Lin Hai swore he had never been so scared in his entire life.
Right in front of him stood a woman dressed in ancient clothing, missing one hand and one foot. Her icy gaze sent chills down his spine, making her appear terrifyingly eerie.
“A ghost? What ghost?” Du Chun asked, confused.
Before Lin Hai could answer, the female ghost lifted off the ground and floated straight toward him.
“Whoa, don’t come any closer!” Lin Hai screamed in terror, backing away frantically.
But no matter how fast Lin Hai moved, the ghost was faster. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of him.
“Screw this!” In a panic, Lin Hai threw a punch at the ghost.
“Huh?” To his surprise, his fist passed through her as if she were made of air. The ghost floated right through Lin Hai’s body and into the villa.
“Master, are you okay?” Du Chun quickly supported Lin Hai, his face full of concern.
“I’m fine,” Lin Hai gasped, still in shock.
“Big Brother, come quick! Dad’s having another episode!” Peng Xue suddenly ran out of the villa, calling out to Peng Tao, who was seeing Lin Hai and Du Chun off.
“What?” Peng Tao was startled. He grabbed Lin Hai’s arm. “Xiao Lin, please, I’m begging you, take a look at my father.”
“Look at your sister!” Lin Hai shook off Peng Tao’s grip and bolted.
“That was so damn scary! So damn scary!” Lin Hai muttered to himself as he drove away.
Ever since he found out that the group chat was filled with actual immortals, Lin Hai had considered the possibility that ghosts might also exist in this world. But he never expected to encounter one so soon.
As a mortal, Lin Hai had an innate fear of ghosts. Even though he had mentally prepared himself for their existence, actually seeing one had scared him half to death.
“Master, are you really not going to help Peng Tao’s father?” Du Chun, though also upset with the Peng family’s attitude, was kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see someone suffer.
“Help your sister! Don’t ever mention the Peng family to me again!” Lin Hai swore he would never set foot in that villa again.
For the rest of the day, Lin Hai was listless. The slightest noise would startle him.
“Are you okay, dude? You’re so jumpy,” Wang Peng asked, looking at Lin Hai strangely.
“Fatty, what would you do if you saw a female ghost?”
“A female ghost? Hehehe!” Wang Peng stroked his chin with a lecherous grin.
“What do you think? I’d do her, then do her again, and keep doing her until I’m done! Wahaha…”
Lin Hai turned and gave Wang Peng a cold stare, saying nothing.
“Whoa, Hai, don’t look at me like that. It’s creeping me out,” Wang Peng shivered and walked away.
That night, Lin Hai finally fell into a restless sleep.
In his dream, Lin Hai suddenly felt someone staring at him, sending a chill down his spine. He opened his eyes and saw—
“Mom!” Lin Hai screamed, bolting upright in bed.
“Y-you, what do you want?” Lin Hai stammered, trembling all over.
Standing at the foot of his bed was the female ghost he had seen at the Peng villa earlier that day.
The ghost’s cold eyes stared at him, her lips moving as if she were speaking. But Lin Hai couldn’t hear a sound.
“What are you saying? I can’t hear you!” Lin Hai mustered up the courage to ask.
The ghost looked confused.
Damn it, Lin Hai realized. The ghost couldn’t hear him either.
The two of them mimed at each other for a while, neither understanding what the other wanted.
Finally, the ghost grew frustrated and lunged at Lin Hai!
“Mom!” Lin Hai woke up, drenched in sweat.
“Damn, it was just a dream!” Lin Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Even though it was just a dream, it felt so real that Lin Hai’s heart was pounding like it was about to jump out of his chest.
He checked the time—just past midnight.
Now wide awake and terrified, Lin Hai knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore.
Damn, was that what they call a haunting?
Screw this, I don’t even know you. Why are you coming after me?
Lin Hai was on the verge of tears.
This couldn’t go on. He needed something to ward off evil spirits.
With that thought, Lin Hai grabbed his phone and opened WeChat.
The first person he thought of was Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. After all, he was a professional demon hunter.
Little Confused Immortal: Great Sage, are you there?
Sun Wukong: What do you need, little buddy?
Little Confused Immortal: I need your advice. I’ve encountered a ghost, and I don’t know what to do.
Sun Wukong: Easy. Just smash it with my staff.
Lin Hai was speechless. Okay, never mind.
After some thought, Lin Hai decided to post in the Heavenly Court Trading Group.
Little Confused Immortal: Looking for an item that can ward off evil spirits and cleanse unclean energies.
Erlang Shen: Why bother? Just kill the ghost when you see it.
Lin Hai broke out in a cold sweat. This guy’s a total brute.
Dragon King of the East Sea: Ghosts? They’d run away the moment they see us. No need for cleansing.
Seven Fairies: Exactly. Besides, the Heavenly Court and the Underworld haven’t been in contact for ages. Where would you even find ghosts?
Great, I’m out of luck. Lin Hai was at his wit’s end.
Just as he was about to give up, a notification popped up.
Heavenly Master Zhang: Why get rid of them? You can catch ghosts and keep them as pets! (Followed by three drooling emojis)
Chang’e: That’s disgusting. Why would anyone want a ghost? My Jade Rabbit is much better.
Jade Rabbit: Squeak squeak!
Erlang Shen: @Chang’e, how about we breed your Jade Rabbit with my哮天犬 (Howling Celestial Dog) someday? I wonder what we’d get.
Chang’e: No way! It’d just be a mutt!
Normally, Lin Hai would’ve burst out laughing at their banter. But right now, he was too preoccupied.
His eyes were glued to Heavenly Master Zhang’s profile, and he was so excited he could’ve cried.
Damn, I was so scared I forgot there’s a professional ghost hunter in the group!
Lin Hai quickly sent Heavenly Master Zhang a friend request.
Ding!
A notification popped up—Heavenly Master Zhang had accepted his request.
Little Confused Immortal: Heavenly Master, save me!
Heavenly Master Zhang: Fellow Daoist, what’s got you so panicked? (A string of surprised emojis)
Lin Hai explained everything—the ghost encounter, the haunting dream, and his inability to communicate with the ghost.
Heavenly Master Zhang: Fellow Daoist, how did you encounter a ghost in the Heavenly Court? And why are you afraid of ghosts? And why can’t you communicate with them…
Heavenly Master Zhang bombarded Lin Hai with questions like a curious child.
Lin Hai was at a loss.
Little Confused Immortal: Let’s save those questions for later. Just tell me, if a mortal were in this situation, what should they do?
Heavenly Master Zhang: A mortal? Nothing. They’re doomed.
Screw this!
Lin Hai was on the verge of tears.
But then, another message came through.
Heavenly Master Zhang: Unless they can find someone like me—a professional ghost hunter—they’re as good as dead.
Lin Hai’s spirits lifted.
Little Confused Immortal: What do you suggest?
Heavenly Master Zhang: Plenty of options! Actually, ghosts are formed like this: inside every human body, there’s a soul located in the throat area…
Lin Hai felt a headache coming on.
Little Confused Immortal: Please, get to the point!
Heavenly Master Zhang: Oh, right! First, tell me how you plan to deal with this ghost.
How to deal with it? The obvious answer was to get rid of it!
Little Confused Immortal: I just want it to stop haunting me.
Heavenly Master Zhang: Easy. Just figure out why it’s haunting you. Ghosts are just dead people, and they’re usually reasonable.
Lin Hai rolled his eyes. Didn’t I already say we can’t communicate?
Heavenly Master Zhang: Alright, I’ll give you a treasure that’ll solve your problem. It’s worth every penny.
Little Confused Immortal: Great! What is it? Send it over!
Instead of sending the item, Heavenly Master Zhang sent a string of sly smirks.
Heavenly Master Zhang: I heard you swindled 9,999 merit points from the God of Wealth earlier? What a coincidence—my treasure costs exactly that much!
Screw this!
Lin Hai was about to cry.
This is just extortion!
