Chapter 44

Although Shi Jian didn’t have the currency used by the villagers of Xingfu Village, she did have the currency circulated among the dungeon ghosts—and plenty of it. Her wallet was bulging.

Now it came in handy.

Following the tale of the spear and the shield, Shi Jian once again acted on the saying “money can make a ghost grind grain.”

Can you even say it’s wrong?

Truly—money can make a ghost grind grain.

Shi Jian, the unconventional linguistic master of horror game dungeons.

The female streamer sharing a room with Shi Jian was still worried the ghost might suddenly go berserk and hurt someone, but in reality, the ghost worked diligently the entire time, doing it fast and well. In the end, the ghost took her payment—but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she stood quietly facing Shi Jian.

The streamer was so nervous she was picking at the seams of her pants: Is this when things get real?!

Shi Jian caught on and tentatively asked the ghost, “Same time tomorrow?”

The ghost nodded and left, clearly satisfied.

The streamer: ???

Not only did Shi Jian get the ghost to finish the job, she even arranged the next session. This was clearly going to be a long-term deal!

Shi Jian paid for peace and quiet—no more grinding for her. She was very satisfied with the deal; otherwise, after grinding through that whole sack of soybeans, her palms would definitely be raw.

And hands are your second face.

Shi Jian didn’t forget about her roommate either. She asked the other streamer, “Do you want in on this kind of deal too? If you do, I can ask her for you.”

Of course, the roommate quickly refused. Her workload wasn’t too heavy, and she definitely didn’t have the guts to make a ghost work for her.

Granny Yu had given Shi Jian the task of grinding as a form of punishment, wanting to teach her a lesson.

Granny Yu was certain Shi Jian wouldn’t be able to finish it—but when she got home, she found the work already done?!

Shi Jian was standing near a low earthen wall, dressed to the nines. She looked like she was just strolling, but in reality, she was striking poses. Shi Jian didn’t just have pretty eyes—she also had an eye for beauty.

Shi Jian: This village is actually a pretty decent photoshoot location. The clash between rural and modern aesthetics is exactly the kind of sophistication top magazines have been after these past two years.

From the viewers’ perspective, she must look super classy right now.

When Shi Jian spotted Granny Yu, she even flashed a bright smile and greeted her, “Granny Yu!”

Granny Yu: “…” I don’t want to talk.

“Did someone in the village help her grind the soybeans?” Granny Yu immediately confronted her own son, thinking someone had disobeyed and helped Shi Jian again.

But she got a firm denial in response.

Livestream chat: No one helped Shi Jian grind soybeans—because the one who helped her was a ghost!

Having a god’s-eye view is too satisfying.

…

Granny Yu might not be a child, but her attitude could shift just as fast. Earlier in the day she hadn’t wanted to deal with Shi Jian at all, but by the afternoon, she had a complete change of face, as if they’d never had any disagreement.

She cheerfully told Shi Jian again, “Sweetie, let me tell you something—we’re heading out with the master tonight to catch a ghost.”“Catching a ghost?”

Shi Jian caught that keyword and repeated it.

“Yes.”

Granny Yu wore a pained expression and poured everything out like spilling beans: “We don’t know what’s happened to our Xingfu Village. Strange things suddenly started happening frequently a year ago. At first, there were all kinds of weird noises—women crying. The crying was so grating. Then villagers started saying they ran into a ghost.”

“If it were just that, it’d be one thing. But the problem is this ghost—she kills people. And she’s especially brutal. Over the years, dozens have died, men and women, young and old. Our whole village only has a few people to begin with…”

Granny Yu was speaking with genuine emotion. Her fear and hatred of the ghost seemed real, not an act.

According to her, the ghost was very powerful—even strong men couldn’t survive an encounter with her.

And the ghost committed all sorts of evil. No one knew why she was killing people—there was no pattern. Whenever she appeared, she took lives.

So, for their own safety and to avoid becoming her next victims, the entire village had to unite against the ghost. They’d invited a master to deal with her.

After speaking, Granny Yu looked at Shi Jian, hoping for a reaction.

Scary or not? Just say it—scary or not?

Shi Jian was terrified of ghosts. Hearing Granny Yu describe such a vicious one: yeah—scary!

But Shi Jian had a question. She looked straight at Granny Yu.

“Granny Yu, didn’t you say before there were no ghosts?”

After running into a ghost at the well, Shi Jian had tried to get out of water-carrying duties by testing Granny Yu. But Granny Yu had sworn up and down that there was absolutely no such thing.

Granny Yu immediately showed an awkward expression, “…”

Why does this girl love digging up old stuff!

She hemmed and hawed a bit, but it wasn’t convincing. In the end, she settled on: “Sweetie, I really care about you. I’m doing this for your own good. Tonight, the two of you shouldn’t come with us. Stay at home—it’s safer. You’re not originally from Xingfu Village, so it’s not your concern.”

“I mean well. Heaven can attest.”

Granny Yu said all the adult villagers had to go—this concerned the village’s safety.

She proposed that Shi Jian and the other female streamer stay home for their own sake.

…

After Granny Yu left, the streamer discussed with Shi Jian, “Why do I feel like something’s off?”

Shi Jian also felt it was strange.

Granny Yu was definitely not a good person.

But Shi Jian and the streamer had specifically gone around the village that afternoon to gather intel, and what they heard more or less matched what Granny Yu said.

First, there really was a female ghost killing villagers at will. Tonight, the village chief had invited a so-called powerful master to catch the ghost.

Second, all adults, no matter how old, had to participate—because the master claimed that the more people, the stronger the yang energy, and ghosts would be scared.

Shi Jian couldn’t help but snark, “I feel like it’s the master who’s scared, that’s why he wants more people around.”

Since all the adults had to go out, and the children were staying home, that meant the houses were supposed to be safe; however, the streamers were being forcibly taken by the villagers to participate in tonight’s ghost-hunting activity.The selected streamers all looked gloomy and reluctant to participate. When they found out Shi Jian and her roommate didn’t have to go out, they looked at them with envy, wishing they could switch places.

The female streamer sharing a room with Shi Jian was confused. “Could it be… we really misunderstood Granny Yu?”

From all available information, Granny Yu seemed to genuinely have Shi Jian and her roommate’s best interests at heart.

【Granny Yu is a good person?】

【Unexpected. I always thought she was rotten to the core. So, apart from trying to introduce Shi Jian to some sketchy suitors and being overly harsh with her at work, she didn’t have any other bad intentions? In the face of danger, she shows the light of humanity?】

…

Not at all!

Late at night, the entire village mobilized, and Granny Yu was among the group.

The master held a sword and danced repeatedly in front of the fire, muttering some kind of incantation. No one knew what he was saying. Granny Yu whispered to her seemingly honest and simple son.

Her son was puzzled. “Ma, you suddenly grew a conscience for those two outsiders?”

Granny Yu laughed like she’d heard a joke. “As if.”

“Then why didn’t you let them come along? I get it… is it that plan you talked about—first be kind to them, then brainwash…”

Granny Yu shook her head. “It’s not even that.”

“I’ll be honest with you. That little brat surnamed Shi is stubborn as hell. She won’t listen to a word I say. She’s probably seen too much of the world and looks down on our village boys. That brainwashing stuff won’t work on her.”

At this point, Granny Yu spoke through gritted teeth.

Her son also frowned. “Then what do we do?”

A sly look spread across Granny Yu’s wrinkled face. A glint of cunning flashed through her cloudy eyes. “While they’re gone, I took down all the talismans from their rooftop, doorway, and windows. That way, some filthy thing will get in tonight. And it’s the full moon too, just right…”

The villagers, of course, wouldn’t let their own children be exposed to danger. Every household had paid a high price for specific talismans to stick on every room, keeping evil spirits out.

But Granny Yu had deliberately removed the talismans from the room where Shi Jian stayed.

Granny Yu even sounded regretful. “They won’t die, probably just get crippled—lose an eye, break a leg or something. That’ll make her easier to control, then we can sell her off… Wang Laowu and Liu San both want that girl. Said they don’t care if she’s crippled, as long as she can bear children.”

“If only she weren’t so sharp… If she were intact, we could’ve sold her for a real high price.”

Granny Yu wasn’t regretting anything but the fact that Shi Jian wouldn’t fetch a better price if she ended up disabled.

Her daughter-in-law had been standing nearby listening the whole time, her expression numb, saying nothing.

Granny Yu was still gleefully calculating her schemes, getting happier the more she thought about it—until a rustling came from the woods.

“Wh-who’s there?!”

“Is it the ghost?!”

“I don’t want to die—I haven’t even found a wife yet!”

In this situation, even the smallest movement would be magnified a hundredfold.

The whole village tensed up. The master twitched and almost dropped to his knees, but since everyone was watching, he propped himself up on the table and forced himself to stay upright.

“Don’t… don’t play tricks… just come out already.”The villagers trembled as they gripped their shovels and hoes tightly.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s one of our own.”

A clear female voice rang out. Approaching under the moonlight wasn’t the ghost, but Shi Jian. Her stunning face, seemingly from another dimension, was fully illuminated by the torchlight, and the flames were reflected in her distinct black-and-white eyes.

Shi Jian waved openly to everyone. “I came to support you all.”

She also spotted Granny Yu just in time. Granny Yu’s eyes widened — seeing Shi Jian was like seeing a real ghost.

“You child, what are you doing here?”

“Didn’t I tell you two to stay home and not come out? It’s very dangerous here!”

Judging by her words, Granny Yu sounded like a concerned elder looking out for the younger generation — but in truth, her expression had already twisted.

Shi Jian responded righteously, “I know it’s dangerous here. That’s all the more reason I can’t just sit back and do nothing. You’re out here at your age, how can I, a young person, hide away?”

The real reason was: after thinking it over, Shi Jian figured that if a female ghost did appear tonight, it would definitely be a grand event.

And how could she miss a moment like that — a moment to stand out?

Her desire to be the protagonist outweighed her fear of the ferocious ghost. She was determined: the lead role had to be hers!

So Shi Jian ran out of the house without hesitation to find the main group. As for the female streamer who shared her room, Shi Jian left her in the care of the other streamers staying with different households.

…

Granny Yu was on the verge of tears. Facing the righteous Shi Jian was like swallowing a fly.

Granny Yu’s mouth twitched as she looked at Shi Jian and sighed, “I really didn’t expect you to be such a justice-driven child!”

Shi Jian replied with a smile, “Oh, there’s a lot you didn’t expect.”

Her fans always said she was a hidden-gem female celebrity.

Shi Jian looked around — the ghost hadn’t shown up yet. That meant she wasn’t late. She let out a breath of relief.

But Granny Yu soon grew anxious. She looked around and suddenly asked, “Where’s Da Guizi?”

Da Guizi was Granny Yu’s grandson.

Granny Yu’s daughter-in-law hadn’t seen her son either.

Da Guizi’s father guessed, “Did he go to the outhouse?”

“Lazy donkey at the mill always needs to pee.”

Then, suddenly, a villager stumbled over, panicked.

“S-Something happened… Da Guizi was bitten by a spirit in his house!”

Granny Yu let out a cry and nearly fainted. Her daughter-in-law, upon hearing that her son was hurt, snapped out of her usual numbness and bolted toward home like a madwoman.

The whole Yu household fell into chaos — a complete mess.

Granny Yu’s grandson had been attacked in the room where Shi Jian had stayed. He was bitten so badly he no longer looked human. A large trail of blood stretched from the kang (heated bed) all the way to the doorway. Just seeing the bloodstains was enough to imagine how brutal the scene had been.He looked even more honest and dull than his father, like an invisible person—but he still lusted after Shi Jian.

This time, knowing that Shi Jian wouldn’t be joining the ghost-hunting event, he sneaked back home midway. But he hadn’t expected that Shi Jian, wanting to be the center of attention, wasn’t at home, and he ended up entering the defenseless house Granny Yu had deliberately prepared for Shi Jian.

Granny Yu, afraid that too many people knowing would ruin things, had only recently let her son and daughter-in-law in on the plan.

And then her grandson just happened to be the unlucky one who got caught.

Granny Yu’s vicious scheme didn’t harm Shi Jian, but instead backfired onto her most beloved grandson.

Granny Yu cried so hard her voice turned hoarse, fainting several times, and only woke up when someone pinched her philtrum.

Her grandson was completely ruined.

In Xingfu Village, it didn’t matter much if a woman was disabled, but a man—well, no one was abducting men to bear children.

…

“It was an accident.”

“He just wanted to check if the two girls were safe.”

The entire village knew exactly why Granny Yu’s grandson ended up like that, but still cobbled together a flimsy lie.

Even Granny Yu’s family had to swallow their bitterness in silence.

After all, her grandson’s fate was purely due to his own misdeeds—it wasn’t Shi Jian who chewed him up like that.

Of course, Shi Jian and the other streamers all knew the story was fake.

Comments flew across the livestream chat:

【Granny Yu was definitely behind this.】

【So scary. I don’t believe for a second that her grandson went to check on Shi Jian out of concern. If it hadn’t been for Shi Jian’s heroic nature, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.】

【It was her kind heart that saved her.】

In truth, it was her thirst to be the protagonist that saved her.

Though the audience had a god’s-eye view with multiple camera angles, they could only see what the streamers captured. Granny Yu had obviously avoided doing anything shady while the outsiders were present.

So the viewers didn’t know about the removed talismans.

In the end, Shi Jian and her roommate were taken in by another household. The streamers living there had invited them, and the family had no objections. Granny Yu’s family was still immersed in grief, so they said nothing.

But the look Granny Yu gave Shi Jian was laced with poison.

This wasn’t over.

…

“I told him before—don’t be fooled by that little bitch surnamed Shi. But he still wouldn’t listen to me.”

“I’m going to kill her!”

The night after Granny Yu’s grandson was crippled, Granny Yu brought her son and boldly entered the house where Shi Jian was now staying.

By that time, the village had already quieted down. Despite their grand and showy ghost-hunting operation, they hadn’t seen so much as a ghost’s hair—in contrast, Shi Jian and the others had encountered them several times before.The villagers kept their doors tightly shut, but they still opened up for Granny Yu.

The other party hesitated a bit. “Are we really going to kill that one surnamed Shi?”

Granny Yu's gaze was vicious. “What? You trying to protect her?”

“She’s just really good-looking... seems like a waste...”

If Granny Yu didn’t have to keep her voice down, she would’ve cursed out loud. “Being pretty is exactly the curse! I’m telling you, she’s a walking jinx. If it weren’t for her, would my grandson be in that half-dead state? No man in this village should ever get involved with a woman like her.”

Granny Yu had considerable influence in the village, and given what happened to her grandson—something everyone knew about—the other person immediately fell silent.

Before acting, Granny Yu still confirmed, “Are they asleep?”

The villager replied, “They should be. I deliberately gave them heavy work to do.”

Granny Yu and her son crept toward the house where Shi Jian was staying.

Revenge operation: begin!

But Granny Yu was startled—through the window, she could clearly see Shi Jian sitting bolt upright on the kang.

Shi Jian had been staying in Granny Yu’s courtyard before, and Granny Yu had been keeping a close eye on her.

Granny Yu: Wasn’t Shi Jian always the first to fall into a deep sleep?

“So she’s deliberately luring us, trying to trick us—this woman is poisonous, such a f***ing schemer!”

Granny Yu was shaken.

Her son whispered, “So what do we do? Still rush in and kill her?”

Though Granny Yu was seething with hatred, she had to weigh the risks. “Forget it, we’ll spare her tonight.”

There were four streamers living in this courtyard, and some other outsiders staying nearby. Granny Yu figured that if Shi Jian shouted, everyone would come running—not only might they fail to kill her, but their plan could be exposed.

Revenge operation: paused.

Granny Yu figured worst case, she’d just come back tomorrow.

Shi Jian had no idea she’d just narrowly avoided confronting Granny Yu. She was still struggling to open her sleepy eyes, staring directly at her screen.

Though she really wanted to continue her beauty sleep, it was time to pay the balance on her whitening pills.

She couldn’t miss out!

Fortunately, Shi Jian successfully bought her whitening pills.

The other streamers had also started waking up in the dark. They had agreed during the day to go explore the village together—daytime was too chaotic with too many villagers around.

Of course, the ancestral hall wasn’t part of the official plan—they just intended to check out the surrounding area.

“Should we get up now?”

The female streamer sharing a room with Shi Jian yawned and asked her.

Shi Jian replied, “Yeah,” then swallowed her whitening pill.

Shi Jian knew it was time. She still wasn’t all that interested in night tours of Xingfu Village, but it was a group activity, after all.As for those expensive whitening pills, there was no way Shi Jian was just going to leave them lying around—what if she dropped them?

She had traded her hard-earned points—practically won with her life—for those!

Before leaving, Shi Jian even looked in the mirror, trying to see if there was any whitening effect. But… no change at all.

“……”

Shi Jian tried to comfort herself. The pills were so expensive in the app store, and the description swore they’d make her glow—they couldn’t be a scam, right?

Right?

Maybe it was just because she had just taken them. The effects hadn’t kicked in yet.

With doubts about whether she'd get whiter or not, Shi Jian gathered with the others and started the night tour of Xingfu Village.

…

In the daytime, Xingfu Village looked relatively normal. With people coming and going, it could even be described as having a bit of rustic charm.

But at night, the place was downright creepy.

There weren’t even streetlights. Every household had their doors tightly shut. In the distance, you could hear dogs barking. There were dead trees and overgrown weeds everywhere. The wind rustled through them with a soft hiss, making people wonder if some wild beast—or something worse—might jump out at any moment.

“Should we go back?”

“Feels like there’s nothing out here.”

“It’s really cold…”

“I agree, let’s go back. Didn’t even sleep well in the first place.”

With the pitch-black surroundings and nothing to show for their efforts, complaints began to rise.

Shi Jian nodded along in agreement. She thought they should just go back too.

But a male streamer in the group wasn’t on board. “The whole village was out hunting ghosts last night and didn’t run into any. What are you all afraid of? If anything happens, I’ll protect you. Or whoever wants to go back, go ahead.”

Shi Jian immediately opened her mouth. “I…”

She wanted to go back, but the way that male streamer said it sounded like he was tempting fate.

But they couldn’t go back now—because all the streamers could clearly see it: not far ahead, there was a male ghost with only half a head left. The man probably looked decent when he was alive—the remaining half of his face was still fairly good-looking—but that only made him even more terrifying.

His skull was exposed, brain matter showing, mixed with blood and goo.

Shi Jian slowly spat out one word: “F**k.”

Holy f**k.

Was this going to turn into a team battle?

Shi Jian thought this thing was way scarier than the female ghost!

Her feet were already moving, running a few steps before she realized it.

It was pure instinct. Shi Jian just hoped her reaction didn’t seem too obvious—she didn’t want the viewers to think she was the kind of person who fled at the first sign of danger, abandoning her team.

The protagonist must remain calm and unshaken, even in the face of death.But very quickly, Shi Jian realized she had overthought it—those two steps she ran weren’t noticeable at all, because others were running even faster than she was.

Especially that male streamer who had been loudly proclaiming he’d protect everyone—he was already in the lead. When danger struck, he ran faster than anyone.

Zhou Fan, the female streamer who shared a room with Shi Jian, noticed she was frozen in place and shouted to her,

“Run!”

Shi Jian, wearing Barbie-pink high heels, actually wasn’t running slow at all. But she soon realized that the half-headed male ghost chasing them wasn’t slow either.

A full-on chase began across the wild fields of Xingfu Village.

Enemy side: A male ghost with only half a skull left.

Their side: Eight male streamers.

Whoever got caught would end up in the ghost’s mouth.

Shi Jian was still trying to find an opening, her pace unwavering, while negotiating aloud:

“Money—I’ll give you money, okay? Can you stop chasing me?”

She was trying to activate the power of cash.

But this male ghost clearly wasn’t one to bargain. As if he hadn’t heard her at all, he kept chasing, while shouting, “It hurts… it hurts so much…”

Shi Jian: Catching them won’t get you ibuprofen!

If it hurts, shouldn’t you go to the village entrance and open a box of ibuprofen? That might actually help a bit.

The male ghost had excellent stamina. The streamers had already used all their props, and some were falling behind. One streamer was just about to be caught by the ghost.

Shi Jian’s heart leapt to her throat.

But the male ghost suddenly slowed down and grabbed his head, letting out a blood-curdling scream.

The cause of this—

Shi Jian suddenly looked up.

Moonlight!

Last night had been a full moon. But tonight was cloudy—dark clouds had covered the sky, blocking the moonlight. Just now, a sliver of the moon peeked out, and the ghost reacted like that.

Now the clouds covered the moon again, and the ghost stood up once more—this confirmed that he was afraid of light.

Someone shouted out, quicker than Shi Jian.

“He’s scared of light!”

“Get some light!”

“Who has a phone? Use your flashlight, quick!”

They needed to slow the ghost down—and scaring him off would be even better.

Quite a few streamers had phones issued by the system, but in moments of danger, people’s hands tend to tremble. For a while, barely anyone could even bring up the flashlight function—some voices were already shaking with fear, nearly crying.

But then, a sudden beam of strong light lit up—bright enough to illuminate the whole area.Everyone turned blankly toward the light source.

It was Shi Jian who was glowing—her whole body was radiating an unignorable brilliance, like a running humanoid lamp.

Streamers: ???

Livestream viewers: ???

Shi Jian herself was extremely confused, with a vague guess in her mind: Could it be… the whitening pills? So white they literally glow?

Actually glowing!

The male ghost on the other side was blinded by the light coming from Shi Jian. He immediately clutched his head and ran away howling.

【??? Is the streamer glowing?】

【Can someone explain what’s going on? System bug?】

【So amazing, I took a screenshot—first time seeing a glowing streamer!】

Whether in Shi Jian’s personal stream, the public channel, or the other streamers’ broadcasts, chat was exploding—everyone seemed to see that Shi Jian was glowing.

In Shi Jian’s own stream, while there were still question marks and exclamation points flying, some viewers started thinking further:

【Can we brag from now on that our streamer can glow and others’ can’t?】

Bug or not, Shi Jian was definitely glowing at that moment!

Literally glowing, in a physical sense!

Shi Jian and the seven other streamers stared at each other. She hadn’t even had time to explain when Zhou Fan made a “quiet” gesture.

“The surroundings feel off…”

Shi Jian also started observing their environment.

They had originally been on open ground, but after all that chasing with the ghost, they were now next to a patch of forest, and not far off stood a strangely shaped two-story building that looked at least a hundred years old.

The building was lit from within. It seemed like someone was inside.

Shi Jian: “…Could this be the ancestral hall the villagers kept warning us not to go near?”

The crisis had barely passed, and just as they were starting to recover from the tension of being chased, a new danger appeared.

They had unknowingly run straight to the place the villagers had strictly forbidden them from approaching.

“Who’s outside!”

Everyone’s first instinct was of course to flee immediately, but someone inside had already heard the commotion. Dozens of burly men charged out of the ancestral hall.

And with them, seven or eight snarling, drooling guard dogs.

Men, dogs, torches—complete chaos.

The other streamers could still run or crouch and hide in the woods, but Shi Jian was now a literal light source. She couldn’t hide.

Her glowing mode had just saved everyone earlier—but now it might cost her life!

Shi Jian didn’t know what the best reaction was. She recognized the middle-aged man leading the charge from the ancestral hall.It was the village chief.

The chief of Xingfu Village looked highly alert, holding a gleaming, well-sharpened machete in his hand, ready to chop off the intruder’s head with a single swing.

But when his eyes landed on the person, the village chief still rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand in disbelief.

With no way to escape, Shi Jian turned to face the village chief directly. She gave a sorrowful, compassionate smile. “At this point, I won’t hide it from you all anymore. That’s right, I have another identity—I'm a celestial maiden.”