New Times, New Hell

Chapter 135 - Extra: Ghosts of the Hungry Ghost Path (Beginning)

Gossip Forum

Topic: #Award For Strangest Behaviors By Netizens# Amazing Future’s Newest Product That Has Recently Gone Viral: The Comments Under The Fleshed Lingzhi Soup Base

Building Owner: I’m CEO’s appearance fan. My daily activities include looking through the Fengdu Ghost Market app and reading through the comments of Amazing Future’s various strange little products. Amazing Future has recently started selling a fleshed lingzhi soup base or something, right? They claim that it can strengthen life energy and increase intelligence. Either way, it sounds very much like a health supplement scam, which is pretty on board with this company’s usual style. The price is on board too – expensive. I was bored today, so logged in and looked around. I ended up feeling very surprised. Everyone take a look, do these seem like genuine comments? [Screenshots 123456]

Floor 1: Disregarding everything else, the stuff CEO sells is really very expensive. Fans always try to make excuses for him and say that even though they’re expensive, the quality is great. I’m not going to say anything about the jades and stuff, because to each their own. But what the hell is up with this fleshed lingzhi soup base? It’s being sold for more than ten times the market price, yet there’s only a tiny bit of fleshed lingzhi in it. Are they selling it as a magical medicine?

Floor 2: I have to say, according to the product details page, they really are bluffing based on the effects of the magical medicine. Stupid fans really buy this stuff?

Floor 3: Is there something wrong with the reviews in the screenshots? Your test score increased by twenty-something points after drinking the soup made with the soup base? With such an IQ, I think you should stop taking tests?

Floor 33: At first glance, though the price does look a bit…… But none of Amazing Future’s products have ever garnered bad reviews. I think this price is still acceptable. I’ll buy one to try.

Floor 34: Holy shit. Daily sales are limited to 500 products. The ones for today are already sold out.

Floor 35: Tch, hunger marketing. Old tactics.

Floor 36: Oh, it turns out that they actually have other types of soup bases. The prices are much friendlier than the fleshed lingzhi’s price. Sales are pretty high too. I bought a few to try.

Floor 155: So confused and stupefied. What the hell is going on with the comments in the screenshots? The soup base even improved the residual effects of a stroke? If it’s so badass, why not directly use it in medicine? What a waste to sell it as a soup base!

Floor 157: xswl, people really believe that it’s fleshed lingzhi? Do these commenters actually know what fleshed lingzhi is? Do you know how rare it is? It’s hard finding even one. Could Luofeng have so many that they would use it to make soup base?

Floor 233: Stop laughing, person up above. Take a look at these news reports that just came out [Link: Experts’ appraisal, the materials in the fleshed lingzhi soup base that has recently sparked a lot of discussion are top tier fleshed lingzhis][Link: XX pharmaceutical company has signed a long term purchase agreement with Amazing Future for their fleshed lingzhis]

Floor 234: Pft, papapa

Building Owner: Holy shit, this company is toxic!

In the conference room at Luofeng’s headquarters, Qu Guangzhao, the manager of the sales department, was in the midst of reporting the most recent sales situation: “&#k2026;&#k2026;After the news reports related to the fleshed lingzhis got released today, sales for our other types of soup bases instantly increased by 80% too. Many new and old customers left comments asking if we can increase the limit for the number of fleshed lingzhi soup bases sold daily. Also&#k2026;&#k2026;”

At the last sentence, he slightly paused before biting the bullet and continuing, “There are also netizens who are yelling at us for using hunger marketing like the American capitalists.”

After hearing this, Yu Zhengdu simply didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “There’s really no other options. Fleshed lingzhi is a very rare material.”

Qu Guangzhao sighed. His eyes were filled with the desire for business. “When will the fleshed great year farm become large scale enough?”

Yu Zhengdu sweatdropped. “You think growing a fleshed great year is like raising a chicken? Laying an egg everyday and each egg hatches into another chicken?”

Qu Guangzhao rubbed his hands together and revealed the expression of an evil businessman while suggesting, “How about we raise the price of the soup base again?”

According to their current reputation and amount of sales, even if they doubled the price of their fleshed lingzhi soup base, they would still have more demand than supply.

Yu Zhengdu facepalmed. “Do you still remember the new slogan our company came up with this year?”

Qu Guangzhao instantly felt guilty. “……To become a company that has a lot of responsibility towards society.”

Yu Zhengdu smiled in exasperation. “Boss and I are going on a business trip to the Hungry Ghost Path tomorrow. We’ll also take a look at the farming situation. If things go well, we’ll try to raise the daily limit a bit higher next year.”

The following day, Yu Zhengdu led a black piglet along as he opened the barrier to the Hungry Ghost Path with Shang Que. They headed into the Hungry Ghost Path.

Ever since the battle at the peak of Impasse Mountain, Shang Que had recreated the border between the Underworld and Hungry Ghost Path. In the past, the barriers between realms had been the equivalent of tall mountains and large oceans in the mortal realm: it was extremely, extremely difficult to cross through them. Because of this, usually, only the greats who had the power to open the barriers could pass through. This was especially true for the Hungry Ghost Path, which was the place where convicted ghosts were exiled to. It was tremendously desolate and none of the greats wanted to visit. Thus, it had basically been a lone island within the three realms and Six Paths of Reincarnation.

But now, the entire world was pushing for communication and collaboration. Mortals had developed varying types of very effective communication devices. Traversing over mountains or across oceans were no longer problems. As the person in charge of the new Hell, Shang Que was also in charge of the Underworld and had taken command of the Hungry Ghost Path as well. He was naturally very invested in communication between the varying realms. As such, he opened passageways to the Hungry Ghost Path at both their company’s headquarters and Luofeng Mountain.

Of course, the Hungry Ghost Path was still a place of exile, after all. The hungry ghosts were basically prisoners under labor reform. If there weren’t any exceptional circumstances, they weren’t allowed to leave. Similarly, those from the two other realms could only enter the Hungry Ghost Path under special circumstances. Before entering, they also needed to submit a detailed report to Luofeng, applying for Luofeng’s permission and for the necessary travel documents signed by the Ghost King——Yu Zhengdu’s summary of this was: you need to get a visa first.

Luofeng’s work visa was one of the types of visas.

But the gate to the Hungry Ghost Path was located near the black lake that the Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain had originally resided by. When Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que reached the Hungry Ghost Path, they just so happened to see the Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain drying things on the island in the middle of the lake.

These days, a bridge had been built to reach the island in the middle of the lake. Yu Zhengdu and Shang Que crossed over the bridge and Yu Zhengdu called out to Ghost Mother.

Upon hearing his voice, Ghost Mother’s face instantly lit up. She cheerily greeted them, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist and saying, “Boss Yu, Boss Shang, here so early? I thought that you wouldn’t get here till the afternoon?”

Yu Zhengdu said with a smile, “We still have to make a trip to Luofeng Mountain in the afternoon.”

Ghost Mother twisted her mouth. “Why so rushed?”

Yu Zhengdu didn’t answer. He casually scanned the area around the island in the middle of the lake. There were round bamboo baskets all over the island. Inside them were thinly cut objects – these were pieces of the fleshed great year that were being dried.

After the battle at the peak of Impasse Mountain, the Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain had caught the thousand year old fleshed great year and dragged it back to the Hungry Ghost Path. Then, as per Luofeng’s headquarter’s instructions, she cut dozens of pieces out of the fleshed great year. Using the method of drawing straws, the other ghost mothers of the Hungry Ghost Path each brought back a piece to farm.

This had been an idea that Yu Zhengdu had suggested after consulting several relevant experts. Because fleshed lingzhis were technically a type of large compound slime mold, though they were extremely rare in the mortal realm, they had great survivability. They mainly reproduced through spores and hyphae. They had extremely strong regenerative abilities too. Any piece casually cut off from them could regenerate. Even if they left a habitable environment and there was no water available, they would still only start hibernating; they wouldn’t die so easily.

And, the thousand year old fleshed great year they had caught had already gained a consciousness. Its survivability was much greater than other specimens of the same species.

Yu Zhengdu went all out. He hired experts to make harvesting and farming plans. Then, he directly cut dozens of pieces out of the fleshed great year. The main body of the great year was still being looked after by the Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain. With this, he started the great undertaking of farming fleshed lingzhis in the Hungry Ghost Path.

The home grown fleshed lingzhis could be used as materials for the cooking classes of the Hungry Ghost Path. They could also be dried into soup bases and transported into the mortal realm to be sold.

It had to be said that this was really a great year that had gained a consciousness: its nutritional value and medicinal value were much greater than normal fleshed lingzhis in the mortal realm. Though the soup bases made with it were priced at twenty times the cost of similar soup bases, they still had more demand than supply. Returning customers who were knowledgeable waited on the Fengdu Ghost Market app every day. As soon as the soup base restocked, they would directly purchase it, causing many new customers who were there because of recent news to be unable to purchase any. Eventually, it was Yu Zhengdu who wrote a program that restricted those accounts from buying large amounts, finally managing to barely save some for the new customers.

There was even less that needed to be said for VIP customers – they all needed to be supplied separately. Even so, there was still more demand than supply. The extremely bold and wealthy VIP customers would frequently offer to pay double or more of the market price to buy in bulk and gift the soup base to their friends and family.

Regretfully, though fleshed lingzhis were hard to kill, they grew extremely slowly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so rare. Currently, even though the Hungry Ghost Path could farm them, they hadn’t completely succeeded yet. Thus, they honestly didn’t dare to waste any. As such, even though the mortal realm was already secretly starting to inflate the price of Luofeng’s fleshed lingzhis, Yu Zhengdu still remained adamant about ensuring the renewability of their product. He didn’t want to exhaust all their resources.

Because of this, it was inevitable that internally, people in their company would sometimes start thinking like Qu Guangzhao and want to take this opportunity to raise the price of the fleshed lingzhis.

Aside from wanting to actively respond to their nation’s calls and remain true to their company’s slogan of becoming a company with great responsibility for society, there was actually another reason that Yu Zhengdu hadn’t agreed to raise the prices—— To help make up for the sins of the Hungry Ghost Path.

“Oh right, Ghost Mother. I also brought a gift for you.” Yu Zhengdu tugged the little piglet he was holding onto forward.

The black piglet’s nose twitched. It burrowed its way over to Ghost Mother’s feet.

“Aiyou, this little pig is quite ugly. Are you preparing to have me start farming pigs too?” Ghost Mother inquired.

Yu Zhengdu coughed softly. “This is Needlepoint.”

“Needlepoint?” Ghost Mother’s eyes instantly widened. She hurriedly squatted down to pick up the piglet, then cupped the piglet’s face to take a good look at it. Even so, she was still in great disbelief. “Really? Is it really him?”

Everyone in the Hungry Ghost Path had been evil people in their previous lives. Originally, they needed to suffer in the Hungry Ghost Path for tens of thousands of years in order to make up for their sins and return to the paths of reincarnation. However, the first time Yu Zhengdu had been kidnapped to the Hungry Ghost Path, Needlepoint-Throated Hungry Ghost had indirectly helped him. This had been a good deed. After, he had also been very diligent during cooking and reeducation class. This, in addition to the fact that he had been extremely helpful during the battle at the peak of Impasse Mountain, allowed him to finish his sentence in advance. He headed into reincarnation early.

Of course, it was quite rare for anyone to be able to directly reincarnate as a human from the Hungry Ghost Path. Most of them still reincarnated into the beast path. Regardless, though, anything was better than being a hungry ghost. At least beasts could eat and didn’t need to feel hungry.

And Needlepoint-Throated Hungry Ghost had reincarnated into a little black pig with a huge appetite.

This was the first time Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain had seen one of her ghostly offspring successfully enter the paths of reincarnation. She was extremely excited; she grabbed onto the little black pig and rubbed and squeezed it, scaring the piglet so much that two of its little legs kept struggling. “This little guy definitely eats a lot, right?”

“Un, he eats a lot. His favorite are the pearls in pearl milk tea.” Yu Zhengdu asked with a smile, “You can afford to raise him, right?”

The Ghost Mother of Xi Mountain tightly wrapped her arms around the black piglet. “Yes, yes.”

She gently wiped away the tears in the corners of her eyes. “As long as he can eat, I can afford to feed him however much he wants.”

The author has something to say:

Little Needlepoint can finally eat all the pearls he wants!