The Red Iron Gate

Liu Haoyu didn't have a chance to respond before the call on the other end hung up.

Only the sound of "beep... beep..." remained.

Liu Haoyu looked at his phone screen. The caller's number was a string of incomprehensible garbled code.

So, it was obvious this was Qin Liu's call.

She sounded a little angry and told him to get out.

Of course, Liu Haoyu completely ignored her words.

After all, this was a house he had bought.

It was legal and he had the property deed.

Even King Yama himself would have to rule that the house was his.

However, given what happened last night, if the female ghost in this haunted house didn't kill him, it meant he could stick around for a few more days.

And after hearing that pleasant maiden's voice just now, Liu Haoyu became even more curious about the appearance of this fierce ghost.

So, leaving was naturally out of the question. Moreover, if Liu Haoyu left this place, he would truly have nowhere to live. Wasn't that even more pathetic to think about?

He figured that the gentle and kind Miss Qin Liu would definitely show mercy and let him stay here.

Liu Haoyu burned two stacks of spirit money in front of the shrine again.

After praying with utmost piety, the man climbed onto the bed and went to sleep.

On the other side, Qin Liu, filled with indignant rage, crossed her arms and stared intently at Liu Haoyu's room with a "fierce" gaze.

Last night, she had constantly heard someone calling her name.

She didn't know who kept mumbling her name.

To find the source of the calling, Qin Liu naturally found Liu Haoyu, who was performing a ghost sacrifice.

At that time, she was quite happy, thinking that this guy had finally seen the light and was going to give her something delicious or fun.

But when she got closer, she realized it wasn't anything delicious or fun at all.

It was just a pair of garter stockings! And the kind with a bulge!

Qin Liu had never seen such a scene before and was almost angered to death by this guy at that moment.

Moreover, Qin Liu couldn't accept something that looked so much like an adult toy!

So, Qin Liu directly rejected Liu Haoyu's offering and wished she could kick him in the face.

But considering that kicking him might only give him pleasure and no other substantial benefit, Qin Liu suppressed the thought.

She crossed her arms and looked towards the bedroom, her expression thoughtful.

Come to think of it, wasn't last night's ritual-like event just a way to lure her out?

This man, who looked like a ghost exorcist or a Daoist priest, might be trying to trick her out using some method.

Once she fell into his hands, she might be completely purified, leaving not even a trace.

Or maybe he would capture her like a Pokémon and refine her into a ghost spirit or something.

But he could also be a good person. She couldn't figure out his intentions at the moment.

So, looking at it this way, her actions last night should have been correct.

She neither offended him nor revealed that she was a harmless ghost.

If that was the case, maybe he would leave on his own?

As for killing him... to be honest, as a good youth of the new era, unless it was absolutely necessary to resort to force, Qin Liu would never make the first move.

But look at this guy, after waking up this morning, not only did he not leave, but he was sleeping so peacefully in her bed.

His face was thicker than the city walls.

Living in her bedroom was one thing, but he also stole her shoes and even tried to give her those indecent garter stockings!

And looking at it this way, this guy was probably scarier than any ghost exorcist.

Thinking of this, Qin Liu decided to try again. Maybe scaring him a little more would make him retreat?

After all, humans and ghosts have different paths. Regardless of this man's intentions, if he continued to stay in this house, the Yin energy here would only harm him.

With that thought, Qin Liu passed through the bedroom door and entered the room.

This man was probably exhausted from last night and was sleeping very soundly.

The bedroom was plastered with various formations and defensive talismans.

Perhaps it was to prevent any ghosts from sneak-attacking him while he slept?

However, formations of this level were useless to Qin Liu.

She skillfully tore down the talismans in the room and walked to Liu Haoyu's bedside.

Looking at the man sleeping soundly, Qin Liu couldn't help but scrutinize the young man.

In fact, Liu Haoyu's appearance was quite good.

It was just that perhaps because he was always busy catching and exorcising ghosts, his complexion didn't look very good.

He looked like he hadn't slept for several days straight, appearing as if he were on the verge of death.

And given that he was currently sweating profusely, he had most likely dreamt of something terrifying.

Qin Liu looked at the sleeping man's face. After pondering for a moment, she placed her hand on his forehead.

Soon, Liu Haoyu's relaxed brows began to tense up, and sweat started to pour from his forehead.

In his dream, Liu Haoyu vaguely felt as if he were lying down.

Or perhaps he was standing, in some place.

The sensation was fleeting and dreamlike, making it hard to distinguish reality from the dream.

After this feeling gradually subsided, Liu Haoyu saw a flash of crimson appear amidst a vast expanse of white mist.

"What is this..."

Liu Haoyu looked at the familiar red wedding dress. He was initially a bit confused, then he saw her bare little feet.

His heart suddenly understood, and he immediately chased after her.

However, no matter how he chased or hurried, the distance between them never decreased.

Until his vision began to dim.

It was then that Liu Haoyu realized the surroundings had completely changed.

Dead branches and fallen leaves were everywhere, and rotten trees stood tall on either side of the path.

It felt like being in a mass grave.

Liu Haoyu looked at the maiden in the red wedding dress not far away.

Was she waiting for him?

Liu Haoyu followed again.

But compared to before, this time Liu Haoyu could clearly feel himself getting closer and closer to her.

Until he could reach out and touch her shoulder.

"Snap..."

The entire space plunged into darkness.

The maiden in the red wedding dress completely disappeared.

Before him stood a rusty iron gate, covered in dark red bloodstains.

This gate looked like it hadn't been opened in decades, perhaps even a century.

Liu Haoyu leaned closer, and at that moment, a "thump-thump-thump-thump..." knocking sound came from inside the gate.

It was a constant, repeating pattern of four knocks.

And the sound grew louder and louder, as if it desperately wanted to tear down the rusty iron gate.

Faced with this anomaly, Liu Haoyu hesitated for a moment before walking towards it.

But before he could take a few steps, the iron gate seemed to be pushed open a crack from the inside by something.

A hand devoid of color stretched out from the gap, followed by a second, then a third...

Until the gap was densely packed with pale, corpse-like arms.

"Let me out... let me out..."

Listening to their tragic wails, Liu Haoyu suddenly realized that a hand had grabbed him at some point, and with an irresistible force, it was trying to drag him into the blood-red iron gate.

Liu Haoyu woke up from his dream.

Turning his head, he saw that the firewood by his bed had burn marks.