Huang Quan slowly closed his eyes, preparing to delve into the mysterious apartment once again. Unlike the last time when he encountered Yang Mei, this time, a wooden ancient door appeared in his mind. On either side of the door, a red character for "happiness" was pasted.

As Huang Quan gently pushed open the door, he was greeted by the sight of a traditional ancient bridal chamber, adorned with a large "double happiness" character in the center, surrounded by symbolic items like peanuts, longans, and melon seeds—each carrying the wish for many offspring.

Looking to one side of the room, he saw Yang Mei sitting upright on the bed. She was unlike any ordinary bride; dressed in a crimson wedding gown reserved for the formal wife in ancient times, yet without the customary red veil, only a sheer red cloth half-covering her delicate features. Huang Quan recognized her at a glance.

Her posture and expression were odd—her legs positioned in a pigeon-toed stance, her feet slightly misaligned, exuding a feminine charm yet poised as if ready to move at any moment. Yang Mei's expression was vacant, her gaze seemingly fixed on Huang Quan, though devoid of any life in her eyes.

How strange! When he helped her fulfill her last wish, Yang Mei had clearly expressed her gratitude. But now, she seemed so unfamiliar.

Huang Quan waved his hand in front of Yang Mei’s face, sensing something was off. She blinked slowly, her gaze shifting to meet his, yet her eyes remained hollow.

Well, she is a ghost after all—coldness is to be expected!

“Will the groom please lift the bridal veil!” A voice suddenly echoed from nowhere, causing Huang Quan to pause. The groom?

He glanced around, realizing that aside from himself, there was no one else here. Could it be that he was the groom?

This is interesting!

Huang Quan picked up the nearby ceremonial scale and gently lifted Yang Mei’s veil, revealing a delicate but slightly pale face beneath.

He studied her for a moment, nodding to himself. If this woman weren't a ghost, she would indeed be as beautiful as a celestial being—what a pity!

“Now, will the bride and groom drink the nuptial wine!” The voice rang out again from above.

Huang Quan frowned slightly. This was getting ridiculous. He could tolerate lifting the veil as part of the charade, but drinking nuptial wine with a ghost? That was simply too much. He had no intention of complying.

Huang Quan remained motionless, but Yang Mei mechanically picked up a cup of wine, stretched out her arm, and, with a tilt of her head, drained it.

“Now, will the bride and groom proceed to the bridal chamber!”

The voice called out once more, and Yang Mei slowly stood up, reaching out to grab Huang Quan’s arm.

Seeing this, Huang Quan took a step back. There was no way he was going to let his purity be so easily sacrificed to a ghost.

When Yang Mei’s first attempt failed, she mechanically stepped forward again, reaching out to grab his arm.

This time, Huang Quan was not pleased. How dare she try again and again!

He retreated once more, his voice sharp with annoyance. “Yang Mei, enough is enough! I helped you fulfill your last wish, but I didn’t agree to be toyed with.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a cold light suddenly flashed in Yang Mei's once hollow eyes. Her gaze locked onto Huang Quan, the whites of her eyes slowly turning blood-red, deepening in color until they were a dark crimson.

The skin around her eye sockets sank in deeply, forming two dark pits where black-and-red pupils glowed ominously. Her once smooth, pale skin began to peel away, revealing the gleaming white bones beneath.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

If it had been anyone else, they would have been scared out of their wits, possibly too terrified to even run, collapsing in fear.

But Huang Quan was not like most people. The more tense the situation, the calmer he became.

He stared at Yang Mei, now transformed into a vengeful spirit, with a serious yet composed expression. “So, if I refuse to do as you wish, and won’t be your groom, you’ll turn into a vengeful ghost?”

“If I had known you would repay kindness with treachery, I wouldn’t have helped you fulfill your wish. I should have left you to freeze and suffer in that river!”

Yang Mei’s clawed hand drew closer to Huang Quan’s neck, coming within inches of slashing his skin, but Huang Quan didn’t flinch, his gaze unwavering as he stared straight into the dark pits of her eyes.

In an instant, Yang Mei’s claw halted mere centimeters from his throat, close enough to draw blood. Yet, time seemed to freeze, and she made no further move.

Moments later, Yang Mei’s expression softened, her vacant eyes regaining focus as they settled on Huang Quan.

“Lord Apostle? What are you doing in my room? Why do I feel like I lost track of time?”

She seemed to have forgotten what had just transpired, her demeanor returning to its previous respectful state. As Huang Quan looked around, he noticed that the once elaborate bridal chamber had reverted to a simple, clean, and elegantly furnished apartment. The oppressive atmosphere had vanished, replaced by a serene and refreshing ambiance.

Huang Quan glanced up and saw several lines of text appear before his eyes:

"The Hell Apartment does not imprison spirits but provides them with a place to reside. However, spirits living in the Hell Apartment face the constant threat of annihilation. Yang Mei, having received the help of the Apostle to fulfill her past life's desire, must now pass a trial of her current wish to survive this crisis."

Huang Quan reached out to touch the words, but they were intangible, mere shadows. He turned to look at Yang Mei, who was staring intently at him, seemingly oblivious to the text.

"Lord Apostle, have you come to my room because you’ve reconsidered those more intimate requests? I’m willing to offer myself to you!" Yang Mei’s entire body slowly leaned toward Huang Quan, her voluptuous figure brushing against his arm. Surprisingly, even as a ghost, she felt soft and supple.

The only difference was the lack of warmth—unlike a living woman, there was no heat to stir his blood. This, in turn, sent a chill down Huang Quan’s spine. What kind of situation was this? A ghost offering herself to him daily—how could an ordinary man handle that?

He chuckled lightly. "Yang Mei, I’m here today to have you show me around the apartment."

Huang Quan quickly changed the subject, making his purpose clear with lightning speed. He had no intention of being ensnared like one of Pu Songling’s scholars, drained of his essence by some spirit or demon.

Yang Mei, hearing this, looked a bit disappointed. Her eyebrows drooped, and she pouted her blood-red lips, replying with a sulky "Oh," before leading the way out of the room.

Huang Quan followed her through the Hell Apartment. He discovered that the apartment had only seven accessible floors; the eighth floor remained locked and required some form of unlocking. At present, the progress was merely at level one. Huang Quan craned his neck, peering curiously up the passage to the eighth floor.

Could there be an extraordinary world beyond the seventh floor? Or perhaps some superpowers? How could he unlock the eighth floor? Was it by using abilities gained from the spirits or by completing a certain number of tasks for them?

Huang Quan’s mind buzzed with endless speculation.

"Apostle, we’ve nearly finished the tour of the Hell Apartment. Some rooms already have residents, like Sun Lutang over there—his ability is martial arts, but for now, he cannot initiate any tasks," Yang Mei informed him.

Huang Quan nodded in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to leave the apartment, his gaze caught something on a nearby wall.

The wall was covered in layers of morning glory vines, but in the center, a small section was left exposed, revealing inscriptions. It recorded the names of past Apostles.

To his shock, he saw the last entry: "89th Apostle, Huang Quan."

He stared at the wall, then at Yang Mei, puzzled. "What is this?"

Yang Mei’s expression shifted, the irritation she had felt earlier completely evaporating, replaced by a look of anxiety. "My lord, it’s nothing. You should return to the real world as soon as possible!"

"The less you know about this wall, the better. Don’t ask questions, and don’t inquire with others! I can’t guarantee your safety otherwise."

"Oh, and you noticed there are many vacant rooms in the apartment. As an Apostle, you can actively recruit spirits. Any wandering ghost that you help fulfill their last wish can be brought here, giving those lonely souls a home."

Without giving Huang Quan time to process all of this, Yang Mei promptly pushed him out of the apartment.

Back in reality, Huang Quan was momentarily blinded by the bright light, a stark contrast to the darkness of the apartment. It took him a moment to adjust, and when he did, he realized he was at a bus stop. Nearby, two office workers were chatting while scrolling through their phones.

"Did you see today’s trending news? The heir of the Tang Corporation, Tang Ming, apparently got possessed by a ghost."

"Yeah, I heard! Serves him right for being such a womanizer. Seems like he got tangled up with a female ghost this time. They say he’s even hired a master to perform an exorcism—how embarrassing!"

Huang Quan listened, nodding slightly to himself. As the Apostle of the Hell Apartment, he could recruit spirits on his own.

Was this not the perfect opportunity?