C12 A Ghostly Aura!

Qiao Chu woke up as well. "Honey, what's going on?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Ah!" Another scream pierced the air.

The two clung to each other in terror, staring at the snake's head just inches away. Its upper teeth clicked against the lower ones, and Qiao Mo could hear the faint sound of them tapping together. If it weren't for the fear etched on their faces, their tight embrace might have seemed almost intimate.

"I died at sea, washed up on the beach, and was swallowed by a venomous snake. Because I died unjustly, my soul can never find peace. The king of the underworld sent me back to find you," a chilling voice said, paired with eyes as red as blood, like a messenger from hell.

Qiao Mo touched the faces of Lu Zhengqing and Qiao Chu. They were cold, far from the warmth of the living.

Qiao Mo raised her right hand, and the snake's head brushed across their faces. "Because you drugged me, this snake died too. It's been with me ever since, and now we're here to find you."

She guided the snake's body to slither over their skin, its tail slipping under their clothes, its tongue flicking against their flesh.

"Lu Zhengqing, Qiao Chu, why did you kill me? Tell me every detail of your reasons and actions, so I can report to the king of the underworld."

Qiao Mo stared at them intently, her eyes filled with a terrifying coldness, carrying the darkness and the aura of the deepest pits of hell.

"Speak up, I don't like waiting. Qing, I've been to this apartment before. You're really foolish, why didn't you hide? My spirit can find you. Sis, I went to see Dad... He threw away a lot of my stuff. Did he burn it? So impatient."

"Spit it out!" Jo Mo snapped, baring her teeth as she moved toward Lu Zhengqing, her presence chilling.

"I... I'll talk... but promise you won't come after me again. I'll help you move on, burn offerings for you, lots of money."

"Don't leave anything out. If the boss finds out you lied, I'll come back for you and drag you both to answer for it."

They trembled as they spoke for over ten minutes, detailing the plot against her.

Jo Mo gave a sinister smile, "Is that all? Was Su Yunna involved?"

"We... told you everything... she wasn't involved."

"Whose idea was it to harm me?"

Qiao Chu hesitated, "Lu Zheng..."

Lu Zhengqing quickly interrupted, "Not me, it was Qiao Chu... she came up with it. If you're seeking justice, go to her... not me. She heard you were going to work on a yacht and wanted me to create an accident."

"When did you two start this?"

Qiao Chu shook like a leaf, "Last year, on my birthday."

Jo Mo laughed darkly, slapping her face three times with her left hand, "No wonder, the necklace was for you."

Her tongue stretched out unnaturally long, and blood streamed from her eyes, creating a ghastly and terrifying sight against her pale face. She stared directly at Lu Zhengqing and shouted, "You jerk! I was willing to step aside when you got with her, but why did you have to harm me?" Qiao Mo grabbed Lu Zhengqing's head and slammed it hard against the headboard.

With a scream of agony, he stammered, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! It was Qiao Chu... Qiao Chu wanted me to keep seeing you."

"Qiao Chu, why didn't anyone come looking for me? Why didn't anyone even recover my body?"

Qiao Chu, trembling, replied, "Dad said you were probably eaten by fish. You disappeared that night, and no one on the yacht knew. Grandpa didn't report it until the next day, and they couldn't find where you fell."

Suddenly, Qiao Mo rolled her eyes at the two of them, her face as terrifying as ever.