Chapter Sixty: The Enigma of Yang City (2)

Gu Zhiheng felt somewhat irritable—how was it that every ghost and demon seemed to know him these days? Was his reputation truly so widespread? That fellow just now had the audacity to impersonate the Gu family’s ancestor—such nerve! Did he not fear that Gu Zhiheng might lose his temper and wipe him out on the spot? Or was it that all manner of spirits had grown this bold and fearless?

He was, after all, a legitimate Taoist priest—and an accomplished one at that. Shouldn’t they at least show a flicker of dread upon meeting him? Instead, they seemed not only unruffled but even a little excited. It shouldn’t be this way.

Gu Zhiheng decided he needed to get to the bottom of this. He opened his window and dragged the reckless intruder back inside.

“Tell me, why aren’t you afraid of me?” The whole thing was absurd—what kind of ghost wasn’t afraid of a Taoist priest? The world was growing stranger by the day.

“I’ve told you, I’m your family’s ancestor! Why won’t you believe me?” The man sounded exasperated, as if Gu Zhiheng was the one not making sense.

Watching the man’s stubborn act, Gu Zhiheng’s head began to throb. Was this fellow simply addicted to playing roles?

“Be honest, or I’ll hit you with a few more high-grade spirit talismans!” Gu Zhiheng was starting to doubt everything. Ghosts these days were certainly something else.

Even spirit talismans didn’t frighten him—what kind of bizarre ghost was this? Ordinary talismans were potent enough, let alone the advanced ones. Yet this guy was completely unfazed.

Could it be… could he really be some old ancestor from the Gu family?

The man cleared his throat and said with utmost seriousness, “Let me introduce myself: Jun Lu’an, twenty years old this year.”

Yes, twenty years old.

The man before him had striking features, a cool, sharp air, and a commanding presence—at least when Gu Zhiheng wasn’t around. In front of Gu Zhiheng, however, he was nothing short of a fool, chattering incessantly and acting utterly fearless.

“You’re not the Gu family’s ancestor, are you? Hm?” Without waiting for an answer, Gu Zhiheng slapped him a few times, holding nothing back.

Upon hearing this supposed identity, Gu Zhiheng wanted nothing more than to smack him dead on the spot. To try and fool him of all people—did he really think he was naive enough to be duped so easily?

He might have been sheltered, unfamiliar with the ways of the world, but he certainly wasn’t a simpleton who’d believe anything he was told.

“Jun Lu’an? Why does that name sound so familiar? Aren’t you that pervert from Golden Phoenix Town?” Suddenly, it came to Gu Zhiheng—he’d had a neighbor named Jun Lu’an.

That guy was utterly shameless. When they were little, Jun Lu’an had dragged him into the ancestral shrine and declared he would marry him.

Back then, Gu Zhiheng had been five, and Jun Lu’an only two! The boy could barely speak clearly, yet had marched into the shrine in front of all their ancestors and announced his intention to marry him.

If Chu Xingran hadn’t come home and given him a thrashing, Gu Zhiheng was certain Jun Lu’an would have shown up every day to pester him, insisting on marrying him.

Marry, my foot!

They were both boys. Jun Lu’an was a pervert, clearly coveting Gu Zhiheng’s looks—and, damn it, his body too.

Listening to Gu Zhiheng curse him, Jun Lu’an wasn’t the least bit angry. Instead, he drawled, “Oh, so brother still remembers me. I’m truly moved!”

His expression was wicked, eyes roaming boldly over Gu Zhiheng, as if he wished he could see right through him.

Annoyed by the man’s brazen gaze, Gu Zhiheng raised his hand to strike, but this time missed his mark.

Stumbling, he lost his balance and fell right into Jun Lu’an’s arms.

“Well, well, what’s this? Throwing yourself into my embrace?” Jun Lu’an teased.

Of all the luck, Gu Zhiheng had managed to topple right into him.

“Damn it, let go! And what do you think you’re doing with your hand?” Gu Zhiheng was furious—the pervert had actually groped his… his backside!

Sister, the pervert’s back and bullying me again!

“Alright, just tell me what you want. If it’s nothing important, get out.” Gu Zhiheng’s tone turned impatient, his expression uneasy.

It was still broad daylight, yet in just a short while, the hotel was shrouded in an even denser haze of ghostly energy—a stench so foul it made his head pound.

And as for the man before him—couldn’t he just go back to wherever he came from?

Wait. When had he died? How had he ended up dead?

“Jun Lu’an, how did you die? When did it happen?” Suddenly, Gu Zhiheng realized the Jun Lu’an before him was no longer alive.

Jun Lu’an arched an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. Finally, the idiot realized something was wrong. “I thought you’d never figure it out—turns out you’re not completely brainless.”

If he were still alive, would he be wasting time here with all this nonsense? After so long, wouldn’t he have just gone straight for him?

“Can you be serious for once and answer my question? Stop changing the subject.” What was with these people—spirits or not, must they all act so shamelessly? It was exasperating.

Jun Lu’an’s demeanor shifted, and he explained earnestly, “The Yangcheng mystery only dates back fifteen years. The events before and after are entirely separate. What you have to deal with are two different matters.”

Yes, two different matters. The incident fifteen years ago wasn’t some petty issue—it was a pile of grudges accumulated over centuries.

There was no easy solution. Only by eradicating the true culprit could things finally end, allowing those wronged and restless souls to leave this world and reincarnate.

Far too many people were entangled in the affair. If Gu Zhiheng didn’t act decisively, he’d bring endless trouble upon himself.

If things got out of hand, Yangcheng would likely become a city of ghosts, with all the living doomed by this centuried enigma.

By then, even if all of Gu Zhiheng’s ancestors appeared, they wouldn’t be able to resolve it.

As for what happened in the last fifteen years—well, Jun Lu’an felt a little embarrassed.

It was all his fault.

When he was five, he’d traveled here with his parents. They stayed at Yangcheng Grand Hotel, but on their first night, a fire broke out.

That night, cries and pleas for help filled the air, shrill and unending until dawn.

The fire raged for a full day and night, and only when the hotel was reduced to ashes did silence settle.

None of the guests or staff survived, and not a single body remained.

Everything had been burned to cinders, as though nothing had ever existed at all, save for the pile of ash on the ground and the soot-blackened walls of the neighboring building.

Strangely, despite the inferno, the adjacent buildings were merely stained with smoke, otherwise unharmed.

Even stranger, all the souls claimed by the fire vanished along with it.

Except for one—Jun Lu’an.