GRMFBS CH21

Zhan Yan kept refreshing the Gossip System until nightfall.

The good news: there was no sign of his brother being scammed. The bad news: there was also no update on his brother’s progress.

How long was he supposed to keep watch? Would he have to stay up all night?

By the way, why weren’t there any updates on his parents’ or sister’s gossip threads either? Were their lives so ordinary that there was no “juicy gossip” at all?

*

Zhan Yan’s fruitless wait was interrupted by Gu Jiancheng’s nightly ritual: asking for a goodnight kiss.

Opening the chat window, Zhan Yan noticed something in the earlier messages he hadn’t paid attention to during their morning conversation.

Gu Jiancheng had asked why he hadn’t gone to school today and whether he would return later. The implication behind those words…

Zhan Yan: [Did you plan to come to school to find me?]

Gu Jiancheng: [!!]
[Yes! I could totally come to school to find you!]
[Can I? Please~?]

Zhan Yan: [Heh.]

Gu Jiancheng was usually clingy, but this level of exaggerated childishness and begging was a new low.

[Cut the act.]

[You already went to the school today, didn’t you?]

[That’s cheating.]

[Now I’m missing a week’s worth of clues!]

Gu Jiancheng: [You can’t do that!]
[You never said I couldn’t go to the school!]

Zhan Yan: [Then explain the game’s goal.]

On the high-speed train to Yunjin City, Gu Jiancheng’s lips curled into a slow smile as he stared at the screen.

Scrolling back through their chat history, he found Zhan Yan’s original words: [If you guess correctly, you’ll find me.]

Gu Jiancheng had indeed exploited a loophole by skipping steps to achieve the result. That was technically cheating. However, if you discover a bug in the game and don’t take advantage of it, are you even the top player who survived the Infinite Worlds?

Taking his time, Gu Jiancheng typed: [That’s a bug in your game settings.]
[I just found it.]
[Shouldn’t players get rewards for finding bugs?]

Zhan Yan: […Heh.]
[Still dreaming about a reward? Keep dreaming!]

*

Switching back to the gossip system, Zhan Yan found no updates on his brother’s thread. Refusing to wait idly, he opened the Chaofan Forum to continue his earlier investigation.

He clicked into a bookmarked post he hadn’t had time to read earlier:

{Does anyone know what’s going on with Chaofu Mountain recently?}

Zhan Yan knew Chaofu Mountain was a ghost-cultivation stronghold, but there was also a tourist area by the same name.

He searched for more information.

Chaofu Mountain was a 5A-level scenic spot known for its pristine environment and rich cultural history. According to ancient records in The Travels of the Mountain and Sea Wanderer, there was a cave on Chaofu Mountain called Yanluo Cave. The cave had a labyrinthine interior that opened into a vast chamber with a flat floor. At the center was a vertical shaft, said to plunge directly to the underworld. Locals claimed to hear ghostly wails and cries of judgment emanating from the shaft.

The Mountain and Sea Wanderer once explored Yanluo Cave. He concluded that both the cave and shaft were naturally formed. Despite spending two nights inside, he never heard the rumored ghostly sounds. However, driven by curiosity, he later returned with two strong companions and a rope to investigate further.

To appease their fears, they tied an old black-iron fishing weight—carved into the shape of a fish—to the end of their rope. They lowered the rope nearly a hundred meters into the shaft, but it never hit bottom. When they tried to reel it back in, the rope suddenly jerked violently, as if something was pulling it. Despite their combined strength, they couldn’t retrieve it. Terrified, they let go, and the rope was quickly swallowed by the shaft.

For a few moments, the cave fell eerily silent. Then, a cold wind blew out of the shaft, carrying eerie, hollow wails that sounded like cries of anguish. The three men fled in panic, later returning with offerings and incense to appease whatever might dwell within. This time, the shaft remained quiet.

According to the Wanderer’s account, the adventure brought no ill consequences. He continued to travel for decades and lived a peaceful life in his hometown in his later years.

Today, Chaofu Mountain is a tourist attraction, though only part of it is open to visitors. Yanluo Cave is not among the listed attractions, and its shaft’s existence remains unconfirmed.

Some self-proclaimed park employees online claimed there is indeed a cave in the restricted area, large enough for a person to crawl into. However, it’s sealed off, and they’ve never been inside. Whether it’s the Yanluo Cave from The Travels of the Mountain and Sea Wanderer remains a mystery.

In Addition, Chaofu Mountain was steeped in ghostly legends.

This was quite unique. After all, most famous mountains throughout history leaned toward the “immortal” theme—either as the secluded retreat of a renowned cultivator or the site where a deity ascended to immortality. Chaofu Mountain, however, carved its own path. It had no interest in immortals and exclusively dealt with ghosts.

Whether the mortal tourist attraction and the supernatural ghost-cultivation stronghold were connected was unclear. Judging by the legends, they likely were. If they were indeed related, it was quite bold of the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau to allow the place to be developed into a tourist destination.

Zhan Yan continued searching the forum for information on Chaofu Mountain. After piecing together various bits of intelligence, he roughly understood the situation.

Chaofu Mountain existed in both the mortal and ghostly realms. The ghost-cultivation faction was tied to the ghostly version of Chaofu Mountain.

The ghostly realm was vast, and Chaofu Mountain was just one region within it. It was home to four ghost kings, one of whom was the Wan Yan Ghost King.

The post Zhan Yan was reading had been created over twenty years ago and still occasionally made its way to the front page, a testament to its enduring popularity.

*

OP:
The OP was an artist living in Youdu, a city near Chaofu Mountain. They liked the area for its peace and quiet, with no one bothering them. Most locals were introverted and preferred silence, making it an ideal environment.

Three months ago, a loud boom came from Chaofu Mountain, startling the OP and ruining one of their paintings. Initially, they thought it was an isolated incident. But for the past three months, Chaofu Mountain had been anything but quiet. Explosions, smoke, and general chaos were constant, driving the OP to the brink of a nervous breakdown.

The replies were full of people agreeing with the OP, saying they’d also heard strange noises from the mountain recently. Many tagged Chaofu Mountain, asking for an explanation.

True to its reputation as the “lazy” faction, Chaofu Mountain’s administrators never showed up.

*

Comment Highlights:

39L:
“Honestly, has anyone ever seen a Chaofu Mountain admin since the forum started?”

40L:
“Now that you mention it, no. I’ve seen admins from the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau and the Wan Yao Alliance, but I don’t even know the name of Chaofu Mountain’s admin account.”

42L:
“Ridiculous. Does Chaofu Mountain even have an admin?”

43L:
“@Admin Bureau @Admin Demon Alliance Did you two kill off Chaofu Mountain’s admin? LOL.”

*

Zhan Yan searched the forum and found that it was true—Chaofu Mountain’s admins had never shown up. Only the Bureau’s “Admin Bureau” and the Alliance’s “Admin Demon Alliance” accounts were active.

During his search, Zhan Yan stumbled upon another post:

{The Forum’s Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries}

One of the mysteries was precisely this: the name of Chaofu Mountain’s admin.

This had practically become a game on the forum, with people guessing the admin’s name. Some bored users even set up a prize pool, which had accumulated a considerable amount of reward points over the years.

Zhan Yan was tempted.

Forum points were precious—they could be used to buy extraordinary items in the marketplace. Unlike other forums, points couldn’t be earned through mundane actions like signing in. They were only awarded for contributions or completing specific tasks.

Zhan Yan’s “Approaching Science” account had some points, earned from providing key clues like the “Youth’s Grudge” case. He had also submitted anonymous anomaly reports, which the Bureau’s “Admin Bureau” said would be rewarded after verification. With his latest submission earlier today, he expected more points soon.

Though his current points weren’t insignificant, they weren’t nearly enough for what he wanted.

Extraordinary powers posed immense danger to ordinary people. Zhan Yan wanted to exchange points for protective talismans for his family. However, ordinary talismans were weak and might not even match the effectiveness of the Eight-Treasure Cinnabar his sister had gifted him—her connections were truly amazing.

And with his large family, one talisman wasn’t enough. He needed one each for his father, mother, brother, sister, himself, and his boyfriend—six in total!

*

Zhan Yan checked the guessing game’s rules.

To participate, you simply had to guess the admin’s name in the thread and tag it with “@Admin.”

The forum had a feature: if you tagged a real account, the name would turn blue. If not, it would remain black. So, if someone tagged the admin and the name turned blue, they had guessed correctly.

The guesses ranged from serious ones like “Yanluo” (King of Hell), “Youming” (Netherworld), and “Yusuo” (Prison), all fitting the ghostly theme, to meme-worthy ones like “I really can’t guess,” “Actually I’m a demon,” and “If I call you, will you answer?”

Some were outright absurd: “Hubby, come out,” “Daddy of Chaofu Mountain,” and “Ghost King Kiss-Kiss.”

Zhan Yan searched the gossip system:

[The Abyssal Ghost King named his admin account ‘Never Adopting a Cat.’]

…What a bizarre name.

Zhan Yan replied to the thread:

*

10086L Approaching Science:
@Admin Never Adopting a Cat

10087L:
@Admin Are there any names left that haven’t been guessed?

10127L:
“It turned blue!!! Guys!!! Someone tagged a real admin!!! Look at 10086L!!!”

10135L:
“It’s Approaching Science again! Who is this person? Their intel is insane!”

10141L:
“@Approaching Science, can you solve the other mysteries from the Top Ten list too?”

Zhan Yan watched with satisfaction as the thread’s popularity skyrocketed.

Thanks to the elusive Abyssal Ghost King!