Inside the Cao family’s ancestral hall, the clan leaders from all the major families had gathered. When it came to Walter Cao, they always harbored doubts—after all, nearly ten years had passed.
Walter Cao still could only speak in broken, stuttering words. His speech was nearly unintelligible, and his presence inevitably brought up the issue of the family’s inheritance.
It seemed clear to everyone now—Walter Cao asked for nothing more than five hundred taels and promised to leave town, with no intention of inheriting the family business. The clan leaders all agreed to his request.
That night, Walter Cao was wheeled back to the courtyard in a wooden wheelchair. As soon as the door shut behind him, the Floral Ghost appeared, grinning as she pushed him along.
“Walter, are you really willing to give up such a vast inheritance?”
“If I’d listened to you back then, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
As Walter Cao spoke, anger flickered in his eyes—anger directed at the Fake Taoist. The Floral Ghost let out a sigh.
“Don’t dwell on it, Walter. What are you going to do now? That Fake Taoist packed up and ran as soon as you poisoned him like this.”
Walter Cao’s gaze dimmed again as he stared blankly at the camera.
“It’s enough. I only need five hundred taels.”
“Walter, what do you plan to do?”
Walter Cao raised his hand, pointing at the camera, then looked at the Floral Ghost.
“How about it? I’m thinking of opening a photo studio. Five hundred taels should be enough. Will you come with me?”
As Walter Cao spoke, the Floral Ghost hesitated for a moment, then nodded with delight.
“By the way, I still don’t know your name.”
The Floral Ghost covered her face with a smile and answered softly.
“Walter, just call me Grace.”
Walter Cao nodded with a smile. Watching this man and ghost, it felt as if a thin, paper wall separated them—I began to understand something.
On the third day, as mist shrouded a late autumn morning, Walter Cao made his way to the nearby Grimhill Cemetery. The ghost, Grace Hu, had once been imprisoned in a wealthy household, but a powerful female ghost passing by freed her and helped her take revenge.
However, the resentment Grace Hu accumulated at her death turned her into a vengeful spirit. Even after avenging herself, she could not reincarnate. Her resentment did not fade with her revenge; instead, it grew as she lingered in the mortal world, stained by its worldly aura.
Fortunately, over the years, Grace Hu had looked after Walter Cao, keeping his resentment from growing. Grace Hu’s urn had been brought here by that powerful female ghost and placed according to her instructions. Walter Cao crawled around Grimhill Cemetery, retrieving Grace Hu’s ashes.
Walter Cao and Grace Hu decided to leave that afternoon. The Cao family provided a carriage, packed his belongings, and loaded the five hundred taels he needed.
That afternoon, under a gloomy sky, Walter Cao drove the carriage toward the provincial city. He planned to rent a storefront and open his own photo studio. The camera Grace Hu had recovered was already damaged, worn by the passage of years.
Upon arriving in the city, Walter Cao quickly found a suitable spot—a small, two-story house that looked a bit run-down but sat on a bustling street. As I looked at it, I realized it was identical to the photo studio I’d seen before.
The layout inside was exactly the same. During the day, Walter Cao could only hire someone to push his wheelchair so he could shop for supplies. At night, Grace Hu would emerge and help him renovate the house.
"You’ve worked all day. Go rest. I’ll handle the rest."
At that moment, Grace Hu was busy cleaning, moving up and down the house. Walter Cao’s eyes shone with light as he wheeled himself closer, stopping behind Grace Hu and wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Grace, thank you..."
"Walter, what are you doing?"
Grace Hu set down the towel and broom, turning to face him. Their eyes met, filled with silent emotion. For a moment, man and ghost embraced, but then Grace Hu, face tense, pushed Walter Cao away.
"No, Walter. I’m a ghost, and you’re still alive..."
Walter Cao quickly pulled Grace Hu back into his arms.
"Maybe I should stay with you. If I die, wouldn’t that solve everything?"
In that instant, Grace Hu sprang up, worry etched across her face as she looked at Walter Cao.
"No, Walter. You don’t carry any resentment now. You’ve finally let go of everything from ten years ago. If you die, you’ll just go to the underworld—you won’t be able to linger in the mortal realm. Besides, you’ve only just opened your studio. How could you even think that?"
"Alright, Grace, I understand. It’s fine. When the time comes, we’ll figure something out together. I want to be with you."
Grace Hu’s face fell. She seemed to remember something painful, and tears began to fall, one after another.
"Walter, do you know why I’ve cared for you all these years?"
I’d always found it strange—Grace Hu was kind-hearted, but she was still a real ghost. How could she look after a living person for so long? Walter Cao nodded, willing to listen to her story.
Grace Hu had been the daughter of a poor family, with an older brother above her. She was beautiful from a young age, so her father always had plans for her. He never let Grace Hu do hard labor and treated her very well.
Over time, Grace Hu realized her father’s plan: when she grew up, he wanted to marry her off to a good family. But their home was poor, and her older brother was of marrying age yet had no money for a bride.
Growing desperate, Grace Hu’s father took her everywhere, hoping some wealthy man would take a liking to his daughter. But that year, drought ruined the crops and the family could barely survive. In the end, her father decided to sell Grace Hu to a brothel.
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Grace Hu refused to accept her fate and tried to hang herself, but her father still handed her over to human traffickers. When she arrived at the city’s brothel, she thought her life was over.
But fate had other plans. On her very first night serving clients, a wealthy man in his forties—already with six wives but no children—came to the brothel searching for a woman who could bear him a son.
By chance, Grace Hu was chosen and became his seventh wife. Once she entered his home, she immediately felt the hostility and scorn from the other wives.
A few months later, Grace Hu became pregnant. The doctor predicted it was a boy. The wealthy man was overjoyed and showered her with affection, giving her the best of everything. Naturally, this drew the jealousy and hatred of the other six wives.
Naive and honest, Grace Hu didn’t understand their schemes. One night, while the wealthy man was bedridden with illness, the six wives dragged Grace Hu to the woodshed and forced her to drink an abortifacient. By the next day, she had lost the child.
Those six vicious women threatened Grace Hu, warning her to stay silent or they’d kill her. After intimidation came persuasion—they promised that once the master died, she’d get a share of the inheritance.
Grace Hu was devastated by the loss of her child. But months later, she was pregnant again. By then, the wealthy man was ailing and knew his days were numbered. Grace Hu feared the six wives would harm her again, but in that house, she had no one on her side.
Fortunately, the wealthy man seemed to notice something and hired guards to protect Grace Hu day and night. He even decided to drive the six wives out of the house.
But good fortune didn’t last. Just as Grace Hu was about to give birth, the wealthy man became gravely ill and was bedridden. The six wives returned, and everyone in the household obeyed their orders.
"Those beasts..."
At this point, Walter Cao shouted in anger. Grace Hu’s face was streaked with tears. She clutched her belly in pain, blood trickling from her lips and lower body. Walter Cao panicked as he watched her stomach swell, blood pooling on the floor.
"What’s wrong, Grace?"
Walter Cao cried out in alarm. Grace Hu explained that when her resentment bursts forth, her true form is revealed—she died while giving birth.
"Don’t say any more, Grace," Walter Cao said, worried. But Grace Hu shook her head, determined to tell him everything. Suddenly, Hu Xiaohu rushed into Walter Cao’s body.
In an instant, everything around us changed.
"Drag that wretch out here!"
Servants holding torches surrounded us. I saw six arrogant women standing at a doorway, from which came sobs and screams.
It was Grace Hu, dragged out of the bedroom, barely clothed.
"What are you doing? Ah..."
A servant grabbed Grace Hu by the hair, and one of the women walked over and slapped her several times.
"Hmph, you cheated with another man and gave birth to this bastard. Now we’ll drown you in a pig cage."
Grace Hu sobbed and cried out, holding her belly in pain. The wives seemed to be discussing something. In the end, they decided to spread rumors that Grace Hu had died of plague, bury her alive, and after she was dead, dig up her body and burn it.