Chapter Thirty-Eight: Sister Yu, Help Me!
Lu Liangting looked as serious as a squirrel that just spotted a cat, his tone firm enough to convince even a ghost. So even the female ghost hesitated, her curious eyes sizing him up, almost as if she was contemplating whether or not to throw him into the afterlife.
In her ghostly flashback, Lu Liangting had helped her out once—sure, he didn’t succeed, but it scored some brownie points with her. During that blazing inferno, he gallantly charged in to save the girl from the fifth floor, but alas, he ended up burned and didn’t bring anyone out. His luck could rival that of a mosquito at a barbecue.
“I’m looking for someone who probably died in this building. I don’t know her name, but I can describe her a bit.”
He stood not more than five meters from the ghost, who could easily take him down without breaking a sweat, yet he felt as brave as a lion. Or perhaps as clueless as a chicken in a dog park.
“She’s young, about fifteen, wearing a white dress. Her hair’s a mess covering most of her face. She has pure black eyes and skin as pale as a ghost—oh wait, that’s because she’s a ghost!”
He limped slightly in his description, hoping against hope. This was practically his only shot! If the ghost didn’t know, they were in deep trouble. But surely, she’d remember; there weren’t too many ghosts hanging around this building.
In a collection of twenty or thirty ghostly residents, surely there couldn’t be more than one that matched her description? She had to be special—she felt different from the rest, more free-spirited, smarter, and way nicer. It was like the other ghosts were in a mediocre high school band while she was out doing solo concerts in the big leagues.
However, unbeknownst to Liangting, his words stirred up some not-so-fond memories in the female ghost’s ethereal mind. The nerve of this guy to describe a ghost she had clashed with—one who had dared to give her a beating, nonetheless.
BOOM!
A spirit fire exploded in the hallway, sending Lu Liangting reeling back a step. What was this? Did this ghost have a secret fire-breathing dragon skill he didn’t know about?
‘Wait, is it possible that all the dead souls in this building are just snacks or something for her? Like ghostly hors d’oeuvres?’
His hand dove into his pocket, gripping the bloodstained pen like it was a magic wand. He hadn’t anticipated the ghost blowing up at him the moment he asked his question, like he’d poked a dragon in the eye.
BANG!
The door slammed shut with the force of a bad breakup, a gust of wind blowing his hair around like it was auditioning for a shampoo commercial.
“What the…”
Not only that, but the key in the lock popped out all by itself and clattered to the ground. He reached for it, only for it to burst into red spirit fire, searing his finger. Hurt? Well, it felt more like being slapped by a frozen fish.
“What in the ghostly world is going on? Is that ghost super into her fellow ghost or something…?”
He was utterly perplexed, staring at the red mark on his finger. He’d come here not just to ask about the White Skirt Ghost but also to get some info on who killed Xia Han.
The only thing he knew for sure was that Xia Han’s d*ath had something to do with the supernatural, but with so many ghosts here, who was the murderer? Only the notorious duo of 506 female ghosts held that secret.
Stuffing the key into his pocket, Lu Liangting was determined not to give up. He planned to check every abandoned room on the fourth and fifth floors—maybe he’d stumble upon some clues.
The old landlord was dead, and his family was busy with the aftermath, making this the best window of opportunity he would get.
Feeling nervous, Lu Liangting retreated to the fifth-floor corridor. He wasn’t starting there, primarily because he feared that the 506 lady ghosts might decide to turn him into a ghostly pancake. He wasn’t exactly ready to tango with an angry spirit.
“I wonder how Mingyue is doing. She lives here; I should probably try to convince her to move out.”
Mumbling to himself, he took the stairs up to the fourth floor.
The smell of disinfectant had faded considerably, but now there was a whiff of burning in the air. Living here too long was bound to turn anyone into a bundle of nerves.
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“Mingyue, are you there?”
Ding! Zhao Mingyue glanced at her phone, spotting a message from Lu Liangting. That blue lotus profile picture was as eye-catching as a clown at a funeral; no one her age would choose such a vibe.
Today, she felt the house was dim as if the lights had taken a vacation. Fresh out of the shower, she and Bai Yu had been chit-chatting about this very thing and had tossed in some gossip about Lu Liangting too.
“Lu Liangting is on the fifth floor!” Bai Yu had said nonchalantly.
As she dried her long hair with a towel, Zhao Mingyue’s fingers danced over her phone screen, ready to respond when Lu Liangting pinged her again.
“Mingyue, I have something very important to tell you. Can you come out? I’m at Sunshine Apartments!”
Her fingers paused. There was something off about this. Lu Liangting normally wouldn’t use such formal tones with her. Just as she started to type back, her phone chimed again.
“Mingyue, are you there?”
This time, she seriously pondered not replying. Her brow furrowed in thought, but within ten seconds, another message arrived.
“Are you there?”
“Are you there?”
“Are you there?”
“Mingyue, can you come out? I want to talk!”
The lights in her room flickered ominously, mimicking the suspense building up inside her.
Outside, there was a deathly silence. Suddenly, she swore she heard soft footsteps in the hallway, almost like someone was prancing back and forth, getting a workout without her being aware.
“Mingyue, where are you? I’m on the fourth floor!”
“…”
The phone wouldn’t stop chiming like an overcaffeinated alarm clock, going off every four to five seconds. Finally, after the last message about being on the fourth floor, the phone fell silent for what felt like an eternity.
But wait—Bai Yu had clearly said Lu Liangting was on the fifth floor confronting a ghost. There was no way he could be chatting her up while having a ghostly debate, right?
Still, she trusted Bai Yu. After all, Bai Yu was a ghost with insight beyond what she could see.
But now, a burning question loomed—who exactly was this ‘Lu Liangting’ messaging her?
Before she could ponder further, her phone rang with a call, shattering the silence like a glass dropped from a cliff. Zhao Mingyue reacted swiftly, silencing the incoming call, but it was a split-second too late.
Suddenly, the gentle footfalls escalated into a frantic rush coming straight towards her.
“Oh, so you’re home? I’m on my way to find you now!”
The chilling sound of footsteps alongside the phone’s last chime sent Zhao Mingyue’s heart racing. She spun around towards the living room door.
Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly.
In the face of a terrifying scenario, she had one immediate thought…
“Sister Yu, someone wants to k*ll me!”
And before she could blink, a torrent of bl**d threads erupted from the ground, painting the walls in crimson, while the silhouette of the White Skirt Ghost emerged gracefully from the shadows, standing ominously at her living room entrance.
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Another chapter to come in an hour!
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