The Otherworldly God I Serve Is Actually a Demon - Chapter 16

Shangguan Yun sat in her chair, looking at Ruan Jiao seated stiffly across from her, who dared not meet her gaze. It was hard to believe that it was this seemingly timid girl who had discovered the ghost’s weakness.

“Ruan Jiao, a freshman majoring in Chinese Language and Literature at Jiang University. Both parents work at an electronics factory in the suburbs. Eighteen years old.” Shangguan Yun put on a gentle smile. “At your age, when I first saw a ghost, I was so scared I vomited on the spot. Yet you remained so calm and even found the ghost’s weakness. Truly impressive, Ruan Jiao.”

Such flattering words were best taken with a grain of salt.

Most people lose their composure when facing ghosts, unable to think clearly, which makes ghosts seem unsolvable.

But if one isn’t afraid of ghosts and observes them like solving a math problem, seeking answers, then no matter how difficult it is, someone will eventually find the correct solution.

She had Jun Gongyu as her safety net, which allowed her to face ghosts as calmly as if she were solving a math problem.

It was merely a stroke of luck.

“I was just lucky. The one who truly resolved the supernatural incident was Master Zhong.”

Ruan Jiao had already learned from Shangguan Yun that “Master” was the collective term for people like Zhong Wanlan.

Humans cannot kill ghosts; they can only drive them away. Only ghosts can kill ghosts. Those who use ghosts to resolve supernatural incidents are respectfully called Masters.

This title, along with the surname Zhong, reminded Ruan Jiao of the Master Zhong Zhengnan from the mountain behind her home. Could there be some connection between the two?

Shangguan Yun stood up and picked up the tea set beside her. They were now in her office, just the two of them.

As she brewed the tea, she spoke to Ruan Jiao as if making casual conversation.

“Ruan Jiao, do you know how many Masters there are in the entire country?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Including Master Zhong, there are no more than fifty officially registered Masters nationwide.”

Ruan Jiao’s lips parted slightly in surprise. Ever since encountering the ghost, she had assumed the state would have special talents to handle supernatural incidents, but she never imagined there would be so few.

“And Master Zhong is the only living descendant of the ancient Master lineage. All other Masters were trained based on the Zhong family’s legacy. The cost of training a Master is incredibly heavy, often requiring the sacrifice of an unimaginable number of lives to produce just one.”

Shangguan Yun seemed lost in thought, her expression tinged with emotion.

“I failed to become a Master and was ‘recycled’ as useless, assigned to Jiangcheng as the head of the Special Case Division.”

“There are too few Masters to handle supernatural incidents promptly. So, most of the time, our Special Case Division deals with such incidents by sealing off the affected areas and minimizing the impact. Sometimes, we are fortunate enough to uncover information and weaknesses about ghosts at the cost of ordinary lives. In the early days of the supernatural resurgence, the state could still manage these incidents. But this year, the outbreak of ghosts has multiplied exponentially, and there have even been terrifying entities that are completely unsolvable.”

Ghostly manifestations of varying degrees are occurring all over the world. Some small, backward, and isolated countries have even perished. These reports are suppressed by the United Nations to prevent widespread panic.

After finishing her explanation, Shangguan Yun placed a cup of tea at just the right temperature in front of Ruan Jiao before returning to her seat opposite her.

“Why are there so few exorcists?”

Ruan Jiao voiced the question on her mind.

“Because ghosts cannot be easily commanded. A significant bond must form between a person and a ghost to establish a connection, that is, to command a ghost. Kinship, friendship, love, even master-servant relationships, all can form such bonds. Exorcist Zhong inherited fifteen ghosts from her family, each connected to her by blood. She can form a bond with any one of them, which is a kinship bond.”

“But why…”

“You want to ask why she doesn’t just summon all fifteen ghosts to fight together, right? That’s because forming bonds with ghosts comes at various costs. For the Zhong family, the cost is lifespan. The first ghost costs one year of life, the second two years, and so on. To bond with all fifteen ghosts would require 120 years of life. She’s twenty-five this year, and even if she lived to be a hundred, she could bond with at most twelve ghosts before dying on the spot.” Shangguan Yun shook her head with a sigh.

If exorcists could use ghosts without paying any price, supernatural incidents would have long vanished from the world.

Moreover, she didn’t tell Ruan Jiao that for exorcists, conditions like the Zhong family’s, paying with lifespan to form bonds, were already considered quite favorable.

“The Zhong family has fifteen ghosts, which means they have a method for creating ghosts on a large scale. Even if it shortens their lives, couldn’t it be promoted nationwide? That way, supernatural incidents could be effectively resolved,” Ruan Jiao continued to ask.

“The Zhong family’s method for creating ghosts is unique and cannot be used by others,” Shangguan Yun took a sip of tea and said leisurely. “The specific reasons are confidential and cannot be disclosed to you for now. Unless you join the Special Cases Department and become someone like me, then you can learn all the secrets about ghosts.”

At this point, Ruan Jiao had already guessed the purpose behind the other person’s words.

“In recent years, there have been some wild exorcists among the public, but most cannot be recruited. After all, being recruited means frequently facing supernatural incidents, and many people aren’t so selflessly devoted.”

“And those who are selflessly devoted often can’t become exorcists.”

Some people are just lucky enough to easily form bonds with ghosts, yet they avoid it at all costs. Others want to form bonds with ghosts but fail no matter what price they pay.

Shangguan Yun’s gaze fell on the teacup in her hand, her thoughts drifting back to a few years ago. If she could have the ability to fight ghosts, or if sacrificing herself alone could resolve supernatural incidents, she would have done so without hesitation.

But she didn’t. She had no abilities at all.

All she could do was sit here, pour a cup of tea for a young girl, and talk about trivial matters.

“Ruan Jiao, right now, humanity is overwhelmingly disadvantaged when facing ghosts. Before long, the supernatural will be included in textbooks and community outreach, made known to every resident of this country.”

“I know it sounds naive to tell you that sacrificing for humanity is foolish, and you probably wouldn’t be willing. But what I want to convey isn’t that. It’s the principle that ‘when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.'”

“No one can remain untouched by the supernatural resurgence until the end, not you, not your parents or relatives, not your classmates, friends, or teachers.”

“But when everyone’s efforts come together, we will surely have the day when the supernatural ends. Until then, every individual’s actions are crucial. Perhaps it is precisely with your addition that we succeed; if even one person is missing, we might fail because of that tiny possibility.”

“The state offers excellent treatment for Special Case Department staff. If you join, you will receive your degree certificate in advance and secure a permanent position with the highest salary. Your parents will retire early, with their social insurance automatically supplemented and pensions issued at the highest local worker standard. Additionally, you will be allocated a permanent residence near the Special Case Department, with all medical expenses fully covered. If you sacrifice your life, your family’s benefits will remain unchanged, and they will receive an additional one million in consolation funds.”

“So,” Shangguan Yun stood up and extended her hand toward Ruan Jiao, “join us, Ruan Jiao. Let’s save this world together.”

The room fell silent for a long while, but Shangguan Yun’s outstretched hand remained steady and unwavering.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have such grand aspirations. I’m just an ordinary person and don’t want to frequently encounter supernatural events,” Ruan Jiao evasively lowered her head.

Shangguan Yun didn’t seem surprised by this response. She withdrew her hand and sat back down.

“Ruan Jiao, do you think you won’t encounter the supernatural if you don’t join us? With your ghost-attracting constitution, you’ll encounter ghosts many times more often than ordinary people. But you won’t be so lucky every time. Join us, figure out the source of your special constitution, and even have the chance to become a Taoist master, never fearing the supernatural again.”

Shangguan Yun’s words were quite persuasive. If Ruan Jiao were an ordinary freshman, she might have nodded in agreement.

“Sorry,” she still shook her head.

Shangguan Yun frowned almost imperceptibly but didn’t say much more, remaining polite.

“It’s fine. Go back and think it over carefully. If you change your mind, you can call me anytime,” she handed over her business card.

Ruan Jiao took the card and looked at her thoughtfully, asking, “Director Shangguan, I have a question. Since humans can’t kill ghosts, why could Master Zhong harm ghosts with that peach wood sword? What’s special about that sword? Is it because a ghost resides inside?”

“Sorry,” Shangguan Yun shook her head, “that’s also classified. If you want to know, join the Special Case Department.”

“Alright, I understand. Thank you.”

Ruan Jiao realized that if she didn’t join the Special Case Department, she probably wouldn’t get any more ghost-related information from Shangguan Yun. Since she had no intention of joining, she shouldn’t stay and cause discomfort.

After discussing confidentiality matters a bit longer, she left. Shangguan Yun watched her leave the Special Case Department, her expression grave as she pondered something.

Suddenly, she called her assistant in from outside.

“Pull up a complete and detailed file on her parents. Make it comprehensive, covering interpersonal relationships from three generations back.”

“Yes.”