What about the clothes?!
"I just wanted to run my business and make money..."
"I saved up money for a whole hundred years before I could finally afford to rent a storefront... and then people started shouting about killing me..."
"One flash of lightning nearly wiped out a hundred years of cultivation..."
"Mr. Shen, please don't force me to terminate the lease... I spent so much money renovating this shop, and I still haven't even earned back the costs..."
The Painted Skin Ghost lay collapsed in a soft heap on the floor, moving from tearful complaints to pleading, then sobbing, and finally wailing her eyes out. Shen Le stood helplessly before her with his phone raised, listening to Gu Yulin's assurances from the other end.
"Ms. Gu is also a victim herself. After she was harmed, she was guided by monks from Rooftop Temple, and she has never harmed anyone since."
"Before renting the place to her, we checked her records and used the Heart-Questioning Mirror on her. We only signed the contract after confirming that she carried no karmic taint."
"Don't worry. The Special Affairs Bureau keeps a close watch on entities like her and pays regular visits every few days..."
At last, Shen Le's heart settled back into his chest. Once he had calmed down, looking at the Painted Skin Ghost only made him feel even more awkward.
"Um... I didn't mean to..."
"I know. You've never dealt with us before, so you stereotyped us. You heard 'Painted Skin Ghost' and immediately thought of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."
The Painted Skin Ghost sniffled and slowly stretched from a heap into a flat sheet, then filled out from a sheet into a human shape.
"It's fine. I'm really fine. I'm used to it... As long as you