Chapter 99

Gu Feiyin never thought she’d encounter a beautiful ghost one day. She was practically overjoyed. When she discovered that Baiyu Town was actually the Mu Village from her memories, she had wondered why none of the little ghosts there seemed familiar. She even speculated that they might have all been struck down by the Goddamn Heaven.

And now Xiao Yan had appeared-could her own “pit” be far behind?

“Xiao Yan, is that you?!”

“…”

The beautiful ghost stared at the long-haired woman, whose eerie smile only made her appear more sinister. Her dark, piercing eyes seemed full of malice. Yet, there was something strangely familiar about her. The only person who’d ever called her “Xiao Yan” was that particularly annoying long black straight-haired woman from decades ago. But wasn’t she supposed to have disappeared during a thunderstorm years ago?

Rumor had it that a little ghost had witnessed her battling an evil ghost on a stormy night, only to be obliterated by a bolt of heaven thunder. Not even a trace of her soul remained. All the ghosts agreed-she was done for. After all, no little ghost could survive the wrath of heaven thunder. If they weren’t scattered to the winds, they’d at least be struck dumb.

Xiao Yan had known the long black straight-haired woman for decades. To think she’d been wiped out by a single bolt of heaven thunder-it was both sad and regrettable. Reflecting on her own likely fate, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel a pang of melancholy. But only for a moment.

The beautiful ghost scrutinized the long-haired woman. How could this person possibly know her? Could she be someone connected to that little ghost with long black straight hair?

Her gaze shifted to the three monks nearby. One of them was a familiar face-Zong Nan’s disciple. He looked much older than the last time she’d seen him, so much so that she almost didn’t recognize him. What were these monks and this long-haired woman doing, digging up her grave?

As she puzzled over this, the long-haired woman suddenly waved her distorted hands and exclaimed, “It’s me! I’m Yinyin!”

The beautiful ghost froze for a moment. “………………??!!”

Without another word, she turned and dove into the muddy pit, disappearing without a trace.

Gu Feiyin: “???”

…

In the end, Gu Feiyin had to expend a tremendous amount of effort to crawl into the pit. Liao Yuan, the old monk, was left outside with Jingxing and Zhen Du to keep watch. As soon as they entered the pit, they felt the oppressive chill and the overwhelming Resentment Energy. The icy cold seemed to pierce through their layers of clothing, leaving them shivering.

Gu Feiyin was more than satisfied with the situation. The denser the Yin and resentment energy, the older the pit likely was. And the older the pit, the more valuable treasures it might contain. In modern society, even a random jar or vase from such a place could be considered an antique. While these items would ultimately have to be handed over to the state, she figured she could keep a few useful things for herself. Like the Ghost Money from the Ghost Lady’s pit-researchers wouldn’t need it, but it was perfect for her.

However, now that the pit’s owner turned out to be Xiao Yan, she felt hesitant to take anything. Besides, after so many years, Xiao Yan’s wealth was probably immeasurable. But why was this pit so close to her previous one? There was no need to move, was there?

As she walked further in, she began to feel an eerie sense of familiarity. The walls, the ground, the stones-all of it seemed so familiar. Even the twists and turns of the path felt like old friends.

Zhen Du asked her, “Shizhu Gu, do you know that female ghost?”

Jingxing added, “She doesn’t seem like the type to kill indiscriminately. Why is she catching ghosts?”

Liao Yuan simply smiled without saying a word.

Gu Feiyin stood there dumbfounded for a moment before clapping her hands in sudden realization. She let out an excited shriek and bolted forward. “Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan-!”

She was so ecstatic she could hardly contain herself. Of course the pit felt familiar-it was her own pit! She’d been searching for it for so long, and here it was.

She had lived here for decades. She knew every stone and corner like the back of her hand. Now, the more she looked, the more familiar and dear it all seemed. Overcome with excitement, she gestured wildly as she ran. She never expected Xiao Yan to be so kind as to guard her pit for all these years. What a bond they must share! Xiao Yan’s loyalty touched her deeply-she’d have to give her plenty of Gold Ingots as thanks.

Gu Feiyin’s shrieks and frantic running startled the little ghosts nearby. They thought something terrible had happened. Jingxing and Zhen Du were equally alarmed, wondering if Shizhu Gu had fallen under some sort of spell. They were about to follow her when Liao Yuan, the old monk, calmly stroked his beard. He wasn’t worried at all. Though he didn’t know the beautiful ghost personally, he had heard of her.

His Shifu had once mentioned that the mountains were home to many little ghosts. When his Sis Gu feared being captured by her Shifu, she would sometimes hide in other graves. One of those graves belonged to a beautiful ghost, likely the one they’d just seen.

Gu Feiyin, meanwhile, made her way to the main burial chamber with practiced ease. Sure enough, she found the beautiful ghost lying on her stone bed. She rushed over, her excitement bubbling over. “Xiao Yan! Xiao Yan! You’re amazing! You’ve been guarding my pit all this time. I’ll make sure to thank you properly.”

Xiao Yan: “…”

Xiao Yan: “Who are you? I don’t know you.”

Gu Feiyin: “???”

Gu Feiyin froze for a moment before realizing that Xiao Yan wouldn’t recognize her in her current form. After all, she was human now, not a ghost. It made sense that Xiao Yan wouldn’t recognize her. After all, she was probably the only ghost in existence who’d been struck by lightning and turned human.

She glanced around nervously before leaning in to whisper an explanation to Xiao Yan. She told her that she was Gu Feiyin, her neighbor of several decades, who had accidentally been struck by lightning and turned into a human.

Xiao Yan stared at her with a ghostly, skeptical gaze for a long moment before cracking a grin. “Who? I don’t know you.”

Gu Feiyin panicked. “It’s me! Gu Feiyin! We were neighbors for decades. I even stayed in your pit for a long time. Don’t you remember?”

“Oh, stop it. This pit is mine-and a friend’s-but it’s definitely not yours. Who are you trying to fool?”

“That friend is me, Xiao Yan,” Gu Feiyin insisted. “Your grave is on the neighboring hill. I know you’ve always liked good-looking people. Remember when the Handsome Monk came to our village? We spied on him together. Don’t you remember?”

Gu Feiyin didn’t notice that Xiao Yan’s face had turned a shade paler. They had spied on the monk, yes, but who was it that ran the fastest when they were caught?

Xiao Yan chuckled dryly. “My friend was a ghost, not a human.”

“…”

This was bad. Really bad. She hadn’t expected Xiao Yan to be so guarded, refusing to believe her at all.