Song Shiqiao rushed out of the room, fled the entire building, and only stopped when she saw the bustling street filled with people and cars.
A normal person encountering such a bizarre situation would surely call the police first. She didn't; instead, she called her family.
In her family, there was a centenarian great-grandfather who always spoke mysteriously about ghosts and spirits between heaven and earth. The family dismissed it as the old man's feudal superstition. However, at this moment, Song Shiqiao thought of him first.
She recounted the events, and her great-grandfather, surprisingly calm, warned her not to anger the strange man and to give him the promised money, even offering more to maintain a good relationship, as it might be useful in the future.
After talking for a while, she hung up, only for another call to come in.
"Ms. Song, where is my billion?"
It was the same nonchalant young man.
Song Shiqiao asked, "Have you freed yourself?"
Xia Tianqiong didn't answer directly, still speaking leisurely, "Ms. Song, you are safe now. Shouldn't you fulfill your promise?"
"You saved my life, and I, Song Shiqiao, will naturally keep my word. But giving ten billion today is difficult; such a large sum requires some time to arrange. I can transfer two billion from my personal account first. The rest will take a few days, but I will definitely give it to you."
"Alright."
His quick agreement, without haggling, surprised her.
Then she heard him say, "You can pay the remaining eight billion in another way."
Song Shiqiao felt uneasy. Did he have improper intentions?
"In what way?"
"Aren't you acquiring a budget hotel nearby? Buy the eight buildings around it, plus the adjacent mall, and give them to me."
Song Shiqiao paused for two seconds, thinking his demand was outrageous. Even though her great-grandfather had said they could offer more money to win him over, this was too much!
"Eight buildings and a bustling mall are worth at least over twenty billion. Isn't that too much?"
"In a few days, they will drop to bargain prices. It might not cost much then."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll know when the time comes," Xia Tianqiong did not explain but asked, "Do you want to restore your lifespan?"
"You have a way?"
Song Shiqiao's urgency was palpable; she had wanted to ask this all along.
"The fiend in the mirror has been subdued by me, and I can help restore your lifespan. When you purchase the buildings and mall for me, I will restore it for you."
This area was an exit for the fiend realm, with a constant emergence of fiends, mostly wild ones, ideal for hunting.
Xia Tianqiong planned to stake his claim here before the authorities and other fiend hunters found it, making it a private hunting ground or a base for his own forces.
Meeting Song Shiqiao had given him a sudden inspiration.
Acquiring the properties was cumbersome and time-consuming, so he decided to let the Song family handle it while he focused on hunting fiends.
Song Shiqiao was ecstatic at the prospect of restoring her lifespan. "Can you restore my lifespan now? Rest assured, the Song family will not owe you. I can write an IOU, and you will have your money in a few days."
"I don't accept IOUs. Do as I said. I'll send you my account number shortly. Transfer the two billion as soon as possible."
With that, the call ended.
Song Shiqiao, anxious, tried calling back but received no answer.
She stood on the street for a moment before hurrying back to the hotel room, only to find him gone.
...
Xia Tianqiong teleported back to his room, casually tossing the gold onto the bed.
Standing in the bathroom, he touched his cheek and squeezed his biceps, reveling in his youthful physique, and couldn't help but murmur, "An 18-year-old body is truly wonderful!"
Extending his lifespan not only made him younger but also filled him with boundless energy.
On the second day of his rebirth, contracting the Lifegamble Fiend was an unexpected delight, a true golden opportunity. The Lifegamble Fiend could extend Xia Tianqiong's lifespan and even grant it to others. Even if he did nothing else, trading lifespans would make him highly sought after, drawing many fiend hunters to follow him.
Of course, without the strength to protect himself, he could easily be controlled.
Xia Tianqiong pulled a small piece of mirror from his pocket, where the Lifegamble Fiend resided. A sliver of light drifted from the small mirror to the larger one in the bathroom, where the reflection of "Xia Tianqiong" came to life.
"Master, should I find our kin now?"
The Lifegamble Fiend seemed more anxious than Xia Tianqiong, eager to bring its kin for him to contract.
"Go ahead. It's best if you find a Mirror Fiend; I need such an entity now."
"Very well, I'll do my best."
With these words, the Lifegamble Fiend vanished. Mirror Fiends, invisible and intangible, could wander freely but needed to rest in a mirror periodically to continue their roamings.
Shortly after the Lifegamble Fiend left, Xia Tianqiong received a text message. Song Shiqiao's two billion had arrived.
Tomorrow night, when the bizarre incidents occurred en masse, people would frantically hoard supplies, greatly diminishing the purchasing power of money. Thus, it was best to spend it on essentials within the next two days.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu left the budget hotel with a heavy heart, finally understanding what it meant to be a servant. She feared she might never regain her freedom. Yet, this was her choice.
On reflection, if the apocalypse truly came tomorrow, following Xia Tianqiong might be wise. He seemed to know things others didn't, and sticking with him might ensure survival. Without him last night, she would have become a desiccated corpse like the downstairs neighbor.
Comforting herself with these thoughts, Jiang Yu felt much better and set about fulfilling Xia Tianqiong's tasks.
First, she searched online for essential supplies for an apocalypse. She found numerous posts detailing how to prepare for various end-of-world scenarios, each with different survival strategies.
Following these guides, she maxed out her online loans and credit cards, pooling nearly forty thousand yuan.
Then she rented a warehouse and began purchasing supplies. Unable to handle it alone, she hired five couriers to buy grains, oils, food from wholesale markets, and medicines from pharmacies.
With large orders, vendors offered delivery. She only needed to wait at the warehouse to receive the goods.
"This should complete the task quickly. He should be satisfied," Jiang Yu thought, feeling a small sense of accomplishment.
Then, a WeChat message from Xia Tianqiong requested her bank account number to transfer money. Without hesitation, she sent it over.
In less than a minute, her bank alerted her of a two billion yuan deposit. Jiang Yu stared at her phone, confirming the amount multiple times before calling Xia Tianqiong.
"How did you get so much money? You didn't rob a bank, did you?"
To her, Xia Tianqiong, capable of appearing and disappearing like a ghost, could very well rob a bank.
"Rob a bank? That's an interesting idea. I'll consider it," Xia Tianqiong replied with a faint smile.
"…"
Jiang Yu was stunned. "Where did you get this much money?"
"It was given to me. Don't worry about it, just spend it all on survival supplies by tomorrow night. Oh, and stock up on paper money."
With that, Xia Tianqiong hung up abruptly.
"He's really a hands-off boss!" Jiang Yu stood there, bewildered. "How am I supposed to spend so much money in such a short time?"
Meanwhile, Xia Tianqiong had hurriedly ended the call because the Lifegamble Fiend had returned soon after leaving.
"Master, I've already lured a Mirror Fiend. It'll be here shortly. Prepare yourself."
The Lifegamble Fiend's voice echoed in his mind, bringing Xia Tianqiong immense joy.
The Mirror Fiend's "mirror space" was incredibly useful. Contracting it would grant him a portable space to store Jiang Yu's supplies.
He quickly took out fifty taels of gold as a reward for the Lifegamble Fiend and grabbed some small gold ingots, slipping them into his pocket. He then walked into the bathroom, pretending to wash his hands.
As he washed, he noticed something strange. Looking up, he saw his reflection smiling eerily and waving at him.
The next moment, an invisible force enveloped him, pulling him into the mirror. The surface turned soft, like water. First, his head went in, followed by his shoulders and torso, until he was entirely inside. Ripples spread across the mirror's surface, then quickly vanished.
If anyone entered at that moment, they would find two identical figures in the mirror.
With a thud, Xia Tianqiong fell to the ground, looking around to see a bathroom identical to his own, but with another him standing nearby. It was the Mirror Fiend in disguise.
"Hello there!"
Xia Tianqiong stood up, smiling warmly, extending his hand as if greeting an old friend. His enthusiastic demeanor surprised the Mirror Fiend.
A normal person would be scared, panicked, and disoriented. Yet this human seemed delighted to see it.
"Aren't you afraid?"
The Mirror Fiend was taken aback, shaking Xia Tianqiong's hand.
"Not at all. In fact, I've been eagerly anticipating your arrival!"
Xia Tianqiong held its hand firmly. "Would you like to form a contract with me? I have plenty of wealth, and if you stick with me, you'll never lack money."
He produced a few gold ingots from his pocket, presenting them temptingly to the Mirror Fiend.
The Mirror Fiend's eyes widened, fixating on the gold. "You do have a lot of ghost money."
It had heard from the Lifegamble Fiend that the resident here had plenty of ghost money, which is why it came in broad daylight to harm him.
"So, what do you say? If you agree now, we'll form an equal contract."
Xia Tianqiong continued to entice, hoping to avoid using force, which carried risks.
The Mirror Fiend's smile grew wider, but it was clearly a cold, mocking smile. "Why should I form a contract with you? Once you're trapped here, all your ghost money will be mine."
Its death rule was simple: trap the person in the mirror space. If they couldn't escape within ten minutes, they would die. The solution was even simpler: break the mirror to return to the real world. But executing it was difficult, as the Mirror Fiend would prevent anyone from breaking the mirror.
Xia Tianqiong, however, was unafraid. He had a way to break the mirror and escape the death rule, but now was not the time. His goal was the Mirror Fiend itself, not escape.