Qin Jiu was amused and exasperated by Tang Guo’s words. So that was the first impression he had given her?
In truth, he also wanted to say that when he first saw this female ghost, he felt she was different from other ghosts.
He did not know why, but every time he wanted to say something harsh, something seemed to flash through his mind. Instinctively, he would swallow those cold and unpleasant words, as if he had never intended to say them at all.
“Miss Tang…”
“Mm?” Tang Guo smiled as she hooked her arm around Qin Jiu’s neck. Her cool fingers made him shiver. It was not fear, but another indescribable feeling spreading from the depths of his heart. There was warmth, sweetness, and a trace of bitterness. “We’ve known each other this long, and you still call me Miss Tang.”
Qin Jiu took a deep breath, suppressing the feeling that was about to surge up. “You don’t call me Daoist Qin either. I think that title is fine.”
“So you mind that I address you so formally?”
Qin Jiu wanted to say no, of course not. But he was curious what she would call him next, what new title she would give him.
He wondered if he had been bewitched by this female ghost, as if struck by her clouding of the mind. Yet his thoughts were clear. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“What would you like me to call you, Daoist Qin? Little Jiu?”
Qin Jiu twitched his lips. “I’m older than you. Don’t call me Little Jiu.”
“Brother Jiu? Jiu ge?”
His heart softened. Her voice was too sweet. He could barely withstand it.
“Or Brother Qin? Qin ge? Dear Qin?”
Qin Jiu was speechless. What was he supposed to do? It felt as though he had truly been entangled by this female ghost and could not shake her off. When she called him Jiu ge or Brother Qin in that sweet tone, his heart leapt with delight.
Qin Jiu kept a straight face. “Be serious. What if someone hears you?”
“I’m a ghost. They can’t hear me unless I want them to,” Tang Guo whispered by his ear. “Do you like me calling you that? Which one do you prefer? If you’re afraid of others hearing, I’ll call you softly so only you can hear.”
His heartbeat quickened. His ears burned red. This was disastrous.
Qin Jiu was a demon catching Daoist. His life was for catching demons and earning money. No matter how beautiful a woman was, he would not waver.
He repeated that to himself, yet there was a female ghost on his back.
“I’ll just call you Ah Jiu,” Tang Guo said.
Hearing that, Qin Jiu felt an inexplicable disappointment. Then he inwardly mocked himself. When she had used the other names, he rejected them. Now that she changed it, what was he regretting?
He fell into thought. He had to admit that this female ghost had truly attracted him.
“I want to do something, Ah Jiu.”
Qin Jiu snapped out of his thoughts. “What do you want to do? I’ll help you.” The words came out instinctively. After saying them, he smiled helplessly. He had truly fallen into her hands.
“Like the small mountain village I once encountered, there are many such places in this world. I want to spend these twenty years traveling to remote areas, to see if there are wandering ghosts like me.”
Qin Jiu thought of what she had endured and felt an unexpected tenderness in his heart. “Then I’ll go with you.”
Twenty years.
He could not help thinking that if he disregarded everything and chose to be with her, they would have only twenty years.
“You’re daydreaming again, Ah Jiu.”
“What are you thinking about?” Tang Guo asked.
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