The Fake Heiress's Guide to Self-Rescue - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: A Disgraceful Specter

When Jiang Jing followed the housekeeper to Jiang Qianqian’s room, Jiang Qianqian was lying on the bed, vigorously rubbing a rabbit doll. Its once fluffy fur was now messy, and its ears drooped, making it look a bit pathetic.

Jiang Jing knocked on Jiang Qianqian’s door and received a disgruntled “Come in.” She opened the door, and when Jiang Qianqian saw who it was, she immediately pulled a long face. “Get out!”

“Shh, don’t be in such a hurry to kick me out.” Jiang Jing closed the door behind her and tried to lower her voice. “Have you felt, um, that your body hasn’t been feeling well recently?” She tried to bring up Jiang Qianqian’s condition as tactfully as possible.

Jiang Qianqian was about to call for someone when she saw Jiang Jing lock the door, but then she heard her words, and her expression changed slightly. “How did you know?” A hint of panic flashed in her eyes. Lately, her sleep quality had been terrible, and she couldn’t eat anything. She had become visibly haggard in just a few days. Even more terrifying, she had started having frequent nightmares. When she walked around the room, she would catch glimpses of blurry dark figures out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned her head, there was nothing there.

“Do you often have trouble sleeping, feel mentally disoriented, feel like you’re seeing strange things, or not feel hungry even after not eating for a long time?” Jiang Jing listed a few simple, obvious symptoms she could think of.

Could this person have secretly installed a camera in my room? How could her symptoms be exactly the same as mine? Jiang Qianqian’s expression immediately became serious. She unconsciously pinched her fingertips and acknowledged that the symptoms Jiang Jing mentioned were accurate.

“Have you come into contact with anything strange recently, or have you been to places with many deceased people, like a hospital or a cemetery?” Jiang Jing chose her words carefully, afraid of scaring Jiang Qianqian.

Jiang Qianqian shook her head. She hadn’t been sick for a long time, and her parents had strictly forbidden her from entering places like cemeteries.

None of the above? Jiang Jing let out an awkward laugh, her heart pounding. Could this ghost have just randomly seen someone on the street and followed them? It would be strange for a ghost to have no grudges.

“Although it might be presumptuous, could I take your pulse?” Jiang Jing still wanted to confirm if there was really a ghost, so she persisted and tried to grab Jiang Qianqian’s hand.

Smack. Her hand was slapped away before it could even touch Jiang Qianqian’s wrist. Jiang Qianqian looked at her with a hint of anger. “Are we close? You just randomly came into my room, said these strange things, and now you’re touching me. I think you should be the one to go see a psychiatrist.”

Jiang Jing looked at her slightly red hand, momentarily speechless. Back at the temple, when her master’s wife discovered that a devotee was being haunted, she would tell them frankly. Which devotee wasn’t terrified and respectfully asked her master’s wife for a solution? It was a problem that could be solved with a single talisman, so why was she getting hit now? Thinking of this, she irritably ruffled her hair.

“Young ladies, Madam wants you to come downstairs for dinner.” The housekeeper’s knock on the door broke the tense silence in the room, reminding Jiang Jing and Jiang Qianqian to mind the time.

Jiang Qianqian replied with an “okay,” stood up, and walked towards the door. As she opened the door and prepared to leave, she turned and saw Jiang Jing still standing there in a daze. She couldn’t help but frown and said irritably, “Seriously, do I have to invite you to dinner too?”

Jiang Jing looked up at her, her gaze lingering on Jiang Qianqian’s face. Jiang Qianqian touched her own face curiously. Was there something on her face?

Suddenly, Jiang Jing quickly walked to the door and grabbed Jiang Qianqian’s hand, which was on the doorknob.

?!

Jiang Qianqian was so startled that she didn’t dare to move. She could only close the door and curse at her in a low voice. “What are you doing?”

This touch… the radial pulse is closed and weak. She must be frightened. Jiang Jing didn’t dare to touch Jiang Qianqian’s palm again, afraid of getting hit. Instead, she lied without changing her expression. “I saw a mosquito on your hand and helped you shoo it away. You’re welcome.”

Who said thank you?! Jiang Qianqian’s forehead was filled with black lines. She was so angry that her eyelids twitched, and her head, which hadn’t slept well for days, started to ache even more.

“Alright, if you’re done, come downstairs quickly. They’re waiting for us to eat.” Jiang Qianqian urged Jiang Jing to hurry up in an impatient tone. Jiang Jing unhurriedly followed Jiang Qianqian downstairs. Jiang Yuying, seeing the two girls come down together, thought they had made up and immediately told them to sit next to her.

“Qingqing, what do you usually like to eat? Mom just told the housekeeper to make some random dishes today. I don’t know if you’ll like them. Tell me if there’s anything you want to eat.” Jiang Yuying smiled and served Jiang Jing a bowl of soup. Jiang Jing looked at the large table of delicacies and couldn’t help but sigh that humility was truly a traditional Chinese virtue.

The family sat together, eating happily, except for Jiang Qianqian, who kept her head down and didn’t say a word as she looked at the rice in her bowl.

“Qingqing, what are your hobbies? You and Qianqian are about the same age, so you should have some common interests.” Seeing that Jiang Qianqian was in a bad mood, Jiang Yuying found another topic, hoping that Jiang Qianqian would join the conversation.

“I like to study supernatural things and watch horror movies.” Should going out with my master’s wife to catch ghosts count as an immersive horror movie? Jiang Jing thought with some hesitation. She really didn’t have many hobbies. Besides cultivating and doing her schoolwork, she spent the rest of her time sleeping.

The others at the table looked up at Jiang Jing when they heard this, with a hint of surprise in their eyes. “Really? What a coincidence. My little sister also likes these ghost stories. When she was a kid, she always made me watch zombie movies with her. She would scream her head off from being scared, but she would still ask me to watch with her the next time.” Jiang Zhiyu teased Jiang Qianqian, who was eating with her head down.

Oh? Jiang Jing turned her head to look at the person beside her with some curiosity. She didn’t expect Jiang Qianqian to also be interested in these things. This way, it should be easier for her to accept it when I tell her she’s being followed by a ghost, Jiang Jing thought as she rubbed her chin, considering how to tell Jiang Qianqian without scaring her.

“What are you looking at? I also like to sing and play the piano. Do you like those too?” Jiang Qianqian felt the gaze from above her head. She looked up and glared at Jiang Jing viciously.

What an unlucky coincidence. Jiang Qianqian angrily finished her last bite of food, said she was done, and went upstairs. “This child… she’s been a bit headstrong since she was little. Maybe she’ll feel better in a couple of days.” Jiang Yuying put her hand on Jiang Jing’s head and stroked it, hoping that Jiang Jing wouldn’t be too sad.

Jiang Jing also finished her meal quickly. After greeting Jiang Kai and Jiang Yuying, she returned to her room.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang didn’t pursue much interaction with Jiang Jing. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry for their adopted daughter to accept them and become a part of the family like normal adoptive parents. However, Jiang Jing always felt that whenever they looked at her, their eyes held a strange feeling. It wasn’t the look of adoptive parents looking at their child, but more like a patient looking at a doctor.

“You said, why did Madam and Sir adopt her?”

Late at night, after everyone had returned to their rooms to rest, Jiang Jing felt a little thirsty and came out of her room to get some water. As a cultivator, her hearing was excellent. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she heard hushed conversations coming from the kitchen. She held her breath and slowed her steps. At the same time, she paid attention to the movements in the rooms on the second floor, in case someone suddenly came out and found her eavesdropping, which would be hard to explain.

“I don’t understand it either. The young lady just had a serious illness a while ago, and just a few days after she recovered, they adopted a girl the same age as her.” Another voice, with a hint of dissatisfaction, was heard, accompanied by the clattering of bowls and dishes in the kitchen.

“Shh—be quieter. What if Madam hears you…” The conversation stopped abruptly. All that was left was the occasional sound of porcelain clattering and the running water washing the dishes.

Jiang Qianqian had a serious illness a few days ago? Jiang Jing stood in the shadows, recalling the scene in Jiang Qianqian’s room during the day. Although the girl’s glabella had a hint of death qi, it was clearly because she was possessed by a ghost. There was hardly a trace of illness on her body. Could they have adopted me to bring her good luck?

Jiang Jing pondered. In ancient times, a sick young master would marry a wife with a compatible birth date to bring good luck and ward off illness. But the problem was that the original owner, Jiang Qing, was an orphan. An orphan’s birth date would definitely be inaccurate, so how could it bring good luck?

As she was deep in thought, she heard a startled cry from Jiang Qianqian’s room. The sound was very faint but sharp, like the meow of a kitten, and it only reached Jiang Jing’s ears. No one else seemed to have heard it.

It’s a nightmare! Jiang Jing remembered that Jiang Qianqian was still possessed by a ghost. The yin energy was heavy at night, and now was the time when it was most likely to act up. By the time she reached Jiang Qianqian’s door, she could vaguely hear crying inside, with phrases like “Go away!” and “Who are you?” Jiang Jing gently turned the doorknob, relieved that Jiang Qianqian didn’t have a habit of locking her door at night.

She tiptoed into Jiang Qianqian’s room and locked the door behind her to prevent Jiang Qianqian from running out in a panic if the ghost acted up. Jiang Qianqian was lying on the bed with her eyes tightly shut, muttering something. Even close up, it was difficult to hear. Jiang Jing’s cool hand rested on her forehead. After brushing her hair away, she discovered that Jiang Qianqian’s forehead was covered in cold sweat.

She used her qi to seal a few of Jiang Qianqian’s acupoints to prevent qi from flowing backward and causing her to become a fool when she woke up. Jiang Jing took a deep breath and softly called out Jiang Qianqian’s name.

At this moment, Jiang Qianqian was being chased by a ghost in her dream. The ghost was wearing a school uniform, but its head was a烂泥, a muddy mess, making its face unrecognizable. The ghost quickly caught up to her, and its bloody, blurry hands left several bloody handprints on her arm. A terrifying voice came from behind her. “Why are you running? Stay and play with me, heh heh heh—”

The large hands reached for Jiang Qianqian’s face. Just as they were about to grab her, Jiang Qianqian screamed. “No—”

She screamed and woke up from the bed, only to crash into a pair of deep eyes. Those eyes were calmly looking at her. In their pitch-black pupils, she saw her own trembling reflection. She saw her hair was disheveled, and cold sweat made her bangs stick to her face, making her look extremely pathetic. A hand gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, and its owner was staring at her without blinking. The atmosphere became a bit strange. Jiang Qianqian clutched the blanket that had slid down and tried to lean back, but she was firmly held in place.

“Tell me,” the person across from her finally spoke, in an undeniable tone, “what did you do?”

The strong hand was tightly wrapped around her side. Jiang Qianqian felt like a fish that had been caught and pulled to shore. She couldn’t escape or run away.

“Five days ago, my roommate and I played Ouija board.” Jiang Qianqian spoke, only to realize her voice was hoarse. Her voice was raspy, filled with the fear of not being able to sleep all night, as she recounted the events that had happened three days ago.