### Chapter 111: Bai Yu is a Pet, Right?
The Red-clothed Female Ghost was beyond saving. The bl**d threads wrapping around her were gradually draining away, and the bl**d stains on the phone were now almost invisible to the n*ked eye. Once that last trace vanished, the ghost would be completely gone.
Lu Liangting had nothing more to say. At this point, even if Bai Yu stopped, they couldn’t bring that ghost back to life. What struck him more was Bai Yu’s strength.
He knew Bai Yu was also a ghost, and not even a Red-clothed Evil Ghost type. So, why was Bai Yu such a powerhouse?
It couldn’t simply be explained by skill—having great skill without a strong foundation was equally useless.
Looking at Bai Yu, she was essentially demolishing this Red-clothed Evil Ghost with ease.
Take the Red-clothed Female Ghost Xiao Lian on the fifth floor of the Sunshine Apartment, for instance. The ghost he summoned couldn’t possibly match Xiao Lian’s strength, but at the very least, it should’ve had about seven parts of her power. A ghost that strong would be the boss in some weaker task locations.
So what happened? In front of Bai Yu, it was practically defenseless.
Lu Liangting desperately wanted to know one thing: Bai Yu’s origins.
Since Bai Yu lived with Zhao Mingyue, it was kind of like his relationship with Old Yang—Bai Yu usually resided in the shadow of Zhao Mingyue.
Old Yang was the Red-clothed ghost he drew, so was Bai Yu something Zhao Mingyue summoned?
If so, Zhao Mingyue’s luck must be insane.
A gentle-natured ghost, well… at least gentle and considerate towards Zhao Mingyue, able to communicate, not controlled by an urge to k*ll at every turn, and on top of that, capable of crushing the Red-clothed Female Ghost? If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Look at his relationship with Old Yang. He’d just shouted his head off, and Old Yang didn’t respond at all.
Then, look at Bai Yu. The Red-clothed ghost he summoned merely shot Zhao Mingyue a glare before Bai Yu took it down right there and then with a fierce attitude, gobbling it up.
What does it mean to see a gap?
That’s what it means!
So many times, he shouted Old Yang’s name in his heart, worried that the guy might just take him out too when he appeared.
Before meeting Bai Yu, he felt balanced about everything.
After all, ghosts draw power from resentment, the stronger the ghost, the deeper the resentment, and with such deep resentment, do you really expect them to be obedient?
So, it’s a dilemma.
Obedient ghosts are weak; rebellious ghosts are strong.
If only Lu Liangting understood more about Bai Yu and Zhao Mingyue’s relationship. If he knew that Zhao Mingyue took baths with Bai Yu, treating her like a giant play doll to dress up and play with, he would definitely stop thinking he was lucky.
With those thoughts in mind, Lu Liangting glanced down at his bl**d-free flip phone, feeling like he could both laugh and cry at the same time. But like Mingyue said, it wasn’t a total loss; at least this phone could still serve as a container for storing other ghosts, right?
You could chalk it up as just drawing a container—he couldn’t very well blame Bai Yu for this.
Meanwhile, Bai Yu returned. Before slipping back into Zhao Mingyue’s shadow, she shot a glance at Lu Liangting’s shadow. She sensed another Red-clothed Evil Ghost residing there.
Perhaps noticing Bai Yu’s gaze, Lu Liangting’s shadow wavered a bit. The Red-clothed ghost didn’t attack; instead, it seemed to be seeking a truce.
As it turned out, this Red-clothed ghost could hear Lu Liangting’s voice and wasn’t the “crazy” entity he had imagined.
Bai Yu didn’t pay much attention. She’d just consumed a ghost and was still digesting; this one could be spared for now.
If this ghost dared to attack Zhao Mingyue later, she wouldn’t mind having another meal.
Once Bai Yu reentered Zhao Mingyue’s shadow, the bl**d threads on the wall disappeared without a trace. Looking around, it seemed as if nothing had happened here; even the arrangement of items in the corridor hadn’t changed.
“Cough, cough, cough. Uh, I should check on how the store manager and the others are doing with their discussion,” Zhao Mingyue said, feeling embarrassed. It felt a bit like walking down the street and finding out her pet cat just killed her friend’s pet mouse—not only did it k*ll it, but it also ate it right in front of its owner.
This analogy was a bit off—Bai Yu would probably give her a hard time if she knew.
But that was honestly the sensation she had at that moment.
Back in Room 606, Zhao Mingyue hurriedly opened the door and returned to her earlier position.
In the living room, the others were still deep in discussion.
They had heard screams from the female ghost outside just moments ago. Chen Hao had planned on going out to check but was stopped by the store manager.
Upon hearing about the situation outside, the store manager knew something was up but was certain Zhao Mingyue would not run into trouble.
“Mingyue.” The store manager waved at Zhao Mingyue as she entered, gesturing for her to come over.
“Mm.” Zhao Mingyue moved closer and half-squatted down.
“I have a general idea of the situation now,” Store Manager Li said as he opened his suitcase, unveiling a variety of small items, chalk lines, red strings, some silver ammo, vials of substances, animal teeth and hair, bl**d samples, a land deity statue, and several exquisitely sized short knives.
Zhao Mingyue spotted a small wooden chisel and hammer—wondering what they were for.
Seeing the pile of miscellaneous items nearly made Qian Bansian burst out laughing, and he couldn’t resist being sarcastic, though the others paid him no mind.
Qian Bansian was making exaggerated faces and sneaking glances at Zhao Mingyue, his gaze lingering from her face to her chest, his throat gulping as if he were entranced.
Zhao Mingyue certainly wasn’t wearing a low-cut outfit; on the contrary, she was bundled up quite well, the zipper of her tracksuit pulled up to her chin. Even so, some people just have no shame.
To show off his skills, Qian Bansian took out a compass, ready to go into some expert jargon when suddenly he noticed the compass needle spinning wildly before settling on Zhao Mingyue.
“What the…”
“Mingyue, I’ll have that evil spirit show up in a bit. During the time I set my formation, you help me keep her under control—whatever you do, don’t let her leave the room or harm herself, and don’t let her mess up my formation.”
“Got it!” Zhao Mingyue nodded.
Once the store manager had everything prepared, he looked at Chen Hao.
Chen Hao immediately understood the store manager’s intention and rushed into the inner room, bringing out a little black cat.
This little black cat was no older than five months, round and chubby—whether due to its fur or its size, it was hard to tell.
Its coal-black fur made it look like a solid ball of coal, with its bright blue eyes being its only distinguishing feature.
“So cute!”
As soon as the cat was brought over, Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.
What she didn’t notice was that when the kitten was carried in, her shadow behind her wavered slightly.
“Store manager, what’s this cat for?”
“Need it for the formation later,” the store manager said, casually lifting the little cat, which was behaving obediently and lying in his hands.
“Let’s go.”
With one hand holding the kitten and the other carrying the suitcase, Li Tianan got up and headed towards a room.
This room was little daughter Chen Bingtang’s.
He took out the key and unlocked the door. Inside, the room was quite clean, almost empty—just a bed, and the windows were reinforced with steel bars as anti-theft measures. The walls were lined with foam, making the room devoid of any corners or sharp items.
In such an empty and oppressive space, Zhao Mingyue saw a little girl sitting at a specially made rubber desk, painting something with plastic paintbrushes treated in the same way.
The little girl wore oversized clothes that looked like a patient’s outfit, and her hair was braided beautifully—obviously not something Chen Hao could have done; more likely, it was made by her ghostly mother.
Noticing Zhao Mingyue and the others enter, the little girl turned her head, didn’t say a word, and continued to focus on her painting.
Chen Bingtang was ten years old, looking very cute, just like the little black cat in the store manager’s hands—utterly adorable.
She had always been reclusive, rarely speaking to outsiders—let alone making friends. Communication with her family was sparse, especially after meeting her “Aunt,” she spent all her time locked in her room chatting with a centipede.
As Zhao Mingyue moved closer, she wanted to see what Chen Bingtang was painting. Just as she took a step forward, the store manager tugged her sleeve, shaking his head with a look that urged her not to approach.
He half-squatted down, preparing to set the formation, when Chen Bingtang suddenly spoke in a sweet, childish voice: “Auntie has already left.”
The store manager paused, standing up, “Left?”
He took out an hourglass from his pocket, where silver sand dripped slowly.
Seeing this, his frown deepened.
Chen Bingtang was right; that evil spirit had indeed left. The room was filled only with the remnant energy of the spirit.
“Why did she leave?”
“I don’t know. She said bad people found me, and she had to go deal with them,” Chen Bingtang replied, still focused on her drawing.
“Who are the bad people? Do you know?” The store manager walked closer, with Zhao Mingyue following beside him.
Once at Chen Bingtang’s side, Zhao Mingyue noticed that the girl was painting a building. The building was covered in black paint, appearing distorted and eerie. After a careful look, she realized this building was none other than the very youth apartment they were in.
Outside the building, three little black figures squatted behind something on the opposite street, each with a red, monstrous figure painted behind them, scowling.
She noticed that the gigantic centipede flying in the sky seemed to be targeting those three little figures.
Zhao Mingyue seemed to connect the dots; she half-squatted at the table and gently asked, “Bingtang, did your aunt go out to deal with those three bad people?”
Chen Bingtang glanced at Zhao Mingyue and nodded slightly. Her innocent face betrayed no emotion—neither fear nor joy, just calm indifference.
“Are those three bad people… us?”
With three people, each having a red monster behind them, could that mean the three red monsters were ghosts?
In that case, it meant one ghost for her, one for Lu Liangting, and one for the store manager?
That didn’t seem to add up, especially since they weren’t staying across the street.
Chen Bingtang shook her head.
Zhao Mingyue was about to ask more questions about the black figures and the red ones when suddenly, Chen Bingtang reacted as if stimulated. Her previously blank face twisted into a snarl.
Furiously, she began to smear red paint onto the three little black figures until they were completely unrecognizable, then tore the page out, crumpling it into a ball.
She quickly got up and ran to the window, standing on her tiptoes, hands gripping the frame as she looked outside.
Chen Bingtang’s unusual reaction left the others puzzled.
The store manager was baffled too; he had never encountered such a situation before.
Holding the crumpled drawing, he exchanged glances with Zhao Mingyue before moving to Chen Bingtang’s side to see what she was looking at.
Zhao Mingyue was confused, having prepared and learned so much, yet things were unfolding differently than expected.
“White Yu, is there a problem? Can you explain what’s going on? I’m a bit lost here,” she thought urgently.
“Someone got to Chen Bingtang before us, and it’s organized. They’re strong, all wearing red clothes. To her aunt, the threat they pose is greater than us, which is why she’s willing to risk our taking Chen Bingtang to deal with them.”
“Because if we ignore them and focus on us, something bad could happen.”
“I get it now!” Zhao Mingyue’s understanding clicked into place, “Bingtang’s paintings are her way of expressing her feelings. She probably has a deeper connection with her aunt than we imagined, and when she just reacted strongly, it must be because she felt her aunt was hurt. Is my guess correct?”
“Yes.”
“So, what do we do now?”
“Downstairs!” White Yu’s and the store manager’s voices echoed in her mind. One was a mental nudge; the other was an urgent call.
“Okay!”
The store manager moved quickly, stowing his suitcase. One hand went into his pocket, gripping the handle of a flintlock pistol.
“You stay here and keep an eye on Bingtang. She’s your daughter; you know what to do,” the store manager tossed this remark over his shoulder as he hurried out of the room.
Zhao Mingyue followed right behind him, practically sprinting into the elevator.
“What’s going on, store manager?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. Something’s happened downstairs.”
Once in the elevator, the store manager pressed the button for the first floor, and it began its slow descent, eventually arriving at the ground level.
The elevator doors opened, and the two hurried out.
At some point, the first-floor hallway was enveloped in a white mist, and the main entrance of the apartment building had been barred shut.
“Come out, this isn’t fun anymore.” The store manager set down his suitcase, pulled out the flintlock, and aimed deep into the hallway.
“You know us; do you still dare to oppose us?”
From the white fog, a woman stepped out, a Red-clothed little ghost trailing beside her.
“Is there a young man named Lu down there? Why hasn’t he come down?”
