Grave Revenge

I dug open my own grave with my own hands.

After my best friend got me killed, my parents took her in as their goddaughter instead.

My boyfriend was about to marry her.

I had to make some noise, let these clueless people understand I died with a grievance.

1.

Deep in the night, on a desolate mountain.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three! Ouch, which bastard hit me!"

I sat up furiously, throwing down the heavy sledgehammer in my hand.

Wait. I'm already a ghost. How could anything still hit me?

I turned around. Sitting atop a tombstone behind me was a breathtakingly handsome man.

Pale, delicate features. A straight, sculpted nose. A pair of slightly upturned phoenix eyes lazily glancing my way, exuding an indescribable charm.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

I shrieked and threw myself at him, grabbing his leg.

"Star Lu! You're Star Lu!!!"

I could never meet him when I was alive, but now that I'm dead, I've run into the idol I've adored for ten years.

God, I died too late.

Star Lu pushed me away in disgust, his thick, flying brows furrowed.

"You're my fan? My fans can't be this classless."

I looked at him pitifully. How was I classless?

"Show some respect for the dead. They're already gone, and you're taking your anger out on their grave. That's too much, don't you think?"

I glanced at the intact tombstone. I couldn't even smash my own grave?

"It's my own grave."

"Even if you have a grudge, it's not right. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. You—"

His scolding stopped abruptly.

"What did you say?"

2.

This was the third year after my death.

I died stupidly.

My best friend, Vivi Zhang, and I went on a trip to Thailand, staying at a family-run inn.

In the middle of the night, a thief broke in to steal. Vivi happened to open her door to go to the bathroom. The thief, aroused by lust, tried to attack her.

I heard the commotion and rushed out to save her. While I was struggling with the thief, Vivi ran into her own room and locked the door.

The thief had a knife. I was stabbed to death, and the thief got away.

It was a remote island with few residents, hardly any streetlights, and no surveillance. The police never caught the killer.

Afterward, Vivi twisted the truth.

She said I was the one who went to the bathroom and got attacked by the thief. She said she heard the noise and came out, but it was too late.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'm so sorry. I tried my best to save Pearl, but I couldn't make it. Why am I so useless? Why didn't it have to be me!"

My parents actually comforted her:

"Child, it's not your fault. We know you did your best."

I was floating right there, so angry I almost dispersed into nothingness and died a second time.

3.

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

I crouched dejectedly 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 Vivi next month.

"My brother also came. He said Vivi is getting married, and my parents are planning to give her a car as a dowry. He said in the years 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? Vivi was the one who picked this cemetery for me. She said I once mentioned I loved places with a nice view.

The view here is indeed 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.

So now, my parents rarely come to visit me anymore.

They only come on Qingming Festival, my death anniversary, and the Winter Solstice to burn paper money. Other than that, they hardly ever show up.

"My family is superstitious. I thought if I made a scene at my grave, the cemetery staff would notify them. Maybe they'd find something."

Star Lu looked at me sympathetically, then at the heavy sledgehammer 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 in life. His son burned this hammer for him, saying if he couldn't find work in the underworld, he could still do his old job."

4.

Being a ghost was nothing like I imagined. I couldn't enter people's dreams. I couldn't leave my cemetery.

I couldn't touch anything in the living world—not plants, not trees, and certainly not living people.

To us, living people were covered in a thin layer of flames. If I tried to touch them, I'd burn to ashes and scatter into nothing.

So all I could do was watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

I watched Vivi worm her way in, stealing everything that was rightfully mine.

My boyfriend fell in love with her. My parents took her in as their goddaughter. My brother treated her like a second sister.

I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore.

This feeling of powerlessness had tormented me for nearly three years.

"Stop crying."

Star Lu placed his hand on my head and patted it like I was a puppy.

But I couldn't stop crying. I even started hiccupping.

Star Lu let out a deep sigh, grabbed my head, and turned it ninety degrees to the left, facing my tombstone.

"My fans don't get bullied."

The moment he said that, my tombstone cracked open.

5.

"Holy shit!"

I shot up like a firecracker.

A massive crack split my tombstone right down the middle, as if an axe had cleaved it in two.

"Idol! You're truly my idol! Can we negotiate? Can you make the crack spell out the word 'INJUSTICE'?

"You know, like Chinese characters formed by the cracks."

Star Lu rolled his eyes.

Ah. Why can someone look so handsome even when rolling their eyes?

"Do I look like a magician to you? No."

"Wait. I remember your grave is in the south of the city. How can you come here?"

I finally snapped out of it and realized something was off.

Normally, ghosts can only move within a hundred meters of their graves. It's like being trapped under a glass dome.

No matter how hard you try, you can't break through the barrier.

Star Lu had been my idol for years. I'd liked him since middle school.

When I was a senior in high school, Star Lu was filming a variety show when a giant screen fell from above and crushed him to death.

Star Lu was from our city. I even attended his memorial service and secretly went to burn incense for him.

His grave was far from here—basically on the other side of the city.

6.

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

"This? I have a fan to thank. She burned me a copy of *The Great Ghost Cultivation Manual*.

"I was bored, so I started practicing the techniques in it. Before I knew it, I could come and go as I pleased. I could touch things. Now I even have some powers.

"I've taken revenge. I've repaid my debts. I can visit my parents often. I have no regrets in my ghostly life."

I was stunned. This kind of thing actually existed?

What a coincidence!

"Check the title page. Doesn't it say, 'To my dearest Star Lu, from your most adorable fan, Pearl Qin'?"

"It was me, Star Lu! I sent you that book!"

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

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

Star Lu stared at me in shock. I pulled him over to my tombstone and pointed at the inscription.

"Look! Pearl Qin. It's really me!"

7.

I was pulled into a warm embrace.

This was the first time in three years as a ghost that I felt a living person's body heat.

It was like lying in a sun-warmed blanket on a cold winter day, filled with the scent of sunshine.

I'd touched other ghosts before. They were cold, damp, like a clump of freshly pulled seaweed.

No wonder my idol was different. Even as a ghost, he was extraordinary.

"Pearl Qin, thank you."

Star Lu gave me a big hug, then handed the book to me.

"Your revenge? Big brother will take care of it."

I covered my mouth, crying with joy.

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

To make it more dramatic, Star Lu had gone up the mountain the night before and picked a bunch of flowers. He used their juice to write a huge "INJUSTICE" character on my tombstone.

The blood-red "INJUSTICE," the cracked tombstone, and the countless bugs crawling all over the grave—it nearly made the chubby caretaker piss himself.

"Idol, isn't this a bit too much? Even my ghostly hairs are standing on end."

Star Lu flicked my forehead. "The more dramatic, the better."

8.

The terrified caretaker frantically called everyone on his contact list.

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

When she saw the state of my grave, Vivi collapsed on the spot in fear.

"This must be someone's sick prank! Who would do this to Pearl even after she's dead? If you have a problem, take it out on me! Don't bully Pearl! My heart aches for her~"

Vivi pulled herself together and clung to my boyfriend, Zimo Shen, sobbing.

Oh, wait. He's her boyfriend now.

My brother's face was pale, his eyes red. After a moment, as if something occurred to him, he started frantically looking around.

"Sis! Is that you? Come out! Have you come back to see us?"

My parents leaned on each other, their lips trembling, their faces streaked with tears. They couldn't speak.

I looked at the family I once held closest. The urge to rush over and hug them overwhelmed everything else.

Mom, Dad. I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to endure the pain of losing a child.

I was blind. I ruined myself, and I ruined you.

Just as I was about to touch my mother's arm, Star Lu stopped me.

"Pearl, calm down."

Zimo Shen crouched down, his trembling hand reaching for the photo on my tombstone.

"Pearl, is it because I'm marrying Vivi? Did I make you angry?

"Don't you want us to get married?"

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

9.

"Ah!"

Zimo Shen, who had been speaking so tenderly, let out a blood-curdling scream. He fell backward, flailing, and scrambled to his feet before anyone could help him, hiding behind my brother.

My brother shoved him off and rushed forward to embrace my tombstone.

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

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

"Baby girl, do you have a grievance? Tell us! You heartless girl, you've been gone for years and haven't even come to us in a dream~"

Zimo Shen clung to Vivi, trembling. My parents and brother sobbed over my tombstone.

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

"Brother Star, what do we do now?"

Star Lu spread his arms, striking a very cool pose.

Just then, the dark clouds above suddenly parted. A flood of sunlight poured down, bathing the cemetery in golden light.

"Pearl, run!"

Star Lu grabbed me and flew toward the locust tree behind my tombstone. The two of us hid in its shadow, sighing with relief.

Ghosts can't touch sunlight. Especially the harsh noon sun. It can burn us, incinerate us.

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

Star Lu nodded.

"I can only come out after four in the afternoon. Getting a little sun won't destroy me like it would you, but it would still hurt me badly."

10.

The cemetery had quieted down. My parents were still sniffling softly. Vivi and Zimo Shen were trying to comfort them.

"Uncle, Auntie, I'd love to see Pearl too, but we have to believe in science."

"Someone is using Pearl's grave to set a trap, trying to scam money. They want to disturb her rest."

"We have to find this criminal. We can't let Pearl be bullied even after death."

My parents hesitated. They were superstitious, but seeing a ghost was just too unbelievable.

They were also worried it might be another scam.

My family was well-off. We had seven or eight houses, factories, and some shops.

Right after I died, all kinds of folk practitioners showed up, claiming they could help my family see me. Every single one was a fraud.

My brother suddenly thought of something. He ran to the cemetery guardhouse and came back with three incense sticks.

He was sweating from running in the sun.

Trembling, he stuck the incense into the burner in front of my tombstone, muttering under his breath.

"Sis, if you can see us, say something. I know it's you. It has to be you."

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

Star Lu waved his hand. All three incense sticks snapped cleanly, as if cut by a blade.

My brother froze for a moment, then ran back to the guardhouse and grabbed a whole bundle of incense.

He lit them. Star Lu snapped them.

Soon, a pile of broken incense sticks lay scattered in front of my tombstone.

11.

I tugged at Star Lu's sleeve.

"Idol, can't we just show ourselves?"

Star Lu shook his head.

"The living and the dead are separate. For you to appear, you'd need to cultivate for at least a year using the methods in that book.

"I can't appear during the day either. And this is your revenge. If I get too involved, it'll be bad for both of us. I can only help from the sidelines."

Sigh. The path to revenge is long and hard.

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

Good boy!

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

My silly little brother had grown up. He could actually think.

Everyone cleaned up my grave. My parents arranged for a new tombstone to be installed in a few days.

Vivi stood to the side, silent, her eyes dark and unreadable.

12.

When night finally came, Star Lu grabbed me and flew straight for the cemetery barrier.

He floated through easily. I was stuck, pressed against the barrier, unable to move.

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

We crouched on the ground, sighing together. This was the definition of "so close, yet so far."

Just then, a car came winding up the mountain road, its headlights cutting through the pitch-black night.

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

Star Lu and I hid to the side, watching to see what she was up to.

Vivi glared at me, her eyes cold and venomous like a snake's.

"Pearl Qin! Why can't you just stay dead and leave me alone!

"All these years, your parents kept saying they treated me like a daughter. But when I get married, they only give me a car? Not even a house? Hah! Hypocrites!

"Zimo Shen's house is full of your photos. He only sees me as your replacement!!

"Besides being poorer than you, what's wrong with me?!

"Do you know I met Zimo Shen first! I fell in love with him first!

"You only lost your life. Me? I lost my love!!!"

13.

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

Star Lu stared at Vivi, dumbfounded by her words.

When he snapped out of it, he slapped the back of my head.

"Pearl Qin! What kind of judgment do you have? What kind of friend did you pick?"

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

After her outburst, Vivi gave her orders.

"Go ahead. Even if she's a ghost, I want her scattered to the winds. Do a good job, and I'll add more money."

The old Taoist and the young monk were clearly stunned by her words. The young, round-faced monk kept muttering to himself.

"Is this really 'life is precious, but love is more valuable'?"

"Boundless Heaven~"

The skinny old Taoist with a goatee stroked his beard, flicked his horsetail whisk, and was the first to snap out of it.

He began pacing in a ritualistic circle around my grave, chanting loudly.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

"Nameless, the beginning of heaven and earth. Named, the mother of all things.

"Evil spirit, be gone!"

He dropped into a horse stance, his left hand held upright in front of his chest, his right hand holding a yellow gourd high above his head, and shouted at my tombstone.

14.

That's it?

Reciting the *Dao De Jing* is enough to catch ghosts?

Star Lu and I both felt insulted by this ghost-catching attempt.

Star Lu's hands flew through a series of hand seals, his fingers moving so fast they became a blur.

I watched him in awe. No wonder he used to be a rap star. He had natural talent.

"Go!"

With Star Lu's shout, the cemetery was suddenly engulfed in a whirlwind of sand and stones.

Leaves flew everywhere. Countless snakes, bugs, rats, and ants swarmed out from all directions, rushing toward Vivi and her companions.

When the wind died down and Vivi opened her eyes, lowering her arms from her face, two snakes were already coiled around her ankles. A rat sat on her foot. Two black centipedes, as long as a hand, clung to her calf.

It was early autumn. Vivi always took great care of her appearance. She was wearing a blue dress that stopped at her knees, with a thin, white knitted cardigan over her shoulders. She looked gentle and charming.

With no pants to protect her, the rats, centipedes, snakes, and bugs made direct, intimate contact with her skin.

"AHHHHHHHHH!

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

A blood-curdling human scream filled the air, followed by an even more blood-curdling ghostly scream.

15.

I shot up onto Star Lu's back, my ghostly face pale as a sheet, my shriek rivaling a soprano's.

Fat, black rats, slimy and cold, writhed together. Snakes of all colors and sizes. Centipedes with hard, gleaming shells, thick and numerous—the largest of them half a meter long.

One look at that scene, and I could have died on the spot.

Star Lu carried me up into a tree.

"Alright, stop screaming. Those things can't touch you."

Even as a ghost, I was terrified. Vivi, standing at the center of the storm, was even worse off.

She screamed hysterically, shaking her legs wildly to get the creatures off.

She was wearing stiletto heels. With all that frantic jumping, she twisted her ankle and fell flat on her face.

The moment she hit the ground, the rats and snakes jumped onto her back. Centipedes crawled onto her face. Vivi rolled around on the ground a few times, then her eyes rolled back, and she passed out.

I couldn't bear to watch. Thank God I was already dead, or I'd have nightmares for life. That scene was too horrifying.

The Taoist and the monk, being trained professionals, had long since leaped onto nearby tombstones. They stood there, pale and trembling, like two quails caught in a storm.

So poor Vivi was left alone on the ground, lying on her back, covered in snakes, bugs, and rats. Weak and helpless.

Just then, two more beams of light appeared on the winding mountain road in the distance.

Someone else was coming up the mountain?

Who was it?

16.

"Idol, someone's coming."

I jumped off Star Lu's back, wobbling as I stood on a branch, clinging to his arm.

Star Lu waved his hand, and the insects receded like a tide, as if the terrifying scene had never happened.

Oh, except for a few dead centipedes left on the ground—crushed when Vivi rolled over.

The monk and the Taoist still stood on their tombstones, motionless like statues.

The car stopped and turned off. I craned my neck to see. In the dim night, I could only make out two tall figures.

"Vivi! What happened to you?"

It was Zimo Shen and a young Taoist.

When Zimo Shen saw Vivi lying on the ground, his face filled with alarm. He rushed over and scooped her into his arms.

Just then, Vivi woke up. The moment she saw Zimo Shen, she threw her arms around his neck and sobbed loudly.

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

The old Taoist, being thicker-skinned, flicked his whisk and said to Vivi, "Don't be afraid, miss. I've already driven those monsters away."

17.

Zimo Shen's body stiffened for a moment. He let go of Vivi and looked at the old Taoist suspiciously.

"Monsters? What monsters?"

Vivi shot the old Taoist a look and said, her voice choked with tears, "After seeing Pearl's tombstone vandalized this morning, I invited two masters to perform a ritual for her, to help her rest in peace. But then, then... wuwuwu..."

Seeing Vivi cry like a pear blossom in the rain, Zimo Shen felt a pang of sympathy.

"Vivi, what happened?"

Just then, the sound of another car engine came from the cemetery entrance.

Someone else was coming up the mountain?

Damn. This late at night, it was busier here than New Year's Eve.

"Sister Vivi, Zimo Shen, what are you doing here?"

My brother showed up with an old monk, staring at Vivi and Zimo Shen in surprise.

Two Taoists, two monks. Two young, two old.

They could make a full table for mahjong.

Everyone stared at each other for a moment. Zimo Shen broke the silence.

"Vivi and I came to perform a ritual for Pearl."

My brother frowned, his face dark.

"A ritual? 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's got some brains."

Star Lu stood with his arms crossed on a tree branch, watching the Taoist my brother had brought perform his ritual.

I tugged at his sleeve.

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

Star Lu shook his head.

"The living and the dead are separate. It's not that easy for you to face your family. With your current ghostly form, talking to a living person for even a minute would burn you up.

"Wait a little longer. Focus on cultivating with that book."

Star Lu patted my head soothingly, his voice gentle.

Suddenly, I felt like being a ghost wasn't so bad. When I was alive, I couldn't even see Star Lu's face.

Now, with my idol right next to me, I felt a sense of happiness for the first time in my ghostly life.

"Great Lord Laozi, act now!"

The young Taoist shouted. The scene was dead silent.

Verdict: All four of them were frauds.

"Mingxuan, Zimo, let's go back. We were too rushed today. The masters weren't prepared. Let's go home and discuss it. Give them time to prepare properly."

Vivi's soft voice broke the awkward silence.

Just like that, the three groups left in a hurry.

Leaving me and Star Lu, disappointed.

That's it?

Star Lu pinched my cheek.

"Stop watching the show. Focus on cultivating."

19.

Cultivation was boring and tedious. Star Lu turned into the strictest teacher. The moment I got distracted, he'd hit me with a thin stick.

Ghosts don't need to sleep. They don't get tired. So I was forced to cultivate all night until the eastern sky turned white and the sun began to rise.

I guess I had some talent for cultivation. After a whole night of effort, I could make one of my fingers solid.

Star Lu said that finger could now touch anything in the living world. In three more days, I'd be able to show myself to people.

The yang energy in the air was too strong during the day, which wasn't good for cultivation. Star Lu went to play chess with an old man in the northwest corner of the cemetery. I hid in a tree to slack off.

But then Vivi showed up again. This time, she brought two Taoists—one old, one young.

The last Taoist had worn a yellow robe. This one wore plain blue clothes. The old Taoist's face was gaunt, but his eyes were sharp and piercing. The moment he looked up at me in the tree, I felt a chill in my heart.

"Master, this is my classmate. After she died, her boyfriend fell in love with me. Because of that, she's been violently retaliating against us. She's almost killed us several times.

"Please help us, Master. Please help my classmate too. She was a kind person in life. She must be suffering, doing all these evil things."

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

"Pearl, I know you don't like me being with Zimo. But you're gone. The living have to move on..."

20.

What the hell was she talking about?

Why was she slandering a ghost like this?

I jumped down from the tree in anger, ready to try out the "One-Yang Finger" I'd practiced last night on Vivi.

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

"Evil spirit, die!"

"Ah!"

The willow branch hit me. It felt like being burned by fire. The pain struck my very soul. In an instant, I was in agony, my mind blurring, my consciousness fading.

The old Taoist seemed to be able to see me. Wherever I hid, his willow branch followed. After three lashes, I could feel my form becoming indistinct.

I was about to scatter into nothing.

"Pearl! Run!"

Star Lu arrived just in time.

"An accomplice! And a ghost cultivator at that. Disciple, set up the formation!"

The old Taoist engaged Star Lu. The air around us instantly turned icy, with gusts of wind that made it impossible to open one's eyes.

I stumbled and ran, my heart filled with a hatred that could destroy heaven and earth.

I died because of Vivi when I was alive. And now, even in death, she was trying to destroy me again.

21.

The clear sky had suddenly turned dark with clouds. I slammed into the transparent barrier frantically, but I couldn't get out.

The feeling of dread grew stronger. My instincts told me that if the young Taoist finished setting up his formation, Star Lu and I were done.

Just then, Star Lu broke free from the old Taoist and flew toward me.

"Pearl Qin, I'm taking you with me!"

As my consciousness faded, Star Lu lowered his head and kissed me.

A bead entered my mouth. It was warm and fragrant, filled with boundless energy.

I could feel my injuries healing. The pain lessened.

We got out.

The moment our lips met, the barrier disappeared.

Star Lu and I hid under a black umbrella. He seemed badly injured too. His lips were pale, and his face was covered in fine cracks, like a delicate porcelain doll about to shatter.

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

I did as he said. My injuries indeed improved.

"Alright. Now give me back the ghost pill."

Give it back?

How?

22.

In the heat of the moment, I hadn't thought much about it. But now, seeing Star Lu's handsome face so close, I felt dizzy.

I was about to kiss the idol I'd adored for ten years?

Oh my God!!!

I wouldn't even dare dream of this. I'd be cursed by his wife fans.

If not for the circumstances, I'd laugh three times to the heavens.

Star Lu watched my changing expression and frowned.

A strong hand pressed against the back of my head, pushing my lips toward his.

The ghost pill returned to Star Lu's body.

I felt like a deflated balloon. The power that had filled me was gone.

We waited under the umbrella until dark. Then I led Star Lu straight to my house.

My parents didn't seem to be home. Only my brother was in his room, tinkering with something.

The moment Star Lu and I entered his room, we were stunned.

He hadn't turned on the lights. His bright, warm bedroom had been turned into something like a shrine.

A soul-summoning banner, as tall as a person, stood by the window. A wooden memorial tablet with my name on it sat on his desk. Three incense sticks were burning in front of it.

My brother had spread my belongings all over his bed:

My favorite dress. My bracelet. My favorite books. And right in the middle of the bed was a giant poster of Star Lu.

23.

My brother was holding a large bell, shaking it at my memorial tablet.

"Pearl Qin~ Return your soul~ Return your soul~"

Idiot.

I sniffled. He used to be terrified of ghosts. Even at almost twenty, he couldn't sleep with the lights off.

He'd tremble at horror movies. A trip to a haunted house would scare him half to death.

Now, my most cowardly brother was locking himself in a dark room, trying to summon my soul with my belongings.

Suddenly, he seemed to think of something. He patted his head and shoulders three times. Then, apparently unsatisfied, he dipped his hand into a basin of water on the table and patted himself again.

Star Lu looked at my brother in confusion.

"What's he doing?"

My eyes reddened as I watched my silly brother.

"When we were kids, Grandpa told us ghost stories. He said people have three flames on their heads and shoulders. Those flames protect them from ghosts.

"So you should never pat someone on the shoulder at night. If you put out their flame, a ghost will follow them.

"He's patting out his own flames."

My brother called out for a long time. Nothing happened in the room.

He crouched on the floor in despair, burying his face in his hands. A muffled whimpering sound, like a puppy's, came through his fingers.

24.

My heart ached. My brother, over six feet tall, was crouched on the ground, a big, hulking figure.

But I could still see the little boy he used to be, small and tiny, always following me around, calling me "Sis."

My little boy had grown up.

Star Lu, probably thinking of his own family, couldn't help but tear up too.

He ruffled my hair, his clear voice a little hoarse.

"What are you waiting for? Go use your One-Yang Finger on the computer."

I froze, then ecstatically rushed to my brother's computer desk.

Right! Even if I only had one finger I could use, I could still type!

In the quiet room, only the sound of the keyboard clacking could be heard. It was like an invisible pair of hands were flying across the keys.

I was still injured from the afternoon. My One-Yang Finger couldn't take form. I could barely press the keys.

My brother looked up suspiciously. Then he let out a yelp and jumped onto the desk.

"Holy shit!!! A ghost!!!"

"Idiot, don't be scared. It's me, your sister.

"I've come back to see you."

My brother had perfect eyesight since childhood. I'd set the font to the largest size, so he could clearly see the words appearing on the screen, one by one.

"Sis? Is it really you?"

His trembling voice was full of hope and disbelief.

25.

When he confirmed it was really me, my brother rushed over and hugged the computer chair, sobbing loudly.

"Move away. The fire on your body almost scattered my soul."

My brother sniffled and backed off.

"Sis, you're still so useless even as a ghost."

Little brat!!!

The one ghost and one living person communicated seamlessly through the computer.

I guess technology really is the primary productive force. One finger couldn't write, but it could type like crazy.

When he learned that Vivi had killed me, my brother jumped up from the floor. The flames on his body, which had been calm, flared up to two meters high, almost burning me again.

"Holy shit! I'm going to kill her right now!"

With that, he charged out the door, leaving the computer screen and me behind.

"Idiot! Idol, what do we do?"

I followed him anxiously, but I didn't dare touch him.

Star Lu looked worried too. He was still badly injured from the afternoon and hadn't recovered. He couldn't stop my brother either.

The two of us could only float behind my brother, helplessly watching as he ran all the way to Zimo Shen's apartment complex.

26.

"Vivi Zhang! You bitch! Get out here!"

My brother pounded on Zimo Shen's door like crazy. Soon, Zimo Shen opened the door, looking stunned.

"Mingxuan, what the hell are you doing?"

My brother shoved Zimo Shen aside and slapped Vivi, who had come to see what the commotion was about.

Vivi staggered back and fell to the floor.

She sat there, holding her face, staring at my brother in disbelief.

"Mingxuan, you hit me?"

Zimo Shen grabbed my brother around the waist, but he was still struggling wildly.

"Holy shit, Vivi Zhang! How can there be a woman as disgusting as you in this world! You killed my sister and then played innocent! You stole her boyfriend! My parents even prepared a dowry for you! How dare you show your face in this world!

"I'm going to beat you to death today! I'll avenge my sister!"

I was hopping with anxiety on the sidelines. I thought he'd grown up, but his temper was exactly the same!

"Qin Mingxuan! Calm down!"

Zimo Shen was furious seeing Vivi get hit. He pushed my brother away hard and spread his arms to shield Vivi.

27.

"Are you listening to some lie? Vivi is the kindest girl in the world. She would never hurt Pearl!"

"My sister told me herself! That day, Vivi was attacked by the thief. My sister opened the door to save her, but Vivi ran into her own room and locked the door! That's how my sister died! She's the murderer!!"

Zimo Shen stared at my brother in shock. His lips moved soundlessly for a moment before he finally managed to stammer out a few words.

"I don't believe you. It's impossible. Pearl is dead. How could she tell you?"

Just then, Vivi snapped out of it and cried out to my brother.

"Mingxuan, who told you this? You're going to wrong me to death!!! Pearl was my best friend. How could I have killed her? Mingxuan, why do you believe someone else instead of me? This hurts me so much."

I rubbed my forehead as I watched the scene unfold.

What the hell was this?

My brother was such an idiot. His impulsiveness had completely ruined my plan.

So much for taking it slow.

"Sigh. Now I understand why you're so silly. It's not your fault. It's genetic."

Star Lu sighed and put his hand on my shoulder.

"This woman is ruthless. Your brother just tipped her off. Who knows what she'll do next."

28.

The commotion was too loud. The neighbors called the police.

My brother, Vivi, and Zimo Shen were all taken to the station. An old cop looked at my brother with disapproval.

"Even if what you're saying is true, she's not a murderer. She's a victim too.

"Since this young lady isn't pressing charges, sign a mediation agreement and let it go. Otherwise, with that slap, you'd be looking at detention."

My brother let out a sarcastic laugh.

"A victim?

"My sister is dead. How can this 'victim' still be alive and well?"

Zimo Shen clenched his fists and stood up.

"Qin Mingxuan, that's enough! Your sister is dead! She's been dead for three years! She's gone, but the rest