Chapter 109 - 108: Lock the Door and Beat the Ghost

Chapter 109: Chapter 108: Lock the Door and Beat the Ghost

Leaving the Sichuan restaurant, Li Lu walked ahead, completely crestfallen.

Huo Xinghai was a little worried but didn’t dare go comfort her. Li Lu had already misunderstood...

"Mom, how do we send the little ghost away? Teach me, I’ll do it!" Huo Xingchen was eager to try.

Gu Qingyin looked serious. "You’ve just learned a couple of minor spells. Who could you possibly send away besides yourself? For this practical exercise, your main role is to observe."

Huo Xingchen: "...Oh."

Even though Huo Xinghai was in a bad mood, he couldn’t help but crack a gloating smile when he heard their exchange.

Seeing this, Huo Xingchen snorted. "I’m just starting out, so of course I can’t handle anything too difficult yet. But I’ll get the chance to learn sooner or later—unlike some people, who weren’t even qualified from the start."

Huo Xinghai’s smile vanished. "...That was a low blow, little bro."

The little ghost was attached to the Ghost Doll, and the Ghost Doll was in the hotel where Li Lu was staying. Ever since inviting the little ghost back, Li Lu took the Ghost Doll with her wherever she went.

The group arrived at the hotel and, upon entering the lobby, ran into several people who greeted Li Lu. They were all from the film crew.

They learned after asking that the entire hotel had been booked by the film crew. Everyone staying there was associated with the production, and outsiders rarely came by. Thus, everyone couldn’t help but stare a little longer at Gu Qingyin and the other two.

Fortunately, Huo Xinghai’s face was like an all-access pass. Not only were they not stopped, but some people even came over excitedly to greet him.

Huo Xinghai put on his professional smile, responding to people all the way until he strode into the elevator, where his smile instantly vanished.

Gu Qingyin let out a "Hah!" "Did you take a class in face-changing or something?"

Huo Xinghai rubbed his face. "Can’t be helped. As a celebrity, you have to put on a public face. You have to smile even when you don’t want to. Otherwise, if someone takes a picture and posts it online, there’s no telling how badly you’ll get flamed."

Gu Qingyin rolled her eyes. "You brought this on yourself. Just say the word to your older brother. With the Huo Family’s backing, who would dare post unauthorized press about you?"

Huo Xinghai paused, his eyes slowly lighting up.

He had always navigated the industry on his own, never relying on his family’s power except for some equipment and handling negative publicity. But now, he didn’t care as much about what outsiders thought of him. Borrowing his big brother’s power didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

Li Lu was a mess of anxiety, yet all she could hear was the lighthearted, even humorous, chatter of the family of three. Absolutely no one seemed to care what she was about to lose!

The elevator doors opened, and Li Lu was the first to walk out.

The hotel corridor was carpeted, and her high heels made a muffled THUD with each step, each one landing like a blow to her heart, stirring an impulse—she had to do something.

’Once the little ghost is sent away, my future will surely be fraught with hardship.’

By the time she reached her hotel room door, Li Lu’s expression had become resolute.

Gu Qingyin, walking behind her, narrowed her eyes. She sensed something was wrong, but before she could act, Li Lu pushed the door open and yelled, "Run!"

’Fuck!’ Gu Qingyin cursed inwardly. She yanked Li Lu out of the doorway and slapped a talisman on her back with her other hand, shoving her toward Huo Xingchen. "Watch her!"

At the same time, a black mist shot out from the room with a piercing shriek, heading straight for Gu Qingyin’s face!

The next second, Huo Yunjing appeared abruptly, revealing his ghostly form as he collided with the black mist.

The shriek immediately grew more piercing, but it had a sense of bravado to it, like it was all bark and no bite.

As Gu Qingyin formed hand seals to cast a restrictive barrier, she couldn’t help but study Huo Yunjing.

Before, Huo Yunjing had always gone to great lengths to modify his appearance for her, making himself look more human. She had never seen his ghostly form and had long been curious.

Huo Yunjing’s ghostly form wasn’t scary, but instead exuded a strange, evil energy. He had died in a car accident, the fatal wound being to his head. In his ghostly form, the wound manifested as a bizarre, dark-red pattern, and his pupils were dilated, swallowing the whites of his eyes.

Then there were the changes to his hands: his fingers were a little longer, his nails a bit sharper, turning them into weapons.

’Compared to a ghostly form,’ Gu Qingyin thought, ’Huo Yunjing’s state looks more like a demonic transformation.’

After being knocked back, the little ghost was clearly wary of Huo Yunjing. It glanced at Gu Qingyin by the door, and with a shift of its eyes, it tried to flee. But when it slammed into the window, a flash of golden light sent it rebounding back into the room.

The little ghost let out a miserable cry, and some of the black mist surrounding its body dissipated.

Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow and slowly walked into the room. Huo Xingchen followed, hauling the now-incapacitated Li Lu inside. Huo Xinghai entered last, closing the door behind him.

Now, the little ghost couldn’t escape even if it grew wings.

Knowing escape was hopeless, the little ghost simply landed on the floor, revealed its form, and prepared to negotiate.

The little ghost was only a meter tall. Its appearance wasn’t that of a child, but more like a dwarf who had stopped growing. The moment it spoke, Gu Qingyin became even more certain.

"We have no past grievances or present grudges. Why have you come here today?" The little ghost’s voice was ancient and hoarse, yet tinged with false bravado. "Don’t think I’m afraid of you just because you have numbers. If it comes down to it, we’ll all go down together!"

’Hm...’ Gu Qingyin narrowed her eyes, her mind wandering slightly. ’This little ghost is surprisingly cultured.’

Huo Yunjing let out a cold sneer, his silence speaking volumes about his disdain.

The little ghost’s anger flared. It was just about to strike when it felt a sharp pain in its leg. The Evil Qi covering its body began to drain away rapidly, as if being sucked into a vortex.

It jumped in fright and quickly looked down to see a palm-sized Monkey clinging tightly to its calf, gnawing away with a look of pure enjoyment, as if savoring a delicacy.

The little ghost was utterly shocked. It had never seen such a creature. When had this monkey gotten so close? How had it even gotten onto its body? Panicked, the little ghost instinctively raised a hand to swat it away.

The Monkey seized the opportunity to take another bite before dissolving into a wisp of ethereal smoke under the little ghost’s swat. But in the blink of an eye, it reformed behind the ghost’s head and took a huge chomp out of its scalp.

The little ghost shrieked miserably again, reaching out to grab Mao Mao.

But Mao Mao was formless, able to disperse and reform at will. The little ghost couldn’t grab it at all. Frustrated, all it could do was hop on the spot in fury, forced to watch as it was eaten bite by bite.

The little ghost couldn’t take it anymore. Its gaze shifted to Li Lu. ’To survive now, my only hope is my patron.’

The little ghost let Mao Mao hang from its body by its mouth as it turned and dashed into the bedroom, diving headfirst into the nightstand.

"Not good!" Gu Qingyin spun around, pulling a peach wood nail from her satchel to press against Li Lu’s forehead—not to actually nail her, of course, but merely to intimidate the little ghost.

But even rushing, she was a step too late.

Li Lu suddenly let out a crazed roar. She not only broke free from Huo Xingchen’s grip but also shook off the talisman on her body.

Her face twisted into a ferocious snarl as she turned to grab Huo Xinghai.

Huo Xinghai’s brow twitched violently. ’She sure knows how to pick the easy targets,’ he thought.

He stood rooted to the spot, his face pale. He wanted to dodge, but his body wouldn’t obey.

At the critical moment, Huo Xingchen yanked his older brother behind him and, in the same motion, threw out a Thunder Talisman.

Li Lu reacted with incredible speed, leaping backward to dodge the Thunder Talisman, but she couldn’t escape Gu Qingyin’s follow-up attack.