Chapter 22 - 22 Twenty-two

Words : 1384 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

22: Twenty-two. The girl in the oil painting 22: Twenty-two. The girl in the oil painting Regardless... Lu Li picked up the flintlock pistol, stood up, and looked around the messy room, debris scattered all about. ...a ghost had been taken care of. A layer of leather separated his palm and the flower pattern carved into the gun. The feeling of becoming stronger wasn’t an illusion, as with the death of a malevolent undead under his gun, the rose pattern on the flintlock pistol bloomed somewhat. Perhaps, after the gallery incident was resolved, he could ask Hades about it. Rustle rustle— Faintly, from downstairs, came a strange noise. Not intending to clean up the room for Benjamin, Lu Li stepped over the scattered broken objects, picked up the oil lamp that had fallen in the corner, glanced at the sculpture in another corner, and turned to head outside. Bang. The door closed softly, the last trace of light disappeared, and the cluttered room plunged into darkness and silence. The sealed room fell eerily quiet, and the sculpture unexpectedly quieted down; perhaps it had been frightened? Lu Li, having shaken off the pursuit of the sculpture, returned downstairs, the strange noise emanating from the darkness not far ahead. Carrying the oil lamp, he walked towards the source of the noise. As he approached, the figure of a woman extended from within a painting came into view. “Madam Anne’s Daughter” This was the painting referred to in the envelope, also the name of the painting itself. As expected, the description inside the envelope was wrong again, it only mentioned that the girl in the painting would come to life after dark, not that she would climb out of the painting. The half of the body that protruded from the painting seemed like that of a living person, with a white Gothic dress pristine and pure, unlike the dim, grayish colors of the painting. She seemed to be stuck by the frame, panting lightly as she struggled to crawl out of the painting. Lu Li watched silently, his right hand slowly lifting his coat to reach behind him. The holster was secured at his back waist, which was both convenient and concealable. After dispatching a ghost and actually gaining something from it, Lu Li was no longer so resistant to coming into contact with spirits. As he grabbed the pistol grip, the struggling girl finally became aware, blankly lifting her head to meet Lu Li’s black eyes. A flush of red quietly spread from her fair neck to her delicate features, clearly visible under the dim light of the oil lamp. The girl propped herself up on the frame, brushed the hair away from her forehead, and tried to smile elegantly, “Hi, can you help me?” If one didn’t consider the fact that she was stuck in the painting, her flushed face might have made her look like an elegant noble girl. Before Lu Li could respond, the painting suddenly shook. It seemed unable to support the weight and fell from the wall. “Ah—” Thud— The cry stopped abruptly as the entire oil painting hit the floor, emitting a strangely painful crisp sound. “...” Lu Li remained silent. Within Lu Li’s gaze, the painting that had fallen to the floor lay still for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up. Yes, it stood up. A pair of clean, tender feet appeared at the bottom of the painting, followed by a white lace pleated dress. Hands appeared on both sides of the frame, holding on as the girl stood in place and took the painting off over her head like she was removing a wool sweater. “Heave-ho~” Hair fell from the edge of the frame, scattering loosely on the porcelain-doll delicate face that was slightly flushed. The girl exhaled softly, tossed the painting aside as if throwing away trash, and floated in front of Lu Li. “Even though you didn’t help, I’ll forgive you~ Huh? A new face, where’s that girl Leona? Scared off and quit? You can call me Anna.” Lu Li hadn’t said a word, and the girl chattered on with her crisp voice. “Hmm, I’m the new nightshift worker,” Lu Li finally said. Lu Li concealed his true profession. The being that could tentatively be considered a ghost seemed easy enough to get along with, but revealing that he was an exorcist would not be so simple. “You don’t seem scared at all, did Leona tell you? Or was it Benjamin, that fatso?” “You know Benjamin?” “He bought the gallery from my mother, how could I not know about it.” “You’re Madam Anne’s daughter?” “Mmhmm.” Anna proudly lifted her head, showing off her smooth, fair jaw. The situation was more complicated than Lu Li had imagined. Almost subconsciously, he began connecting the current clues together, ticking off a conspiracy theory. “How did you die?” “Hasn’t anyone taught you not to casually ask a ghost how they died!” “No,” Lu Li answered. He only knew not to inquire about a woman’s age, “Well, now you know.” “Hmm.” Lu Li nodded, refraining from further questions. After all, this matter had nothing to do with his investigation. As he collected his thoughts, he suddenly noticed Anna’s cheeks drawing close, tinged with a pale pink, nearly impossible to associate this smiling young girl with the Undead. “Hey, aren’t you scared at all?” she narrowed her eyes slightly, the color of her sparkling, translucent irises indistinguishable under the oil lamp. “Why should I be scared?” Lu Li tilted his head slightly, puzzled. “I am a ghost, after all!” “But very cute.” Startled as if shocked, Anna floated backward, her gaze drifting away, unwilling to meet Lu Li’s eyes, as the fading blush on her cheeks reappeared: “What, what... Has the gallery fallen into such disrepute that it now hires any slick-talking fellow off the street?” “Hmph... Don’t think you can fool me with just a few nice words, I...” In the midst of her incessant chatter, an unwelcome voice rang in her ear, interrupting Anna’s brainless babble. “If nothing else is amiss, carry on. I have other matters to attend to.” Convinced the ghost bore no malice, Lu Li turned to leave. “Eh? What are you going to do?” “Investigate some things.” “What things?” “Some matters concerning the other two ghosts in the gallery.” Suddenly, all was quiet behind him. Not until Lu Li had taken a few steps did a timid voice from behind ask, Can we not provoke them, please...?” A ghost was actually afraid of other ghosts. “That’s why I said I’m going, not taking you with me,” Lu Li continued without breaking his stride, not looking back. “And I lured the two ghosts away; the upper floor is empty.” Anna instinctively followed Lu Li, exclaiming in surprise, “Lured, you lured them away?!” “Yes.” The eyes that watched Lu Li’s retreating figure began to take on a strange expression: “Do you have some ulterior motive for luring them away? Stealing? Arson?” Her words held no malice or caution, only curiosity, as though she wouldn’t mind even if Lu Li intended to do either of those things. “Just out of curiosity, I want to investigate the cause of their deaths,” Lu Li replied. “Oh~~~” “Do you know their names?” Lu Li asked, hoping to save time if Anna was aware. “Asina Leslie, and the other’s name seems to be Ruth...? I don’t know her last name.” He mentally cross-referenced the staff register; the first name matched, but he had no recollection of the second name, which was not listed in the staff register. “I don’t remember there being an employee named Ruth before.” “Of course, you wouldn’t know her; she wasn’t an employee here,” Lu Li paused in his steps and turned back to look at Anna, his brow furrowing slightly, “Not an employee here?” “Yes!” “Then why would she appear here?” “Because the person who killed her was once an employee here.” Anna tilted her head in thought. “That person was James Campbell.”

Chapter 22 - 22 Twenty-two

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