The room was vast, filled with nearly a hundred chairs—each occupied by a person sitting stiffly, their expressions blank, like soulless puppets.
Li Shanchuan and Li Shaojin were among them.
“Master… what’s going on?” Shen Kuo trembled, his voice tight with fear.
He wanted to run. The eerie atmosphere made him want to scream for help.
A playful female voice cut through the air. “Oh? You think you can leave so easily?”
The next second, a figure floated down in front of them. Shen Kuo’s finger shook as he pointed. “F-F-Flying?! People can fly?!”
“Aww, another pretty one. I love young faces like yours.”
Li Qiao observed her silently.
“She’s a ghost. Of course she can fly.”
“A ghost?!” Shen Kuo’s jaw locked up. He immediately jumped behind Li Qiao, staring at the woman in horror.
“Such a clever girl. Your face is even prettier. I’ll have to be careful when peeling it off. Scissors won’t do… a fruit knife would be better. Sharp and precise—it’ll fit my face perfectly.”
The Skin-Stealing Ghost rambled on, completely ignoring their reactions.
Shen Kuo’s lips quivered. “Master… what is she saying?” A terrifying realization dawned on him.
“Skin-Stealing Ghosts love stealing human skin. Once they fixate on someone, they’ll do anything to peel it off. The face you see now? Who knows how many layers she’s taken.”
“PEELING SKIN?!” Shen Kuo’s voice cracked. “She’s talking about flaying us alive! Kill her! KILL HER!”
How dare she act so brazenly in front of them?!
The ghost cackled. “Kill me? You’re trapped in my barrier. You’re all just my reserves now!”
Li Qiao’s gaze turned icy. Without another word, she flicked out a talisman. The ghost dodged in panic, her expression darkening.
“You’re from the mystic arts?”
“You’ve committed enough sins. Today, I’ll end you.”
“Master… how? One talisman won’t be enough! Other masters have peachwood swords—where’s yours?!” Shen Kuo frantically whispered.
He was too young to die here!
“Relax. I’ll take it out.”
“Take it out?”
Shen Kuo’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull as Li Qiao pulled a full-sized peachwood sword from her pocket—the power of the Expansion Talisman!
The ghost stared in disbelief before bursting into mocking laughter. “I thought you were some grand master. Pathetic tricks!”
Li Qiao ran her fingers along the blade, her voice lethally calm.
“You’ve lived long enough as a human. Haven’t you learned one thing?”
“What?”
“Villains die from talking too much.”
The sword slashed through the air. A talisman shot from her palm, sticking to the ghost’s body.
“NO—IMPOSSIBLE—AAAAHHH!”
Golden light tore through the ghost’s form. Her soul shattered under the blade, dissolving into smoke until nothing remained.
Shen Kuo’s mouth hung open.
That’s it?
Just like that?!
And that brutal execution—he’d seen the ghost get ripped apart. Horrifying.
“Qiaoqiao!”
Li Shaojin’s voice rang out. Li Shanchuan had also woken up.
The moment the ghost died, the barrier collapsed, revealing they’d been standing in the villa’s lobby the whole time.
“It’s over.” Li Qiao checked them—just mild bewitchment.
Li Shaojin nearly teared up. His sister was amazing. Without her, they’d be dead.
(He’d sensed something wrong and called her just in time.)
Li Qiao bashfully waved it off. “No big deal.”
But Li Shanchuan stayed silent, pale-faced. Worried, she asked, “Are you okay?”
Then—
“WAAAHH! QIAOQIAO, I WAS SO SCARED!”
He burst into tears, hugging her like a child.
Li Qiao: “…”
Li Shaojin: “…”
Shen Kuo: “…”
You’re the CEO of Li Corporation. Have some dignity!
But Li Shanchuan had never faced anything so terrifying.
Li Qiao patted his back. “There, there. Safe now.”
The other two men exchanged looks.
What even is this atmosphere?
Once settled, Li Shaojin pointed at the still-dazed victims.
Li Qiao handed cleanup duty to Shen Kuo while she took her father and brother to deal with someone.
This incident had shaken Li Shanchuan deeply.
(The villa staff had been controlled—except for Wang Qinglin.)
Then, his assistant called: Their investment was sabotaged.
Hearing Wang Qinglin admit to plotting against him over the phone, Li Shanchuan kicked the door open in rage.
“You—you’re alive?!” Wang Qinglin blurted out, confirming everything.
“Disappointed?” Li Shanchuan’s voice was raw. “We were brothers. I helped you in college, gave you resources after graduation. I never wronged you. WHY?!”
Wang Qinglin sneered.
“Who wanted your charity? You ‘helped’ me to flaunt your rich-boy status—to humiliate me! And those ‘resources’? I EARNED them. Without the Li family, you’re NOTHING.”
Li Shanchuan was stunned.
All his kindness… seen as manipulation.
“Greed devours the ungrateful,” Li Qiao said coldly. “You made a deal with that ghost. Now, you’ll die alone in prison—haunted by nightmares every night.”
Wang Qinglin paled. “Where’s the ghost?!”
“Dead. My sister killed her,” Li Shaojin said as police sirens wailed outside.
Wang Qinglin’s face twisted in fury.
After wrapping things up, the Li family returned home—leaving Shen Kuo to handle the aftermath.
But waiting at their doorstep was someone unexpected.
Li Shanchuan and Li Shaojin exchanged glances.
What was Jian Lanfeng doing here?
