Her ghostly scream immediately sent Xiao Xiang, Xiao Ying, Liu Bin, Zhu Wantao, and Zhang Shaoyu scrambling into a corner, huddling together in terror. Zhang Shaoyu, in particular, was pale as a corpse, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not in the mood to kill you," Feng Lan said before slowly materializing in the dining room chair, clutching its backrest as she gasped for breath. Her blood-soaked and ghastly appearance only amplified the fear, prompting another round of shrieks from the group.
I quickly addressed her, "We had an agreement. Don't back out now." Honestly, given her current state, I wasn't too scared. If she dared make a move, I could trap her with spirit-channeling techniques, and Wulong would handle the rest.
Feng Lan nodded. "I won't go back on my word. But have you kept yours? Have you found the person?"
Before I could reply, Zhu Wantao pushed Zhang Shaoyu forward, shouting, "You're looking for Yu Zixin's hometown friend, right? It's him!"
I couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. This guy would do anything to save himself. He was born with this trait—if he were thrown back to the wartime era, he'd undoubtedly be the first to turn traitor!
Feng Lan turned her gaze toward me for confirmation, and I nodded. Her expression instantly contorted with fury, and she bared her teeth in a terrifying snarl. Through gritted teeth, she said, "I recognize you now. You once stole a pair of my stockings and got caught red-handed. When we searched you, we found several girls' underwear and bras. Back then, I even threatened to have An Shengzhe chop off your... well, you know. So, this is why you wanted to kill me!"
Uh, Zhang Shaoyu's version of events was a bit skewed. Feng Lan's threat to have her boyfriend beat him up had somehow become a threat to emasculate him. Frankly, in his position, I'd be scared to death too. After all, he stole all that lingerie to satisfy his twisted desires.
Zhang Shaoyu was drenched in sweat, trembling as he knelt and slapped himself repeatedly. "I deserve to die! I'm not human! I was just scared back then, so I did this terrible thing. Please don't kill me! I still have a sick mother who depends on me…" At the mention of his mother, the scoundrel burst into loud, remorseful sobs.
Feng Lan let out a grim laugh. "Did you ever think about how I also have a mother waiting for me to care for her? Not only did you harm me, but you wanted to harm even more people. Why didn't you regret it back then?"
His cries almost softened my heart, but Feng Lan's words quickly hardened it again.
Wulong sighed and said, "We deeply sympathize with your suffering, but no more killing tonight. By morning, we'll turn him over to the police for justice."
I doubted Feng Lan would agree. Such a profound hatred—losing her life and her unborn child—wasn't something a vengeful spirit could easily let go. To my surprise, she nodded and said, "Fine, I'll spare him tonight. But he robbed my unborn child of the chance to reincarnate. This blood feud demands some payback. His life may be spared, but his sins cannot go unpunished. Don't worry; I won't use cruel methods. I'll simply help him fulfill his... unusual desires with women's underwear."
Her words sounded merciful but dripped with venom so chilling it sent shivers down my spine.
Wulong gave me a glance, signaling his approval of the deal. If she promised no cruelty, then there would be no gruesome scene. Pushing her further could provoke her, and even the Fortune-Blessed Ghost might not be able to subdue her.
I nodded and shoved Zhang Shaoyu forward. The coward practically crawled to the dining room, leaving a visible trail—he had wet himself in fear.
Feng Lan, strangely calm, looked at him trembling on the floor. Her face softened as she reassured him, "Don't be scared. I won't kill you or cause you any pain." Somehow, those words only made the situation more terrifying.
"Xiao Ying," Feng Lan called, "burn a stocking for me."
Terrified, Xiao Ying shrank back, clinging to Xiao Xiang for support, and looked to me for help. I nodded, signaling her to comply. Xiao Ying reluctantly got up and fetched a flesh-colored stocking from the bedroom. She borrowed Liu Bin's lighter and nervously burned the stocking to ashes.
Suddenly, the lights went out. My heart skipped a beat. What was Feng Lan planning? In the dark, Zhang Shaoyu let out two muffled groans—filled with both fear and an odd satisfaction. It was bizarre, this mix of terror and pleasure.
Moments later, the lights flickered back on. Feng Lan was still seated in the chair, and Zhang Shaoyu lay on the floor, looking surprisingly relieved. His clothes were intact, with no visible injuries. It seemed Feng Lan had kept her word about avoiding cruel methods.
I couldn't help but wonder: Had she drained his vitality? But why involve a stocking?
Feng Lan gave us a faint smile. "I've punished him. Now, I'd like to rest. Can you help me with that?"
Wulong and I exchanged glances. Did she mean to rest in the bedroom? Wulong agreed and asked Xiao Ying for a drink bottle. She pointed to the fridge behind Feng Lan, too scared to retrieve it herself. Summoning my courage, I retrieved a bottle of soda, handed it to Wulong, and watched as he drank it all in one go.
He then turned to Feng Lan. "Once you go in, I'll seal it with eight talismans. No one will find you."
Feng Lan nodded without hesitation and transformed into a wisp of smoke, entering the bottle. Wulong quickly affixed eight talismans, wrapping the bottle tightly.
With the vengeful ghost contained, we all sighed in relief. Xiao Xiang, Liu Bin, Zhu Wantao, and Xiao Ying finally relaxed, celebrating on the sofa. Yet, my mood remained heavy.
Out there was still a ghost marshal. It wouldn't be over so easily.
Wulong whispered to me, "Now that Feng Lan is in the bottle, they won't dare send another ghost general. With the Fortune-Blessed Ghost on our side, they're not invincible either."
I considered his words and eased up a little. I then asked Wulong about Feng Lan's punishment for Zhang Shaoyu.
He whispered back, explaining that the burned stocking had turned into a spirit artifact in the underworld. Feng Lan had used it to tie up Zhang Shaoyu's privates, ensuring he could never... function again. Over the next few days, the artifact's yin energy would corrode him, turning him into a eunuch.
The gruesome ingenuity of it sent chills down my spine. In a way, it was more brutal than a bloody revenge.
But compared to what he had done to Feng Lan, it was justice.
As I watched everyone's relieved smiles, my thoughts drifted to the mischievous ghost girl. If not for her sacrifice, I wouldn't have mastered the spirit-channeling technique in time to save us. The thought of never seeing her again left a hollow ache in my chest.
Her laughter, her scoldings—they would now exist only in my memories.