A Promise to a Ghost

After the engine died, the mechanic could no longer get the car started.

Unfortunately, that meant the car was beyond repair.

After all, the damn thing didn't even have a proper engine.

With that kind of money, he might as well buy a new one.

Once they had reached an agreement, Liu Haoyu sent the car straight to the scrapyard, treating it as selling it for a bit of scrap-metal money.

Liu Haoyu looked at the Mao Zedong portraits in his hand, feeling somewhat regretful.

"I thought I'd have the first car of my life. What a shame."

Although Liu Haoyu had never considered getting married and having children in the future.

His talk about finding a wife had only ever been a joke.

Still, having a car really was convenient, especially since his home was far out in the suburbs.

"I'll see if I can find a suitable used car later."

Liu Haoyu wasn't afraid of cars haunted by ghosts.

After all, the "previous owners" generally wouldn't dare fight him for the steering wheel.

After deciding on his plans for the future, Liu Haoyu climbed onto his motorcycle and drove toward the haunted house.

It was only five o'clock. If he went back now, he should arrive at six in the morning, just in time to get another good sleep.

When Liu Haoyu passed the reservoir, he saw a white figure standing beside the road.

This time, Liu Haoyu didn't speed up. Instead, he stopped the motorcycle by the roadside and calmly walked over to the white-clothed Fierce Ghost.

He took a cigarette from his pocket and said,

"You don't mind if I smoke one to wake myself up, do you?"

The white-clothed Fierce Ghost stared at Liu Haoyu with her pale eyes hidden beneath her black hair. Using the remnants of her consciousness, she said,

"There's one more..."

"There's one more..."

At this, Liu Haoyu took a deep drag. The dizziness and numbness spreading from his lungs helped him clear his head.

"The last one is already dead. He died at the hands of another Fierce Ghost."

In truth, Liu Haoyu had always found something strange.

Paranormal incidents had been happening far too frequently lately.

In the past, he might not encounter one even once a month. But ever since he came to Jiangquan City, paranormal incidents had occurred almost once a week. Sometimes, as now, he could encounter several in a single day.

Even the driver who had died ten years ago could turn into a vicious ghost and appear before him.

That frequency was clearly abnormal.

It was as if something were constantly awakening ghosts.

Could this be what the Black Book had mentioned before—"terror spreading outward"?

Just like the "revival of terror" in certain novels, was he now experiencing such a situation?

While Liu Haoyu was thinking, the white-clothed Fierce Ghost had already come to his side.

Her bluish-white hand gripped Liu Haoyu's arm tightly. The force was so great that it hurt him slightly, while her bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at him.

"I'm not willing to accept this... I'm not willing to accept this..."

Since she hadn't been able to personally kill her enemy, her resentment naturally couldn't be dispelled.

If this Fierce Ghost remained in such a state of deep hatred, she might completely lose control.

At that point, Liu Haoyu would have no choice but to use force to put her to rest, lest she harm other people.

Therefore, after understanding the situation, Liu Haoyu said to the white-clothed Fierce Ghost,

"Liu Xiaoxiao, right?"

"..."

The white-clothed Fierce Ghost released his arm and nodded woodenly.

"People killed by Fierce Ghosts can very likely become their ghost servants. I'll investigate at the place where he died. If I find the person who killed you, I'll naturally call you over and let you kill your enemy yourself."

"..."

Listening to Liu Haoyu's almost negotiating tone, Liu Xiaoxiao stared blankly at him, like a mentally disabled patient.

In truth, this was the most genuine state of a Fierce Ghost.

They were already dead, and their seven souls and six spirits had completely dispersed. They could retain their consciousness, but not much of it.

Even the seemingly normal square-faced driver had merely reacted instinctively in an attempt to survive.

Qin Liu, on the other hand...

There was no denying that the red-clothed Fierce Ghost in the haunted house was the truly unreasonable one.

Not only had she retained a remarkably complete consciousness, allowing her to communicate with him without obstruction, she could even express her own little personal emotions.

In short, she didn't seem like a Fierce Ghost. She was more like a human.

"But if the person who killed you has already had his soul scattered, I also advise you not to remain hung up on this matter. Resolve the resentment in your heart as soon as possible.

"Harming people isn't a good thing. Killing innocent people indiscriminately will only make your parents feel even more distressed."

Unlike Liu Haoyu, Liu Xiaoxiao had a family.

According to Police Officer Li Rongjun, after Liu Xiaoxiao's parents learned of their daughter's death, her mother cried at the police station for an entire morning and eventually even cried herself unconscious.

"Or would you like to see your family?"

"..."

Liu Haoyu and the white-clothed Fierce Ghost stared at each other. Neither human nor ghost spoke.

After a period of silence, Liu Xiaoxiao finally spoke.

"I want to... see them."

Her voice was no longer hoarse and unpleasant. Instead, it was a sobbing, incredibly gentle girl's voice.

She was crying. She was sobbing.

But Liu Haoyu couldn't change anything.

The dead could not return to life. Besides, Liu Xiaoxiao's soul had already been shattered. Being able to say even that much was already incredibly difficult.

"Okay. Once we've completely dealt with the killer, I'll take you to see your parents."

Liu Haoyu stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, then climbed onto the motorcycle again and said,

"Wait here for a few days. Don't hurt anyone."

With that, he left the reservoir in style.

Meanwhile, inside the haunted house, a certain red-clothed Fierce Ghost was lying on Liu Haoyu's bed with dead-fish eyes.

No, that was actually her own bed.

Originally, the only thing she heard beside her ear was the strange voice saying, "Merit +1."

Now, however, her entire mind was filled with "Merit +2."

There was no need to ask which unlucky bastard was responsible.

What, was he trying to make her a Buddha or an immortal?

He might as well play the "Great Compassion Mantra" and personally deliver her to enlightenment on the spot.

Qin Liu glanced from the corner of her eye at the red Embroidered Shoes on the shrine. The shoes were still lying there quietly.

Although Qin Liu could go and retrieve them,

there was no longer any need. She had gotten used to going barefoot these past few days, and since she could float in the air, whether she wore shoes made no difference.

Besides, those red Embroidered Shoes were uncomfortable to wear and troublesome to take off. She might as well leave them there.

Qin Liu sighed.

Over the course of the entire night, she had experimentally conducted a test.

That was, after possessing Red Jade, she tried to move as far away from it as possible.

However, after leaving Red Jade, black matter would accumulate inside it. The farther away she went, the faster the black matter accumulated, until Red Jade shattered and she was forcibly sent back to the haunted house.

Even if she didn't leave Red Jade and merely stayed inside it, Red Jade would still gradually turn black over time and eventually shatter.

So, if she wanted true freedom of movement, she still had a long road ahead of her...

Just as Qin Liu was lying on the bed and lamenting, something hard struck her directly in the face.

"Ow?! What the hell did that heartless bastard send over this time?"

Qin Liu picked up the thing that had appeared from who-knew-where and examined it closely, only to discover that it wasn't some strange piece of clothing as she had guessed.

It was merely half an apple that had been cut open.