Chapter 65: She wanted to see

Liu Huang’s gaze darkened.
To be honest, she had no intention of handing the sickly one over to Liu Feng.

She placed the little wooden puppet on her shoulder.

The sudden increase in height made Liu Qiu hug Liu Huang’s face tightly; being a puppet felt completely different from being a ghost.

When she had been a ghost, she knew she wouldn’t fall, so she had dared to drift high into the air.

But as a puppet, it wasn’t the same—she seemed unable to fly at all.

Liu Qiu was genuinely frustrated.
“Liu Huang, what are you doing? I already said I’m going to Liu Feng’s place.”

“Stay with me tonight. Tomorrow night, I’ll give you to Sister.”

As if she hadn’t heard Liu Qiu at all, Liu Huang carried the puppet outside.

Liu Feng stood with her hands hanging at her sides, watching as Liu Huang and the little puppet gradually disappeared from sight.

Now it would depend on whether they could find a suitable body.

Liu Qiu’s soul still existed.
If she were revived using someone else’s body, she would still be Liu Qiu.

She didn’t want to keep repeating this stretch of life.
She wanted to move forward.

Outside, Liu Qiu was brought into Liu Huang’s room.

She couldn’t understand how she could still feel sensations after entering a wooden puppet’s body; wood was clearly inanimate.

Liu Huang set her down on the bed and lit a candle.

Liu Qiu was not pleased, and her emotions were plainly written across her face.
“Liu Huang, what exactly are you trying to do? When I was alive, you targeted me. Now that I’m dead, you’ve trapped my soul inside this puppet.”

[There are way too many bugs in this world.]
Liu Qiu was too tired to even complain properly.
She didn’t know how she was supposed to continue the mission at this rate.

The system was silent for a moment; even its mechanical voice seemed to glitch.
[Th-this world has ghosts, so of course there are spirits and other fantasy elements too… Host, don’t be angry.]

The system’s consolation was completely ineffective.

Liu Qiu lowered her head to stare at her tiny body and let out a silent sigh.

She was truly an incompetent ghost.

Trapped inside this puppet and not even knowing how to get out.

“Qiu-jie, I only want to bring you back to life.”

Liu Huang’s voice drifted over, unusually heavy in the night.

Liu Qiu paused, then looked up at Liu Huang’s beautiful brows and eyes.
“Have you ever considered that I might not want to be revived?”

Liu Huang curled her lips but said nothing.

Instead, she climbed onto the bed, lay down with Liu Qiu in her arms, and confined her to her side.
“But I want you to be revived.”

“Qiu-jie, don’t you want to go see the capital?
Don’t you want to taste the delicious food there and see all the interesting things?”

“You never left this place, even until you died.”

Her words were deeply moving.

Yes, she had wanted to see places farther away—but not like this.

Just as Liu Qiu was about to respond, the system’s voice rang out in her mind.
[Host, honestly, there’s no real difference between being a puppet and being a ghost. Just have the sisters bring your wife along, and the plot will develop the same way.]

[It’s completely different! When I was a ghost, I could float around freely. Now that I’m a puppet, I can feel pain—and I can’t even drift around.]

[But Host, when you were a ghost, you couldn’t leave this place.]

Liu Qiu took a deep breath.

Fine.
The system had a point.

She wasn’t sure whether she would be able to leave once the Liu family moved away.

The plot hadn’t mentioned the Liu family relocating at all.

Liu Qiu decided not to dwell on it.
One step at a time.

Turning her head to look at Liu Huang, she said, “Then you have to bring my wife too.”

The moment she heard the word “wife,” Liu Huang’s good mood vanished instantly.

She stared at Liu Qiu’s tiny face and reached out to poke her cheek.

The puppet was hard and cold, not pleasant to touch.

But she could still see the change in expression on that small face.

Liu Huang narrowed her eyes.
“Sickly one, did you see how I drove that woman away during the day?”

Liu Qiu frowned and raised her small hands to cover her face to stop the poking.
“I saw it. How can you be so cruel?”

“It’s one thing if you hate me, but why bully Su Li? She only married me.”

When she couldn’t poke her cheek anymore, Liu Huang began poking her stomach instead.
“That’s why I say you’re a fool.”

“That woman was pretending in front of you, deliberately tricking you.”

Liu Qiu slapped at Liu Huang’s finger.
“Stop poking me. It’s uncomfortable.”

Liu Huang let out a soft laugh.
“Your body isn’t very strong, but your temper certainly is.”

She stopped her movements and grasped the puppet’s waist, leaning her face closer.
She could smell the faint scent of wood.

“Do you understand now? That woman is pretending. She’s bad.”

Liu Huang was too close.

Her breath brushed against her, ticklish and unsettling.

Liu Qiu struggled.
“Let me go.”

She had said she wanted to go with Liu Feng.

Liu Feng was gentle and refined; perhaps she wouldn’t behave like Liu Huang.

Weren’t ancient people supposed to fear ghosts?

Why was Liu Huang not only unafraid, but leaning in even closer?

“Liu Huang, let me go. I’m already a malicious ghost. If you stay with me too long, you’ll be tainted by yin energy—”

She had said a whole string of ominous things, yet Liu Huang only smiled more brazenly.

‘She really is detestable.’

If she had cheeks now, they would probably already be red.

How was she not a malicious ghost?

Seeing Liu Huang’s unrestrained smile, Liu Qiu decided she would scare her.

Suddenly, her body felt light.

Her vision expanded abruptly.

“Sickly one?”

Liu Qiu stared blankly at her pale hands.

Sh-she had come out of the puppet!

A small smile lifted her lips.

Looking at Liu Huang lying on the bed, Liu Qiu leaned down and reached out to grab her throat.

“Liu Huang, are you afraid?”

The moment she said it, something felt off.

How could she touch Liu Huang’s body?

And she could even feel the warmth of her skin.

[System, something’s not right.]

[Host, don’t panic. Since you’re a ghost, when you come into contact with the living, you absorb their life force. The ghost body will gradually grow stronger.]

It sounded reasonable enough.

Liu Qiu believed it.

It matched the ghost lore she knew.

Her grip on Liu Huang’s neck tightened slightly.
“I told you, I’m a malicious ghost. A puppet can’t trap me.”

Cold seeped from her fingers across Liu Huang’s skin.

Liu Huang stared intently at the Liu Qiu hovering above her.

Pale skin.
Crimson lips.

Her features weren’t strikingly glamorous, but the small mole at the corner of her eye lent her an eerie allure.

Her long, curled hair cascaded down along her cheeks, the ends brushing against Liu Huang’s lips and making them itch faintly.

Liu Huang’s gaze settled on Liu Qiu’s moving lips.

It was said that a soul appears as a person looked at the moment before death.

Before Liu Qiu died, she had coughed up blood that stained her pale lips red—perhaps that was why they now looked so vividly crimson.

A slow smile spread across Liu Huang’s face.
“Qiu-jie, if all malicious ghosts looked like you, there would be very few people in this world who would be afraid.”

As she spoke, she reached up and grabbed Liu Qiu’s arm, easily removing the hand from her throat.

Then, pulling her along, she shifted her body and pinned Liu Qiu down onto the bed.

Liu Qiu was stunned by the sudden reversal.

Was she really that weak?

Liu Huang had subdued her so effortlessly—though she hadn’t used much strength.

And it wasn’t just that she could touch Liu Huang.

Liu Huang could touch her too.

Liu Qiu pressed her lips together.
“Liu Huang, let go of me.”

Liu Huang ignored her.

She buried her face in Liu Qiu’s neck and inhaled deeply.

It was gone.

There was no scent at all on Liu Qiu anymore.

The faint medicinal fragrance that used to cling to her had disappeared.

The icy sensation continued to stimulate Liu Huang’s senses.

She was acutely aware that the one beneath her was no longer human, but a ghost.

Liu Huang lifted her head and scrutinized Liu Qiu carefully.

The gaze was far too invasive.

Liu Qiu couldn’t help but avert her eyes.
“Stop staring at me like that.”

It felt strange.

Liu Huang’s gaze lingered on her lips.

Those red lips parted and closed slightly, revealing pearly teeth and the faint glimpse of a pink tongue.

Her smile deepened.
“Qiu-jie, you’re even prettier like this than when you were alive.”

Liu Qiu frowned.
“What are you talking about?”

Seeing the confusion in Liu Qiu’s eyes, Liu Huang straightened and grasped her ankle, lifting it so that Liu Qiu’s foot pressed against her chest.

Liu Qiu’s lips parted slightly, her eyes wide in incomprehension.
“Liu Huang, what are you trying to do? Is this some new way of teasing me?”

That was the only explanation she could think of.

Liu Huang had always disliked the original owner of this body.

Now that she had taken that identity, it was only natural to be disliked too.

But she hadn’t expected that even as a ghost, Liu Huang would still tease her.

Liu Huang said nothing.

She lowered her long lashes and stared at the delicate arch of the foot before her.

Her hand looked slightly darker against Liu Qiu’s pale skin.

The contrast was almost striking.

A low, hoarse laugh escaped her.
“Yes. I’m going to start from your feet and eat you up.”

Liu Qiu froze.

Before she could react, Liu Huang lifted her foot and lightly ran her tongue across the top before taking her toes into her mouth.

Panic surged inside Liu Qiu.

So Liu Huang had meant it literally.

She kicked out with her other foot in resistance, but Liu Huang easily caught and restrained it.

Her voice trembled with agitation.
“No—don’t bite my feet.”

Liu Huang ignored her.

After biting her toes, she moved to her instep.

It was a strange mix of ticklish and painful.

Liu Qiu pressed her lips tightly together, took a deep breath, and propped herself up, slapping Liu Huang across the cheek.
“S-stop biting.”

When Liu Huang finally released her foot and instead fixed her gaze on her, Liu Qiu’s fingers curled tightly into her collar, her lashes trembling.
“You weren’t listening to me—that’s why I hit you.”

“Humans can’t eat ghosts.”

It was obvious how nervous she was.

Liu Huang’s eyes grew darker still.
“Has she done this?”

Liu Qiu blinked.
“What?”

Liu Huang leaned down again, pressing her back onto the bed.

Her hands braced on either side of Liu Qiu’s head.
“That Su Li—has she ever eaten your feet?”

Liu Qiu couldn’t comprehend the sudden question.

Su Li might be a spirit, but she had never teased her.

Why would she eat her feet?

Not wanting to speak further, Liu Qiu simply shook her head and closed her eyes, silently willing herself to leave Liu Huang.

It had happened just like this before—
and she had emerged from the puppet.

Suddenly, a notification chimed in her mind.

[ Ding! Green Hat Value +5 ]

Liu Qiu’s eyes snapped open as she looked around.

There was nothing.

Liu Huang noticed her distraction.

She reached out and gripped Liu Qiu’s chin, forcing her to look at her.

Her expression was unreadable.
“Qiu-jie, didn’t you want us to bring that woman along? Fine. But you’ll have to give something in return.”

After becoming a ghost, what was she like inside?

Was it emptiness—or no different from the living?

She wanted to see.