Chapter 014: Would you like to visit my house?
The slender fingers grasping the floral-dress woman were icy and pale. From the dark shadow, a glimpse of a suit sleeve could be seen. The hand, elegant and fragile, seemed incapable of resisting a ghost's strength. Yet when the floral-dress woman tried to pull away, it held firm, as if she was nailed to the spot.
Being a ghost, the floral-dress woman wouldn't just stand there. She let out a roar, her blue-white dress swiftly extending and piling up on the ground. The sinister aura radiated from her. As she grew larger, sharp fangs protruded, and saliva dripped from between them.
"Blood—"
Her hoarse voice echoed through the desolate streets.
"You smell so sweet, give me your blood—"
She twisted her neck at an eerie angle, and her dress extended like seaweed, aiming to ensnare Chi Shen.
Chi Shen didn't move; he just looked up at her with a smile. Shadows converged in his hand, revealing a sharp knife, its blade glinting, but stained with blood.
This was the boning knife he once used while working at a meat stall. After dealing with a customer and the butcher, he had taken the knife with him.
He pointed the knife forward, and a dense black mist surged from his feet, solidifying the ground into ice. White frost formed and shot out as an ice spike, piercing the floral-dress woman's body.
The extended dress, snake-like, quickly retracted, coiling around her. Supporting herself on the ice spike, she coughed, but nothing came out.
She glared resentfully at Chi Shen but dared not attack again. The previous clash made it clear to her that the person—or perhaps not quite a person—in front of her was not one she could provoke.
But why would such a monster pretend to be weak and deceive a mere ghost like her?
Under the dim streetlight, Chi Shen approached her, knife in hand, with a gentle smile on his face.
His handsome and affable appearance contrasted starkly with the monster the floral-dress woman perceived. She tried desperately to remove herself from the ice spike.
With each step Chi Shen took, her efforts became more frantic. She was willing to tear a massive hole in herself if it meant escaping from this place.
Crisp cracks sounded from her chest. Her skin split and flaked off like a crispy pastry, bones breaking. Finally, she managed to free herself from the ice spike!
Chishen was now within a meter of her.
The cold hand emerging from the shadow still imprisoned her ankle. With a swift motion and a snapping sound, her brittle leg broke right at the calf. Without caring about the half of the leg still clutched in the shadow's grip, she immediately ran.
"Don't be so frightened," Chishen's blade reflected a chilling gleam. He stepped on the trailing end of her floral dress, "I merely invited you to visit my home."
The blue-white floral hem of her dress tensed, and the ghostly woman looked ready to cut it off.
"I'm not a bad person." Chishen walked over, stepping on her dress hem, gently raising his knife, his smile as warm as ever. "Trust me, I just want to inquire about your company's future prospects."
The female ghost wore an expression of sheer disbelief, severing her dress and sprinting away.
"It can't be helped, then." Watching the limping silhouette of the floral dress, a hint of regret appeared in Chishen's eyes.
"I believe my demeanor has been quite friendly," Chishen mumbled to himself, given he was the only one on the platform, "Is my smile not sincere enough?"
Jixing Chen emerged from his shadow, seemingly reluctant to speak. However, looking at the knife in Chishen's hand, he commented, "Very sincere."
With the affirmation from Jixing Chen, Chishen's mood lifted considerably, and he merrily proceeded.
The woman in the floral dress hadn't run far when she noticed a handsome man standing ahead. Beside him was a shadowy figure wearing glasses, both staring at her.
Abruptly stopping, she attempted to change direction and continue her escape, but before she could, someone gripped her neck.
"Come home with me," Chishen casually lifted her by the nape of her neck, dragging her towards his mansion like a sack, "Many friends await you at my place; I'm sure you'll get along."
The woman stretched out a hand, scraping at the ground, desperately trying to distance herself from this demon. Yet her feeble resistance was in vain, leaving only a trail of skin that quickly dissipated into a dark mist.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Bai mansion, Chishen pushed open the main door, and the woman, filled with dread, ceased her struggle.
She realized the handsome man was right; if this was his home, she indeed dared not enter.
Whether in the rooms or lurking beneath the eaves, numerous spirits were hidden, each more terrifying than she.
She didn't dare make a sound, doing her best to minimize her presence, hoping none of the spirits would notice her.
Yet, the journey remained quiet. The ghosts lurking in the shadows merely observed, none emerging to greet them. Thus, they arrived at a door.
Chishen glanced down the hallway. The body of He Chao had been cleaned up, no traces of blood or lingering spirits remained.
Yet what he beheld was not any of these. Pushing open the intricately carved wooden door, Chi Shen peered inside. As expected, the lady in red had vanished.
However, that ghost was not the sole entity in his room; another lurked within the wardrobe.
Initially, it was a noise from the wardrobe that roused him. Investigating the sound led to his encounter with the red-clad specter emerging from the mirror, which in turn frightened him to the ground, casting him into the realm of a deathly game.
Thus, the presence of something in the wardrobe was hardly surprising.
"Has someone been here?" Chi Shen inquired, directing his gaze towards the wardrobe.
"Yes," a muffled voice emerged from within, tinged with bewilderment and confusion. "The young master of the Bai family entered in haste, wearing his pajamas. He took a hurried look around and left. The blood on his chest looked rather striking."
Chi Shen recalled Bai Wan's promise to help him the previous night. Was this her idea of assistance?
Although unaware of Bai Ran's ordeal from the night before, Chi Shen was certain it wasn't pleasant. The lingering question was whether the Bai family would trace events back to this old mansion.
"Where's your roommate?" Chi Shen looked around once more.
At this moment, seeing that she was unnoticed, the lady in the floral dress tried to sneak under the bed. However, halfway through, she retreated in a panic. Lying beneath the bed was the one-armed lady in red, baring her teeth, shooing her away.
"Here!" The lady in red pointed assertively towards the bed with her remaining arm, staking her claim. "Mine!"
Chi Shen glanced in her direction: "…?"
The ghostly lady in red momentarily shrank back before dutifully crawling out and sidling up next to Chi Shen.
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses and then proceeded to tug the lady in the floral dress closer.
After a brief contemplation, Chi Shen decided to prioritize the matter at hand. He wasn't particularly concerned with the Bai family's affairs. As long as they didn't hinder his job search, it mattered little. Currently, his primary concern was his future employment, given it pertained to his sustenance.
Aiming for a sustainable future at a prospective company, Chi Shen had invited a "colleague" over to inquire about the firm. Unexpectedly, the colleague seemed disinclined to converse, intent only on fleeing. Thus, Chi Shen resorted to a more "persuasive" approach to bring him back.
"Is there something I can assist you with?" Chi Shen gently patted the red-clad specter's head, turning to the floral-dressed lady. He decided to foster some rapport with his new colleague.
The lady in the floral dress, no longer daring to run, stood forlornly in the center of the room. One of her legs, broken and resembling dried wood, did not impede her ability to stand motionless. Her head drooped, remaining silent, a gaping hole evident on her chest.
Upon hearing Chi Shen's voice, her eyes flickered, and she began to laugh softly: "Hehe, hehehe."
With great patience, Chi Shen inquired again: "Perhaps you could tell me how you met your end?"
"Follow him, follow him and you'll be free," the laughter of the girl in the floral dress echoed, "Hehehe, I want out."
Chi Shen gazed at the withered figure in the floral dress, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "You're talking about our Li Zhu Ce?"
This time, the floral-dressed ghost fell silent, her laughter gone. She lowered her head and gently smoothed out the creases on her dress, her twig-like fingers moving delicately, saying nothing.
“Never mind. I'll find out for myself.” Chi Shen conceded, realizing that communicating with spirits, bound by their final moments, was challenging. They often forgot their identities, holding onto only the obsessions that kept them tethered.
He had hoped to adjust to a more normal existence, like having regular conversations. But facing a ghost who struggled to articulate herself, he resigned to figuring things out on his own.
With a subtle shift in his gaze, Chi Shen's eyes darkened, peering deeper.
He first saw a blue floral dress, cherished by a young girl who had preserved it lovingly. Today, she chose to wear it to meet the one she loved.
She had ironed out its creases and dolled herself up, even donning the popular style of that era, reminiscent of Kudo Shizuka. With a heart full of anticipation, she stepped outside.
But she never met her beloved. As she passed an orchard, a man violently dragged her away, staining her blue and white floral dress.
Darkness soon enveloped her. In this black void, the girl grew cold as her neck bore a gash from her attacker's blade. With her head tilted down on a wooden board, she could hear the sound of her lifeblood dripping into a pan below.
She wanted to scream, but the slit throat denied her a voice. She wanted to fight, but her limbs felt nonexistent.
As her blood drained, the girl, overwhelmed by immense despair, transformed into a vengeful spirit.
Subsequent memories became fragmented and chaotic. Years later, a man named Li Xu pushed open the long-sealed door. Ghosts already clung to him, and among them was the girl in the floral dress. She latched onto him, departing the cabin where she had met her end.
The skill of empathy has its limitations. Chi Shen can only see what the vengeful spirit remembers. If the spirit forgets something, he remains oblivious to it.
Judging by the time, the death of the girl in the floral dress occurred at least twenty years ago.
Chi Shen understood why the girl in the floral dress was drawn to Li Xu. Li Xu naturally attracted spirits, but her death…
He reached for his phone, intending to research the case for any leads. Suddenly, the phone vibrated - an incoming call. The screen displayed two characters:
Bai Ba.
Chapter 014: Would you like to visit my house?
The slender fingers grasping the floral-dress woman were icy and pale. From the dark shadow, a glimpse of a suit sleeve could be seen. The hand, elegant and fragile, seemed incapable of resisting a ghost's strength. Yet when the floral-dress woman tried to pull away, it held firm, as if she was nailed to the spot.
Being a ghost, the floral-dress woman wouldn't just stand there. She let out a roar, her blue-white dress swiftly extending and piling up on the ground. The sinister aura radiated from her. As she grew larger, sharp fangs protruded, and saliva dripped from between them.
"Blood—"
Her hoarse voice echoed through the desolate streets.
"You smell so sweet, give me your blood—"
She twisted her neck at an eerie angle, and her dress extended like seaweed, aiming to ensnare Chi Shen.
Chi Shen didn't move; he just looked up at her with a smile. Shadows converged in his hand, revealing a sharp knife, its blade glinting, but stained with blood.
This was the boning knife he once used while working at a meat stall. After dealing with a customer and the butcher, he had taken the knife with him.
He pointed the knife forward, and a dense black mist surged from his feet, solidifying the ground into ice. White frost formed and shot out as an ice spike, piercing the floral-dress woman's body.
The extended dress, snake-like, quickly retracted, coiling around her. Supporting herself on the ice spike, she coughed, but nothing came out.
She glared resentfully at Chi Shen but dared not attack again. The previous clash made it clear to her that the person—or perhaps not quite a person—in front of her was not one she could provoke.
But why would such a monster pretend to be weak and deceive a mere ghost like her?
Under the dim streetlight, Chi Shen approached her, knife in hand, with a gentle smile on his face.
His handsome and affable appearance contrasted starkly with the monster the floral-dress woman perceived. She tried desperately to remove herself from the ice spike.
With each step Chi Shen took, her efforts became more frantic. She was willing to tear a massive hole in herself if it meant escaping from this place.
Crisp cracks sounded from her chest. Her skin split and flaked off like a crispy pastry, bones breaking. Finally, she managed to free herself from the ice spike!
Chishen was now within a meter of her.
The cold hand emerging from the shadow still imprisoned her ankle. With a swift motion and a snapping sound, her brittle leg broke right at the calf. Without caring about the half of the leg still clutched in the shadow's grip, she immediately ran.
"Don't be so frightened," Chishen's blade reflected a chilling gleam. He stepped on the trailing end of her floral dress, "I merely invited you to visit my home."
The blue-white floral hem of her dress tensed, and the ghostly woman looked ready to cut it off.
"I'm not a bad person." Chishen walked over, stepping on her dress hem, gently raising his knife, his smile as warm as ever. "Trust me, I just want to inquire about your company's future prospects."
The female ghost wore an expression of sheer disbelief, severing her dress and sprinting away.
"It can't be helped, then." Watching the limping silhouette of the floral dress, a hint of regret appeared in Chishen's eyes.
"I believe my demeanor has been quite friendly," Chishen mumbled to himself, given he was the only one on the platform, "Is my smile not sincere enough?"
Jixing Chen emerged from his shadow, seemingly reluctant to speak. However, looking at the knife in Chishen's hand, he commented, "Very sincere."
With the affirmation from Jixing Chen, Chishen's mood lifted considerably, and he merrily proceeded.
The woman in the floral dress hadn't run far when she noticed a handsome man standing ahead. Beside him was a shadowy figure wearing glasses, both staring at her.
Abruptly stopping, she attempted to change direction and continue her escape, but before she could, someone gripped her neck.
"Come home with me," Chishen casually lifted her by the nape of her neck, dragging her towards his mansion like a sack, "Many friends await you at my place; I'm sure you'll get along."
The woman stretched out a hand, scraping at the ground, desperately trying to distance herself from this demon. Yet her feeble resistance was in vain, leaving only a trail of skin that quickly dissipated into a dark mist.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Bai mansion, Chishen pushed open the main door, and the woman, filled with dread, ceased her struggle.
She realized the handsome man was right; if this was his home, she indeed dared not enter.
Whether in the rooms or lurking beneath the eaves, numerous spirits were hidden, each more terrifying than she.
She didn't dare make a sound, doing her best to minimize her presence, hoping none of the spirits would notice her.
Yet, the journey remained quiet. The ghosts lurking in the shadows merely observed, none emerging to greet them. Thus, they arrived at a door.
Chishen glanced down the hallway. The body of He Chao had been cleaned up, no traces of blood or lingering spirits remained.
Yet what he beheld was not any of these. Pushing open the intricately carved wooden door, Chi Shen peered inside. As expected, the lady in red had vanished.
However, that ghost was not the sole entity in his room; another lurked within the wardrobe.
Initially, it was a noise from the wardrobe that roused him. Investigating the sound led to his encounter with the red-clad specter emerging from the mirror, which in turn frightened him to the ground, casting him into the realm of a deathly game.
Thus, the presence of something in the wardrobe was hardly surprising.
"Has someone been here?" Chi Shen inquired, directing his gaze towards the wardrobe.
"Yes," a muffled voice emerged from within, tinged with bewilderment and confusion. "The young master of the Bai family entered in haste, wearing his pajamas. He took a hurried look around and left. The blood on his chest looked rather striking."
Chi Shen recalled Bai Wan's promise to help him the previous night. Was this her idea of assistance?
Although unaware of Bai Ran's ordeal from the night before, Chi Shen was certain it wasn't pleasant. The lingering question was whether the Bai family would trace events back to this old mansion.
"Where's your roommate?" Chi Shen looked around once more.
At this moment, seeing that she was unnoticed, the lady in the floral dress tried to sneak under the bed. However, halfway through, she retreated in a panic. Lying beneath the bed was the one-armed lady in red, baring her teeth, shooing her away.
"Here!" The lady in red pointed assertively towards the bed with her remaining arm, staking her claim. "Mine!"
Chi Shen glanced in her direction: "…?"
The ghostly lady in red momentarily shrank back before dutifully crawling out and sidling up next to Chi Shen.
Ji Xing Chen adjusted his glasses and then proceeded to tug the lady in the floral dress closer.
After a brief contemplation, Chi Shen decided to prioritize the matter at hand. He wasn't particularly concerned with the Bai family's affairs. As long as they didn't hinder his job search, it mattered little. Currently, his primary concern was his future employment, given it pertained to his sustenance.
Aiming for a sustainable future at a prospective company, Chi Shen had invited a "colleague" over to inquire about the firm. Unexpectedly, the colleague seemed disinclined to converse, intent only on fleeing. Thus, Chi Shen resorted to a more "persuasive" approach to bring him back.
"Is there something I can assist you with?" Chi Shen gently patted the red-clad specter's head, turning to the floral-dressed lady. He decided to foster some rapport with his new colleague.
The lady in the floral dress, no longer daring to run, stood forlornly in the center of the room. One of her legs, broken and resembling dried wood, did not impede her ability to stand motionless. Her head drooped, remaining silent, a gaping hole evident on her chest.
Upon hearing Chi Shen's voice, her eyes flickered, and she began to laugh softly: "Hehe, hehehe."
With great patience, Chi Shen inquired again: "Perhaps you could tell me how you met your end?"
"Follow him, follow him and you'll be free," the laughter of the girl in the floral dress echoed, "Hehehe, I want out."
Chi Shen gazed at the withered figure in the floral dress, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "You're talking about our Li Zhu Ce?"
This time, the floral-dressed ghost fell silent, her laughter gone. She lowered her head and gently smoothed out the creases on her dress, her twig-like fingers moving delicately, saying nothing.
“Never mind. I'll find out for myself.” Chi Shen conceded, realizing that communicating with spirits, bound by their final moments, was challenging. They often forgot their identities, holding onto only the obsessions that kept them tethered.
He had hoped to adjust to a more normal existence, like having regular conversations. But facing a ghost who struggled to articulate herself, he resigned to figuring things out on his own.
With a subtle shift in his gaze, Chi Shen's eyes darkened, peering deeper.
He first saw a blue floral dress, cherished by a young girl who had preserved it lovingly. Today, she chose to wear it to meet the one she loved.
She had ironed out its creases and dolled herself up, even donning the popular style of that era, reminiscent of Kudo Shizuka. With a heart full of anticipation, she stepped outside.
But she never met her beloved. As she passed an orchard, a man violently dragged her away, staining her blue and white floral dress.
Darkness soon enveloped her. In this black void, the girl grew cold as her neck bore a gash from her attacker's blade. With her head tilted down on a wooden board, she could hear the sound of her lifeblood dripping into a pan below.
She wanted to scream, but the slit throat denied her a voice. She wanted to fight, but her limbs felt nonexistent.
As her blood drained, the girl, overwhelmed by immense despair, transformed into a vengeful spirit.
Subsequent memories became fragmented and chaotic. Years later, a man named Li Xu pushed open the long-sealed door. Ghosts already clung to him, and among them was the girl in the floral dress. She latched onto him, departing the cabin where she had met her end.
The skill of empathy has its limitations. Chi Shen can only see what the vengeful spirit remembers. If the spirit forgets something, he remains oblivious to it.
Judging by the time, the death of the girl in the floral dress occurred at least twenty years ago.
Chi Shen understood why the girl in the floral dress was drawn to Li Xu. Li Xu naturally attracted spirits, but her death…
He reached for his phone, intending to research the case for any leads. Suddenly, the phone vibrated - an incoming call. The screen displayed two characters:
Bai Ba.
