After She Thought I Was the Mistress

My name is Wendy Lincoln, and I am a soul escort. 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!"