CH 150

Villainous Malevolent Ghost (4)

“You are now under a spell and cannot leave this house, otherwise you will suffer the pain of burning flames,” Song Xu Yi spoke softly, almost as if she was speaking to Bai Yu, but it seemed more like she was speaking to herself.

In this world, it was common knowledge that guardian deities could not leave the homes they protected. Once they left, they would suffer the agony of burning flames, and their souls would be destroyed.

After witnessing a series of paranormal events, Song Xu Yi began to believe that the reason for the deaths of the male and female leads was due to malevolent spirits haunting them. She had to consider other possibilities: if malevolent spirits truly existed and were after the male and female leads, even if they did not come to the Bai family, they might still be pursued and killed elsewhere.

At the time of the deaths of the male and female leads, they were in the Bai family’s ancestral home. The guardian deity should have been present, but the male and female leads still died. This could only mean that Bai Yu was either still asleep or had already passed away due to her injuries.

Song Xu Yi pursed her lips. Now, due to the butterfly effect she had caused, Bai Yu had awakened. Bai Yu was the founder of metaphysics in her past life. If she protected her and helped her recover, she would have an additional strong force to resist the malevolent spirits in the future.

With this in mind, Song Xu Yi, although feeling extremely embarrassed, still asked Bai Yu: “Besides… using the method just now, do you have any other ways to absorb yang energy and heal your injuries?”

Bai Yu looked up at Song Xu Yi in surprise, but then buried her face in her knees and curled up. Her black hair concealed her ears, which were red with embarrassment.

“Just now, I… was too abrupt,” Bai Yu’s voice trembled as she tried to feign calmness and answer Song Xu Yi’s question. “Yang energy is contained in flesh, blood, torso, and breath. There are other ways that can work as well…”

Song Xu Yi understood. If yang energy were compared to food, Bai Yu had forcefully kissed her because she was too hungry, and her eyes had turned red. It was all an accident.

After understanding this, Song Xu Yi breathed a sigh of relief and became even more determined to bring Bai Yu into her camp.

“That’s good.” Song Xu Yi had a request for Bai Yu, so she decided to overlook Bai Yu’s forceful kiss and stood up, squatting in front of Bai Yu.

As she approached, Bai Yu instinctively shrunk her body and slightly turned her head.

The surrounding fog had dissipated, tall trees covered the sky, and the woman sitting with her knees hugged was stunningly beautiful in white, with a gloomy ancestral home behind her and a glittering neon city in the distance.

Song Xu Yi looked at the woman’s slender shoulders and for a moment, didn’t know what to say. Her group would leave the ancestral home tomorrow, and Bai Yu would be alone in the ancestral home for a long time. According to the plot summary, the ancestral home would be demolished later, leaving the guardian deity without a home or master. How would she survive the days to come?

“You can stay here to heal, and I will come to see you every month in the future.” Thinking of these things, Song Xu Yi’s voice became gentler: “How much blood do you need? Or should I put a blood bag in the refrigerator so you can drink it when you need it…”

Unfortunately, Bai Yu seemed to understand Song Xu Yi;s words, which were mixed with modern vocabulary. She looked at Song Xu Yi as if she wanted to say something, but caught a glimpse of the system in Song Xu Yi’s mind glaring at her angrily. Bai Yu’s eyes flickered, she pursed her lips, and whispered: “No need, the blood is useless once it leaves the human body…”

“I see!” Song Xu Yi sighed regretfully, and at that moment, her phone rang. Xia Tian’s anxious voice came from the receiver: “Where did you go? I didn’t see you in the room…”

“I got lost on the way back, but I’ve found my way now, and I’ll be back soon.” Song Xu Yi reassured Xia Tian, hung up the phone, and looked at Bai Yu, who had already stood up.

Only after she stood up did Song Xu Yi realize that Bai Yu was a head taller than her. Bai Yu still seemed a little shy, her face still red, and her eyes still shining. This shy expression appeared on Bai Yu’s cool and ethereal face, creating a cute contrast, which was extremely adorable.

“I’m going back to my room.” Song Xu Yi’s voice unconsciously softened even more, and she promised: “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to come and see you every month in the future.”

Bai Yu nodded, her gaze flickering and her lips tightly pursed, still avoiding eye contact with Song Xu Yi.

Surprised by Bai Yu’s prolonged shyness, Song Xu Yi watched her trembling eyelashes, feeling a heat rising to her cheeks. She coughed and turned away, hoping to ease the awkwardness.

After walking for a while, Song Xu Yi couldn’t resist turning back. She saw only a tall tree shrouded in a faint white mist towering into the clouds behind her. Bai Yu, who had been standing under the tree, was nowhere to be seen.

Song Xu Yi returned to her room, unable to shake off the feeling that something was amiss. Almost as if possessed, she searched on her phone for the question, “How can a guardian deity leave its master’s house?”

She found an answer to a similar question and read it with a heavy heart: “The years of a guardian deity are too long. Even if they willingly become the guardian of a residence at the beginning, who can guarantee that their intentions won’t change over time? But this is a journey with no regrets, and unless the guardian deity’s soul is dispersed, they can never leave the residence.”

Frustrated, Song Xu Yi clenched her lips and spent the whole night searching for answers. The next day, almost everyone slept in until midday to celebrate the successful completion of the ceremony. Xia Tian decided to cook a big meal to celebrate, and Song Xu Yi went with her to the market.

Xia Tian used to be a sheltered young lady who never visited the marketplace, but after getting to know Bai Jin, she became familiar with all the market stalls and confidently led Song Xu Yi to a market.

The market was filled with various small shops. As someone who couldn’t cook, Song Xu Yi didn’t select any ingredients. Instead, she wandered around the market and stumbled upon a small feng shui shop.

Almost involuntarily, Song Xu Yi walked into the shop.

The shopkeeper, wearing reading glasses, rummaged through the pile for a long time after hearing Song Xu Yi’s request to buy paper shoes1 for the ancestors. When Song Xu Yi saw the thick-soled black old cotton shoe style, she widened her eyes in surprise.

The shop owner chattered on, “Nowadays, people only care about spending money on gifts for their elders. Who would burn shoes as a gift for them? These shoes may be outdated, but they are durable and not easily soiled.” The shop owner then produced some paper clothes, exclaiming, “These were popular decades ago. Maybe your elders will like them. Take them along, and I’ll give you a discount.”

Song Xu Yi felt uneasy at the thought of Bai Yu, who had an ethereal beauty, wearing those old cotton shoes. However, seeing Xia Tian already heading back after purchasing groceries, Song Xu Yi thought about Bai Yu’s bare feet and decided to buy a pair of black cotton shoes made of paper. The shop owner added some torn paper clothes to Song Xu Yi’S plastic bag, thinking that since they couldn’t sell them, they might as well give them away as a gift for being a filial junior.

On her way back, Song Xu Yi began to regret her decision, feeling that giving such shoes to Bai Yu was too meager. However, burning paper money for Bai Yu was pointless since she was a guardian deity, confined to the courtyard’s vicinity and unable to visit the ghost market. Song Xu Yi also felt that Bai Yu’s ancestors were being unreasonable. Bai Yu had been their guardian deity for so long, yet they couldn’t even provide her with a decent pair of shoes.

Finally, Song Xu Yi remembered the drawing skills she had learned in a small world and went to a nearby stationery store to buy sketch paper and colored pencils. She opened her phone and chose a beautiful pair of embroidered shoes with pearl ornaments, drew a sketch, and cut it out with scissors.

Initially, Song Xu Yi had planned to draw some beautiful clothes for Bai Yu and burn them as well. However, after finishing the colored embroidery shoes, it was already evening. Song Xu Yi could only sneak into the backyard while Bai Jin and Xia Tian were not paying attention, found a corner, and silently said, “For Bai Yu,” as she burned everything.

In the beginning, Song Xu Yi was hesitant to burn the old cotton shoes and floral shirt for Bai Yu as they didn’t suit her graceful appearance. But the image of Bai Yu wearing the shirt and black cotton shoes made Song Xu Yi laugh, and she impulsively burned them for her. “Who knows, maybe Bai Yu would want to wear them as pajamas,” she thought.

The following morning, Song Xu Yi used the excuse of wanting to bring her older brother to sketch the beautiful scenery and asked Bai Jin for the password to the ancestral home’s gate. Bai Jin had once been part of the wealthy circle and was aware of Song Xu Yi’s artistic brother. Without suspecting anything, he gave her the password as a favor to her friend Xia Tian.

As they drove away and the ancestral home’s gate closed behind them, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but glance back at the ancestral home, thinking about the woman trapped inside. She felt a tinge of sadness but was oblivious to the bead on her wrist glowing with a seductive red light.

Upon returning to school, Song Xu Yi visited the bead shop and subtly probed the owner about their connection to the Bai family’s situation.

However, it turned out to be a coincidence. Although the shop owner’s grandfather was a sorcerer, the practice of exorcism had gradually declined in recent years, and the owner knew nothing about it.

To take precautions, Song Xu Yi bought some additional talismans from the shop owner in case of emergencies.

As the postgraduate entrance exam approached and the time for the malevolent spirit’s plot was still years away, Song Xu Yi focused her attention on studying for the exam.

Song Xu Yi was a person who was always fully immersed in whatever she was doing. When she was engrossed in something, she paid little attention to external factors.

However, while Song Xu Yi was absorbed in her own world, the system gradually sensed that something was wrong.

Initially, the system was somewhat pleased: since Bai Yu was trapped in the ancestral home and couldn’t leave, Song Xu Yi had no opportunity to interact with her, and naturally, their relationship wouldn’t progress into something more.

But not long after, the system began to realize that something was amiss:

When Song Xu Yi stayed up late doing practice problems, hot water would suddenly appear in her thermos, even though the system remembered that she had already finished her water. When she couldn’t find a certain textbook, it would suddenly appear in the front two rows of the bookshelf the next day. When she passed by the badminton court, a strange wind would blow the shuttlecock away from her. And when playing Truth or Dare with her classmates, she would never get picked…

These were all small incidents, but as they accumulated, the system began to feel that something was increasingly wrong.

And the system’s intuition was confirmed half a month later.

Song Xu Yi had two older siblings, and her eldest brother Song Yao was exceptionally talented, already designated as the heir to the family business. For Song Xu Yi and her second brother Song Zhi, their family only hoped that they could live happy and fulfilling lives, and thus, they were extremely supportive of Song Xu Yi and Song Zhi pursuing their own interests and hobbies.

The second eldest brother of the Song family, Song Zhi, had a deep passion for painting and sketching, and he traveled around the world pursuing his interests. His infrequent visits to his family were always a source of joy for them.

Hoping for a complete family reunion, they longed for Song Xu Yi’s return home.

The Song family was a wealthy one, owning several properties under their name. Since it was already winter, they decided to have their family gathering at a hot spring villa located halfway up the mountain, with the vast mountains as their backdrop.

As soon as Song Xu Yi entered the living room, she overheard her second eldest brother, Song Zhi, speaking in a highly excited voice, “You guys have no idea, I found a treasure during my sketching trip.”

Song Zhi spoke with fervor and caution as he carefully opened a wooden box next to him. Inside the box was a well-preserved ancient painting.

The painting was a typical landscape, with nothing out of the ordinary. However, Song Zhi cherished it deeply. He carefully unfolded and rolled it up again, lowering his voice, “There’s a painting spirit in this painting!”

The painting spirit was a mythical creature in this world. According to legend, once a painter encounters a painting spirit, they will be able to unlock their full potential, and their paintings will be filled with spiritual energy. Many legendary painters claimed to have encountered a painting spirit.

“This painting suddenly appeared in front of me,” Song Zhi hugged the box containing the painting and recounted its origin, “That night, I was driving back and passed by a certain place. Suddenly, a box rolled down from the mountain, and inside was this ancient painting. The painting is ordinary, and I thought of giving it to the local museum, but that night, music started playing from the box. When I opened it, I saw a little person dancing on the painting.”

Song Zhi spoke with such passion that he spat everywhere. However, the other members of the Song family had a complex expression on their faces. During a previous incident, Song Zhi had inhaled hallucinogenic pollen while painting in a swamp, causing him to become delusional and even claiming that a potted plant was his mother. Since then, he had become the unreliable spokesperson of the Song family.

Observing the lack of response from his family, Song Zhi felt extremely disappointed. His gaze roamed around until it settled on Song Xu Yi. He didn’t dare to disturb his busy and composed eldest brother or burden his parents, who were providing him with pocket money. In the end, he walked up to Song Xu Yi and grasped her hand.

“Little sister! Come to brother’s study tonight, and I’ll show you what a painting spirit looks like,” exclaimed Song Zhi, brimming with excitement.

However, Song Xu Yi furrowed her brows.

Despite Song Zhi’s tight grip on her hand, he seemed oblivious to it. Furthermore, an eerie aura emanated from him, as if something was decaying, causing an unpleasant sensation.

“Alright, alright,” Mother Song noticed Song Xu Yi’s displeasure and pulled Song Zhi away. “Your sister is preparing for the postgraduate entrance exams. Don’t disturb her!”

Song Zhi glared resentfully at his mother, pouting and whining, “Mom, you’re so biased!” But he was usually carefree and soon became cheerful again, taking on the role of enlivening the atmosphere.

As Song Xu Yi carried the dishes, she walked intentionally behind Song Zhi, but she didn’t smell that noxious odor again.

Perhaps she was mistaken!

Song Xu Yi didn’t dwell on it and headed upstairs to continue her review and soak in the hot spring after dinner.

While soaking in the hot spring, something happened that greatly puzzled the system: Song Xu Yi had forgotten to bring a towel. She had intended to call the maid for help, but soon she noticed an unopened disposable towel lying by the poolside.

Song Xu Yi thought the maid had come, but the system was increasingly alarmed: it had not detected anyone’s approach just now!

Could it be…

The system had a suspicion in its heart, making it extremely anxious.

Song Xu Yi was unaware of the system’s worries.

After studying for a while, Song Xu Yi turned off the light and went to bed. She had developed a biological clock during this time, and around 11 pm every night, it was time for her to sleep. However, perhaps because she was in an unfamiliar place, Song Xu Yi could not fall asleep.

As the clock passed midnight, Song Xu Yi remained wide awake. She decided to get up and pick up her textbook to study again. Not long after, she heard a faint knocking sound coming from outside the door.

Who would come to find her so late at night?

Song Xu Yi remembered Song Zhi’s words before dinner and had a hunch in her mind. She walked to the door and looked outside through the peephole. Sure enough, Song Zhi was standing outside.

“It’s me. I came to show you my painting,” Song Zhi kept his head down the whole time, and his voice sounded nothing like his lively self during the day. His tone was very flat.

Song Xu Yi didn’t notice anything strange about Song Zhi. She didn’t expect him to be so persistent, coming over so late at night to show her his painting. Thinking that he wouldn’t stop unless she agreed to see it, Song Xu Yi sighed and decided to humor him.

Song Xu Yi was about to open the door.

Before going to bed, Song Xu Yi made sure to lock the door from the inside and double-checked it. The lock initially worked fine, but for some reason, the cylinder jammed, preventing her from turning the doorknob.

Suddenly, the bead on her wrist began to heat up…

Song Xu Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She stopped turning the lock and cautiously took a few steps back. Trying to sound as casual as possible, she called out, “Second Brother, my door lock seems to be broken. It’s too late to call someone to fix it. Could you take a look through the peephole?”

“It’s okay, Sister. If you want to see it, I will show it to you in person.” After a moment, Song Zhi’s voice came from outside the door.

But Song Xu Yi could tell that something was off. Normally lively and cheerful, his voice sounded unnaturally low and hoarse, as though someone else was speaking through him…

“Sister, I’m coming in.” The voice continued to speak slowly.

As Song Xu Yi watched in horror, a group of red-eyed ants began to crawl into her room through the gap in the door. They scurried towards the lock and began to gnaw on the cylinder, causing iron filings to fall off with a clattering sound…

“Xu Yi, what should we do?” The system’s voice sounded full of panic. “It seems like Song Zhi has been possessed. His eyes are completely red!”

Song Xu Yi gritted her teeth and looked around for a solution. She remembered the talismans she had purchased from the shopkeeper and quickly affixed them to the door. Then she retreated to the balcony and locked the glass door.

The moonlight outside was bright, and through the glass door, Song Xu Yi could clearly see what was happening inside the room…

As the red-eyed ants bit through the lock, Song Zhi pushed open the door and entered the room with strange movements. His limbs were stiff and he moved like a puppet being controlled by strings. A faint red glow emanated from his eyes.

The talismans bought from the shopkeepers were of little use to Song Zhi, as they emitted only a faint golden light before turning into ashes. Song Xu Yi regretted not asking Bai Yu for some protective talismans.

As Song Zhi walked towards the center of the room, he sniffed the air and lifted his crimson eyes towards the balcony.

“Such a wonderful fragrance,” Song Zhi’s handsome face looked exceedingly ferocious now. Slowly approaching the balcony, he chuckled, “You’ve been discovered!”

With those words, Song Zhi’s body suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

A grotesque black shadow emerged from his body, hunching over and unfolding the ancient painting in his hand.

The beads in Song Xu Yi’s hand grew hotter, causing her to unconsciously take a step back and lean against the balcony railing. However, this was the third floor of the villa and Song Xu Yi dared not jump down.

“So what if you have a powerful talisman on you?” The black shadow laughed sharply. “This painting only devours living beings. The talisman cannot enter the painting. Even if you are drawn into the painting after leaving the talisman, I can still devour your flesh and soul to become the strongest evil spirit!”

The black shadow unfolded the painting in his hand and aimed it at Song Xu Yi, from which a strange green light shot out.

With limited space on the balcony, Song Xu Yi had nowhere to hide and could only watch as she was hit by the green light.

In the moment when the green light was about to engulf Song Xu Yi, she suddenly lost consciousness with a faint fragrance accompanying her.

“Xu Yi!”

The system anxiously called out in Song Xu Yi’s mind.

A figure appeared out of thin air, catching Song Xu Yi’s falling body.

The first thing the system noticed was a pair of exquisite and elegant shoes, with a round and plump pearl hanging from the top, just like what it had seen on Song Xu Yi’s drawings.

Then, the system saw a face that it detested deeply.

The woman narrowed her eyes and formed a hand seal with a light and dexterous movement. In the next moment, the painting held by the black shadow suddenly burst into flames.

“How is this possible! My painting is impervious to water and fire…” The black shadow’s voice became panicked as he stared at the woman who suddenly appeared on the balcony, seeming to understand something. He quickly turned into black smoke and fled outside the door…

But it was already too late.

A golden light appeared in the woman’s hand and quickly chased after the black smoke. With a scream, the black smoke was completely devoured by the golden light.

In just a moment, the wicked woman completely eliminated the evil spirit that had brought great danger to Xu Yi!

The system watched in a complex mix of emotions as the woman picked up Song Xu Yi and placed her gently on the bed, covering her with a blanket. Then, she lowered her head and met the system’s gaze.

Despite trying to appear composed, the system’s claws trembled uncontrollably, shrinking into a ball in Song Xu Yi’s mind.

“Useless little spirit!” The system heard the woman sneer.

The system wanted to retort, but it found that it couldn’t find the right words. It realized that, compared to the woman, it hadn’t really helped Xu Yi and had even been scared to death by the evil spirit.

“You suspected that I followed you, didn’t you?” the woman said.

“I know you understand what I’m saying. Today, I’ll tell you this: tonight is just the beginning, and there will be many more incidents like this in the future. After all, the blood and flesh that Miss Song and I share are the best tonic for evil spirits. There will naturally be countless monsters and demons who will recklessly come over…”

“Miss Song doesn’t want me to follow her,” Bai Yu’s expression showed a hint of obvious grievance when she looked at Song Xu Yi on the bed. When she looked at the system, there was also a hint of obvious anger: “I will secretly protect Miss Song.”

“As for you, useless little spirit, do you know what to say tomorrow?”

The system was stunned, remembering its fearful whimpers, and covered its mouth in terror.

This damn wicked woman actually threatened the system!

The author has something to say:

Little Bai, look at what you’ve become. Now you can only threaten the system!

Short Play:

Many years later, Little Bai made Xu Yi angry because of a certain aspect of their relationship that she failed to control.

Xu Yi decided unilaterally not to speak to Little Bai for a day.

However…

That night, Xu Yi discovered Little Bai wearing the floral shirt she had given her years ago…

As it turned out, even when wearing an old-fashioned floral shirt, a beautiful woman was still a beautiful woman.

Little Bai deliberately unbuttoned two of the shirt’s buttons. Her previously reserved and cold demeanor was now replaced with a completely different kind of charm, and Xu Yi couldn’t resist the temptation. She took the initiative to play a game that night where she would be the villain and forcefully take Little Bai, the poor girl in the floral shirt, for herself (details omitted for brevity).

Of course, the forced taking was bound to fail. After being tied up by Little Bai and spending an unrestrained night together, the words “floral shirt” became a taboo that Xu Yi could never mention again…^_^

As for Little Bai, the poor girl in the floral shirt, she opened up a new world for herself and began to enjoy drawing all kinds of strange costumes, which Xu Yi would burn for her…^_^