Chapter 9

Gu Feiyin’s new job was at the amusement park next door, where she wore a big bear costume and handed out balloons to children.

This job was truly perfect for her. Once she put on the costume and the headpiece, not only were her front teeth hidden, but her entire body was out of sight! This was undoubtedly very accommodating for her. Besides, it was just handing out balloons, similar to distributing flyers, and without the hindrance of her missing teeth, she felt she could fully handle this job.

Of course, she had to thank the Red-Dressed Ghost for the new tip; otherwise, how could she have found such a suitable job?

However, she didn’t expect that after a whole day of handing out balloons, the Bunny next to her was surrounded by piles of children, with not enough hands to give out balloons, and the kids were even competing to take photos and play with him. In contrast, her side was deserted, and most of the balloons she prepared were left. In the end, the Bunny had to help her distribute them, and of course, no children came to take photos with her…

Facing the head-shaking sighs of her supervisor, she slumped her head in defeat, holding the fifty yuan she earned, feeling embarrassed.

She never thought handing out balloons would be harder than handing out flyers!

Was it because she wasn’t trying hard enough?

The Red-Dressed Ghost was almost laughing herself to death. Just like how she inexplicably felt some wariness towards the Long-haired Woman, always sensing something dangerous about her presence, which made her very uncomfortable, it seemed the children were even more sensitive, not daring to get close to her even through the costume.

“Stop laughing,” Gu Feiyin said with a serious expression. “I feel like the supervisor’s look is very familiar, and I have a bad premonition.”

The Red-Dressed Ghost: “Hahahaha, you feel like you’re about to be fired too?”

Gu Feiyin: “…No, it can’t be, right?”

The Red-Dressed Ghost: “With your performance, who else would they fire but you?”

Gu Feiyin: “………”

…

Dinner was still at the hospital, with a meal of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, which was really good. She absent-mindedly picked at her boxed meal, thinking about how to improve her work performance. She really didn’t want to lose such a good job. If nothing else, she would have to ask the Bunny for advice tomorrow.

Thinking back to when she was a ghost, she had no such pressures. When she was hungry, she would just go find a Malevolent Ghost to eat, fight if necessary, and run if she couldn’t win. Moreover, eating a Malevolent Ghost also meant inheriting their legacy. As a former billionaire, why would she need to work?

But now, with the tiger fallen to the plains, every step in this world costs money, and without money, it’s truly impossible to move.

She glanced at the male ghost crawling on the floor, his broken leg dragging behind him. The Resentment Energy around him was growing thicker and more intense, showing signs of evolving into a Malevolent Ghost. Once he became a Malevolent Ghost, he could serve as a tasty little snack for her.

She licked her lips. The Yin Energy she had absorbed from Bi Heng last time hadn’t been particularly flavorful, but it had certainly been filling.

The male ghost on the floor suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his entire body turning icy cold.

He looked up at the Red-Dressed Ghost floating in mid-air, both fearful of her and wishing she would disappear. His heart was filled with resentment that had nowhere to go. If it weren’t for her, how could he have died in that car accident? If he hadn’t died, he would still be the general manager of the Li Clan, with a beautiful wife in his arms and a child on the way. He would have had a perfect family and a successful career. If it weren’t for this woman, how could he have ended up in this wretched state?

The Red-Dressed Ghost took one look at the man’s expression and knew exactly what he was thinking. She sneered coldly, “Zhao Xing, after all this time, you still refuse to repent! You think I ruined you? Ha! Don’t forget, everything you had was thanks to my Li Family! If I hadn’t been blind enough to fall for you, if I hadn’t trusted you, my father would never have handed the company over to you!”

“My father had only been gone for six months when you started scheming. I was nine months pregnant, grieving the loss of my father, and yet you secretly got involved with Zhang Xinxin, plotting to turn my Li Family into your Zhao Family! You being hit by that car was divine justice, and you brought it upon yourself! Now, your beloved Xinxin is using your money to support another man, and your child is calling someone else ‘Dad.’ This is the karma you deserve!”

The Red-Dressed Ghost threw her head back and laughed, her crimson dress becoming even more ghastly. In her hand, she formed a long whip made of condensed Resentment Energy, lashing it down on Zhao Xing again and again. The pain forced him to roll on the ground, writhing in agony, but he was powerless to fight back.

The small amount of malice he had managed to accumulate was quickly whipped away.

Gu Feiyin shook her head regretfully, then focused on finishing her boxed meal meticulously. She planned to go back and get a good night’s sleep, adjusting herself for another day of work tomorrow.

Just as she tossed the empty box and was about to bid farewell to the Red-Dressed Ghost, an ambulance rushed in, delivering a patient. She casually glanced over and realized the patient looked familiar. Upon closer inspection, she recognized him as one of the kids who had come to play the other night-Tao Lizhi, if she remembered correctly.

She hadn’t thought much of it at first, assuming he’d just fallen ill from playing too hard and needed some rest. But this time, she was surprised. The kid, who had been perfectly fine before, was now surrounded by a thick cloud of Resentment Energy, which was slowly devouring his Yang Energy.

Gu Feiyin took a couple of steps closer, sniffed the air, and took a small taste. Huh, this flavor felt familiar? But it was really delicious. She wanted to take a few more bites, but the doctors and nurses had already hurriedly wheeled the cart away in panic.

Tao Lizhi wasn’t completely unconscious yet. He weakly opened his eyes, trying to stay alert, but everything around him seemed foggy. Amid the bustling crowd, he hazily saw a Long-haired Woman standing not far away, her eyes fixed on him, greedily sniffing the air as if he were some kind of delicacy! She looked somewhat familiar? Terrified, he recalled the encounter from that night, his eyes rolled back in fear, and he passed out completely.

“Not good, the patient has lost consciousness!”

“Doctor, doctor, please save my son!”

“Make way! Make way!”

In the midst of the chaos, Tao Lizhi was rushed to the emergency room.

…

When Gu Feiyin returned home that evening, she made a point to inform Neighbor Miss and the Old Lady about Tao Lizhi’s condition. She explained that he had been hospitalized, not only with a high fever but also wrapped in a cloud of Resentment Energy, which had already consumed half of his Yang Energy. “You should go see him when you have time. After all, it was you who scared him into this state. Though I’m not sure where he picked up all that Resentment Energy.”

The Old Lady: “…”

Neighbor Miss: “…”

Gu Feiyin returned to her room and noticed that the Old Lady’s sweeping skills were indeed top-notch. The floor was spotless, almost completely free of dust. She spread out her blanket and then headed to the public bathhouse next door for a hot shower. It was much more comfortable than washing her face in the cold water of the restroom, but since a bath cost over ten yuan, she couldn’t afford to go every day… The urgency of finding a job was becoming more pressing!

Feeling warm and cozy all over, she thought she’d sleep well that night. Little did she know, she’d have a nightmare about being fired, which jolted her awake in a cold sweat.

How terrifying! Such an ominous dream!

She patted her forehead, silently repeating to herself that dreams are the opposite of reality, then pulled the blanket over her and went back to sleep.

Tao Lizhi’s situation was even more terrifying. His fever had spiked to 39.5 degrees Celsius, nearly frying his brain. He’d taken plenty of fever reducers and was hooked up to an IV drip. By midnight, his temperature had finally dropped a bit, and he regained enough clarity to eat some porridge. Thinking he’d recover after a good night’s sleep, he dozed off. But in his half-asleep state, he felt something was terribly wrong-it was unusually cold, and he felt as if something was watching him.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw two figures standing by his bed.

One was a young woman with a few pebbles embedded in her forehead.

The other was an old lady clutching a broom.

When they noticed him looking, both of them grinned, revealing eerily sinister smiles-

“Ahhh-ghosts! Ghosts! There are ghosts!!”

“Help me!!!”

…

Mrs. Tao was on the verge of tears, and Mr. Tao was equally frustrated. They had no idea what was wrong with their son. A few days ago, he had come home talking about ghosts, and then he’d fallen seriously ill. Just when he seemed to be improving, he started acting up again, refusing to stay in the hospital, claiming that ghosts were following him and trying to harm him. He even begged them to hire Taoists to exorcise the spirits.

But how could there be ghosts in this world? He must have lost his mind from the fever.

The elderly couple was beside themselves with worry. Seeing their son’s complexion grow paler and his speech weaker, with his fever stubbornly refusing to break, they decided to humor him and hired a Taoist to perform an exorcism.

The Tao family’s situation had become quite the talk of the town. When Bi Heng heard about it from his mother, he was surprised. “Xiao Zhi is in trouble?”

“It’s his own fault for skipping school to go to some haunted house adventure. He must have stirred up something evil. Ever since he came back, he’s been running a high fever, and now… they say that thing even followed him to the hospital! Your aunt had to hire a Taoist to perform an exorcism. I’m going to check on them later. Let’s hope everything turns out fine.”

Bi Heng thought for a moment and said, “I’ll go with you.”

After breakfast, Bi Heng and his mother headed to the hospital. When they arrived, the Taoist was already there, waving a peachwood sword¹ around the room, poking at invisible threats. Tao Lizhi sat with his hands clasped together, his face full of devoutness, while Mr. and Mrs. Tao looked on, visibly pained.

Bi Heng: “…”

For some reason, he thought of the Long-haired Woman. She might have seemed eerie, but her abilities were undoubtedly formidable.

This Taoist, on the other hand, looked like a complete fraud.

…

When Gu Feiyin woke up in the morning, she was startled to find two ghosts standing by her bed. They loomed over her, their lifeless eyes fixed on her without blinking, just staring straight at her.

Gu Feiyin: “…”

She scratched her head, confused. “What’s going on?”

The two ghosts seemed to be in great shape, as if they’d just had a big meal and were still digesting. Their Resentment Energy had surged, almost to the point of bursting. She sniffed the air, recognizing the familiar scent and feeling a pang of envy. “Did you eat all the Resentment Energy from that kid?”

The two ghosts nodded expressionlessly, though they seemed to be suffering from indigestion, their bodies swollen and uncomfortable.

“Then you should move around to help digest it. Why are you staring at me?”

The Old Lady: “…”

Neighbor Miss: “…”

They gave her a heavy, lingering look, then tiptoed away, leaving behind two very disgruntled figures.

Gu Feiyin was equally baffled. Were they planning to regurgitate it for her to eat? That would be way too unhygienic.

Footnote:

1. 1. Peachwood Sword(桃木剑): A traditional Taoist ritual tool believed to ward off evil spirits and negative energies.