Inside a residential building, despite the closed doors and windows, the strong chilling wind outside couldn't be stopped. The interior's curtains were rustling in the wind, and the candles were flickering restlessly, as if they might go out at any moment.
The flickering candlelight cast the shadows of the people standing in front of the candlesticks and the drapes, creating a creepy atmosphere with the dancing candlelight against the window paper.
"Mas-Master, is the ghost here? I'm so scared…" The owner of the house was cowering at Gu Lingling's feet, already terrified by the gusts of wind and the dancing shadows.
Gu Lingling looked around the room at the various talismans posted and noticed nothing unusual. "She hasn't come yet, but we've set up a formation, so she will definitely be attracted here," she said.
Gu Lingling and her companions each held a peach wood sword, guarding the door.
As light footsteps approached, everyone became tense. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew open the closed door, revealing a refined boy standing in the doorway.
Although the boy was dressed in plain white clothes like Gu Lingling, his noble demeanor couldn't be concealed. With round chubby cheeks and big black eyes as dark as night, the boy appeared devoid of the typical innocence of a child.
The terrified look on the owner's face gradually disappeared as she looked up at Gu Lingling and asked, "I only knew about the ghost of the deceased wife, but I didn't expect there would be a ghost of a child."
Gu Lingling awkwardly laughed and quickly explained, "Sorry, this is my son. Why did you come out? Didn't I tell you to hide in the wicker basket behind the house?"
Her companions, while unable to do anything, were no longer surprised, and they relaxed their guard. One of them said, "Gu Lingling, hurry up and take him inside; otherwise, he might get hurt when the ghost arrives."
This adorable child was hard not to like, even though they had objections to Gu Lingling carrying a tagalong. Gu Lingling hurried over, squatting down and about to lift him up. "Why have you gotten so chubby again? It seems I've been feeding you too well. When we return, I'll make pumpkin noodles for you."
At the moment she lifted the boy, an odd expression briefly crossed his face. Yet amidst the eerie environment and flickering lights, no one noticed a faint blush on the boy's cheek.
When she said "pumpkin noodles," the blush vanished and turned into an ashen paleness, as if recalling an extremely unpleasant memory.
The boy was soft and emitted a subtle fragrance, tempting one to give him a kiss.
Gu Lingling was unmarried, let alone having children. So why was she carrying a boy and treating him as her own son? This has to be traced back seven days ago.
Gu Lingling wasn't actually Gu Lingling.
This sounds a bit convoluted, but the modern Gu Lingling had a sudden heart attack and, in excruciating pain, grabbed a book off the shelf just before her death. Little did she know that she would transmigrate in this way.
Gu Lingling transmigrated into a fantasy romance novel. Due to the extremely melodramatic plot and the passage of time, she didn't remember the love-hate process between the protagonists; she only knew that the male and female leads ultimately parted ways.
However, to her surprise, Gu Lingling ended up as a cannon fodder, sharing the same name and surname as her, and not even considered a supporting character. Despite being a mere cannon fodder, Gu Lingling had some recollection because of their shared name and surname.
The male lead, Luo Yunzhen, was from the Blissful Pavilion, a powerful sect among the Immortal Sects in this world.
The Blissful Pavilion and the Pure Gate had deep-seated enmity. Their former sect masters had tragically died while contending for the Radiant Light Decision, and both had injuries caused by the other's unique skills, leading both sides to believe that the other had killed their sect master, thus sowing the seeds of hate.
The Radiant Light Decision was eventually found on the body of a former Blissful Pavilion sect master, so it ended up in the possession of the Blissful Pavilion. However, the Pure Gate was unwilling to let go of this immensely powerful Radiant Light Decision without any explanation.
So, to seek revenge, the Pure Gate ordered Gu Lingling and the female lead to infiltrate the Blissful Pavilion.
Ge Lingling, with mediocre qualifications, could only make a living at the bottom of the Worry-Free Pavilion, not obtaining useful intelligence, and was discovered early by Luo Yunzhen, ending in death.
So, in order to save her life, Ge Lingling decided not to work for the Pure Gate anymore, to work at the Worry-Free Pavilion for a while, save some money, and then escape for good.
However, Ge Lingling did not expect to find a well-groomed boy at the bottom of the valley. The boy was only three or four years old but already showed signs of being a handsome young man. When the boy saw Ge Lingling, he seemed momentarily surprised, then ignored her with a cold face.
He intended to walk into the depths of the valley, even though Ge Lingling had just arrived. She had heard that the deep parts of the valley were a forbidden area filled with poisonous insects. Not to mention that even adults who went there never returned, let alone a three or four year old child.
Ge Lingling didn't care about her fear and rushed into the fog canopy to save the boy, but the boy was unappreciative and continued to act as if owed a great debt.
Worried about the boy's well-being, considering the possibility that he might be an orphan, Ge Lingling brought him back to her room and secretly raised him in her care.
No one came looking for the boy in the seven days that followed, and the boy remained silent, confirming Ge Lingling's suspicions that he was an orphan and possibly mute.
Overflowing with maternal love, Ge Lingling truly raised the boy, and in doing so, she harbored a selfish motive. When she left the Worry-Free Pavilion, at least she would have a child with her. She would have gained an extra support in this world.
However, wishes are beautiful, but reality is stark. Ge Lingling was just a low-ranking member of the Worry-Free Pavilion, and the monthly stipend was linked to the workload. Ge Lingling's meager stipend was not enough to support two people, so, being unfamiliar with this world, she had no choice but to reluctantly participate in the "removal of filth".
"Removal of filth" referred to all the operations of the Worry-Free Pavilion.
As there was no one to take care of the child, the boy had to stay with her.
Just as Ge Lingling was about to enter her room for the first time she took part in the "removal of filth", a red-clothed fierce ghost with disheveled hair appeared in the courtyard.
Ge Lingling's hair stood on end in an instant, and her body became somewhat stiff. Sensing Ge Lingling's abnormality, the boy also wanted to turn around and look, but Ge Lingling grabbed his little head and pressed his chubby face against her chest before he could react.
Even though Ge Lingling's figure was nothing to speak of, after all, she was a woman. The boy's pupils dilated rapidly, and his chubby little hands suddenly clenched. His face, although still cold, showed ripples of softness in his eyes due to the gentle touch.
"Ge Lingling, you are quite daring…