Chapter 8: Ghost Servant
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Chi Lingyan stayed at home with Chi Shuyan for a few days, and was relieved to see her looking much better. Not only did he find out that his daughter’s skills in fending for herself was very good, but she was also adept at housekeeping and cooking. Of course, at first, he did not want his daughter to do the rough work, but his cooking skills were only limited to noodles. After eating noodles for several days, he himself was a bit disgusted. However, what bothered him the most was the fact that his daughter would get no nourishment from consuming the same dish, so he had been thinking of hiring a nanny to cook and do the house ch.o.r.es.
But, Chi Shuyan was quick to oppose, saying that she hated strangers in the house. Chi Lingyan was rendered somewhat helpless again. However, compared to his former estranged and taciturn daughter, he liked her more lively look now. Her whole personality was oozing with vitality.
Nevertheless, when Chi Shuyan had cooked a table full of aromatic delicious-looking dishes, Chi Lingyan’s jaw dropped in astonishment. The aroma of the meal stirred his gluttony and he even forgot to ask his daughter when she had learned to cook. Eating his own noodles endlessly these days had made him sick and on the verge of throwing up. Thus, the big man polished four bowls of rice straight up, plus a variety of dishes on the table. In particular, the red braised pork with non-greasy rich-flavored sauce almost made him lick his plate clean. It was practically better than anything a hotel chef cooked outside.
Since then, the cooking ch.o.r.es had been left to Chi Shuyan. Chi Lingyan was much more relieved watching that Chi Shuyan could cook decently.
However, Chi Lingyan’s peaceful days didn’t last long when a superior’s call came unexpectedly, requiring him to leave on an urgent mission. He also had to cut his vacation short. Just as he was raking his hair and worrying about how to explain it to his daughter…
Chi Shuyan beat him to it instead, “Dad, if you have anything to do, go ahead, I can take care of myself.”
Chi Lingyan was so guilty when he heard her sensible words and his dark eyes carefully surveyed his daughter’s face. He was faintly relieved to see that she was smiling and not angry.
“You must wear this talisman, though, Dad. It’s something I asked for some time ago.” With her eyes wide open and bright, Chi Shuyan took out a red-stringed talisman and tied it around Chi Lingyan’s neck while tiptoeing. She also took off the white jade pendant around her neck and was about to put it on him again.
Chi Lingyan was so moved watching his daughter’s actions and the old man’s heart melted into a puddle. Although he didn’t think the amulet would be of much use, he still bent down and cooperated with his daughter’s movements.
Seeing that Chi Shuyan wanted to give him the white jade that she had been wearing since she was a child, something a great man gave her before, Chi Lingyan’s dark brows furrowed together. He immediately straightened his broad waist up and stopped Chi Shuyan. He reprimanded her reluctantly, “Nonsense, how can you take off this jade pendant? I’m just going out on a little errand and will be back soon. Do you still doubt your Dad’s abilities?”
Chi Shuyan had been having nightmares since she was a child and always crying while pointing to empty s.p.a.ces. The old men in town said that something unclean was haunting her. Chi Lingyan believed none of it and sent his daughter to the hospital several times, but instead of getting better, she got worse. Later, by coincidence, he ran into a crazy Daoist. Upon first seeing Chi Shuyan, the Daoist was surprised and then wandered around her repeatedly. Chi Lingyan, who thought he was either a lunatic or a human trafficker, nearly beat the man up directly.
However, after the Daoist’s surprise wore off, he gave a jade pendant to Chi Shuyan. Unexpectedly, Chi Shuyan hadn’t had a single nightmare since then.
Chi Lingyan was still skeptical about this evil at first. But when a child s.n.a.t.c.hed Chi Shuyan’s pendant just for fun, Chi Shuyan started having nightmares and became muddleheaded all day again. Only then did he begin to truly value this piece of jade pendant.
Chi Lingyan scratched the tip of Chi Shuyan’s nose and forcefully put the jade pendant back on her: “Don’t take it off.”
Chi Shuyan glanced at Chi Lingyan and knew that if she really took this jade pendant off, her father would certainly be worried about her. She could only reluctantly say goodbye to him, looking at his tall departing back, and a haze of gloom filled her eyes.
In her previous life, her father died on this small task that he didn’t bargain on. However, without her troubled luck this time, coupled with the talismans she drew, he should have been able to escape disaster. But even so, Chi Shunyan refused to take it lightly. It seemed that she would get to have a Heart Linkage Mirror someday, so that she could see how his father was doing thousands of miles away. If there was any danger, she could get to him immediately.
Chi Shuyan returned to her room and reclined in the middle of the bed, looking into the light and measuring the white jade pendant she had been carrying. This jade pendant was a good stuff, filled with spirit qi, and had the function of suppressing and keeping away inauspicious evil. Her physique was somewhat peculiar and she could easily get caught up in something sinister. If Feng Yanli hadn’t tricked her out of this jade pendant in her past life, Feng Yanli wouldn’t have borrowed her luck so easily. It was a pity that her former self was so simple and gullible. Unable to deny Feng Yanli of her request, she gave this jade pendant to her.
Seeing the sky darkening outside, Chi Shuyan pushed open the window. She lived on the fifth floor with a great view and could almost see specks of brilliant lights ablaze in countless homes.
Sitting in front of the dressing mirror, she looked at the jade pendant around her neck, took it off without the slightest hesitation, and put it in a small box in the drawer.
Sure enough, the moment just as she took it off, the bright lights quickly dimmed, a cold shady wind blew in, and the warm normal temperature of the room dropped quite a bit in a whoosh. Even how slow-witted someone was, they would sense something.
Still, Chi Shuyan sat motionless and arrogant in front of the dressing mirror with a smile on her face. Her left hand propped up her cheek lazily as she stared intently at herself in the mirror. It was just that her face reflected in the mirror was obviously a bit sinister – something wasn’t right. Just as she changed to another hand to brace her cheeks, the movement of her reflection in the mirror never changed at all.
Sure enough, she changed to a few more small gestures, but her reflection in the mirror remained in the same pose.
As if struck with an afterthought, Chi Shuyan swiftly stood up ‘panicked’ as if in fright. And just as she retreated, the person in the mirror with a hideous b.l.o.o.d.y mouth wide open crawled out as slowly and directly as Sadako. Behind her were several clouds of black twisted gas.
However, just as the evil spirits were coaxed up and wanted to devour Chi Shuyan.
AHHHH~~ a mournful sound cried out. These evil spirits almost burned their souls away when they touched Chi Shuyan and immediately fled knowing that the situation was bad.
Chi Shuyan hurriedly cast a Ghost Binding Spell and directly pinned the evil spirits that wanted to escape, in place.
“Tsk, why is everyone so ugly? Looking at you really ruins my appet.i.te.” Chi Shuyan was somewhat dismissive. “Which one of you can do housework?”
These evil spirits s.h.i.+vered, wanting to cry without tears. How could they be so unlucky as to run into a Celestial Master!
Still, a pale teenage ghost was the first to raise his hand in a shudder.
“Okay, just you, you look the most normal.” After Chi Shuyan finished speaking, she immediately wielded a yin gonfalon that she had made in the past few days. In just a moment, almost all of those hideous evil ghosts were sucked into the yin gonfalon. Before they were sucked in, the ghosts wailed and howled. The teenage ghost on the side, who raised his hand earlier, shuddered uncontrollably.
“In the future, I will be your master and you will be my ghost-servant.” Chi Shuyan was only 17 or 18 years old, but the sophisticated composure and ruthlessness in her apricot eyes revealed her true psychological age.
Chi Shuyan grinned dazzlingly with her eyes bursting into a sharp glow like tourmaline, but her pretty face was still somewhat frightening under the restored normal light. The yin gonfalon that had expanded enormously moments ago fell into her hands and instantly shaped into a s.h.i.+ny, curved sickle.
She looked at the teenage ghost to the side and asked tenderly, “Doesn’t it look like The Black and White Guards of Impermanence1 catching and locking up souls?”
She spoke so gently, but scared the h.e.l.l out of the teenage ghost instead, so much that he couldn’t stop s.h.i.+vering in fear that she would stab him like those companions just now. So, he quickly bobbed his head.