Chapter 23: Tao Qi Bribes the Mysterious World Consciousness

Page 1/3

Yun Zhi was directly escorted to the airport by the Lu family bodyguards. She met up with Tao Qi, who updated her on what had happened after she left the auction house. Confirming that Yun Zhi didn’t need his company, Tao Qi didn’t leave immediately but stayed to chat with acquaintances, subtly expanding his network so bosses needing intermediaries could find him.

As he was about to leave, he saw President Cai, who had just come out of the VIP lounge in Area A, his face scratched and bloody, with deep marks on his neck. Mrs. Cai followed behind, shouting, “Divorce! I want a divorce!”

But when she tried to explain why, President Cai covered her mouth and whispered something to her, seemingly giving a promise or assurance, which calmed her down. Tao Qi muttered, “Only got half the gossip, so confusing.”

Yun Zhi knew what the other half was but couldn’t reveal the source of her information, so she held back from sharing. If Mrs. Cai didn’t divorce, it would be better kept private—after all, having a husband who dotes on a couple of male models wasn’t exactly honorable. If she chose to divorce, she might even expose it herself.

Soon, the two returned to Z City.

The next morning, Yun Zhi booked an appointment with the bank manager and cleared all of Yun Xinbo’s debts. The relief of being debt-free was exhilarating! Next on the agenda were buying a house and a commercial property.

Although Tao Qi said his villa often stood empty and they could stay as long as they liked, now that she had money, Yun Zhi insisted on having her own home. Such an important matter naturally required consulting her parents to see what kind of house they preferred and where to buy it.

Z City, being a second-tier city, had relatively affordable housing prices. With the money Yun Zhi had, she could buy a small villa on the outskirts, two mid to high-end apartments downtown, and a modest commercial space in a quieter area. There would still be some left to give her parents as seed money for a private restaurant, and some for her own security.

But Yun Zhi also entertained another idea—perhaps their family could move to a different city. However, if they chose a first-tier city, their money would only cover an ordinary multi-bedroom apartment and the essentials for a shop and security, with no villa in sight.

Yun Xinbo and Ran Yao were still officially reported as critically ill and couldn’t go out yet. However, their grocery helper had helped them reactivate their old SIM cards and check some of their previous social media posts.

There were messages expressing concern but no willingness to lend money due to various reasons; some flaunted expensive new bags worth tens or hundreds of thousands; others mocked or ignored them coldly.

Fortunately, now that their health was recovering and hope filled the future, Yun Xinbo and Ran Yao could treat such messages with equanimity. But to say they felt no disappointment would be a lie.

They wouldn’t ask relatives to shoulder the Yun family’s tens of millions in debt, but knowing they were hospitalized and struggling to get even small amounts for urgent medical needs was disheartening. Especially since when the Yun family was prosperous, gifts sent to those relatives were worth much more than a few hundred thousand.

Yun Xinbo said, “I’ve discussed with your mother. We should buy a new house and open the private restaurant, but we don’t want to stay in Z City. We want to start fresh in a new city.”

Ran Yao nodded, “Yes, for some people, out of sight is better.”

Ran Yao planned to be the head chef at the restaurant’s start, while Yun Xinbo intended to be the manager. They aimed for quality over quantity, serving about ten tables a day.

Of course, they couldn’t bar certain people from entering once the restaurant opened. When the news got out, many wealthy women who once envied their happy marriage and obedient daughter would likely come to mock them.

Ran Yao believed being a private chef was nothing to be ashamed of; it was something she loved and was glad to have found a second career at her age.

Page 2/3

But who would want to see those snobs so often during the restaurant’s early days? It would spoil the dining experience for other guests. Besides, Yun Xinbo had quite a few such “former friends” as well.

Yun Zhi, having experienced the coldness of human nature during the Yun family’s downfall, understood her parents’ feelings well. She smiled and said, “Actually, I also want to move to a new city. Dad, Mom, think carefully about which city you prefer.”

Yun Xinbo and Ran Yao had traveled extensively for work and leisure throughout Flower Country’s major cities but had no particular favorite.

Ran Yao said, “Your father and I will think about it carefully.”

After a pause, she added, “Actually, we don’t have strong preferences. It mainly depends on you, Xiao Zhi. Wherever you want to go, we’ll follow.”

Yun Xinbo agreed, “Right. Once we decide where to settle, your mother and I will go house hunting with you. You can’t do everything alone.”

Ran Yao added, “I’ve already asked Aunt Wang. Xiao Tao rarely stays here more than two months at a time. For now, we’ll stay here for convenience, and when we move, we’ll send him a thank-you gift.”

Yun Zhi had no objections. “Alright, then let’s wait a bit on the house and shop.”

Now that she had a safe place to live, Yun Zhi felt it was time to start investigating the suspicious death of her close friend Tang Panpan, who had fallen off a cliff—suspected to have been pushed. This was the mission Tang Panpan had wanted to entrust her with.

It was afternoon; Tang Panpan should be working. Yun Zhi planned to wait until after dinner when Tang Panpan was free to discuss the mission.

At that moment, Yun Zhi received a message from Mu Xue: “I’ve exited the dungeon.”

“I just unpacked the gift Tao Qi prepared for me. How to put it… it’s hard to evaluate!”

Guessing that Yun Zhi didn’t know what Tao Qi had prepared, Mu Xue sent two photos: one of the gift, the other showing Tao Qi’s handwritten letter, though only a small portion was visible.

The gift box looked familiar and was packed to the brim. The most noticeable items were two thick stacks of hand-painted hell bank notes, all with a denomination of 100, bearing the words “Heaven and Earth Bank,” totaling about one million. There was also a smaller stack of printed hell bank notes with denominations in the billions—adding up to trillions.

According to Tao Qi’s letter fragment, he was worried the printed notes wouldn’t be recognized “below,” so he had someone handcraft a batch. He hadn’t prepared more due to time constraints and concerns that carrying too many might invite robbery by other villains.

Beside the box were many delicate paper-crafted items—luxury cars, airplanes, yachts, mansions, exquisite dresses, modest bungalows, electric bikes, tricycles, compact cars, plain national brand sportswear, four beautiful female bodyguards (with “Bodyguard” written on their backs), and a paper doll with Tao Qi’s face attached.

Yun Zhi was speechless. No wonder the gift felt heavy when she received it. If she hadn’t taken strength-enhancing medicine, she might not have been able to hold it steadily.

Tao Qi truly was a genius! Planning to give Mu Xue one gift but actually preparing many.

Judging by the edges, the handwritten letter probably spanned ten pages. He really had a lot to say to Mu Xue!

Yun Zhi asked, “Ahem, Sister Mu Xue, is there anything here you can actually use?”

Mu Xue laughed, “None of it. This isn’t the underworld; it doesn’t recognize things from the human world. Also, currency in the eerie realm is called ‘Eerie Coins.’ Though they resemble hell bank notes, only those infused with eerie energy are useful…”

As she spoke, she noticed the two stacks of hand-painted hell bank notes, totaling one million, slowly absorbing the thin eerie energy from the air. Suddenly, all the printed trillions of hell bank notes and most paper crafts disappeared!

Page 3/3

Only the paper doll with Tao Qi’s face remained, and it was absorbing eerie energy even faster than the hand-painted notes! The handwritten letter, however, showed no reaction.

Mu Xue was stunned and quickly informed Yun Zhi of the situation, asking her to consult the Cultivation World’s Master Zi Ji on what was happening.

Since this involved Tao Qi, Mu Xue didn’t want to discuss it publicly in their chat group, and she couldn’t private message Master Zi Ji directly. They had only exchanged greetings a few times and weren’t close.

Since Master Zi Ji had tagged Yun Zhi in the group, Yun Zhi likely had done trades or missions with him and was somewhat familiar.

Usually calm, Mu Xue anxiously said, “I mainly worry that this paper doll with Tao Qi’s face absorbing eerie energy might have negative effects on the real Tao Qi.”

“Yun Zhi, please ask Master Zi Ji for me! Consider it a favor I owe you. If you ever need anything, just ask. I’ll do my best to help!”

As for the million hell bank notes transforming into eerie coins, Mu Xue didn’t care at all. Even after over a year in the eerie realm, she had only accumulated about thirty thousand eerie coins. She was still the best of the newcomers, ranked number one on the rookie talent list!

Yun Zhi was also surprised and quickly messaged Lu Ziji, forwarding her chat with Mu Xue after getting her permission.

Fortunately, since coming out of seclusion, Lu Ziji hadn’t activated his blocking mode again.

He soon replied: “Don’t worry. At worst, Tao Qi in the real world will just dream about the eerie realm, experiencing some of Mu Xue’s daily encounters through the paper doll.”

“When the paper Tao Qi absorbs enough eerie energy to become an eerie artifact, he’ll be able to communicate directly with Mu Xue in dreams.”

“However, Tao Qi giving Mu Xue hand-painted hell bank notes is a one-time thing. Getting too involved with the eerie realm means he’ll eventually be considered part of it…”

“For now, he’s just bribing the eerie realm’s consciousness to get a tourist and communication pass. It doesn’t have much impact.”

“What’s he using to bribe the eerie consciousness? Cough, naturally, those disappearing paper crafts.”

“I just communicated with the group spirit’s consciousness. Turns out, the eerie realm’s consciousness really likes dress-up games with beautiful women!”

Lu Ziji sounded shocked and amused by the gossip.

Yun Zhi was speechless. She had worried about Tao Qi and Mu Xue’s relationship, which now seemed mutual and affectionate.

The hardest things in the world to resist are love, poverty, and coughing.

If these two keep sending messages and items through her, she’ll certainly earn points, but if something happens to Tao Qi, she’ll feel guilty toward his real-world friends and family.

Unexpectedly, Tao Qi’s gift unlocked their private chat window.

Well then!

Also, the eerie realm’s consciousness liking dress-up games… was this the kind of gossip she should be hearing?

Sure enough, a second later, Lu Ziji retracted a message: “Just keep the last part to yourself. Don’t tell Mu Xue, and don’t help Tao Qi send any more paper crafts that might become eerie artifacts.”

The same reasoning applies: people in the real world shouldn’t get too deeply involved with the eerie realm.

Yun Zhi replied, “Understood, thank you, Brother Lu!”