Volume One, Chapter 9: Why Haven't You Reincarnated?

Su Tong only felt full after eating two more bowls of rice. Seeing Madam Zhang’s shocked expression, she silently vowed never to draw so many talismans at once again—it was simply too draining! It made her feel like a bottomless pit.

Wiping her mouth with a napkin, Su Tong got up and went out to stroll in the garden to digest her meal.

Not long after, Xiao Weiyi returned with a swagger that suggested he recognized no one. His eyes instantly caught sight of Su Tong, who was bent over, gently touching the flower petals.

Today, she wore a fitted white short-sleeved shirt, her curvaceous figure accentuated in every way. The sight sent a rush of heat through Xiao Weiyi.

He quietly approached her, reaching out to embrace her. Just then, Su Tong seemed to notice him for the first time and, with a startled cry, pushed him away. In that instant, she slipped the Ghost-Seeing and Ghost-Summoning Talismans into his jacket pocket.

Xiao Weiyi hadn’t expected her to be so strong. Caught off guard, he landed hard on his backside. Su Tong pretended to help him up, but Xiao Weiyi shrieked, scooting backward on the ground.

"Ah! Don’t come any closer!"

And in Xiao Weiyi’s eyes, a young woman in a red dress stood before him—a ghost, no more than her early teens, with half her head missing, her features twisted, one eyeball dangling from its socket, swinging as she moved. Every now and then, she’d stick out her tongue and lick her own eyeball, making Xiao Weiyi retch in disgust.

He flailed his arms, screaming, "Go away!" But his hand passed straight through her body, a chill seeping into his bones, making his hair stand on end.

The ghost, summoned by a special power, found it amusing. Seeing someone could actually see her, her playful spirit was only aroused further. She deliberately pulled a twisted smile, her hoarse voice rasping like a saw through rotten wood.

"Big Brother, I’m so lonely. Come play with me."

Xiao Weiyi’s pupils contracted, his mind going blank. He didn’t even notice the foul-smelling liquid pooling beneath him.

"Don’t come any closer, ah—!"

The servants, hearing Xiao Weiyi’s wails, rushed over. They saw him flailing wildly, screaming like a madman. Butler Yuan tried to restrain him, but Xiao Weiyi kicked and punched, keeping everyone at bay. Helpless, he pulled out his phone, intending to call the hospital.

"It’s no use. This isn’t an illness," Su Tong interrupted.

Butler Yuan recalled Su Tong’s heroics during the fire yesterday. Knowing she was no ordinary person, he quickly asked, "Miss Su, what’s wrong with Young Master Weiyi?"

Su Tong arched an eyebrow and stated bluntly, "He’s seen a ghost."

"G-ghost…?" Butler Yuan’s face turned pale. So ghosts really did exist! As the saying goes, 'A clear conscience fears no midnight knocking.' Still, it was his first time witnessing such a thing, and he couldn’t help but tremble.

In a shaky voice, he asked, "Miss Su, do you have a solution?"

Summoning the ghost to frighten Xiao Weiyi was Su Tong’s idea of punishment—why would she help him? With a calm air, she replied, "Leave him be. He’ll be fine in a while."

Butler Yuan sensed something odd in her tone, but dared not press further.

The girl ghost merely wanted to play and didn’t frighten Xiao Weiyi too much. Once he grew accustomed to her appearance, his terror began to wane.

Before long, a middle-aged male ghost appeared. This one was a pervert, utterly depraved—upon seeing Xiao Weiyi, he lunged forward, trying to lick him.

Seeing this, Xiao Weiyi’s eyes filled with horror, a shrill scream escaping his lips, "There’s a ghost—! Help! Go away, don’t lick me!"

Hearing Xiao Weiyi’s screams only excited the perverted ghost further. His crimson tongue slid from top to bottom, stopping at a certain spot.

Su Tong’s expression darkened, and she quickly averted her gaze.

Xiao Weiyi felt a sudden chill below, his eyes rolling back as he fainted. But within seconds, the icy pain shocked him awake again. Opening his eyes, he saw the perverted ghost still working away. Once more, Xiao Weiyi shrieked, "There’s a ghost! Get away!"

He fainted again, this time not waking up.

Seeing Xiao Weiyi finally at peace, Butler Yuan’s respect for Su Tong deepened. Just as she’d said, it passed in a while.

He approached her, asking respectfully, "Miss Su, Young Master Weiyi’s not moving. What should we do next?"

Su Tong walked over to Xiao Weiyi, feigning a check while discreetly retrieving the Ghost-Seeing and Ghost-Summoning Talismans.

"Take him to his room and let him sleep. He’ll be fine."

Relieved, Butler Yuan and the servants carried Xiao Weiyi back into the villa.

The middle-aged perverted ghost tried to follow him inside. Su Tong’s gaze turned cold, her fingers swiftly forming a hand sign. The ghost was instantly immobilized. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t move.

Realizing something was wrong, the perverted ghost’s lecherous grin shifted into terror. He quickly began to plead for mercy.

"Please, Master, spare me!"

Su Tong ignored him, turning her attention to the girl ghost still playing with her eyeball.

From her observations, Su Tong knew the Riverside Cloudscape Villas had a formation that regularly cleansed impurities—purifying baleful energy, weakening ghosts reluctant to reincarnate. Thus, ghosts were rare here—either they moved on quickly, or their consciousness faded, and they would soon dissipate.

The ghosts summoned today had come via the talisman. The middle-aged pervert had come from outside. Only the girl ghost had died here, and even after two months, her soul remained intact, faintly aglow with karmic merit.

Su Tong watched her for a while, then frowned with distaste. "You’re too hideous. Change back to how you looked before you died."

The girl ghost froze, but reluctantly transformed.

Now she wore a pink princess dress, around twelve or thirteen, with large eyes and an oval face—altogether very pretty.

Pleased, Su Tong’s tone softened. "Why haven’t you gone to reincarnate?"

The girl ghost, clearly afraid of Su Tong, lowered her head and whispered, "I… I’m waiting for someone."

She quickly explained her situation.

Her name was Lin Mianmian. Three years ago, her parents divorced, and she lived with her mother. She had an older brother who went with their father. A year ago, Lin Mianmian’s mother remarried, but her stepfather’s children disliked her. When her mother was away, they bullied her. Too afraid to trouble her mother, Lin Mianmian never told her, but she did confide in her older brother, who had always been kind to her.

Her brother promised to come take her away, but by the time Lin Mianmian died two months ago, he still hadn’t come. She didn’t understand why, after her death, no ghost messengers came to escort her. So she wandered the villa complex, waiting for her brother.

Hearing this, Su Tong wanted to slap some sense into the girl and shatter her naivety. Her own funeral had come and gone without her brother appearing—clearly, his promise was a lie. Yet she still clung to that promise, lingering in the world.

"Do you remember how you died?" Su Tong asked.

Lin Mianmian hesitated, thought hard, then shook her head.

"I don’t remember."