The Hellborn Heiress​ - Chapter 18

Anyway, in her memory, Bo Hanzhou was not good with words, nor did he like to joke. He always wore a cold expression.

Although Bo Hanzhou was only a year older than her, she had always been afraid of him since childhood.

Just now, he actually took the initiative to come over and talk to her, and was so approachable.

Song Ran even suspected he might have been possessed by a ghost, the change was so drastic.

“Little Master, by the way, I still don’t know your name.”

“Jiang Ci.”

“Jiang Ci? That’s a nice name. Wait! You’re Jiang Ci?!”

Song Ran’s expression became a bit intriguing: “Are you the Jiang Ci from the Jiang Family, Jiang Wan’s family?”

Jiang Ci smiled, “You know me?”

“Not personally, but I’ve heard my dad mention you. He said the one who donated a kidney to Second Grandpa was a girl named Jiang Ci.” Song Ran looked at her with admiration, “Little Master, you’re so kind-hearted!”

Jiang Ci gave a faint smile, “I’m not so kind as to donate a kidney to someone who’s already half in the grave.”

The girl and the ghost chatted as they walked.

Bo Hanzhou stood where he was, watching Jiang Ci’s receding figure, and gently shook his head: “Her condition is quite serious. The sooner she gets treatment, the sooner she’ll recover.”

Scenes from the day he saw Jiang Ci in the Jiang Family’s back garden flashed through his mind.

Back then, she was bold and meticulous, her methods sharp. She looked clever and astute.

But seeing her today, talking to herself all alone, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of pity for her.

…

Western Suburbs.

Jiang Ci took a car with Song Ran and the Headless Ghost to Grandma Hao’s Incense and Candle Shop.

Hao You, for the sake of money, readily rented her a room.

When Grandma Hao saw the Headless Ghost crawl out from under the car, she was so frightened that she dove into the Paper Offerings house with a yelp, poking her head out of the tiny window to ask, “What is that thing?”

Song Ran, still shaken, said, “Grandma, he’s brought here by Little Master. Don’t be afraid, he won’t bite for now.”

Yes, he didn’t even have a head-what would he use to bite?

Grandma Hao crawled out of the Paper Offerings house, cautiously observed, and only relaxed after confirming the Headless Ghost posed no threat.

“This poor child died so tragically. Where’s his head?”

With Jiang Ci present, the Headless Ghost didn’t dare make a sound, squatting weakly in the corner like a pitiful little thing.

Seeing his tattered clothes, Grandma Hao turned around and found a big floral cotton jacket in red and green for him to put on.

“Even though we’re all dead, ghosts can still feel cold. This was burned for me by my eldest grandson. Try it on, it should fit.”

Grandma Hao didn’t even spare the long johns-she put them on the Headless Ghost as well.

The Headless Ghost, dressed in the colorful cotton jacket, squatted weakly and helplessly in the corner.

“Xiao Ran, you can stay here for the next couple of days. When you’ve thought things through, let me know,” Jiang Ci said.

Song Ran was a bit curious, “I thought you’d force me to go back.”

Jiang Ci smiled calmly, “Everyone has their own fate. I won’t take away your freedom to choose. Whether you want to continue being a ghost, repeating the process of suicide, or return to your body and pull yourself together, it’s your own choice.”

Song Ran was stunned, “Repeating the process of suicide?”

“If a person’s destined lifespan is eighty-nine, but she kills herself at nineteen, then for the seventy years after death, she’ll relive the pain of suicide every day until her lifespan is exhausted. And that’s not all-suicides go to Hell for severe punishment, and the chance of reincarnation is slim.”

“So, the real suffering isn’t when you’re alive, but the endless despair and inescapable pain after death.”

Jiang Ci said, “I’ve seen many suicides. Not one of them didn’t regret it.”
Song Ran did not understand: “Life is exhausting. Can’t a person even decide their own life and death?”

“Everyone comes into this world carrying karmic debts from past lives. If you end your life before repaying those debts, you will naturally be punished.”

“The sin of suicide is the same as that of murder. Life is a mixture of suffering and joy. You may think you’ve reached the most difficult and desperate moment, but that is often when things are about to turn for the better.”

Jiang Ci’s expression was solemn: “As a judge of souls, all I can tell you is: it’s better to live miserably than to die easily. What if you rebound after hitting rock bottom?”

“Master Jiang, thank you for explaining so much to me. I’ll take these two days to really think things through.”

Song Ran obediently sat to the side to contemplate life.

Jiang Ci glanced at the Headless Ghost in the corner and asked, “Speak, what do you want from Bo Hanzhou? Are you trying to possess him?”

The Headless Ghost wanted to shake its head anxiously, but without a head, it could only shake its body.

“Can’t you talk?”

A hoarse, eerie voice came from the Headless Ghost’s belly: “That man has a very pleasant scent…”

Jiang Ci mused, “He does seem to have a physique that attracts spirits, but is that enough for you to want to strangle him?”

The Headless Ghost shook its body again. “Not to strangle him… He just smells so good, I want to cling to him.”

Jiang Ci: “…”

Song Ran: “…”

Grandma Hao: “…”

“You dare to cling to the living now?” Grandma Hao was a bit angry. “We ghosts shouldn’t bother the living. Not only did you bother him, you even wanted to cling to him. You’re a bad child!”

Grandma Hao looked indignant, almost regretting having given her beloved thick cotton coat to him.

The Headless Ghost shrank into the corner, not daring to speak.

Jiang Ci’s eyes turned. “Wait, if you don’t have any murderous intent toward Bo Hanzhou, then his impending calamity within three days must be…”

It seemed the blood calamity had nothing to do with the Headless Ghost, but with some other spirit.

She had already warned Bo Hanzhou more than once.

That was as much as she could do.

If he didn’t listen, it was his own fate.

Jiang Ci turned her gaze back to the Headless Ghost.

The clothes the Headless Ghost wore were very old, looking like a style from decades ago.

“Is your unfulfilled wish to find your head?” she asked.

The Headless Ghost nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Forgot…”

“Then what do you remember?”

“Looking for my head…”

“…”

This was a bit tricky.

Very few people forget their memories after death, unless they suffered great trauma before dying.

The Headless Ghost’s head was clearly cut off.

There was resentment, but not enough to become a vengeful spirit.

He was somewhere between a resentful ghost and a malicious ghost.

“Then take your time. When you remember something useful, tell me. I can help you pass on,” Jiang Ci said.

Song Ran, curious as a child, asked, “Can’t he pass on now?”

“His obsession is too strong, so he can’t. Plus, without finding his head, even if he reincarnates, he’ll be incomplete in the next life.”

Jiang Ci looked at the room full of ghosts, then patted her growling stomach and got up to find something to eat.

As soon as she opened the door, a flash of red hair rushed in.

Jiang Ci nimbly dodged.

Hao You fell flat on his face, then pretended nothing happened and said, “Why are you muttering to yourself in the room? I only charged you for one person’s rent, you know. If you’re hiding someone, that’s extra!”