"It's strange, you know. The female ghosts in movies and TV shows can scare people to death, but she just drives us out."
Hearing this, you raised an eyebrow, "Besides that, is there any other distinctive feature?"
Blondie scratched his head, "No, we can't see the female ghost, and we don't dare to get close to that house. Previously, Old Lady Hao invited a Taoist priest, but he was beaten out not long after he entered."
You and Zhaor got into Blondie's van, and after about ten minutes, the car stopped in front of a secluded alley.
"Brother Li, turn left at the end of the alley, and that's where the boss's house is," Blondie said fearfully.
Seeing Blondie and his brothers cowering, you couldn't help but laugh and pulled Blondie's collar, "All of you, follow me in!"
After some dragging and pulling, you herded the six of them into the alley like ducks.
The walls on both sides of the alley were made of ancient green bricks, and the ground was paved with stone slabs. Just a few steps in, you could feel the air around you turn cold. A chill breeze passed by, and it felt like something ethereal brushed its cold hand across the back of your neck.
At the end of the alley, you saw two red doors facing each other, both made in the ancient style with lion head knockers.
The door on the right was closed tight, while the one on the left was ajar. Just as you were about to push the door open, Blondie spoke up again, "Brother Li, let us go. You're the expert in this area, and we'll just get in your way if we stay."
Blondie's face and eyebrows drooped, and along with his swollen face, he looked pitifully miserable.
You suddenly pointed behind Blondie, and as he turned around in shock, you grabbed his collar, kicked open the red door on the left, and threw Blondie inside!
Blondie's five brothers, being loyal, rushed in after seeing him thrown in, helping him up and surrounding him protectively.
The threshold of the old house was high, requiring a large step to enter.
Once inside, the first thing you saw was a stone screen, and the walls on both sides were covered with lush ivy. There were also two rows of pine trees in the yard.
Just standing in the yard, you could clearly feel a chilling aura emanating from the house.
"Has your boss had his brain sucked out? Why live in this kind of old house instead of a proper apartment?" You turned to Blondie, "Ivy gathers yin energy, and pine trees are yin wood. Plus, there's this screen at the entrance, trapping yin energy inside and blocking yang energy from entering. This is clearly asking for trouble."
Blondie was about to speak when a hoarse male voice came from behind the screen, "Ergou, has Old Lady Hao brought another expert?"
"Boss, the expert Old Lady Hao invited is here!"
As they were talking, a man who looked as dry as kindling and as thin as a stick walked out. If Blondie hadn't called him boss, you would never have recognized this seemingly dying old man as someone under thirty-five.
Ma Hong walked out from behind the screen, and as he took a few steps, a disheveled woman suddenly appeared in your line of sight!
Upon closer inspection, you noticed that the woman's feet weren't touching the ground; she was floating!
You acted swiftly, pointing at the woman behind Ma Hong.
At first, the woman kept her head down, following Ma Hong. When he stopped, she slowly raised her head and looked at you.
She was a woman with a face as pale as paper, wearing a white wedding dress and white high heels. If she had a veil, she would look like a bride-to-be. Her features were regular and pretty, not terrifying at all.
Your shout made Ma Hong and everyone behind you freeze.
"Brother Li, did you see something?"
You frowned slightly and pointed at the woman behind Ma Hong, "What, you can't see her?"
Everyone shook their heads, their faces gradually turning pale with fear.
"Master, master! Please save me, save me!"
Ma Hong stood still, his hands clasped together, pleading with you.
You hadn't expected to be the only one who could see her. This was the second time you had seen a ghost, the first being the hanged ghost with the long tongue at Qianling.
Compared to the hanged ghost, this bride-like female ghost was much prettier, and you noticed that she seemed less aggressive. In other words, her malevolent aura wasn't as strong.
The female ghost glared with bloodshot eyes and lunged at you!
As the female ghost's claws came at you, you quickly dodged to the side and, with a chopping motion, aimed for the back of her neck. But your hand seemed to cut through a cloud of mist, passing right through!
The female ghost missed and lunged at you again. In a moment of carelessness, your chest was scratched, leaving five marks. Seeing this, you quickly retreated, but the female ghost pressed on. She lunged again, her claws, now several inches long, nearly reaching your face!
At the critical moment, a slender jade hand suddenly appeared, grabbing the female ghost's wrist just in time.
You turned to see that it was Zhaor who had saved you!
Zhaor shook her hand lightly, throwing the female ghost away.
The female ghost's body was ethereal, and normal objects and flesh couldn't harm her, but Zhaor's throw made her crash heavily against the screen.
Zhaor took the initiative to walk over, lifted her foot, and stepped directly on the female ghost's abdomen. The once ferocious female ghost now lay on the ground, unable to move!
As everyone watched, Zhaor raised her right hand, and they all saw a faint light emanating from her palm, aimed straight at the female ghost's head!
In that instant, you clearly saw the female ghost look deeply at Ma Hong, not far from her. Her face showed a complex mix of emotions: sadness, pain, anger, and a hint of reluctance.
As the female ghost closed her eyes, resigned to her fate, your shout stopped Zhaor's action. She turned her head, looking at you blankly.
You quickly walked up to the female ghost, looked down at her, and asked, "Did you know Ma Hong before? What's your relationship with him?"
After a deep look at Ma Hong, the female ghost said faintly, "I am his woman."
Although Ma Hong couldn't see the female ghost's figure, he could hear her voice. He immediately shouted in shock, "Xiao Mei? Are you Xiao Mei?"