The warehouse owner stared at the collapsed crates, spilled grain, and one furious chicken that looked ready to sue. His face twitched.
"…You. What did you DO?"
Lin Feng calmly brushed dust from his sleeve as if nothing had happened.
"I improved the ventilation."
"There was no need for ventilation!"
"Now there is less need for crates," Lin Feng replied earnestly.
The man clutched his chest. "T-This… this is nine copper worth of damage! Nine!"
Lin Feng nodded thoughtfully.
"Excellent. That means the job must have been more complex than advertised."
The owner blinked. "What?"
"If my work causes structural collapse, that means your warehouse was hiding deep flaws. I have revealed them. That's worth extra."
"That's— that's not how work functions!"
Lin Feng folded his arms, confident.
"Sir, I don't argue with fate. Fate argues with me. Look around — once fragile, now exposed. A warehouse honest with itself."
The owner looked close to tears.
Meanwhile, the faint ghost that had followed Lin Feng from the mountain floated near a toppled crate, poking curiously at a wooden lid. It paused, then drifted above a sack that lay unnaturally still.
Lin Feng followed its gaze.
Inside the sack was… nothing.
But something clung to it.
A cold presence. A suppressed sound, like someone trying not to cry.
Lin Feng lifted the sack gently.
A pale, trembling spirit peeked out — a ghost child, clutching a splinter like a toy. Its form flickered dangerously, thin enough to scatter in one wrong breeze.
The warehouse owner recoiled.
"G–Ghost?!"
Lin Feng knelt down calmly and extended a hand.
The child ghost looked at him, confused.
Then it offered the splinter.
Lin Feng accepted it like a treasured gift.
"Well crafted."
The ghost brightened faintly. Its edges sharpened, stabilizing a little.
It drifted in a small circle of delight.
[SYSTEM]
Ghost Stabilization Successful
Reward: Minor Favor Gained
Side Benefit: Warehouse ghost will not haunt you
The owner collapsed onto a crate.
"Wh-What… what just happened…?"
Lin Feng stood.
"Your warehouse had a child ghost. I soothed it."
"I didn't ASK you to—"
"You are welcome."
"That— that doesn't pay the debt!"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Correct. But it reduces emotional burden. Very valuable."
The owner grabbed his hair. "I just want copper! Normal copper! For normal work!"
Lin Feng looked around the wrecked warehouse, then at the ghost child who was now following him like a shy puppy.
"Hm. Allow me another attempt."
He inspected the remaining crates, the grain on the floor, the crooked shelves… then clapped once.
"Perfect. I know what to do."
"No! No more doing!" the owner cried.
Too late.
Lin Feng walked outside, dipped his fingers in a puddle, drew a line of symbols in the dirt, and flicked his wrist.
Inside the warehouse, the spilled grain stirred.
Not violently.
Not magically.
Just… neatly.
The ghost child floated over it and made a soft, disappointed noise.
It gathered the grain into small piles without even thinking, like habits from its old life had carried over.
The ghost worked faster than any broom, circling the floor. The dust settled. The chaos sorted itself into something resembling a tidy arrangement.
The owner's mouth slowly dropped open.
"T-That… that ghost is cleaning…?"
"Yes," Lin Feng said. "Child labor. Efficient. Ethical, because they are already dead."
"I— I'm not sure that makes it better—"
The ghost stopped, proud of its work. The floor looked cleaner than it had in years. Even the angry chicken calmed down and strutted away.
Lin Feng nodded with satisfaction.
[SYSTEM]
Unexpected Productivity Detected
Reward: +1 Sect Point
Ghost Favor Strengthened
The warehouse owner swallowed hard.
"…Fine. Fine. You know what? Work… work accepted. Payment… accepted. No debt. No extra charge. No… ghosts left behind, right?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Correct. This one is coming with me."
"Why?!"
Lin Feng shrugged.
"It has potential."
"Potential to ruin more warehouses!"
Lin Feng bowed slightly.
"Sir. You have been enlightened today."
"I HAVE NOT!"
But Lin Feng had already walked out, ghost child following like a bobbing lantern.
---
Outside, he glanced at the sky.
He had exactly five copper in his pocket — enough to avoid starvation for one day.
Barely.
He sighed softly.
"Food first. Everything else… later."
The ghost child tugged on his robe, motioning toward Willow Town's small market.
Lin Feng nodded.
"Lead on."
The mountain wind carried a faint whisper behind him, like Broken-Soul Peak waiting for its master to return.
But for now, Lin Feng walked into town with a ghost child assistant, a cracked lantern in his sleeve, two sect points earned, and not nearly enough copper for what the future required.
And somehow, he looked completely confident.
---