Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I never imagined that, in this day and age, someone would actually come all the way to this ruined temple.

I had thought that even if I waited until my bones crumbled completely into dust, I still wouldn’t land a single human-skin deal.

What I expected even less was that the person who came would be Chu Yu, a concubine of Rong’an Marquis Manor.

Three years ago, I took a liking to her skin and tried to lure her into making a deal.

Chu Yu refused me.

Back then, she had only just come of age. She was a young girl who sold griddle cakes for a living.

In the dead of night, she stumbled into the ruined temple where I resided, all alone.

The temple let in wind from every side. She curled up in a corner and spotted a pile of paper money on the altar.

After bowing this way and that, she tremblingly took out a match and lit the paper money.

And in the flickering firelight, she caught sight of my head on the altar.

I had been staying here for seven years. My flesh had long since fallen away, gnawed clean by maggots.

All that remained was an unspeakably ugly skull.

She cried out in shock.

I gave a sinister little laugh, full of ill intent.

It was not easy to get someone to come keep me entertained, so of course I had to give her a proper scare.

But the next thing she said left me dumbfounded.

She looked around the ruined temple, then at the altar.

At last, she took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and looked at me.

“Im… Immortal Lady?”

Immortal Lady?

I had imagined her reaction. She should have panicked, thinking she had seen a ghost.

Then she should have called me a demon or a monster.

So why was she calling me Immortal Lady?

What family’s Immortal Lady looked like this?

I was somewhat taken aback, and the sharp laughter in my mouth stopped as well.

I stared blankly at the little girl before me.

Seeing that I was not angry, Chu Yu immediately bowed to me, mumbling under her breath.

“Immortal Lady, this humble girl truly had nowhere else to go, so I came and disturbed your cultivation. I’m sorry for disturbing your rest, truly sorry.”

“It was presumptuous of me to burn your paper money just now. Tomorrow, I will repay you double. I hope Immortal Lady will not blame me.”

So this person was a fool.

It was one thing to call me Immortal Lady after seeing me. She even dared to stay and worship me.

I looked at her in disdain.

Yet Chu Yu took a griddle cake from her basket and placed it on the altar.

“Immortal Lady, I made this griddle cake myself. I don’t have any paper money on me. Do you think this can serve as a temporary offering instead?”

The fragrance of the griddle cake drifted to my nose.

I nodded in satisfaction and looked her over again.

Not bad. Very much to my liking.

But I was a spirit creature, and by nature, I repaid kindness with malice.

I tempted her. “You burned my paper money. According to the rules, you have to make a deal with me.”

Chu Yu asked quietly, “What kind of deal?”

I sized her up from head to toe.

Tsk, tsk. Not bad. Even coarse cloth could not hide her astonishing beauty.

What a fine hibiscus face, what beautiful skin.

I continued coaxing her. “I can grant your wish, as long as you promise me one thing.”

“Give me your skin in exchange.”

The little girl blinked. “Then… will I die?”

She really was a fool.

I rolled my eyes. “You will ascend to Elysium and gain great merit.”

Chu Yu shook her head. “But I don’t want to ascend to Elysium. I want to live properly.”

I snapped, “No. You already burned the paper money, so you must make this deal.”

Chu Yu immediately burst into tears with a loud wail.

She cried until my ears nearly grew calluses. Only then did she look at me, sobbing and hiccuping.

“Immortal Lady, can I come back tomorrow to make this deal with you?”

“I want to go burn some paper money for my parents.”

With that, she took five griddle cakes from her basket and put them all on the altar in one go.

Then she scrambled away on hands and knees.

I sighed, watching her retreating figure with unwilling eyes.

Another one had escaped.

It seemed that next time, I ought to be more deranged and not tell them the price.