After She Thought I Was the Mistress
My daily work is to escort wandering souls and wild ghosts from the human world one by one into the underworld.
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival task was somewhat unusual.
Yale Shawn, the wealthiest man, had someone seek me out, asking me to capture a century-old evil ghost that had plagued their family for thirty years.
I wore a dark blue robe as I stepped into the Rear Residence of the Shawn Family Manor. Yale Shawn was waiting at the gate, clutching a jade pendant.
His face was pale, and upon seeing the ghost hooking rope in my hand, his Adam's apple rolled involuntarily.
"Ms. Lincoln," his voice tightened, his fingertips cold, "this ghost first caused trouble thirty years ago, when over a hundred people in our family died in a single night."
It was later subdued by a wandering exorcist, Master Cloud, but last Mid-Autumn Festival, this evil ghost broke free from its seal again.
"My parents died just last year," Yale's eyes reddened as he pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket, on which dried blood characters were written, "It left a message demanding ninety-nine pairs of Child Male and Female as an offering this year, or it will wash the Shawn family in blood."
I took the blood-stained paper; the moment my fingertips touched it, a chilling ghost power crept up through the gaps between my fingers.
The ghost power in the Rear Residence was indeed strong; even the air felt several degrees cooler than in the front yard.
Before coming, I checked the Register of Life and Death. This evil ghost was responsible for nearly a hundred deaths and has been on the underworld's wanted list for thirty years.
I pulled out a stack of Yellow Talismans from the cloth bag I carried and handed them to Yale Shawn.
"Stay inside your room tonight. No matter what noises you hear, do not come out, and do not open the door."
Yale Shawn quickly nodded, then took out a string of the Five Divine Coins from his pocket, the edges of the copper coins faintly glowing with golden light.
"These are the Five Divine Coins you requested. I had to visit three auction houses to collect them."
I took the Five Divine Coins, pinching them between my fingers to confirm they were genuine, before saying, "Leave at once, and warn everyone at home: no one is to set foot in the Rear Residence tonight."
Yale Shawn responded with a hurried "Okay," then hurriedly left, his very posture betraying his panic.
I crouched in the center of the courtyard, drawing a Talisman Formation on the bluestone slab with a cinnabar brush.
Cinnabar is specially supplied by the underworld; the talisman patterns drawn with it emit a faint red glow within the ghost power.
The Incense Altar was placed right beside the Talisman Formation. I lit three sticks of incense and inserted them.
The smoke rose gently, intertwining with the red glow of the Talisman Formation to form a faint barrier.
Then, I took out the underworld access token from the cloth pouch — a palm-sized piece of black wood engraved with the underworld's runes.
This evil ghost is too fierce; I may not be able to subdue it alone. I will need to call upon the underworld employee for assistance.
When all preparations were complete, the iron gate in the backyard suddenly burst open with a loud bang.
I furrowed my brow and looked up to see a group of impeccably dressed women standing at the door. The one at the front wore a champagne-colored evening gown, her makeup so refined it appeared she was attending a formal banquet.
"Who gave you permission to come in?"I stood up, my voice growing colder. "Leave immediately."
The Ghost Gate was about to open; the evil ghost could already be lurking nearby. Entering now would be a death sentence.
The woman leading them glanced at me, her eyes filled with contempt.
"Who are you? What right do you have to give orders in Yale Shawn's home?"
A gust of wind swept by, and I caught sight of the three incense sticks on the Incense Altar suddenly extinguishing.
The black smoke curling from the cigarette butt spiraled, drifting straight toward the courtyard wall, as if guiding something.
A chill sank into my heart—the evil ghost had already arrived.
"If you do not want to die, leave now."I took a step forward, my tone carrying a hint of inexorable severity.
Yet the group of women did not move back; instead, they leaned in closer.
A curly-haired young woman beside the woman at the front suddenly pointed at me and shouted, "Do you know who my Mary Scott is? She is Mr. Shawn's fiancee, Mary Scott!"
"The future mistress of the Shawn Family Manor—do you really think someone dressed so strangely as you has the right to drive me away?"
Mary Scott scrutinized me from head to toe, her gaze finally resting on the Five Divine Coins on my wrist.
"Where did you get that string of Five Divine Coins on your wrist?"
Just as I was about to explain, Mary suddenly rushed forward and seized my wrist so tightly that her nails nearly dug into my flesh.
"I've seen this string of coins before! Last month, Yale Shawn bought them at the Auction House, and he even said he wanted to give them to me as a birthday gift!"
She abruptly released my wrist, stepped back, and sneered coldly, "No wonder he hasn't contacted me for half a month—he's been bewitched by you!"
"You knew he had a fiancee, yet you still dared to interfere. Have you no shame?"
No sooner had she spoken than her palm came slapping across my face.
Unprepared, I felt a sharp sting spread across my cheek, and my lip split.
I clenched my fists, suppressing the anger within, and pushed her away forcefully.
"Stop spouting nonsense. Mr. Shawn and I have only a business relationship."
"This is your final warning—leave at once or bear the consequences."
Mary Scott staggered back a couple of steps, her expression darkening further.
"A partnership? Who are you trying to fool? Someone like you, what sort of genuine cooperation could you possibly have with Yale Shawn?"
"Could it be a relationship that must remain hidden?"
She pointed again at my Five Divine Coins, raising her voice slightly: "Before, when he argued with me, he would snap his jewelry to appease me. But this time, he just snapped something and gave it to you!"
"Do you dare say you didn't deliberately sow discord between me and him? Just trying to take the chance to become the Shawn family's young mistress?"
I was utterly speechless—I, a supernatural being who has lived for centuries, would really stoop to competing with mortals over a man?
"These Five Divine Coins are Magic Implements I require for my work, not mere jewelry."
The evil ghost will arrive in an hour. If you don't leave now, someone will truly die.
Mary, however, thought I was threatening her and laughed with even greater disdain.
"A mistress dares to threaten me? You must think very highly of yourself."
She turned to the followers behind her and said, "Teach her a proper lesson. Let her know who truly stands by Yale Shawn's side."
A girl in a red dress immediately rushed forward and kicked the Incense Altar.
The porcelain incense altar shattered on the ground with a clatter, the three incense sticks broke into several pieces, and the underworld access token rolled to Mary's feet.
My expression instantly turned cold as I shoved the girl away.
"Are you looking for death?"
I bent down to pick up the underworld access token, but as soon as my hand touched the black wood, a sharp pain shot through it.
Looking up, Mary Scott was pressing her high heel down on my fingers, her face full of arrogance.
"Ah!" I couldn't help but cry out, feeling as if the bones in my fingertips were about to shatter.
Another girl suddenly yanked my hair, pressing my head toward the ground.
"You little b*tch, still dare to be arrogant? Seducing someone else's fiance and acting like you're in the right?"
Another slap struck my face, this time harder than before, and my vision briefly went dark.
I struggled to rise but was kicked hard in the waist and fell heavily to the ground.
Mary Scott crouched and jabbed my back with the tip of her high heel.
"Do you realize your mistake now?" She smiled triumphantly, "Kneel down and kowtow, shout 'I am a filthy b*tch' ten times, then swear never to approach Yale Shawn again, and I will spare you."
My head was pressed against the cold bluestone floor, my mouth filled with a metallic, earthy taste.
"I am not the Mistress," I said through gritted teeth, "I am here to help Mr. Shawn capture the evil ghost. If you don't leave now, all of you will die."
Mary Scott seemed to hear a joke and sneered, "An evil ghost? Do you think I would believe you just because you made up a ghost story?"
"I think you have a guilty conscience, which is why you say such things!"
The curly-haired girl suddenly grabbed the ghost hooking rope from my waist and toyed with it in her hand.
"Is this thing a prop? You wouldn't be role-playing with Yale Shawn, would you?"
"But this prop feels quite real; it has a nice texture."
I trembled all over with anxiety: "Don't touch it! That is a Magic Implement from the underworld; if a living person touches it, the ghost power will enter the body, bringing countless ailments!"
The girl, however, slapped me across the face and glared at me: "You still dare to curse me? I touched it, so what?"
Speaking thus, she threw the ghost hooking rope onto the ground and pressed it under her high heels.
With a crack, the chain of the ghost hooking rope snapped into two pieces.
"What an unlucky thing. Just throw it away."She casually tossed the broken ghost hooking rope into a nearby trash bin.
I glared at the destroyed ghost hooking rope, my vision darkening with anger—that was a magical implement I had used for decades, and without it, my ghost-capturing ability would be reduced by half.
Mary Scott picked up the underworld access token from the ground, weighing it in her hand.
"Is this broken piece of wood so important to you?"She raised an eyebrow at me, her eyes filled with provocation. "Want to take it back? Then kneel and beg me."
"Knock your head three times; maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll return it to you."
I fixed my gaze on her, my nails digging into my palm.
"I am the soul escort of the underworld; your rites are not worthy of me."
Mary Scott was unconcerned and had someone bring over a brazier, placing the underworld access token beside it.
"A gift from a wretched woman—how could I refuse?"She lit the paper in the brazier with a lighter. "Will you kneel or not? If you don't, I will burn this worthless wooden token."
The paper in the brazier quickly caught fire, the flames licking the edges of the underworld access token.
A chill ran through me—if the underworld access token was destroyed, we would have no way to summon the underworld employee for help. By then, it would be impossible to capture the evil ghost; all of us would die here.
There was no other way; I could only endure the humiliation and slowly kneel down.
Mary Scott's attendant immediately pressed my head down, forcing me to kowtow three times, causing my forehead to bleed.
"I beg you, please return the underworld access token to me."My voice trembled as humiliation and anger churned within me.
Mary Scott handed over the underworld access token. Just as I reached out to take it, she suddenly withdrew her hand.
With a thud, the underworld access token fell into the fire basin, and the black wood was instantly consumed by flames.
"Ah, sorry, my hand slipped."She smiled with an innocent face, but her eyes were full of malice.
At that moment, I completely lost my mind.
I suddenly stood up and lunged at Mary Scott, gripping her neck tightly.
"If you want to die, I will grant your wish! I am sending you to the underworld right now!"
Mary Scott's face quickly turned purple, and her followers reacted instantly, rushing forward to pull me away.
Someone grabbed my hair, someone kicked my waist, and they forcefully tore me apart.
Mary Scott clutched her neck and coughed; once she recovered, she kicked me in the stomach.
"You lunatic! You want to kill me? I will never let you go!"
She suddenly glanced at the curly-haired girl, her eyes brightening: "Haven't you been doing live broadcasts all along? Here's a chance for you to go viral."
The curly-haired girl immediately became alert: "Mary, what kind of opportunity?"
Mary Scott pointed at me, her voice filled with malice: "Start a live broadcast, and say we're catching The Mistress."
The curly-haired girl swiftly took out her phone, began the live broadcast, and aimed the camera at me.
"Hello everyone! Today, at my best friend Mary Scott's fiance's house, we've caught a mistress who is tearing apart someone else's relationship!"
She leaned close to the camera, lowering her voice: "This Mistress is truly wicked; she charmed Mr. Shawn and still dares to bully Mary. Today, we shall mete out justice!"
"I'm going to strip her," she said with a flattering smile, "so everyone can see what this Mistress really looks like!"
The bullet screen was filled with indecent insults:
"This kind of Mistress deserves to be beaten to death!"
"My family was ruined by a Mistress too; strip her clothes off so she will have no face to show anyone!"
"Hit her harder! Don't hold back!"
The curly-haired girl laughed until her eyes nearly closed, grabbing my hair and turning my face toward the camera.
"Everyone watch closely; this is the Mistress who seduced Mr. Shawn!"
As she spoke, she slapped me across the face with such force that I nearly fainted.
I was held down by three people, completely unable to move.
"I am not the Mistress!" I shouted desperately. "I am here to capture the evil ghost. Don't be deceived by her!"
But no one believed me, and the curses in the bullet screen grew even fiercer.
My face quickly swelled, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, my hair pulled into a tangled mess.
"Now strip her!" Mary Scott shouted from the side. "Let everyone see just how shameless she really is!"
Someone reached out, tugging at my robe, and the buttons "patak patak" fell to the ground.
At that moment, a cold wind suddenly swept through the courtyard, and the lantern inside flickered out with a "zzz".
Everyone shivered.
"Why has it suddenly become so cold?"Someone whispered quietly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a vague figure clinging to Mary Scott's back—long hair flowing, dressed in red, floating midair.
At the same time, the bullet screen suddenly changed, all displaying the same message:
"There is someone behind you!"
"There is a woman in red behind Mary Scott!"
"It's a ghost! Run quickly!"
Mary Scott leaned in to look at her phone and read aloud the Bullet Screen message: "Is there someone behind you?"
But the next moment, the Bullet Screen began scrolling again: "Not a person! A ghost! On your back!"
"That ghost's eyes are bleeding!"
Mary Scott's smile froze on her face. She instinctively touched her back, her complexion instantly paling.
"Don't speak nonsense!" she forced calm. "It's late at night, stop making such jokes!"
She turned to her follower: "What are you standing there for? Keep pulling at her clothes!"
But those followers kept retreating, their eyes filled with terror as they stared at Mary Scott's back.
"Mary... there really is something on your back..." a girl's voice trembled, "It's a Female Ghost in red..."
"Don't scare yourselves!" Mary Scott's voice also trembled, but she still insisted, "Where would a ghost come from?"
At that moment, a cold, sharp voice echoed, as if coming from all directions: "Are you... the offerings from the Shawn family?"
"But there are too few people... Ninety-nine pairs of child males and females—still far from enough."
As soon as that sound came, everyone screamed and turned to run toward the door.
But before anyone reached the doorway, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the iron gate slammed shut with a loud bang, locking itself.
Mary Scott hugged her arms, her teeth chattering: "Why... why has it suddenly become so cold..."
She looked at her followers: "Why are you running? We haven't finished teaching this Mistress a lesson yet!"
But no one paid her any attention. The girls huddled by the door, sobbing and gasping for breath: "Mary, there really is a ghost on your back! Don't come near!"
Mary Scott finally panicked. She reached out to touch her back; her fingertips brushed against something icy cold, as if she had touched a block of ice.
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