Grave of Vengeance

I dug open my own grave with my own hands.

After I was murdered by my best friend, my parents adopted her as their goddaughter. My boyfriend is set to marry her next month. I need to cause a disturbance, make these oblivious fools realize I died with a grievance.

1.

Deep in the night, on a desolate mountain.

"First swing!" "Second swing!" "Third—ow! Which bastard hit me!"

I straightened up angrily, dropping the massive sledgehammer in my hand.

Wait—I'm a spirit now. How could anything still strike me?

Turning around, I saw an extraordinarily handsome man sitting on the headstone behind me. Pale, slender face, high nose bridge, slightly upturned phoenix eyes lazily sweeping over me—exuding indescribable charm and tenderness.

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

I shrieked and lunged forward, grabbing his legs.

"Lucas! You're Lucas!!!"

I never got to meet you alive, but after death, I've run into the idol I've adored for ten years.

Oh my god, I died too late.

Lucas pushed me away with disgust, his thick brows furrowing into a deep crease.

"You're my fan? My fans can't be this ill-mannered."

I looked at him pitifully. How was I ill-mannered?

"The dead deserve respect. Even if someone's gone, you don't take it out on their grave. That's too cruel."

I glanced at my intact headstone. I can't even smash my own grave?

"It's my own grave."

"Even if you have a grudge, you can't—" His scolding halted abruptly. "What did you say?"

2.

It's been three years since I died.

I died stupidly.

My best friend Vivian and I were traveling in Thailand, staying at a family-run inn. Late at night, someone broke in to steal. Vivian happened to open her door to go to the bathroom, and the thief, seeing her, tried to assault her. I heard the noise and rushed out to save her. While I was fighting with the thief, Vivian ran into her own room and locked the door.

The thief had a knife. He stabbed me to death and escaped.

It was a remote island with few residents, barely any streetlights, let alone surveillance cameras. The police never caught the killer.

Afterward, Vivian twisted the story. She claimed I was attacked by the thief while going to the bathroom, and she came out too late to help.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'm so sorry. I tried my hardest to save Claire, but I was too late. Why am I so useless? Why didn't it have to be me!"

My parents comforted her: "Child, it's not your fault. We know you did your best."

I was floating nearby, so furious I nearly dispersed my soul and died a second time.

3.

"So you came to dig up your own grave?"

I crouched miserably to the side, drawing circles in the dirt with my finger.

"Yesterday was my birthday. My boyfriend came to pay respects and said he's marrying Vivian next month. My brother also came, saying Vivian is getting married, and my parents are giving her a car as a dowry. He said that since I died, she's been visiting my parents often, comforting them, keeping them company."

"I can't do anything. I can't even leave this cemetery."

The worst part is, Vivian chose this cemetery for me, claiming I once said I loved places with nice scenery. The scenery is beautiful, but it's far from the city, with winding mountain roads that are a nightmare to drive. It takes my family four hours round trip. Now my parents rarely visit. Only on Qingming Festival, my death anniversary, and Winter Solstice do they come to burn paper money.

"My family is superstitious. I thought if I made some noise at my grave, the cemetery staff would notify them, and maybe they'd discover something."

Lucas looked at me sympathetically, then at the massive hammer in my hand.

"Where did you get that hammer?"

I nodded toward the neighboring grave. "The guy next door lent it to me. He was a demolition worker when he was alive. His son burned him a hammer, saying if there's no work in the underworld, he can still do his old job."

4.

Being a ghost is nothing like I imagined. I can't appear in dreams, can't leave my cemetery. I can't touch anything in the mortal world—not plants, not trees, and certainly not living people.

To us, the living are covered in a thin layer of flame. If I try to touch them, I'll burn to ash and dissipate.

So I can only watch helplessly as Vivian worms her way in, stealing everything that was mine. My boyfriend fell in love with her. My parents adopted her as their goddaughter. My brother treats her like a second sister.

I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore. This feeling of powerlessness has tormented me for almost three years.

"Stop crying."

Lucas placed his hand on my head, patting it like I was a puppy.

I kept crying, even starting to hiccup.

Lucas sighed deeply, pressed my head, and turned it ninety degrees to the left, facing my headstone.

"My fans don't get bullied."

The moment he said it, my headstone cracked open.

5.

"Holy crap!"

I shot up like a rocket.

My headstone had split down the middle with a massive crack, as if cleaved by an axe.

"Idol! You're truly my idol! Can we negotiate—can you make the crack spell out the word 'Injustice'? You know, like characters formed by the cracks?"

Lucas rolled his eyes.

Ah, why does even rolling his eyes have to be so handsome?

"Do I look like a magician? No."

"Wait, your grave is in the south of the city. How can you be here?"

I finally snapped back to reality, realizing something was off.

Normally, ghosts can only move within a hundred meters of their graves, like being trapped under a transparent glass dome. No matter how hard we try, we can't break through.

Lucas has been my idol for years. I've liked him since middle school. When I was a senior in high school, he was killed by a giant screen falling on him during a variety show. He's from our city. I even attended his memorial service and secretly went to burn incense for him.

His grave is far from here—practically on the other side of the city.

6.

Lucas's expression softened. He pulled a book from his chest and waved it in front of me.

"This is thanks to a fan of mine. She burned me a copy of *The Ghost Immortal's Great Cultivation Method*. I was bored, so I started practicing the techniques. Eventually, I could come and go freely, touch things, and even gained some powers. I've taken revenge, repaid kindnesses, and I visit my parents often. I guess you could say I have no regrets in my ghostly life."

I was stunned. That's a thing? And it happened to be so coincidental?

"Check the title page. Doesn't it say, 'To my beloved Lucas, from your most adorable fan, Claire'?"

"That's me, Lucas! I sent you that book!"

I jumped up excitedly, grabbing Lucas's hand and bouncing around. In high school, I was obsessed with cultivation novels. When I heard about Lucas's death, I couldn't accept it, so I secretly bought a book online and burned it for him.

I never thought it would actually help him. This was amazing!!

Lucas's eyes widened in shock. I dragged him to my headstone and pointed at the inscription.

"Look! Claire! That's really me!"

7.

I was pulled into a warm embrace.

It was the first time in three years as a ghost that I felt human warmth. It was like lying in a sun-warmed blanket on a cold winter day, filled with the scent of sunshine.

I've touched other ghosts—cold, damp, like freshly dredged seaweed.

No wonder he's my idol. Even as a ghost, he's extraordinary.

"Claire, thank you."

Lucas gave me a big hug, then handed me the book.

"Your revenge—I'll take care of it."

I covered my mouth, crying with emotion.

The next morning, when the cemetery staff came for their routine inspection, they were terrified by the state of my grave.

To heighten the effect, Lucas had gone up the mountain the night before, picked flowers, and used their juice to write a huge "INJUSTICE" on my headstone.

The blood-red character, the cracked headstone, and the bugs crawling all over the grave nearly made the chubby worker wet himself.

"Idol, aren't the bugs a bit much? Even my hair is standing on end."

Lucas flicked my forehead. "The more dramatic, the better."

8.

The terrified worker frantically called his superiors.

Two hours later, my parents arrived. My brother came. My boyfriend came. Vivian came, too.

Seeing the state of my grave, Vivian collapsed to the ground in fear.

"This has to be someone's sick joke! Who would do this to Claire even after she's dead? If you have a problem, come at me! Don't bully Claire! Claire, my heart is breaking!"

Vivian recovered quickly, throwing herself into my boyfriend Sebastian's arms and sobbing dramatically.

Oh wait—he's *her* boyfriend now.

My brother Colin turned pale, his eyes red. After a moment, as if struck by an idea, he started frantically searching the area.

"Sis! Is that you? Come out! Are you visiting us?"

My parents leaned on each other, trembling lips, faces streaked with tears, unable to speak.

I looked at my once-closest family. The urge to rush into their arms overwhelmed me.

Mom, Dad, I'm sorry for making you suffer the pain of losing a child. I'm sorry for being blind, for hurting myself and you.

Just as I was about to touch my mother's arm, Lucas grabbed me.

"Claire, stay calm."

Sebastian crouched down, his trembling hand touching the photo on my headstone.

"Claire, is it because I'm marrying Vivian? Are you unhappy? Do you not want us to get married?"

In the photo, two streams of bloody tears flowed from my eyes.

9.

"AHHH!"

Sebastian, who had been so tender moments before, let out a blood-curdling scream and fell backward, scrambling to his feet and hiding behind my brother before anyone could help him.

Colin shoved him away roughly, rushing forward to embrace my headstone.

"Sis, is it you? Why haven't you come to see us? Do you know how much we miss you?"

My parents also lunged forward, touching my photo and wailing.

"Baby, do you have a grievance? Tell us! You heartless girl, you've been gone so long and never even came to us in a dream!"

Sebastian clung to Vivian, trembling. My parents and brother sobbed over my headstone.

The scene was chaos. I stood to the side, hopping in frustration.

"Lucas, what do we do now?"

Lucas spread his arms in a dramatic pose.

Just then, the dark clouds parted, and sunlight poured down, bathing the cemetery in golden light.

"Claire, run!"

Lucas grabbed me and flew toward the locust tree behind the headstone. We hid in the shade, sighing in relief.

Ghosts can't touch sunlight—especially midday sun, which is so intense it can burn and incinerate us.

"You can come and go freely, but you still can't handle the sun?"

Lucas nodded. "I can only come out after four in the afternoon. A little exposure won't destroy me like it would you, but it would still seriously injure me."

10.

The cemetery had quieted down. My parents were still sniffling softly, while Vivian and Sebastian tried to comfort them.

"Uncle, Auntie, I want to see Claire as much as you do, but we have to believe in science. Someone is using Claire's grave to set a trap, probably to scam money. We can't let Claire be bullied even in death. We have to find the culprit."

My parents looked hesitant. They were superstitious, but the idea of ghosts was too far-fetched. They worried it was another scam.

My family is well-off—we own seven or eight houses, factories, and shops. Right after I died, countless self-proclaimed mediums showed up, claiming they could help my family see me. They were all frauds.

Colin suddenly seemed to remember something. He ran to the gatehouse and came back with three incense sticks, sweating from running in the sun.

Trembling, he inserted the incense into the burner before my headstone, muttering, "Sis, if you can see us, say something. I know it's you. It has to be you."

The incense burned, releasing a pleasant sandalwood scent. I felt a little hungry.

Lucas waved his hand, and the three incense sticks snapped cleanly, as if cut by a blade.

Colin stared blankly for a moment, then ran back to the gatehouse and returned with a bundle of incense.

He lit them. Lucas broke them.

Soon, the ground before my headstone was littered with broken incense sticks.

11.

I tugged at Lucas's sleeve. "Idol, can't we just show ourselves?"

Lucas shook his head. "The living and the dead are separate. To appear, you'd need to cultivate for at least a year using the book's methods. I can't appear during the day, either. And this is your revenge—if I get too involved, it'll harm us both. I can only assist from the sidelines."

Ah, the road to revenge is long and arduous.

Colin staggered to his feet and said firmly to my parents, "Something happened to my sister. She has something to tell us but can't. We can't leave her to worry alone. Let's go home and figure out a way."

Good boy!

I watched him happily, wanting to pat his head like I used to.

My silly little brother has grown up. He's using his brain now.

The group tidied up my grave. My parents arranged for a new headstone to be installed in a few days.

Vivian stood silently to the side, her eyes dark and unreadable.

12.

Finally, night fell. Lucas grabbed me and rushed toward the cemetery barrier.

He floated through easily. I slammed into it, stuck.

He tried pushing and pulling, but I couldn't get out no matter what.

We crouched on the ground, sighing together. This is what they mean by "so close, yet so far."

Just then, headlights appeared on the winding mountain road. A car pulled up.

Three people got out: an old Taoist priest, a young monk, and Vivian.

Lucas and I hid to the side, watching to see what they were up to.

Vivian glared at my grave, her eyes cold and venomous.

"Claire! Why can't you leave me in peace even in death?! Your parents claim to treat me like a daughter, but they're only giving me a car as a dowry—not even a house! Hypocrites! Sebastian's house is full of your photos. He only sees me as your substitute! I'm just as good as you, except for the money! And I knew Sebastian first! I loved him first! You only lost your life—I lost my love!"

13.

"I've lived over twenty years and never met anyone so shameless!"

Lucas stared at Vivian, stunned by her words. When he recovered, he smacked the back of my head.

"Claire! What were you thinking, picking friends like that?"

I felt a little guilty. Vivian had always loved those melodramatic romance novels, crying over the heroines and identifying with them. I should have seen this coming.

After her outburst, Vivian gave orders. "Get to work. Even if she's a ghost, I want her obliterated. Do it well, and I'll add more money."

The old Taoist and the young monk were clearly shaken by her words. The round-faced monk muttered to himself, "Is this what they mean by 'life is precious, but love is more valuable'?"

"May the heavens be merciful~"

The skinny, goateed old Taoist stroked his beard, shook his fly whisk, and snapped back to reality first. He began pacing in a ritualistic pattern, chanting loudly as he circled my grave.

"The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. Begone, evil spirit!"

He dropped into a horse stance, one hand in a palm gesture before his chest, the other holding a yellow gourd high above his head, and shouted at my headstone.

14.

That's it?

Chanting a passage from the *Tao Te Ching* is supposed to catch ghosts?

Lucas and I both felt insulted by this attempt at ghost-hunting.

Lucas's hands moved rapidly, forming seals so fast they became a blur. I watched in admiration—no wonder he used to be a rap star. He had the natural talent for speed.

"Go!"

With Lucas's command, the cemetery erupted in flying sand and howling wind. Leaves swirled everywhere as countless snakes, rats, and insects emerged from every direction, swarming toward Vivian and her companions.

When the wind died down and they opened their eyes, lowering their arms from their faces, two snakes were coiled around Vivian's ankles, a rat sat on her foot, and two palm-length black centipedes clung to her calves.

It was early autumn. Vivian, always conscious of her appearance, wore a knee-length blue dress and a thin white cardigan, looking gentle and charming. Without pants as protection, the rats, centipedes, and snakes made direct contact with her skin.

"AAAAHHHH! AAAAAHHHH!"

A chorus of human screams erupted, followed by even more frantic ghostly shrieks.

15.

I leaped onto Lucas's back, my ghostly face pale as a sheet, my screams rivaling a soprano's.

The sight of slimy, writhing black rats, snakes of every color and size, and centipedes with gleaming shells—some half a meter long—was enough to make me die on the spot.

Lucas carried me up into a tree. "Alright, stop screaming. Those things can't touch you."

If I, a ghost, was this terrified, imagine Vivian, standing at the epicenter.

She screamed hysterically, shaking her legs to dislodge the creatures. Wearing stiletto heels, she twisted her ankle and fell flat on her face.

As she hit the ground, rats and snakes jumped onto her back, and centipedes crawled across her face. She rolled frantically a few times before her eyes rolled back and she passed out.

I couldn't bear to watch. Good thing I'm already dead—otherwise, I'd have nightmares forever. That scene was horrifying.

The Taoist and monk, being trained, had already leaped onto nearby headstones, pale and trembling like two scared quails in the wind.

Poor Vivian lay alone on the ground, covered in snakes, rats, and insects—weak and helpless.

Just then, two more headlights appeared on the winding mountain road.

Someone else was coming up the mountain. Who?

16.

"Idol, someone's here."

I jumped off Lucas's back, trembling as I stood on a branch, clinging to his arm.

Lucas waved his hand, and the creatures retreated like a receding tide, as if the terrifying scene had been an illusion.

Well, a few dead centipedes remained on the ground—crushed when Vivian rolled over.

The monk and Taoist stood frozen on their headstones like statues.

The car stopped and the engine died. I craned my neck to see two tall figures in the dim night.

"Vivian! What happened?"

It was Sebastian and a young Taoist.

Seeing Vivian on the ground, Sebastian panicked. He rushed over and cradled her in his arms.

Just then, Vivian woke up. The moment she saw Sebastian, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed.

The two statues on the headstones finally came to life. The young monk jumped down, awkwardly scratching his bald head.

The old Taoist, thicker-skinned, shook his fly whisk and said to Vivian, "Don't be afraid, miss. I've driven those monsters away."

17.

Sebastian's body stiffened for a moment. He released Vivian and looked suspiciously at the old Taoist.

"Monsters? What monsters?"

Vivian shot the Taoist a look and said, her voice choked with tears, "I saw how badly Claire's headstone was vandalized today, so I brought two masters to perform a ritual for her peace. But then—then—" She dissolved into sobs.

Seeing Vivian's tear-streaked face, Sebastian softened. "Vivian, what happened?"

Just then, another car engine roared at the cemetery entrance.

More people coming up the mountain? Seriously, this place is busier than New Year's Eve.

"Vivian? Sebastian? What are you doing here?"

My brother Colin had arrived with an old monk. The four of them stared at each other—two Taoists, two monks, two young, two old.

Enough for a full game of mahjong.

After a moment of awkward silence, Sebastian spoke first. "Vivian and I came to perform a ritual for Claire's peace."

Colin frowned, his face dark. "A ritual for peace? My sister clearly died with a grievance. We should be summoning her spirit! When I see her, I'm going to ask who bullied her!"

18.

"Your brother has some brains."

Lucas stood with his arms crossed on a tree branch, watching Colin's Taoist perform a half-hearted ritual.

I tugged at his sleeve. "Can't I just show myself? Find a way to let them see me."

Lucas shook his head. "The living and the dead are separate. It's not that easy to face your family face-to-face. With your current ghostly form, one minute of conversation with a living person would burn you to ashes. Wait a little longer. Focus on cultivating with that book."

Lucas patted my head soothingly, his voice gentle.

I suddenly realized being a ghost isn't so bad. When I was alive, I couldn't even get close to Lucas. Now, with my idol right here, I felt happiness for the first time in my afterlife.

"By the power vested in me by the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord!"

The young Taoist's shout was met with dead silence.

Verdict: All four of them were frauds.

"Colin, Sebastian, let's go home. Today was too rushed. The masters weren't prepared. We'll discuss it further and let them prepare properly."

Vivian's soft voice broke the awkward silence.

Just as quickly as they'd come, the three groups left.

I was left disappointed, along with Lucas.

That's it?

Lucas pinched my cheek. "Stop watching the show. Focus on your cultivation."

19.

Cultivation was tedious and boring. Lucas turned into the strictest teacher, smacking me with a thin stick whenever I got distracted.

Ghosts don't need sleep—no fatigue, no exhaustion—so I trained all night until dawn.

I must have some talent for cultivation. After a whole night's effort, I could solidify one finger.

Lucas said that finger could now touch anything in the mortal world. After three more days of training, I could appear before people.

During the day, the air was too heavy with Yang energy for cultivation. Lucas went to play chess with an old man at the northwest corner of the cemetery, while I lazed around in the trees.

But Vivian showed up again, this time with two Taoists—one old, one young.

The previous Taoist had worn a yellow robe. This one wore simple blue clothes. The old Taoist had a gaunt face, but his eyes gleamed sharply. The moment he looked toward my tree, a chill ran through me.

"Master, this is my classmate. After she died, her boyfriend fell in love with me. She's been taking revenge on us ever since, nearly killing us several times. Please help us—and help her. She was a kind person in life. She must be suffering, having done so many evil deeds."

Vivian's eyes were red, her face sorrowful, her voice choked with tears.

"Claire, I know you don't like me being with Sebastian, but you're gone. The living have to move on..."

20.

What the hell is she talking about?

Why slander a ghost like this?

I jumped down from the tree in anger, ready to test my newly developed "One-Yang Finger" on Vivian.

But the old Taoist pulled a thin willow branch from his robe and swung it at me.

"Die, evil spirit!"

"AHH!"

The willow branch struck me like fire, a pain that seared my soul. My mind went blank, and my consciousness began to fade.

The old Taoist could see me. No matter where I dodged, his willow branch found me. After three lashes, I could feel my form growing faint.

I was about to dissipate.

"Claire! Run!"

Lucas arrived just in time. "An accomplice! And a ghost cultivator at that! Disciple, set up the formation!"

The old Taoist engaged Lucas. The air around us turned icy, wind howling and blinding everyone.

I stumbled away, my heart filled with overwhelming hatred.

I died because of Vivian in life, and now, in death, she was trying to destroy me again.

21.

The clear sky darkened instantly, clouds gathering. I slammed into the invisible barrier again and again, but I couldn't get out.

The sense of dread grew stronger. My instincts screamed that if the young Taoist finished his formation, Lucas and I were doomed.

Just then, Lucas broke free from the old Taoist and rushed toward me.

"Claire, I'm taking you with me!"

As my consciousness blurred, Lucas lowered his head and kissed me.

A bead slipped into my mouth—warm, fragrant, filled with boundless energy. I could feel my injuries healing, the pain fading.

We broke through.

The moment our lips met, the barrier vanished.

Lucas and I huddled under a black umbrella. He seemed badly injured—his lips pale, fine cracks spreading across his face like a fragile porcelain doll about to shatter.

"Claire, circulate the ghost bead through your body three times. It'll help you heal."

I followed his instructions, and my injuries improved significantly.

"Alright. Now give the ghost bead back."

Give it back?

How?