As soon as Master Mo's voice fell, a cold wind blew through, making me shiver involuntarily. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly. A little girl abruptly appeared in front of Bai Tingting's bed. The girl was about the same age as Bai Tingting, her hair loose behind her head, and blood was flowing from her nose and eyes.
The little girl stood before Bai Tingting's bed, staring at the terrified Bai Tingting, then suddenly stretched both hands toward her.
Bai Tingting screamed in fright. Hearing her scream, I knew she could see the little girl.
Master Mo, upon hearing Bai Tingting's scream, began waving his peachwood sword wildly in the air, chanting incantations as he moved. His chanting was somewhat chaotic, which made me inwardly chuckle—apparently, this Master Mo was just a mediocre guy with no real power. I had worried the little girl might have her soul scattered by his attack, but it turned out he couldn't even see the girl clearly and was just waving his sword around randomly.
"Giggling... giggling..." The little girl let out a string of eerie laughter as she slowly stepped closer to Bai Tingting. The girl on the bed immediately shrank back into the corner. "I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't mean to hurt you, please don't seek me out." The little girl, covered in blood, climbed onto Bai Tingting's bed. Bai Tingting's voice trembled with tears as she begged, "Mei Mei, you're smart and pretty. I was jealous. I know I was wrong, please spare me."
Master Mo kept waving his peachwood sword, mumbling incantations, completely ignoring the Bai Tingting on the bed who was about to faint from fear. "Giggling... giggling..." The little girl said nothing, only stared at Bai Tingting with a grim smile. Blood dripped from her face.
Everyone in the room, except Master Mo who was hopping and jumping like a crazy shaman, was silent and tense. Although they couldn't see the girl, Bai Tingting's words and her extreme terror made them feel as if they were witnessing it firsthand.
I furrowed my brows slightly—the little girl carried an extremely heavy grudge. Normally, those who commit suicide carry some resentment, but never this intense. She must have gone through something terrible before her death for her hatred to be so strong.
At that moment, Master Mo's peachwood sword accidentally stabbed the little girl's body. White smoke rose from where the sword struck, but it seemed to have little effect on her.
Suddenly, she turned sharply and lunged at Master Mo. He had no idea what was happening and trembled violently before slamming his head against the wall like a madman. Everyone there, except me, was shocked and didn't know what had happened to Master Mo.
I understood clearly—Master Mo had been possessed by the little girl.
He exerted great force, blood gushed from his head, and his body went limp as he collapsed to the ground.
"Master Mo, what happened to you?"
"Master Mo is dead!" People inside panicked and immediately rushed out, ignoring everything else.
Someone dragged Master Mo out.
Manhe grabbed me and headed outside as well. At this moment, forget about his boss or the Jade Emperor—no money was worth more than life.
"Manhe, you go out first. I'll talk to her." I sighed. I had wanted to help the little girl, but now I had to take care of this matter.
"If you're talking to who?" Manhe was stunned.
"To the ghost." I said calmly.
"You're crazy. Talking to a ghost? What's there to talk about? Are you feverish or something?" Manhe said, reaching out to touch my forehead.
At this moment, the little girl was moving toward Bai Tingting again, clearly attempting to possess her and kill her.
I had no time to explain to Manhe. I pushed him out of the room and locked the door from inside.
Outside came the sounds of pounding on the door and shouting—Manhe's voice, Bai Dewei's, and his wife's.
I ignored them and said to the little girl, "Child, let's talk."
The little girl, who had already reached the bed, suddenly turned her head sharply and glanced at me. Her terrifying face twisted into an even more hideous grimace.
She suddenly lunged at me, and the hatred radiating from her intensified.
Though the little girl's grudge was heavy, compared to the fierce spirit that had possessed Ruifang, she was much weaker. I didn't use any magical tools, worried that hurting her soul would be cruel since she was a victim.
I directly formed a Daoist seal and drew a talisman in the air. The little girl's body was instantly blocked.
The little girl looked furious, her face even more distorted. She kept shouting, but she couldn't move. The talisman had imprisoned her.
I glanced at Bai Tingting, who was slumped on the bed, and said, "Speak. What happened?"
Bai Tingting blinked. The little girl wasn't young in mind either—she blinked twice. I sneered inwardly—Bai Tingting clearly didn't want to tell the truth. I warned her, "You'd better tell the truth. If you lie, no one will save you today."
Bai Tingting shivered from my words, her voice trembling as she said, "Her name is Mei Mei. She was my classmate. We lived in the same dorm."
I nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
"She transferred to our school a month ago. I was jealous because she was pretty and smart. At first, the girls in our dorm bullied her."
"Later, we even beat her, and didn't let her tell the teachers or her parents. I warned her—our family's rich, and if she told anyone, we'd beat her even worse."
"Three days ago, we beat her again and said many mean things. She jumped off the building." Bai Tingting spoke while sneaking glances at me and at Mei Mei. At first, Mei Mei kept making terrible noises, trying hard to break the talisman's hold. But as Bai Tingting spoke, Mei Mei gradually quieted, tears of blood streaming from her eyes.
I sighed, "Bai, do you realize your mistake?"
"I know, I know," Bai Tingting cried.
"Since you know, how do you plan to make amends?" I asked.
Bai Tingting stared blankly, unsure how to answer.
I looked at Mei Mei. "Mei Mei, what do you want? Whatever conditions you set, I'll agree. Even if you want to kill her, I won't stop you."
"But if you kill someone, you won't be able to reincarnate—you'll become a lost soul, gradually turning into a murderous ghost." I said bluntly. This wasn't nonsense—most evil ghosts in the world became so because they killed someone and couldn't reincarnate. Once a ghost kills, their nature changes. Even those kind in life become vicious spirits with no distinction between good or evil.
It was clear Mei Mei was a kind and honest child before death. I really didn't want her to turn into a malevolent spirit. If she became a harmful ghost, even if I rejected her, someone else would definitely take her in.
Mei Mei listened and completely calmed down. Her once hideous face now showed hesitation and worry.
After a while, Mei Mei said, "I can spare her, but I want fairness. I want the whole school to know it was her who caused my death."
"That's not a problem," I said. "She deserves it."
Mei Mei continued, "Also, my parents—I'm their only daughter. With me gone, they'll be lonely for the rest of their lives." At this, Mei Mei began to sob.
I felt sad too. Mei Mei was such a thoughtful child—it was truly a pity for her to die like this.
I thought for a moment and said, "I'll make the Bai family pay your parents a large sum of money. I can also help you reincarnate near your parents, so you can still look after them."
Mei Mei was stunned. "You really can help me reincarnate and return to my parents?"
I smiled, "Of course."
Mei Mei glanced at Bai Tingting and added, "Also, she mustn't continue to harm others."
I nodded, "Those who harm others should be punished. Though young, she still must face consequences. Let her go to a remote nunnery to fast and chant Buddha's name until she repents. How does that sound?"
Mei Mei gratefully nodded.
"Do you agree to what I said?" I looked at Bai Tingting, who nodded repeatedly, "I agree. I agree."
Of course, Bai Tingting thought staying alive was the best option compared to losing her life. Besides, Mei Mei had already terrified her enough.
I nodded and opened the door.
Bai Dewei and his wife rushed in. Seeing their daughter safe and sitting on the bed, they immediately hugged her.
"Tingting, are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Manhe also rushed in, scrutinizing me. "Taiping, you can't do stupid things like this anymore. That was so dangerous. If anything had happened to you, how would I explain to the Fifth Master?"
I coughed and said I was fine.
I looked at Bai Dewei. "I've already taken care of everything for you."
Bai Dewei looked at me. After hearing from those who dragged Master Mo out about what happened, he came before me and knelt down with a thud. "Master, thank you for saving my daughter. I will reward you handsomely."
I waved my hand. "Money is easy, but this isn't over yet."
"Please have everyone else leave. I need to speak privately with you two." I glanced at the people gathered at the doorway.