When Tan Wenbin walked into the bargain store, Runsheng and the others were still busy sorting through the goods.
He approached the drink shelf, intending to grab a bottle for himself.
However, remembering he hadn’t brought any money after changing into his sports shorts, and adhering to his principle of not wanting to inconvenience anyone, he walked to the counter instead and picked up a teacup, taking several gulps of water.
"Need any help?"
Yin Meng, holding a pen and notebook, shook his head.
"No need, we’re almost done counting. There are just so many items!"
"That’s for sure."
Yin Meng pointed at the shelf stacked with daily necessities and said, “Before school starts, we need to get another batch of everyday items in.”
Aunt Sun chuckled, “It’s always like this every year.”
Yin Meng continued, “We should package together things like mats, mattresses, blankets, bowls, cups, and towels, then put a discount tag on them to sell as a set.”
Aunt Sun paused for a moment, taken aback.
She had wanted to show off her experience but couldn’t find the right words.
Tan Wenbin shrugged. “Not bad! It seems you’ve gotten into the groove.”
Yin Meng sighed with regret. “By right, after students graduate, they could receive quite a few second-hand items. After cleaning them up at the start of a new semester, they can be sold cheaply to the newcomers. Didn't they collect any last semester?”
Aunt Sun shook her head. “They never did that before.”
Yin Meng nodded, “Well, let’s do it from now on. Most students are still from ordinary families anyway.”
Tan Wenbin leaned on the counter and teased, “Looks like being in the grocery store has really limited your thinking.”
“Well, since we’re doing this, we must do it well. I also plan to set up a hot food section here. We can pack some hot pot base and cook things like meatballs and tripe to sell, just like hot pot skewers,” Yin Meng declared.
“Good idea, but you’d better not do the cooking yourself.”
Yin Meng shot him an annoyed glance.
Tan Wenbin reminded him seriously, “This is a school. It could be very serious if food safety issues arise.”
Yin Meng didn’t argue, just shook the pen in his hand. “Fine, I got it.”
Runsheng had finished stacking all the goods at his feet and clapped his palms together, looking at Tan Wenbin. “Did you go fishing just now?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you catch anything?”
“I ran into someone calling me from behind the lake, but when I turned around, I couldn’t see anyone.”
Runsheng was a bit surprised. “Really?”
Aunt Sun asked, “Was it that lake to the west? There are indeed quite a few people who like to jog there, especially couples.”
Tan Wenbin asked curiously, “Aunt Sun, you’ve been at this school for a long time. Do you know any ghost stories about the school?”
“Ghost stories?”
“Yeah, we’re quite interested in that kind of stuff.”
“There aren’t any ghost stories, just a lot of nonsensical tales. But if you want to talk about deaths, quite a few people have died in this school over the years. It happens every semester—falls from buildings, drowning, drug overdoses, even choking.”
In a large area, if the population is high enough, a death doesn’t seem like a big deal.
But Tan Wenbin was looking for something different.
He continued to ask, “Is there any place that feels particularly eerie around here?”
“Eerie places?” Aunt Sun chuckled, covering her mouth. “This is a school. Where would there be anything eerie? Just the other day, one of my friends mentioned that there have been incidents at General’s Mountain at night.”
“General’s Mountain?”
“That’s just a baseless rumor, don’t take it to heart,” she said.
“Alright then. Runsheng, Yin Meng, you keep at it. I’m heading back. Xiaoyuan is still alone in the dorm.”
Tan Wenbin walked back to the dormitory building and noticed Aunt Ran at the window of the dormitory manager’s office.
She was writing something with a pen while eating a cake.
“Aunt Ran.”
“You little rascal, you startled me.” Tan Wenbin had just helped her move some things before he went out for a night run, so they had become somewhat acquainted.
Aunt Ran picked up a piece of cake and handed it to him.
Tan Wenbin didn’t reach for it but instead opened his mouth wide. “Ah…”
Aunt Ran could only laugh as she fed him the cake.
“What are you busy with?” Tan Wenbin asked while chewing.
“Writing a letter to my daughter.”
“Can’t you just call her?”
“Phone bills are so expensive!”
“Just use the public phone for private matters.”
“Hmm?” Aunt Ran was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood, laughing as she scolded him, “You know quite a lot for a little rascal. Seems like you’ve done that kind of thing at home a lot.”
“Unfair! My dad is very principled. When I was little, I always wanted him to drive a police car to take me to school, but he never did.”
“Your dad seems pretty nice, really.”
“Of course! Just look at who his son is.”
“Ha ha.” Aunt Ran placed her pen down, massaging her wrist. “Phew... Done! Actually, even if I called, when I picked up the phone, I wouldn’t have much to say.”
“Come on, let me take a look. I can help you check for typos.”
“Go away, go back to your dorm.”
“Goodnight, Aunt.”
“Goodnight, little rascal.”
After Tan Wenbin left, Aunt Ran took out a matchbox, struck a match, and set the letter on fire.
Once it was halfway burned, she dropped it into a large teacup at her feet.
Next to the teacup sat a shoebox, half open, revealing a pair of black high heels inside.
…
“Smack!”
Upon entering the room, Tan Wenbin turned on the light and saw Li Zhuyuan already lying on the bed.
He quickly turned the light off again.
“Brother Bin, you’re back.”
“Did I wake you, Xiaoyuan?”
“I wasn’t asleep.”
“Oh, you went to bed quite early today.”
“It’s not that early; don’t you see what time it is?”
“Alright, I’ll come back earlier at night from now on.” Tan Wenbin picked up the basin and towel, planning to wash up at the water sink outside.
After returning from dinner, he had already washed there with Xiaoyuan.
The school had showers available, but they were quite far, and they were currently out of service.
Besides, even when they reopened, Tan Wenbin thought he would be too lazy to go.
In the boys’ dormitory, it was much easier just to fetch water at the sink and pour it on himself.
Afterward, he could swagger back to the dorm.
As he was about to open the door, he noticed a talisman pasted on it.
“Xiaoyuan, what’s this...”
“It’s been here.”
“Huh?”
Tan Wenbin immediately raised the basin with his left hand and grabbed a towel with his right, entering a defensive stance.
“It ran away.”
“Oh.” Tan Wenbin relaxed. “Brother, what is it?”
“It ran too fast; I didn’t see it.”
“Brother, from now on, I’ll try not to go out at night to protect you.”
“I’m going to sleep.”
“Mm.” Tan Wenbin opened the dormitory door.
As he walked down the hallway in his slippers, the “pitter patter” of his footsteps echoed clearly. “What a pain, I was supposed to go for a night run but it’s better to stay by Xiaoyuan instead. Tsk, Xiaoyuan is truly more eerie.”
The next morning, Li Zhuyuan woke up.
Habitually turning his head, he saw Tan Wenbin still fast asleep.
The contrast was quite stark.
Li Zhuyuan got out of bed, picked up the basin, and walked to the sink to wash up.
As he was toweling dry, someone hummed a tune while entering.
“Hey, little brother, you’re also going to college? Hahaha!”
“Mm.”
“Uh…” His question came hesitantly, “Are you really going to college?”
“Mm.”
“No way, is that for real?”
After washing up, Li Zhuyuan tidied up and stepped out.
The other person, brushing their teeth, leaned out to see Li Zhuyuan walking into the innermost room before pulling back inside.
The boy placed down his basin, and just as he sat at the desk, Tan Wenbin woke up.
He bent down to pick up the blanket that he had kicked off the bed, mumbling,
“Still better to sleep in a coffin, no worries about kicking off the blanket.”
When getting off the bed, Tan Wenbin stretched lazily. “Xiaoyuan, after I wash up, I’ll go out and get breakfast for you.”
“No need, we’ll go find Runsheng together later. We plan to go out to play these past few days, and after school starts, they’ll have to man the store.”
“True.”
Tan Wenbin took the basin and stepped outside.
A while later, he returned and said with a smile, “Just now, a sophomore kept asking me if you were a student. He was pretty nice; his name is Lu Yi, from Harbin. He even gave me a sausage.”
As he spoke, Tan Wenbin took a bite, “Mm, it’s is very authentic.”
“You’ve eaten sausages before?”
“I hadn’t before, but it tasted authentic to me since it was my first time trying it.”
“Did he not go home?”
“No, he stayed at school doing tutoring. He said his family has a lot of stuff, and it’s inconvenient to go home for tutoring.”
Li Zhuyuan and Tan Wenbin arrived at the bargain store, where they already had everything sorted the night before.
There weren’t many customers, so they left Aunt Sun to watch the store.
The four of them walked out of the school gate and got on a bus.
Tan Wenbin noticed Runsheng was carrying a large bag.
He asked, “Runsheng, bringing so much water?”
It was a common experience for people nowadays to either bring their own water or buy it outside before visiting tourist attractions since water is expensive inside the scenic spots.
As for food, normally, people wouldn't want to spend their money eating in tourist areas.
“I found a lot of soon-to-expire and just-expired food while sorting last night, so I brought it all. I eat a lot, and it’s expensive to eat out, so it’s perfect to eat these up,” Runsheng explained.
“Runsheng, you’re now at least a junior business owner, why are you still being so stingy? You should show a bit of flair,” Tan Wenbin teased.
Runsheng patted the large bag. “It’s all good stuff. It was hard to get these when I was a kid. I never imagined I’d get to feast on snacks one day.”
After the four of them got off the bus, they first went to a duck blood noodle shop for breakfast.
Then they spent the day visiting several scenic spots, and by evening, Li Zhuyuan found his throat a bit hoarse from talking too much.
There’s nothing for nature’s grandeur that anyone can see with their own eyes, but when it comes to cultural sites, if no one explains in detail, it just becomes a hurried tour and feels lackluster.
The four of them took the last bus back to school, then went to “Old Sichuan” for dinner.
After entering the school gate, they split into pairs.
Runsheng walked into the store but didn’t see Aunt Sun.
He held a pack of brown sugar glutinous rice cake that he specifically brought back for her.
“Maybe she’s downstairs?” Yin Meng said as she tied her hair up and began sweeping.
Runsheng walked to the basement and knocked on the door of Aunt Sun’s room, but there was no response, and the light was off; she likely wasn’t there.
Runsheng returned to his room and was surprised to find the dog cage empty.
After looking around, he finally spotted the black dog curled up tight under the bed.
The black dog, unlike its usual lazy self, had watery eyes and trembled all over.
Runsheng quietly got up and walked to his luggage to pull out the yellow river spade.
While Yin Meng was sweeping the floor, she heard the sound of a stool scraping upstairs.
With the school term still early, there shouldn't have been any events requiring rehearsals, so logically, there shouldn’t have been anyone upstairs.
Reaching the stairwell, Yin Meng called out, “Aunt Sun, is that you up there?”
There was no response, but the sounds of the chair moved discernibly.
Yin Meng climbed the stairs, reached the second floor, and although she didn’t switch on the light, the moonlight filtering through the window allowed her to see a figure dancing in the corner.
The person danced passionately, occasionally knocking aside the chairs around them.
The light switch was at the foot of the stairs, and Yin Meng reached for it.
“Bang!”
As the light turned on, the figure vanished.
The spacious wooden floor of the dance studio looked empty.
Footsteps approached from behind, and upon turning around, Yin Meng breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was Runsheng.
Runsheng, holding the yellow river spade, came upstairs and said, “Little Black saw something and was scared.”
Yin Meng gasped at this.
Runsheng took the spade to the center of the practice room, scanning the area.
Yin Meng followed, saying, “Just now I heard some chair noises upstairs. When I came up, I saw a silhouette dancing here, but when I turned on the light, it vanished.”
Runsheng asked, “Could it have been a living person?”
Yin Meng shook her head, “A living person couldn’t disappear that quickly in front of me.”
Even setting aside their jobs as corpse fetchers, the two of them currently qualified as real practitioners, with observation and reaction skills far beyond ordinary folks.
“Let’s go tell Xiaoyuan.”
“Mm.”
Just as the two were heading downstairs, they saw Aunt Sun carrying a thermos bucket coming in.
“Hey, what a coincidence! I was just called by the dorm manager of building nine to eat tangyuan, and I thought I shouldn’t leave the store unattended for too long, so I brought it back. Come on, come eat together!”
Aunt Sun walked to the counter, angled the thermos bucket toward them, and enthusiastically invited them over.
Runsheng glanced at Yin Meng, signaling her to go notify Xiaoyuan while he stayed behind.
Yin Meng slightly shook her head.
That was the boys' dorm, so it was inconvenient for her to go.
Better for Runsheng to go while she stayed.
Runsheng’s gaze was firm, suggesting that walking into the boys' dorm would be quite simple for her.
Having practiced their routine feeding together for so long, they naturally understood each other well, and eye signals were simple enough.
Yin Meng had no choice but to run out of the shop.
Aunt Sun looked puzzled. “Huh? Where did she go?”
Runsheng replied, “She went to deliver something to our friend.”
“Well, let’s eat first. The tangyuan will burst if left too long.”
“I packed glutinous rice cakes for you. They’re downstairs; I’ll go get them.”
“No need, this is enough. Eating too much at night can lead to indigestion.”
“Okay, fine.”
Runsheng walked behind the counter and placed the spade on a chair.
“Runsheng, why are you holding a spade?”
“There’s some peeling paint; I plan to scrape it off and repaint it.”
“This spade looks quite complex. Where did you buy it?”
“I brought it from home.”
“Oh, no wonder. Come on, eat first.” Aunt Sun twisted open the thermos bucket and handed Runsheng a spoon. “Quick, try our local tangyuan.”
“What day is it today to eat tangyuan?”
“It’s the dorm manager lady’s birthday in building nine.”
“Oh.”
Runsheng nodded, but instead of rushing to scoop the tangyuan, he pulled out a thick incense stick from the iron box and lit it.
“Is that a cigar?”
“It’s just incense.” Given they’d have to work together in the store later, Runsheng did not shy away from her.
“Incense?”
“It’s my personal habit while eating. I’ve always done this since I was little, so I can’t change that.”
“That’s quite peculiar, but I’ve heard some children will even eat the dust off the walls; yours is much cleaner.”
Suddenly, a flash of white light came like lightning.
Then a thunderous sound followed.
Outside, it started pouring rain, and the wind rushed in from the door.
Aunt Sun said, “This season is like that. Out of nowhere, a thunderstorm might hit. You should eat and give it a taste.”
Runsheng didn’t put down the spoon but focused on the incense he had just lit.
The wind was howling outside, rustling his hair and the pages on the counter, but the incense still curled upward, rising straight.
Runsheng raised his head.
Above him, a pair of feet hovered.
…
“Good job today, Xiaoyuan. Want a soda?”
“Go ahead and drink, Brother Bin.”
“Oh right, I forgot. You don’t like sweet drinks. Then I’ll make you a cup of tea… let me look for it. I remember my mom put two packs of my dad’s treasured tea leaves in my luggage. Hey, found it!”
Tan Wenbin brewed a cup of tea and placed it on Xiaoyuan’s desk.
“Try this, Xiaoyuan.”
Li Zhuyuan picked up the cup and took a sip, nodding.
“How does it taste?”
“Your dad didn’t take any bribes.”
“Uh, hahahaha!” Tan Wenbin couldn’t help but laugh, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes with the back of his hand. “Then tomorrow I’ll go buy you some good tea.”
“No need.”
Thinking about it, in a few days, Granny Liu would probably appear near the school.
Tea varies in quality, but it’s all about personal taste.
The problem is, he had gotten used to Liu Yumei’s specific flavor, which is particularly rare and expensive.
In the community, if the old folks got their hands on some, they would definitely throw a tea party for everyone to savor.
But at Liu Yumei’s house, it was just everyday rations.
“Boom!”
“Oh no, it looks like it’s going to rain.”
Tan Wenbin moved over to close the window while gathering his clothes.
At that moment, he heard the sound of high heels clicking outside in the hallway.
Tan Wenbin immediately gestured for Li Zhuyuan to be quiet.
Although Li Zhuyuan sat at his desk, he remained still.
Tan Wenbin rolled in a series of movements, picking up the yellow river spade, and stealthily approached the door of the dormitory just as the high heels stopped at the entrance.
The scraping sound shifted, indicating the heels were now facing the dormitory door.
“Brother Bin…” “Shh!” Tan Wenbin waved his hand at Li Zhuyuan, signaling not to scare away whatever was out there.
Li Zhuyuan opened a book and said, “It's a living person.”
“Ah? Oh… I understand now.”
Standing up, Tan Wenbin brushed his hair with his left hand while reaching down with his right, awkwardly trying to ease the tension with some embarrassment.
“D-d-d...”
“Bin, are you there?”
It was the voice of Aunt Ran, the dorm manager.
Tan Wenbin opened the door, and Aunt Ran stood at the threshold holding a ceramic bowl.
A pair of chopsticks rested on top of the bowl, which was filled with tangyuan, the sides of which bore red markings: Labor Model.
“Aunt Ran.”
“I cooked some tangyuan and brought them to you. Don’t forget to return the bowl and chopsticks tomorrow.”
“Okay, thank you, Aunt.”
Aunt Ran leaned into the room and smiled at Li Zhuyuan sitting at the desk. “Our top student should have some too.”
Li Zhuyuan turned his body to give a shy smile in return.
Tan Wenbin remarked, “Aunt, you’re all dressed up tonight and wearing high heels.”
“Today’s my birthday!”
“Oh no, why didn’t you tell me yesterday? I would’ve prepared a cake for you!”
“You little rascal, you just know how to sweet talk.”
“Aunt, happy birthday!”
“Alright, alright. Don’t forget to return the bowl and chopsticks!”
Aunt Ran left, stepping away in her heels.
Tan Wenbin closed the door.
“Xiaoyuan, I didn’t discuss your situation with Aunt. She’s the dorm manager and knows all the students living in this dorm are exceptional. She’s already curious why there hasn't been a photo of a top scorer in the newspaper this year.”
Li Zhuyuan didn’t bother to promote himself, nor did Wu Xinhang push for it.
After all, the provincial top scorer was from their high school.
“Mm, it doesn’t matter. Once we enter university, the college entrance examination results don't hold any significance anymore.”
“Xiaoyuan, do you want one?”
“I’ve already brushed my teeth, so no.”
“Then I’ll eat.” Tan Wenbin picked up his chopsticks and was about to grab a tangyuan.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a window being opened, and then came the startled face of a woman, causing him to drop the bowl and shout, “What the heck!”
In rushed Yin Meng.
Tan Wenbin complained, “Why didn't you just use the door to come in?”
“I’m a girl.”
Tan Wenbin held up two fingers, mimicking stepping along. “There’s the dorm manager. You could just bend over and pass below her windowsill.”
“Climbing over the wall is easier.”
Li Zhuyuan looked at Yin Meng and asked, “Did something happen with Runsheng?”
“I saw a disappearing shadow in the dance studio above the store.”
Tan Wenbin bent down, starting to clear the scattered tangyuan from the floor. “What’s the big deal? Just like Xiaoyuan said, when a few of us gather, dirty things just start floating over here.”
Yin Meng continued, “Runsheng said Xiaohei got frightened.”
“Damn!” Tan Wenbin immediately straightened up.
The black dog had been fed good medicine since it was young, and being a purebred Wuhei dog, such dogs usually grew fiercer when witnessing any dirty entity.
Thus, whatever scared it had to be something quite formidable; it definitely wasn’t anything ordinary.
Once the four left Nantong, they hoped to retrieve dead bodies for thrills, but that only referred to normal cases, not something of this nature, which posed a strong challenge.
Li Zhuyuan opened the drawer and grabbed his whip. “Is Runsheng trapped?”
“No, he stayed at the store to let me inform you guys.”
“Why did you all split up?”
“Because Aunt Sun came back midway, so Runsheng stayed at the store to keep her company.”
At that moment, Yin Meng noticed a hint of indifference flashing in Li Zhuyuan’s eyes.
Just that glance sent a chill down Yin Meng’s back.
It wasn’t disgust or anger, but an emotion more intense than both—he was instinctively rejecting this foolish choice.
Yet soon, the boy closed his eyes and opened them again, regaining focus before lightly responding, “Mm.”
The three of them dashed out of the dormitory building.
As they passed the dorm manager’s office, the windows were closed, and the lights were off.
In the rain, they reached the store entrance, and Li Zhuyuan stopped, raising his hand.
Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng immediately halted too.
The rain continued to pour, the rainwater dripping off the shop's doorframe.
But the door was inside the building, and above it was a terrace, so water shouldn’t have dripped from the top onto the doorsill forming a curtain of water.
Li Zhuyuan specifically glanced upward, not spotting any droplets.
Unless this building had collapsed walls, allowing rain to seep in and conveniently flow from the cracks above the doorframe, there was no way for such coincidental occurrences to happen.
Thus, the water dripping off the door was not the same as the rain from outside.
“It’s inside,” Li Zhuyuan said.
Seeing Xiaoyuan showing no intention of rushing inside, Tan Wenbin hesitated, cautiously shouted towards the inside, “Runsheng! Runsheng!”
“There’s a mist; you can’t hear inside,” Li Zhuyuan replied.
“Oh…” Tan Wenbin shrank back.
A mist meant that forcing entry would trap them; they could either become lost or faint, and it would take a lot of time.
Li Zhuyuan’s gaze hardened, with his right hand holding the whip and his left hand snapping his fingers.
“Snap!”
In a ghostly state, the water dripping from the doorframe transformed into thick black sludge, flowing sideways and upwards, like a living creature.
Li Zhuyuan raised the whip and struck at the animated black line on the ground!
“Crack! Crack! Crack!”
With three strikes in quick succession, the process was interrupted.
From Tan Wenbin and Yin Meng's perspective, Xiaoyuan whipped the floor three times, and the water curtain above the doorframe stopped moving on its own.
“Yin Meng, in!” Li Zhuyuan called out.
Without hesitation, Yin Meng was the first to rush in; Li Zhuyuan followed, with Tan Wenbin bringing up the rear.
Normally, they had never practiced coordinating before, but during dangerous situations, they all understood who should be protected.
Originally, Runsheng would have been the most suited to lead, but he was in that dangerous room now.
Everything seemed normal inside the store, except for the dim lighting.
By the counter, Aunt Sun was slumped over, unconscious.
Li Zhuyuan shot a deep glance at Aunt Sun’s back.
Runsheng was absent from the first floor, but upstairs, there was a series of “bang! bang! bang!” sounds following three heavy thuds.
“Upstairs!”
Following their entry order, the three swiftly ascended the stairs, reaching the corner just as the walls around them began to tremble, the stairs shifting like liquid and shaking increasingly.
Yin Meng had to bend down, struggling to keep her balance.
Tan Wenbin stumbled and fell, completely losing his sense of direction and balance.
Li Zhuyuan looked up at the top of the stairs; something was preventing them from entering.
This indicated that Runsheng was still struggling against it.
“Follow me!”
Li Zhuyuan raised the whip, aiming at the empty space in front of him, and lashed out.
The sound broke the silence while he shut his eyes, feeling a shiver run through his ears.
Then, from Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin’s perspective, Xiaoyuan was heading down the stairs.
They immediately lowered their gaze to look at where Xiaoyuan had stepped.
Then Yin Meng jumped forward while Tan Wenbin crawled using both hands and feet, progressing by following “the footprints of memory.”
Finally, Tan Wenbin crawled out, the area around him returning to a sense of normalcy as he stood up and saw Runsheng pinned against the wall by a steel bar.
Yin Meng had seen it even earlier, her eyes slightly red but standing still in front of Xiaoyuan.
Tan Wenbin raised the spade, cautiously moving behind Xiaoyuan and looking around suspiciously.
“That way!”
Both Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin spotted a portion of the ceiling where black liquid was dripping, accompanied by a strong foul odor.
Looking upward, they saw a shadow stuck to the top; it appeared to have been severely injured during its struggle with Runsheng.
“Buzz!”
The shadow began to wriggle, disappearing from its original spot, but the dripping liquid still remained, only it changed direction as it actively moved toward the three.
“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”
It repeatedly disappeared and reappeared, with traces of black blood getting progressively closer to the ground.
Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin raised their tools and pointed toward that direction.
Li Zhuyuan remained with closed eyes.
The black blood was now right before them.
Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin each raised their yellow river spades.
“Reverse direction!” Li Zhuyuan shouted.
The two of them immediately switched directions and struck where they stood.
“Bang! Bang!”
Two muffled sounds resonated.
Tan Wenbin felt his arms jolt with a numbing shock, as if about to cramp up.
Yin Meng swung the spade, leaped in place, and delivered consecutive kicks toward that spot, utilizing the proper movements of combat.
“Thud! Thud!”
A mass of mud that had previously been unseen suddenly appeared, splattering all around as a body emerged within it.
From her waist, a blood of a different hue flowed steadily—not mud, but a distinct black blood.
Yin Meng held the spade forward once more, preparing to slash towards the wound.
At that moment, the scattered mud suddenly recoiled back and crashed into Yin Meng.
“Bang!”
She lost her balance and was forced towards the mud.
But just before contact, Yin Meng braced against the ground with one hand, straightened up, pivoting around her arm, and swiftly kicked heavily against the mud once again.
The mud scattered once more, revealing a face; more accurately, she had a head but no face.
The spot where her face should have been appeared hollowed out.
The only reason they could tell she was female was because of her long black hair.
She leaped out from the mud, lunging toward Yin Meng.
Yin Meng braced herself to defend with the spade.
Just then, Li Zhuyuan opened his eyes, staring directly at her.
A silent scream instantly erupted within the practice room, causing an ear-splitting pain in both Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin’s ears.
And that faceless person promptly shifted directions, lunging toward Li Zhuyuan.
She sensed an immense threat; this boy was attempting to control her!
Having remained by Xiaoyuan’s side without leaping into battle, Tan Wenbin rushed forward this time, shielding Li Zhuyuan as he swung his spade hard against the incoming faceless figure.
“Bang!”
The spade struck solidly against the faceless figure’s head, yet Tan Wenbin flew back, inadvertently taking Li Zhuyuan down with him.
Crap! I knocked Xiaoyuan over!
Blood trickled from his nose and mouth as Tan Wenbin gritted his teeth and crawled to reach for the fallen yellow river spade.
A hand suddenly grasped his arm, assisting him upward.
Li Zhuyuan glared at the faceless being.
In the clashing distance, every moment could determine life or death; no tool had enough room to be effective—it was a battle of close quarters, not a trap to ensnare anyone.
Thus, Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin could only rush in swinging their yellow river spades, while Li Zhuyuan straight off began using Wei Zhengdao’s techniques from the black leather book to control the dead.
The boy spread his open palm and clenched it tight.
“Buzz!”
The faceless figure froze in place.
Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin sighed with relief, they had succeeded!
However, the joy of success lasted only a brief few seconds.
Deep within the void of the faceless figure, two red eyes emerged.
Li Zhuyuan’s expression turned shocked: Damn it, she was being controlled!
Blood began to seep from the boy’s eyes, but he still kept them wide open, ignoring the chaotic pulls and tugs from the ghost state.
The body of the faceless being began to tremble violently, black fog spraying out incessantly, and it seemed as though it might disintegrate.
Yin Meng and Tan Wenbin exchanged glances; one pulled out a hometown net while the other produced the seven-star hook.
But just then, sensing it might get completely trapped here, the faceless figure’s body began to swell.
“Boom!”
Black fog overflowed, clouding their vision.
The faceless figure quickly retreated, smashing through the glass on the second floor and disappearing from sight.
Li Zhuyuan bowed his head and squatted slowly, pressing his hands against his eyes.
It hurt so much…
Li Zhuyuan’s heart raced with terror.
In the past in Shigang Town, he encountered a vengeful spirit that could control revenants, but even those spirits were things that Runsheng could handle alone.
But if the recent faceless figure was also a revenant, then the power controlling her must be terrifying indeed.
Why would there be such a level of existence in school?
“Xiaoyuan, are you alright?” Tan Wenbin asked concernedly.
Yin Meng squatted beside him too.
Even though Runsheng was still pinned to the wall, no one was paying him any heed.
It wasn’t frozen-heartedness; they only feared leaving his side, should whatever that was return to attack Xiaoyuan.
Li Zhuyuan shook his head. “Go check on Runsheng, he’s about to collapse; he won’t be coming back.”
“Mm.”
Yin Meng immediately sprang up and ran towards Runsheng.
Runsheng gripped the steel pipe that pierced through his shoulder, sucking in cold air continuously.
His pale complexion indicated he had exhausted most of his strength during the earlier struggle.
In fact, it was because Runsheng had dealt severe damage that Li Zhuyuan was able to successfully launch an assault, almost gaining control over the deceased.
“What do we do?” Yin Meng asked urgently.
“Support me… out.”
“Is that possible?”
“It is... just not in a vital area.”
At that moment, Tan Wenbin rushed over to assist as well, each taking one side of Runsheng as he held the steel pole with one hand, slowly moving forward.
They were effectively retracing the journey of getting impaled by the pole.
Finally freeing themselves from the trap, Runsheng “thudded” to his knees, mouth agape, gasping for breath.
Luckily, the injury wasn’t to a crucial area; had it deviated even a little inward, it would have been a fatal blow.
This was Runsheng’s first time being so badly hurt; looking at it from another perspective, it meant that Runsheng could survive a tussle with that faceless being.
Had it been anyone else—whether Yin Meng or Tan Wenbin—they would have long been dead.
Li Zhuyuan approached, even though he had wiped his face, some blood still lingered in the corners of his eyes.
Runsheng raised his head with effort, meeting the boy’s gaze, especially noting the concern in the boy’s eyes.
“Xiaoyuan... I… made a mistake…”
Even the fiercest of beasts, after living in ease for long, would gradually dull their edges and lose that earlier fierce determination.
No one can constantly stay stretched taut like a bowstring, making the most correct choices; even a knife needs to be sharpened occasionally.
Li Zhuyuan’s eyes reflected concern. “Runsheng, are you okay?”
Runsheng nodded slightly. “I’m fine... just a little hurt.”
Li Zhuyuan knew Runsheng wasn’t being brave; it seemed he always recovered quickly unless it was a life-threatening injury.
“Bin, you take Runsheng to the school clinic and just say he accidentally fell on a steel bar while renovating.”
“Alright.”
Unlike the small clinic in middle school that merely dispensed simple remedies like the clear licorice decoction, the university clinic resembled a small hospital.
Even at night, doctors are available on duty.
Tan Wenbin's biceps came into play, as ordinary individuals wouldn’t have been able to carry someone with Runsheng’s build.
Yin Meng wanted to follow along, but since Xiaoyuan hadn’t called her name, she stayed behind.
As they returned downstairs, the departure of whatever that was resulted in the shop’s light returning to brightness.
Although it continued to rain outside, the curtain of rain from the doorway had vanished.
Li Zhuyuan approached the counter.
He noticed the slight movement of Aunt Sun’s earlobes, barely perceptible but impossible to escape the gaze of someone observant.
She hadn’t been faking her earlier faint; however, her current sleep appeared to be a front.
Li Zhuyuan realized she had issues, unrelated to recent interactions since she had been normal back then.
Everything stemmed from how she had fainted when they entered—if she were sprawled out on the floor or bleeding out, or even trembling on the second floor under Runsheng’s protection, it would all be acceptable.
What’s unusual was that she was propped up with her hands on the counter as if taking a quick nap during her work hours.
Why would she receive such gentleness from the death that was so heavy?
Also, being in the store the whole day, something should have already happened, but she had chosen to wait until Runsheng returned before any event occurred.
While this kind of reasoning feels cold, and leans on guilt by association, Aunt Sun's physical well-being becomes the most significant problem.
Especially now, she appeared to be feigning unconsciousness.
She wasn’t likely the perpetrator, nor was she the one controlling the faceless entity, but the dead entity was definitely connected to her!
Yin Meng excelled in her profession as a corpse fetcher, but in other aspects, she tended to be a bit dull.
At that moment, she was still considering waking Aunt Sun up.
Li Zhuyuan raised his hand, halting Yin Meng’s actions.
Then, he reached for the yellow river spade in Yin Meng’s hand, causing her to release it immediately, giving it to him.
Li Zhuyuan raised the yellow river spade and struck down onto the counter!
“Bang!”
“Ah!”
The glass on the counter shattered, and Aunt Sun screamed, immediately lifting her head as she fell to the floor, supporting herself but getting cut by the glass shards, sharply inhaling cold air.
Yin Meng burned with anger; she finally realized Aunt Sun had been faking it all along.
Thinking about how Runsheng had stayed back because of her, she clenched her fists tightly.
Aunt Sun glanced at Yin Meng first, then looked up at the boy approaching her with the spade raised.
The soles of his feet crunched on the shattered glass beneath, but a warm smile appeared on his face, just as it had been during their previous meetings—always polite and well-mannered.
Li Zhuyuan crouched down, propping the yellow river spade against the counter as he looked at Aunt Sun, asking the coldest question in the warmest tone, “Do you choose the truth or be buried alive?”
(End of Chapter)