"My lord, do you intend to kill everyone here?" Chen Xi asked Mo Lin, her voice laced with an eerie calm.
At her words, the entire room drew in a collective breath, the air thick with tension.
Kill everyone? The notion was too gruesome to even fathom.
Everyone was paralyzed with fear. A few of the more timid individuals began to tremble, while several women were on the brink of tears, their eyes glistening with unshed tears, ready to spill at any moment.
When did Yun Chuan acquire such powerful ghost controllers? These two nightmare-grade ghosts—what in the world were they?
Do not even question it. It was simply absurd.
If Mo Lin nodded, everyone here would be dead in an instant.
At that moment, Mo Lin stood alone, more powerful than the entire Ghost Control Society combined. No, he was beyond the power of the society itself.
The lives and deaths of the people here depended entirely on Mo Lin's will.
Chu Hanling felt a chill in his chest.
He didn't want to die... He was still so young.
"Brother... I am sorry... truly sorry."
His tone was sincere, a direct apology.
Chu Hanling, now humbled, no longer cared about his pride.
Survival came first.
These two were nightmare-grade ghosts. Each one could snap his neck with ease.
If he didn't apologize now, would he not be asking for death?
"I... well..."
Chu Hanling stumbled over his words.
"I'll give you the ghost coins. I'll pay for this artifact," he quickly added, desperate to resolve the situation.
"Release him," Mo Lin commanded with a casual wave.
Chen Xi obeyed, releasing her grip, and Chu Hanling crashed to the ground, smashing a nearby table to pieces.
He didn't care about any injuries to himself; he quickly began rifling through his pockets, searching for ghost coins.
Gathering the thirty-two thousand ghost coins, he handed them over to Mo Lin.
"Brother, I was out of line earlier. I truly apologize," Chu Hanling said, his tone dripping with respect.
His earlier arrogance had completely evaporated. The defiant attitude he had toward Mo Lin was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of submission.
Chen Xi moved slightly to the left and accidentally brushed Mo Lin's cheek with her hand.
Such a slight, almost imperceptible motion.
Suddenly, Chen Xi froze, a cold shiver running down her spine.
She immediately knelt before Mo Lin, bowing deeply.
"My lord, forgive me. It was never my intention to offend you."
Her words came from the depths of her heart. Touching Mo Lin's face had been a grievous mistake, an unintended insult.
The entire room went silent in stunned disbelief.
Is this how a nightmare-grade ghost behaves? So humble, so meek?
This was a nightmare-grade ghost—was it truly this submissive?
Even a dangerous-grade ghost would typically be revered by others, but never had anyone seen such humility from a ghost.
What kind of power did Mo Lin possess to render a nightmare-grade ghost so subservient?
It was hard to believe, like witnessing a person treat their own pet dog this way.
Everyone in the room was left speechless, astonished by what they had just witnessed.
Li Bingyan swallowed hard, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Her feelings mirrored those of the others—shock, pure shock.
What manner of technique could transform a nightmare-grade ghost into such an obedient servant?
She couldn't fathom it, not in the slightest...
"It's fine, you may go," Mo Lin said, his voice calm and unwavering.
Chen Xi let out a sigh of relief before vanishing along with Chu Xing, both ghosts disappearing without a trace.
The oppressive energy in the room faded, leaving everyone breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Chu Hanling, looking disheveled, watched as his own contracted ghost swiftly returned to him before vanishing again.
The grimace on his face made it clear: he felt utterly humiliated.
In his mind, Mo Lin had become a figure of death itself, a force to be feared.
Chu Hanling, unable to meet Mo Lin's eyes, quickly concocted an excuse.
"Mr. Mo, I apologize for my earlier actions. My wife is ill, and I must tend to her. There's nothing else to discuss. I'll take my leave now."
Without waiting for a response, he hastily turned and fled, desperate to leave, his movements hurried and frantic.
His departure was as comically awkward as it was humiliating.
"Everyone, resume your business," Li Bingyan ordered coldly, addressing the room.
The crowd dispersed, returning to their work as though nothing unusual had occurred.
Just moments before, this group had experienced a life-or-death situation, and now everything had returned to normal.
But one thing was certain—their perception of Mo Lin had shifted. They now regarded him with newfound respect.
"Who was that earlier? Another member of the Ghost Control Society?" Mo Lin asked Li Bingyan, nodding toward the retreating figure of Chu Hanling.
"He's the vice minister of a branch of the Ghost Control Society, ranking higher than I do. He came today for a routine inspection," Li Bingyan explained.
If his rank had not been higher than hers, she would not have been so deferential to him.
"Ah..." Mo Lin murmured, not particularly concerned with what a vice minister entailed, nor was it his business.
"Those two ghosts—are they the full extent of your power?" Li Bingyan asked with a curious gaze.
"Not quite," Mo Lin replied, his tone steady. "These two are just the tip of the iceberg."
He wasn't boasting.
If he wished, Mo Lin could easily raise ten nightmare-grade ghosts, and if he had enough ghost coins, he could even cultivate one hundred.
Two nightmare-grade ghosts were not Mo Lin's limit. He simply had no need for more... for now.
"Wait... just the tip of the iceberg?" Li Bingyan's mind reeled. How could she comprehend the scale of Mo Lin's abilities?
Could he possibly have ghosts even stronger than nightmare-grade?
She was growing more and more fascinated—and perplexed—by Mo Lin.
She was thankful that she had managed to recruit someone so powerful into the Ghost Control Society.
And, for the first time, she was relieved that they were allies, not enemies.
"If there are any ghost-hunting missions, I'd be happy to take them on," Mo Lin added, eager to find stronger ghosts to add to his arsenal.
His aim was to gain more ghost abilities and generate a steady income of ghost coins for his Ghost Binding Book.
His book had only gathered four ghosts so far—a meager amount.
His new goal was to collect a hundred ghosts.
"Would you be willing to take on such small ghost-hunting tasks?" Li Bingyan asked carefully.
From her perspective, with nightmare-grade ghosts under his control, Mo Lin had already reached the peak of his capabilities. He had no need for menial tasks.
"I want to take on the ghost-hunting missions. If there are any, just assign them to me," Mo Lin insisted.
Executing tasks was trivial to him, but what he truly sought was the opportunity to capture ghosts with unique abilities, bolstering his own strength.
Li Bingyan, not one to deny him, nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll add you to the Yun Chuan Ghost Controllers' group. Tasks are posted there, and if any are suitable, you can choose to take them."
She added Mo Lin to the group, which consisted of Ghost Controllers from across the region.
It was a hub for ghost-hunting assignments. Members communicated daily, sharing information and asking for assistance when encountering particularly dangerous ghosts.
As soon as Mo Lin entered, a flurry of messages appeared on the screen.
"West suburbs, level-three ghost controller Yun Ling is in danger. Anyone nearby, please go help immediately."
Lin Xi: "How could Yun Ling, with two dangerous-grade ghosts, be in danger?"
Sha Jian: "Isn't it daytime? Can ghosts really come out and harm people during the day?"
Wu Guang: "I'm too far from the west suburbs to help."
Lin Xi: "Who's near the west suburbs? Go help her right away."
Sha Jian: "I'm close. I'll head over now."
The group buzzed with messages discussing Yun Ling's predicament. It was rare to encounter ghosts during the day.
o4-mini