The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 15

Following Han Hai’er’s directions, Zuo Lihua arrived in front of a dilapidated building.

Under the moonlight, the cracks in the walls were clearly visible, with peeling paint and scattered debris of broken bricks and tiles all around. A bright red “Demolish” character was spray-painted on the wall, glaringly conspicuous.

Zuo Lihua stared at the wide-open, rickety wooden door and hesitated. “Are you sure I won’t be sold off once I step inside?”

Han Hai’er lazily lifted her eyelids. “Stop the nonsense!”

“…”

Clutching her coat, Zuo Lihua reluctantly stepped inside.

She regretted not wearing something more practical, the long coat was cumbersome and prone to picking up dust.

Though the house was run-down, its layout was similar to the previous one. Even with the yard overgrown with weeds, Zuo Lihua easily found the door to the main room.

As soon as she entered, an inexplicable sense of being watched sent a chill down her spine, making her tense up.

She tightened her coat and instinctively moved closer to Han Hai’er.

A coldness, as if emanating from the underworld, seeped into her, chilling her body but oddly warming her heart.

“What’s going on here?” Zuo Lihua’s voice trembled.

It was too strange. Even when sharing a bed with Han Hai’er, she had never felt such an overwhelming fear, as if every pore of her body was exposed to danger.

Suddenly, she stepped on something round and lost her balance, stumbling sideways.

Zuo Lihua let out a shriek and closed her eyes, bracing for the pain of gravity’s pull.

Then, an icy hand grabbed her arm.

Assuming it was Han Hai’er, she was about to thank her when the grip tightened relentlessly. Even after she regained her balance, the pressure continued to increase, as if intent on crushing her bones.

Her words of gratitude turned into a cry of pain.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Easy, easy…” As she spoke, Zuo Lihua turned to look and froze, her pupils contracting in terror.

The one holding her wasn’t Han Hai’er at all, it was a female ghost she had never seen before!

The ghost had pale skin, disheveled hair, and wore a tattered leopard-print dress. A gruesome gash split her neck, the flesh curled outward like burnt, sliced rubber.

Her sunken pupils stared unblinkingly at Zuo Lihua, radiating an eerie malevolence.

Deep fear flashed in Zuo Lihua’s eyes, but she didn’t scream. In that moment, she was quieter than an insect on the roadside.

She exerted a slight force, trying to free her arm with her other hand before it snapped.

The leopard-print ghost loosened her grip for a moment, then suddenly tightened it again, trapping both of Zuo Lihua’s hands in her own.

The sudden turn of events made Zuo Lihua realize how foolish her attempt had been, but there was no time to dwell on it. The ghost’s other hand began creeping up her arm.

Like climbing a rope, the ghost alternated her grip, inching closer and closer to Zuo Lihua.

Zuo Lihua leaned back involuntarily, her ears ringing with the buzz of terror.

As she shifted, her field of vision expanded, no longer dominated solely by the leopard-print ghost. To her horror, she realized five or six other female ghosts were standing before her.

Each was disheveled and dressed in tattered, mismatched clothes, but all shared the same curled, gash-like wound on their necks, as if they had met identical fates.

Han Hai’er stepped forward from behind, supporting Zuo Lihua’s back before pulling her into an embrace, his expression cold as he stared down the female ghosts.

Zuo Lihua, caught in the middle, trembled with fear.

After about twenty seconds, the ghost in the tiger-skin skirt released Zuo Lihua.

She tried moving her arm, sore, aching, and numb. She was certain there were several dark bruises on her skin.

Han Hai’er gave a slight nod to the ghosts, then grabbed Zuo Lihua by her outer garment, hoisting her up and dragging her into the pitch-black inner room.

Zuo Lihua stumbled and swayed as she was pulled along. No sooner had she steadied herself than she came face-to-face with another ghost.

This one had only the upper half of its body. The inner room was too dark, with no moonlight seeping in, making it impossible for Zuo Lihua to see its face clearly.

But this ghost seemed far less amiable than the ones outside. It clawed at the ground, mouth agape, and charged at Zuo Lihua like a fly drawn to blood.

Terrified, Zuo Lihua stumbled backward, instinctively covering her mouth. Her pink pupils dilated with fear.

She had never witnessed such a scene before.

Just as the half-bodied ghost lunged at her, Han Hai’er snatched it mid-air, twisted it forcefully, and split it into two halves. Flesh and gore splattered, landing near Zuo Lihua’s feet, writhing briefly before turning to dust and vanishing.

With the danger gone, Zuo Lihua finally let out a sigh of relief, realizing she was drenched in cold sweat.

Han Hai’er pressed his lips together, seemingly pleased with her reaction. “Well done. Keep it up from now on.”

Zuo Lihua didn’t understand. She tried to speak and ask for clarification but found her throat as if choked, unable to make a sound. After a few attempts and adjusting her throat muscles, she finally managed to speak.

“Keep… what?”

Han Hai’er replied, “Don’t make a sound.”

Oh.

Zuo Lihua covered her mouth again.

She still wanted to ask about the money, were they supposed to rob the ghosts of their spirit money? But since Han Hai’er forbade her from speaking, she could only watch him with wide, pink crystal-like eyes, silently observing.

Han Hai’er explained, “The ghosts outside are the spirits of murdered women who died with grievances. This is where the killer hides the bodies. He’ll be here soon.”

Zuo Lihua: “…”

Murderer. Hidden bodies. Coming soon.

Each word was something she could look up in a dictionary, but strung together, they were utterly terrifying.

She was just a helpless, pitiful pop star, someone who’d recently been plagued by baseless scandals. How had she ended up face-to-face with a murderer?

“So,” Zuo Lihua whispered, her voice trembling, “if even all these ghosts can’t deal with him, can you defeat the killer?”

She had heard that ghosts either feared or were unafraid of two types of people: those with strong fate elements and those with ruthless personalities. A murderer was clearly ruthless, and possibly even blessed with a strong fate. Unsure if her memory was correct, she decided to ask.

The reply she received only boosted her confidence in her recollection.

Han Hai’er let out a short, dry laugh. “I can’t defeat him.”

Zuo Lihua: “…”

“I haven’t been dead for long. It’s only natural that my powers are still weak.”

Zuo Lihua thought for a moment, then asked uncertainly, “Among the ghosts outside, which of you…”

“Of course it’s me,” Han Hai’er paused, and under Zuo Lihua’s slightly relieved gaze, she added the second half of the sentence: “temporarily weaker. In fact, the reason they didn’t devour you is because I promised to help them bring the murderer to justice and assist them in peacefully reincarnating.”

Good grief, no wonder they were so polite earlier, even engaging in conversation. She had thought it didn’t match Han Hai’er’s character!

Zuo Lihua covered her face in despair.

…Was she going to die here today? Become another victim of the murderer, adding another member to the female ghosts in this house.

As if echoing her thoughts, a heavy set of footsteps approached from the main entrance, growing closer and closer.

Someone was coming in.

Zuo Lihua was startled and scrambled behind the wall on all fours. Han Hai’er whispered in her ear, “I’ve checked. This person has a bounty of 200,000. In a moment, knock him out and then call the police.”

The footsteps had already entered the room. Zuo Lihua crouched behind a pile of broken tables and chairs, not daring to make a sound.

Easier said than done! Knock him out? How was she supposed to do that?

She peeked through the cracks in the wooden planks and saw a man of average height standing in the room. He was slightly hunched over, looking around, with someone slung over his shoulder.

That person’s long hair was soaked with blood, dripping steadily.

It seemed like he had just killed someone…

But why were there still people like this in modern society? Wasn’t it already 2202?

Zuo Lihua’s mind raced with wild thoughts when suddenly, the man sharply turned his gaze toward her.

Zuo Lihua’s breath caught, and her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.

Had she been discovered???

Her mind was in chaos as she silently took a step back.

Beneath her feet was soft soil. She stepped on it and nearly toppled backward.

What was this?

Zuo Lihua turned around and discovered a patch of freshly turned soil behind her.

The floor tiles were gone, replaced by finely spread soil. She had once visited the countryside during farming season, and the fields prepared for planting looked exactly like this.

Could it be…

A terrifying thought crossed Zuo Lihua’s mind.

The footsteps stopped right in front of her. Her pupils contracted, and she abruptly turned her head,

Before her was the man’s face, looking down at her from above.

Their eyes met, and both wore expressions of shock.

The man hadn’t expected someone to be here, and even he couldn’t help but be startled.

Zuo Lihua’s heart skipped a beat, and her vision darkened slightly.

“Now!”

Something was thrust into her hand. Driven by the instinct to survive, Zuo Lihua didn’t hesitate and swung the object in her hand with all her might toward the man.

A dull thud echoed loudly in the darkness.

This was followed by the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. The man collapsed face-down.

The force was so great that Zuo Lihua’s hand tingled from the recoil.

Only then did she see clearly what she was holding, a square, solid brick. One side was gripped in her hand, while the other was stained with warm, bright red blood.

“!”

Zuo Lihua’s hand went limp, and the brick fell to the ground beside the man.

The crisis was over, but Zuo Lihua felt no relief. Her mind went blank, her face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

The brick had been so powerful… Had she… killed someone?