Volume One, Chapter 24: Hui Yuanyuan, the Wandering Spirit

When Qin Yu left the alley, her phone signal finally returned.

Only then did she see the messages Lin Jian'an had sent her. She had just replied with a simple "Okay" when the phone started ringing.

"Miss Qin, you finally picked up my call!" Lin Jian'an sounded on the verge of tears from relief.

"My phone just had no signal."

"As long as you're alright, that's all that matters." If something happened to her again, the Su family might turn the world upside down. "I've already handled the situation with Miss Su. I'm waiting for you at the entrance to the pedestrian street."

"Alright, I'll be right out."

So, Lin Jian'an spotted her in the crowd—Qin Yu, carrying two rustic, bright red plastic bags. Others looked like they were out for a stroll; she looked more like she'd just finished stocking up at a roadside stall.

Lin Jian'an stepped forward to take the bags from her, curiosity evident. "Miss Qin, what did you buy? They're quite heavy."

"Just some talisman papers and cinnabar."

Lin Jian'an forced a dry laugh, a little embarrassed as he put the things in the trunk. He'd heard Miss Qin not only grew up in the countryside but was raised by a so-called mystic. Seeing her in person today, she certainly lived up to her reputation.

"Miss Qin, why aren't you getting in the car?"

After closing the trunk, Lin Jian'an realized Qin Yu was standing motionless by the car door. Thinking she didn't know how to open it, he thoughtfully opened it for her.

Qin Yu's mouth twitched, and she gave him a strange look. Just a moment ago, a female ghost had been clinging to the car window. When Lin Jian'an opened the door, the ghost's upper body and lower body were immediately separated.

The look she gave him sent chills down Lin Jian'an's spine and made his hair stand on end.

"Miss Qin, is there something on my face?"

Qin Yu said nothing and bent down to get into the car.

Only then did Lin Jian'an take his seat and start driving.

"Can you see me?" The ghost, dragging her voluminous white dress, floated in front of Qin Yu.

Qin Yu rolled her eyes, formed a hand seal, and the ghost's eyes widened as she mouthed words soundlessly, her mouth moving but no sound emerging.

"Uncle Lin, did anyone else get in the car before me?"

"Miss Su said she lost an earring and came back to look for it," he replied.

Qin Yu pressed her lips together, said nothing further, but her gaze grew more contemplative.

When Qin Yu returned home, dinner had already been set out.

Both Qi Huairou and Su Jin were away for lunch, so Qin Yu ate alone. After finishing her meal, she went back to her room.

All the while, a persistent shadow followed close behind her.

Now that no one else was around, Qin Yu dragged over a small stool, snapped her fingers at the ghost.

"What did you do to me? Why can't I speak?" The ghost shrieked hoarsely, then, realizing she could speak again, burst out laughing. "I can talk! I can talk!"

"If you keep making such a racket, I'll sew your mouth shut," Qin Yu warned.

The ghost, having witnessed Qin Yu's abilities, quickly covered her mouth, her messy, dirty hair framing a pair of particularly wary eyes.

"From now on, answer whatever I ask. Otherwise..."

Qin Yu didn’t even need to finish her sentence before the ghost nodded frantically.

"Why are you following me?"

"It's not that I want to follow you; wherever you go, I have no choice but to go too," the ghost wailed, nearly in tears.

Qin Yu looked at the miserable spirit, who seemed on the verge of tears but dared not cry, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Who sent you?"

The ghost shook her head.

Qin Yu pressed on, still patient. "Did you die because you were stupid in life?"

The ghost shook her head again.

Seeing the way Qin Yu’s mouth twitched, her fists unconsciously clenched.

The ghost was so frightened she trembled, hastily explaining, "I don't know how I died. I just went to sleep, and when I woke up, I was dead."

Normally, after a person with a weak fate dies a natural death, they report to the underworld within seven to ten days to await reincarnation. Of course, there are spirits unwilling to accept their fate, clinging to obsessions and unable to let go of the living world; their only end is to become wandering ghosts. If the death was unnatural, the underworld's officials receive no notice, and without a guide, the spirit also becomes a lonely, drifting ghost.

Qin Yu raised her eyes to look at the ghost’s clear yet foolish gaze.

She definitely didn’t seem like someone clinging to an obsession.

She probably didn’t even realize she’d been murdered.

With intelligence like this, would she even survive past the opening credits in a TV show?

"I'll give you two choices. One: I send you to the underworld to wait for reincarnation. Two: You continue to be a wandering ghost."

"One! One! One!" the ghost answered eagerly.

Qin Yu calculated quickly. "Next month, on the fifteenth, the gates of the underworld will open. When the time comes, I’ll send you in. Until then, stay quietly by my side and cause no trouble—especially, do not harm anyone."

The ghost nodded furiously.

She had long grown weary of aimlessly drifting about, seeing everything but unable to touch anything. Reincarnation was liberation for her!

Qin Yu looked at the ghost’s disheveled, filthy appearance with a hint of disgust. "While you’re with me, tidy yourself up."

The ghost looked embarrassed. "Benefactor, I actually have no clothes to change into. My parents burned me lots of pretty clothes and houses, but I never received any of them."

Qin Yu: ...

She hadn’t been registered in the underworld, so how could she receive anything?

"Wait here."

Qin Yu fetched white paper and scissors, cut out the shape of a dress, and used her spiritual energy to ignite it.

Soon, the ghost’s tattered dress transformed into a simple, well-fitting white dress, just as Qin Yu had designed.

The ghost’s face lit up with joy, and she spun around happily.

Qin Yu also made her a hair ornament and shoes.

Before long, the ghost revealed a naturally pretty face, looking about the same age as Qin Yu.

"Thank you, benefactor! Thank you so much!" The ghost was so happy she was almost kneeling in gratitude.

"Just call me Qin Yu," she replied, feeling awkward at being called benefactor over and over.

"Alright! My name is Hui Yuanyuan. You can call me Yuanyuan!"

Qin Yu: ...

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Before you go to the underworld, you’ll work for me."

Hui Yuanyuan nodded solemnly. "Whatever you need done, just tell me! As long as I can do it, I’ll give it my all!"

Looking at Hui Yuanyuan’s expression, as if she were going off on a deadly mission, Qin Yu massaged her temples. "It’s nothing major. Don’t act like you’re being sent on some spy mission."

Hui Yuanyuan finally relaxed, her nerves releasing. "Oh, you should have said so earlier, benefactor. My legs went weak from fear."

Qin Yu: ...

Qin Yu formed a seal with both hands, chanting softly. Soon, the bad luck clinging to Hui Yuanyuan dissipated.

"I need you to help me look into something..."