Chapter 15: Parting Ways Part 2

The Zhang Beauty replied coldly, “Wang Ya, are you laughing at the pot while calling the kettle black? You didn’t trap Ghost Granny either.”

Wang Ya laughed. “How could a wild girl from the countryside like me compare to you lineage experts!”

The Zhang Beauty yanked the steering wheel, pulled over to the roadside, slammed on the brakes, and spat out two cold words: “Get out!”

Wang Ya had her pride. She opened the car door and got out, slamming the door shut hard. As soon as she closed it, the car drove off. Wang Ya huffed heavily, walked to the roadside, and plucked a section of reed leaf. Her scarred fingertips slid across the reed leaf; its sharp edge sliced her finger, leaving a long trail of blood on the leaf. Wang Ya chanted an incantation, raised the reed leaf in her hand, and shouted lightly, “Blood Talisman Transforming into Divine Weapon—arrow, go!” With a flick of her hand, the bloodstained reed leaf straightened instantly like a drawn sword, shooting like an arrow toward the receding car.

Wang Ya sighed heavily, inwardly regretting it. In dealing with the Old Ghost, she had used up everything she brought—even a skilled housewife couldn’t cook without rice! If she had a piece of iron now, she guaranteed she could puncture Zheng Yanxia’s group’s rear tire. With a reed leaf as the carrier for the talisman arrow, she had no confidence in its effect—maybe this blood was wasted.

Kicked out of the car, Wang Ya could only hitch a ride on bus 111 back to the city. Fortunately, she was highly skilled and bold; she wasn’t afraid of ghosts on a night walk. She strolled slowly along the sidewalk toward the city.

Far ahead, about a hundred meters away, she saw a car parked on the roadside, its yellow taillights flashing. The model’s shape resembled the car Zheng Yanxia and the others had been in before. Three people stood beside it—their figures and clothes matched Zheng Yanxia, Old Tang, and the Zhang Beauty perfectly. Wang Ya grinned widely and quickened her pace. She glanced at the Zhang Beauty and Old Tang squatting there changing the tire, then at Zheng Yanxia standing by the road, and called out cheerfully, “Yo, what’s up? Car broken down?”

Zheng Yanxia stood there without even turning her head, replying seriously, “Yeah, some scumbag punctured the tire and let the air out!”

Wang Ya asked, “Need help? Don’t worry, I’m not the kind of pig teammate who makes things worse.”

Zheng Yanxia slowly turned her head toward Wang Ya. “Your finger’s cut—doesn’t it hurt?” Her eyes were blind, but she could smell the blood on Wang Ya’s hand. She added, “The rear tire’s flat; we can still drive slowly back to the city.”

Wang Ya drew out a long “Oh.” “Then next time I’ll remember to puncture the front tire—make it blow out!”

Zheng Yanxia ignored her. Old Tang and the Zhang Beauty treated Wang Ya like air.

Wang Ya fell silent and walked straight away. Not long after, she saw their car pass her on the highway and disappear into the night sky.

Wang Ya walked until nearly dawn before encountering a taxi. She hailed one and returned to the hotel where she had stayed before, utterly exhausted. She collapsed into bed and slept. A cleaner came to tidy the room midway, waking her once; she sent them away and slept again until the hotel called the next day to wake her.

Zheng Yanxia had checked out her room! Wang Ya paid for two days herself, then went out to find a place, planning to rent an apartment to settle down and recuperate. To deal with the Ancient Old Ghost, she had repeatedly let blood and depleted her vital energy. She didn’t feel it now while young, but it would be trouble when she got old. Her grandma was like that now—a body full of ailments, needing a cane to walk.

Following Wang Ya’s requirements, the real estate agency found her a place. It was in a new neighborhood, renovated less than a year ago—nicely done, fully furnished, meant as a wedding home, but the marriage fell through, so it sat empty and was now for rent. The agent said the rent was very cheap—four or five hundred less than similar unfurnished units in the same complex.

When Wang Ya viewed the place, she instantly understood why it was so cheap: someone had died there, and it was haunted! Even in broad daylight with plenty of sun, a faint Yin Qi lingered in the rooms. After circling the house, Wang Ya said to the agent, “The place is nice, but I heard it’s haunted.” Without looking at the agent’s reaction, she sat on the sofa. “Call the Landlord—ask her to knock off another five hundred.” Sitting on the sofa, she felt it was chillingly cool, yin-cold. She stood up, squatted by the sofa, and examined it closely. “Also ask the Landlord if the person who died in the house died on this sofa?”

The agent was a young guy in his twenties who laughed. “There are no ghosts in this world! Right, Miss Wang?”

No ghosts? Then what was the Dead Old Lady at Zheng Yanxia’s construction site? Wang Ya shot the agent a sideways glance. “Call her if I say so—less chit-chat!”

The other agent who came along said, “Miss Wang just wants a lower rent—we’ll call and negotiate for you.” He signaled the first agent to shut up, then called the Landlord.

The agent’s mouth was slick; after some haggling for Wang Ya, they settled on another four hundred off. He said the Landlord lived nearby and would come soon to sign the lease.

Wang Ya happily agreed—meeting the Landlord was great; maybe she could drum up some business and earn extra cash.

After waiting over thirty minutes, the Landlord arrived. She was a woman in her thirties, very ordinary—the kind you could grab a handful of on any street—but her mouth never stopped, endlessly praising how great the house was, how cheap Wang Ya’s rent was, trying to raise the price.

Wang Ya grew impatient and rolled her eyes. “Do you think I don’t know this place is haunted? Violent death—the person died right on the sofa, Yin Soul hasn’t dispersed. Go sit on the sofa; you’ll plop right onto that ghost.” As she spoke, the woman’s face paled, her lips trembled, and she couldn’t speak for a long time.