Day and Night in a Demon-Filled Asura Realm

After being trapped in a desolate haunted house from a supernatural tale, Chi Baiyu is targeted by an evil ghost. The ghost is beautiful but cunning and cruel. With wicked intentions, it makes a bet with her: If she can seduce the fox demon living in the side room and get him to willingly offer up his heart, it will spare her life. That very night, Chi Baiyu meets the fox demon. Unlike the sly foxes so often found in stories, this blind fox is gentle, upright, and possessed of an otherworldly bearing. He treats her politely but keeps his distance, showing no sign that he would ever give his heart away. Her first attempt at seduction naturally ends in failure. The evil ghost starts teaching her, step by step, how to trick someone into giving up their heart. It sets her next target: the man living in another side room. He looks exactly like the blind fox, but he can see, and he’s suspicious by nature. “He’s a skeleton demon wearing a painted skin. If you fail, he might peel yours off,” the evil ghost whispers with a low laugh in her ear. “Go on, cut out his heart.” - Before accepting the evil ghost’s bet, Chi Baiyu never imagined that so many people could live in one little haunted house. A damp, sinister skin-painting ghost, a Taoist who hunts demons, a wolf demon, and an examinee staying there while traveling to the capital… To survive, she tried every approach on everyone, indiscriminately. None of them worked, but at least she stayed alive. Until one night, someone came to her room. It was late, and the night air was heavy with dew. She couldn’t see the person’s face. But she could hear his unsteady breathing and the soft sound of a blade leaving its sheath. “Miss Chi,” he guided her hand, leading her to use the knife’s tip to part his lapels. “Did that evil ghost ever teach you that before cutting out someone’s heart, you should first remove their clothes?” At the door, someone else forced the door open, bringing in a damp, cold tone as he demanded, “Chi Baiyu, were you and him also kindred spirits at first sight, joined at the heart? Or were you of one mind and shared ideals, perhaps so in tune that you were closer than family?” Hearing the newcomer repeat, one by one, the lines she’d used before, Chi Baiyu fell silent. …That was a good question. But sorry, could someone first tell her who had come in? [Reader’s Guide] 1. This is neither a xianxia nor a cultivation story. It has a supernatural atmosphere similar to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. 2. Includes groveling-after-the-fact and dog-training elements, along with Mary Sue fiction and lots of one-sided affection, including but not limited to family love, friendship, and teacher-student bonds. 3. Love rivals abound. The main story has an open ending, with separate routes in the bonus chapters. 4. The female lead is neither a strong heroine nor the sole focus. She can’t use magic, only sleight of hand. Theme: Courage is the flame that burns away fear