The Lu family estate was infamous as the most haunted house in the region.
Before Li Chengcai's forces arrived in this county, nothing unusual had happened.
But now, strange deaths and disappearances were occurring one after another.
It was almost certain that someone—or something—was stirring up trouble.
Li Chengcai did not lead his men into the Lu residence.
Entering a haunted place without proper preparation was no different from walking into one's own grave.
They had guns, yes—but without spiritual blessing or consecration, there was no guarantee their weapons could harm ghosts.
The fact that this mansion stood untouched, with no locals daring to approach, said enough.
The ghost inside was powerful.
Li Chengcai suspected that someone might be trying to lure them in. He scanned the faces of the townspeople—finding spies from the imperial court here would hardly be surprising.
"Alright, let's head back for now," he said, waving his hand for his men to withdraw.
"Sir, are you just going to ignore this?"
"My husband was drained to a husk by that female ghost! You must bring us justice!"
"Yes, please!"
The crowd's voices rose in anger and desperation. Li Chengcai frowned. "Enough. Don't play these games with me. Whether that ghost is responsible or not, I'll find out."
"The ghost has been here for ages already!" someone shouted.
"And what if more people die?" another asked.
"People die every minute of every day. If someone dies here…" Li Chengcai shrugged. "Then I suppose it's just bad luck."
He felt no particular fear of death.
In his world, death was no mystery. Serious criminals were executed and sent directly to Hell to serve their sentences—better than wasting food and space among the living.
"So this is how your Man Sui Empire treats common folk?" someone accused.
"That's right," Li Chengcai replied bluntly.
Dealing with these ancient-era peasants had reminded him—get enough people together, and they easily turned from ignorant to insolent.
Being too lenient with them didn't work either.
A bunch of troublemakers.
Ratatatat! Gunfire cracked through the air.
"I'll say it one last time—go home, now."
His voice carried a sharp authority. The crowd fell silent and dispersed.
Once everyone had gone, Li Chengcai glanced at the tightly shut gates of the Lu estate.
The recent string of murders—those inhuman acts—probably weren't committed by the ghost.
But he couldn't rule out the possibility entirely.
The local monks and Taoists had already tried dealing with it, yet the ghost remained.
Clearly, the locals were unreliable.
He would need to seek help elsewhere.
Just then, a message arrived from one of his comrades.
Two Chosen Ones from Mars had entered the county!
Chosen Ones from Mars!
Li Chengcai's eyes lit up. Chosen Ones were Chosen Ones, no matter which world they hailed from.
They could handle this.
He ran toward their location.
Soon, he spotted two girls—one with golden hair, the other with white.
Chosen Ones were easy to recognize at a glance: flawless features, delicate skin, extraordinary attire, and an almost divine cleanliness that made them seem untouched by the world—down to their spotless shoes.
Li Chengcai quickly approached them. "Greetings! Miss Songque, Miss Thelema Nutriscu—I'm Li Chengcai."
"You know who I am?" Songque asked curiously, glancing around. She had come to this world just to take a look—to understand it firsthand.
"Of course," he said respectfully.
"So, what brings you to me?"
"Well, it's like this…"
Li Chengcai quickly explained the situation.
"Is the ghost pretty?" Songque asked with genuine curiosity.
"I don't know," he replied. "But I doubt she's anywhere near as beautiful as either of you."
"Heh, you're going to make me blush," Songque chuckled.
"Enough chatter," Thelema Nutriscu said, lightly tapping Songque's head. "Let's go see what this Lu family ghost is about."
With that, she grabbed Songque's hand and started toward the haunted estate.
Li Chengcai watched their retreating figures, hesitated, then decided not to follow—no need to be a third wheel or get in their way.
Li Chengcai understood the relationship between Songque and Thelema Nutriscu all too well—it was a common enough occurrence among their kind.
...
At the Lu family estate.
Songque stood before the gate, easily sensing the presence of Yin energy, ghostly aura, and other forms of spectral power.
The entire mansion was shrouded in black mist.
"Thelema, should we just go in directly?" Songque asked.
She wasn't afraid of ghosts—she simply disliked the ugly ones, especially those so grotesque they induced a visceral disgust just from sight alone.
"With me here, there's nothing to fear," Thelema said calmly, striding toward the mansion gates and kicking them open in one smooth motion.
A fierce gust of icy wind rushed out to meet them.
Ignoring it completely, she continued walking forward.
"Don't say things like that…" Songque muttered, quickly following her inside.
The moment they stepped into the Lu estate, the temperature dropped by at least ten degrees.
As Thelema walked, she scanned her surroundings—and caught a glimpse of a flickering red silhouette vanishing into the shadows.
The ghostly woman hiding in the darkness was startled.
The intruders were unaffected by her illusion magic—ghost-blindness had no effect on them.
These two were dangerous.
Realizing this, she hesitated.
Thelema sensed the ghost's attempt to hide and said flatly, "If you don't come out, I'll blow up your house."
She raised her hand, and a crimson sphere of energy began forming in her palm.
The ghost wavered in fear. These two girls looked even less human than she did.
If they were hostile, showing herself might be suicide.
But that red energy radiated a terrifying power—if she didn't intervene now, her entire dwelling could be obliterated.
"Please, wait!" she cried out.
A female ghost appeared, clad in a crimson wedding dress—her beauty striking and sorrowful, a haunting figure of elegance amid the gloom.