With a rumble and a toot, the delivery truck announced its arrival outside the charming villa. Yu Xiao, behind the wheel, gave the horn a playful tap twice.
Ye Lang emerged, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. “Didn’t know you had a car.”
“Just off to gather the others,” Yu Xiao replied casually. “Fancy joining?”
Ye Lang hesitated, his eyes flicking back to the villa. “I’m short on gold coins,” he admitted, “still need to find over forty more.”
“Keep at it then,” Yu Xiao said with a nod, understanding the importance of his quest. She had her own ghost helper, a fire ghost, taking care of her lawn back home so she could fool around. “I’ll head out.”
As Yu Xiao was about to drive away, Ye Lang called out, “If you need help, just shout!”
Yu Xiao remembered the path Xue Rong Rong had taken, leading her to a dilapidated six-storey building. Sitting in the truck, she pondered her next step. With twelve units to choose from, finding the right one might be tricky.
Should she shout from the ground floor? Or knock on every door?
After a moment’s thought, Yu Xiao decided on the latter but assigned the task to her companion, the nightgown ghost.
The ghost had been quietly enjoying frozen meat in the passenger seat, sucking on it like a popsicle. Now it was her turn to earn her keep.
Yu Xiao watched from a hidden spot as the Nightgown Ghost approached the first door and knocked.
Tap tap tap.
The building’s lousy soundproofing meant the footsteps inside were crystal clear.
The door creaked open to reveal a plump, curly-haired old lady with a hint of blue in her skin, clearly unimpressed by the ghost’s bloody attire and silent presence. “Who’re you after?” she snapped.
The Nightgown Ghost simply waved, earning a glare and a door slam.
Next, a teenager in a tracksuit answered. His fresh face stood out in the dull building, making him seem oddly vibrant.
Grinning, basketball in hand, he faced the Nightgown Ghost. “Need something?”
The Nightgown Ghost waved again. As the door swung open, it sensed no life inside. With no one downstairs, Yu Xiao knew it was time to go up.
But as she moved, the boy’s nose twitched. He sniffed the air, a curious look crossing his face. “Smells nice,” he muttered, though he couldn’t spot Yu Xiao.
She paused mid-step, her cover blown.
Quickly, she turned and started down, met with the boy’s wide-eyed stare. “A living human, huh?”
Yu Xiao silently showed a stack of talismans, closing in.
The boy paled, stumbling back. “Hold up!”
“Pin him down,” Yu Xiao ordered.
Obediently, the Nightgown Ghost sprang into action, capturing the boy.
“Why side with them?” he protested, struggling.
Ignoring him, the ghost looked away, feigning ignorance.
Panic surged, the boy’s cry for “Mum!” echoing.
As Yu Xiao reached his side, a middle-aged woman, apron-clad and brandishing a kitchen knife, stormed out. Her eyes blazed with fury as she charged at Yu Xiao.
Yu Xiao took a step back, holding the talisman up like a shield. “Step any closer, and I’ll use this on your son!”
The woman’s eyes were filled with stormy anger, locked onto Yu Xiao. She opened her mouth, and the girl braced herself for an outburst, but instead, the woman shouted, “Babe’s dad! Get out here quick!”
Minutes later, the family huddled on the sofa. The bald patriarch, sporting a Polo shirt, scolded his family. “What was the point in calling me? Now we’re all in trouble. Are you satisfied?”
Fury tinged her voice, barely holding back a storm. “What else? Did we both kick the bucket just so you could play Casanova with the new lady upstairs?”
Yu Xiao tilted her head curiously. “New face? Tell me more. Are there any living people in this place?”
The man in the polo shirt replied promptly, “Certainly.”
“Who? Where?”
“Well, isn’t your heart still thumping?” he retorted, as if it was the most obvious thing.
Yu Xiao couldn’t help but laugh at his cheekiness, waving her hand filled with talismans. “I might just exorcise you for that.”
The woman’s sobs grew louder, a torrent of sadness. “Darling, how will we manage with you in the great beyond…”
Suddenly, the gangly teenager with a basketball spoke up, “I know who you mean.” His voice was soft but resolute. “She’s upstairs on the sixth floor… the belle of the block,, my old man always tries to sneak a peek.”
As the woman and the bald man started bickering, the scene descended into chaos. Not even Yu Xiao’s mystical threats could calm the storm.
She intervened, “Enough! Let your son show me. Try anything, and I’ll exorcise you.”
The teenager, now her guide, led her to a worn door on the sixth floor. “That’s her place.”
Yu Xiao nodded, tilting her head to indicate he should knock.
**
Yang Xian had cooked a big meal with the frozen meat, and the pig demon father and son seemed to enjoy it, but their affection only increased slightly. She was worried; the meat was gone, and she wondered what to use next to bond with them.
As she pondered, there was a knock on the door.
Her heart skipped a beat, hoping for more meat. She quickly opened the door to find a teenager with a basketball standing there.
Yang Xian stood, her face a mix of confusion and anticipation. Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. “Yang Xian.”
She turned, her features brightening with recognition. “Yu Xiao? What are you doing here?”
From the couch came a rumbling voice. “Who’s there?”
Quick-witted Yu Xiao shot a knowing look at the teenager holding the basketball. The kid didn’t miss a beat, sauntering through the door with a grin. “Just your friendly downstairs neighbour, in dire need of soy sauce!”
“I’m here for you guys,” Yu Xiao whispered. “What’s going on now?”
Yang Xian shared her predicament and let out a worried sigh. “They’re always hungry, and I’m out of meat. It’s not like I can slice off my own, right?”
“I’ve got some meat,” Yu Xiao offered, unfazed. She could always get more from the factory. “I’ll bring it by later.”
Yang Xian’s relief was palpable. “Thank you so much.” Then, another thought crossed her mind. “Have you seen Xue Rong Rong?”
“I’ve seen her, but we didn’t talk,” Yu Xiao recalled. “She seemed okay.”
“That’s good to hear,” Yang Xian replied, visibly relaxed. “If you bump into Rong Rong, let her know I’m alright, will you? Tell her not to worry.”
After saying goodbye to Yang Xian, Yu Xiao left the building and continued on her way.
In the car, alongside the Nightgown Ghost, there was now a teenager in the passenger seat. To prevent the family from causing trouble, Yu Xiao decided to bring the teen along. With their son in tow, they wouldn’t dare to engage in any mischief.
Driving past the usual sights, Yu Xiao noticed a peculiar pink house adorned with colourful lights and a large “gg” sign.
On the sign, there was a depiction of a dishevelled man with black cat ears kneeling on the ground, with a tail behind him. It looked rather out of place.
The house didn’t seem like the most reputable establishment. But curiosity got the better of her, and Yu Xiao figured it was worth a look. With that, she parked the car and led the two ghosts inside.
Stepping into the room, Yu Xiao was greeted by the ordinary sight of a living room, except for the shattered TV lying on the floor, its screen a spiderweb of cracks.
She took in her surroundings, her gaze falling on seven doors, each a different colour and adorned with mysterious words. One door was slightly ajar, its interior hidden in shadows.
With caution, Yu Xiao pushed open the door labelled “scheming,” its hinges protesting with a groan.
Inside, a slim man in a blue shirt reclined on an oversized bed, his collar casually unbuttoned to reveal a glimpse of his delicate collarbones.
As if summoned by the intrusion, he stood up, a sardonic smile playing on his lips, and began to approach her with deliberate steps.
The lad by Yu Xiao’s side muttered, “Time to go; this ghost isn’t our type.” Sёarch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
But driven by curiosity, Yu Xiao brushed past the boy and confronted the smirking man, asking, “Have you seen a living person?”
The man responded with silence, his hand reaching out towards her.
Yu Xiao narrowed her eyes, a mixture of intrigue and caution in her gaze.
Unexpectedly, his fingers brushed against her chin, gently lifting it.
Yu Xiao’s reaction was a blend of surprise and defiance.
In an instant, she sprang into action, tackling the man in the blue shirt to the ground. Her fists flew, a blur of righteous fury. “Flirting with me? You’ve picked the wrong fight!”
From the sidelines, the basketball-carrying lad couldn’t contain his excitement, “Nice one! Show that rascal what’s what!”
**
After the TV incident, Zhou Xiao Zhen felt a bit deflated. She wandered back to Gentle’s room, planning to take a short break before her next search for a meat donor to satisfy Gentle’s hunger.
Sinking onto the soft pink bedspread, Gentle was already there, massaging her shoulders, his whispers tickling her ear. “Xiao Zhen, I’m starving. I really want some meat…”
Annoyance welled up in Zhou Xiao Zhen, but it was interrupted as the noise from outside pierced her loneliness – voices mixing with the unmistakable sound of a brawl.
She swung her legs off the bed and opened the door wide, only to see the neighbouring room’s door ajar, a young person standing guard, their voice booming. On the floor, a man and a woman were in a bit of a tangle, the woman on top giving the guy a good thumping.
“Smiley?” Disbelief was written all over Zhou Xiao Zhen’s face.
Yu Xiao, in the middle of pummeling the man, paused and looked up, her surprise matching Zhou Xiao Zhen’s. “Precious?”
“Smiley!” Joy surged through Zhou Xiao Zhen, her grin as wide as the Grand Canyon. Her friend had come for her. They embraced, their laughter blending with the chaos.
“You came to find me?” Zhou Xiao Zhen held onto Yu Xiao tightly, her eyes welling up with tears. “Wuwuwu… You’re the best, I’ve missed you!”
Yu Xiao returned the embrace, her hand comforting Zhou Xiao Zhen’s back, words on the tip of her tongue when a figure appeared – a man dressed only in shorts, his body well-built, his expression hungry. “Xiao Zhen, I need food.”
Yu Xiao’s eyes darted between him and Zhou Xiao Zhen, her mouth forming a perfect ‘o’.
“Smiley, it’s not what you think.” Zhou Xiao Zhen knew exactly what Yu Xiao was thinking. “This is Gentle, my mission.”
Yu Xiao’s gaze dropped to his minimal attire…
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s reprimand was swift, her voice sharp with indignation. “Gentle, how could you walk around half-naked in broad daylight?”
Gentle pouted, feeling wronged, “Wasn’t it you who told me to undress?”
A cocktail of emotions danced in Yu Xiao’s eyes. “Precious, you’re still too young…”
Zhou Xiao Zhen jumped in to clarify, “Smiley, you’ve got it all wrong. I asked him to undress for a reason.”
Hunger pangs struck Gentle like a scene cue, and he playfully tugged at Zhou Xiao Zhen’s sleeve, with a glint in his eye. “Xiao Zhen, I’m starving. You can touch me more if you give me more meat.”
Yu Xiao, who was only a step ahead in years, still felt the need to give advice. “I get it, the hospital has got us all on edge. But no matter what, we can’t… with ghosts…”
Caught in a tight spot, Zhou Xiao Zhen decided to change the subject. She spotted a teenager with a basketball and greeted him with a warm smile, “Hi~”
She nudged Yu Xiao, “Smiley, who’s this? Don’t you want to introduce us?”
Yu Xiao looked wary and replied, “What do you want to do with him? He’s an underage ghost.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen: “…”
**
【Question Five: What was the dinner on the first night of the doctor’s dream?】
Zhao Lan: “…”
Despite preparing herself, Zhao Lan was taken aback by the question. Luckily, her memory proved reliable, thanks to a recent dinner experience.
“Roasted rabbit.”
【Correct answer, now please choose which friend you want to help.】
The screen showed a change from before. Previously, when it was time to help a friend, the screen would split into six sections, but this time there were only five.
Zhao Lan’s heart raced. Could it be that someone had died?
Zhao Lan rushed to find out who was missing and was shocked to discover that Yu Xiao was not there. Her heart raced—Yu Xiao had been driving smoothly just moments ago; there shouldn’t have been any issues.
Taking another look, she found both of her friends together.
In Precious’s living room, near a doorway, three indistinct figures stood. Zhou Xiao Zhen and Yu Xiao were embracing, with someone in a blue shirt—perhaps another person or a ghost—lying beneath their feet.
They were reunited!
Zhao Lan was taken aback. She had thought their paths might cross, but she hadn’t expected Smiley and Precious to come together so soon.
It’s safer for everyone to be together.
**
It took a moment for Yu Xiao and Zhou Xiao Zhen to understand what had happened.
When Zhou Xiao Zhen realised that Yu Xiao was looking for everyone, she hit her thigh in frustration, “Why didn’t I think of that? I thought we were trapped in this room. If I’d known we could leave, I would’ve gone out long ago.”
“It’s not too late,” Yu Xiao said, straightening her clothes. Zhou Xiao Zhen took her hand, “Let’s go find Misty together.”
Yu Xiao hesitated, looking at Gentle, who was already dressed, “But you haven’t finished your task.”
“What’s the problem?” Zhou Xiao Zhen asked casually, “Bring him with us. You mentioned a meat factory outside, right? He’ll be in carnivore heaven.”
“That makes sense,” Yu Xiao agreed, then pointed to the person on the ground, “What about him?”
The person on the ground, whom Yu Xiao had been beating earlier, now couldn’t even muster a sarcastic smile. Dishevelled and sitting by the door, covered in dust, he seemed utterly defeated.
Zhou Xiao Zhen glanced wistfully and sighed, “He’s so heartless, but so good-looking.”
The youth with the basketball rolled his eyes and turned away, muttering, “Pervert.”
“Let’s just ignore him then,” she said, making an effort to pull her gaze away, “Finding Misty is what matters now.”
Watching her, Yu Xiao couldn’t resist teasing, “Before we go, should we strip him down for your enjoyment?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen’s eyes sparkled mischievously, “Would you?”
Yu Xiao: “…”
Their group had arrived with two ghosts and one person, but they left with three ghosts and two people. The ghosts were securely placed in the back of the truck, while Yu Xiao and Zhou Xiao Zhen drove off, singing along the way to the factory.
Zhou Xiao Zhen shook her head at herself, “I can’t believe I didn’t try leaving earlier.”
“It’s easy to overlook the obvious,” Yu Xiao comforted, “It only occurred to me after seeing Xue Rong Rong.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen leaned back, pondering, “I wonder how Misty’s doing. What’s her challenge like?”
Yu Xiao thought aloud, “Each challenge is related to its theme. Mine is health, so it’s about healthy living. Ye Lang’s is wealth, finding coins. Yang Xian’s is family, improving relationships. Yours is love, so it’s about building favour with true love. Misty’s challenge should be about improving favour with friends, right?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen agreed, chuckling, “Misty’s at a disadvantage—she can’t flirt to improve favour.”
Yu Xiao sighed, “Do you think she’s like you? She’s serious.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen countered, “Serious? If Misty were serious, would she have an eighteen-year-old sugar baby?”
Yu Xiao clarified, “It’s charitable support.”
Zhou Xiao Zhen grinned, “But that ‘support’ came later. Remember when we asked her if anything happened between them? She never gave a straight answer.”
As they chatted, they shared a knowing chuckle.
“Be careful, or Misty might just give you a good thumping,” Yu Xiao playfully warned.
Zhou Xiao Zhen waved off the concern with a laugh. “What’s there to be scared of? It’s not like she can hear us.”
**
Meanwhile, before the television screen, Zhao Lan watched the exchange with mixed feelings. She had always seen herself as the mature, composed elder sister to her two friends. Yet, here they were, challenging that image in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
**
After delivering the meal, Xue Rong Rong’s phone was flooded with reminders from her secretary in red. It was time to fertilise the lawn at the boss’s friend’s house again.
Xue Rong Rong couldn’t help but wonder, did that overgrown lawn really need more fertiliser? And with those eerie creatures across the way, she shuddered at the thought.
Arriving at the lawn, Xue Rong Rong was taken aback. This wasn’t the well-kept, lush green space she remembered. It was ruined, reduced to black ashes as if it had been scorched by fire.
Staring at the devastation, Xue Rong Rong questioned whether she should even bother with the fertiliser.
In the end, she decided to just go ahead with her eyes closed. Whether there was grass or not, she was going to do her job.
She opened the bag, took a handful of fertiliser, and scattered it over the ashes.
To her surprise, the burnt remnants stirred. The grass, stubbornly resilient, began to sprout anew, slowly reclaiming life from the ashes after the fertiliser’s touch.
Xue Rong Rong watched, a sigh of relief escaping her as she continued her work.
Out of nowhere, Xue Rong Rong’s eyes widened as she saw a green blur zooming towards her. The wind was so hot that it could fry an egg on the pavement, causing her to leap back as though she had been burned. She stared in astonishment as the newly emerged sprigs of grass burst into a vivid green inferno. In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to nothing more than a memory and a puff of smoke.
Speechless, Xue Rong Rong’s mind was in a whirlwind of confusion as she tried to comprehend the fiery spectacle.
Then, in a twist straight out of a comic book, the green flames transformed into a figure resembling a person. As it spun around, she found herself staring into a pair of eyes that could send shivers down a scarecrow’s spine.
**
Meanwhile, at the factory, Yu Xiao was filled with excitement as she swung open the back door of the truck. She led a trio of ghosts into the workshop as if they were heading to a basketball game, rather than a meat factory.
Zhou Xiao Zhen took Gentle’s hand and theatrically pointed at the frozen meats. “Help yourself! It’s all-you-can-eat,” she declared. “Oh, and just to be clear, if you even think about not adoring me, you’ll regret it.”
Gentle’s affection for her skyrocketed, reaching a cosy 45 points. Zhou Xiao Zhen couldn’t help but smirk; she was finally making progress.
Yu Xiao scratched her head. “Are we just going to leave him here?”
Zhou Xiao Zhen considered the idea but quickly dismissed it. Too risky. What if Gentle’s love metre didn’t reach 100 while they were away? That would be a disaster.
“How about we grab some extra meat and lock Gentle in the car?” she proposed, half-joking but totally serious.
“Sure thing,” Yu Xiao agreed immediately. “And let’s pack some for Yang Xian too. I have a feeling she’ll need more.”
While they were still chatting, a scream cut through the air.
“Ahhh… Help!!!”
They stopped. “Did you hear that?” Zhou Xiao Zhen and Yu Xiao looked at each other, then rushed outside.
There they found Xue Rong Rong, running like the wind with a trail of green fire nipping at her heels.
It felt like a scene from a slapstick horror flick, except this was no laughing matter. She ran as fast as she could, her breath ragged, until her legs turned to jelly. Just when she believed she was done for, salvation appeared in the form of two oddly composed faces.
“Help!!” she screamed, her voice piercing through the chaos.
Zhou Xiao Zhen, raising an eyebrow, observed the fiery pursuit. “Smiley,” she turning to Yu Xiao, “isn’t that the pyro-ghost you mentioned?”
“Yep,” she replied, cool as a cucumber.
Xue Rong Rong couldn’t believe her eyes. There they were, chatting away as if they were discussing the weather, completely unfazed by the approaching ghost that meant to harm them.
“Are you two serious? This ghost’s flames are dangerous! It doesn’t even fear talismans!” she cried out, latching onto them in a desperate bid to drag them to safety.
But it was like trying to move a pair of statues.
Terrified, she glanced back and saw the ghostly fire drawing closer.
Just then, the flames died down, revealing a fire ghost in human form, looking as guilty as a child caught red-handed with their hand in the cookie jar, right in front of Yu Xiao.
The fire ghost’s thoughts were all aflutter: ‘Oh no, now she’ll think I’m slacking off?!’
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