"Brother, is your guardian spirit named Tang He?" On the way back, Su Ruiqi tilted her head, curiously observing Tang He, who was walking alongside Zhu Mingzhang.
"How could someone not know Tang He? Do I have no reputation at all? Looks like my previous life was a waste," Tang He sighed, shaking his head.
"Haha, yes, that's his name. Why do you ask?" Zhu Mingzhang replied, smiling.
Su Ruiqi had never heard of Tang He before, which didn't surprise Zhu Mingzhang. After all, both he and his sister grew up in an orphanage where there was no formal education. Su Ruiqi had never studied history or seen historical dramas, so she couldn't possibly recognize the name of the Marquis of Zhongshan.
"Hehe, nothing. Just curious!"
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
"Hmph, but I'm not a cat!" Su Ruiqi pouted playfully.
The siblings' cheerful laughter filled the air, making the once eerie Zhenling Street seem much less terrifying.
Zhu Mingzhang and Su Ruiqi lived in a three-story building at the center of Hongtian Street. They occupied the third floor, while the first floor housed an elderly spirit, and the second floor was home to a couple of spirit spouses. From the memories of Zhu Mingzhang's predecessor, the elderly man had passed away naturally due to old age. However, the spirit couple had met a tragic end in a car accident at the prime of their lives. The husband had been successful in his career, and the wife was a beauty in her youth. Just as they had begun planning for a child, their lives were abruptly cut short.
Despite the tragedy, there was a silver lining: in the randomness of spirits entering Zhenling Streets, they had managed to end up in the same one, allowing them to continue being together.
Life is unpredictable.
When Zhu Mingzhang and Su Ruiqi arrived home, the old man on the first floor was sitting on a chair, leisurely fanning himself. Both siblings were accustomed to such sights after living on Hongtian Street for some time. Spirits often retained the habits they had in life, holding onto the memories of their past. Finding things to do was also a way for them to distract themselves from the monotony of Zhenling Streets and prevent falling into despair, which could turn them into malicious spirits. This state of affairs largely depended on the management of the local Zhenling General.
Zhu Mingzhang was well aware of this. Take Cao Tianzhi, Cao Man's father, for example—he managed Weisha Street as a Zhenling General, ensuring peace and order. As a result, the probability of spirits turning into malicious entities was significantly reduced. In contrast, under Lu Yanbing's "survival of the fittest" philosophy, Weisha Street was a living hell.
"Xiao Ming, you're back!" The old man greeted warmly.
"How dare you address His Highness so casually?" Tang He frowned in disapproval.
"Tang He, don't be rude," Zhu Mingzhang interjected, waving off the remark.
Under Zhu Mingzhang's management, Hongtian Street remained relatively peaceful.
"Xiao Ming, are you hurt?" The old man noticed the bloodstains on Zhu Mingzhang and stood up in concern.
"I'm fine. As you can see, I've awakened my guardian spirit, Tang He."
"That's wonderful!" After a brief chat, Zhu Mingzhang dismissed Tang He and took Su Ruiqi upstairs.
Their apartment was a modest two-bedroom unit, and their daily lives were fairly comfortable.
"Xiao Rui, are you hungry?" Zhu Mingzhang asked.
"Yeah, I'm starving!"
"Look, it's almost noon. How about I take you out to eat?"
There were four synchronized time slots each day when the human world and the spirit world aligned: 6:00–7:00, 12:00–13:00, 18:00–19:00, and 19:00–1:00. During these periods, traveling between worlds was straightforward and consistent. At other times, the pathways were chaotic and unpredictable, leading to unintended destinations in most cases.
Without hesitation, Su Ruiqi rolled her eyes. "Brother, have you lost your mind?"
Usually, they barely managed to eat meat once a month. Now, Zhu Mingzhang was talking about dining in the human world? It was such a drastic change that it seemed like he was dreaming.
"What's wrong? You don't want to go?" Zhu Mingzhang chuckled and mentally reached out to the system.
"System, am I broke or not?"
**[This system, also known as the God-Level Tycoon System, ensures you are never broke.]**
**[Ding! Detected that the host is a penniless soul. A Supreme VIP Black Card has been gifted as a startup reward.]**
**[Ding! 10 billion Huaxia Yuan has been deposited into your account. Please check.]**
**[Note: Huaxia Yuan is equivalent to RMB in the host's original world.]**
"Awesome! This system is incredible!" Zhu Mingzhang exclaimed internally, his face lighting up with excitement.
Caught off guard by his expression, Su Ruiqi grew concerned. "Brother, what's with that face? Are you feeling okay? You don't have a fever, do you?"
She touched his forehead and then compared it to her own, finding no sign of illness. Just then, her gaze fell on the wall clock. It was already 12:03 p.m. Normally, at this time, her brother would be...
"Ah! Brother, you're going to be late delivering food!" she shouted in panic.
Indeed, Zhu Mingzhang's predecessor had worked as a food delivery driver in the human world to support himself and his sister.
"Delivery? From this day forward, I, Zhu Mingzhang, will never deliver food again!"
"Xiao Rui, let me tell you something shocking. Yesterday, while delivering food, I ran into my biological parents. It turns out they are part of one of Huaxia's oldest and wealthiest families, with a legacy that dates back to the Ming Dynasty! Our family is unimaginably rich!"
"Are you serious, brother?" Su Ruiqi's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You'll see when we visit the human world," Zhu Mingzhang said, a confident smirk on his face.