Zhao Yunling felt that even standing another second in that room was a humiliation. The seemingly airheaded girl in front of her was actually a textbook green tea, and Zhao Yunling hadn’t felt so flustered in a long time.
“Don’t humiliate me any further!” she spat out, then angrily opened the door and left.
Only after storming back to her own room and seeing her brother did her anger and embarrassment gradually subside, replaced by worry and unease.
“How did it go?” her brother asked eagerly.
Zhao Yunling said bitterly, “It didn’t work. He didn’t even look at me; he only called me over to appease his little girlfriend.”
Her brother grew anxious. “Impossible! You’re so beautiful, how could he be indifferent?”
“Not everyone is susceptible to my charm,” Zhao Yunling said firmly. She knew herself well; if she really had such power, how could she have only married into the Li family and wasted years following Second Uncle Li?
“But that little girl—how old is she? What could she possibly have that you don’t? Besides, how could a man reject such an opportunity?” Her brother, familiar with men’s weaknesses, could not believe it.
Zhao Yunling had always been beautiful, and after marrying into the Li family, her whole household had benefited. At thirty, she still had a maturity that younger women couldn’t resist. Could Master Huo really be indifferent?
She did not want to dwell on that. Instead, unease consumed her. “Huo Fu is amazing. I saw him vanish right in front of me and reappear in the bathroom. He could really find out what we did…”
“What do we do then? The Li family won’t let us off if they find out!” Her brother spun anxiously in circles.
Indeed, Zhao Yunling had rushed to Huo Fu out of fear and unease after witnessing his power.
She came from a modest background but had good looks. She matured early and had long thought about using her advantages to marry a wealthy man. She had worked tirelessly to get into the best university in A City, met Third Uncle Li, and married into the Li family after graduation.
Her family benefited from her high-status marriage. After Third Uncle Li died, her situation worsened, so she set her sights on Second Uncle Li, who could provide her with money.
It worked well: the money he sent her allowed her to live comfortably and support her family.
But when Second Aunt Li found out, she hated Zhao Yunling for seducing her husband and made life difficult for her, both openly and covertly. Upon discovering the money transfers from Second Uncle Li, she personally threatened Zhao Yunling: end the relationship, or she would expose everything.
Zhao Yunling did not want to end it but did not want the affair exposed.
This was not a typical affair—Second Uncle Li was involved with his sister-in-law. If revealed, he would likely withdraw to protect his reputation and dump all the blame on Zhao Yunling.
At this moment, Zhao Yunling’s brother had encountered a somewhat sinister ghost master who introduced a ghost into the Li family.
She had used this jealousy-driven ghost on Second Aunt Li. Any negative emotions she felt were magnified by the ghost until she was silently tortured by her own envy. Outsiders would only think she had died of frustration.
However, things had gone beyond Zhao Yunling’s expectations. Possessed by jealousy, Second Aunt Li once even tried to strangle Second Uncle Li.
This was Zhao Yunling’s greatest secret.
When the Li family had ghost trouble before and wanted to hire masters, no one agreed, including her. But when she herself was haunted and suspected someone had targeted her, she consented to let various masters into the house.
But that did not mean she was unafraid they would discover her deeds. She knew that Second Aunt Li would face minimal consequences, being Second Uncle Li’s wife and mother to his son—an official Li family member.
But Zhao Yunling? She was just a widow.
If her schemes against Second Aunt Li were exposed, she would face retribution from the aunt, the aunt’s son, and even the uncle she had nearly killed. Her situation was precarious and lowly.
She sought Huo Fu’s help, hoping to bribe him with her body to turn a blind eye.
But Huo Fu did not fall for it.
Her brother continued pacing anxiously. “What do we do? What do we do?”
Zhao Yunling sat on the bed, smiling bitterly. What could they do now?
…
Seeing Zhao Yunling leave, Zuo Zhu finally breathed a sigh of relief. But soon, she started coughing again.
Being thrown into water so suddenly had left her throat and ears blocked. The near-drowning fear lingered, making it hard to recover quickly.
When the evil ghost came out, she had changed into dry clothes and hugged it like a large octopus-shaped pillow.
If it had been Huo Fu instead, she wouldn’t have dared to hug him like that.
The evil ghost nudged her. “Where’s my late-night snack?”
“Gone,” Zuo Zhu said sulkily.
“Gone?” The ghost became instantly irritable. “I’m still hungry!”
Zuo Zhu feigned tears. “You only care about yourself! I almost drowned, and you didn’t even care, wahhh!”
She could not let the ghost know she had sent its food away.
Seeing her cry, the ghost froze. “Should I just crush it?”
“No, wahhh,” Zuo Zhu wiped her tears with its sleeve. “Let Huo Fu decide tomorrow. Anyone coming to harm me isn’t simple.”
“Just sleep with me, okay?” She looked at the ghost pleadingly.
Hesitating because of hunger, the ghost eventually hugged her.
Seeing that it did not intend to chase Zhao Yunling to eat her, Zuo Zhu relaxed. She clutched the ghost’s shirt and slowly fell asleep.
The ghost remained awake in the dark, drooling. Sigh, so hungry.
…
The next morning, Zuo Zhu woke to find Huo Fu still in bed, with her still clinging to him like an octopus.
She timidly withdrew and lay on her pillow.
Huo Fu, already awake, glanced at her. “Awake?”
“Not really,” she mumbled.
He pressed her stomach. “How much water did you drink?”
Zuo Zhu blinked in confusion, staring at him pressing her belly seriously, as if expecting water to gush from her mouth like a rescued drowning person.
“…I only swallowed a couple of mouthfuls last night.”
Huo Fu said nothing and continued pressing.
Well, she had no choice but to cooperate with this ghost.
After another press, she symbolically puffed her cheeks and pretended to expel water.
Huo Fu, seeing her antics, stopped and poked her face, laughing.
When he tired of laughing, he poked her again. “Do you know why that ghost wanted to harm you?”
Zuo Zhu perked up. She had prevented the evil ghost from destroying the dark shadow last night because she knew who had targeted her.
Most of the ghosts in this comic were designed by her. Seeing the dark shadow appear, she remembered.
Though called a shadow, it had a shape—like the ghost targeting Zhao Yunling, with a long tongue, clearly a hanging ghost.
Last night’s one looked utterly miserable, as if all death methods were concentrated on it.
It was called a “suicide ghost.” A permanent resident of the Li family.
It had no grudge against Zuo Zhu. Its attack was clearly directed by someone behind the scenes.
Feigning ignorance, she shook her head. “Why?”
Huo Fu said, “I told you before, more than one person in the Li family has brought back ghosts. Guess who wanted to use a ghost against you?”
Zuo Zhu tilted her head. “Li Qing?”
Huo Fu found her not too dim. “Why do you guess him?”
“Because he was the most obvious. Yesterday he threatened me, asking me to help him lure you out of the Li family and not interfere. If he hadn’t raised a ghost, why would he be so panicked?”
“So it seems… Zhao Yunling must have raised a ghost too, otherwise she wouldn’t have rushed to tempt you.”
Now the situation was clear. Second Aunt Li raised a ghost against Zhao Yunling. If Zhao Yunling had a ghost too, it was probably to counterattack Second Aunt Li, who indeed became haunted. As for Li Qing, if he did raise the suicide ghost, he shared responsibility for the Li family’s troubles.
“Let’s go,” Huo Fu said, sitting up.
“Do what?”
“Get an explanation,” he said calmly. “You can’t just drink a few mouthfuls of water for nothing.”
Zuo Zhu instinctively touched the necklace around her neck. She remembered it had saved her from drowning and protected her from the suicide ghost. Otherwise, she couldn’t have relied on the evil ghost.
“It’s been imbued with a hanging ghost; it can offer some protection,” Huo Fu explained. “Once we get an explanation, we can imbue the suicide ghost too.”
Zuo Zhu froze. One necklace holding all these ghosts?
Seeing her tense, Huo Fu reassured her, “Ghosts imbued in the necklace have already been dispersed. The effort of raising them is wasted, but their power remains. The more we imbue, the stronger the necklace’s protection.”
Zuo Zhu’s eyes brightened. If all the Li family’s ghosts were imbued, she’d be untouchable.
“Come on, let’s demand answers and then imbue them!”
The suicide ghost in the bathroom trembled at their words.
Once they were ready, they went straight to Second Uncle Li, the current head of the Li family, and called the entire family together.
As the victim, Zuo Zhu naturally exaggerated the suffering she had endured the previous night.
Second Uncle Li erupted. “Which of you did this?”
No one responded. Understandable, who would admit it?
His face darkened further. He had waited all night to see if Second Aunt Li would act out again. If the ghost he relied on struck, he could have summoned Master Huo to deal with it.
Nothing happened all night, indicating the true culprit had seen Huo Fu’s power and dared not act.
Having already had a sleepless night, this news was yet another shock.
He couldn’t believe someone in his house had the audacity to send a ghost to his daughter’s room.
He asked again, but still no answer.
Huo Fu said coldly, “I’ll release the suicide ghost. Let it point out who sent it. That’ll be convincing.”
Hearing this, Li Qing, sitting in the far corner, went pale. His mother, Lin Yuran, revealed her emotions even more. Anyone looking would notice her unease.
Second Uncle Li asked hesitantly, “Master Huo, ghosts can appear during the day too?”
“Of course, though weaker,” Huo Fu said. The suicide ghost suddenly appeared in the hall.
Its terrifying form startled everyone. Screams and exclamations rang out endlessly.
Second Uncle Li edged closer to Huo Fu. “Master Huo, it won’t hurt us, right?”
“Not for now,” Huo Fu said, suppressing a smile. “But if the person behind it is discovered, that’s another matter.”
Lin Yuran collapsed completely, confessing in a pale voice, “It was me… I did it…”
Huo Fu’s gaze turned cold. “No, it wasn’t you.”
“Yes, me!” Lin Yuran’s voice rose, trembling, claiming responsibility. “I bought the ghost from someone. Afraid you’d discover I had summoned it too, I targeted you!”
Everyone was shocked. Lin Yuran was the mistress of Li Qing’s father. She had a son, and the father favored Li Qing, so she often stayed at the family home.
Yet she always appeared meek and out of place. Her son, however, ambitious due to his father’s favor, regarded all the Li family’s property as his due.
So when she spoke, it felt incongruous.
Huo Fu ignored her, directing the suicide ghost. “Tell us, who sent you?”
The ghost, lacking full consciousness and under Huo Fu’s control, had no choice but to approach its master.
It moved forward, terrifying everyone with its grotesque depiction of death.
It stopped precisely at Li Qing.
Li Qing panicked, seeing everyone keep their distance except for his mother.
Lin Yuran, though trembling, stood firm, blocking her son and pleading with Huo Fu: “It really was me…”
“Enough!” Second Uncle Li shouted, voice trembling. “Lin Yuran, don’t shield Li Qing! Master Huo’s pointing is clear—Li Qing brought this… this thing home!”
Lin Yuran slumped helplessly.
Second Uncle Li, restraining fear and anger, said, “Li Qing, the Li family has treated you well! You’re a bastard son; I never kicked you out. I let you stay for your elder brother’s sake, yet you repay kindness with malice, bringing a ghost to harm others! What has it done?”
Li Qing faced the suicide ghost, trembling violently.
Since bringing the ghost home, it had been a blurry shadow. Now, Huo Fu revealed its true form. Li Qing could not accept it.
“I… I haven’t harmed anyone here…” he stammered.
Huo Fu’s laughter echoed in the silent hall. “You haven’t harmed anyone present. Those you harmed are long dead.”
Second Uncle Li paused, realizing something. “Li Fang… you killed him?!”
The news Lin Tianming had brought might not be believed by other families who lost children, but theirs trusted it. The haunting had genuinely occurred in their home.
Li Fang had gone to a ghost village on a trip and died. They accepted that.
Previously, Lin Tianming had also explained why Li Fang traveled there. Second Uncle Li immediately understood: someone in the family deliberately led Li Fang to that village to harm him.
Because the family had frequent haunts and the father was ill, Second Uncle Li hadn’t paid much attention to Li Fang’s death. Now, the truth was revealed.
Li Qing’s expression turned pale. He had used the suicide ghost to ensure Li Fang reached a deadly place.
Li Fang’s death had aroused no suspicion. Li Qing thought that was the end.
Even with Huo Fu’s arrival, he feared the ghost would be revealed and provide grounds for Second Uncle Li to expel them. Yet now, Li Fang’s death was also exposed.
Seeing this, Second Uncle Li realized: Li Fang’s death was Li Qing’s doing.
Furious, he shook. “I’ll have you kicked out today!”
“Just kicked out?” Huo Fu suddenly said.
Second Uncle Li froze.
“My girlfriend nearly drowned in the bathtub last night,” Huo Fu said, touching Zuo Zhu’s head, clearly displeased.