Early morning. Zhao Mingyue followed her daily routine of washing up and eating breakfast, then carefully groomed and dressed both herself and Bai Yu. She even applied lipstick to Miss Rabbit’s doll lips and clipped a bright red hairpin onto her.
It was clear she was in a great mood today; she was even humming a tune on her way to work.
After all, she had essentially done nothing yesterday yet earned a hundred thousand yuan. To Zhao Mingyue, this sum wasn’t exactly astronomical, but it was certainly a figure she wouldn’t normally dare to dream of.
Even as she marveled at Lu Liangting’s generosity, she also worried he might become a love rival of sorts.
Ding-a-ling~
Pushing open the convenience store door, the copper bell on the doorframe chimed crisply.
This thing had no ability to predict Ghostly Monsters; it was simply there to alert the staff inside that a customer had arrived, nothing more.
“Mingyue, you’re here so early today.” The Store Manager was organizing the shelves and spoke with a smile.
“Mm! Good morning, Store Manager.”
“Good morning.”
Passing under the Wind Chime, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t be bothered to check how many times it rang. No doubt it was seven. It had been seven last time, so this time was surely a certainty.
Sure enough, the Wind Chime rang seven times in a row. It sounded rather pleasant. Unlike the light and flowing tones of an ordinary wind chime, this one had a slightly muffled yet full-bodied resonance, possessing a flavor all its own.
At this moment, Li Tian’an stood up, casually picked up a carton of pure milk from the shelf, walked over, and placed it on the counter. “Have some milk in the morning; it’s good for you.”
“Thank you, Store Manager.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s my treat, so don’t bother paying.” Li Tian’an stood in front of the counter, opening a bottle of cocktail for himself. He casually pointed at the Wind Chime by the door. “See that thing over there? Did I tell you? It can predict when a Ghostly Monster enters.”
“Mm… I know, Store Manager.”
“Well, that thing has been hanging here for quite a few years. To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever seen it ring seven times in a row.” A helpless smile touched Li Tian’an’s face. “The stronger the ghost, the more times it rings.”
“Oh, so what’s the maximum number of rings you’ve ever encountered for the strongest ghost, Store Manager?” Zhao Mingyue asked, curious.
“The strongest ghost… how many rings? You might not believe me, but it was only five.”
“Five?!” Zhao Mingyue practically blurted out, “Only five?”
“Only?” Li Tian’an was taken aback by her response.
Well, that was normal. This girl was different from most people. The ghost on her effortlessly reached seven rings. Having gotten used to that, she probably wouldn’t find it remarkable and would naturally think five rings was weak.
Did she not understand what ghosts were actually like out in the world? How could every single one be as powerful as her Bai Yu?
“Actually, it wasn’t exactly five rings. More like five and a half. The last ring wasn’t very distinct.”
“Oh, okay. That’s still pretty decent then.”
Still pretty decent… The Store Manager’s smile stiffened. He decided to put off drinking his cocktail for the moment.
“Mingyue, do you realize just how strong a ghost like that is?” The Store Manager wanted to be serious, but he couldn’t quite manage it. Bragging about how powerful that ghost was in front of Zhao Mingyue did seem rather inappropriate.
“It was at the Red-Clothed Fierce Ghost level, and even among those, it was at the upper echelon.”
“Why are these kinds of ghosts always called ‘Red-Clothed’? It’s because of the manifestation of their Resentment. Their clothes are less ‘red-clothed’ and more ‘blood-clothed.’ That red is the outward sign of their deep-seated Resentment.”
“A ghost that isn’t Red-Clothed isn’t necessarily weak, but a ghost in a full bloodstained garment is definitely formidable.”
“The ghost I encountered was exactly like that. Its clothes were completely soaked red. You could say its Resentment soared to the heavens.”
“Don’t even mention five rings; four rings already indicates the Red-Clothed level. Two or three rings is usually a Fierce Ghost that can easily kill a person.”
He said all this hoping to pique Zhao Mingyue’s curiosity about the ghost and make her ask further. But to his surprise, Zhao Mingyue didn’t care at all. Instead, she asked:
“What about an Evil Spirit coming here? Would it react? How many rings would that be?”
“Cough, cough… an Evil Spirit?”
“Mm!”
“I don’t know. No Evil Spirit has ever come here, and it most likely wouldn’t ring.”
“It can’t detect Evil Spirits?”
“…”
Li Tian’an fell silent. At this moment, all he wanted to say was: Do you think Evil Spirits are just everywhere? You could run into ten Red-Clothed Ghosts without ever seeing one Evil Spirit. Where would so many Evil Spirits come from to wander in here?
In all these years, Red-Clothed Ghosts had barely shown up a few times, let alone an Evil Spirit.
So, wasn’t it possible that this Wind Chime had a function that was completely useless!
“Mingyue, what I wanted to say is, that ghost’s identity is a bit problematic.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, lately, hasn’t Lu Liangting been stressing over that mysterious organization? I called him last night, and we talked it through. I have a general understanding of what happened.” No matter how frustrated Li Tian’an felt inside, his expression remained calm and composed. “So, I suspect that Red-Clothed Ghost is very likely connected to Lu Liangting.”
“A female ghost, young, possibly around Bai Yu’s age, and her features bear some resemblance to Lu Liangting.”
“Store Manager, are you saying… that Red-Clothed Ghost is Lu Liangting’s younger sister?!” Zhao Mingyue instantly perked up.
“It’s just a guess. Actually, if it were only about the similar age and appearance, I wouldn’t be mentioning it today. After this ghost entered, it was looking for something the whole time. That night, Lu Liangting was supposed to be on duty but he had taken leave for some personal matter.”
“When the ghost couldn’t find what it was looking for, before leaving, it stood right here where I am now, staring at Lu Liangting’s photo on the staff list on the wall for a long time.”
“Then it must be Lu Liangting’s little sister, right?” Hearing this from Li Tian’an, Zhao Mingyue felt the ghost definitely had a connection to Lu Liangting.
“Can’t be certain. It’s just a strong possibility. And this happened six months ago. Lu Liangting had only just started working here. I don’t know what happened in his life before that.”
“Alright, I won’t keep you from work. Just thought I’d let you know.”
With that, the Store Manager picked up his drink and was about to leave when Zhao Mingyue suddenly called out to him.
“Store Manager, wait.”
“What is it?”
“Store Manager, that Red-Clothed Female Ghost you mentioned… was she thin, slightly short, with a beauty mark right here, double eyelids, big eyes, pure black?” Zhao Mingyue pointed to the corner of her own eye, where she also had a beauty mark.
“Seems like it. How do you know?”
“I… I think I might have dreamed about her last night.”
“Dreamed?” Li Tian’an frowned.
“Yes. I don’t know what the situation was. Last night, I dreamed about this girl in a very dark place, being chased by something. At the time, I was hiding inside a cabinet. She hid in there too and said to me, ‘Do me a favor. Tell my brother to stop looking for me. He’s in grave danger right now.'”
Zhao Mingyue roughly recalled the strange dream. Most of the details were gone, very blurry. Only the girl’s face and her words were remembered with absolute clarity.
Originally, she was completely baffled—who was this girl, and who was her brother?
She hadn’t paid it much mind, simply regarding it as a normal dream. But after what Li Tian’an said, something felt off.
Because the girl in the dream was also around fifteen or sixteen, wearing a long dress completely stained red with blood.
“Then it’s very likely his sister, no doubt.” Li Tian’an pondered for a moment. “You had this dream probably because you went somewhere special last night. Coincidentally, Lu Liangting’s sister had also been there not long before, leaving behind a trace of Resentment. That trace happened to be Absorbed by you. Sensing Lu Liangting’s aura on you, she entrusted this dream to you.”
He was quite an experienced Exorcist and had encountered such things before.
“Could it be such a coincidence?” Zhao Mingyue was doubtful.
“Yes. Though it’s a coincidence, it’s also because this trace of Resentment actively drew near you. Precisely because you’ve spent time with Lu Liangting, you carry a faint remnant of his aura. So, this Resentment was automatically attracted to and absorbed by you.”
“I see.”
“Alright, let’s leave it at that for now. I have something to attend to. An accident happened at someone’s home. The old father died a violent death. On the day of the funeral procession, they couldn’t lift the Coffin no matter what they tried. At night, people even saw the old man’s Wraith. It’s caused quite a stir.”
“Okay, take care, Store Manager.”
“Don’t worry, it’s just a small issue. If they still can’t lift the Coffin, I’ll just go hire an excavator.” Cracking a rare joke, Li Tian’an grabbed his car keys and his bottle, then strode out.
Zhao Mingyue started to speak but hesitated. She really wanted to say you shouldn’t drink and drive.
Cocktail… was that still considered alcohol, right?
Forget it. The boss’s business was none of hers, a mere employee’s concern.
No matter how good their personal relationship was, during work hours, it was strictly a superior-subordinate dynamic.
Silence returned to the Convenience Store. Zhao Mingyue sat down behind the counter.
She was among the lucky ones. Cashiers at most convenience stores weren’t allowed to sit and had to stand practically all day. The moment they sat down, they’d get fined and have their pay docked.
Placing the lipstick-adorned Miss Rabbit on the countertop, Zhao Mingyue propped her cheek on one hand.
“That girl in my dream was pretty cute. If you’re a perfect ten, then I’d give that girl an eight, maybe even a nine.”
“Little Sister Yu, tell me… could it really be Lu Liangting’s little sister?”
“If it is, should I tell that guy Lu Liangting? Seeing him like that… he looks so pitiful, practically driven himself mad looking for his sister.”
“To become a Red-Clothed Ghost, she must have suffered something inhuman before death. Otherwise, how could she have such deep Resentment?”
“Especially a young girl like that. They’re different from adults—less able to bury things in their hearts, so much more innocent.”
Hearing this, Bai Yu considered for a moment. “You can tell him, but don’t get involved.”
Whatever happened to Lu Liangting’s sister was definitely not simple. Anything tied to the Male Lead was bound to be that way. What they knew now was that this matter was connected to the Ghost Domain, and the Ghost Domain’s power was indeed not weak. What they killed last night was just a fraction.
Giving this kid some trouble to deal with… actually seemed like a pretty good choice. Let him channel his energy elsewhere, sparing him from running over here to lose his mind every other day.
Wouldn’t it be better to just properly play the love game with those Lunatics?
Bai Yu not only planned to tell Lu Liangting about this but also wanted to spread the information directly. Let those Lunatics know about it too, then let them investigate and fight over it.
On one hand, make trouble for Lu Liangting. On the other, keep this group of Lunatics—who were capable of anything—occupied. And also bring down on the Ghost Domain, that organization which hunted and raised ghosts, a problem serious enough that failing to handle it properly could lead to their annihilation at any moment.
One arrow, three birds with a single stone.
Bai Yu didn’t believe those Lunatics wouldn’t be tempted after hearing this.
Such an excellent way to gain favorability points… wasn’t this a gift delivered right to their doorstep?
Find the little sister-in-law and personally deliver her to Lu Liangting’s side, and the quest would practically be half complete.
The reason those Lunatics were so quiet now was largely because, while figuring out how to win over Lu Liangting, they were also trying to improve themselves.
The methods they considered for self-improvement wouldn’t consider the feelings of others. Take the Evil God of Eternal Life Village, for example. Once they learned of its power, why would they care how many people died if it was released? They only wanted to become the Evil God’s Vessel, and then… destroy the Evil God.
So, this idea was quite good for keeping them pacified.
As for Lu Liangting’s feelings… that wasn’t important.
Besides, she was finding so many “professionals” to help him look for his sister. Could he even refuse?
Honestly, if those insects from the Ghost Domain were targeted by this group of Lunatics, who knew how they’d end up being played to death.
Provided, of course, that the Rabbit Mask from last time didn’t interfere.
By now, Zhao Mingyue had already taken out her Mobile Phone and began composing a text message for Lu Liangting.
Her musings about whether Lu Liangting would become a love rival were mostly just playful thoughts. The matter of his sister was what truly mattered.
Once the message for Lu Liangting was edited and sent, Bai Yu’s voice sounded.
“Send a message to Shen Shuyun. I’ll tell you what to say.”
“Okie-dokie~”
A moment later, Shen Shuyun replied with only an ellipsis.
A joke. Why would she ever spread it around? She’d finally found a perfect opportunity—was she stupid enough to tell others?
The moment Zhao Mingyue sent her the message, she guessed Bai Yu’s idea.
But what could she do? If she said a single word of refusal, Bai Yu might just show up at her doorstep and twist her head off.
“Doctor, I understand your intention. Leave this matter to me for now. Don’t spread it further. I swear, the others definitely won’t interfere with you and Zhao Mingyue. Absolutely.”
“Fine.”
“Okay.”
Shen Shuyun wanting to monopolize the Quest was absolutely impossible. Bai Yu wouldn’t spread the news, but the others would watch and investigate. After all, Shen Shuyun was the one jumping around the most conspicuously next to Lu Liangting.
Getting this promise from Shen Shuyun was enough for Bai Yu.
Not long after, Lu Liangting’s reply arrived.
“Terribly sorry, Mingyue. Two madwomen are chasing me right now. Please, please keep your phone on. I’ll contact you shortly. A million thanks!”
Along with the message, he sent a video. It showed Lu Liangting sprinting down a main road, with something indeed chasing him from behind.
It was clear Lu Liangting considered this matter urgent.
So urgent, in fact, he risked answering while being pursued.
