The air inside the room was somewhat chilly, and Isabelle Frost sneezed.
The old man walked to the bedside. As he approached, his figure shuddered, and the temperature in the room returned to normal.
"I still can't come here too often. As much as I love painting, it wouldn't be right to harm this little girl. Someday, she might become an outstanding artist herself."
The old man was about to stand and leave, but the baby girl Isabelle Frost on the bed suddenly widened her eyes, staring at him—she could see him clearly. All at once, a surge of red light spilled from her body, gradually weaving into a red humanoid shape. The old man was startled, his eyes wide with shock.
"Whoa, whoa, this is quite something! What's your name?"
The old man asked the red humanoid figure. Its gaze was icy, golden eyes fixed on him. The old man immediately floated up and retreated.
"I mean no harm. Rest assured, I won't hurt this baby girl. I've already suppressed all my ghost aura."
The red humanoid figure continued to stare intently at the old man.
"What a promising little girl—can instinct like this really be gained so easily? And she's just a newborn, too. Heh."
The old man watched the red humanoid figure with great interest, but soon shook his head.
"My heart belongs to painting; these things have nothing to do with me. Well, I'm leaving now—maybe I'll come back in a few days."
With a whoosh, the old man departed.
Snow had drifted all night, but by early morning it had stopped. The courtyard was piled high with snow, and the servants were busy clearing it. Mrs. Yi cradled Isabelle Frost, wrapped in a fur-lined coat, standing beneath the winter plum, watching the lively fish beneath the frozen surface.
"Look, Yvette, those are fish."
Mrs. Yi was all smiles. Last night, she had dreamed of fish, and this little girl seemed to have a special bond with her. Isabelle Frost was still smiling in her arms.
"By the way, didn't you lose your ceramic art tile a few days ago? Isn't it sitting right there in the house?"
Just then, Master Yi came out and spoke. Mrs. Yi shook her head.
"That's odd. It definitely wasn't there yesterday. Some servant must have stolen it and then secretly put it back. Master, you really need to keep a closer eye on them."
Master Yi smiled and shook his head.
"There's no need to blame anyone over a few things."
The servants working in Master Yi's manor held him in high regard. He had a gentle temperament and would often grant them small favors, earning their deep affection.
Mrs. Yi thought about it and decided to let it go.
But that night, the old man returned again. This time, he set his sights on a round decorative ceramic plate adorned with beautiful glaze artwork. He liked it very much, but could only admire it—after all, Master Yi had given it to Mrs. Yi for her fortieth birthday, and it was displayed in the most prominent spot in the room. Taking it would surely be noticed, yet the old man looked reluctant to part with it, itching with desire.
Helpless, the old man raised a hand, and a wisp of bright green energy appeared. Just then, the baby girl behind him began to glow red again, and the red humanoid figure reappeared.
"I won't do anything—just taking this back to study for a few days, that's all."
As he spoke, the green mist in his hand slowly transformed, gradually taking the exact shape of the ceramic plate. He placed the fake plate back in its spot and left joyfully with the real one.
Time flew by. Isabelle Frost grew up healthy and strong, becoming more and more adorable, always smiling. Everyone in Yi Manor was fond of her, and she was very smart. By the time she could speak, she had learned many words by age four, and would help Master Yi with coloring, even drawing simple animals. The couple treasured her dearly.
"Papa..."
At age five, Isabelle Frost rushed into the art studio, clutching a small bird that had been dead for some time. She looked anxious as she entered, and Master Yi, who was painting, saw the dead bird in her hands.
"Xuehan, why are you holding that? Throw it away quickly."
"It's so pitiful, Papa—this little bird."
Isabelle Frost spoke in a soft voice, her eyes filled with sadness. Master Yi realized his tone had been harsh, and hurried over with a gentle smile.
"When people die, they should be buried. You should bury the little bird."
Isabelle Frost nodded, and the butler Zhou Kan, who was following behind, smiled helplessly.
"Why let Miss pick up dead birds? What if she catches something?"
Zhou Kan quickly nodded, though he knew that ever since Isabelle Frost was very young, she would show deep sadness in her eyes whenever she saw insects, fish, or birds die.
In the bamboo grove, Isabelle Frost carefully dug a small hole and buried the little bird, but her mood remained low.
"It's all right, Miss. Maybe in its next life, this little bird will be reborn as a person—since you buried it yourself."
"Why?"
Zhou Kan immediately crouched down and helped Isabelle Frost brush the dirt off her clothes.
"Because you're so adorable, Miss!"
Isabelle Frost grinned and nodded happily.
At night, Isabelle Frost slept alone on the second floor of the octagonal tower. Two maids lived on the first floor to care for her, but recently Mrs. Yi had caught a cold and was worried about passing it to Isabelle, so she stayed in the backyard.
Isabelle Frost lay in bed, her eyes wide, cheeks puffed in annoyance, staring at the white-haired old man who was once again looking over her ceramic art tile.
"Old man, you always show up without a sound."
Isabelle Frost sat up and looked at the old man. He never spoke to her, and it had always been this way for years. Although she had mentioned him to her parents, they thought it was childish nonsense and didn't pay attention. Isabelle also knew that no one else could see this old man.
No matter how much Isabelle Frost talked to the white-haired old man, he ignored her. Today, after seeing the dead bird, she felt upset, and now she grew angry as she watched him pick up a painting her father had just finished.
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"Thieving old man."
The old man, about to leave, twitched his ear and his face darkened. He turned around with a helpless look at Isabelle Frost.
"That's Papa's. You always take things without asking—Papa says that's stealing."
The old man's face flushed, clearly uncomfortable at being scolded by a five-year-old girl, but he still didn't agree with Isabelle.
"Old man, don't go."
This time, Isabelle couldn't hold back. She jumped out of bed and grabbed the old man's sleeve, feeling an icy chill, but refused to let go, glaring at him with righteous indignation, her cheeks puffed.
"Thieving old man, you..."
"Don't call me that, little girl. My name is Ghost Painting Book Immortal—you may call me Book Immortal. Hmph, I only borrow them to study for a few days, then I bring them back. How is that stealing?"
Isabelle Frost rolled her eyes and pouted.
"It is stealing. You're not part of our family, and you always come without a word."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal's face flushed, then he pointed behind her.
"Little girl, look—what's that behind you?"
Isabelle Frost turned around.
"What is it, thieving old man?"
When she turned back again, Isabelle was holding a twig—Ghost Painting Book Immortal had vanished without a trace.
The next day, Isabelle Frost was gloomy all day. She finally spoke, but Ghost Painting Book Immortal had tricked her into turning around and slipped away without a sound.
No one in the manor knew why Isabelle was upset. They kept trying to cheer her up, and by dusk, she was smiling again.
For several nights afterward, Isabelle stayed up waiting until she couldn't keep her eyes open, but Ghost Painting Book Immortal never appeared.
On the fifth night, Isabelle's head began to nod off like a little chick pecking at rice. In a daze, she suddenly sensed something and opened her eyes.
"Thieving old man, you finally showed up."
Isabelle leapt up and hugged Ghost Painting Book Immortal from behind. He was startled, and the ceramic art tile in his hand fell to the floor. He quickly caught it with his foot and breathed a sigh of relief. Downstairs, the maids heard the commotion and rushed up, opening the door to see an unbelievable sight: Isabelle Frost was hugging thin air.
"You saw nothing, you remember nothing. Go back to sleep."
As Ghost Painting Book Immortal spoke, his eyes flashed green, and in an instant, the two maids dazedly went downstairs.
"Little girl, let go already."
"No way! You tricked me—you tricked a child, old man!"
Ghost Painting Book Immortal's old face reddened, then he sighed.
"All right, I won't run away. Yvette, let go now."
"Huh? Old man, how do you know my name is Yvette?"
Isabelle Frost looked at Ghost Painting Book Immortal in surprise. He immediately put on a serious expression and said:
"I was friends with your father long ago, but for certain reasons—which you shouldn't ask about—I only come to borrow things, and I have permission. Yvette, you..."
"You're lying—you're a lying old man!"
Ghost Painting Book Immortal was startled, his eyes wide.
"When I used to lie, I couldn't look my papa in the eye. Old man, you won't look me in the eye—so you must be lying."
"Little girl, you chatter so much at your age—be careful, or you'll never get married."
Isabelle Frost snorted, refusing to let go of Ghost Painting Book Immortal.
"All right, I admit it—I'm a ghost."
Isabelle Frost blinked.
"What's a ghost?"
"It's what people become after they die."
Isabelle Frost looked even more puzzled at Ghost Painting Book Immortal.
"So, old man, you're already dead? But aren't dead people supposed to not move? Why can you still move?"
"People have souls. After death, the soul leaves the body and can move around. All right, little girl, the two maids downstairs are in trouble. If I don't leave now, they'll get hurt. I'll come back tomorrow night, okay?"
Isabelle Frost touched her lips, as if thinking deeply.
"Oh, right—here, this is for you."
Ghost Painting Book Immortal took out a shiny stone from his robe. Isabelle let go, her eyes lighting up at the sight. As Ghost Painting Book Immortal left, the stone in her hand instantly turned into an ordinary, pitch-black rock.
"Lying old man, you tricked me again."