Chapter 4

"Exorcise demons and capture monsters!" Yiyun was completely stunned: "What the hell! This is also considered a job!"

"The Wu Department is a small branch of the Jiu Li Mansion. Little Zhong, the ghost affairs officer, is responsible for catching wandering ghosts, but he is now trapped in the Ghost City, so Ling Jianan, the little girl, is temporarily taking over his duties. Ling Jianan, the spirit affairs officer, is responsible for catching spirits. The original monster affairs officer was the scholar Pu Zhijun, but he was bitten by a black-armored snake demon a while ago and has returned to the Book Mountain to recover. So now you are the monster affairs officer, responsible for catching monsters." Xubai Ze explained with a tone of schadenfreude. Seeing that Yiyun was completely stunned, he added, "You just signed the contract and drank the Heart-Binding Tea. It's too late to back out now. If you don't want to do it, you'll die of a heart attack the moment you leave this courtyard."

"Here, that's how it is..." Xubai Ze pointed at a murky bronze mirror in front of Yiyun. The bronze mirror, which was as tall as a person, immediately showed a clear scene: Yiyun ran out of the courtyard in a panic, and the moment his foot left, there was a sharp sound, and the bronze mirror instantly showed a terrifying scene of blood and gore.

"What the hell! Are you playing with me like this? Can't I break the contract?" Yiyun, whose mind had calmed down somewhat due to the Tranquility Pill, shouted and then rushed downstairs.

"It's no use. Why do you think the old man Shan signed the contract with you so quickly? It's because he was in a hurry to attend the Penglai Market. He just left after our argument." Xubai Ze said with a cold laugh.

Rushing downstairs, Yiyun saw the courtyard surrounded by green vines, the couplet, and the small gate had all disappeared. He fell to the ground in the center of the courtyard, at a loss.

"Even if the old man Shan were here, he couldn't change the contract. You might as well accept your fate." Xubai Ze's disheveled figure appeared beside Yiyun and said in a teasing tone, "But to risk your life for three taels of silver a month is really not worth it."

"What the hell, you really pay in silver." Yiyun said in a tearful voice.

"Damn! A man crying, what a sight!" The familiar voice from when he entered the room sounded again.

"Who's talking?" Yiyun got up from the ground, bewildered, and asked timidly.

Seeing that Yiyun was no longer as agitated as before, Xubai Ze pointed at the courtyard gate: "Of course, it's the old guy Yulu. He's been here for thousands of years."

"What the hell, the door has become a spirit..." Yiyun couldn't help but exclaim.

"Damn! Don't insult me, I'm a legitimate deity!" Yulu roared, and the two courtyard gates opened and closed violently, making a loud noise.

Xubai Ze dragged Yiyun up to the second floor: "These old guys in the courtyard are all bored to death. Don't provoke them, it's troublesome."

"Oh! You really messed things up!" On the second floor, the Eight Trigram Furnace was already emitting white smoke. Xubai Ze shouted and threw several talismans at the furnace. As the talismans were about to stick to the furnace, a thin black light shot into the white smoke and escaped into the room. Xubai Ze, unaware, picked up a tattered fan and fanned it, muttering, "This ancient furnace should be replaced. I said it, a furnace that's been used for nearly three thousand years is unreliable. A three-turn pill that should have been refined in a month has taken half a year! These damned monsters haven't shown any signs of transformation, it's really bizarre!"

By now, the effects of the Tranquility Pill had fully spread through Yiyun's body, and his mind was no longer as fearful as before, but it was still difficult for him to accept the reality.

"You're still standing there dazed? The old man Shan told you to study for a day and start going out with Jianan to catch monsters from tomorrow night." Xubai Ze, in a bad mood, saw Yiyun still standing there dumbly and shouted angrily, then added, "Catching monsters can cost you your life at any time. Look! There's a row of seals containing many monsters. Get familiar with them."

Following Xubai Ze's dark finger, behind two tall blue-and-white porcelain vases, there were two rows of tall black cages reaching the ceiling.

Yiyun gritted his teeth and mustered the courage to walk over. As he approached the two tall blue-and-white porcelain vases, they emitted two beams of light, illuminating a walkway between the two rows of black cages.

"Mom!" Yiyun took a step into the seemingly bright passage and immediately screamed. The black cages on both sides were now illuminated, and all kinds of strange-looking monsters were locked inside.

"What are you screaming for! You're lucky, these should have been refined into three-turn pills long ago, but the old furnace malfunctioned, delaying the process. You can see these monsters, cherish the opportunity, and get familiar with them!" Xubai Ze shouted angrily.

Yiyun tentatively took a step forward, and dozens of fierce eyes immediately focused on him, making him break out in a cold sweat. He was hesitating whether to continue.

"Don't dawdle, get familiar with them quickly. We still need to take you to the magical artifact storage to pick out a monster-catching artifact!" Xubai Ze's impatient voice came from behind.

"Smack!" A loud sound, and Yiyun felt a strong force hit his buttocks, causing a burning pain and pushing him into the middle of the walkway.

"Roar!" A giant beast the size of a small mountain nearby suddenly roared at Yiyun.

A foul smell immediately enveloped Yiyun.

"Really stinky!" Yiyun, both terrified and nauseated, closed his eyes and ran forward.

As the various strange sounds in his ears gradually diminished, Yiyun had already reached the other end of the walkway, where a pile of messy wooden boxes blocked his way. He took a deep breath, and the monsters in the black cages behind him were making all kinds of roaring sounds.

"What the hell, I'm just looking for a job, how did I end up with such a bizarre one! This is a tragedy!" Yiyun sat on a wooden box, feeling utterly dejected. Recalling the events of the past two hours, he pinched his thigh hard, tears streaming down his face: "This isn't a dream I had while lying on that doghouse-like bed, it's really the truth!"

Feeling extremely frustrated, he stared blankly ahead and picked up something from a nearby wooden box.

"Click!" A weak, powerless sound.

Due to the excessive stimulation, Yiyun's nerves were numb. He lazily looked at his hand, which was holding a small, round, black object about the size of a thumb.

"Hey, Master Xu, a monster has escaped from the cage!" Yiyun called out weakly.

"Are you scared out of your wits? These Mystic Cages are inscribed with the 'Black Condensation Binding Spell' and covered with 'Sealing Talismans.' Even if you could catch a monster like the Taotie, it would only wait to be refined into a pill. Get familiar with them! It's related to your life, don't complain when you enter the Ghost City." Xubai Ze's tone softened slightly, then he called out joyfully, "Ha, after half a year, these damned monsters are finally refined!"

Hearing Xubai Ze's words, Yiyun raised the object in his hand. The small, thumb-sized object had a silicone-like texture, resembling a small ball. When Yiyun squeezed it, it raised its head, revealing a pair of large, listless eyes, looking at him pitifully.

"What is this thing?" Yiyun squeezed it a few more times, puzzled.

"Click!" The black ball made another weak, powerless sound.

"This furnace has been a real pain in the ass! Ha, it's done! It's done!" Xubai Ze's joyful voice came from a distance.

The black ball in Yiyun's hand looked at the furnace with its large eyes and made a soft, pitiful sound: "Click... Click..."

Yiyun felt something wet in his hand, feeling a strong aversion to these strange things, and threw the black ball into a nearby box.

"Yiyun, come out! Now we just need to cool down and solidify the pills. I'll take you to the magical artifact storage." Xubai Ze called out happily from outside.

Thinking about having to pass through the fierce gazes of the monsters, Yiyun felt his scalp tingle. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and rushed out. The black ball that Yiyun had thrown into the box suddenly bounced up, flattened itself like a black puddle, and slipped into Yiyun's jeans pocket.

Xubai Ze was jumping around the Eight Trigram Furnace, his face a mix of lewdness and joy.

"Can I really not do this?" Yiyun asked with a mournful face, holding onto a sliver of hope.

"Look for yourself." Xubai Ze pointed at the bronze mirror again, and the scene reappeared: Yiyun, trembling with fear, stepped out of the courtyard gate and immediately exploded into pieces, the bronze mirror showing a realistic scene of blood and gore, making Yiyun's heart race.

"Let's go. I advise you to give up that idea. Work hard for three months. When Zhijun returns, you won't be needed anymore, and the old man Shan can erase your memory of this time." Xubai Ze said.

"I'm really not prepared for this. I'm afraid to walk at night..."

"Enough, enough. Are you going to the magical artifact storage or not? You're a hassle. After picking out the artifact, I still need to teach you how to use it, some basic spells, and some basic talismans. Thinking about it gives me a headache!" Xubai Ze said with a pained expression, pulling Yiyun out.

"Whoosh!" Pushing open the door to the third floor, what Yiyun saw was not a room but a deep, large cave. In the middle of the cave was a walkway covered with an old carpet, and on both sides were stone platforms about the height of a person, displaying items like peachwood swords and gourds.

"You must choose carefully. As a mortal, you rely entirely on these magical artifacts to save your life. I must inform you that if you are eaten or killed by a monster during your time as a monster affairs officer, the Wu Department of the Jiu Li Mansion will not be held responsible. This is stated in the contract you signed." Xubai Ze, pinching his messy beard, said seriously.

"Master Xu, can I really not do this?" Yiyun asked again with a mournful face.

"Are you annoying? How many times have you asked? If you have the time to ask, you might as well pick a better artifact, which will increase your chances of survival." Xubai Ze rolled his eyes at Yiyun, recalling what the old man Shan said when he left: "Let Yiyun temporarily act as the monster affairs officer to ease Jianan's anger. Teach him some simple spells and have Jianan take him to work. This way, Jianan won't be able to refuse. In reality, Jianan will still be responsible for catching the monsters and spirits. Whether Yiyun gets eaten by a monster is not our concern. After all, he signed the contract voluntarily. As long as he can hold out until Zhijun returns, everything will return to normal."

"Master Xu, can you help me pick one? How do I know which artifacts can save my life?" Yiyun picked up a gourd and touched a purple copper bell, completely at a loss.

"Scared? How can I help you pick? The artifact that suits you will have a resonance with you. Just touch them one by one." Xubai Ze said with a teasing tone.

With no choice, Yiyun started touching them one by one. The deep cave seemed endless, and after nearly half an hour, he had touched nearly a thousand artifacts, but none of them had any reaction.

"Master Xu, what does resonance feel like?"

"It's when you touch it and feel a warmth, a coolness, or a sense of familiarity. Basically, any unusual feeling."

"Ah! It's hot! It's hot! I feel it! Master Xu, I have a resonance with this artifact!"

"Idiot! You're touching the Red Fire Pearl for lighting! It's used for lighting, so it's strange if it's not hot!"

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