Chapter Forty-Nine: Disguised as a Woman

Wei Qi pondered for a moment before finally speaking, “Sister Yun, I told you last time that this house can’t be lived in anymore. You should sell it.”

Shang Xiaoyun’s face was full of fear. “Even if I sell it, I need some time! Besides, who would buy a house where a ghost comes and goes every day? If someone unknowingly buys it, wouldn’t I be harming them?” She was a woman with a kind heart.

“Sister Yun, you go out every night and return very late. What are you busy with?” I asked, not out of any desire to pry into her private affairs, but simply to find out where the ghost started following her—whether it lived in her house, shadowed her, or intercepted her halfway.

“I have a jewelry shop near the People’s Square. Although I have staff to take care of things, I often go over to check. I usually come home after closing. Honestly, I don’t have much to do at home. The parking lot is over there; I always park my car there.” Shang Xiaoyun pointed to the right side of the flower bed.

Wei Qi sat with focused eyes, habitually smacking his lips. “Dachuan, what should we do?”

“What else can we do? Since Yufang hasn’t given us any news, let’s just catch this ghost.” Even if Yufang had sent word, we would still help Wei Qi catch this ghost today. Wei Qi liked Shang Xiaoyun, so this had to be done.

Wei Qi nodded. “Alright, let’s arrange things today and catch this ghost.” I understood his feelings—he was willing to do anything for Shang Xiaoyun, just as I would do anything for Wang Ying.

Since it was daytime and there wouldn’t be any ghosts, I decided to go for a walk, mainly out of consideration for Wei Qi. The intention was clear: to give the two of them some time alone, to help them along as any gentleman would. Wei Qi had always treated me well, so I had to find ways to help him.

Just as I stepped out, I received a call from Yufang. She said there was a cold storage behind the county hospital, serving as a morgue, filled with unclaimed bodies. She asked if I had time to check out the place so it would be easier to carry a few corpses tonight.

I was bored and idle, so I said I had time. Before long, Yufang arrived in her car to pick me up. She had changed into casual clothes, looking elegant yet spirited—a true beauty.

We drove to the county hospital but did not go inside; instead, we went to the back. Behind the hospital was a grove of pine trees, where many graves were scattered. Perhaps these graves were the reason the area hadn’t been developed—otherwise, it would have been built up and sold long ago.

Entering the grove, I saw a not-too-high wall, and Yufang pointed to a concrete building inside. “That’s the morgue, full of bodies, all unclaimed. If you carry one out, the hospital might even thank you quietly.”

I laughed and said one wouldn’t be enough. Yufang asked what I needed so many corpses for, so I told her the whole story. Since she was helping me, I couldn’t hide anything from her.

After hearing me out, Yufang stared with wide eyes. “Big Brother Wang, you—you’re saying you fell in love with a female ghost?”

I blushed deeply and nodded. “Yes, I made a mistake, and my second uncle married that female ghost to me.” As I spoke, my heart felt a little sour. Although I never thought anything would happen between Yufang and me, now that I’d told her everything about Wang Ying and myself, it seemed certain nothing would ever happen between us.

“Big Brother Wang, you’re quite unique. I trust your choice—wish you happiness.” Yufang gave a mischievous smile, then added, “At first, I didn’t believe in ghosts, but now I do… thanks to you.”

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I was speechless at the rambling things she said; I couldn’t quite grasp her meaning. After chatting a while and surveying the area to find points of entry and exit, we headed back.

When we parted, Yufang asked if I needed help, offering to join me in sneaking corpses out. Having one more person meant more strength, and since she was a police officer, it might even work out better if we were caught. But I couldn’t let her join us—not with all that heavy yin energy from the corpses. I refused, asking her instead to help me investigate the relationship between my second uncle and my mother.

Mentioning them, Yufang told me about recent happenings in Anzhuang Town: several incidents had occurred, three spirit-walkers had died, and four or five others had been frightened to varying degrees. Her words startled me—thinking of Zhao Dongsheng, I realized something serious was about to happen.

What could it be? Was someone targeting spirit-walkers? Who? And why?

My biggest worry was for my second uncle and my mother. Given that they left together, perhaps the outcome wouldn’t be too bad. If there was an accident, my mother should be safe—she never got involved in spirit-walking, except for tending the fire for us. At this moment, I almost hoped they had eloped for love.

Yufang reminded me and Wei Qi to be careful, then left.

Heavy-hearted, I returned to Shang Xiaoyun’s house and found the two of them chatting over tea. I quietly pulled Wei Qi aside and told him what had happened back home. Wei Qi nodded, “The world’s about to get chaotic. Someone’s targeting spirit-walkers. Let’s hope it’s a ghost and not a human.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re spirit-walkers, especially me—I have the right to catch evil ghosts. But people? I have no way to deal with them.” His words sounded strange, but on reflection, they made sense. In this world, when people become fierce, they’re more frightening than ghosts.

I nodded in agreement and asked what we should do next. Wei Qi said the first thing was to catch the ghost following Shang Xiaoyun.

As he spoke, Wei Qi exchanged a glance with Shang Xiaoyun, who grinned mischievously. “Dachuan, upstairs.”

“Why upstairs?” I had no idea what he was up to.

“You’ll know when you get up there. Come on!” Shang Xiaoyun was bold, tugging on my sleeve and pulling me up to the second floor. Luckily Wei Qi was present—otherwise, with Shang Xiaoyun’s ways, I’d have been nervous.

“Come on, I won’t sell you,” Shang Xiaoyun called from the front, while Wei Qi pushed from behind. The three of us hustled our way upstairs, straight into Shang Xiaoyun’s bedroom. The room was exquisite, suffused with a sweet feminine scent. No wonder Wei Qi was captivated by her—seeing a woman in such an environment was indeed a special experience.

Shang Xiaoyun pressed me down in front of the vanity. “Little brother, today I’ll put some makeup on you!”

“Why makeup?” What were these two planning? How were they going to mess with me?

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“To scare you! What else? We’re luring the snake out of its hole!” Wei Qi said, arms folded, grinning.

Luring the snake, luring what snake and from what hole?

“Ever heard of cross-dressing? We’ll use you to lure the ghost out. Your Sister Yun is scared!” Wei Qi joked.

I forced a smile. “Uncle Qi, you’re really treating your own brother like a stranger—making me cross-dress to lure out a ghost. Why don’t you do it yourself?” Truthfully, even if Wei Qi tried, with his build he’d look like a pregnant woman.

“What’s wrong? Not willing? Help your uncle out, will you?” Wei Qi said with a sheepish, teasing grin.

“Enough, I’m helping Sister Yun, not you. Hey, what’s your relationship, anyway?” I joked with Shang Xiaoyun as she started applying foundation to my face.

Shang Xiaoyun pouted. “Dachuan, you’ve been corrupted by Wei Qi.”

And so, the three of us laughed and joked as Shang Xiaoyun worked on my makeup. I had to admit, she had skill—soon my face was soft and rosy, full of spring-like charm. She pulled out a wig and fitted it on me. From the neck up, even my mother would think she’d raised the wrong child.

In short, I looked nothing like myself. I looked entirely like a woman.

After finishing, Shang Xiaoyun took a light purple dress from the rack. “Little brother, try this on.” She handed me the dress and left the room.

Looking at the silky dress, I felt frustrated. For Uncle Qi’s happiness, I was sacrificing too much! It felt a bit perverse.

“Behave yourself. This isn’t just for Sister Yun—it’s for your Uncle Qi, got it? You need to do this cleanly, and Uncle Qi will cook for you every day,” Wei Qi boasted, delighted.

Resigned, I stripped down to my underwear and slipped into Shang Xiaoyun’s dress. Surprisingly, it didn’t feel bad—just a bit tight.

Shang Xiaoyun came in and stared at me, stunned. “Dachuan, you’d be wasted not being a woman. Something’s still missing… Oh, I remember!” She pulled a black bra from the wardrobe and handed it to me.