Chapter 10: Xiaoqing’s Home

“Don’t look at them,” Ou Zhiqin sighed.
“Just like I said earlier, pretend you don’t see those dirty things.
They generally won’t pester you.
The senior student was right; sometimes, not seeing is a blessing.”

“But if you can’t see them, won’t those who are entangled with them be doomed?
And you also said they ‘generally’ won’t pester, but what if one does target you?
If you can’t see it, you can’t even resist, can you?” I asked, confused.

“Brother Xiao, not all ghosts kill people.
Many just drain vital essence, making people feel weak and tired, or cause minor illnesses, or bring bad luck.
They don’t necessarily kill.
As for vengeful spirits, they usually have a reason and a target for their grievances; they won’t target you without cause,” Ou Zhiqin explained.

That brought me back to my initial confusion.
I had no grudge or enmity with that Painted Skin Ghost, so why did it target me?
But unless I could ask it directly, there was no answer.

I could only keep my head down, not looking at the various evil spirits around me, following closely beside Ou Zhiqin.
In my heart, I prayed that the Painted Skin Ghost had given up attacking me, but somehow, I still felt a chilling sensation, as if someone was secretly watching me from behind.

However, unlike being in school, the journey was uneventful.
Soon, Xiao Qing and I arrived back home.
It wasn’t far from school, taking at most twenty minutes to walk.

Ou Zhiqin and I lived on opposite sides of a small alley, our houses facing each other across the street.
We had known each other since childhood.
Unlike the main street, there weren’t many people here, only one or two occasionally.
The dim streetlights made the depths of the alley seem to hide something terrifying.
In contrast, the lights emanating from the roadside residential houses and the sounds of laughter from within felt more warm and human.

Moreover, as I approached, I noticed that every household was enveloped in a faint spiritual glow.
Especially at the entrance, the red couplets and inverted fu characters emitted a red light, firmly protecting the family’s door.
But my house didn’t have that.
My parents had long lost the mood to put up any Spring Festival couplets.
And my home was not only not enveloped in spiritual light, but instead, a faint black mist with the smell of smoke and alcohol subtly seeped out from within.

I instinctively walked towards my own front door.
Just getting close to the black mist, I felt a hint of disgust and discomfort.
No wonder I always felt restless at home and didn’t want to stay there.

The faint sound of an argument came from inside the house, including my familiar father’s angry curses: “That little brat, he’s still not home so late.
If he dares to come back, I’ll break his legs!”

It was then I remembered that I hadn’t gone home.
But faced with their son’s disappearance, my parents hadn’t chosen to look for me.
It seemed they hadn’t even called the police, but were instead yelling at home.
This made my heart grow cold.

As I hesitated, Xiao Qing grabbed my hand and said, “Where are you going?
You can’t go home now.
You’re still wearing Xia Yubing’s skin.
Uncle and Auntie won’t recognize you.”

“Ah!
Then, where will I sleep tonight?
No, where should I hide?” It was then I realized my current predicament.
I had completely transformed into another person, even a girl.
Even if I told them what had happened, they wouldn’t believe me.
More critically, the Painted Skin Ghost might still be hunting me, and my parents, who didn’t believe in ghosts or gods, couldn’t protect me at all.
It wasn’t a question of where I’d sleep tonight, but whether I’d live to see tomorrow’s sun.

“Of course, you’re coming to my house.
Only in my house do I have the confidence to protect you from the Painted Skin Ghost,” Ou Zhiqin said, pointing to the house opposite.

Compared to my house, Xiao Qing’s home was clearly much more comfortable.
The house had been tastefully decorated, with smooth, bright marble floors and pristine white walls.
The living room even had a glass coffee table and a leather sofa, and calligraphy and paintings hung on the walls.

Her father was sitting on the sofa watching the news.
The TV was reporting a recent series of disappearances in the city, with the police still searching for the missing persons.

“Qing’er, you’re back?” A gentle woman’s voice rang out.
Xiao Qing’s mother opened the door.
She quickly noticed me behind Xiao Qing and asked, puzzled, “Qing’er, who is that girl behind you?”

“Mom, this is Xia Yubing, my classmate.
She’s staying with us for a night because of some schoolwork,” Ou Zhiqin told her mother the story she had prepared.

“Xia Yubing?
I think I’ve heard of her, the school beauty in your class?” Xiao Qing’s mother looked at me.
I could only cooperate and nod, greeting her: “Hello, Auntie.”

“Why does she seem to be wearing your clothes?” Xiao Qing’s mother keenly noticed that the clothes I was wearing were indeed Xiao Qing’s, but we couldn’t find any other clothes right now.

“Mom, that’s because her clothes got dirty due to an accident, so I could only lend her mine to wear.” Xiao Qing explained, biting the bullet.

“This child isn’t running away from home, is she?” Xiao Qing’s mother muttered to herself in a low voice, but quickly smiled and said, “Alright, come on in.
Welcome to our home.”

Her attitude was completely different from when she saw me.
Well, it seemed looks and reputation really mattered.
I followed Xiao Qing into her house.

Compared to my home, Xiao Qing’s house was noticeably more comfortable.
The house had been exquisitely decorated, with smooth, bright marble floors, pristine white walls, and a glass coffee table and leather sofa in the living room.
Calligraphy and paintings adorned the walls.

Her father was sitting on the sofa watching the news.
The TV was reporting on a recent series of disappearances in the city, with the police still searching for the missing persons.

“Qing’er, you’re back?
It seems Quanchuan City isn’t very peaceful lately; try to go out less at night, hmm?
Do we have a guest?” Xiao Qing’s father turned and looked over.

“Yes, this is my classmate, Xia Yubing.
She’s staying with us for a night for a project.
I’ll take care of her; no need to trouble you, Dad.” Ou Zhiqin repeated the explanation she had given her mother.