After Li Miao left with the pockmarked man and his brother, the workers by the roadside worried for her.
That pockmarked man was scum, full of bad ideas and an expert at bullying people. Seeing a young girl who looked easy to push around, he had deliberately targeted her.
Don’t let his low quote fool you. Once they arrived, he would demand an exorbitant price—he wouldn’t settle for anything less than a thousand.
If the employer didn’t pay, they would cause trouble.
The pockmarked man and his brother, Da Zhuang—one cunning, the other strong—had swindled quite a bit of money together.
Everyone around knew them, but because these two were reckless and violent, the other workers, who were just there to make a living, didn’t dare provoke them. They could only swallow their anger.
A worker sighed. “Sigh, that little girl is going to suffer.”
Others watched coldly. “It’s hard to advise a ghost bound for death. We hinted as much as we could. If she didn’t get it, she deserves her bad luck.”
Li Miao didn’t have much money on hand, so she took the subway with the pockmarked man and Da Zhuang.
Li Miao sat alone in a seat, while the pockmarked man and Da Zhuang stood in the corner, whispering.
“Bro, that girl doesn’t look rich. Taking the subway? She won’t even pay for a taxi. Stingy as hell.” Da Zhuang looked down on Li Miao.
The pockmarked man turned his head, secretly sizing Li Miao up.
The woman was wearing a hat and sunglasses, and her face was wrapped in gauze, so he couldn’t see her face clearly. Her clothes were cheap, and she didn’t look like she had money.
The pockmarked man frowned. “Even if she’s poor, she must have a thousand or so in her pocket. Besides, she’s opening a haunted house. That’s big business. Rent, props, staff… There are plenty of places to spend money.”
Da Zhuang nodded. “Yeah. Once we get there, we’ll extort her. By the way, Bro, isn’t the western suburbs a graveyard? Will anyone go to a haunted house opened there?”
He had just checked the map on his phone. There was nothing in the western suburbs. How could anyone open a haunted house there?
“Why worry about that? We take the money and leave. Who cares if her business is good or not?” The pockmarked man couldn’t be bothered to think too much. “Besides, young people these days chase excitement. A haunted house in a graveyard? Sounds thrilling just thinking about it.”
The subway was very convenient. In less than half an hour, they arrived.
Li Miao led the way, with the pockmarked man and Da Zhuang following behind.
At first, the pockmarked man and Da Zhuang thought Li Miao’s haunted house was a small storefront. But when they arrived and saw the massive perimeter wall, both were stunned.
Holy crap! This place is huge!
How much was the rent for such a large plot of land? They were going to be rich!
The two exchanged a glance, preparing for a big extortion.
They entered the haunted house and went to the main building.
Li Miao led them to the second floor and handed over the blueprints. “Can you read these?”
The pockmarked man glanced at the blueprints and immediately started posturing. “Oh my, this is so complicated. This, and this…”
Just as he was about to ask for more money, he saw two stunning beauties walk over.
One wore a cheongsam, the other ancient robes. They were more beautiful than the celebrities on TV.
The pockmarked man stared, dumbfounded.
Da Zhuang was also dazed.
The brothers stood there like stunned geese, unable to recover for a long time.
Li Miao had to call them several times before they snapped out of it.
The pockmarked man wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, his eyes glinting greedily. “Boss, who are these two?”
Li Miao said calmly, “They are employees here.”
Such beautiful employees!
The pockmarked man felt lust rising.
He looked around and realized there were only the five of them here. The other side consisted of three weak women, and the surroundings were desolate, with no one else for miles.
Damn! A god-given opportunity!
To die under a peony flower is to be a romantic ghost!
The pockmarked man exchanged a glance with his brother Da Zhuang, then nodded to Li Miao. “We can read them. We’re both experienced hands. Don’t worry, Boss, we’ll definitely do a good job with the renovation.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you two then,” Li Miao nodded, then pointed at Ruhua and the Painted Skin demon. “These two are the supervisors. If you have any questions, ask them.”
After Li Miao left, the pockmarked man immediately darted over to the Painted Skin demon.
This little girl was too beautiful, tender as water. It made his heart itch unbearably.
“Beauty, there’s a part I don’t understand. Can you teach me?” He thrust the blueprints in front of the Painted Skin demon and took the opportunity to grab her hand.
The Painted Skin demon didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned her head against the pockmarked man’s chest. “Sure. Shall we go into the room to discuss it?”
Going into a room? This girl knows the score!
The pockmarked man was over the moon, so happy he couldn’t find north. He eagerly grabbed the Painted Skin demon and rushed toward the room.
“What’s your name, beauty?”
“Everyone calls me Painted Skin.”
Painted Skin?
A flicker of clarity passed through the pockmarked man’s lust-addled brain.
Why does that name sound so familiar?
“Husband—” The Painted Skin demon tapped the pockmarked man’s chest. “Your concubine wants your heart. Will you give it to me?”
Oh my, she wants my heart.
The pockmarked man went weak all over, giggling. “Yes, yes, I’ll give it to you. My heart is yours.”
Hearing this, the Painted Skin demon’s eyes lit up with joy. “Great! I’m going to dig it out then.”
Then, with lightning speed, rip—she tore off the human skin she was wearing, spread her five fingers, and clawed at the pockmarked man’s chest.
In an instant, the beauty turned into an evil ghost.
Holy crap! A ghost!
The pockmarked man was stunned, then let out an ear-piercing scream and turned to run.
“Help! Help! There’s a ghost! Da Zhuang, save me!”
At the same time, Da Zhuang’s scream rang out from another room. “Ah! Ghost! Pockmark, save me!”
The two men fled in terror, scrambling everywhere, while the Painted Skin demon and Ruhua leisurely chased after them.
The men screamed and wailed, scaring themselves witless.
When Li Miao arrived, the two were huddled in a corner, shivering uncontrollably.
“Alright, that’s enough. tone it down. Don’t scare them to death; they still have to work.” Li Miao stepped forward and kicked the pockmarked man. “Get up and get to work.”
The pockmarked man’s face was covered in tears, his arrogance completely gone. His lips trembled. “B-Boss, are they ghosts?”
Li Miao didn’t answer. Instead, she took out a whip and tapped it against her palm, her voice cold. “Don’t ask so many questions. Get up and work.”
She had gotten the inspiration from Mingye; he looked so cool whipping the Painted Skin demon.
The pockmarked man and Da Zhuang didn’t dare resist in the slightest. They got up and worked diligently.
Li Miao didn’t have enough money anyway, so she might as well use these two delivered laborers.
She kept them there for three days until the Painted Skin demon’s scenario was completely finished before letting them go.
The moment the pockmarked man and Da Zhuang learned they could leave, they wept with joy. They didn’t even ask for their wages; they just scrambled away, practically crawling.
Boohoo, finally leaving this hellhole.
They swore they would never set foot in this place again!
After the two left, Li Miao inspected the constructed scenario and nodded in satisfaction.
Just then, the app flashed. Li Miao opened [My Missions].
The side mission to build a scenario for the Painted Skin demon was complete, and she had received a reward.
Reward: [Scenario Materialization].
What does this mean?
Curious, Li Miao claimed the reward and clicked “Use.”
The moment she clicked “Use,” the scene in front of her suddenly changed—
The simple set built with cheap materials instantly transformed into real architecture. It was authentically ancient in style, with every detail incredibly realistic.
It was like stepping back into ancient times!
While Li Miao was marveling at this, the app flashed again.