### Chapter 277: The Secret of the Ghost Gate
Ever since Bai Yu showcased her cooking skills to Zhao Mingyue, she has practically taken over the kitchen. In Zhao Mingyue’s words, now that she has a body and can actually taste food, she must eat well to feel comfortable!
Unfortunately, Zhao Mingyue’s cooking skills leave much to be desired—she can’t even make a proper home-style meal. Eating her food is like attending a party without cake—no enjoyment whatsoever!
Instead of torturing themselves, she thought it was better to cook herself while also getting a free meal out of it.
And thus, this splendid arrangement came to be.
In truth, Bai Yu never really bothered to learn how to cook seriously. Before she joined the sc*m Game, she lived alone. Back then, she managed to whip up a meal here and there, but that was only until she started taking lives and got chosen by the sc*m Game.
When her sister was still alive, she’d sneakily learned to cook in the convent, often dragging her sister out to make meals using a scavenged iron pot. No ingredients? No problem! She’d set traps for small animals or pilfer vegetables and spices from local farmers.
At one point, she even dreamed of becoming the world’s greatest chef, making delicious meals for her sister and fattening her up.
But nobody could foresee the future; just like her, who dreamed of being a cook but ended up becoming a doctor instead.
Standing outside the kitchen, the Dragon Lady and Zhao Mingyue could smell the mouthwatering aroma wafting from inside. They hadn’t even been that hungry until this moment; now, their stomachs felt like they were about to stage an uprising.
“Who would have thought, Bai Yu has hidden talents!” The Dragon Lady tilted her head, peering at the petite figure busily cooking inside. She had to stand on tiptoe to reach the stove, and the Dragon Lady felt a strange twinge of guilt.
Here they were, two grown adults, spying on a little girl cooking, criticizing without lifting a finger to help. Wasn’t this a form of child labor exploitation?
“It smells amazing! Just smelling it makes me want to eat. It looks like I made the right choice coming here. If I hadn’t, I might never have known Bai Yu could cook this well!”
The Dragon Lady suddenly mused about recording this scene to show to the other participants in the sc*m Game. She imagined telling them the busy little loli in the kitchen was the top-ranked player and wondered what their reactions would be.
Who would have guessed that a doctor would max out their combat skills while also specializing in Wifely Duties?
Hmm, it should count as a wifely skill, right? Even if she’s really young.
“Hey, Mingyue, do you write novels?” the Dragon Lady suddenly inquired.
“Uh?”
“You should write a book titled ‘My Loli Wife is the Top Assassin!’” The two shared a conspiratorial laugh, their smiles suspiciously mischievous.
“You’re right, Bai Yu does the cooking at home. She sometimes tidies up and does laundry—she can’t stand being idle. As soon as she’s got free time, she finds something to do.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Of course! Bai Yu is amazing: she’s got class and can cook, plus she’s super strong!” Zhao Mingyue was practically puffing her chest out in pride.
An exceptional partner is like a bragging point for both men and women, akin to the feeling a man gets driving a fancy car back to his village—so proud!
“Yeah, yeah, where can I find such a perfect wife? Why not share her with me? I really like that kind!” the Dragon Lady cradled her face in her hands. “Of course, if you’re not willing, I guess I could settle for sharing her, since it wouldn’t really change anything.”
Upon hearing this, Zhao Mingyue’s smile froze.
“Wait a second, I suspect there’s something wrong with you. How does sharing even work?”
“Just kidding, little jealous jar. I’d be lucky to have her, I wouldn’t want to interfere!” The Dragon Lady patted Zhao Mingyue on the head, only to get her wrist bitten hard in return.
Unfazed, the Dragon Lady retrieved her hand and ruffled Zhao Mingyue’s hair. Was this kid ever going to grow up? She used to bite when she was little, and it seems that pesky habit stuck!
“Hey, you two, stop the chatter and get ready for dinner!” Bai Yu’s voice rang out from the kitchen.
She heard every word of their conversation loud and clear from in there. Honestly, she’d gotten used to it by now; it was just like sisters to be so similar in their bad habits, especially the Dragon Lady with her mischief.
“Okay!” the Dragon Lady chirped cheerily, slipping off her shoes and putting on the slippers Zhao Mingyue had prepared. “Your little wifey has spoken! Let’s prepare for dinner!”
“Over here!” Zhao Mingyue walked into the room, cleared off the dining table, and neatly arranged the already made dishes.
The spread left the Dragon Lady dazzled. What had begun as a joke about Bai Yu, the madwoman, being able to pull off such culinary finesse now felt like a reality check. After pursuing Bai Yu for this long, she never realized Bai Yu had this hidden skill.
“Suddenly, I feel like a failure. Look at you, a little girl, doing all this!”
“What?” asked Zhao Mingyue, puzzled.
“Nothing! Just lamenting how impressive you are,” the Dragon Lady shot a complicated look at Zhao Mingyue.
She had been chasing Bai Yu for ages, with their relationship being more like frequent deathmatches than anything else. Meanwhile, look at Zhao Mingyue—she had only been around for a short time and was already cooking and cleaning while also protecting Bai Yu’s safety.
Did they not do it all?
Even Bai Yu herself hadn’t said anything, and it seemed she was enjoying this whole routine.
With anyone else, Bai Yu wouldn’t even lift a finger to cook or do laundry. Just getting her to chat was a chore—unless it involved their mission. Otherwise, if she found a conversation annoying, she wouldn’t say much at all. That was her personality.
In comparison to Zhao Mingyue, the Dragon Lady felt like a total failure.
But to be fair, if it were anyone else but Zhao Mingyue, she wouldn’t have even bothered fighting for Bai Yu’s affection. She’d have already found a way to eliminate the competition. How on earth could she let things get to this stage with Bai Yu?
“Dinner’s ready!” Bai Yu entered with a big bowl of soup and set it down on the table, casually removing her apron that looked two sizes too big for her.
Her expression was as blank as a cereal box, but the Dragon Lady was eyeing her, itching to squeeze her cheeks.
Bai Yu’s spirit, combined with this little loli form and the wifely skills? A perfect mix!
Mingyue was so lucky to have scored such a loli for free!
The sc*m Game’s mission for Bai Yu was surely connected to the female protagonist Zhao Mingyue. Even if Zhao Mingyue didn’t seek her out, Bai Yu would still be around to protect her—no question about that.
“The fact that you have this kind of talent is really surprising,” Bai Yu replied without breaking a sweat, washing her hands and setting out the bowls and chopsticks.
Four seats at the table, even the white fox had a spot!
Having the fox at the table was fine; she was quite clean. While Zhao Mingyue served her food, the fox just had to focus on eating.
“So, what has our little loli wife been busy with these days?” The Dragon Lady pulled out a chair and sat across from Bai Yu, teasing her.
“Dealing with the Ghost Gate.”
“Ah, the Ghost Gate again? You really do keep your responses short. Care to elaborate?” The Dragon Lady shifted her gaze to Zhao Mingyue. “Mingyue, what’s been going on these past few days?”
Zhao Mingyue didn’t respond immediately; she shot a glance at Bai Yu in her mind. After getting a nod, she recounted everything that had happened recently, detailing Bai Yu absorbing the Evil God’s remnants and someone trying to use that to harm her.
The Dragon Lady listened silently while eating, finishing the whole tale. “So this guy is a menace, huh? Any idea who it is?”
“Nightmare,” Bai Yu stated flatly.
“Oh, her? That’s nothing to worry about. Definitely her style.”
Bai Yu was powerful, and the risk of a direct confrontation was too high; Nightmare wouldn’t act foolishly once she recognized Bai Yu’s identity as an Evil Ghost. That would open a whole new world of options. The status of a ghost was more of a liability than an asset, putting her squarely in the crosshairs more often than not.
Going by Nightmare’s plan, if successful, she wouldn’t even have to show up to eliminate Bai Yu and could muddy the waters while using Bai Yu’s strength.
The win-win situation favored her. If the Evil God stayed alive, she’d have another ally; if he died, it could mean big trouble for Bai Yu.
Maybe it wouldn’t wrap up Bai Yu right away, but that was fine; this was just a cumulative process. The more rounds they played, the higher her chances of success became.
“Actually, the reason I came is also connected to the Ghost Gate. I think you might have guessed by now.”
“For the past two days, I extracted a heart from that guy Burning Heart to bring her out. It wasn’t a huge cost. He told me a lot just before he died, particularly about the Ghost Gate.”
“First off, about the emergence of ghosts—according to Burning Heart, it’s a matter of the Ghost Gate being out of control, which is why ghosts are wandering in the human world. Normally, most ghosts reside within the world behind the Ghost Gate, gradually being digested to become nutrients for both realms.”
“He didn’t explain how this world was born, but I suspect it connects to psychic energy. After all, ghosts are essentially souls; put simply, they’re forms of psychic energy.”
“Now, the loss of control at the Ghost Gate is related to something.”
“Burning Heart didn’t reveal what this ‘thing’ is, only that it exists and causes the Ghost Gate to go haywire.”
“Those Evil Gods are basically just another state of Evil Ghosts, having absorbed a tiny portion of this ‘thing’s’ power, gaining the strength of curses and malevolence.”
“As for the embryonic bodies, it’s simple: they use all the divine power absorbed to restore that ‘thing.’”
“That ‘thing’ is said to be in a dormant state, possibly wounded.”
“Burning Heart also mentioned that not all Evil Gods are under the command of that entity; she’s one who escaped.”
