Chapter 003: The Skinning Ghost

When are you leaving? I asked tentatively

"Do you know what I was like in my past life?" I asked her in surprise

I knew that continuing to look would lead to trouble, but how could a young man in the prime of his youth resist such allure? I found myself, rather shamefully, gazing at her. Her exquisite figure made my face flush and my heart race; I swallowed hard, feeling an undeniable arousal. However, tragically, just a few seconds later, my once-spirited companion wilted completely. I saw that as she closed her eyes, her snow-white skin gradually faded away, revealing her brownish-red flesh beneath. Even in the light, I could see the veins on her body, along with variously sized blue veins!

I said to her: "You should rest early. I don't know if you ghosts need to sleep, but I am about to fall asleep. I'm going back to sleep now." With that, I turned and returned to my room. In truth, I couldn't sleep at all; I just wanted to stay with her a little longer. I estimated that I was not far from the brink of insanity.

No, it can't be... Xiaolian, who exactly harmed us in our past lives? Look at me, I've already been reincarnated; let all grievances go with it. I stammered as I tried to console Xiaolian. Although I am currently living a hard life in this remote valley, I am not crazy enough to believe her ghost stories and join her in seeking revenge.

Upon hearing this, I felt a sense of dread as if I were hanging myself. If this continues, with a female ghost residing in the house for years, it would lead to a bloodbath, killing a large dog every ten days or so. My goodness, how can one live like this

She suddenly burst into a cold, piercing laugh, a sound so jarring that it made my scalp tingle. She said, "I'll let you see my secret, and then you'll understand everything." As she spoke, she began to remove her clothes, piece by piece.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Lian shook her head and said, "Auntie, my foot injury hasn't healed yet, and I fear I won't be able to walk. If it is not too much trouble for you, I would like to stay at your home for a while to recover before I leave"

I thought to myself, if I believe your nonsense, then I must be out of my mind. I asked her, "What has my big black dog done to you that you want to harm it?"

Looking at Xiao Lian's current quiet and lovely appearance, I can hardly believe that the fierce ghost who just brutally killed "Da Hei" with her bare hands is actually her. The words she spoke left me utterly bewildered, and I kept reminding myself in my heart that this is an illusion, that everything is an illusion, and that she is merely putting on a show in front of me.

She saw that I did not come over, sighed, and said: "I can tell you, my name is Xiao Lian, I am not a person, I am a ghost"

I came specifically to find you, but rest assured, I would never harm you.

Since I encountered her at the edge of the cornfield at noon, my nerves have been on high alert. At this moment, being confronted with this horrifying scene before me is truly unbearable; I cannot withstand such a visual shock. I rolled my eyes and fell backward, collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.

I exclaimed "Oh my!" and jumped up from the kang, ready to leap down and escape as far as possible; it was truly terrifying

I do not know how long it has been, but when I slowly regained consciousness, I found myself lying on the kang, my head resting on a pillow. The female ghost without skin, who called herself Xiao Lian, had now regained her delicate and beautiful appearance. She had already put on her clothes and was sitting beside me, looking at me.

So what exactly do you want to do when you come to my house? I can clearly feel that my voice is trembling as I speak

Regarding the death of "Da Hei," my mother felt quite heartbroken. The conditions in the mountain village are harsh, and "Da Hei" was purchased for over 300 yuan from the family.

I nearly lost my temper after hearing that, as they actually mistook my beloved black dog for a shower gel

Xiao Lian seemed to notice that I did not quite believe what she was saying, so she did not say anything further. She released my hand and helped me straighten out my disheveled clothes, saying: "Discussing this with you now, you won't be able to accept it for a while, but you will understand everything in the future"

"Four Dogzi, come quickly and take a look, what is going on!" My mother called out to me as she saw me come out

Seeing me in this state, she wanted to laugh but held it back, letting out a light sigh and saying: "I never expected you to be so timid in this lifetime; you were not like this in your previous life."

I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a blessing or a curse; if it was a curse, there was no escaping it, so I followed her into the house.

Xiao Lian chuckled softly, her laughter blooming like flowers, her pure appearance adding a touch of allure. "Every half month, I must undergo a bloodbath; otherwise, I will remain in a state of being skinless. Therefore, I have no choice but to sacrifice your dog"

I kept my eyes wide open until dawn, feeling as if a year had passed. In the morning, my mother got up very early. As soon as she stepped outside, I heard her let out a piercing scream. I hurried out to see what was happening, and my mother was standing in front of the corpse of "Big Black," staring blankly at the gruesome sight of "Big Black."

However, no matter how one puts it, humans and ghosts are on different paths. Even if my relationship with her in my past life may have been quite ambiguous, we are now living in two separate worlds. I truly do not know what to do now

"What do you want, Sister Ghost? I'm a timid person, I beg you, please don't scare me." I'm really about to break down now; I can't run away, her grip is surprisingly strong, and I can't break free no matter what.

Looking at her face again, it was just like her body; there was no skin left!

My mother asked me to bury "Big Black," saying that this dog has been guarding our home for two or three years, and we cannot sell it for meat. With tears in my eyes, I dug a hole under a plum tree in the yard and buried "Big Black."

She nodded slightly, gazing at me with a pair of clear, dark eyes, and said: "In your past life, you were willing to sacrifice your life to save me. It is a pity that both of our fates are too tragic."

As soon as I heard this, I quickly signaled to my mother, meaning to strongly advise her not to agree. However, my kind and simple mother did not pay attention to me and smiled, saying: "Sure, stay as long as you like, but I worry that our living conditions are not good, and you might not be used to it."

I thought to myself that I bought a watch last year; if I were not afraid of this, then I would be just like you, a ghost as well

Could it be that there is such a painful experience? I now feel not only fear towards the female ghost named Xiao Lian before me, but also a sense of sympathy. If what she says is true, that both she and I were so tragically harmed by others in our past lives, then we truly share a common plight.

However, whenever I think of the gruesome scene where she killed Da Hei, I feel nauseous and want to vomit. I said, "Even if you want to take revenge, don't target Da Hei; he is just a dog."

At this point, I am at a loss. She does not want to leave, and I cannot force her to go. If I provoke her, neither my mother nor I will have a chance to survive.

"Are you saying that we knew each other in our past lives?" I steadied my mind, noticing that she seemed to have no ulterior motives towards me, and I was finally able to catch my breath.

"Mom, it seems that some beast has killed our big black dog." I didn't dare to tell my mother the truth and spoke nonsense with my eyes wide open.

I walked up to "Da Hei," feeling a deep sense of sorrow. Da Hei had accompanied me for over two years, yet met such a tragic end

Although I was mentally prepared for it, hearing her say it in person still startled me quite a bit

One hundred and twenty-seven years ago, after you died to save me, you were stripped by that treacherous Taoist named Zhou..." As Xiao Lian spoke these words, she clenched her teeth tightly, and I could faintly see tears streaming down her face

I wondered what kind of trouble this was going to cause, was she trying to seduce me? Was she going to ambush me and kill me like she did with "Big Black"? Just as I was lost in these thoughts, she had already stripped off all her clothes.

Seeing me trembling at the door, she calmly put on the clothes that were on the kang and said to me: "Don't be afraid, come and sit beside me"

"Young lady, after you finish your meal, let Si Gouzi take you out of the mountain to find your family," Mother comforted Xiao Lian

Where has your skin gone

Seeing her serious demeanor, I too became somewhat skeptical. Could it really be as she said, that my past life is deeply connected to hers?

At this moment, Xiao Lian also got up, surprisingly acting as if nothing had happened, chatting and laughing with her mother, and went into the kitchen to help her prepare meals. I was puzzled; how could a female ghost dare to move around both day and night? Wasn't it said that ghosts and monsters do not dare to appear during the day? Could it be that she has already cultivated to a certain level?

At that moment, the female ghost named Xiao Lian reached out and grabbed my wrist, saying: "You can't leave tonight..."

"Hehe, no way, Auntie, thank you so much." Little Lian's pretty face smiled radiantly, yet to me, it appeared so ominously gloomy

Xiao Lian nodded slightly, turning her head to gaze out the window, lost in thought. "You have forgotten everything since your reincarnation, but I still remember it all. In any case, I will not let go of anyone who has harmed us!" After she finished speaking, her pair of clear, watery eyes suddenly turned sharp and fierce, making my heart race with fear.

Xiao Lian was taken aback, looking at me with a puzzled expression, and said: "I finally found you with great difficulty, how could I leave? I plan to stay here permanently."