Volume 1, Chapter 11: Business Opportunities

Chu Guang opened her eyes, immediately stung by the light.

"You're awake?" Her academic counselor, who had kept watch all night without a wink of sleep, was overjoyed to see her stir.

Chu Guang sat up. The counselor handed her a bowl of porridge, her expression filled with pity. After a moment of hesitation, she finally said, "Chu Guang, the medication you used this time wasn't cheap. I couldn't help you with the costs, and the hospital says you must pay within a week, or they will sue you."

The counselor's voice caught as she spoke. Chu Guang was an orphan who had survived until university on social aid; she had no means to repay the hospital. Looking at the suffering girl, the counselor choked back tears. "Don't worry, I'll organize a fundraiser as soon as I get back. I will do my best to help you. Don't put too much pressure on yourself—just focus on recovering."

Chu Guang looked at her. "Teacher, exactly how much do I owe the hospital?"

"Thirteen million," the counselor wept. "Heaven help us, what kind of medicine costs thirteen million? It’s daylight robbery! How could an ordinary family ever come up with that much? This hospital is a blood-sucking pit."

Chu Guang’s heart trembled at the figure. She had assumed it would be a million at most, not tens of millions. She opened her mouth, feeling a heavy weight in her chest. "Teacher, I want to handle this myself. Please, don't spread the word yet."

"How are you going to handle this alone? You have no mother, no father, not even a reliable relative to turn to!"

Chu Guang exhaled. "Teacher, actually, I really can come up with this money."

The counselor paused.

Chu Guang’s expression remained calm. "My parents left behind some assets before they passed. I’ll go back and scrape it together; I might be able to make it work."

Lies. When her parents died, they hadn't even left behind ashes. She wasn't going to "scrape together assets"—she was going to have to crawl through hell to earn the money. She only had a week. How much would she have to haul to the Underworld to trade?

Chu Guang was panicking, but she dared not show it. If she slipped up, the counselor would drag her into a fundraiser, and then everyone would know she owed thirteen million. She had to come up with that sum without making people think she was selling her kidneys. What else could she do but lie about a nonexistent inheritance?

An orphan suddenly producing that much money? No matter how you looked at it, it was suspicious. If she wasn't careful, all sorts of rumors would spread.

The counselor remained half-doubting. "Really?"

Chu Guang nodded. "Yes. However, since it’s tied up in liquid assets, I have to put their belongings into an auction, so it will take a few days to confirm the final amount."

"That's wonderful. I have a friend who is an auctioneer. Bring the items to her first; I’ll make sure she gets you a good price." The counselor settled the matter. "I’ll go with you tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow?" Chu Guang shook her head. "It will take at least three days. I have to go to the agency to unlock their safe, and the application process takes time."

"Fine. Three days from now, at eight in the morning, I’ll wait for you at the school." The counselor was determined to accompany her.

Chu Guang was a good student; if she were to go astray because of money, it would be a loss for her entire career. No matter what, she had to ensure Chu Guang could actually resolve this.

"Okay."

Chu Guang saw the counselor off with a calm facade. Once she was alone, she collapsed back onto the bed, the light fading from her eyes. The ceiling above was pitch black. She reached out, feeling that the suffocating sensation had diminished significantly. It seemed the medicine the doctor used was effective.

In other words, her guess was correct: this intermittent inability to breathe was indeed a medical condition—a rare one that required expensive medication to manage.

Chu Guang chuckled to herself. "Having a solution is better than having none. As long as I have money, there is hope for a cure."

But where was she supposed to get thirteen million? Such a massive sum—even in the Underworld, it wasn't certain that any ghost could afford it. Last time, she had brought over a small pile of goods, and the coffin shop owner had only given her a single spider lily in exchange. The Yin energy of the spider lily was so heavy it had reached a critical threshold; if she took out items like that again, she would certainly be targeted by the Special Administration Bureau.

She had to go to the Underworld, but she couldn't take out anything that defied common knowledge again—especially not high-energy Underworld artifacts. The city was currently on high alert, and the situation was tense. If she were caught, she would be finished. Whether it was the act of visiting the Underworld or trafficking its artifacts, either would be enough to get her sent to a laboratory for hundreds of experiments.

The more Chu Guang thought about it, the more terrified she became. But she couldn't avoid paying the debt. After much hesitation, she decided to look for items in the Underworld with low Yin energy but high value—preferably something that could fill the hole in her finances all at once.

Chu Guang completed her discharge paperwork. The nurse glanced at her and reminded, "Please settle your outstanding hospital fees within seven days, or we will protect the hospital's interests through legal channels." She handed Chu Guang a sheet. "This is your list of hospital and medication costs. If there are no issues, please sign."

Chu Guang glanced at it briefly, only catching the "Energy Fluid" listed next to the thirteen-million-dollar price tag. That was the exorbitant medicine. She signed it, shouldered her canvas bag, walked out of the hospital, bought some rice in a nearby alley, and headed straight for the Old Town.

She arrived at the familiar gate and took a deep breath. The gate appeared.

Chu Guang stepped inside. Instead of rushing to the coffin shop as she usually did to sell her goods, she walked down the street, observing the wandering souls around her. It was an ordinary street, no different from one in the world of the living. There were shops, street vendors, and stalls. The Underworld, however, had the most stalls of all—the entire street was lined with them.

Chu Guang looked at the ghosts, feeling a flicker of fear. She was truly afraid of this strange and eerie world; if it weren't for necessity, she wouldn't come so often.

A soul brushed past her. Chu Guang finally stopped in front of a small stall. It looked like the fortune-telling booths under the bridge from her childhood. An elderly ghost with a beard sat on a small stool, looking relaxed and composed.

"Are you telling fortunes?"

The ghost looked at her. "Ignorant girl. We are already ghosts; what is there to tell? Can fortune-telling bring us back to life? I’m a letter writer."

"Writing letters?" Chu Guang lingered at the stall. "You're all ghosts. Who are you writing to? Are there even relatives in the Underworld?" Even if there were, there was no need for letters—couldn't they just send a text? Wait, how advanced was the Underworld now?

"Superficial," the old ghost said leisurely. "My letters aren't for the dead; they are for the living. After a ghost dies, they can never see their living relatives again unless they wait for the Ghost Festival visitation. Some ghosts with strong energy can slightly influence their surroundings during that time. By taking advantage of that faint influence, they might be able to transmit the contents of a letter to the person they wish to see."

Chu Guang was surprised. So the heavy Yin energy on the Ghost Festival was related to ghosts releasing their energy.

"I want to know, how much Underworld currency does it cost to write a letter?"

"Two copper coins."

A copper coin was worth twenty thousand, meaning it cost forty thousand per letter. Chu Guang thought it was too expensive and pulled her hand back. She tilted her head, a flash of inspiration hitting her. Letters? Ghosts could make money by writing letters, but she was a living person—she couldn't write them, but she could deliver letters from the Underworld to the land of the living.

She had a path. Whether it was letters from the living or the dead, she could deliver them. And the impact would be small; it wouldn't attract the attention of the Special Administration Bureau.

The current problem was: how to find customers?

Chu Guang thought of the Office of the Judge. The group of souls waiting in line.

With that in mind, she marched toward the Office of the Judge. When she arrived, she saw a sea of ghosts squeezed together. She didn't dare push through and could only watch from the back.

"It's you again... are you here to wait in line, too?"

Chu Guang turned around to see the old woman she had encountered yesterday. The woman sighed as she looked at the souls ahead. "It looks like I won't reach the front today, either."

Chu Guang paused for a moment, then stepped forward. "I have a way to deliver letters from the Underworld to the land of the living. If you can't reach the front, you can try coming to me. If it doesn't work, I won't charge you."

The transparent, elderly soul trembled slightly. Before she could say anything, a ghost passing by widened his eyes. "Nonsense! These days, you see all kinds of ghosts. Don't brag in a place like this—this is the Office of the Judge. Lying here will get you thrown in jail."