"Since you could kill her directly, why bother fulfilling her wish?"
After quietening down for barely a moment, Lu Yaosheng could no longer contain his curiosity and asked in a low voice. Or perhaps it was simply too quiet here, and he desperately needed the sound of voices to confirm his companion's presence.
"A compliant power is always easier to absorb than a rebellious one, and a wish is the most effective way to tame it." Hanging the bead—transformed from the plastic surgery ghost—above the aisle, Xiang Wanxin re-concealed the Life-Devouring Formation inside the bus.
Lu Yaosheng nodded, looking as though he half-understood, then asked doubtfully, "Then why not call it a petitioner?"
*Is he a walking question box?*
Giving Lu Yaosheng a slightly speechless glance for still managing to stay curious at a time like this, Xiang Wanxin said expressionlessly, "Both refer to things left unfinished or hard to accomplish. I just think 'petitioner' sounds unappealing—got a problem with that?"
"...Ah."
It was an unexpected reason, yet somehow perfectly reasonable coming from Xiang Wanxin.
Scratching his head, Lu Yaosheng wisely shut his mouth.
Not long after, the Ghost Bus stopped once more.
The passengers boarding this time were a mother and daughter. As soon as they stepped on, their attention was caught by the bead suspended in mid-air.
Being ghosts themselves, they instantly sensed what it was.
Their footsteps suddenly ground to a halt. To the left sat a living person with a bizarre smile; to the right was the driver playing dead; and this aisle right here was the legendary Gates of Hell. The Ghost Mother felt as though she could see the King of Hell beckoning to her from the end of the aisle.
"Darling, Mommy suddenly doesn't feel very well. Let's go back home and head out next time instead." With that, the Ghost Mother tugged at her daughter and turned to get off the bus.
Unfortunately, she was no match for the driver's quick eyes and swift hands; closing the doors and pulling away happened in one smooth motion.
In an instant, their eyes met. Xiang Wanxin looked at the Ghost Mother, while Lu Yaosheng looked at the ghost daughter.
"Hello," Xiang Wanxin offered with a friendly smile.
The Ghost Mother was practically in tears. "I am *not* doing well."
She knew all about that plastic surgery ghost. Relying on her strength to throw her weight around this district, unable to attain beauty herself, she was obsessed with preying on handsome men and beauties. Females would get off lightly having their skin peeled and tendons pulled, or worst of all, have their very souls torn apart and swallowed into her belly; males were violated first and then killed, all to vent the hatred of being despised by everyone in life.
Although the Special Investigation Bureau, alongside various families, had constantly been purging wandering souls and malicious ghosts, their numbers were massive. Aside from the weaker ones who got caught, plenty of big fish were still roaming free.
The plastic surgery ghost was one of them.
She had escaped the clutches of Celestial Masters several times, fleeing all the way to City C to rule as a local tyrant.
The Ghost Mother had originally planned to sneak in and pick up scraps after the plastic surgery ghost had eaten her fill, never expecting to end up in this damned predicament where advance and retreat were both cut off.
"My lord, ever since I became a ghost, I have behaved myself and never done a single wicked deed. I beg your lordship to see the truth!"
The Ghost Mother dropped to her knees so fast that, in the blink of an eye, Lu Yaosheng hadn't even registered it.
Such a spineless ghost shattered his inherent perception of spirits, and even the gloom weighing on his heart was largely driven away.
As the saying goes, rivers and mountains are easy to change, but a nature is hard to alter. When Xiang Wanxin remained silent for a long time, Lu Yaosheng cast a tentative glance at her. Seeing that she showed no intention of stopping him, his urge to meddle overcame his fear, and he instantly grew interested.
Putting on a solemn air, he gave a deliberate fake cough to draw the Ghost Mother's attention to himself. "You turn into a ghost through an obsession, yet you claim you've never harmed anyone? Having been a ghost for so long, you haven't even tried working on your obsession?"
"This..." Frightened, she glanced fearfully at Xiang Wanxin before lowering her eyes. "To not keep it from your lordship, my obsession is my daughter, Xiao Qingqing."
Can a ghost's obsession still be another ghost?
Venturing into a blind spot of his knowledge, Lu Yaosheng—who knew very little about such matters—decided to seek help from Xiang Wanxin, and unsurprisingly received a look of utter contempt.
*I was just afraid of ruining the boss's image by blurting out nonsense,* he muttered inwardly, before obediently shutting his mouth with a wronged expression.