The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 177

Chapter 177: I’ll Support You By Handing Out Flyers Part 22

Night fell, and the mountain resort quieted down as everyone slept, the birds in the forest returning to their nests.

The window was half-open, moonlight streaming into the room, the gentle sound of water from the courtyard pond reaching Tao Ning’s ears.

She turned over in bed, then, seeing the empty space beside her, turned back, reaching for her phone.

The screen lit up, displaying 2:30 AM.

Two hours ago, Fu Guanyue, about to go to bed, had received a call and left, not yet returning.

Tao Ning wasn’t worried about her safety, a two-hundred-year-old painted skin ghost was no match for Fu Guanyue.

A single high-grade Lightning Talisman could incinerate it, but capturing it alive would take more time.

Painted skin ghosts were born from jealousy, often possessing statues of mountain gods and feeding on the offerings to cultivate, then, gaining the ability to shapeshift, they would leave their hosts and search for suitable skins.

But this was the lowest level, and Tao Ning had encountered truly deceptive painted skin ghosts in the past.

They could perfectly mimic not only appearance and mannerisms but even cultivation level, making them difficult to distinguish. There was even a case where a painted skin ghost manipulated events, having the real person killed and taking their place.

It was exposed because it had to fulfill the person’s duties, and the ghost, disguised as a cultivator, was ordered to hunt Tao Ning down. Seeing her, it became greedy, leaving its companions and approaching her alone at night.

It was, of course, killed by Tao Ning, its corpse transforming into a grotesque green-skinned monster with fangs and fur, a shocking sight.

The cultivator’s family then realized they had been deceived, having killed their own family member, his dying curses ignored, a fake treated as their kin.

They took the ghost’s body back, and even Tao Ning, a mere bystander, was implicated.

She had thought it was over, but later, she heard rumors of her sending a painted skin ghost to infiltrate a cultivation sect, then killing it to cover her tracks.

But she had been careless, leaving a sword mark on the ghost, which was discovered.

The truth, once revealed, wasn’t surprising.

And such a deed was clearly the work of the great demon Xu Cun! To be hunted down and eliminated!

Tao Ning, whose Daoist title was Xu Cun: “?”

Me? Again?

What a joke, I never use a sword.

The righteous cultivators, however, declared, “How can you prove it wasn’t you? Everyone knows you’re ruthless, even imprisoning cultivators’ souls!”

“…” Tao Ning, not bothering to argue, simply granted them ascension, a quick death.

Her phone vibrated, and she looked down, startled.

A message from her carrier: insufficient funds.

Tao Ning put her phone on the nightstand, lying restlessly in bed, staring at the ceiling.

The weather outside was nice, the moon bright, its light filtering through the curtains, a peaceful scene.

But Tao Ning wasn’t in the mood, the person who could bring her peace not here.

Unable to sleep, she got out of bed, put on a robe, and went for a walk.

This resort was said to be the ancestral home of its owner, once a summer retreat for a wealthy family.

The current owner, however, had made a decision that went against tradition, turning it into a business, a nature resort with hot springs.

While maintaining its original structure, the interior had been renovated, a blend of ancient charm and modern convenience.

Tao Ning and Fu Guanyue were staying in the east courtyard, the others, not wanting to disturb the “couple,” having moved to the other side, Song Yanshu giving them a thumbs-up before leaving: “No need to thank us.”

Stepping outside, Tao Ning saw the lotus pond in the center of the courtyard, walking past Song Yanshu’s room towards it.

Spring came late and summer lingered in the mountains, the lotus flowers still in full bloom.

The resort owner had stocked the pond with fish, all plump and friendly, often coming to the surface to beg for food during the day, probably hiding under the lotus leaves now, sleeping.

Tao Ning sat in the pavilion, enjoying the moonlight.

The surroundings were so quiet that any sound was amplified.

Song Yanshu, once again awakened by the noise next door, sat up, her hair a mess, complaining, “Who is that next door? Always dropping things in the middle of the night, the soundproofing is terrible.”

Just then, a faint voice echoed from outside: “…terrible.”

Song Yanshu was instantly awake, all traces of drowsiness gone: “Who’s there?”

She looked towards the window, the moonlight bright, no trees outside, only the shadows of the window lattice on the paper screen, everything normal.

Listening intently, she couldn’t hear the faint, high-pitched voice anymore, it seemed like an auditory hallucination.

She attributed it to the old building’s poor soundproofing, the owner’s fondness for traditional aesthetics evident in the painting of a lady hanging on the wall, a silk embroidered screen separating the main room from the bedroom.

The window was slightly ajar, a cool breeze carrying the scent of grass.

“Did I forget to close the window?” Song Yanshu scratched her head, too tired to remember, the night air chilly, she didn’t want to wake up with a stiff face, so she got out of bed and went to close the window.

Her slender figure, wrapped in a robe, passed by the mirror, her hand reaching for the window, then suddenly pushing it open, the night scene before her.

Nothing outside, just the bright moon and the silent mountains.

She stood there, her back to the screen, and the lady in the painting blinked, her dark eyes moving slightly before returning to their painted stillness.

A faint breeze stirred the mirror’s surface.

Song Yanshu shook her head, muttering, “Must be my imagination, the security here is good, no way a peeping Tom could get in.”

She closed the window and returned to bed.

After lying down for a while, she opened her eyes again, rubbing her stomach: “I’m hungry.”

She immediately sat up, preparing to find something to eat.

Walking past the east courtyard, she saw Tao Ning by the pond, gazing at the lotus flowers under the moonlight, and her eyes lit up.

“I thought I was the only one still awake, why aren’t you asleep?”

Tao Ning turned around, her shoulders moving slightly.

Song Yanshu, wrapped in a shawl, walked towards her, her eyes bright.

Tao Ning sat up straight: “I have insomnia, I didn’t want to wake Guanyue.”

“Rather be out here in the cold than disturb your wife, you’re truly whipped,” Song Yanshu said, stepping out of the shadows and looking at the pond. “No fish, they’re all asleep, right? Are you hungry? I am, let’s check the kitchen for snacks.”

Tao Ning, having nothing better to do, nodded casually: “Sure, I haven’t cooked in a while, what do you want to eat?”

Song Yanshu thought seriously: “Anything, as long as it’s not too disgusting.”

“Don’t you trust my cooking skills?” Tao Ning looked up at her, her eyes reflecting Song Yanshu’s figure, her bangs slightly askew from sleeping.

“That’s true.” Song Yanshu smiled, then paused. “There’s a bug on your head, don’t move, I’ll get it for you.”

Her outstretched hand was caught, the grip not tight, but firm.

Song Yanshu was puzzled, looking at Tao Ning, trying to pull her hand back: “You’re hurting me.”

Tao Ning’s gaze turned cold, her smile fading: “Do you know what gave you away?”

“What? Why are you being so aggressive? Let go of me…”

“Song Yanshu” became increasingly agitated, wanting to escape. She had chosen this skin because it was the most beautiful, wanting to keep it, but she hadn’t expected it to be so troublesome.

A cracking sound, and Tao Ning twisted her wrist, the hand going limp, its fingers tipped with sharp, black nails, the skin a sickly green.

Painted skin ghosts had no bones, able to even cling to walls, disguising themselves as paintings.

Its wrist broken, the boneless ghost shrieked, revealing its true form, its body shrinking, its fiery red hair disheveled, its eyes wide, its skin green.

Being grabbed by the wrist was like being held by its lifeline, and it struggled and screamed in Song Yanshu’s voice, “Spare me! Spare me! I won’t do it again!”

Tao Ning, however, tightened her grip, an invisible pressure bearing down on the ghost.

The ghost’s voice became even shriller, like a child’s: “I’m dying! I’m dying! Spare me! Spare me!”

It wasn’t particularly intelligent, just cunning, and Tao Ning’s overwhelming power made it unable to think, only instinctively begging for mercy.

Tao Ning remained seated by the pond, unmoving, despite the ghost’s struggles.

She eased her grip slightly: “You’re the painted skin ghost from Mingyue Village?”

Painted Skin Ghost: “Immortal, how did you know? I’ve been wrongly accused! I was just cultivating peacefully in the village, not harming anyone, when a group of cultivators suddenly appeared, wanting to destroy my home, I had to escape!”

Tao Ning: “Really?”

The ghost nodded vigorously, even managing to squeeze out a few tears: “Of course! I saw you, Immortal, and I was afraid you would find my appearance repulsive, so I transformed into a more pleasing form, wanting to pay my respects.”

Ghosts couldn’t cry, and this two-hundred-year-old painted skin ghost was quite the smooth talker.

And with its low cultivation, it hadn’t even realized Tao Ning was also a cultivator, having encountered a formidable opponent, biting off more than it could chew.

Tao Ning sneered: “I heard you stole the mountain god’s shrine and fed on the villagers’ offerings, and now you’re blaming them for driving you out?”

The ghost, embarrassed, scratched its head with its sharp claws, the sound surprisingly loud: “That mountain god didn’t want to stay in that small temple, and I had nowhere to go, I was just borrowing it for a while, and I was planning to leave anyway, I wasn’t going back.”

Tao Ning seemed to believe it, slowly releasing her grip: “I don’t like you disguising yourself, next time, show your true face.”

The ghost was overjoyed: “Yes, yes, yes, only you, Immortal, wouldn’t despise me, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

With that, it quickly disappeared.

The painted skin ghost scrambled away, not daring to look back, no longer trying to negotiate.

If it had a heart, it would be pounding.

Who would have thought that after hiding in this desolate place for so many years, a few hikers would stumble upon its treasure?

Having carefully guarded it for so long, it naturally wouldn’t let them take it, so it killed them.

But this had attracted unwanted attention, especially the woman by the pond, the most terrifying presence it had ever encountered in its two hundred years, far more dangerous than the celestial masters from the village.

The ghost, like a black mist, fled towards the forest outside the resort.

It couldn’t return to Mingyue Village, it had to find a new hiding place.

Suddenly, it felt a chill behind it and turned around, something chasing after it.

“Thwack!”

Tao Ning, having anticipated this, struck it with a bamboo staff, the blow, infused with spiritual energy, sending the ghost flying like a ball, crashing into a tree, snapping it in half.

The falling tree pinned the ghost beneath it, scattering leaves everywhere.

Spiritual energy imbued with lightning was a ghost’s bane, and the painted skin ghost, dazed and paralyzed, lay there for a long time, its dark aura fading.

“I’ve been thinking, it’s better if you don’t leave,” Tao Ning said, holding the bamboo staff and lifting the tree, revealing the ghost beneath it.

520 could practically see the ghost’s eyes spinning, it was completely dazed.

This small, dwarf-like creature, was this the one that killed and skinned people?

Those who hadn’t seen its true form would assume it was just a harmless, ugly little thing, but Tao Ning, seeing it, was reminded of the most cunning painted skin ghost she had ever encountered, the one who had tricked her.

Being able to trick her was a feat in itself.

Tao Ning bent down, grabbed its red hair, lifted it, and punched its forehead, and the ghost, like a deflated balloon, shrunk and collapsed.

This was a painted skin ghost’s weakness, attacking its forehead would disperse its energy, leaving only a skin-like shell.

Tao Ning had discovered this from the ghost that tricked her, in the past, she would simply incinerate them with lightning, not bothering to find their weaknesses.

She shook the ghost, covered in dust and leaves, rolled it up like a scroll, using its hair to tie it securely.

Now it was truly just a painted skin.

520 was confused: [Why roll it up? Not going to kill it?]

Tao Ning, holding the bamboo staff: “No, there’s only one painted skin ghost, if it dies here, it will be troublesome, they’ll search everywhere, even dragging Guanyue along, and we won’t be able to enjoy the hot springs, it’s better to let those people deal with it.”

520 understood, nothing could interfere with the host’s love life.

But there was one question: [Then how are you going to send it to them?]

She couldn’t deliver it herself, nor could she ask someone else.

Tao Ning, thinking the system had a point, called out towards the forest, “Old man, I need your help, come out.”

520: [Who would be out here in the middle of the night… Ahhh, there really is someone!]

A ghostly figure in a burial shroud emerged from the trees, its face pale, either from fear or its natural state.

Judging by its appearance, probably the latter.

The ghost trembled: “Master, I wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping, my grave is right there, I couldn’t help but see, please don’t destroy my soul.”

It pointed towards a cluster of burial urns in the forest, one of them containing its bones.

Cremation wasn’t practiced during its lifetime, and after ten years of burial, the bones would be collected and placed in urns, then moved to another location.

Tao Ning: “I won’t harm you, I just need you to deliver something, just throw this into Mingyue Village, it’s within your range.”

She held out the rolled-up painted skin ghost.

The ghost’s eyes widened, the painted skin ghost, which they usually avoided, now rolled up like a scroll: “I can’t, Master, I heard there are many celestial masters in Mingyue Village, they’ve been there all day, I don’t want to be destroyed.”