The parade procession suddenly halted.Ahead stood a temple forged of black stone—not guarded by stone lions that ward off evil, but by yaksha wielding blades and spears.Black smoke drifted through the temple. Zhou Su could faintly make out something coiled in the shadows within—what seemed to be a deity’s statue.Had he guessed wrong?He hesitated. A palanquin could indeed be used to carry people, but during a Celebration procession, it might also be used to welcome a god.The black smoke was abruptly torn apart by a gust of wind. Heavy footsteps echoed from inside the temple. Zhou Su instinctively stepped back. The reek of blood flooded the air so thickly that the entire space seemed to transform into a boundless sea of blood.What emerged from the temple was a giant more than five meters tall, clad head to toe in heavy black armor. A long blade hung at its waist, its sheath carved with the writhing forms of infernal demons.The giant was clearly a general—but no one could see its true face, for it was… headless. Above the neck was nothing but emptiness.Every ghost present lowered its head in utter silence.Zhou Su hardly dared to breathe. The general’s Presence Suppression had become almost tangible, but the corners of his lips involuntarily curved upward.He wasn’t afraid of the Headless General being too strong—he was only afraid it wouldn’t be strong enough.Even if the being’s power had dropped by several tiers, killing him would take only a single blow.But if it wasn’t strong enough… how could it stand in for him to intimidate the crowd of ghosts?“Invite General Bai to the palanquin!”At the red-robed official’s call, the Headless General vanished from sight. A second later, it was already seated upon the Ghost Palanquin.The palanquin’s banners flapped wildly; ribbons of black ghostly vapor streamed through the air, the entire construct trembling in visible excitement.The music of bronze gongs, drums, and flutes rose again—louder and fiercer than before. The procession set off once more. One could say that from this moment, the Celebration truly began.Firecrackers ignited along both sides of the road. The fierce flames dyed the heavens molten copper-red. Red lanterns lit up one after another, and beneath their glow, the street teemed with revelers. The air overflowed with the mingled scents of wine, flowers, and food.Zhou Su had thought the earlier street already bustling, but compared with this scene, it had been nothing but a shadow of prosperity.A faint smile crossed his face—not because he had been swept up by the festive air. His mind remained perfectly clear. The apparent liveliness and peace before him were nothing but illusion.He smiled because the more ghosts gathered, the greater the harvest his plan would yield.Before acting, Zhou glanced toward Chen Zhengkai. His friend’s eyes were glassy, his expression hollow—as if his soul had left his body.Seeing this, Zhou actually felt relieved.Chen hadn’t been ensnared by the illusions; he must have used some hypnotic method of his own. Whenever a ghost came forward to invite him, he refused automatically, like a pre-programmed machine.That was Chen Zhengkai’s unique skill—he had majored in psychology in college.Others were not so fortunate. Bewitched by the scene before them, they wore intoxicated smiles.By the time they realized something was wrong, death’s shadow had already fallen. The White Tiger Amulet could not save them. Only those with minds of iron would escape.Zhou saw someone repeatedly stabbing a needle into his thigh. Crude as it was, the method worked—at least he stayed conscious.“Let’s begin.” Zhou drew a deep breath.He summoned the crimson book, locked onto the flower-selling female ghost before him—but his attention remained fixed on the Headless General.The “material farming” plan had one critical risk:If the theft process drew the general’s notice, everything would be over.But Zhou trusted the book. During God’s Theft, only the target itself should perceive the theft—no other ghosts would sense a thing.【God’s Theft activated. You have successfully stolen “Ghost-Grudge Flower (White-Common).”】【Recycle value: 8 Dusk Crystals.】Zhou kept the Headless General in his peripheral vision—one second, two, five. No reaction.His tensed nerves eased slightly.The blood-red ghost pupils surfaced in his eyes. Zhou lifted his gaze. The flower-selling ghost started to snarl—but the moment her eyes met the Bewitching Ghost Eye, her anger shattered beneath the crushing Presence Suppression.God’s Theft could only be used once per ghost per day, so Zhou shifted targets.To confirm that earlier success wasn’t coincidence, he performed two more thefts.【God’s Theft activated. You have successfully stolen “Rock-Candy Eyeball (White-Common).”】【Recycle value: 7 Dusk Crystals.】【God’s Theft activated. You have successfully stolen “Blood Wine (White-Common).”】【Recycle value: 9 Dusk Crystals.】The smile on Zhou’s face deepened.He was certain now: as long as his target wasn’t the Headless General, the being wouldn’t react.And he’d also noticed that the materials stolen from these ghosts were worth far more than expected.At first, he’d restrained himself, choosing only weak ghosts. But as he went on, his courage swelled—soon he refused no target at all.The crimson book flickered incessantly, like a flashing strobe.God’s Theft kept triggering. Its pages turned on their own as materials piled up before his eyes.A surge of satisfaction washed through him. Zhou felt like a tireless old farmer finally greeting a harvest season rich with golden grain.His “recklessness” had reason: he’d discovered the hidden convenience of his Gong-Striker role.Sometimes he didn’t even need to use the Bewitching Ghost Eye. He would simply strike the Bronze Gong and shout, “General on inspection! Make way ahead!”The enraged ghosts could only shrink back in fear.They might not fear the ghost eye’s pressure, but they absolutely dreaded the Headless General.For the first time, Zhou fully understood what it meant to borrow the tiger’s might.And he’d realized something else: as long as the parade went undisturbed, the Headless General paid no attention to petty matters among the lesser ghosts. Such trifles were beneath its notice.That realization made Zhou even bolder.【God’s Theft activated. You have successfully stolen “White-Bone Dagger (White-Rare).”】【White-Bone Dagger: A dagger lacking sufficient yin energy to manifest ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) physically; must attach to a real object to be used.】【Fusion Effect: “Soul Slash.”】【Fusion Defects: Minor mental contamination; physical weakening.】【Sell Value: 80 Dusk Crystals.】“A little high-grade drop, finally.” Zhou was pleasantly surprised.Until now, everything he’d stolen had been common-grade materials—he’d almost grown numb. He had nearly sold this one off by reflex.Then he remembered the alloy knife Gu Zhiyuan had given him—the two could complement each other perfectly.“What are you doing? Where’s my gem dagger?”The voice came from a male ghost reeking of wine. Zhou hadn’t paid him any mind; surrounded by ghosts as he was, he’d been triggering God’s Theft out of sheer habit.Only when the ghost stood did he realize how huge it was—nearly two meters tall, built like a bear.Zhou knew he’d picked a tough one. Yet not a flicker of panic crossed his face. His tone suddenly rose in authority.He glared at the ghost and barked, “I can tell at a glance you’re not a ghost—you’re human! I can smell the stench of life on you! Speak! Why are you approaching the General? What are you plotting?”All around them, the other ghosts turned their heads, their cold gazes converging on the male ghost.Zhou had already discerned one more truth: under this Blood Moon rule, not only was perception between humans and ghosts confused—ghosts themselves couldn’t easily distinguish one another.“I’m not human! I’m a ghost!” the male ghost stammered, face flushing red under their scrutiny.“You’re human! I can’t be wrong about that smell!” Zhou said with unshakable certainty, his Bewitching Ghost Eye glowing to affirm his own identity.“You—you—” The ghost was speechless with rage.While the mob of ghosts surrounded his “suspect,” Zhou slipped quietly away, continuing his grand parade business.As the saying went, the one who wrongs you always knows just how wronged you are.In the end, the male ghost ripped open his own chest to expose a pitch-black heart, desperate to prove he truly was a ghost—but by then Zhou had already vanished into the distance with the marching procession.

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