Huo Ning sent Qi An out to buy some joss paper and incense. Once he was gone, she began negotiating with the four ghosts.  

The red-clothed vengeful ghost could tell that this young human master was extraordinarily powerful—even through the screen, her spiritual form trembled in fear.  

She realized that the fact the other party was willing to talk to her at all was already giving her a chance.  

If she didn’t recognize this kindness, the master might not be so accommodating later.  

Even though the host had just said on camera that she couldn’t kill ghosts remotely, who knew if that was just modesty?  

Almost immediately, the ghost weighed the pros and cons and stated her demand.  

“Over a hundred years ago, my fiancé died. His family claimed I was the one who brought him bad luck. Along with my own parents, they dressed me in bridal robes and drowned me in the river.”  

“On the seventh day after my death, I became a vengeful ghost and killed them all. But because of that, I lost my chance to reincarnate.”  

“I don’t want to be a vengeful ghost anymore. I want to move on to the next life—even if I’m reborn as a cat or a dog, anything is better than staying like this!”  

The headless ghost’s request was simpler.  

It flailed its limbs exaggeratedly in the air, its hands repeatedly pointing at its severed neck.  

Huo Ning understood.  

It wanted to find its head.  

“…That’s going to be difficult. You’ve been dead for centuries. With dynasties rising and falling, wars ravaging the land, and so much upheaval in the country, many ancient structures haven’t survived. Your head… is most likely gone for good.”  

“But… but the main goal is just to have a head, right? It doesn’t have to be the original one. I can have someone craft you a custom paper effigy head and burn it for you—one way handsomer than your old one. How does that sound?”  

The headless ghost thought it over and agreed.  

The other two wandering spirits simply wanted regular offerings and sacrifices so they wouldn’t have to remain lonely, unclaimed ghosts.  

By the time Qi An returned, Huo Ning had already outlined the solutions for him.  

“Tonight, those ghosts will tell you their names and birth dates. Find a Buddhist monk or Taoist priest to perform rites for the bridal ghost so she can move on. Then, hire a skilled paper effigy artisan to craft a handsome head and burn it for the headless ghost.”  

“As for the other two wandering spirits, set up a memorial tablet and gravestone for them. Place their tablets alongside your ancestors’, and make sure to honor them during festivals and holidays.”  

[The ancestors, staring at unfamiliar faces: Deep in thought.] 

[The ancestors waking up at midnight: Wait… who the hell are these two?!] 

Qi An committed the instructions to memory. “Got it. Thank you, Host Sis.”

Huo Ning took a bite of her spicy and sour rice noodles and sipped some water. “Don’t just thank me—thank your dog. If it weren’t for him, those four ghosts would’ve taken you away long ago.”  

She looked at the scarred little dog still lying at Qi An’s feet, her expression softening unusually.  

“Good boy, your master is safe now. It’s time for you to go with Lord Yama.”  

The puppy whimpered twice, wagging its tail reluctantly before finally turning away, pausing every few steps to look back.  

Qi An’s eyes reddened, and once the dog had completely disappeared, he broke down into heart-wrenching sobs.  

“Thank you, Host Sis.”  

He sent Huo Ning all the remaining money in his bank account as a tip before disconnecting.  

When his parents returned from work, he repeated Huo Ning’s instructions to them.  

At first, they were skeptical but didn’t dare dismiss it.  

That night, however, they had the same dream.  

After everything was resolved, Qi An’s health gradually improved. He never dared to mess around with ghost-summoning games again, maintaining absolute reverence for the supernatural.  

He threw himself into his studies but spent every spare moment helping stray dogs, living frugally and donating eighty percent of his allowance to animal rescue organizations.  

When he grew up and started earning money, he opened his own shelter for strays.  

He never married or pursued romance, dedicating all his time to those furry lives.  

Videos of his relentless efforts to rescue stray dogs were shared online, sparking widespread discussion.  

When asked by the media how he could persist in saving these helpless animals, his eyes slowly reddened in front of the camera.  

“I was supposed to die when I was seventeen. But a silly dog saved me.”  

…

The timeline returns to the livestream.  

Huo Ning took a sip of water and casually sent out a “lucky bag.”  

The winner was a user named Galaxy Courier.  

[Galaxy Courier: Host, save me! There’s a ghost at my door!]  

[Galaxy Courier: AHHHH! I won!]  

Galaxy Courier immediately requested a video call.  

A delicate, soft-featured girl in her early twenties, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, appeared on the screen.  

The moment she saw Huo Ning, it was as if she had spotted a savior.  

“Host, please help me! I’m so scared! A ghost is after me, and I don’t want to die! I’m only twenty-four—my life has barely even started, I—”  

Huo Ning studied her face and felt a sudden pang in her chest.  

This girl… tonight…  

“Calm down. Take a deep breath and explain slowly. No more crying for now.”  

[Wow, the host’s so patient. If it were me, I’d have told her to scram the second she started rambling incoherently.]  

[Ugh, it’s so annoying when women just cry at everything. Does crying solve anything? So irritating!]  

[Men really have zero empathy. She’s literally facing a ghost—can’t she be scared?]  

[LOL, boys, we’ve got a live one—a certified ‘saint’ in the chat.]  

[Even a ‘saint’ is better than a shriveled-up, loudmouthed loser like you!] 

[Can y’all just shut up and watch the stream? My eyes hurt from reading this nonsense.]

[Miss, stop crying and explain what’s happening. If there’s really a ghost, as long as the money’s right, the streamer will help you.]

[Now THAT guy gets it.]  

With Huo Ning’s and a few viewers’ reassurances, Galaxy Courier gradually stopped crying.

Clutching her rabbit plushie tightly, her body trembled uncontrollably.  

“Lately, every night I hear a little girl crying—right outside my door! Sometimes right after the crying starts, the power in my apartment cuts out. I’m terrified! For the past three days, I haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly. I keep feeling like there’s something in my room, and I’ve been getting sleep paralysis constantly!”  

“I didn’t dare tell my parents—only my best friend. But she’s been too busy with her new relationship to pay me any attention. So I came to you, Host Sis. Please, you have to help me!”  

[Ugh, my friend is the same. Once she started dating, she only replies to messages once every three days. At that rate, if she got kidnapped in between, I wouldn’t even know.] 

[Isn’t it normal to hear kids crying in an apartment building? Why assume it’s something supernatural?]  

[Seriously, have some compassion for kids. You were a child once too. How would you feel if people called you a ghost just for crying when you were little?]  

Seeing these comments, Galaxy Courier quickly waved her hands and clarified.  

“No, no—it sounds like a five-year-old girl crying, but there aren’t any kids that young in our building! And the crying is… eerie. It doesn’t even sound human!”  

“Besides, she’s wailing like she’s in agony, but there’s no parent comforting her. Doesn’t that strike you as weird?”  

She then sent Huo Ning two more “Phoenix Coronet and Embroidered Robe” gifts—a hefty sum that stung her wallet (half a month’s wages, in fact).  

But money was nothing compared to her life.  

“I’m sorry, Host. This is all I can afford right now. I’ll work to pay you back for the exorcism fees later. Please, you have to help me.”  

Huo Ning’s brow furrowed.  

The girl’s gaze was fragile, her eyes unfocused—lacking vitality. Combined with the darkening between her brows… she was in real danger.  

Huo Ning shook her head.  

“There’s no ghost around you. But tonight… you’re facing a great calamity.”