The Beauty with Terrible Luck Falls in Love with a Ghost - Chapter 24.2

Zuo Lihua trembled, unable to speak.

Because the skinless ghost from the wardrobe was still climbing up her body, its bloody, mangled head, with visible brain matter, had already reached her chest.

“Hey!” Han Hai’er moved to Zuo Lihua’s side, crouched down, and lifted the skinning ghost by its head, pulling it away from Zuo Lihua. “Quite bold, aren’t you? How dare you covet what’s mine.”

The skin-flaying ghost seemed to know its end was near, struggling desperately as its neck twisted into an unnatural angle. Its rotting face, filled with greed, stared fixedly at Zuo Lihua.

Seeing Han Hai’er, Zuo Lihua seemed to regain her composure, her body relaxing instantly. Yet, it hadn’t fully shaken off the lingering fear. The disconnect between her mind and flesh felt like the exhaustion after intense exercise, a weary body paired with an alert mind, making her tremble uncontrollably.

She propped herself up with shaking arms and slid down along the wall to sit. Complaining to Han Hai’er, she said, “It hurt me. It really hurts.”

She wasn’t sure if Han Hai’er would care about her injury, but in all the time she had followed her, the other had never let her sustain physical wounds.

Sure enough, Han Hai’er’s expression darkened immediately upon hearing this. “How dare it? Die!”

“Heh…” The skin-flaying ghost twitched twice before turning into black ashes in Han Hai’er’s grasp, dissipating completely.

Zuo Lihua closed her eyes and took deep breaths.

She needed to calm down as quickly as possible.

Footsteps approached gradually and stopped beside her.

“Where are you hurt? Let me be clear, if you end up with scars or get uglier, I won’t keep you. I’ll just eat you and find another,” Han Hai’er muttered as she tilted Zuo Lihua’s head, examining her from side to side.

This mortal’s skin was too perfect, pores so fine they were invisible, not a single blemish or scar anywhere, and no unsightly moles. Han Hai’er adored it and couldn’t allow any flaws.

Fortunately, the skin-flaying ghost had thought the same, which was why it had targeted the scalp at the back of her head, hidden by her hair. A cut there would go unnoticed.

Han Hai’er looked at the bleeding wound and gently touched it.

“Ah!” Zuo Lihua gasped sharply and asked pitifully, “Is it bad?”

Han Hai’er narrowed her eyes. “The cut is shallow, only the surface. It’ll heal in two or three days.”

Zuo Lihua sounded skeptical: “Really?” But it was bleeding…

“As long as…” Han Hai’er’s voice dropped, more like she was talking to herself than to Zuo Lihua.

She pinched the back of Zuo Lihua’s neck and began rubbing gently.

The skin beneath her hand trembled, then convulsed as if electrified. Zuo Lihua couldn’t suppress a whimper, her hands lifting and falling as she wanted to cover the spot but didn’t dare with Han Hai’er there. She curled into a ball.

White flames ignited over the wound, burning into the flesh and drawing out thick, murky black fluid. Moments later, the fluid dissolved into the flames, and Zuo Lihua’s trembling ceased.

“Done.” Han Hai’er withdrew her hand, brushed the dust off her sleeves, and headed toward the wardrobe while taking off her coat.

As soon as she spoke, the alternating sensations of ice and fire vanished from Zuo Lihua’s body. She straightened up, leaning the back of her head against the wall as she breathed heavily, her forehead covered in cold sweat.

The wound no longer hurt as much, only a faint, slight pain remained, like a scratch on the surface of the skin.

But her legs were weak, and she couldn’t stand, so she had no choice but to rest against the wall.

After a while, Han Hai’er emerged, wearing a Fei Yangyang-themed pajama set and slippers that slapped softly against the floor. Seeing Zuo Lihua still leaning there with her eyes closed as if asleep, she walked over and nudged her leg with the soft toe of her slipper.

“Get up and take a bath. Time for bed.”

Zuo Lihua’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, her pink irises veiled with a misty sheen.

Han Hai’er was uncharacteristically at a loss for words.
“Scared?” she asked after a moment’s thought.

Zuo Lihua shook her head, then nodded.

Han Hai’er half-crouched, chin in hand. “That can’t be. I remember you being quite brave. When I first saw you, you didn’t even scream. I thought then, since you’re brave and pretty, I’d spare you for now. But after a few days with me, you’ve lost your nerve?”

Zuo Lihua: “…”

You’re overthinking it. I was just too terrified to make a sound.

Han Hai’er extended a hand. “Need help up?”

Zuo Lihua shook her head, biting her lip hard to suppress her trembling. “Why… did those things… come into our home?”

“You don’t know?”

“…No.”

Han Hai’er chuckled. “You’ve been marked by a curse, well, not exactly, but something similar. It weakens your life force and attracts evil beings like me. Think of yourself as a freshly roasted, fragrant chicken tossed onto the street. Anyone nearby can catch the scent.”

Zuo Lihua’s heart hammered violently.
Countless thoughts and suspicions flashed through her mind. When she spoke again, her voice came out hoarse: “So when you went out earlier, it wasn’t just to take out the trash…”

“Mhm,” Han Hai’er licked her lips, savoring the memory. “Had a feast.”

Zuo Lihua tightened her arms around her knees, staring silently at the floor.

Han Hai’er urged again, “Go bathe and sleep. Why sit on the floor? Does your stomach not hurt anymore?”

“You go first,” Zuo Lihua murmured. “Go ahead and sleep. I need to think… let me think for a while…”

Han Hai’er frowned, waited a moment longer, and when it became clear Zuo Lihua intended to stay put, she scoffed and walked away.

She still hadn’t cleared the third level of Three Goats.
Just for this game, she’d made Zuo Lihua buy her a tablet so she could play with a stylus.
When it came to enjoying life, Zuo Lihua and Han Hai’er were entirely aligned, do whatever feels good, never compromise.

By her fortieth failed attempt, Zuo Lihua had crept into bed like a kitten, rustling under the covers.

“I’ve figured it out,” Zuo Lihua’s muffled voice emerged from the darkness.

“Hm?” Han Hai’er’s eyes remained glued to the screen, her stylus moving with blurring speed.

“A bunch of heartless beasts…” Zuo Lihua buried the lower half of her face in the blanket, grumbling curses.

Han Hai’er didn’t respond, but the corners of her lips curled into a silent smile.
She knew Zuo Lihua had pieced together the origin of the curse, this mortal had always been clever.
She just sometimes clung stubbornly to her beliefs. Unless confronted with undeniable proof, she refused to assume the worst.

“Can it be removed?”

“Yes.”

Zuo Lihua’s eyes lit up.

Han Hai’er puffed her cheeks. “But not now. My cultivation isn’t strong enough yet.”

Zuo Lihua froze.

Setting aside the phone, Han Hai’er cheerfully patted Zuo Lihua’s cheek. “So, until then, work hard to grow stronger. Don’t get eaten by accident.” She then sniffed the air and added, “It’s so tempting… I can barely resist taking a bite.”

Zuo Lihua snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream, eyeing Han Hai’er warily and shrinking further under the covers.

Han Hai’er chuckled, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you until your death certificate arrives.”

The implication was clear: if Zuo Lihua was beyond saving and destined to die, it was better for Han Hai’er to consume her rather than let the “nutrients go to an outsider’s field.”

“Better work hard,” Han Hai’er added before turning her back to Zuo Lihua, settling into a comfortable position, and resuming her game.

Zuo Lihua stared at the ceiling for a long, long time, not even knowing when she had fallen asleep.

…

“So slow! Are you even capable?” Standing atop a dilapidated, crumbling building of broken bricks and old tiles, Han Hai’er faced the wind, her tone dripping with disdain as she looked down.

“You… huff…” Zuo Lihua scrambled over a wall barehanded, the rough stones scraping the delicate skin of her palms. She gasped for breath, barely able to speak. “Don’t just… stand there… mocking me! I’m only human, ahhhh!!!”

By the end, her exclamation had seamlessly morphed into a scream.

Behind her, three to five terrifying ghosts were hot on her heels. They let out eerie shrieks, their eyes glaring and limbs rotting, crawling on the ground like bio-mutated insects.

That morning, the first thing Zuo Lihua did upon waking was grab Han Hai’er’s sleeve and declare with utmost seriousness, “I’ve made up my mind. I want to get stronger.”

And then Han Hai’er had dragged her straight into real combat.

#From Beginner to Burial#

#From Mining to Building Atomic Bombs#

Chased to the point of helplessness, where the slightest misstep could mean losing her head, Zuo Lihua thought: I’m so done with this!

She had never known there were so many ghosts in the world. When she expressed her shock, Han Hai’er explained, “Given enough time, anything can linger. The living have their communities, and ghosts have theirs too. Especially those average-level, unbound wandering spirits, they love to gather in groups.”

As she spoke, her throat moved slightly, and a faint, bright glimmer shone in her eyes, the exact same expression Zuo Lihua had when, after starving for a full day and night, she discovered a fantastic buffet.

Zuo Lihua: “……”

Moving too quickly, she tripped over some dried grass. Just before her head hit the ground, she protected it with her hands.

“Help!” she yelled at Han Hai’er without a second thought.

There was no need to guess, the ghosts had definitely caught up.

Before the words even finished echoing, Han Hai’er vanished from the high wall. In the next instant, she appeared in front of Zuo Lihua, shielding her from the imminent danger, as dashing as a divine savior descending from the heavens.

Zuo Lihua pulled out a stopwatch. “Three minutes and twelve seconds! Five seconds longer than last time! I’ve improved!” she exclaimed excitedly, showing off her progress.

Han Hai’er absorbed the ghost in front of her, her expression hard to describe. “Five seconds is nothing to boast about. Are you really that easily satisfied?”

Zuo Lihua stood up, dusting off her clothes. “But it’s still progress!”

For a while after that, Zuo Lihua canceled all her plans and devoted herself entirely to fighting ghosts with Han Hai’er.

They were like a year-end exorcist squad, eagerly rushing to various haunted locations to boost their performance metrics.

Zuo Lihua was exhausted like a dead dog, collapsing into sleep right after meals. Several times, she dozed off in the bathtub and nearly drowned.

“Aren’t I supposed to attract ghosts?” Zuo Lihua, sleep-deprived and forced to wake up early, craned her neck to ask Han Hai’er, who was hurrying her along.

If she could attract ghosts, wouldn’t it be better to just wait at home for them to come? Why run around everywhere?

Han Hai’er glanced at her. “That’s exactly why we have to run. We can’t take on every ghost, you know.”

Zuo Lihua: “……”

Understood. Because they were too weak, while they were seeking out evenly matched ghosts to fight, powerful and malevolent spirits were also hunting them. Hence, the need to flee.

“Pack your things. We’re heading out of town starting today.”

“Huh?”

“Hurry, I sense a powerful surge of resentment heading this way. We need to leave before it arrives.” Otherwise, we’ll both die.

The unspoken words were clear to Zuo Lihua.

After exchanging a glance with Han Hai’er for two seconds, she sprang up from the bed like a carp leaping out of water. “Then let’s go quickly!”

Thanks to her recent intense workouts, her blood sugar was stable now, and she didn’t feel dizzy even when getting up so abruptly.

After frantically packing, Zuo Lihua got into the car and immediately felt a chilling sensation. She instinctively followed the feeling with her eyes and was thoroughly startled.

At the corner of the villa’s back wall stood a woman in white. Her face was as pale as her skin, and she stared fixedly at Zuo Lihua, as if ready to devour her whole.

Beneath her feet were countless twisted, severed human limbs protruding from the ground, groping wildly. Some clutched at her scarred feet, while others crawled up her calves, seemingly trying to drag her down to hell.

The air pulsed with an ominous aura.

“Go now!” Han Hai’er urged her.

Taking a deep breath, Zuo Lihua slammed on the accelerator without even bothering to close the villa’s gate.

The female ghost’s head slowly turned, following her movement, but she made no further action.

Unable to resist, Zuo Lihua glanced in the rearview mirror and was shocked to see the ghost flash her a crisp, chilling smile.

It felt like a death warrant. Zuo Lihua suddenly felt the temperature around her plummet, becoming piercingly cold, as if her flesh were freezing solid on her bones.

“Don’t look! What are you doing?!” Han Hai’er’s furious roar echoed in her ears. Zuo Lihua was dazed, momentarily unable to grasp the meaning of the words.

“Really…” Han Hai’er was livid. She never expected Zuo Lihua to be foolish enough to look at the ghost, and worse, to have her soul ensnared in an instant!

Slap!

A sharp slap brought Zuo Lihua back to her senses, accompanied by the blaring of a horn.

She stared in shock as a massive tanker truck, moving at an unbelievable speed with its horn blaring, hurtled straight toward her!