Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 3: Becoming a Seductive Ghost

The paper figure turned to the bronze mirrors showing the other sacrificial offerings.

The illusions for the others were fairly straightforward. As long as they didn’t panic, they should be able to survive. The rules of the Disaster Relief Tower prohibit creating inescapable death traps.

But Fang Xiu’s situation was clearly a dead end.

There were hanging corpses on the tree; anyone trying to take wood for padding would definitely be attacked. Fang Xiu only took the cloth strips and didn’t damage the dead tree, which was lucky for him. 

There were human heads in the river, so swimming wasn’t an option. Fang Xiu had to obediently walk on the ground. 

In fact, Fang Xiu’s judgment wasn’t wrong. The faint light was indeed the endpoint. But at his walking speed, he would definitely die before reaching it.

What a pity. This kid has guts. He could have been a good candidate.

Just as the paper figure sighed, Fang Xiu made a move—

Fang Xiu climbed up and down the dead tree, taking down all the cloth strips. He wove the white strips into a net, then tore the flesh from his wounds and tossed it into the river. Fresh human blood spread through the water, causing the heads to swarm frantically, competing to devour it.

The next second, the white cloth net descended from the sky.

These traditional evil spirits had never encountered modern fishing techniques and were instantly caught in the net.

The heads collectively froze for a moment.

When they realized what was happening, the heads on the edges tried to bite through the net’s ropes, but they were so squeezed by their companions that they couldn’t open their mouths.

The heads in the center tried to sink, but were dragged by the others, stuck halfway up, creating a chaotic scene like rush hour in a crowded subway.

Then Fang Xiu just jumped on top of them.

He jumped on top of them.

Jumped on top of them.

The paper figure, who had been watching the entire time: “……” A phantom pain throbbed in its head. 

What a ruthless guy!

And it wasn’t over yet. As soon as Fang Xiu steadied himself, he hung a piece of flesh on a cloth strip, placing it on one side of the “raft of heads”, like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey. Then he carefully walked to the other side and started tapping the funeral pot like a wooden fish.

The heads instantly reached a consensus. The half closer to the flesh advanced eagerly, while the half further away from the pot fled in terror. They charged towards the faint light at full speed, creating waves as they went, moving as fast as a motorboat.

The paper figure: “?”

It needed a word stronger than “ruthless”.

Meanwhile, Fang Xiu, happily riding the waves, found even the tree shadows on both sides of the river more pleasing.

As he approached the faint light, the dead trees on the banks changed in appearance. The cloth strips hanging from the trees turned from white to bright red. The corpses hanging from the trees were dressed in red and green, fresh and full, looking as if they had just died—a lively sight.

As Fang Xiu sped past them, the corpses’ pupils followed him from one corner of their eyes to the other.

“Good evening,” Fang Xiu cheerfully waved.

However, after reaching his destination, his evening didn’t go so well—

Fang Xiu did find the ghost hand that had run away, but the number of them wasn’t quite right.

The source of the beautiful faint light was actually a dim hill. Thousands of ghost hands protruded from the hill, each surrounded by a white glow, resembling a field of glowing mushrooms upon closer inspection.

Which one was his?

Or were these hands all connected underground like mushrooms, forming a single entity…

As Fang Xiu pondered, he suddenly felt a tightening on his back.

A ghost hand extended rapidly, lifting Fang Xiu into the air. The other hands nearby followed suit.

Countless wrists slithered like snakes, gripping his limbs and squeezing his waist and abdomen. Numerous fingers engulfed him, squirming over his skin. It felt like falling into an icy abyss or being trapped in a grotesque embrace.

Cold hands covered Fang Xiu’s eyes, his ears were tightly sealed, and even his tongue was pinned down by fingers as cold as ice.

A pair of hands encircled his neck, slowly tightening, in a motion that was impossible to distinguish as either gentle or torturous. 

There wasn’t even a hint of murderous intent.

Bzzz—

The funeral pot fell heavily to the ground beside Fang Xiu’s feet.

Fang Xiu couldn’t breathe, veins bulged on his neck, and his head throbbed with pain. He recognized this feeling—death was hovering nearby, waiting for him to exhale his last breath.

No, something was off.

If they could beat a fierce ghost one-on-one, then what would be the point of summoning one? Directly fighting a ghost would be against the rules, so there must be restrictions set by the underworld. Since these restrictions hadn’t taken effect, this was definitely another test.

If he gave up now, everything would be over.

Using all his strength, Fang Xiu slowly clenched his jaws. 

The fingers in his mouth were incredibly hard, sending sharp pains through his teeth. But he resolutely bit down, ignoring the piercing pain and the sound of bones cracking—like his mouth was just a numb pair of pliers.

Crack.

He bit off two fingers from the ghost hand. Remembering the direction, he spat the severed fingers forcefully.

Bzzz—Bzzz—

As the broken fingers hit the funeral pot precisely, the pot responded immediately, emitting a chilling sound once more.

In the next moment, the countless ghost hands holding Fang Xiu loosened their grip. Seizing the opportunity, he struggled desperately, falling back to the ground.

With no ghost hands covering his eyes, he saw silver chains filling the sky.

At some point, thousands of chains had shot out from the void, wrapping around the ghost hands on the ground like a spider web. The ghost hands stopped struggling and became still in the night.

Fang Xiu coughed twice, spitting out bloody foam. He chose the ghost hand nearest to him and removed the silver chain.

“Hey brother, want to chat? If you do, move a bit.” Enough is enough. Any more tests would be rude.

The hand lay there dejectedly for a moment, then waved towards Fang Xiu. 

Relieved, Fang Xiu bent down to grab the ghost hand. Suddenly, it tightened its five fingers and stretched upward. Fang Xiu tried to pull it out—but it wouldn’t budge.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Without a shovel this time, Fang Xiu had to use both hands to grab the ghost hand, pulling with all his might. The ghost hand’s muscles twitched strangely, as if the thing underground was constantly changing shape. 

The chains dissipated like smoke, and the ground trembled. The countless ghost hands slowly withdrew into the earth, leaving only the one Fang Xiu was holding onto.

Swish…!

The soil loosened unexpectedly. Fang Xiu put all his strength into pulling the ghost out, couldn’t stop himself in time and fell backward. The thing he pulled out fell forward, pinning him down securely.

Fang Xiu was about to complain when the sight before him stopped him in his tracks.

…This guy is really handsome.

Though he had just emerged from the ground, not a speck of dirt stained him. He wore a white robe, and his black hair flowed down like a waterfall over Fang Xiu’s chest.

The key point was that face.

That face was properly handsome. At first glance, it was stunning, but on closer inspection, it seemed human yet not quite, like an overly exquisite doll that gave one chills. 

Especially those eyes. Their irises were snow-white with a thin ring of light gray around the edges, showing no emotion. Such a void-like white reminded Fang Xiu of a shroud in a hospital.

…But still, he’s incredibly good-looking!

The love of beauty was common to all, and Fang Xiu was no exception.

“You’re crushing me,” he politely reminded.

The figure slowly rose, his movements stiff and awkward. He sat sideways on Fang Xiu’s lower leg, seemingly confused about how to stand.

Fang Xiu: “……”

Forget it, there are more important matters.

“I won’t ask much of you. Just consider this a nominal partnership and don’t interfere with me. In the future, we can… Ow!” Fang Xiu began, but before he could finish, the owner of the ghost hand leaned in close, placing a hand on his cheek.

Instantly, Fang Xiu’s vision distorted, and his senses became chaotic. The hand seemed to be kneading his brain, not causing pain but the invasive sensation was maddening. 

Fang Xiu retched on the spot. With nothing in his stomach, he only spat out a small amount of bile.

The entire ordeal lasted about five or six seconds.

“Enough already. Don’t be so rough…” The dizziness finally subsided. Fang Xiu wiped his face, nearly choking on his own saliva.

“Speak… Words…”

The ghost hand’s owner spoke. His voice was pleasant, but the words didn’t match his mouth movements, like a video with a lag.

“…Learned to speak… from you…”

Fang Xiu: “?”

Is this a crash course in speaking? How does the underworld even select its ghosts?

The owner of the ghost hand quickly got the hang of synchronizing his voice and lips. “I didn’t intend to intervene… But since you broke my trap, by the rules, I must assist you…”

So that’s how it is.

The so-called negotiation mentioned by the paper figure was actually a “test set by the fierce ghost, solved by the summoner”. As long as the summoner passed the test, regardless of the ghost’s willingness, the partnership was considered established.

These fierce ghosts don’t have it easy either.

“Don’t worry, I’m tough,” Fang Xiu said. “I really don’t have any demands. You do as you see fit.”

“Why don’t you ask for my protection?” The owner of the ghost hand stared expressionlessly at Fang Xiu.

“Brother, your lot had a whole string of ‘death’ characters on it…”

…It looks like there’s a lot of resentment here. 

Fang Xiu had treated the earlier bloody tests as just business for the ghost, but the lot seemed to carry a bit of personal grudge.

Going further might offend the ghost, so Fang Xiu quickly changed the subject. “Can I ask about your, uh, species?”

“No.”

“What about your name?”

“I don’t have one.”

What kind of work attitude is this? Fang Xiu choked. No name, fine, but “unknown species” was really conspicuous, and he didn’t want to stir up trouble.

“…Then if someone asks later, I’ll just say you’re a seductive ghost,” he said.

A seductive ghost, a relatively harmless and common type of evil spirit. With that face, it was a convincing choice.

“Alright, let’s make a contract,” the owner of the ghost hand agreed without objection.

That easy? Fang Xiu fell into thought.

The paper figure had explained the process of “making a contract”. After a partnership was established, the human must give the ghost a drop of blood. This step was more symbolic, like stamping a certificate.

Since that’s the case…

The owner of the ghost hand quietly waited, his white irises reflecting Fang Xiu as he raised his head.

Fang Xiu was lean, with skin that had an unhealthy pallor. His bangs were a bit messy, usually covering his eyes, making him look rather ordinary at first glance.

Since entering the illusion, this was the first time Fang Xiu had properly shown his face.

He had surprisingly handsome features, with slightly curved eyebrows and a natural smile, giving off a unique freshness. The owner of the ghost hand had seen many humans, and this one’s appearance was definitely top-notch. 

It was just a pity that those black eyes, lacking brightness, appeared a bit sinister.

“In fact, a human face isn’t symmetrical. This ‘asymmetry’ is what makes people perceive ‘harmony’.” Fang Xiu said earnestly, “I can make you look more like a seductive ghost. Trust me, and don’t move.”

The owner of the ghost hand didn’t move, his gaze repeatedly scanning Fang Xiu’s features as if trying to engrave them in his memory.

Fang Xiu bit his ring finger, then gently dabbed a drop of blood on the ghost’s face—

A tiny blood mark appeared beneath the left eye of the ghost hand’s owner, like a small, blood-red mole.

With the addition of the mole, his otherworldly aura diminished somewhat, and his face, previously lifeless, gained a bit of vitality.

“All done.” Fang Xiu contentedly sucked on his wound. “Can we go back now? I’m exhausted.”

On the other side of the bronze mirror, the paper figure stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.

How could this be possible?

The owner of the ghost hand had first set a death trap and then tried to kill him. The Disaster Relief Tower forbade ghosts from killing the sacrificial offerings casually, yet this one had managed to defy the rules, delaying the underworld’s rescue spell.

Luckily, Fang Xiu had managed to hold on. By accidentally ringing the funeral pot, he disrupted the illusion, allowing the rescue spell to activate in time.

Fang Xiu assumed that the ghost hand was under the jurisdiction of the underworld and thought he was following a standard procedure. The kid didn’t even realize he had just narrowly escaped death or how dangerous his situation was. 

Right now, the ghost was barely being suppressed by the Disaster Relief Tower and needed to be reported immediately…

The eyes of the owner of the ghost hand suddenly moved. His pale irises pierced through the mirror, directly stabbing at the paper figure.

A brief stare.

Everything around the paper figure twisted and turned, like stirred paint. A moment later, everything returned to normal.

The paper figure put the bronze mirror back in place.

“A seductive ghost, a seductive ghost. That kid actually summoned a seductive ghost,” it muttered, clicking its tongue but otherwise appearing calm. “We were wondering why there was an extra lot, but it turns out a seductive ghost snuck in…”

Everything had a cause and effect. The ghosts summoned were closely related to the summoner’s own characteristics. 

A mere seductive ghost was nothing to worry about. The paper figure had been a little interested in Fang Xiu, but now it seemed like nothing special. Picking up the half-written abnormal report, it continued to chew on it with great interest.

No abnormalities. No abnormalities. No abnormalities.  

The sacrificial ritual would undoubtedly proceed smoothly, as always.

---

The author has something to say:

The long-standing prologue meeting! The two have finally seen each other’s faces, not easy. 

Fang Xiu: You talked so tough, hit so hard, didn’t even learn how to speak human language properly beforehand… I get it. 

Fang Xiu: You must really not want this job, huh? Don’t worry, you can slack off. 

Bai Shuangying: ………………

---

Kinky Thoughts:

This marks the end of the prologue.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>