Second Uncle Li’s expression was somewhat strained. “Is what you’re saying true? Then can you tell which person in our family is raising a ghost?”
Huo Fu arched a brow. “Did I say it was only one person?”
Second Uncle Li’s forehead twitched. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean there isn’t just one ghost being kept in this house. These strange incidents were caused by several ghosts working together.”
The Li family members present all sucked in a sharp breath. Second Uncle Li spun around abruptly, his piercing gaze sweeping across every face.
Since Huo Fu had said it wasn’t just one person raising ghosts, he naturally found everyone suspicious.
The others looked equally flustered, but judging by appearances alone, it was impossible to tell who was guilty.
Second Uncle Li forced a smile and finally treated Huo Fu with a bit more sincerity. “Then Master Huo, do you have a way to deal with these ghosts?”
“Wait until tonight.” Huo Fu casually began issuing instructions. “Prepare a room for me. Tonight we’ll see exactly what kind of ghosts are causing trouble.”
Second Uncle Li was clearly eager to resolve the matter as soon as possible and quickly agreed.
Now that there was a direction to the problem, Lin Tianming lowered his voice while Second Uncle Li went to make arrangements.
“Brother Huo, does the Li family’s situation have anything to do with the Ghost Village?”
“You don’t need to worry. There’s a slight connection, but it won’t involve you.”
With Huo Fu’s assurance, Lin Tianming finally relaxed. Since it had nothing to do with them, and the Li family likely did not want outsiders watching their disgrace, he decisively pulled Liu Minmin away from the house.
Although Liu Minmin was extremely reluctant, she was ultimately dragged off.
That left only Huo Fu and Zuo Zhu behind, kept by the Li family as masters capable of exorcising ghosts. That evening, a lavish banquet was even prepared in their honor.
The entire family gathered at the table. Li Qing, the illegitimate son whom Second Uncle Li had always looked down upon, forcibly seated himself beside the table with his mother.
Second Uncle Li wanted to flare up but restrained himself out of consideration for Huo Fu’s presence.
His wife sat beside him. The news Huo Fu had dropped earlier had left her on edge all afternoon, and now she finally had time to carefully observe Huo Fu and Zuo Zhu, who remained by his side.
The longer she looked, the more something seemed off.
“Aren’t you the girl who used to follow Li Fang around?” she suddenly cried out, staring at Zuo Zhu.
Every movement at the table froze as all eyes turned toward Zuo Zhu.
Second Uncle Li frowned. “What nonsense are you spouting?”
But his wife paid no heed and insisted, “I saw them by the roadside before. Li Fang was very close to her, quite intimate. I even heard his friends say she was his classmate and that she’d always wanted to pursue him.”
The moment those words fell, the table was filled with a mix of awkwardness and anticipation.
Everyone knew Li Fang loved fooling around and was constantly surrounded by women. Who would have thought that this girl, so obviously Huo Fu’s girlfriend now, had once circled around Li Fang instead?
Just imagining it made everyone feel embarrassed on Huo Fu’s behalf.
Yet beneath the awkwardness, there was disdain.
Disdain for Zuo Zhu’s supposed love of wealth and shifting affections, and disdain for a master like Huo Fu who had such questionable taste.
After all, he had picked up a woman their own family had discarded.
Seeing the tension, Second Uncle Li intended to smooth things over, but someone beat him to it.
“Auntie, you have an excellent memory.” Zuo Zhu smiled shyly. “Since you all know now, there’s no point hiding it. Li Fang was handsome and impressive. I did quite like him before, and he showed a bit of interest in me too. This trip was meant to see whether we could take things a step further… but unfortunately…”
Second Aunt Li blurted out, “Unfortunately what?”
“Unfortunately, I met someone I liked even more.” Zuo Zhu leaned bashfully against Huo Fu. “So I had no choice but to let Li Fang down. Thankfully, we never got together. Otherwise I’d feel terribly, terribly guilty. It’s such a pity Li Fang isn’t here anymore. If he were, someone as understanding as him would surely forgive me.”
The entire table fell into stunned silence.
Huo Fu snapped a chopstick in half. The sharp crack echoed clearly through the quiet room.
Everyone thought he was about to lose his temper.
Instead, he merely reached out and stroked Zuo Zhu’s head. “It’s fine. He died early. Whether he forgives you or not doesn’t matter.”
The silence deepened.
Unfortunately, no one present had been particularly close to Li Fang, and his father was bedridden, so there was no one to stand up for him or reprimand this shameless pair.
Second Aunt Li’s expression shifted instantly. Traditional-minded and fond of gossip, she was just about to scold them when Second Uncle Li stepped hard on her foot beneath the table.
“Eat.”
At that single word, however complicated everyone’s thoughts might have been, they all dropped the subject and moved on.
Only Li Qing’s gaze lingered on Zuo Zhu, something flickering in his eyes.
After dinner, everyone moved into the same villa to make it convenient for Huo Fu to deal with the strange occurrences at night.
…
Zuo Zhu sat on the bed in her room, rubbing her temples as she stared at the evil ghost.
She was not worried about Huo Fu during the day, only about the evil ghost losing control at night and exposing itself in front of the Li family.
“You absolutely must not open your mouth and swallow anyone, promise me!”
The evil ghost had clearly been instructed by Huo Fu as well and was unusually well-behaved tonight.
Its only task was to capture the few ghosts Huo Fu had mentioned.
But obedient as it was, it did not hide its dissatisfaction.
Taking advantage of Zuo Zhu’s inattention, it pressed down on her and bit the back of her neck.
“I’m hungry!”
Zuo Zhu flailed in anger, unable to reach behind her to hit it. “No matter how hungry you are, you can’t gnaw on your own mother!”
Reluctantly, the evil ghost held her by the nape of her neck and ground its teeth. “I’m just grinding a little. I won’t swallow you.”
It had begun developing its own thoughts. Back in the Ghost Village, it had rarely interacted with people and had only retained the crude habits of an evil ghost.
After spending these days with Zuo Zhu, it had, with some reluctance, elevated her from food to something closer to a bed companion.
Zuo Zhu was so moved she nearly wept. Who would have thought the first to treat her as a “bed companion” would be an evil ghost?
With the back of her neck reddened from its bites, she left the room, the evil ghost trailing behind at a slow pace.
“I’m going to get some water. Stay with me and don’t run off,” she instructed, leading it to the pantry at the corner of the second floor.
Zhao Yunling was also staying on the second floor, so that if she attempted to hang herself again in the middle of the night, Huo Fu could rush over immediately.
Zuo Zhu found no cups in the pantry. After a moment’s thought, she told Huo Fu to wait where he was and quickly went downstairs to fetch two cups before returning.
Just as she reached the second floor and before she could approach the pantry, she bumped into someone.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” The newcomer’s voice was gentle, his eyes equally so. “Are you getting water? Shall I take you there?”
Zuo Zhu looked at him several times before remembering that this was Li Qing, President Li’s illegitimate son.
“No need.” If she agreed, she was afraid the evil ghost inside would swallow him whole.
Seeing her refusal, Li Qing did not appear disappointed. Instead, he smiled and changed the topic. “I heard Li Fang mention you before.”
What nonsense. With the terrible relationship between a legitimate son and an illegitimate one, why would Li Fang ever mention her to him?
Still, she put on a nervous, slightly anxious expression. “What did he say about me?”
Li Qing avoided answering and smiled faintly. “Would you like to discuss it in my room? I brought back a few bottles of red wine from France not long ago. Perhaps you’d be interested in hearing what Li Fang told me.”
Zuo Zhu twisted her fingers, stammering, “Th-then all right.”
A trace of triumph flashed through Li Qing’s eyes. He discreetly sized up her figure, feeling both stirred and contemptuous.
A beauty, yes, but far too easy to take the bait.
“Then come along quickly,” he said with a smirk, reaching for her hand. “It wouldn’t be good if your boyfriend found out.”
Zuo Zhu stepped aside shyly and pointed behind him. “I think my boyfriend has already found out.”
Li Qing turned stiffly.
There, standing grimly at the pantry doorway, was the evil ghost.
Caught in the act.