Chapter 64: Puppet

Liu Qiu was actually afraid of ghosts.

Her mother had loved watching horror films.

When she was just old enough to remember things, her mother had once asked her if she wanted to watch something interesting.

She had been coaxed into watching a ghost movie, and a sudden blood-smeared face jumping at the screen had frightened her so badly that it left her with a childhood trauma.

After growing up, she had tried to overcome her fear of ghosts by forcing herself to watch horror movies again.

But after several in a row, without exception, she had been scared silly every single time.

She simply could not conquer that childhood shadow.

Drifting into the kitchen, she found it empty and sat down on a small wooden stool.

Now that she had become a ghost, she was oddly no longer afraid—perhaps because the ghost was herself.

Leisurely settling in, she said, [System, play some TV for me.]

[Received. Coming right up!]

The system also loved watching dramas, since it could access shows from all the small worlds and never get bored.

Liu Qiu soon discovered that after becoming a ghost, she could watch television all day without her eyes feeling sore, and she remained energetic and wide awake.

If only she could leave this courtyard, she would have gone outside for a look.

When she woke earlier, it had been noon.

Now dusk had arrived, and the setting sun dyed the small courtyard in shades of amber and gold.

Someone walked into the kitchen.

She thought it was Fang Lian, but when she looked up, it was Liu Huang.

Liu Huang had rolled her sleeves up to her elbows, revealing sturdy forearms.

It looked like she was preparing to cook.

Liu Qiu had assumed someone as proud and flamboyant as Liu Huang would disdain such chores.

Stretching lazily, Liu Qiu drifted back outside.

This was one of the perks of being a ghost—she could simply float wherever she wished.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

She recalled Liu Huang saying they were going to move away.

Would she remain here, or would she follow them?

Liu Qiu leaned toward the latter.

After all, the plot had to continue.

This time she floated onto the roof and gazed at the blazing sunset on the horizon.

For some reason, drowsiness crept in.

Yawning, she lay down on the rooftop and basked in the lingering warmth.

[System, I’m going to sleep for a bit. If anything happens, wake me up.]

[Sleep, Host. I’ll definitely wake you.]

Hearing the system’s promise, Liu Qiu lacked the energy to complain.

Whenever it said that, it never actually woke her.

Still, she had only said it casually and had not truly expected it to keep its word.

With random thoughts drifting through her mind, she slowly closed her eyes.

Her body could not touch anything solid, and the suspended sensation made her heart flutter uneasily.

But after a while, she grew accustomed to it and eventually fell asleep.

When she woke again, she had no idea how much time had passed.

The moon was already high in the sky.

She knew the system wouldn’t wake her.

Sighing, she looked up at the moon.

[System, can’t you be reliable just once?]

The system’s mechanical voice made a strange, affected sound.

[Tsk tsk tsk, Host. Nothing happened, so I didn’t wake you. How can you blame me?]

[…]

“Don’t imitate that. It sounds extremely punchable.”

The system made a coy, whining noise, like a fox acting cute.

[Don’t be like that, Host. I just thought it was interesting.]

“Enough. Shut up.”

She did not want to hear that emotionless electronic voice making such sounds.

The system obediently fell silent.

Liu Qiu withdrew her gaze from the moon and looked down into the quiet courtyard.

White mourning strips still hung about, and under the night sky, the desolation felt almost eerie.

She drifted down from the roof, her feet landing on the ground.

Every room still had candlelight flickering inside.

No one had gone to sleep yet.

She slowly made her way toward her former room, which now belonged to Su Li.

She wondered whether Su Li was afraid, considering she had died on the bed in that very room.

As she thought this, she reached the doorway.

“Ah… mm…”

Hearing the hazy, breathy sounds, Liu Qiu froze.

A faint heat rose to her pale cheeks.

No way.

Could it be that the hostility she saw during the day was all an illusion?

Had Liu Huang or Liu Feng already long coveted Su Li?

Those ambiguous sounds could only come from doing that sort of thing.

But she had only been dead for three days.

Sure enough, logic had no place in this kind of world.

[Host, hurry in! Your progress bar can increase!]

Taking a deep breath, Liu Qiu passed through the wall.

Candlelight flickered.

With her eyes closed, the increasingly exaggerated moans by her ear made her face flush and heart race.

She clenched her fingers tightly.

Originally, she had thought it would be easy.

Now that she was a ghost, she could simply watch how her wife and sisters were together.

But actually facing it still felt awkward.

Drawing in another breath, she slowly opened her eyes and looked toward the bed.

She had expected to see some scandalous scene involving Su Li and Liu Huang or Liu Feng.

But that wasn’t what she saw.

Her heart went cold in an instant.

Su Li was naked.

She sat atop Liu Qiu’s portrait, her fingers moving lewdly over herself.

“Ah… Wife Lord… please… please dote on me…”

Moisture soaked into the painting beneath her.

Her red lips were slightly parted, her eyes half-lidded, as though drunk yet not drunk, as if they could steal a person’s soul.

On top of her head, a pair of ears twitched faintly, resembling—

Liu Qiu was stunned.

Her mind went completely blank.

Su Li continued to writhe, her body trembling with each movement.

Suppressing a scream, Liu Qiu fled in a panic.

A demon!

Another demon!

Watching her vanish, Su Li stopped moving.

She narrowed her eyes and licked clean the moisture from her fingers.

It seemed the human had been frightened.

No matter.

Sooner or later, the human would find out she was a demon anyway.

She had hidden the human’s body in the cave where she used to cultivate.

Su Li rose and looked at the soaked portrait beneath her.

The human’s face on it was thoroughly damp.

If only she were alive.

She liked the way the human would bury her head there.

Twisting her waist lightly, Su Li lay down on the bed.

Her naked human form disappeared, replaced by a small fox with snow-white fur that carried a cool sheen.

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The little fox licked her nose, jumped off the bed, then leapt onto the desk and slipped out through the window.

Only a living soul could possess such a solid form.

When the human’s body was nurtured enough, the soul would naturally return.

At that time, the human would live again.

Meanwhile, Liu Qiu, frightened out of her wits, drifted straight into Liu Huang’s room.

Given how much Liu Huang disliked Su Li, she likely wouldn’t let her in.

Her heart was still pounding.

Clutching her chest, her mind blanked out.

Suddenly, she heard voices.

Blinking, she turned to look inside.

Under dim candlelight, Liu Huang and Liu Feng sat facing each other.

On the brown wooden table stood a wooden puppet about the height of a person’s lower leg.

Liu Huang stared at the painted puppet and said quietly, “Is this carved as a keepsake?”

“Sister, since when did you have such affection for the sickly one?”

Hearing that nickname, Liu Qiu floated closer to look.

Her breath caught.

The face painted on the puppet was hers.

“What… what is this?”

Liu Feng’s gentle voice rang out.

“Huang’er, after a person dies, their soul does not immediately disperse.”

“This puppet can be used to summon the soul and trap Sister Qiu’s spirit inside.”

“Then we can find her a suitable body and bring her back to our side.”

Every word made Liu Qiu’s scalp prickle.

Staring at Liu Feng’s increasingly eerie eyes in the firelight, she felt as though someone had struck her head hard.

She didn’t even know what expression to wear.

Turning stiffly to Liu Huang, she heard her murmur thoughtfully, “So that’s why you had me carve her face into this redwood.”

Liu Huang had only carved the face.

The body had been carefully drilled and threaded with cotton cords, making the joints and fingers movable.

“Can we summon her now?”

“Hurry and put her inside, before she disperses.”

Liu Huang accepted Liu Feng’s words without hesitation and even urged her on.

Liu Qiu trembled.

Madwoman.

Liu Feng was insane.

Where had she learned such dark arts?

And Liu Huang too.

Summoning ghosts?

Was that something normal people even thought of?

Liu Feng lowered her gaze and opened the puppet’s collar.

With a turn of her wrist, she revealed a crimson bead.

“Huang’er, put your blood on this bead.”

Liu Huang obediently cut her fingertip and let her blood drip onto the bead in Liu Feng’s palm.

Liu Feng smiled faintly and looked directly at Liu Qiu.

“Sister Qiu, are you enjoying the show?”

Liu Qiu’s breath stopped.

She saw her own reflection in Liu Feng’s pupils.

Liu Feng could see her.

Liu Huang abruptly stood and looked around.

“Sickly one! Are you here?”

Liu Qiu tried to flee.

But the moment Liu Feng placed the bead into the puppet’s body, her form stiffened.

When she came back to herself, her perspective had changed.

Trembling, she raised her hand.

Wooden fingers met her gaze.

She lifted her head in panic and saw Liu Huang’s face enlarged before her.

“What… what’s happening to me?!”

Liu Huang raised a brow at the lively puppet in front of her and poked its cheek.

Liu Qiu lost her balance and fell onto the table.

“That hurts!”

The tiny puppet’s annoyed voice rang out.

Liu Huang’s eyes brightened.

Liu Feng’s method actually worked.

Without the slightest fear, Liu Huang grasped the puppet in her hand.

Her gaze locked onto the small wooden figure, and the gloom in her heart vanished, replaced by unmistakable delight.

“Sickly one, stay obediently inside. We’ll go to the capital and find you a body you like.”

Then she glanced at Liu Feng.

“Sister, why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”

There was no fear of the unknown—only excitement at the possibility of reviving Liu Qiu.

Liu Huang had also discovered something.

Inside this wooden body, Liu Qiu could feel things.

She poked her cheek again.

The tiny Liu Qiu grabbed Liu Huang’s finger with both hands, her painted brows slightly furrowed in annoyance.

“Stop poking me. It hurts.”

[System, did you secretly increase the difficulty of this world?]

Her wife was a demon.

Her sister knew sorcery and could see her as a ghost.

Liu Qiu felt utterly miserable.

The system, equally confused, replied awkwardly, [Host, it’s fine. You can complete the mission even as a puppet.]

[How about this—use this puppet body to cling to your sisters and let that demon see.]

[There aren’t many good people in this world anyway, so you don’t need to feel morally constrained.]

The terrible suggestion made Liu Qiu dizzy.

This truly wasn’t something a human mind would devise.

Now turned into a puppet, her strength had diminished.

She couldn’t resist Liu Huang at all.

Liu Huang poked her face, then her belly.

When Liu Huang tried to poke her cheek again, Liu Qiu suddenly opened her mouth and bit her finger.

Liu Huang narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

“So your mouth can open too.”

Liu Qiu spat her finger out with a couple of “ptoo” sounds and turned her head away.

At that moment, Liu Feng spoke softly.

“Sister Qiu, please don’t blame us. Huang’er and I simply missed you too much.”

Hearing that, Liu Qiu patted Liu Huang’s finger.

“Put me down. I don’t want you. I want Liu Feng.”

Liu Huang kept poking her.

Since she had ended up like this anyway, she would choose the one less likely to torment her.

Liu Feng looked gentler.

Liu Huang immediately frowned, her voice stiff.

“No. From now on, you stay with me.”

Liu Qiu refused.

She reached toward Liu Feng.

“Liu Feng, I want to go to you.”

Liu Feng lowered her gaze to the tiny Liu Qiu in Liu Huang’s hand and smiled faintly.

“Huang’er, give Sister Qiu to me first. We’ll take turns—one day each.”