After the Goddess's Tragic Death, I Drew My Sword to Slay Ghosts - Chapter 5 - The Eerie Laughter of the Woman in Red

I looked at Ye Manman, my heart filled with rage. I gritted my teeth and said, “Manman, I swear I’ll save you! Damn Yang Lei! Even if it costs me my life, I’ll take him down and avenge you! Tell me, how can I save you?”

Ye Manman, with tears in her eyes, smiled at me. She shook her head and was about to say something when her expression suddenly changed. “You need to leave, they’re coming…”

Before she could finish her sentence, a thick black fog rose at the end of the intersection. Moments later, the figures of a dozen men appeared within it. They were clearly ghosts too.

One of them, a male ghost with a scarred face, spoke in a strange tone, “0217… The runaway must be punished.”

As he spoke, they charged at Ye Manman!

The Young Security Guard had mentioned that Ye Manman’s ghost was still suffering. It was clear these were the ones tormenting her!

Instinctively, I grabbed Ye Manman’s hand. “Run!”

Her wrist was ice cold. I pulled her along, and we started running.

The scarred ghost shouted in that eerie tone, “0217, you even found a helper! Brothers, take the living person too.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Manman immediately let go of my hand and pushed me away. “Run! Don’t let them catch you! Zhou Yi, you can’t save me. Live well! For me… live well!”

Her push sent me sprawling to the ground. When I looked up again, Ye Manman had already been caught by the group. They tied a rope around her neck, like a dog, and started dragging her towards the intersection.

“Manman!” I shouted.

After capturing Ye Manman, they lost interest in me. They dragged her into the black fog at the intersection. Her eyes never left mine, filled with sorrow. Her lips moved as if she were saying something to me, but I couldn’t hear from the distance.

In the next moment, they all disappeared into the black fog.

I pounded the ground in frustration, angry at my own helplessness. How could I save her? She was such a good person. She shouldn’t be suffering even after death!

As I wallowed in despair, a gust of wind blew past, carrying a faint stench of decay. My heart skipped a beat. I looked in the direction of the smell and saw a figure in red emerging from the darkness. A woman with disheveled hair, wearing a red dress, was slowly floating towards me.

It was the Red-Dressed Female Ghost from last night! She had indeed latched onto me!

Terrified, I quickly reached into my backpack and pulled out Ma Xiaohu’s jacket. It was a thin, gray sun-protection jacket. Following the old master’s instructions, I draped it over my head like a veil. Under the streetlight, the jacket’s fabric was like a thin layer of gauze in front of my eyes.

Holding my breath, I retreated to the streetlight, not daring to make a sound. Through the fabric, I could see the red figure getting closer, only a few meters away.

I heard the woman muttering, “He was just here… Where did he go? Zhou Yi, where are you hiding?”

Her voice was sharp and hoarse, as if her vocal cords had been slit. I certainly wasn’t going to answer her.

Then, to my horror, she started moving towards me. The stench of decay grew stronger. She was getting closer…

What was happening? Was the jacket not working?

The woman was almost face-to-face with me. I could hear her eerie laughter as she said, “I can hear your heartbeat… hehe…”

I was petrified. My heart pounded even harder. At that moment, the female ghost bent down, her head level with my chest. She slowly lifted her face, peering through the gap in the jacket, and locked eyes with me.

If I looked down, I would be staring directly at her corpse-spotted face. The stench was nauseating.

My scalp tingled, and I fought the urge to run. But the female ghost spoke again, “What’s your name?”

Wait! She didn’t recognize me?

It seemed the jacket was working. I replied as the old master had instructed, “My name is Ma Xiaohu.”

The female ghost made a sound of acknowledgment and asked, “Are you a fool?”

I responded, “Yes, I’m a fool.”

The female ghost fell silent, tilting her head slightly before asking, “Have you seen Zhou Yi? He looks like this…”

As she spoke, her face began to change, morphing into mine! The sight was incredibly eerie. I stared at the corpse-spotted version of myself and forced myself to stay calm. “No, I haven’t seen him.”

The Red-Dressed Female Ghost made another sound of acknowledgment. She straightened up and began to wander around, searching.

“Zhou Yi, I can hear your heartbeat. You can’t hide from me. I need you. Come out… hehe… I’ll find you…”

Her creepy tone made my hair stand on end. I could only pray she would leave soon.

But as time passed, the Red-Dressed Female Ghost showed no signs of leaving. Just then, I heard a commotion at the intersection. Through the jacket, I could vaguely see someone riding towards me.

An old voice called out, “Roasted sweet potatoes! Hot roasted sweet potatoes! Young man, want to buy a roasted sweet potato?”

The voice and the tricycle came closer. I was stunned. Who sells roasted sweet potatoes in the middle of the night? Could it be another ghost?

I quickly retreated and lifted the jacket slightly to peek. A few meters away, an old man, around sixty, had just parked a rickety tricycle. Under the streetlight, both he and the tricycle cast shadows.

I breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was human.

The old man smiled at me and pointed to his grill. “Young man, want to try one? Only a few left, I’ll sell them cheap.”

His presence attracted the attention of the Red-Dressed Female Ghost. She stood in front of his tricycle, staring at him with her lifeless eyes. But the old man couldn’t see her and continued talking to me.

“Young man, why are you wearing a child’s jacket on your head?”

The female ghost turned sharply, her eyes boring into me. She floated towards me, her toes barely touching the ground.

I was terrified. The female ghost spoke in a chilling tone, “Ma Xiaohu, take off your veil.”

My mind raced, and I replied, “No, my mom won’t let me.”

The female ghost seemed annoyed. “Who’s your mom?”

I said, “My mom is my mom.”

The female ghost’s rigid face twisted into a bizarre expression. “I don’t understand you. Just take off the veil…”

As she spoke, she suddenly reached out, aiming to rip the jacket off my head. I quickly dodged, holding the jacket tightly to prevent it from falling.

The female ghost seemed to realize something was amiss. Her face broke into a wide grin, her mouth stretching to her ears.

“You’re not a fool… hehe… you’re Zhou Yi…”

Damn. She had seen through my disguise!