Chapter 19: Who Is Madam Zhang Guo?

Li Si quickly dismissed the impulsive thought, because once that ghost creature was startled, he would have no way to survive.

“Uncle, I am not very used to sleeping here and would like to return home to rest.” Li Si bowed to Squire Zhang and said with some shame.

“Oh.” Squire Zhang nodded, but then smiled and said, “It is late now. How unsafe it would be to go back. You should leave in a few days.”

“Yang Da, Yang Er, send my worthy nephew back to Little Bamboo Courtyard,” Squire Zhang instructed the two servants behind him.

Li Si’s expression gradually froze. Originally, he had thought of walking out of the Zhang Residence first and then making plans later. But under Squire Zhang’s relentless pressure, he immediately knew this path would not work. This Squire Zhang clearly wanted him dead!

His hand inside his sleeve slowly clenched tight, his fingernails digging hard into his flesh, hurting him badly. Yet Li Si seemed not to feel it at all, and his expression did not change in the slightest.

“Scholar Li, please come back with us,” the two servants walked up to Li Si and said to him.

Li Si looked at the two servants, smiled at Squire Zhang, cupped his hands, and said, “Then many thanks, Uncle, and I will trouble you two elder brothers.”

After saying this, Li Si walked toward Little Bamboo Courtyard, and the two servants followed behind him.

When those servants and Squire Zhang could not see him, a trace of ferocity appeared on Li Si’s face in the night, and a ruthless look flashed through his eyes.

You want me to stay? Then I will stay and collect corpses for your whole family!

Little Bamboo Courtyard.

Li Si sat at the tea table, reading a book in his hands. Because of the wind, the candlelight brightened and dimmed by turns, making his face look uncertain.

Judging from Squire Zhang’s attitude, he had already been targeted. So climbing over the wall was also impossible, let alone the fact that the Zhang Residence’s outer wall was more than 3 metres (~9.8 ft) high. His sickly body simply could not climb over it.

Although he appeared to be reading the book in his hands, Li Si’s mind was not on the book at all. He was thinking about how to survive in the Zhang Residence.

First of all, secretly escaping was impossible, because even the main gate was being watched. Moreover, judging from Squire Zhang’s attitude, he had already been targeted.

As for having the Decapitated Ghost take him and kill their way out, he had truly considered it. But that was simply impossible to do.

Because once he killed someone, he, a frail scholar, would be wanted by the authorities in this world overrun by demons and ghosts. That would also mean certain death, and even having a low-level ghost creature would be useless.

Moreover, he felt that as soon as he did that and caused a disturbance, the strange thing that had drowned Squire Zhang’s former wife would definitely come out and take his life.

After thinking it over, Li Si felt that this strange Zhang Residence must be connected to that strange thing.

And whenever he remembered the strange thing in the well, Li Si always felt a sense of familiarity. But he had never seen that strange thing before, so why would he feel familiar?

That strange thing looked like a thin skeleton with some flesh and skin attached to it.

That thin skeleton was probably not a man. If it were a man, the frame should have been somewhat thicker.

Thinking of women, Li Si remembered that slender jade foot under the dining table, like milk. Even now, he could still remember that slender foot’s warmth and smoothness.

Thinking of that day, Li Si’s heart could not help stirring, but he immediately shook his head and threw away those filthy thoughts. Whether it was the original owner or himself, neither of them would do something like longing for another man’s wife.

But his body suddenly stiffened. He abruptly stood up from the stool, and fright appeared on his face.

He suddenly remembered that the eyes Madam Zhang Guo had used to look at him were exactly the same as the eyes that strange monster had used to look at him!

He had actually sat together with that strange monster, and that strange monster had even rubbed its foot against him.

What made Li Si’s stomach feel even worse was that at the dining table, his thoughts had actually stirred somewhat.

Li Si also remembered that in Madam Zhang’s memories, there had been no scene of Madam Zhang Guo entering the household. He had not even seen Madam Zhang Guo’s shadow. If Madam Zhang had any impression of this matter, it would have been impossible for her not to remember it.

Clearly, Madam Zhang Guo was that strange monster. If Li Si had not been deeply impressed by those eyes, he would never have been able to imagine such a beautiful and moving person as Madam Zhang Guo as that monster made of bones with flesh and blood hanging from it.

Then, connecting this with the memory of Squire Zhang eating human flesh, Li Si’s stomach twitched. Could it be that Squire Zhang had eaten Madam Zhang Guo’s flesh, and then Madam Zhang Guo came to the door to exterminate his household?

As for exactly how strong this ghost creature was, Li Si had no confidence in his heart. But he figured his luck should not be too bad. After all, high-level ghost creatures were not cabbages that he could run into so easily.

Then he would treat this Madam Zhang Guo as a mid-level ghost creature. After all, if she were a high-level ghost creature, he could just wait for death. If she were a low-level ghost creature, he would still treat her as a mid-level ghost creature.

Li Si then seemed to think of something. With a movement of his will, a small black bottle appeared in his hand.

This was precisely the Ghost Creature Strengthening Liquid from the system shop. It was worth 12 soul points and could strengthen a ghost creature by 10 soul points.

This purchase emptied all of Li Si’s resources at once. He had only killed two ghost creatures in total. One was the Walking Corpse, worth 2 soul points, and the other was the Drowned Ghost he had just killed, worth 10 points. That was exactly 12 soul points, and now they were all used up at once.

And when the small black bottle appeared in Li Si’s hand, the Decapitated Ghost standing in the corner suddenly turned its head toward Li Si, saliva constantly spilling from the corners of its mouth.

Seeing the Decapitated Ghost’s movement, Li Si smiled. It seemed that this Ghost Creature Strengthening Liquid had a fatal attraction to ghost creatures.

“Come here.” Li Si beckoned to the Decapitated Ghost and called it over.

The Decapitated Ghost grinned, its saliva soaking its clothes, and drifted straight toward Li Si. It looked extremely terrifying.

If Li Si had not had a faint connection with this Decapitated Ghost in his heart, he would probably have thought that the Decapitated Ghost was about to eat him alive.

Once the Decapitated Ghost reached him, Li Si opened the small black bottle.

Greed appeared in the Decapitated Ghost’s eyes. It opened its mouth and desperately sucked at the air, drool flowing everywhere, like an addict whose craving had struck.

Strangely enough, as the Decapitated Ghost sucked, something black in the bottle, like both liquid and gas, turned into a fine stream and flew toward the Decapitated Ghost’s mouth and nose.

Before long, the contents of the bottle were completely absorbed by the Decapitated Ghost, and the bottle also turned transparent and vanished.

After finishing the absorption, the Decapitated Ghost revealed an expression of enjoyment, using its thick tongue to lick its lips from time to time.

Li Si also discovered that the Decapitated Ghost’s soul body had become more solid. If it had previously still carried a vague and ethereal feeling, now it somewhat resembled a real person.