Yu Feng certainly wasn't about to let this free labor slip through his fingers.
Both his eyes lit up. "My master and his wife had a quarrel. In a fit of anger, the madam insisted on leaving the house and divorcing my master. So I had no choice but to resort to this trick, to buy my master some time so he could coax the madam back."
"Doesn't Buddhism say it's better to demolish ten temples than to destroy a single marriage? Please, help me out here."
Without a second thought, the little monk began to help right away.
Earlier, Cui Yunchu had been able to pull the door open a little, but now it was as if it had been nailed shut—stubbornly still.
She was exhausted, her throat uncomfortable, and she bent over, coughing severely.
Xing'er quickly supported her, patting her on the back, "Miss, are you alright?"
Cui Yunchu shook her head as she coughed.
Xing'er said, "Miss, the door wasn't locked. Why in the world would it not open? Could we really be running into something supernatural?"
Cui Yunchu shot her a glare and said, "This is a temple, not some desolate mountain. Which ghost would be bold enough to act recklessly in a temple?"
Xing'er faltered. "...Then why can't we open the door no matter how hard we pull?"
Cui Yunchu pressed a hand to her chest, then sat down on a chair.
Xing'er said, "Miss, the tea is still warm." With that, she quickly poured a cup for Cui Yunchu.
Cui Yunchu didn't take it. Her eyes were fixed on a small pool of water on the table, one that looked like it had spilled from a tipped-over teacup.
So, she hadn't misheard earlier—there had been someone here.
Cui Yunchu's heart began to race. She paced around the room once more, even opening the wardrobe, but it was completely empty.
How strange.
The more she dwelled on it, the more her mind ran wild with thoughts. She even considered whether Cui Qingyuan might be up to something against her.
Xing'er, alarmed by Cui Yunchu's hyper-vigilant demeanor, instinctively hunched her shoulders and swallowed hard.
"Miss, don't be afraid. If anyone jumps out with a knife, I'll throw myself at them right away. You just watch for your chance and run."
Cui Yunchu glanced at Xing'er and said, "It's fine. You run."
"Miss, you have your grandmother and your sisters. It's better if you live."
"You're an orphan. If you die, your family line ends."
Upon hearing that, Xing'er's eyes welled up. "Miss, I knew have always known you are a good mistress."
Cui Yunchu couldn't help but tap her on the head. "Can you please use your head? If there were a way out, why would anyone need to come at me with a knife?"
Xing'er was stunned for a moment, and her tears immediately stopped. "That's true, the door won't budge."
Cui Yunchu rolled her eyes.
Trembling, Xing'er handed the teacup to Cui Yunchu. "Miss, have some water to sooth your throat. I checked it before—the tea is fine."
Cui Yunchu took it, looked around once more, and asked, "Is there only this one teacup?"
Xing'er nodded.
Cui Yunchu frowned.
That didn't add up. Then where was the teacup that had been knocked over?
Her throat was terribly uncomfortable. As she pondered, she took a sip of tea.
After drinking, she stared at the teacup for a while, blinking her clear, bright eyes.
"Miss, what's wrong?" Xing'er asked.
Cui Yunchu didn't reply. She set the cup down but kept her gaze on it. She pressed her thumb and middle finger together, tapped the cup, and it rang out with a crisp sound.
Cui Yunchu's strange behavior made Xing'er very uneasy.
"Miss, is there something wrong with the tea?"
Cui Yunchu suddenly didn't seem afraid anymore. A new emotion surfaced in her eyes—deep, heavy, unreadable.
She was no longer in a hurry. Her hand propping up her chin, she sat there, darting her eyes around to scan the room.
Xing'er asked, "Miss, aren't we going to find a way out?"
Cui Yunchu shook her head. "No, we can't get out. I'll go lie down on the bed for a bit. Find somewhere to rest yourself."
"A... what?"
Xing'er was utterly stunned.
Cui Yunchu walked toward the bed, but just as she was about to touch it, the room suddenly went dark. The lone candle flame extinguished without a sound.
Xing'er let out a high-pitched scream.
Then, a shadow flitted past the window, quick and silent.
Cui Yunchu watched calmly.
Xing'er practically latched herself onto her, shrieking, "Miss! A ghost! There really is a ghost!"
Cui Yunchu nodded. "Yeah, I saw it. Why don't you ask that ghost what it wants?"
A deep, drawn-out voice rang out, laced with a chilling tone. "I have a few questions I want to ask you, miss. Answer them one by one, and I'll let you leave."
At the sound, Xing'er started screaming again.
Cui Yunchu smacked her on the back of the head and ordered, "Shut up!"
Xing'er quickly clamped her hands over her mouth.
Cui Yunchu focused on the shadow on the window, raising an eyebrow. "Sir, are you a freshly deceased ghost? That's all you've got to scare people? Haven't your parents taught you a few new tricks yet?"
"Aren't you afraid of running into a Taoist priest? By the way, are those folks real? Can they actually exorcise demons and ghosts? Maybe you should go back and learn a bit more—with skills like this, I'm worried you'll end up getting scared yourself instead of scaring anyone else."
The shadow on the window froze, remaining still and silent for a short while.
Cui Yunchu pulled Xing'er away and walked toward the window.
The deep male voice carried a barely perceptible quiver. "What... what are you doing?"
Cui Yunchu smiled faintly. "Ghosts can walk through walls, can't they? Come on in. Let's talk."
She stepped forward, and the shadow took a step back.
"Don't run off. Let's chat. I have a good business proposition for you."
"What proposition?" the shadow asked.
"Aren't you a ghost? I imagine a lot of people in the realm are curious what ghosts really look like. I'll tie you up on South Street for public viewing—a gold ingot per peep. We'd make a fortune in no time."
"I'll provide the venue, and we'll split the earnings fifty-fifty. If you work hard, we'll become rich quick."
"... "
Was she even refusing to spare a ghost?
The questions Yu Feng had been planning to ask finally got stuck in his throat, his face turning beet red.
Cui Yunchu continued, "I'm very kind, you know. If you perform well, I'll even catch you a ghost wife and you'll have ghost children. We'll take our business across the entire land."
"... "
Xing'er just stood there, frozen, completely lost for words and action.
The man hiding in the rafters furrowed his brows so deeply they could crush a mosquito. His face darkened as he stared at the bold young woman below, who was in a frenzy to drag that shadow from the window. He clenched his fingers, as if the wood beneath them were her slender neck.
Cui Yunchu, still raising her eyebrow in excitement, suddenly felt a gust of wind at her back. Before she could move, a warm hand clamped down on her nape.
Her body stiffened. "Sir ghost, is this your way of agreeing to a partnership?"
No sooner had she spoken than the hand behind her tightened and pulled her backward. Forcefully jerked back, she lifted her head, her gaze falling upon a face with angular, chiseled features—strikingly handsome.
She regarded him for a few moments, curled a smile at the corner of her lips, and said, "So that's a handsome male ghost right there."
Shen Xiabai stared at her, laughing wryly. "How handsome exactly?"
" A gentleman unmatched in the realm (gōngzǐ shì wúshuāng—paragon )"
"Flattering me again?" He squeezed a little tighter, maintaining his mock smile.
Cui Yunchu said, "Lord Shen, you really ought to have more confidence in your own looks."
"A little looser—it hurts."
Shen Xiabai unconsciously loosened his grip slightly.
