The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 14

“A mystic?” The woman’s doubtful gaze shifted back and forth between the burly man and Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua, wrapped tightly in an overcoat, a hat, and a face mask, didn’t look like a respectable person at all.

Rather than a mystic, she seemed more convincing as a mistress.

The woman didn’t recognize brands, but the fabric and style of this person’s clothes looked expensive. She knew exactly what kind of man her husband was, if he could latch onto someone of such high status, even a pig could fly.

With that thought, her anxious heart settled back into place.

“What kind of mystic are you?” the woman asked Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua finally shifted her gaze away from the desiccated ghost, a suspicion forming in her mind: Could Han Hai’er have sent her here to catch ghosts?

But she had no idea how to catch ghosts!

Immediately afterward, a second thought flashed through her mind: Wow, so there really are ghosts other than Han Hai’er.

If that’s the case, are all those ghost-summoning techniques real? Elevator ghosts, spirit boards, Sadako and Kayako… I wonder how they compare to Han Hai’er in terms of power?

Zuo Lihua’s mind was prone to jumping from one thought to another, but none of it showed on her face.

“I’m not a mystic,” she said. “I just happened to pass by and noticed something unusual in your house, so I came in to take a look.”

The desiccated ghost suddenly glared at her, its shriveled black eye sockets oozing blood, as terrifying as a corpse in the desert suddenly coming to life. It seemed to be warning her not to meddle.

Zuo Lihua instinctively averted her gaze, thinking to herself: This has nothing to do with me. A ghost sent me here.

Seeing that its threat had no effect, the desiccated ghost pressed its hand against the child’s chest and shifted slightly toward Zuo Lihua, growling, “Money… money!!”

The burly man asked her, “What did you see?”

Zuo Lihua replied, “Money?”

The man froze, his face instantly turning pale.

“Money, money, money, what’s all this talk about money!” the woman shouted, her eyes fixed intently on her husband. “We’re so poor we can’t even afford food. Where would we get money?”

Han Hai’er explained, “Money can make ghosts turn millstones. They used dark arts to summon a millstone-turning ghost to do their bidding, but they didn’t pay it afterward. Now the ghost is here to collect its debt and plans to take their son’s life in exchange.”

Zuo Lihua blinked, thinking: So you can really play it this way?

“You two,” Zuo Lihua’s voice was as gentle as a babbling brook, instantly drawing the couple’s attention. “It’s one thing to owe money to people, but how could you even think of cheating a ghost? People might give you an extension, but ghosts don’t play by those rules.”

“What ghost’s money…” The woman trailed off mid-sentence, suddenly freezing as she turned to look at the trash can.

There, half of a paper slip lay quietly, with a painted eye faintly visible, staring roundly as if watching her son.

The woman shuddered and turned back to her husband. “What exactly have you done?!”

The man’s face was ashen, his words stumbling. “Great mystic, it’s a long story. Why don’t we sit down and discuss it over tea?”

While they were talking, Han Hai’er had already approached the bed and grabbed the desiccated ghost by the neck as if it were a goose.

Zuo Lihua said, “No need. I’m in a hurry. We’ll save your son, and you’ll pay us.”

Han Hai’er yanked the desiccated ghost off the bed.

The child’s breathing visibly steadied.

The woman gasped in surprise and exclaimed joyfully, “Has the great mystic worked her magic?”

The big man hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, then gritted his teeth and asked, “How much?”

Good question, Zuo Lihua had no idea.

She instinctively glanced at Han Hai’er, who had pinned the zombie ghost to the ground, gripping its arms with one foot planted firmly on its back, staring down at it from above.

Zuo Lihua had a vague feeling that they were communicating.

Clearly, Han Hai’er was too preoccupied to pay her any attention.

This family clearly had no money. If she asked for too much, they wouldn’t be able to afford it. If she asked for too little… she didn’t really care, but would Han Hai’er get angry?

If Han Hai’er got angry, Zuo Lihua was quite certain that the one being stepped on might very well become her.

After much deliberation, she tossed the question right back at him: “Give whatever you think is appropriate.”

The big man and the woman exchanged a glance before he turned and went into the inner room.

“Great Immortal, what happened to my son? Was he possessed by that thing?” the woman tentatively asked Zuo Lihua.

If she had initially suspected Zuo Lihua was a fraud, her doubts vanished in an instant. Her son was no longer gasping for breath, his fever had subsided somewhat, and she had already been seventy percent inclined to believe in such matters. She no longer questioned Zuo Lihua’s authenticity.

Zuo Lihua wasn’t sure how to explain it either, after all, she wasn’t the real “Great Immortal.” After a moment’s thought, she said, “Something like that. But debts must be repaid, it’s a universal truth, no matter which world you’re in. Later, burn some spirit money with sincerity, prepare some offerings like dumplings and incense, and make sure to specify that you’re repaying a debt when you burn them. Do this for seven consecutive days, and it should be enough.”

Of course, this wasn’t Zuo Lihua’s own idea, she was merely repeating what Han Hai’er had told her.

Even as she spoke, she found it absurd. Han Hai’er, a ghost herself, was teaching others how to send off ghosts. What was the difference between that and a mosquito teaching people how to effectively repel mosquitoes?

The woman eagerly agreed, and the big man emerged from the inner room, holding a stack of cash.

He handed the money to Zuo Lihua somewhat awkwardly. “Great Immortal, I’m truly sorry, but our family doesn’t have much. Is this enough…”

Zuo Lihua had never received money like this before. She had never been troubled by financial difficulties in her life and had no idea how much this stack amounted to. For some reason, she felt a little embarrassed.

“What matters is the sincerity of the gesture…” She paused mid-sentence, then added, “You borrowed something. When you summoned the little ghost, you said ‘borrow.’ The ghost helped you, which was an act of ‘giving.’ Now, when settling the debt, you must say ‘repay.'”

The big man immediately understood her meaning and shouted, “Repay the debt! Repay the debt!”

The moment the money touched Zuo Lihua’s hand, Han Hai’er exerted force, and the desiccated ghost let out a piercing scream before vanishing on the spot.

However, its disappearance wasn’t entirely clean. It seemed Han Hai’er had crushed it with such force that it exploded, leaving dark, shadowy residues scattered all over the room, on the table, the sofa, the floor, everywhere except the bed.

Noticing her confusion, Han Hai’er explained, “These are lingering remnants of resentment. Once this family shows genuine sincerity, the remnants will dissipate on their own.”

Now Zuo Lihua understood, this was the reason behind having them burn spirit money and incense.

The child on the bed let out a dreamlike murmur, but his breathing had steadied.

“His fever’s gone! It’s really gone!” The woman was so overjoyed she nearly burst into tears, her gaze toward Zuo Lihua burning with fervor, as if she were beholding a living deity.

Not daring to take credit, Zuo Lihua quickly made her farewells.

When they left, just as when they had arrived, the burly man escorted them out. Stepping into the courtyard, Zuo Lihua followed Han Hai’er’s guidance and shouted, “Repay the debt!”

The dark clusters in the courtyard automatically scattered, clearing a path for Zuo Lihua.

Watching this scene, Zuo Lihua’s heart pounded wildly.

It seemed she had stepped into an extraordinary realm, and there was no turning back.

The burly man couldn’t see the clusters, but hearing the “Great Immortal” shout, he echoed, “Repay the debt! Repay the debt!” However, the dark energy clusters paid him no mind, remaining motionless as he stepped over them, clinging to his shoes and trouser legs.

After seeing off the “Great Immortal”, the burly man returned inside. As soon as he entered, he saw his wife staring at the trash can as if facing a formidable enemy.

Puzzled, he walked over and saw that the torn paper had already turned into black ash, settled at the bottom of the trash can, exuding an inexplicable sense of calm.

The burly man felt a chill run down his spine and said, “We can’t use this trash can anymore. I’ll go throw it away.”

“Let’s do it tomorrow. It’s so late now, just leave it in the courtyard overnight.” the woman replied, feeling scared but even more afraid that her husband might not return if he went out now.

…

On the street, Zuo Lihua and Han Hai’er walked side by side, heading to the next house under Han Hai’er’s direction.

Zuo Lihua couldn’t help but complain, why were there so many strange things in this village?

“How much?” Han Hai’er asked Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua wasn’t used to counting money and did it slowly. “Two thousand.”

Han Hai’er curled her lip disdainfully. “You’re no good. How come it’s only this little?”

Zuo Lihua: “?” We went together, are you sure it’s just me who’s no good?