After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

◎What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of Rakshasa?◎

The ghost children beside the red-clothed girl seemed to receive an order and charged toward Mu Yao.

Mu Yao swiftly lashed out with the Soul-Hooking Chain wrapped around his right wrist. The slender chain snaked rapidly between the ghost children, binding one after another as they attempted to attack him. Seeing the ghost children touched by the chain freeze in place, the red-clothed girl’s spirit became visibly agitated.

Her illusory fingers sprouted sharp claws, which she scraped against her own cheeks, leaving trails that vanished as quickly as they appeared.

“Why do you have the power to resist! Die! Die! It’s you who made him angry, you who made him uneasy, you who let him drive me again and again—just go die!!”

Her roars and screams were piercingly shrill, making Mu Yao feel a throbbing pain in his brain as if it were under direct assault. He endured the headache to look at her; blood-red silk threads were flying wildly around her, signaling her unstable state. The girl’s youthful face was a mess of expressions—horrifically distorted and pained, yet containing a flicker of resistance.

Mu Yao’s movements paused. He suddenly realized that this red-clothed girl was also acting against her own will.

However, he would not show mercy. Having dealt with ghosts for years, he knew all too well how disastrous a moment of soft-heartedness could be; he had even been injured because of it before. If he were alone in the world, he might accept an injury from a moment of weakness. But now, his father’s death was suspicious and his mother was gravely ill. He had to find the truth and care for his mother—he had to ensure his own safety!

He manipulated the Soul-Hooking Chain to ward off the attacking ghost children. Most were toddlers around 3 or 4 years old, with the occasional older one not exceeding 6. The children, now turned into ghosts, rushed at Mu Yao with babbling cries, their “demonic voice” attack causing intense discomfort.

Just as he was pondering how to handle these children and reach the red-clothed girl, he felt a sudden weight on his leg. Ghosts should be weightless, but Mu Yao’s unique situation allowed him to feel the heaviness of spiritual bodies.

He looked down to find a little girl in a pink princess puff-sleeve dress, wearing a beautiful bow hairpiece, clutching his leg. The beautiful child stared straight at Mu Yao with hollow black eyes, her voice sweet and soft as she spoke.

“Brother, it’s so cold. The river water is so cold! My body is so heavy… Big sister is pulling my ankles, I can’t breathe…”

Mu Yao’s pupils constricted, his movements stiffening. When he first saw the sheer number of child ghosts in the village, he suspected their origins were wrong. Hearing this child’s words, he understood instantly.

Could it be that all these children were killed by this red-clothed girl—or rather, the hidden hand behind her?!

In his shock, his control over the Soul-Hooking Chain wavered. To make matters worse, the chain chose this moment to become disobedient, flying about wildly and jerking Mu Yao into a stumble.

Why now of all times?!

As the chain lost control, more ghost children took the opportunity to pounce. His legs were soon covered in them, and his hands were pinned. Mu Yao was frantic, sweat trickling from his neck into his collar. The red-clothed girl naturally didn’t miss this opening; she extended her razor-sharp nails and lunged straight for Mu Yao’s eyes.

It’s over!

Mu Yao instinctively closed his eyes and jerked his head aside, trying to dodge.

At this critical split second, the doors to the rear hall were suddenly kicked open. A gust of wind rushed in, fluttering the hem of the newcomer’s clothes. The figure was tall, wearing a Rakshasa mask that struck terror into both humans and ghosts alike. He stood there with an oppressive presence that could not be ignored.

“Ah!!”

In an instant, both the human and the ghosts in the room were drawn to the commotion at the door. Rakshasa did not waste this golden opportunity; he decisively raised his hand and flicked a prayer bead, striking the red-clothed girl on the shoulder.

The petite female ghost screamed and fled. Sensing her distress, the ghost children holding Mu Yao retreated like a receding tide, fearing they would be captured by this terrifying man in the Rakshasa mask who looked like a demon himself.

Rakshasa strode into the rear hall. He came to Mu Yao, looking at him sitting disheveled on the floor, and spoke with a mocking voice.

“In all my years at the Bureau, this is the first time I’ve seen an Impermanence lose control of his Soul-Hooking Chain and get mobbed by a bunch of toddlers under the age of four. Has the Underworld truly run out of capable people?”

Mu Yao felt a lump in his chest from the criticism, but he had no way to argue back. The man was right; he had been pinned by a group of child ghosts and nearly seriously injured by the girl. Mu Yao remained silent, simply standing up and dusting himself off.

“Playing dumb?” Rakshasa stood beside Mu Yao and suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing him to face him.

“…No.”

Mu Yao turned his head, and his eyes inadvertently caught several jagged scratch marks on the floor where the red-clothed girl had been standing. To see them clearly, he shook off Rakshasa’s arm and moved toward the marks.

He crouched down, lightly touching the traces on the ground. Beside them, he found several long strands of black hair and a blood-stained fingernail. The scratches were stained with dark blood, and Mu Yao could faintly make out the characters for “Sacrifice” and “Save.”

“Sacrifice and Save?” Mu Yao looked at the scratches, murmuring to himself. “Traces left by the female ghost… is this a hint about a sacrifice, and a plea to save her?”

Rakshasa walked to Mu Yao’s side, guessing as he looked at the marks. As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out toward Mu Yao.

“If your strength is lacking, don’t try to meddle in the affairs here. Remember what I said? If you interfere with my mission again, I won’t be polite. But if you give me that item, I might let you off the hook.”

Mu Yao looked down at Rakshasa’s extended palm. Beneath his magically blurred face, he wore an expression that said ‘I’d be a fool to believe you.’ He unceremoniously slapped the man’s hand away, and as Rakshasa quickly dodged, Mu Yao took the chance to distance himself.

“I won’t give it to you. I found it.”

“You really are… choosing the hard way!” The eyes behind the Rakshasa mask narrowed. The moment the last word left his mouth, he lunged at Mu Yao.

Mu Yao was naturally prepared. He quickly threw out a talisman. The talisman burst in mid-air with a ‘thump,’ turning into a room full of gray mist. The thick fog obscured vision and blocked Rakshasa’s offensive.

Seizing this perfect chance, Mu Yao hurried out of the rear hall with the items and ran toward the village. He knew he was currently no match for Rakshasa; he couldn’t face him head-on. If he couldn’t win the fight, couldn’t he at least win the race?!

With the mindset that there was no shame in running away, he vanished in a flash.

“Hmph, ungrateful little thing didn’t even say thank you? But he made a good judgment—ran fast. Heh, you won’t get away next time!” After the gray mist dissipated, Rakshasa snorted at the now empty hall.

Fearing he would be caught, Mu Yao didn’t dare stop for a second. He ran back to the inn and only felt safe once he reached his room. He took the hair and the fingernail out of his pocket and placed them on the table. He turned to find a small towel in his suitcase to wrap the two items.

“The female ghost doesn’t have a physical body, yet she left these two things behind. So strange.” Only now did he have the peace of mind to think carefully. Something felt off. “Did the ghost leave these, or were they already in the hall?”

He thought about it deeply. It was unlikely the ghost “produced” them, but they were definitely related to her. “If these items were already in the hall, could they be things she left behind when she was alive? I remember ghosts sometimes hide certain objects; could this be one of the clues?”

The more Mu Yao thought about it, the more it seemed likely. Since these two items were probably clues, they had to be preserved well.

Having stowed the hair and nail, Mu Yao looked down at the Soul-Hooking Chain on his wrist.

“…Big brother, I am begging you to give me some help. Even if you are a dharma treasure left by my dad and we haven’t fully bonded yet, you should pick your moments to be disobedient. Failing on me at such a critical moment today—are you trying to get me killed?”

Now that the danger had passed, Mu Yao was fuming at the chain for dropping the ball at the key moment! The Soul-Hooking Chain seemed to feel his anger and acted out a “drooping head and tail” performance in its chain form, though it remained coiled around his wrist.

“Acting pitiful won’t work. Don’t let it happen again!” Mu Yao poked the chain twice in warning.

The chain nodded twice with surprising spirit. Then, using its tail and body, it coiled itself into a single word in the air: Fear.

“Fear what? Are you afraid of Rakshasa?” Mu Yao asked tentatively.

The chain shook its “head,” then nodded.

“What do you mean? Are you not afraid? Or are you?” Mu Yao was completely bewildered. The chain his father left behind was often disobedient, but it was usually fierce against ghosts. This thing could hook the souls of malevolent spirits; why would it fear Rakshasa?

He couldn’t figure it out after a long time. Shaking his head, he re-disguised the chain as a necklace around his neck.

“Forget it, I can’t figure it out now. Regardless, I have more items than Rakshasa does; I’m one step ahead. I will definitely uncover the truth of this village and protect the crew!” Mu Yao lay on the bed, closed his eyes happily, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the morning, Mu Yao woke up on time to wash, changed into his female attire, and greeted the other guests. He found an out-of-the-way spot to quietly eat a comfortable, warm, local breakfast.

After the meal, the guests received their mission envelopes from the crew. After Qu Fu and Bi Tu finished their tasks, it was finally Mu Yao’s turn.

The task of the “Shrine Guardian” was to be completed at the village ancestral hall. Every year during the Mountain God Festival, Xiantao Village would specially select Shrine Guardians to perform a ritual dance to warm up for the celebration. Since this task involved the village’s beliefs, it was mainly promotional. Success would yield special gifts prepared by the Chief, while failure would result in an “indescribable” punishment.

At the mention of “indescribable punishment,” the guests all had a realization—it likely had a lot to do with their stomachs. Considering it might result in having no food to eat, everyone looked at Mu Yao earnestly.

“I understand. I’ll do my best to complete the task!”