Ghost Catching System

Old Luo slapped Luo Yu across the face and raged, ”You bastard! Who allowed you to go to the temple on the back hill?”

Dumbfounded by the slap, Luo Yu thought, ’Even when the family was in chaos, Grandfather never hit Luo Qingming. Why would he hit me?’

”You worthless bastard! Son of a turtle! How did I raise a bunch of turtle descendants like you?!” Old Master Luo was beyond furious.

’Turtle descendants?’ Luo Yu thought. ’If we are turtle descendants, wouldn’t that make *him* a turtle too?’

The members of the Luo Family hurried forward. ”Old Master Luo, please calm down,” they urged.

But Old Master Luo just cursed, ”Get lost! You’re all useless!” He was truly furious, and no one dared to speak further.

After a short while, a man who looked like a housekeeper approached and whispered something in Old Master Luo’s ear. The Old Master instantly turned deathly pale, clutched his heart, and nearly collapsed.

The Luo family members cried out in alarm, ”Old Master Luo, are you alright?”

Supported by his family, Old Master Luo said in a trembling voice, ”Quick... quickly! Take me to the temple on the back hill!”

The group rushed to the temple. They moved a pile of bricks from under a structural beam and dug out a very large, fat rat from within. However, the rat was already dead, its head a bloody pulp. The pile of bricks had fallen at an awkward angle; the rat had apparently still been breathing when it was pinned down and suffocated.

The Luo Family’s sacrificial god, the deity that had brought them wealth for a hundred years, was dead.

As they excavated the rat spirit’s corpse, everyone was visibly shocked. ”Such a huge rat!”

Old Master Luo could no longer bear it. He couldn’t catch his breath and fainted. The entire Luo Family panicked.

That night, the Luo Family was in an uproar. News of the family scandal, the death of their sacrificial god, and Brother Ming being frightened out of his wits spread like wildfire, leaving outsiders aghast and gossiping endlessly.

This family is truly a mess, isn’t it?

The Luo Family suppressed the news, ordering everyone to keep these matters to themselves. The outsiders could only comply; they had no choice, as the Luo Family’s power was immense.

When Old Master Luo regained consciousness, he fell to his knees with a THUD before the Worship you Ancestors Token. He wept inconsolably, lamenting to his ancestors about how their descendants had failed them and been unfilial.

The Luo family members stood silent as cicadas in winter, completely clueless about what had transpired, their faces etched with confusion. They had no idea that the fat white rat, which had protected the Luo Family for nearly a hundred years, was their sacrificial god.

”Master, will the birthday celebration still proceed?” the old housekeeper asked.

Old Master Luo looked as if he had aged another ten years in that instant. Gritting his teeth, he declared, ”It will proceed!”

Their sacrificial god was dead, but the Luo Family had to survive. This was not the time to fall into disarray.

Long ago, a Luo Family ancestor had been a Taoist cultivator. Unwilling to endure poverty, he entered the secular world and used his Taoist arts to accumulate vast wealth. Normally, such actions would be considered a defiance of the Heavenly Dao for a cultivator. However, this particular Luo ancestor was remarkably cunning. He managed to deceive Heaven itself. Besides offering a mouse as a spirit sacrifice, he employed other methods to aid the Luo Family, such as the Feng Shui array in their swimming pool.

So much had happened in a single night, yet the Luo Family had to proceed with the birthday banquet.

「The next day」

Many distinguished guests arrived at the Luo Family. They were all high-ranking figures in society, powerful and famous individuals, who had come to wish Old Master Luo a happy ninetieth birthday. Everyone knew that Old Master Luo had turned ninety, but he appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, likely to live many more years.

The banquet proceeded smoothly. Many prominent guests arrived, including well-known wealthy individuals, celebrities, and officials.

In Longxi City, Old Master Luo was highly respected. The Luo Family was a prominent clan with a century-long history; not even the major societal reforms had managed to cripple them. On the contrary, they had only flourished, amassing immense wealth and becoming a legendary family in the provincial region.

”Congratulations, Old Master Luo, on your ninetieth birthday!” many wealthy guests exclaimed, bearing expensive gifts.

However, most of these people couldn’t meet Old Master Luo personally; even those worth hundreds of millions lacked the necessary qualifications.

Inside the villa were affluent members of society, influential figures of high standing. Meanwhile, outside the villa, various other banquets were set up. Female and male celebrities, along with most of society’s elite, were in attendance. Merely being able to participate in Old Master Luo’s ninetieth birthday banquet was considered a great honor, something to be proud of. There were quite a few third-tier starlets present, adding glamour to the occasion, and the atmosphere was very congenial.

Indeed, it seemed as if more than half the celebrities in Longxi City had come.

However, in a corner of the banquet, one person seemed out of place.

Chu Hao was leisurely cracking sunflower seeds, watching people come and go as they mingled and networked with the powerful, yet he himself appeared completely at ease. Moreover, he was dressed casually and looked quite young, not at all like an important figure.

Of course, a minor actress did approach and ask him if he was one of the Luo Family Descendants.

Chu Hao replied, ”No.”

That actress was quite pragmatic. Upon hearing his answer, she immediately turned and walked away. She didn’t want to waste time on someone insignificant and hurried off to curry favor with the Luo Family Descendants, hoping she might achieve great success.

Chu Hao didn’t mind at all. That starlet wasn’t even second-tier. Compared to a major star like Yi Qinglian, she was nothing. And she dared to put on airs in front of me, Brother Hao? I wouldn’t even give her the time of day.

By eight-thirty in the evening, more and more people had arrived.

Quite a few members of the Luo Family still remembered Chu Hao’s words. Luo Ming, for example—that fellow had been scared half to death the previous day—was back to his lively self after Master Kong performed some rituals for him.

”Chu Hao, you said everyone in my Luo Family would die today, hmph! I’d like to see who dies first tonight!” Luo Ming sneered, his expression cold.

Chu Hao glanced at him and said indifferently, ”The time hasn’t come yet. Are you in such a hurry to die?”

You bastard! You’re the one who’s eager to die! Luo Ming fumed internally. So much had happened yesterday. If they hadn’t dragged Chu Hao to the temple, none of those things would have occurred!

Luo Ming laughed again. ”A country bumpkin like you really doesn’t belong here. Everyone present is a powerful figure in society, aren’t they? As for you... if Luo Yan hadn’t brought you, do you think you could have even stepped through the gates of my Luo Family?”

Looking down on me? Brother Hao doesn’t like hearing that kind of talk. I should curse him to become mute! That’s the old standby. Or maybe... curse him to become gay instead? Hmm... that’s not a bad idea.

Just as Chu Hao was pondering how to deal with Luo Ming, someone nearby suddenly exclaimed in surprise, ”Chu Hao?!”

Chu Hao turned around. It was an acquaintance—no, a very familiar face.

It was Qin Feng, the fellow who’d squatted down to take a dump in the school plaza!

”Poop God?!” Chu Hao blurted out.

What the hell! Qin Feng’s face turned an ugly shade; he was wearing a green suit today, making him look as green as a kappa’s skin.

Poop God. What an incredibly grand-sounding nickname.

Qin Feng suppressed the fury simmering in his heart and said through gritted teeth, ”Chu Hao, I *have* a name.”

Chu Hao whipped out his phone, pulled up a webpage, and showed him. ”Look, lots of people are calling you Poop God now. Impressive, my man!”

You son of a bitch! Qin Feng nearly coughed up blood. Ever since he’d taken that dump in the school plaza, he’d been stuck with the nickname ”Poop God.” It was truly one of a kind, and not in a good way.

Qin Feng snarled, ”You bastard, what are you doing here?”

Chu Hao grinned. ”Just here to have some fun. By the way, you might want to keep your distance. Who knows if you’ll suddenly decide to take a dump next to me.”

”BEEP... Host has triggered ’Aggravating Pretension’ and earned 200 Pretentiousness Points.”

HAHAHA! System, you don’t have to be *this* awesome! There’s even a way to gain points by aggravating someone’s pretentiousness!

Qin Feng’s fingernails nearly dug into his palms. Ignoring Chu Hao, he turned to Luo Ming and forced a smile. ”Young Master Ming, hello.”

Luo Ming stroked his chin and asked, ”Are you his friend?”

The Luo Family’s influence was immense; in their presence, Qin Feng felt less significant than an ant. He hastily replied, ”No, no! This guy just goes to the same school as me. Truth be told, I can’t stand him either.”

Luo Ming nodded. At that moment, he exuded the air of a young master from a wealthy and powerful family, looking down on them imperiously.