["One glance and it's obviously fake—no need to check the marketing accounts." Stelle spread her hands.]
["Heh heh…"] Guinaifen's lips curled into a meaningful smile. ["My family doesn't believe me? Now you're in trouble. The video I'm about to release next will prove that the Xianzhou really is a place full of the supernatural."]
[With that, Guinaifen handed her jade tablet to Stelle.]
[In the video, Guinaifen was doing an extreme close-up live stream. She looked around, then turned the camera—behind her was a quiet, serene courtyard.]
[The night wind moaned; the bamboo in Fyxestroll Garden rustled, casting ghost-claw-like shadows under the moonlight. Little Guinaifen swallowed hard, steeling herself to walk forward while still chattering:]
["Family, right now Little Guinaifen is right in the middle of the scariest supernatural hotspot on the Luofu—Fyxestroll Garden."]
["Please like, follow, and share to give Little Guinaifen some courage!"]
[Finally Sushang poked her head out from behind, trembling as she looked left and right: "I heard… a lot of strange things have been happening here lately…"]
["You're so timid… and you said you'd protect me!"]
["B-But… how can Cloud Knights swordsmanship cut down formless things!"]
[Suddenly, a wisp of pale cyan flame streaked across the live feed—gone before Sushang could even see it clearly. The two huddled together, trembling, warily looking up and scanning around.]
["Did something just pass by?!"]
["D-Don't panic… I've got this…" Sushang backed up and accidentally bumped into Guinaifen—but the instant she turned her head, Sushang's scream exploded across the stream. The camera shook violently; in the frame, several pale cyan flames hovered above their heads like floating lanterns of the dead.]
[Several hours later, when Huohuo and Xueyi arrived at the scene, Sushang had already fainted from fright. Meanwhile, Guinaifen was dramatically reenacting everything that had just happened to the two of them.]
["It was this little spirit flame at first—and then it got this~ big!"]
["J-Just came from over there, got close to us, a-and then it went 'gaaao~'!"]
["'Eek—' and Sushang just collapsed."]
["Sigh."] Huohuo listened to the whole story and let out a soft sigh. Then, with a concerned expression, she crouched beside Sushang and gently shook her: ["Miss Sushang, get up quickly—are you cold?"]
——
Monogatari Series.
The night was deep. Koyomi Araragi sat cross-legged in the center of his room, staring at the eerie scene on the screen—the post-processed video showed Sushang lying motionless on the ground.
"Hoh…" Shinobu Oshino perched on his shoulder; her golden pupils contracted slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved into an excited smile. "Pretty interesting, huh? Ghosts? Wraiths? …Even the Ten-Lords Commission got involved. Looks like this isn't your average haunting."
"But there are plenty of people with extraordinary power on the Xianzhou. Wouldn't it be easier to just let General Jing Yuan handle it? Any ghost would vanish into smoke in front of the Divine Sovereign, right?"
Koyomi sighed. "Something this minor doesn't need to trouble the General, does it? The guy's injuries probably aren't even fully healed yet. Making him personally handle an exorcism would just be working him to death."
"Besides… that thing might not even be a ghost."
"Oh? What do you think it is?"
"…I just feel like ghosts aren't scary at all on the Xianzhou—compared to something that just floats around scaring people, the Abundance army staring hungrily from the shadows is way more terrifying. Or take the inmates in the Shackling Prison on the Xianzhou—let any one of them out and they'd be far more horrifying than some 'ghost.'"
——
[Guinaifen realized the Ten-Lords Commission of the Xianzhou had handled the aftermath, so she figured there had to be some earth-shattering secret behind it. Thus she sincerely invited Stelle to join her in going to Fyxestroll Garden to hunt ghosts.]
[With nothing better to do, Stelle simply agreed.]
[At the appointed time, the two sneaked into Fyxestroll Garden. The moment they stepped inside, Guinaifen felt a chill crawl up her back—as if someone was watching them.]
[Since Stelle knew nothing about the ghost rumors surrounding Fyxestroll Garden, Guinaifen pulled up the script from her previous video and gave Stelle a quick rundown.]
[Fyxestroll Garden was originally a paradise crafted by the Foxians. But after the Abundance War thirty years ago, in which many Foxian Sky-Faring pilots died, people spontaneously began holding memorial services for their departed loved ones at the Fox Sleep Tomb in Fyxestroll Garden… which made visitors scarce and laughter rare.]
[Over time, ghostly cyan flames flickered dimly in Fyxestroll Garden; mournful sobs echoed out of nowhere. The haunting rumors spread like wildfire across the Luofu.]
——
Mob Psycho 100.
"This Fyxestroll Garden is obviously a cemetery, right? Going exploring in a cemetery—how could you not run into ghosts?"
Inside the office, Reigen Arataka sat with his legs crossed, one hand propping up his cheek, looking completely unimpressed: "But those little will-o'-the-wisps that appeared in the live stream just now—they're probably the same as your little errand boy sidekick, right?"
The small dimple floating beside Mob glared fiercely at the man: "You jerk! This great one is a superior evil spirit—how could I possibly be the same as those little ghosts!"
Shigeo Kageyama sat cross-legged on the floor, staring intently at the screen: "Master, if it were us, could we handle those spirits?"
"Heh heh, of course—but… small fry like those will-o'-the-wisps are perfect for you, Mob."
Thinking about it, Reigen suddenly felt a little regretful. Too bad Fyxestroll Garden was in another world in the cosmos—otherwise he could take Mob there under the guise of an exorcism and fleece the Ten-Lords Commission for a huge sum.
Or he could act as bodyguard for Stelle and Guinaifen—pose as a "professional supernatural consultant" and have Mob accompany them the whole time, charging by the hour. The two rookies charging in with just a phone were basically offering themselves up as sacrifices.
Mob watched his Master's lips curl into an involuntary sly grin and asked in confusion: "Master… are you thinking about money again?"
"Yeah, Mob. Isn't Guinaifen a supernatural exploration streamer? Japan has tons of streamers like that who don't care about their lives, right? How about… we open a new service line: professional people like us protect them."
——
[After finishing the explanation, Stelle and Guinaifen continued deeper. But the moment they stepped into a secluded courtyard, several stern voices rang out from behind. A squad of Netherworld Enforcers surrounded them from all sides, treating the two as suspicious intruders in a restricted area and preparing to arrest them on the spot.]
[Just as Stelle was about to take action, a cold voice sounded from behind them. Stelle turned around—Xueyi, Huohuo, and a pale, bloodless gray-haired woman slowly walked in.]
["Stand down, Netherworld Enforcers. These two mean no harm."]
[The leading Gold-Armored Soul Reaper respectfully stepped back several paces: "…Yes, Judge."]