Chapter 3 Human Skin Painting 03
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Han Jiashan led them upstairs and halted at the entrance to Han Ke’s room. He rapped softly on the door, prompting it to swing open, revealing a middle-aged woman with tear-stained eyes. She cast a displeased glance at Chen Yang and the others.
Mrs. Han: “Why did you invite these practitioners again?”
Mr. Han pulled Mrs. Han to the side, wearing a smile as he invited Chen Yang and his companions inside. He quietly scolded Mrs. Han, “Please don’t say such things.”
Mrs. Han: “Keke is just under a lot of mental stress. It would be enough to see a doctor. You keep saying she’s possessed, and you bring in so many practitioners, but they are not helpful at all.”
Mr. Han felt a bit awkward and simply said, “This will be the last time, okay?”
Chen Yang looked at Mao Xiaoli, who shrugged and said, “In our line of work, taking the blame is a common occurrence.”
“Don’t you have any techniques for shifting blame?”
Mao Xiaoli: “No. Usually, we throw the blame back at the employer.”
“What if we can’t throw it back?”
“We rely on our colleagues to throw it for us.”
Chen Yang shook his head slightly, “Their skills in handling the business are not sufficient.”
In relation to this, Mao Xiaoli immediately thought of how Chen Yang just confidently stepped forward and presented himself as a professional. With a tone of admiration, she said, “Brother Chen, you have a way with words. Just now, Mr. Han’s expression completely changed, and he started treating us with respect. In the past, when we went out for business, those people would give us unfriendly looks. They preferred to believe those tricksters without Celestial Master Seals rather than trust us. It resulted in an increase in rejected orders, and our salaries were almost withheld.”
Chen Yang: “…You just exposed our salary situation.”
Mao Xiaoli quickly responded, “But we still have a basic salary.” She smiled, trying to divert the topic, “Brother Chen, are you a student of Religious Studies?”
“No.”
“Finance, then?”
Chen Yang shook his head, “I majored in Marketing and took Folk Customs as an elective.”
Mao Xiaoli applauded, “Brother Chen, you seem even more knowledgeable than me.”
Chen Yang smiled and began to observe the room.
The room had an overall hue of light beige, resembling a typical girl’s bedroom. In the center stood a large bed, where Han Ke lay silently with her eyes closed, her arm still connected to an IV drip. Against the wall stood a sizable bookshelf, filled with unopened figurines. The walls were adorned with posters, predominantly featuring anime characters, making the framed portrait of a woman amidst the collection stand out prominently.
Chen Yang approached and studied the one-meter-tall, half-meter-wide portrait attentively. It portrayed a mesmerizing lady dressed in a sleeveless, crescent-shaped white cheongsam. With her arms crossed, she gazed beyond the frame. Her fair arms, exquisite features, and captivating smile were truly enchanting.
“Wow, she’s incredibly beautiful.”
Chen Yang turned around and noticed Mao Xiaoli, who had quietly joined him, expressing her amazement.
“This painting is so lifelike… Huh? Look at the date… ‘Year of the Earth Dog (2018), Moonless Month (May), Xiao Fengyu.’ That means it was recently painted, right? But why isn’t there a seal?” Mao Xiaoli seemed particularly interested in the painting, reaching out as if to touch it.
Chen Yang stopped her. “Let’s refrain from touching other people’s belongings.”
“Ah, right.” Mao Xiaoli quickly withdrew her hand.
“Let’s go and check on Miss Han’s condition.”
Mao Xiaoli turned around and noticed that Celestial Master Lv and Celestial Master Luo were already gathered around Han Ke, examining her situation. She immediately ran over to negotiate for the four hundred thousand yuan. Chen Yang also walked over, and he suddenly heard a faint, almost inaudible female voice.
“Mr. Scholar…”
Chen Yang paid no attention and continued walking straight ahead. He overheard Celestial Master Luo saying, “Miss Han seems to have been targeted by a female ghost. The ghost wants to claim her life and transfer its own premature death fate onto her, so it can enjoy a long and prosperous life.”
“What does that mean?”
Han Jiashan and Mrs. Han couldn’t comprehend it at all.
Celestial Master Luo explained, “The concept of a substitute ghost involves stealing the life essence of a living person and transferring it to a malevolent ghost, allowing it to escape its premature death and forcing the other to bear the sufferings and hardships of the spirit’s untimely death. Meanwhile, the malevolent ghost assumes the identity of the living person and continues its existence in the mortal world. Miss Han had her life force stolen by a prematurely deceased ghost that seeks to replace her.”
Han Jiashan exclaimed in shock, “Is there any way to save Keke?”
Celestial Master Luo reassured, “Please be at ease. Now that we have noticed it, we will save Miss Han. Just as there are police officers in the mortal realm, there are also ghost officials in the spirit realm. Malevolent ghosts that harm lives will be brought before the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin and condemned to the depths of hell. The malevolent ghost’s desire to take over Miss Han’s identity and evade the attention of the ghost officials stems from her excellent life fortune, filled with prosperity, longevity, and the favor of auspicious stars. Originally, she possessed a constitution that repels evil. It was only due to Miss Han’s unintentional remark that the ghost found an opening, resulting in this undeserved calamity.”
Han Jiashan firmly believed it, but Mrs. Han wore a skeptical expression on her face.
Compared to Han Jiashan, who grew up in the spiritually active region of Western Guangdong, Mrs. Han was a true local resident and a firm believer in scientific rationalism.
“Nonsense! Can malevolent ghosts really assume the identity of a living person? That’s ridiculous! If that’s true, wouldn’t everyone be at risk of being replaced by malevolent ghosts? Then, according to your logic, all the people around me would be malevolent ghosts.”
“Hush.”
Mrs. Han brushed off Han Jiashan’s hand, pointing at him and scolding, “You let Keke’s health deteriorate by not seeking medical help and instead bringing in a group of fraudsters! Keke’s condition was worsened because of this. If only you had listened to me and taken Keke to a foreign hospital earlier, would Keke still be in this state now?”
Hearing the term “fraudsters”, Celestial Master Lv and Celestial Master Luo displayed displeasure on their faces.
Chen Yang gazed at Han Ke lying on the bed. The young girl appeared gaunt, with hollowed cheeks and dark circles under her eyes, presenting a truly disturbing sight. While he observed, Han Ke suddenly opened her eyes and directly met Chen Yang’s gaze.
Chen Yang calmly took a couple of steps and noticed that Han Ke’s attention was not on him but on the painting behind him.
Unnoticed by anyone, Han Ke had already awakened, her face donning a dark and vacant expression, resembling a ghostly presence.
Celestial Master Lv: “Mrs. Han, I will ask you a series of questions, and you only need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Let’s see if my statements align with the truth.”
Mrs. Han: “Alright.”
Celestial Master Lv: “Has Miss Han experienced a drastic change in her temperament, as if she has transformed into an entirely unfamiliar person?”
Mrs. Han hesitated briefly and then responded, “Yes.”
Celestial Master Lv: “Have her habits, appearance, and behavior all become that of a stranger?”
Mrs. Han: “But certain conditions, such as nerve-related illnesses, can also lead to significant changes in a person’s temperament.”
In that moment, Han Ke on the bed spoke up, “You’re being so noisy. If you want to make a commotion, go outside.”
The bedroom instantly quieted down.
Chen Yang: “Mrs. Han, has Miss Han ever lived in Western Guangdong?”
Perhaps due to Chen Yang’s likable demeanor, Mrs. Han adopted a gentler tone when answering, “She only went there last month to pay respects to our ancestors. She used to dislike going, but this time she insisted on visiting Western Guangdong, which is known for its beliefs in ghosts and deities. She stayed there for just five days.”
“So, she stayed for only five days, and her accent has changed too?”
Mrs. Han’s face changed, as if she had only just realized that her daughter’s accent had transformed into that of the Western Guangdong region. Her daughter had grown up in the capital city, speaking pure Beijing dialect, so how could it suddenly change?
Even if one could attribute a significant change in temperament to illness, it couldn’t explain the shift in accent.
“Mrs. Han, please give it another try and trust us. After tonight, if Miss Han’s condition hasn’t improved, we can take her to the hospital. It’s just one night.” Chen Yang suddenly remembered something and added, “By the way, will Miss Han still be able to sing tonight?”
When the thought of that haunting Cantonese opera crossed her mind, Mrs. Han struggled to voice her opposition. She simply nodded in a random manner and said, “Only for tonight…”
“Alright. I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.”
Han Jiashan looked at Chen Yang with gratitude filling his eyes. Chen Yang smiled silently, emanating an air of mystery and expertise.
Little did Celestial Masters Lv and Luo expect that their tireless efforts were overshadowed by a mere smile from Chen Yang. They felt disheartened and exchanged a glance, deciding to deal with this newcomer first.
Han Jiashan and Mrs. Han left the bedroom, leaving Chen Yang and the others with Han Ke.
Masters Lv and Luo now found themselves on the same side, joining forces to confront Chen Yang.
Celestial Master Luo spoke first, “Tonight, the malevolent ghost will possess Miss Han first and then proceed to harm others in the living room. We can only capture the ghost during these two moments. Since we’re all on the same path, why not cooperate?”
Chen Yang smiled and politely declined.
A barely noticeable smile appeared on Celestial Master Luo’s face. This was the response he had been waiting for.
The young man was filled with pride and arrogance as he started taking on independent jobs, wanting to keep all the credit to himself. He was unwilling to cooperate, unaware that experience comes from facing challenges.
“Since that’s the case, let’s split up. Whoever captures the malevolent ghost and saves Miss Han will be credited for this job. We won’t mistreat anyone. Celestial Master Lv and I will guard the living room together. You can stay in the bedroom. If you can’t handle the situation, we’ll step in. When we intervene, you must not interfere.”
Chen Yang smiled wryly, “Won’t you be at a disadvantage then?”
“Do you agree or not?”
Chen Yang nodded. “Sure, I agree. I’ll take advantage of the opportunity.”
Mao Xiaoli furrowed her brows, and Chen Yang held her back.
Masters Lv and Luo, along with the young disicple, went downstairs together and positioned themselves in the living room, patiently awaiting the arrival of the night.
Mao Xiaoli said, “Brother Chen, why did you agree to it? They’re clearly teaming up to deceive us. They want us to guard the bedroom, but everyone knows that when a malevolent ghost possesses someone, it becomes extremely dangerous. This is a three-star difficulty job, and the two of us alone won’t be able to handle that ghost. Once the ghost leaves the bedroom, it will be their turn to take action. But before that, we’ll have to endure the ghost’s presence.”
Mao Xiaoli sighed, realizing that Brother Chen didn’t have a complete understanding of these matters. How could he think that dealing with the malevolent ghost first would be advantageous?
Chen Yang smiled and borrowed Mao Xiaoli’s phone to take a photo of the portrait hanging on the wall. He then returned the phone to Mao Xiaoli.
“Xiaoli, can you help me ask Mr. Han? Inquire if he recognizes the woman in the portrait or if she is the deceased person mentioned on the tombstone.”
Mao Xiaoli asked, “Are you suggesting—”
“Not necessarily.”
“Alright, I’ll go ask him now. I’ll inform you once I have some information.”
Mao Xiaoli left, leaving only Chen Yang and Han Ke in the room.
Chen Yang took a seat and took out his phone, playing with it.
After some time, Han Ke suddenly turned her head and stared directly at Chen Yang.
Chen Yang noticed something amiss and looked back at her.
Han Ke: “I advise you not to interfere unnecessarily.”
Chen Yang responded seriously, “Please refrain from causing trouble and return to where you belong. Otherwise, I will have to take action against you and send you to Luofeng’s Six Palaces.”
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