The image of the ghost inside the red bridal gown flashed through Cheng Ziyang's mind, especially the moment she'd burst into rage. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
"I'll go get the wedding dress and embroidered shoes right now!" he promised.
He took two steps toward the exit, then backed up nervously.
"Master Song, could you come with me? You don't have to carry anything, just keep an eye out for me. I can't see ghosts, so I'm a bit freaked out!"
Song Miaozhu agreed.
Cheng Ziyang quickly informed the staff, then led her down a side route with the key in hand. They followed a manual passage that led straight to the sealed room where the red wedding dress and embroidered shoes were kept.
"The passage is a bit tight, Master Song. Please bear with it!" Cheng Ziyang said before crawling inside.
Song Miaozhu stared at the dog-hole-like tunnel and regretted agreeing so quickly.
"Master! Master! Are you coming in?" Cheng Ziyang's voice echoed from inside.
"Coming!" Song Miaozhu crawled in.
Fortunately, this was the closest entrance. The tunnel, originally designed as a hidden route for costumed NPCs to make ghostly appearances, led directly to their destination.
"Ah! You lecher! How dare you crawl out from under my skirt!" A shrill, terrified scream rang out, as if right beside their ears.
Cheng Ziyang, however, remained oblivious. "Master Song, hurry up! I didn't notice before, but the temperature in this chamber feels really off now! Can you check if there's actually a ghost here?"
He then clasped his hands together in apology toward the wedding dress. "Forgive my intrusion, forgive my intrusion. I truly didn't know this dress came from a tomb. I'll have it respectfully removed right away!"
"Lecher! Don't touch my dress!"
"Waaah! My virtue is ruined! I might as well die again!"
"Forgive me, forgive me! Once Master Song comes out, I'll make it up to you!"
"Waaah!"
...
The voices of the man and the ghost poured into the narrow tunnel, reverberating loudly and giving Song Miaozhu a headache. She quickly crawled forward and emerged—just in time to see a layer of red fabric brushing above her head.
She realized, belatedly, that the tunnel exit was inside the coffin where the red wedding dress had been placed.
Song Miaozhu: "..."
"No wonder the female ghost was so upset!"
"Master Song! You're finally out!" Cheng Ziyang exhaled in relief, then asked eagerly, "Master, is it a female ghost? Is she possessing the dress right now? Did she accept my apology?"
Song Miaozhu glanced at the ghostly figure within the dress, who was still weeping in humiliation. "Yes, it's a female ghost, but she hasn't accepted your apology. Step back a bit—don't stand so close. She's a rather conservative ghost from ancient times."
When Song Miaozhu had crawled out from under the skirt, the ghost hadn't said anything. But the moment Cheng Ziyang touched the dress, she nearly broke down, calling him a "lecher" and lamenting her ruined virtue.
"Huh?" Cheng Ziyang immediately took several steps back.
Only then did Song Miaozhu speak. "Stop crying. Your ghost energy is turning into resentment and leaking out."
"Waaah, my virtue is ruined. I might as well die," the female ghost sobbed, covering her face.
"You're already dead. Dying again would mean dispersing your soul," Song Miaozhu said.
"You're the one who'll disperse! Rude villain! Lecher! Thief! Bandit—" The ghost suddenly paused and looked up in shock. "You… you can hear me?"
"Not only can I hear you, but I can also see that this wedding dress is merely a connection point between your spiritual platform and the mortal world—like a tombstone. You're not even wearing it right now, so there's no need to act so dramatic, is there?" Song Miaozhu said.
"This was the dress I died in! Every stitch was sewn by my own hands! It was my favorite dress, and even as a ghost, I've always worn it. It's a part of me now! Touching it is no different from touching me!" the ghost huffed angrily.
"What's your name? I'll take the dress out and burn it for you later. That way, no one in the mortal world can touch it again," Song Miaozhu said.
For the first time, she saw some merit in modern cremation—at least the deceased's remains and belongings wouldn't end up being disrespected by others.
"Really? And my embroidered shoes too?" The ghost nearly leaped out of her yin residence in excitement.
"Don't come out! It's still daytime," Song Miaozhu warned. "Yes, both the dress and shoes will be burned for you."
"Thank you. My name is Zhu Fangling—'Zhu' as in Zhu Yingtai, and 'Fangling' from the phrase 'How radiant is the fragrant grass.' I died on the tenth day of the seventh month during the late Guangxu era."
"Then I'll take the dress and shoes now," Song Miaozhu said.
"Okay! Okay!" Zhu Fangling agreed happily.
Cheng Ziyang, who had been itching with curiosity, immediately stepped forward to help. "Master Song! How's it going?"
"Ah! Master, Master, tell him not to touch my dress!"
The moment Cheng Ziyang approached, Zhu Fangling shrieked again.
"Boss Cheng, this is an ancient female ghost!" Song Miaozhu stressed again. "Just stand back and watch. Don't touch her dress."
"Alright, alright! I won't touch it!" Cheng Ziyang was dying of curiosity. "So what's the story? Master, isn't there some way for us mortals to see ghosts temporarily?"
"Even if there were, I wouldn't know it," Song Miaozhu said.
Most methods that worked in the previous era of cultivation were useless now.
"Fine," Cheng Ziyang sighed. Since he couldn't see the ghost himself, he could only satisfy his curiosity by asking questions. "Since she was buried in a wedding dress, does she have some tragic backstory? Or maybe she was wronged?"
Zhu Fangling grew even angrier, her voice dripping with disdain. "I died on my wedding night when bandits slaughtered my husband's family! I wasn't some poor girl tricked into a ghost marriage who then hanged herself! Hanged ghosts are ugly—don't slander me like that!"
Song Miaozhu glanced at the noose swaying near the air vent and the embroidered shoes placed on a stool—clearly hinting at suicide by hanging. Now she understood why Zhu Fangling was so furious her resentment was leaking out.
If someone spread rumors that she had hanged herself, she'd be furious too.
Song Miaozhu "kindly" relayed Zhu Fangling's words to Cheng Ziyang. Now, seeing the setup of the sealed room, he was just embarrassed.
"Uh, Master Song... maybe we should just hurry and take Miss Zhu's belongings out of here."
Being despised by a ghost for his haunted house theme—what kind of situation was this?
Song Miaozhu gathered the red wedding dress and embroidered shoes, stuffed them into a black plastic bag, and crawled back out the way they came.
"Let's burn them at my shop," she said.
Her papercraft store still had a brazier left behind by her parents.
Since the first floor was currently empty, burning a dress and a pair of shoes wouldn't be a problem.
"Master Song, say no more. I owe you one," Cheng Ziyang said sincerely.
Song Miaozhu was truly reliable—when there was trouble, she stepped up without hesitation!