379: Lightning-struck succubus

"Hey, let's not talk about that."

The short-haired Female Ghost Officer snapped her fingers. "Waiter, add three more hostesses to our table. We want the ones who are best at chatting."

Three succubi with different charms floated over and naturally blended into the booth.

One of them, a succubus sister with a heart-shaped tail, sat down next to Lin Ran with a beaming smile, the tip of her tail brushing against her thigh as if by accident.

Lin Ran's body stiffened, her ears turning red at a visible speed, and she didn't know where to put her hands.

In life, she was an elite of the Special Affairs Bureau; after death, she entered the Underworld's civil service system directly. When had she ever experienced such a scene?

[Unless I'm with Her Majesty, I wouldn't be this flustered~]

"(⊙o⊙)..."

Lin Ran opened her mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

Behind the booth, Shang Wan Ning and the other two took in the whole scene.

Chen Yu covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking with laughter as she nearly slid off her chair. She didn't forget to whisper a complaint to Shang Wan Ning: "Your Majesty, look. All the energy they used to spend chasing boy bands is now being used on these girls."

Ling Qi pushed up her black-rimmed glasses, a glimmer flashing in her eyes behind the lenses. "Heh, girls?"

Holding her glass, Shang Wan Ning looked at Lin Ran's flushed and embarrassed state; she was a completely different person from the capable Chief Assistant Lin she had been in life.

She couldn't help but laugh out loud as well.

"It seems..."

Shang Wan Ning took a sip of her drink and teased, "The Underworld's 'nightlife culture' is even more 'up-to-date' than I imagined."

The succubus sister with the heart-shaped tail leaned closer to Lin Ran, her breath as sweet as orchids, whispering something unknown.

Lin Ran almost shrank into the sofa, waving her hands repeatedly, the blush on her face deep enough to drip blood.

Her colleague added fuel to the fire from the side: "Sister Ran, don't be shy! Chatting more with these sisters is the only way not to waste your vacation."

"Vacation..."

Lin Ran's voice had a soft quality, caught between laughter and tears.

Shang Wan Ning looked away and exchanged a knowing glance with Ling Qi.

It seemed their Chief Assistant Lin truly needed these few days of vacation to properly adapt to the 'colorful' amateur life of the Underworld.

Chen Yu slurped the fluorescent liquid in her glass.

Seeing Lin Ran being 'besieged' again by her colleague and the succubus, she whispered gleefully, "Tsk tsk, Chief Assistant Lin's 'blessing' of being surrounded by girls is only just beginning."

"Little sister..."

The succubus's voice was so syrupy it could be pulled into threads. She leaned in closer, her warm breath brushing against the side of Lin Ran's neck.

"Is it that this sister is an old hag who can't catch your eye?"

Lin Ran's throat tightened, and she instinctively shrank back.

The competence she had in the Special Affairs Bureau was long gone, replaced only by the helplessness of a novice ghost officer.

"N-No..."

"Why won't you do me the honor of a drink?" The succubus picked up a glass filled with 'worry-dispelling brew' and made a move to feed it to her lips.

The colorful liquid sloshed, reflecting Lin Ran's panicked face.

In the distant booth, Shang Wan Ning narrowed her eyes.

Chen Yu bit her straw and stifled a laugh, only to be elbowed in the ribs by Ling Qi.

"Lady!"

Lin Ran stood up abruptly, her movement so sudden she nearly overturned the table.

She tried to keep a straight face, adopting the tone of a formal report: "I am a newly hired public servant at the Bridge of Helplessness. This month's salary hasn't been issued yet. I truly have no extra money to pay for additional services."

The air froze for a moment.

The smile on the succubus sister's lips didn't change, but for a split second when no one was looking, a flicker of melancholy passed through her eyes.

In her line of work, the biggest taboo was showing one's emotions.

[Damn, what bad luck! If you have no money, why order a hostess? I wasted This Old Lady's acting skills for half a quarter-hour.]

She calmly withdrew the glass that was about to touch Lin Ran's lips. "Mhm, I see. Since you've just arrived, little sister, you should indeed prioritize your official duties."

As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the dance floor, accurately locking onto several well-dressed, solid-souled regular customers (strike that, fat sheep).

[Shit, Sister Ink Shadow is ranking up tonight, and the top donor 'lemon moon like wind' is too elusive to rely on. If I don't grab some tips soon, I won't even be able to keep my spot in the top ten.]

Anxious inside, she forced a considerate smile at Lin Ran: "Sister understands, the life of a public servant is hard."

"Come back often. Sister will give you a 2% discount!" With that, the succubus sister stood up.

Her skirt swirled in a sharp arc as she walked gracefully toward her 'fat sheep candidates'.

[I curse 'lemon moon like wind' to choke on water! Always dropping the ball at critical moments!!!]

"Achoo~"

Shang Wan Ning rubbed her nose.

Chen Yu peeked over: "Your Majesty, is Chief Assistant Lin thinking about you?"

Before she could finish, a sharp 'crack' rang out, and a blinding bolt of lightning suddenly lit up the bar area.

A cloud of scorched black smoke exploded over the head of the succubus sister who had just been ranting in her heart. Her carefully styled curls stood straight up, wisps of green smoke rising from them.

The entire bar fell into a dead silence.

The music cut off halfway, and the dancing ghost shadows on the dance floor froze in unison.

All eyes were focused on the succubus with the afro.

She stood frozen in place, the tray in her hand hitting the floor with a 'clatter.' Her face still held a professional fake smile, but her eyes were blank.

[The legends are true... it really strikes?]

Whispers spread like a tide.

"Is this the seventh time this month? The previous times were also right after someone mentioned the ID 'lemon moon like wind'."

"Could it be the two Underworld Marshals, Black and White Impermanence?" a young ghost officer whispered.

An old ghost nearby immediately waved his hand. "Impossible. Lord Bai Xuan was just complaining to me yesterday about how tight the Underworld's incense offerings are, wishing he could split one offering into three. Why would he have the leisure to care about this?"

Another tall, thin ghost chimed in: "Then the Magistrate?"

"The Magistrate has a mountain of scrolls on his desk that he can't finish reviewing; he hasn't even stepped through the bar's door."

"Hey, hey, hey, did you forget? The Magistrate is currently out on field duty."

"But Marshal Niu is in seclusion, and Lady Meng Jiang specifically instructed not to disturb the order of the Succubus Bar before she went into seclusion..."

The bartender put down his cloth, glanced over the crowd, and lowered his voice: "You've all missed something. Haven't you heard the old legends of the Netherworld?"

"There's a big shot hidden in the core area. They say it's the previous Her Majesty the Empress of the Underworld. Back when she was in charge, she even calculated the use of lantern oil at the entrance of the Underworld's yamen..."

"The previous Empress?!" The little ghost was so shocked he almost knocked over his glass, quickly covering his mouth.

"You mean... that lightning just now was her?"

The bartender neither nodded nor shook his head, simply picking up a cup to continue wiping. "Don't guess any further. Her affairs are not for us to discuss."

All the ghosts fell silent immediately, looking at each other; no one dared to say another word.

The lively discussion from before vanished completely, leaving only the music that had started up again in the bar, though it lacked its previous boisterousness.

Even the dancing ghost shadows lightened their steps.

Chen Yu shrank her neck and leaned close to Shang Wan Ning's ear. "Your Majesty, that lightning strike almost gave your identity away."

Shang Wan Ning slowly sipped the remaining wine in her glass. "What if they guess? I didn't stop them from speaking."