Operator 2

"份腿兒" means a respected person. In slang, they call their master "本" and their apprentice "利".He's saying that: we've heard that the old patriarch is a well-respected figure in the underworld, and my...Wearing a ghastly white outfit, a tall pointed white hat, a ferocious bitter melon smile, and a long red tongue, he claims to be able to detain souls and increase one's lifespan.

These all resemble the legendary soul-callers, Bai Wuchang, one of the top ten underworld marshals.

But...are ghosts and spirits really this scary And their laughter sounds so evil.

“What do you want me to do” I leaned against the wall outside the courtyard gate, wishing desperately that a senior brother or sister would appear and give me some courage.

"You smell... special. Hee hee hee... Your lifespan is quite valuable... Perhaps you'd trade it for mine" He extended a bony finger, beckoning me with it.

Taking my life

Go to sleep, I'm not that stupid, believe that nonsense.

"If you're interested in my life, why not just detain my soul directly Why threaten my family" I asked, frowning.

The white figure paused slightly.

Uh Got me right there, huh

"You're putting on such a show, aren't you You want to scare me into killing myself so you can get what you want"

"..." The other party remained silent, but their expression grew more and more ferocious.

Seeing such a ghost in the middle of the night is a huge test for one's mental fortitude. When I was with Mu Wanchen before, my heart would practically jump out of my chest every day from fear.

Now I'm feeling paranoid and overly sensitive to details.

I've seen dragons, so what are you afraid of, ghosts and goblins!

"If you're trying to scare me, give it up!" I reached out and felt along the window bars on the wall.

My house is quite old-fashioned. The lanterns hanging in the corridor are still the old kind, needing to be lit with fire, so there's often a lighter hidden in a small indentation in the window bars on the wall.

It is said that it used to be a place for storing fire starter, the old house's details are ingeniously designed, with some unexpected "little surprises" outside.

I pulled out my lighter and hid it behind me. It was a high-end windproof one bought by my second senior brother. I wondered if it could scare him at a critical moment, giving me a chance to run out of the house.

But my family doesn't know what's going on. Should I go take a look first

As I was hesitating, that white "ghost" silently drifted down from the roof. The moment I looked up, I saw his feet dangling straight towards me—

"Little one, you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you Heheheheh... Watch me suck your soul!"

Oh my god! I was so scared that my hands were shaking. I didn't care about the time or place, and I just flicked open my lighter!

The flame was turned up to the maximum, and with a "whoosh" it shot up two inches high. In the silent dark corridor, this burst of fire suddenly lit up, momentarily blinding me.

The other party immediately raised their hand to block it, and retreated a considerable distance—he was afraid of fire.

Is it a ghost or a paper man

I remember those paper mice were very afraid of fire.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll burn you!" I said, backing away while holding a lighter.

On my escape route, the nearest place was the courtyard to the east. I rushed in and kicked open Senior Brother Qiu's door—there wasn't a single person inside!

What's going on Even my third senior brother's room in the same courtyard is empty.

I burst out of the yard, and that white figure carrying a temple drum stick drifted from under the eaves. The drumstick in their hand transformed into a long dagger.

"Little one, want to play a game of cat and mouse with me Hee hee hee..." He reached up and grazed my neck with his hand —

I was so terrified that I crouched down, burying my head. A few strands of hair were severed and floated down around me.

He spread out his claw-like hands, catching a few strands of my hair. A triumphant smirk played across his face.

“Hee hee hee, got it!”

"Got it" I asked, backing away while looking up at him.

The lighter got hot after being on for a while, so I turned it off temporarily. The other party knew I had a lighter and didn't come up, just slowly drifting towards me like that.

I kept retreating, all the way to the outer courtyard hall. He was still sauntering along, smirking and toying with me.

I pushed open the door to my house. Outside, there was a swirling darkness; there were no outbuildings, no hitching posts.

This whole house seems to be isolated, except for me, there's no one else. My senior brothers and sisters have all disappeared.

There was no light, no sound.

There was just one white apparition drifting over, grinning at me as I cried and ran away.

Each room, each corridor, without light or people. I seemed to be in a haunted house.

The wicked laughter of the monster was always near, as if it found great pleasure in watching me scramble and run about.

I ran a whole circle around the house and returned to the back door. Outside the side gate, there was still a thick fog. The street and trees had vanished.

I didn't dare to step outside and ran back into my own building, becoming a turtle hiding in its shell.

That white apparition drifted straight up from the yard as I closed the window, reaching out to grab the frame. I jumped back several steps in fright—he was going to climb inside! What should I do

"Hee hee hee... Seeing you so scared is just too amusing... Since you're just a mortal, you shouldn't have provoked the God King. Dreaming of an ordinary life while being with him Hee hee hee... You need to be prepared to die at any moment~~" He clawed his way up the door frame, head bowed, his pointed hat almost reaching into my room —

"Crack!"

His hand seemed to shrink back as if pricked by a needle, then suddenly turned charcoal black and quickly dissipated into ash.

"Eek! Hee hee hee!!" He shrieked, retreating backwards, rolling off the roof tiles from outside the window.

I peered out in astonishment. He was surrounded by no sign of flame, but he was turning to ash with the speed of a fire, all while screaming!

There's a strange feeling in my lower abdomen. Is the female gu moving Does it sense something

In the window's crack, there was a small, star-shaped amulet tucked in—was this left by Mu Wanchen

I didn't dare to pull it out, just now this thing was protecting me.

What else did he leave behind I didn't expect this to happen, I didn't even bring any self-defense equipment. I hurriedly rummaged through my bag, and inside was Mu Wanchen's "lit up" needle box! It could seal ghosts and exorcise demons!

I was gasping for air, my hands trembling. I nervously reached for the needle box when a large hand suddenly gripped my shoulder—

"Ah!!" I was completely enraged, and the needle box in my hand went flying to the floor!

Mu Wanchen stood behind me, frowning and said in a low voice, "…Don't be afraid."

I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes. I wasn't scared to death by a ghost, but almost by him.

"How could you be so late!" I exclaimed, tears welling up in my eyes: "Everything around my house has changed! My family is gone!"

He glared at me: "Who let you out of this room Do you think I wouldn't take any precautions in your living space"d intelligent young lady from a noble family.Hmm... Could this be inherited tooAnother loud bang came from behind the door. Clutching the key Shao Yihang had given me, I walked to the front of the doo...