From the shadows at the end of the street, something finally began to emerge.
But it wasn't the bloated corpse or water-logged abomination they'd imagined—
it was a woman.
A woman who looked completely hollowed out.
The moment Lu Zizhen saw her, her expression hardened.
The woman wore a pale beige overcoat, hair hanging in drenched ropes, bare feet
slapping softly against the pavement.
And from the open folds of her coat… it was obvious she wore nothing underneath.
Normally, you'd think: druggie, streaker, lunatic.
But right now?
No—this was no ordinary half-naked maniac.
This was a full-blown evil spirit.
Is something possessing her? Or… is that her true form?
Truth be told, the "monsters" back in Huaxia were a different breed—many had long
since blended quietly into human society.
But Japan?
Japan was a paradise for ghosts.
Here, the laws of purification and reincarnation felt broken.
Thanks to their "everything has a spirit" mindset, even teapots and umbrellas could
develop souls.
Yōkai, grudges, and phantoms ran wild.
Around Tokyo alone, Touta and Zizhen could visit any so-called "haunted spot" and hit
the jackpot—
every one crawling with restless dead.
But none of them had ever seen one quite like this.
The woman's pallid feet touched the concrete—
and wherever she stepped, water pooled beneath her.
Puddles rippled outward from her footprints, spreading like ink stains.
She walked slowly, head bowed, breathing through her nose in soft, shuddering sniffs—
as if sniffing something out.
Her movement was erratic, her balance broken, body swaying as though moments from
collapse.
Wet hair veiled her face completely, only the faint ridge of a nose visible through the
strands.
Each time that curtain parted, flashes of white skin showed through—
glimpses of something both human and horribly wrong.
Zizhen muttered under her breath, "Your brother doesn't have some kind of 'attracts
female ghosts' constitution, does he? Because I really don't feel like competing with
dead women."
"But… you don't even like him like that," Kaion whispered, hugging her arm.
Zizhen clicked her tongue. "Details. Anyway, don't panic. Let's test what she is first."
She rummaged through her grocery bag, pulled something out—
and Kaion's soul almost left her body.
Zizhen held a chunk of pork bone, still greasy from the butcher's counter.
She gripped it barehanded, licking her lips as she took aim.
That's a ghost, not a stray dog! Kaion's mind screamed. What kind of Taoist priest
throws bones at monsters?!
"Wait—Lu-jie, please don't—!"
Too late.
"Hee-yo~!"
…Hee-yo your head!!!
The bone spun through the air, end over end.
Not a talisman.
Not a blessed sword.
Not even an incantation.
Just a half-off pork knuckle.
Thunk.
It smacked the ghost woman squarely on the skull.
Both Zizhen and Kaion winced in perfect sync.
That sounded painful.
The ghost froze.
Then, slowly, she lifted her head—and sniffed.
She crouched down, pressing her hands to the pavement.
Her coat gaped open, baring everything beneath.
Two pale mounds swayed faintly in the shadows.
"Damn. Nice figure," Zizhen blurted in Chinese.
Kaion didn't catch every word, but she definitely recognized that tone.
Touta said it sometimes, and it never meant anything wholesome.
She's complimenting the ghost?!
On all fours, the woman-creature crawled toward the fallen bone with unsettling grace.
She sniffed again, nostrils flaring—
then a long, crimson tongue slid from under her hair, snaking into the cracked marrow
and stirring greedily.
Not satisfied, she pressed her face to it, sucking with a wet, hungry sound.
Slurp. Slurp.
Zizhen swallowed hard.
"Gotta admit, she's got skill. I'm getting turned on just watching this."
Kaion's expression became the human embodiment of an old man on the subway
catching someone watching questionable content beside him.
This woman… is supposed to be a Taoist priest?!
She had officially given up on understanding.
Zizhen stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"Likes blood, controls corpses… probably a drowned ghost. Maybe a mizu-onna type."
"Lu-jie!" Kaion hissed. "Could you stop analyzing and maybe, I don't know, do
something?! Maybe call one of my brother's Sugar Bean clones—"
"Relax." Zizhen raised a hand, silencing her. "Big sis has this. Watch and learn."
She set the bone gently on the ground, then reached behind her back.
Her fingers closed around something—
a hilt.
A sword hilt.
Kaion gasped.
A real Taoist sword! Maybe lightning-struck wood! Maybe peachwood blessed by a
monk!
How had she even hidden something that long behind her back?!
Zizhen exhaled slowly, gripping it with warrior-like focus.
Her stance was perfect—balanced, composed, deadly serious.
Then she drew.
Metal slid free with a clean sound—
except… there was no blade.
Kaion blinked.
Just the handle.
No sword.
No edge.
Nothing.
Wait—could it be… a lightsaber?
Her heart skipped. Maybe modern Taoists used high-tech gear now!
Zizhen did have the fashion sense for it!
Eyes wide, Kaion watched, breath held.
Zizhen began to chant under her breath, then whipped her arm forward.
With a loud shnk! something extended from the hilt, gleaming under the streetlight.
For one glorious second, Kaion thought—LIGHTSABER!!
But no.
Segment by segment, a cheap telescoping metal rod unfolded, each joint clicking into
place.
It wasn't glowing—it was just shiny stainless steel.
Kaion froze.
She'd seen that exact thing before—
the old man at the Chinese restaurant who practiced tai chi every morning in the park
had one.
It was a retractable tai-chi sword.
The kind sold in tourist shops for twenty bucks.
Her brain crashed.
This… this is too absurd!!
Zizhen took one deliberate step forward, eyes sharp, and shouted dramatically,
"HAAAH!!"
She swung.
The cheap extendable blade whistled through the air toward the ghost.
Behind her, Kaion stood motionless, face drained, soul halfway out of her body.
She's… she's a Super Absurd Taoist!!
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