The proprietress stumbled and fell at my feet, clutching the candle and inkstone.

The white candle that had been offered to Guanyin rolled half a meter away and got covered in ash.

Fortunately, the fish tank in my hand didn't break.

"Master... Master! The candles were bought for two yuan a pack, and the ink line was bought wholesale for props, but... but they're all real, and the water... there are bubbles from koi fish in the water! If it doesn't work, I..."

"Alright, alright!"

I bent down to pick up the candles, wiped the ash off with my sleeve, and stuck the three candles into the ground, arranging them in a crooked triangle.

Half a piece is missing from the bottom edge, just to leave the female ghost a way out.

The inkwell handed to me by the proprietress was indeed quite old and looked rather intimidating.

The wooden handle has a glossy patina, but there's half a piece of red yarn wrapped around the spool, probably from when it was used for knitting sweaters.

"Pour the water over here."

I took half a bowl of water from the fish tank. There were pieces of uneaten fish food floating in it, and I could smell a bit of moss when I got closer.

I gestured towards the female ghost with my lips: "Big sister, cooperate a bit, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can reincarnate."

The female ghost in the corner was curled up in a ball, water still dripping from the hem of her red dress.

Upon hearing the word "reincarnation," his eyes suddenly darted around rapidly: "They really can send me away? They really won't kill me?"

"nonsense!"

I splashed water from the fish tank at her feet, and her distorted face was reflected in the water.

“I’m not such an unreasonable person. You haven’t harmed anyone. It’s not a big deal for you to wander around in the mortal world. Just suffer some punishment in the underworld, and I’ll give you a paper frame to help you be reborn into a better life.”

Upon hearing this, the female ghost became so excited that her body deformed, and she kept thanking him, saying, "Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"

The proprietress hid behind me, looking terrified: "Master, should we chant a spell first?"

"Why bother chanting spells? It's not that complicated. Just watch fewer movies!"

I pulled out a lighter from my pocket and said to the female ghost, "Big sister, I'm going to outline you with a chalk line later. Just follow the candlelight and don't wander off!"

The female ghost nodded obediently, and the hem of her red skirt rolled up above her knees, revealing her bubbly ankles.

I grabbed the ink line, flicked my wrist, and the ink line snapped at her feet, kicking up a speck of dust: "Let's go!"

She had barely taken half a step when the proprietress suddenly screamed, "She...she's gone through my legs!"

"nonsense!"

I rolled my eyes: "Ghosts are just ethereal things, do you think they're like you? The usual ghosts that scare you are just mental attacks, unless it's the kind... never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you."

The female ghost, chased by the ink lines, panicked and knocked over an electronic incense burner, releasing a pungent smell of sandalwood mixed with mildew.

I sneezed, and my hand trembled, causing the ink thread to get all tangled in her hair.

She screamed and shook her head, her hair falling to the ground and revealing her uneven buzz cut underneath.

I'm so sorry!

I frantically untied the ink line: "I suddenly sneezed."

"It doesn't matter……"

The female ghost comforted me instead: "When I was alive, my arm was dislocated, and it hurt much more than this."

Finally, after straightening the ink lines, I lit three candles with a lighter.

The firelight made the female ghost's face appear transparent, revealing the ventilation ducts behind her.

The proprietress suddenly pointed at her red dress: "Master! Her dress is smoking!"

"That's candle wax!"

I quickly blew out the candle on the left: "I told you not to sway!"

The female ghost clutched the hem of her skirt, looking aggrieved, and glanced at the proprietress: "She's the one sucking in air from behind, like a range hood."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

I slipped the ink line around her waist, like a donkey's reins: "Follow the light, and let go when you reach the pipe opening, understand?"

She nodded.

She drifted toward the ventilation shaft, glancing back every few steps, the ink trailing a long shadow behind her.

As we approached the pipe opening, she suddenly turned around and gently waved to me and the landlady.

This scene looks just like kindergarten dismissal, it makes my teeth ache.

"Let's go, let's go."

I extinguished the last candle, and a faint "goodbye" came from the ventilation duct.

"My goodness...it's finally over!"

The pink-haired girl peeked out from under the table; her manicure was covered in dust.

"Was the female ghost's tongue really forked? I just saw her smile at me!"

Qianqian was still fast asleep in the chair, completely unaware of what was happening.

However, judging from the furrowed brows she kept raising, she was probably having nightmares while she was in a deep sleep.

Xiaoyue is alright. This girl looks frail, but she's much bolder than these women.

He was still squatting next to Xia, poking her face: "Beautiful lady, beautiful lady, wake up! When you fainted just now, the female ghost almost used you as a substitute host!"

"Water...did you drink too much water?"

Xia finally sat up, rubbing her temples. Seeing the mess of candles and ink lines on the floor, she suddenly pointed at the plastic skull in the corner and screamed.

"How did my prop break? What... what happened?"

"master!"

Suddenly, the proprietress grabbed my trouser leg and rubbed it upwards, the broken chain of the crystal pendant getting caught on the yarn of my trouser leg.

"Your skills are truly impressive..."

She was panting as if she'd just finished a marathon: "It's even more realistic than the most expensive VR haunted house in my shop! Come be our consultant! You can sit there, drink tea, give us pointers on prop placement, and earn five figures a month like it's nothing!"

"Stop, stop! I don't want to get beaten up by tourists who mistake me for an NPC one day!"

I tugged at my trouser leg, which she had hooked, and found fish tank water that had splashed out when I splashed the ghost still stuck under my fingernails.

"Also, you need to make some real talismans for your shop, instead of just using plastic skulls to fool people."

"A talisman?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!