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墨書 Inktalez
My Tenant is a Female Ghost
The rain fell softly, a chilly autumn drizzle that filled the air with the fresh scent of damp earth. The Tang family's courtyard appeared somewhat empty, with Tang Baifu seated in a grand armchair, resting quietly. His butler, with his ever-unchanging poker face, stood respectfully behind him.
"What on earth is going on?"
"Master Tang, I swear it’s all true! You must believe me!" Zhou Liang knelt trembling at Tang Baifu's feet, cautiously glancing up at him, his body shaking with fear.
"I just can't understand it. Why would you give away such a good daughter-in-law?"
"This... this..." Zhou Liang hesitated, only to hear Tang Baifu calmly say, "Cut off his right finger."
Zhou Liang's heart raced as he cried out for mercy, but the butler remained indifferent. He kicked Zhou Liang down and stepped on his right hand. Zhou Liang struggled, writhing in discomfort, while the butler swiftly drew a military knife with deep blood grooves from his waist. With a flick of the blade, a flash of cold light appeared, and Zhou Liang let out a horrific scream as his right finger was severed from his hand.
"Ahhh—" Zhou Liang covered the bloody stump of his finger, wailing in agony. Tang Baifu remained unmoved by Zhou Liang's cries and said, "This man is old; his body can’t take it anymore. Go fetch some clothes."
"Yes!"
Moments later, the butler returned with a shirt and draped it over Tang Baifu's shoulders.
"A-Lin, I didn’t expect your knife skills to remain so sharp after all these years."
"Master, I'm not what I used to be."
"Haha, I don’t think so. Though you’ve lost some strength, you’ve gained finesse."
"Thank you for your praise, Master."
Tang Baifu chuckled for a moment, tightening his shirt, and said to Zhou Liang, "Zhou Liang, here's the deal: you answer my questions without hesitation, or I'll chop off a finger. If that's not enough, I'll go for a toe. Don't worry; I'll make sure you're satisfied. Oh, by the way, if there's still time, we can take that finger to the hospital and reattach it. Are you sure you want to think it over before answering me?"
Zhou Liang was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. Gritting his teeth, he replied, "Master Tang, I... I realize my mistake... Actually, my wife is indeed very beautiful, but the truth is... I'm not very capable in that regard. So... I thought about getting her into my grasp and then giving her to my boss. This way, I could get promoted or earn a higher salary..."
"Oh... Hehe, I didn't expect you to have such a story. I imagine you've done this kind of thing more than once?"
"Well..." Zhou Liang hesitated again but suddenly recalled Tang Baifu's ruthless nature. His expression changed immediately as he answered, "Including this time, I've done it five times already."
"Haha, you really are a bit crooked!" Tang Baifu laughed but suddenly his expression shifted as he sat up sharply and glared at Zhou Liang. "But from what I know, my sister Tang has no interest in married women!"
Zhou Liang was sweating profusely on his forehead, unsure whether it was from fear or pain. He replied, "I know Boss Tang prefers young girls. I've also checked; my ex-wife hasn't been with any other man since our divorce. Boss Tang trusts me, so I arranged for my ex-wife to have dinner with him."
"Since you divorced that woman, how could she willingly come to him?" Tang Baifu asked skeptically.
"At that time, my ex-wife and I were living together. I tricked her into thinking I had secretly taken naked photos of her while she was showering and sleeping. She’s a pure woman and naturally feared I'd expose those pictures, so she agreed. A few months ago, I even scammed her out of twenty thousand."
Tang Baifu sneered coldly. "You're quite the scumbag... And then what happened?"
"That night, I arranged for her to meet him for dinner. Tang rewarded me with a hundred thousand. I was so excited that I ran out to spend it on drinks and entertainment."
"Did she come alone?"
Zhou Liang thought for a moment and confirmed, "Yes, Master Tang. She came alone; I even personally escorted her upstairs."
Tang Baifu reclined again, rocking his chair as he asked, "Does she have any relatives? Any boyfriends or anything like that?"
"Her father has passed away. She has been living with her mother in an orphanage... I haven't heard her mention a boyfriend."
"Mm..." Tang Baifu pondered for a moment, "That aligns with what I've investigated. Has she been particularly close to anyone recently?"
You've already investigated and you're still asking me? I, Alpaca, thought to myself. If my fingers can't come back, I can't outsmart you openly, but secretly I despise you, you old fool! Damn! But even with a hundred times more courage, Zhou Liang wouldn't dare voice such thoughts; he could only keep them to himself. He replied, "Not that I know of. Every time I observe her, she's always alone..." Zhou Liang paused for a moment, deep in thought. Suddenly, the scene of that night when he called Ouyang Shirei in the restroom flashed through his mind—a familiar man had been in front of him, but he hadn't paid much attention.
Thinking carefully, it seemed he had seen that man somewhere before. Right! He had encountered him when Tang brought clients to Silver Tower; he had even dined with Ouyang Shirei! Zhou Liang immediately raised his hand, "Tang, Master Tang, I remember now! There was a guy who seemed to be getting close to her. He looked quite plain; I didn't think much of it at the time. But now that you mention it, that man was also at Silver Tower that night!"
The butler behind Tang Baifu suddenly squinted his eyes. Tang Baifu shot up from his seat, grabbing Zhou Liang by the collar and coldly demanding, "Do you know who it is?"
Zhou Liang was terrified of Tang Baifu. Seeing the expression on his face made him stutter nervously, "I... I don't really remember his name... I just recall that his last name is Bai!"
"Bai?"
"Yes, Bai! A while ago, he even had dinner with Ouyang Shirei!"
"Is he the one wearing black glasses who looks quite outdated?"
"Yes, yes! Master Tang, that's him!"
"Ge Zhongxiang's disciple—Bai Zhuo!" Tang Baifu contemplated for a moment before turning back to ask, "A-Lin, have you checked?"
"Yes, sir, I've checked." The butler named A-Lin maintained a stern expression as he replied, "Coincidentally, when the Young Master had his incident, this Bai was at the hospital. The Young Master fired nine shots that night, but the last bullet has been missing and we can't find it anywhere."
"What does the injury report from the hospital say?" Tang Baifu gripped the edge of his chair tightly, struggling to contain his anger.
"The report states that he has knife wounds."
Tang Baifu shot a glance at the butler. "Such an important lead, and you didn't go to check it yourself?"
"Sir, at that time, the police were focused entirely on Ouyang Shirei. By the time I noticed Bai Zhuo, it was already too late."
"What happened?"
"Bai Zhuo had already been discharged. Besides the Chief Surgeon, all the nurses in the hospital had vanished without a trace, just like those two security guards—it's as if they never existed!"
Tang Baifu frowned. "What about the Chief Surgeon?"
"No matter how I pressured him or offered incentives, he insisted that Bai Zhuo's injuries were from a knife."
Tang Baifu remained silent for a long moment before asking, "What about Ouyang Shirei's testimony?"
"Her five statements are identical; she said she had dinner with the Young Master and then left... Unfortunately, there isn't a single surveillance video available from the scene."
"Ah..." Tang Baifu sighed deeply and tossed out a check. "Alright, I understand. Zhou Liang, take this one million. Use it to reattach your fingers. As long as you serve the Tang family well, there will be plenty of benefits for you!"
Zhou Liang had his finger severed by Tang Baifu, yet he still forced a smile. He revealed a pale and ghastly grin, saying, "Yes! Master Tang, I will go through fire and water for you!"
Tang Baifu waved his hand, signaling Zhou Liang to leave.
Zhou Liang picked up the severed finger and the check from the ground, carefully tucking them into his pocket. With a forced smile, he dashed into the drizzling autumn rain. The cold raindrops hit his face uncomfortably. The moment Zhou Liang turned away, his expression turned cold as he ran away from the Tang Family Courtyard.
"Master, are we just letting him go like this?"
However, Tang Baifu shook his head. "Let him bounce around for a while. This one has a rebellious streak; keeping him around is a disaster. But for now, he still has his uses."
"Understood, Master. I will set off for Yun Province soon to arrange matters for you regarding prolonging life. What do you think?"
"Mm, fine. Tang Jie is weak; if he dies, then so be it. Finding the culprit isn't worth much effort either. Go ahead; I trust you to handle it."
"Yes, Master." The butler A-Lin replied, slightly bowing to Tang Baifu before stepping back, leaving Tang Baifu alone under the eaves, rocking in his armchair with closed eyes, murmuring to himself, "Hmm... Bai Zhuo... Ge Zhongxiang's old disciple? Such a headache. Tsk... Should I go see Zhongli when he returns?"
...
"Dinglingling..." The wind chime at Ge's Flower Shop chimed as a delicate female voice came from the bar counter: "Welcome to Ge's Flower Shop! May I ask if you would like to buy some flowers?"
Bai Zhuo put away his umbrella and brushed off the raindrops from his clothes. "Qiqi, it's me!"
"Ah~ Brother Bai, why did you take so long? I was about to die of boredom!" Miao Xiaoqi puffed out her cheeks and finally let out her complaints.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! The roads are slippery, and the bus is stuck in traffic. There's nothing I can do. Thank you for your hard work, Qiqi. How about I treat you to something delicious for lunch, Brother Bai?" Bai Zhuo scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Of course, he wouldn't tell Miao Xiaoqi that he had just had a fight with Su Meiniang over sleeping arrangements.
Bai Zhuo didn't understand why Su Meiniang had been so difficult lately. It was one thing for her to sleep in his bed, but she even tried to tempt him by stripping down, leaving him with nothing to see and only the frustration of being unable to indulge! For a virgin like Bai Zhuo, it was a torment! He certainly wanted to confront Su Meiniang about it, even though he always ended up on the losing side.
Miao Xiaoqi, with her gentle personality, wasn't blaming Bai Zhuo. "If Brother Bai had gotten up earlier and come with me, we wouldn't be stuck in traffic."
"Haha, I'll definitely wake up early next time. By the way, isn't Aunt Yun here today?"
Aunt Yun was Yun Chu, who helped take care of the flower shop when Elder Ge was away. Miao Xiaoqi shook her head. "She didn't come today. Brother Bai..."
Bai Zhuo put down his umbrella and played with the wind chime at the door. Hearing Miao Xiaoqi call him, he turned back and asked, "Hmm? What's wrong?"
"Brother Bai, I miss home."
Bai Zhuo stopped playing with the wind chime; it chimed softly. He walked over with a sad expression on his face. "Qiqi, just wait a little longer. Once my master returns, we'll set off together. I won't feel at ease if you go back alone." He gently patted Miao Xiaoqi's head as naturally as if he were touching Loli White Peach. "You're so well-behaved; if you leave, Brother Bai will miss you."
Feeling the warmth of Bai Zhuo's hand and hearing his words made Miao Xiaoqi blush slightly. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she replied, "I... I will miss Brother Bai too..." She felt that sounded strange and quickly added, "And Sister Yangliu and Sister Shui Lian too..."
Bai Zhuo recognized that the girl was shy; this sixteen-year-old girl was truly innocent. If it weren't for that colorful Golden Silkworm on her body, she might just be an ordinary girl experiencing her first crush while still attending school—she wouldn't have had to endure the pain of losing those sisters that night.
The girl's cheeks turned redder, and Bai Zhuo couldn't help but tease her. "Oh? I thought Qiqi would feel something special for me; turns out you're just like Yangliu and the others. What a disappointment!"
Miao Xiaoqi panicked instantly. She extended her right hand, fiddling with her fingers as she shyly explained, "No, no! Brother Bai... Brother Bai is different... Just a little bit... a tiny bit different!"
“Ha ha…” Bai Zhuo laughed as he gently patted Miao Xiaoqi's head again, “Qi is really good, I won’t tease you anymore… But Brother Bai will really miss you!”
Miao Xiaoqi smiled, narrowing her eyes sweetly in response, “Mm!”
At that moment, the door of the flower shop opened, and the autumn breeze accompanied by the tinkling of wind chimes blew in. “Excuse me, is Elder Ge here?”
Bai Zhuo looked over curiously to see a police officer dressed in a blue uniform.
“Elder Ge isn’t here. What do you need him for?”
Upon hearing this, the officer’s face fell in disappointment. “We’ve tried contacting Elder Ge by phone, but we couldn’t get through. Do you know when he’ll be back?”
Bai Zhuo shook his head and replied, “My master didn’t mention when he would return. If it’s not urgent, you can tell me what it is, and I’ll pass it on to him when he comes back.”
“Ah? Then never mind, sorry to bother you.” The officer hadn’t even put away his umbrella yet and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and set the umbrella down again. “Sir, are you Elder Ge’s disciple? What’s your surname?”
“No need for formalities; my surname is Bai. I’m Bai Zhuo, Elder Ge’s disciple. What’s the matter?”
The officer brightened up. “That’s great! Elder Ge’s disciple is also a Yin Yang Master! We have a very strange case right now; the investigation team at the station has been studying it for half a month without any leads. The chief believes there’s something sinister at play. Since the chief has a good relationship with Elder Ge, he wants to ask for his help. Since you’re his disciple, you must have learned his true teachings. Mr. Bai, please come with me; once this matter is resolved, the country will surely reward you handsomely!”
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