My Family Is Very Odd

The puppet's head turned 360 degrees, it's dark eyes and bright red lips facing the Female Ghost.

But it was like a tiny wizard meeting a powerful sorceress.

The Female Ghost had two black holes for eyes, dark circles underneath, deathly pale skin, and blood-red lips. She was far more eerie.

Their gazes met, both of a similar type, neither less creepy than the other.

The puppet struggled continuously, but the Female Ghost remained indifferent, her attention solely on Li Xiao Gui. Her eyes scanned the little ghost, and she suddenly noticed the school uniform Li Xiao Gui was wearing. There was a red band on the sleeve.

Wearing a school uniform on the weekend. The Female Ghost sensed something was amiss.

She suddenly recalled that last Wednesday during dinner, Li Xiao Gui seemed to have mentioned going to… The Female Ghost looked around and confidently said, “Xiao Gui, are you at the supplementary classes?”

Li Xiao Gui blinked and said, “It’s volunteer work at the orphanage, Mom. The supplementary classes were last month.”

The Female Ghost: “…”

Li Xiao Gui: “I told you on Wednesday, Mom, you forgot again.”

The Female Ghost felt guilty, her fingers unconsciously tightening their grip.

The struggling puppet paused for a moment and slowly stopped resisting. It had to find a way to escape. It hadn't expected the human owner to suddenly appear. It had planned to use the animal spirit to work together and eliminate this little human girl.

Li Xiao Gui: “An animal spirit and a puppet broke into the orphanage where I volunteer. I was just fighting them, that’s why I didn't answer.” The little ghost explained, her round eyes suddenly widening. “Ah, right, my phone flew out during the fight, I don't know if it’s broken.”

The Female Ghost stretched out her hand, and her other hand flew out, picking up the phone. “It’s a bit cracked, but it’s okay, I’ll have Grandpa get you a new one later.”

The Female Ghost’s severed hand returned after picking up the phone, saying so.

Li Xiao Gui: “Can I still use it? It’s just the screen that’s broken, I won’t change it if it still works.”

The Female Ghost blinked, nodded, and then turned her attention to another matter. “Xiao Gui, when will you finish school? What do you want to eat tonight? I’ll have your brother make it for you.”

At the mention of food, the little ghost’s eyes lit up. “The usual time, I’ll be back by six. I want to eat brother’s fried carrots! And chicken soup!”

The Female Ghost nodded earnestly, then placed the puppet under her finger twenty meters away from Li Xiao Gui, and said, “Oh right, Xiao Gui, you’re still exorcising spirits, right?”

The Female Ghost: “Continue then.”

The puppet: “?”

Li Xiao Gui: “Mhm! Just in time to show you the new exorcism technique I learned! It’s really powerful!”

The puppet turned its head with a click, not daring to act rashly. Li Xiao Gui had already launched an attack. The puppet instinctively dodged at first, then attempted to counterattack.

Neither action was stopped. The puppet couldn't understand, thinking to itself, what the hell was going on? They were really not going to interfere again?

The puppet's attacks became increasingly fierce.

The Female Ghost still showed no intention of intervening. She even called the other ghosts of the house to watch Li Xiao Gui's live exorcism.

To be precise, it wasn't that the Female Ghost called them. She merely mentioned casually that Li Xiao Gui was exorcising a spirit, and the ghosts of the house appeared one after another beside her.

They gathered around the phone.

It was as if they had been lurking there all along, present even if the Female Ghost didn't speak. But with her words, they had a reason to appear, to show their presence before the little ghost.

One, two, three, four, five heads emerged from the small, rectangular phone screen, revealing the upper halves of their bodies as they watched Li Xiao Gui.

Ghost Grandpa even had a newspaper in his hand. The five ghosts had serious expressions.

Like parents attentively reviewing their child's final exam, or excitedly watching their child's performance at a recital.

The Burly Ghost had his camera ready.

This was the first time they had watched Li Xiao Gui's exorcism so intently. Li Xiao Gui's eyes were focused, her movements skilled and agile, her steps light as she navigated the small space, her attacks timed perfectly.

Even though she hadn't inflicted any substantial damage on the puppet yet, she maintained her own rhythm, calm and composed.

Even when injured, her movements didn't falter. It was so much like…

The Young Ghost suddenly realized that Li Xiao Gui, when serious, looked exactly like Shen Chen when he was expressionless and silent.

Damn it.

The Young Ghost's expression changed, becoming distorted.

The puppet's attacks grew increasingly ferocious. The black dog, after recovering, also joined the fight. It lunged at Li Xiao Gui, growling menacingly, transforming from a dog into a cat as it charged.

As it neared Li Xiao Gui, it transformed again, this time into a large, hairy spider, suddenly shooting out a web to trap her.

Li Xiao Gui, arms crossed over her chest, was caught and thrown back several meters. Still, the ghosts remained spectators. Although the puppet couldn't figure out their true intentions, wondering when they would intervene…

Deep down, it had prepared for the possibility of failing to take Li Xiao Gui's life today. But at least, the puppet thought, its eyes fixed on Li Xiao Gui like a cold snake eyeing a hopping chick…

The snake, staring at the chick struggling in its web, thought:

Right in front of them, it would break this child, make them regret being so overly confident.

Another small seal trapped it. From the very beginning, it had been these insignificant things, unable to restrain it at all. The puppet scoffed: And they called it a new exorcism technique, how laughable.

The puppet thought, but then its eyes widened. It noticed that outside its small seal, four glowing lines suddenly appeared, forming a larger square that trapped it inside.

A double seal!

But when…!

So she wasn't afraid of getting close, that's why she kept dodging! The puppet's eyeballs rolled up from the bottom of their sockets, protruding as they stared at Li Xiao Gui.

Li Xiao Gui formed a square with her fingers, aiming at the puppet: “Shen Yan.”

The puppet sensed danger and finally panicked. It tried to contact Xili to be recalled…

“Seal.”

Her red lips moved, and countless walls of light rose.

It was too late.

And in the end, the puppet was mistaken again. It wasn't just one wall of light that surrounded it. Li Xiao Gui had circled it countless times, drawing numerous sealing lines to trap it.

Li Xiao Gui’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she watched intently. The puppet inside the wall of light was being dispersed, releasing a dark, twisted, and massive creature, which was then dragged bit by bit into the ground by chains that emerged from below.

If one seal wasn't enough, then add another, and another, and another…

The five ghosts' black hole eyes widened involuntarily, a bottomless abyss seemingly emitting light.

When they first took Li Xiao Gui in, she was just a soft, cotton-like being, unable to move, only capable of laughing and crying…

Like the delicate, fragile vase that Ghost Grandma used for flower arranging… Then, at some point, she became a wobbly roly-poly, crawling and stumbling in search of hugs…

Peace returned, leaving only scattered puppet parts on the ground.

Li Xiao Gui finally relaxed, letting out a soft breath. She stood in place, gently and quietly exhaling to calm herself, then turned around.

Her soft, white brows and eyes curved into a sweet smile, her eyes sparkling with a light brown light as she ran towards them…

When they first took Li Xiao Gui in, she was just a soft, cotton-like being, unable to move, only capable of laughing and crying…

And now, at some point, Li Xiao Gui, who used to always fall, could now fight two spirits alone, exorcising them with ease, capable of handling things on her own.

The edges of the newspaper in Ghost Grandpa's hand suddenly crumpled, forming numerous wrinkles.

Xili was confident, even if Shen Chen wasn't as flustered as she had imagined. But she believed she wouldn't lose.

Or at least, she wouldn't die.

Author's Note:

Ghost Grandpa's Black Box: So, that's what time looks like.

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