuan credit, put it on my tab."
Little Zhao was speechless. Just that phone number alone is worth ten grand. The boss is going all out.
Chu Hao felt a bit awkward, wanting to say something.
The uncle waved him off, "As long as you help me out, none of this matters."
Little Zhao looked super jealous—talented people just get treated differently. While prepping Chu Hao’s phone, she kept batting her lashes at him, hoping he’d notice her.
Of course Chu Hao noticed—the chick was cute, but after meeting so many hotties lately, he’d built up an immunity.
If this were the old days, he wouldn’t have been interested either—this Taoist Master’s standards are pretty damn high.
Phone in hand, the boss dragged him off, they climbed into a Passat, and headed straight for a mid-range to upscale apartment complex.
Chu Hao: "Uncle, you don’t have to be in such a rush, do you?"
The uncle replied, "I’ve been tormented by that thing for so long I’m about to lose my mind."
Chu Hao nodded—he could relate.
As soon as they walked into the uncle’s home, he saw a little girl with bare feet, about thirteen years old, swinging her smooth, white legs, with huge, sparkling eyes, lively as can be.
She was still young, with a cutesy, adorable vibe—totally a little loli—and wearing a cartoon Pikachu T-shirt.
Her chest... holy shit!!
Chu Hao was stunned—this little girl’s chest was way too big, stretching that Pikachu out and making it look even more lifelike.
With a tiny pair of hot pants and a slender waist, this girl’s maturing way too fast, though.
"Daddy, why are you home?" The little girl was chomping an apple on the sofa.
The uncle looked at her lovingly, "Ke Ke, Daddy invited a master to take a look."
The thirteen-year-old wrinkled her little nose, "You’re hiring someone again? Not to be rude, Dad, but if you keep pulling all-nighters of course you’re gonna feel weak—why not just see a doctor? Gotta keep inviting these so-called masters, how many is this now?"
"What do you know? Go do your homework." the uncle urged.
"Nope." Ke Ke pouted, sulking.
The uncle gave up, "You little rascal."
He turned to Chu Hao, "This is my daughter. Buddy, just ignore her—hurry and check if there’s something wrong with my house?"
Chu Hao glanced at Ke Ke. Wow, didn’t expect the uncle to have a daughter .
But the little girl wouldn’t have it: "Dad, what kind of master’s this young? He can’t be much older than me."
Uncle: "Still at least five years older than you."
The girl wasn’t convinced and glared at Chu Hao, her big shiny eyes practically trying to see through him.
Chu Hao ignored her and surveyed the place. With the Ghost-Seeing Ring, not a single ghost or trace of yin energy within a hundred meters could hide from him. He immediately spotted a wisp of yin energy at the ancestral altar.
Chu Hao walked over and saw a stone dagger—the yin energy was coming right off it: "Uncle, how come this stone dagger’s on the altar?"
The uncle was delighted. He hadn’t planned to mention it at first, just wanted to test if Chu Hao really had any skill: "I knew you were a real one. The moment you walked in, you spotted what’s wrong with the dagger."
Chu Hao curled his lip, "If you knew it was a problem, why don’t you just throw it out?"
The uncle pulled a long face, "It’s not that I haven’t tried. I’ve tossed it plenty of times, but it always shows up on the altar again the next day. I’ve buried it—it still comes back. Nothing works. Tried to destroy it, but some expert warned me, ’If you don’t want to die, don’t touch that dagger.’"
Chu Hao stroked his chin. According to the Ghost Sutras, whenever something happens, that stone dagger’s gotta be hiding something freaky inside. It even blocked the Ghost-Seeing Ring’s scan.
Chu Hao said, "System, does the Ghost-Seeing Ring have a flaw?" fre.ewebnov el.com
System: "No flaw, unless it’s a spirit or demon way stronger than you—they can hide themselves. Suggest Host buys a Hundred Percent Ghost-seeing Talisman."
Chu Hao didn’t hesitate—instantly bought it.
"Ding... Host purchased Hundred Percent Ghost-seeing Talisman, cost: 10 Pretentiousness Points."
Pulled out the talisman and began chanting: "Three Pure Ones, reveal thy might! Demons and monsters, show your true form..."
This time, instead of burning up, the talisman floated in midair, radiating rainbow lights, illuminating the whole room.
Ke Ke ran over, super starstruck, as was the uncle. It was like watching a magic trick, with the talisman floating about on its own.
"Ding... Host successfully showed off to the crowd, gained 10 Pretentiousness Points."
Gotta love the Pretentiousness System—even a single talisman gets made into such a spectacle.
Enjoying the awe on the father and daughter’s faces, Chu Hao grinned slyly, when suddenly—
System prompt: Host has triggered hidden S-Level Mission: Mysterious Stone Dagger.
Chu Hao was dumbfounded. An S-Level Mission? His mouth went dry. He’d already had to kill tons of ghosts for a B-level one—how insane was this S-level about to get?
"Audacious intruder! How dare you disturb my cultivation!"
A furious shout boomed from inside the stone dagger. A woman in white stepped out, her face heart-shaped and delicate, dressed in ancient robes, fixing her gaze on Chu Hao.
Both Ke Ke and the uncle shrieked, stumbling back with pale faces.
A cold wind swept through, yin energy pouring over them. Chu Hao’s eyes narrowed and he shouted, "What evil creature are you?!"
The heart-shaped-faced female ghost lunged at him, claws bared, blindingly fast.
But just as she was about to touch Chu Hao, his Golden Bell Pendant activated—an ornate Golden Bell Shield appeared around him, covered in strange script, enveloping him completely.
The woman was sent flying, looking shocked out of her wits.
"Ding... Host successfully showed off to a ghost, gained 10 Pretentiousness Points."
Chu Hao walked over. The female ghost was clearly spooked—she didn’t dare to move.
"So you’re the one causing trouble? I’ve heard of immortals, but never one like you. Guess it’s my job as a Taoist Master to take you out today."
He thought to himself, This is an S-level mission? Kinda too easy, isn’t it?
The woman in ancient clothes looked terrified. She quickly pleaded, "We have no quarrel with each other. I’ll leave right now, please spare me."
The uncle was ecstatic—they’d finally gotten rid of this thing.
But Chu Hao said coldly, "If I didn’t have some skills, wouldn’t you have already killed me? Now you want to leave? Isn’t it too late for that?"
The ancient woman’s face darkened. Her tone became respectful. "I beg Taoist Master to show mercy. My name is Ren Hanxue. In all my life, I have never done harm or evil."