The priest took one step inside the mansion doors and froze.
His eyes widened as his pupils dilated.
The incantation book he had on him trembled, because Nova was already on site.
'BOO! '
Nova whispered, causing the priest to scream even before the real fun began.
Mrs Jiang rushed over, just a few steps from the Taoist.
"Master! Master?! What have you seen?"
The priest shakily pointed at the chandelier.
"I...the...THE SPIRITS ARE DANCING!!"
Lies.
The chandelier has never moved and it was not moving. In fact, the chandelier itself was confused.
Father Jiang gasped hard.
"Master! What does it mean?!"
The priest gulped before speaking with a pained expression. "...It is mocking you."
Suddenly, the lights flickered, causing Jiang Ning to scream. Well, that was thanks to Nova hacking the smart home system.
"The curse!!! It...it's happening again! The ugly curse is back mom!!"
My stepmother tightly clutched the priest, refusing to let go. "Please Master! Get rid of it!"
The priest gulped as he waved a bunch of talismans, only for a cold wind to blow dramatically.
Nova had activated the air conditioning, putting it at max, causing the priest's beard to flatter, you'd think he was in a shampoo commercial.
"The...the... spirits are angry," he replied , his voice shaking.
Nova giggled before whispering again.
'Tell them their actions STINK and are ugly... just like their eyebrows.'
The poor priest jumped like someone had just electrocuted his soul.
He raised his hand in confusion, tiny brads of sweating forming on his forehead.
"The spirits are saying...that your eyebrows are a crime to the beauty world."
"Your eyebrows… are… aesthetically offensive, and you...STINK."
Mrs Jiang screamed in horror but the priest continued.
"They say...they are... aesthetically offensive, just like your leadership is."
Mr Jiang couldn't hold back and barked.
"What do they mean???WHAT KIND OF CURSE IS THIS?!"
Ning spoke slowly, clearly afraid."Mom! They say your eyebrows ARE cursed!"
"Hey! They didn't just say mine! They said ours."
Mrs Jiang clutched her face fearfully, as if it was going to melt away.
I could see Nova going in for the kill from my little screen.
'Now be a good one and tell them they are cursed because they messed with the wrong person.'
The priest couldn't dare to disobey and immediately, his voice went several degrees deep before he spoke.
"The Jiang family is cursed because... you have disturbed and angered heaven's chosen one."
Mr Jiang shook. "C...chosen one? Which chosen one?!"
The priest froze as Nova fed him another line.
'Heaven's chosen one is The woman who wears elegance like an armor.'
"The only woman who wears elegance like an armor…"
'And whose beauty shines ten times brighter anytime you mock her.'
"…whose beauty shines ten times brighter when you mock her."
'And whose helper is stronger than your ancestors.'
"…and whose helper is more powerful than your ancestors!! "
The Jiang family's faces went completely blank.
"Helper??"
"What helper??"
"What spiritual entity uses such words??"
The priest trembled as Nova whispered again.
'Tell them their suffering is merely chapter one.'
The priest repeated Nova's words, still shaking.
"They...they say your suffering is only at chapter one."
Jiang Ning didn't need to hear anything else as she fainted on the carpet.
The priest raised his talisman paper, and Nova immediately flickered the bathroom lights on and off, just the DJ way.
"Jiang family! The spirits are condoning your actions! This family is forbidden… FORBIDDEN TO RELY ON BEAUTY AGAIN!"
Mrs Jiang nearly died on the spot as she wailed pathetically. "NOOO!!! That's my life! My beauty is my exclusive brand. I can't live without beauty!!!"
Father Jiang collapsed on the nearest couch as the Jiang Ning who had just fainted woke up sobbing into the carpet.
The priest however, was sweating gallons as he whispered. "...I...I need to leave before the spirits take me too."
Poor man ram out so fast, his shoes flew off, but that didn't make him look back even once.
Back at my apartment, I shut the screen as I took off the face mask I had.
"Nova. Just what… on earth was that?"
'Nothing much host. Just spiritual vengeance that has been successfully executed.'
"Nova…"
'Host, they made you experience emotional injury. Therefore, I had to retaliate and make things a bit interesting. I don't like bland revenge.'
"But you tormented a priest."
'A FAKE priest. Besides, he needed some cardio. Don't mind him, he'll be just fine. Traumatized? Maybe. But he will get over it.'
"…and you casually banned the Jiang's from being and feeling pretty."
'View it from the point of a community guideline warning. It's just a temporary ban.'
I coughed, half shocked and half happy.
"You are really outrageous."
'Of course I learned from the best.'
Mrs Jiang finally had some sleep and was softly snoring when she heard it.
Hisssssssss....
She jolted awake, already clutching her prayer beads.
Mr Jiang mumbled, clearly annoyed by her movements, "Go back to sleep woman..."
Then the whisper came again, this time clearer and louder.
"Hiss....you are uuuuglyyyyyyyyy..."
She sat up so fast her satin bonnet flew off.
"WHO...? WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?! WHO SAID THAT?!"
The voice did not answer but the wardrobe door opened veery slowly.
'creeeeeeeeeak.'
But nothing was inside.
She jolted once again, screaming like someone had set her eyebrows on fire.
Nova had sent me a notification on what he was currently up to, causing me to facepalm in my sleep.
'Just letting you know in advance sweetie. Tonight's protocol is Mansion haunting with a sprinkle of pettiness.'
Jiang Ning on the other hand woke up to a very different horror.
Her precious vanity mirror had turned on by itself. The light bulbs were glowing harsh white, but thank heavens her reflection looked normal.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and her reflection SMILED on it's own.
Jiang Ning shrieked loudly.
Her makeup brushes were rolling off the table, one by one, like overworked employees getting away from their boss.
Thud! Thud...Thuud!!!
Her favourite blush compact suddenly opened and puffed pink glittery powder into the air, scaring her shitless.
"STOP!! PLEASE STOP!!"
Instead of stopping powder spread to the mirror, and words were suddenly visible.
NO MORE PRETTY PRIVILEGES JIANG NING.
Poor thing couldn't handle the shock any longer that she fainted, taking the chair along with her.
If only they knew Nova was busy laughing wickedly as he updated me on their misery.
'Hehe host...I am enjoying this more than I should.'
If only Mr Jiang knew that his day was going to start with the sound of paper rustling.
The man who had barely had any sleep due to his wife's noise, walked into the office only to freeze.
Every single document on his desk had been rearranged into three neat piles.
There was:
Jiang Rui
Karma
Wrong decisions.
The Jiang Rui pile was the largest, causing him to panic.
"You spirits!" he shouted at the ceiling, his hands pulling his hair.
"What do you really want from my family?!"
Before he could even finish speaking, the printer turned on by itself and printed one sheet.
Father Jiang picked it up and in large bold letters, it read:
APOLOGIZE TO HER.
He dropped it like it burned but Nova was far from being done.
Nova whispered through the speaker system, his voice a bit distorted.
'And make sure your apology is meaningful.'
Father Jiang fled the room in panic. And that was the start of his day being unfunctional.
The night was completely unbearable, causing the whole family to stumble into the living room with pillows, clutching talismans and filled with fear.
"The walls are still calling me ugly!"
"My reflection is attacking me more than before!"
"And the documents have judged me the whole day."
The family of three clung to each other, comforting each other from time to time.
At exactly 3:30 am, the chandelier flickered am eerie low humming filled the room.
"Husband...are those...the spirits?"
"What do they want dad?"
The TV suddenly turned on by itself, as the static crackled, only for a single line to appear.
REPENT AND BE BETTER!
Meanwhile, I was busy drinking warm water at that exact time, conversing with Nova.
"So would you mind telling me why there are thousands of notifications on my phone Nova?"
'Nothing much host. The Jiang's just have a little reflection moment.'
"Nova... What exactly did you do?"
'Just some soft punishment. I am giving them some personal growth.'
"Personal growth by haunting the mansion?!"
'Affirmative host. Character development often requires trauma.'
"…Nova."
'I mean...they made you cry. I can't have mercy.'
Nova's reply made me sigh deeply but I didn't stop him.
At sunrise, the Jiang family called the Taoist priest again.
For a fake priest, I expected him not to come back, but the greedy man still came back, looking like he just aged ten years overnight.
His eyes had dark circles, his robe wrinkled and his hands shaking violently.
"Jiang family! I told you," he hissed out in anger, "the spirits you are fighting are HIGH RANKING SPIRITS! WAY OUT OF ANYONE'S LEAGUE. I nearly lost my life last time!"
Mrs Jiang clutched his arm desperately, not caring on whether he was harmed or not.
"Master, we are really BEGGING YOU! HELP US!"
The priest trembled but to keep up the show, he sat cross legged and immediately went pale.
Because Nova didn't waste time and immediately tapped in.
'Hi there bestie. You are back.'
He shrieked so loud the incense prepared beforehand flew out of his hand.
"THEY...THE SPIRITS ARE SPEAKING TO ME AGAIN!"
"W-What are the spirits saying?!"
"They are saying...you all should stop being terrible people."
Jiang Family: "…"
"They say that if you continue causing harm, your lives will only get harder."
Mrs Jiang fainted into the sofa as Ning clutched her knees.
"WE ARE SORRY!" Father Jiang cried out loud. "WE PROMISE WE'LL BE GOOD PEOPLE!"
The fake nodded vigorously, clearly wanting to get his pay and leave the place. "Yes! You should improve yourselves!"
In the presence of everyone, The TV screen flickered one last time before a new message popped up.
YOU ARE TEMPORARILY RELEASED BUT BE WARNED NOT TO WASTE YOUR SECOND CHANCE.
Back at home, I was busy staring at my phone, wondering how I was going to reward my Nova.
"...Nova. Just don't kill anyone."
'Oh please host. I'm just petty, not a homicidal system. Besides… I love watching them suffer this way. It's more entertaining.'