He Wangyao got goosebumps just thinking about that scene.

He didn't even dare to listen to the story; he sat down to the side, put on his headphones, and started playing video games.

When it was Sun Wanqiu's turn, he nudged He Wangyao and said, "Look, it's all fake. Everyone has returned safely."

Others urged He Wangyao, "Are you even a man? Why don't you give it a try?"

"It's actually quite interesting, so don't seem too out of place!"

He Wangyao's attitude remained firm and unwavering: "Whether I am a man or not is not for you to decide. If you're so capable, then get the government to change the gender on my ID card."

He was internally screaming, "I'm not like you bunch of lunatics! I'm not going to intentionally kill myself!"

The others looked rather displeased after being rebuked like that, so Sun Wanqiu quickly offered a few words of advice before starting to tell a story.

He Wangyao continued playing his game.

A few minutes later, he heard a scream, a voice filled with fear and terror—it was Sun Wanqiu's voice!

He Wangyao pulled off her headphones and saw everyone in the hall standing there in a daze, while Sun Wanqiu looked terrified as if he had been dragged into the darkness by something!

This happened so fast that by the time He Wangyao reached the gate, the person had already disappeared.

Most of the people in the hall were pale-faced, and some of the girls even began to sob quietly.

He Wangyao said anxiously, "What happened? Everyone, hurry up and go save them!"

"No, we can't go out!" Several men disagreed and urged loudly to close the door quickly.

They already regret playing the game, and some have already gone to the guesthouse staff to ask them to turn on all the lights.

He Wangyao hesitated for a moment, then took out a high-powered flashlight from her bag. "Who's coming with me to look for someone?"

No one answered, and the people he was looking at even looked away.

He Wangyao thought to himself, "What I feared most has come to pass." He steeled himself, turned on the flashlight, and tentatively took one step out.

The guesthouse lobby opens onto a courtyard paved with pebbles and filled with flowers, making it a perfect spot for taking photos.

What was a beautiful scene during the day appeared eerie under the stark white lighting.

He Wangyao tried to raise her voice and call Sun Wanqiu's name, and suddenly heard a response from the direction on her left.

"Wanwan? Old Wan?" He Wangyao was overjoyed. He shone his flashlight on the person who appeared in the night.

Sun Wanqiu walked over with a smile, "Yaoyao, you truly love me. I was just testing you, and it turns out you're the only one willing to come out and find me."

It turned out to be just a joke, He Wangyao breathed a sigh of relief.

He maintained the position with one foot inside the door and the other outside.

Just as they were about to go out to meet the other person, someone inside the house shouted in terror, "Don't go out! That's a ghost!"

Sun Wanqiu froze for a moment. He had already reached the bottom of the steps. He glanced into the house, then his expression changed drastically. "Yaoyao, come out quickly! Everyone in the house is dead!"

He Wangyao subconsciously turned around and glanced back. That glance almost made him faint. The people in the room were bleeding from their seven orifices!

——

The car sped along the highway.

At this time of day, and since it's not a holiday, there are very few vehicles on the highway.

Gu Xu looked at the dark night in the distance, not understanding why he had ignored the experts who were about to arrive and instead accompanied them to this place.

In the passenger seat, Mingzhuo was still making a phone call home.

“Mom, I forgot to mention, I signed up for a lecture at Dongxu University… Yes, my adoptive parents signed me up before… Yes, it’s for this year’s Olympiad…”

Gu Xu listened calmly. This person was not only lying, but later on, he even made a promise to win a gold medal in the competition.

After Mingzhuo hung up the phone, he said, "Aren't you afraid of being exposed?"

Mingzhuo: "Dongxu University does have a lecture on the Olympic Games. Besides, if we bring back a gold medal, we won't be afraid of being exposed."

Gu Xu: "..."

He discovered that the little girl was very confident and completely unaffected by external opinions.

Half an hour ago, he brought Mingzhuo into the ward.

Although Hezhou was nervous, he naturally had no objection since it was his decision, and only exchanged a few polite words.

Mingzhuo walked to the bedside, glanced at the magic array, commented that it was alright, and then picked up the documents on the bedside table.

Why did you circle this person?

Gu Xu stepped forward to explain, and Ming Zhuo looked at him with surprise, "But this person is already dead."

After those words were spoken, the room fell silent.

"How is that possible? Neither Daoist Tingyun nor Master Yuanhui noticed anything wrong," Hezhou said in a trembling voice.

Mingzhuo calculated with his fingers, his expression becoming more serious. "That's because this person is not only dead, but also a cultivator. He can conceal his whereabouts, so those Taoist priests and monks will probably return empty-handed."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Maybe it's because I'm more capable."

He Zhou thought to herself, "How is that possible? They are highly accomplished monks and masters of Taoism. How could a little girl like you possibly compare to them?"

But when Mingzhuo said she wanted to go to Xiaoqingshan, he didn't object.

There's strength in numbers; what if the other side really is capable?

But as Gu Xu and Ming Zhuo were about to leave, he couldn't help but remind them, "When you get there, be sure to meet up with Daoist Tingyun and the others beforehand. Don't act alone!"

Gu Xu snapped out of her thoughts, "Shouldn't we contact the Taoist priest and the others?"

Mingzhuo took out the contact information Hezhou had given her, "Contact them now, I'll ask the Taoist priest and the others to wait for me."

——

He Wangyao leaned against the door frame, her whole body stiff, wishing she could burst into tears.

As someone who has been afraid of ghosts since childhood, how could he not have read the classic horror stories of people dying in the snow-capped mountains!

On one side are friends who seem to have been taken away by something unclean but miraculously returned, and on the other side are tourists bleeding from all seven orifices.

Which side should we believe?

He couldn't believe either side!

He Wangyao's legs were trembling, and he knew something was wrong. He had been restless all day, and sure enough, things went wrong!

His voice trembled as he said, "Why don't you try to persuade me?"

The people inside the house exclaimed, "So many of us saw him being taken away by a ghost, how could he be unharmed? Come in quickly, ghosts and monsters dare not enter!"

Sun Wanqiu: "You have a childhood photo on your phone, with braids and wearing a skirt. You've always told others that it's your sister, but you've only ever told me that it's you."

He Wangyao turned to look at him. He had indeed only told Sun Wanqiu about this: this was not a monster!

He lifted the foot inside the room, and in the darkness, Sun Wanqiu's lips curled up into a silent smile.

"Ah Xu!" He Wangyao exclaimed in surprise as she saw the person enter the courtyard!

Sun Wanqiu paused, looking warily at the person who appeared.

The light from inside the house shone through, illuminating a small patch of open ground in front of the door.

Sun Wanqiu stood half in the light and half in the darkness.

And that person stood in the deeper darkness of the night, dressed in white, so white that he seemed to glow.

He looked at He Wangyao and said, "Ayao, come here quickly. Something's wrong here. Don't trust anyone but me."