White temples

"So, does that mean we can suspect that the murderer knocked Shi Lu unconscious and kidnapped her to the abandoned factory?" Si Mucheng stared at the factory, which looked like a monster with its mouth wide open in the darkness.

Shi Lu said timidly, "...I'm not quite sure..."

Wen Ya recalled the information Shi Lu had provided earlier and said, "You said that after you woke up, you found yourself in a place that looked like a warehouse, which is most likely a factory building or warehouse."

"Shall we go in and take a look?" Si Mucheng was eager to try. "There's no way out on either side. This is the only place with hope. I think the murderer might really have buried Shi Lu's body here."

Wen Ya had the same idea, and she nodded: "If there are any traces of talismans used here, I will be able to sense them."

The area was far from residential, and at this time of day, no one would come to such a desolate place. The moonlight cast long shadows of the two of them. Wen Ya and Si Mucheng looked around, but it was quiet, and they could only hear their own footsteps.

When they reached a factory, Wen Ya noticed that the door was ajar. She looked around and said to Si Mucheng, "You continue forward, I'll go inside and take a look."

Si Mucheng hesitated for a moment: "In this situation, is it not possible for us to go our separate ways?"

Wen Ya asked curiously, "Why?"

Simu was concerned about safety: "I just feel... it wouldn't be safe to walk separately."

Wen Ya was about to say that there wasn't a single ghost here, let alone a human, but then she thought about it and realized that Si Mucheng was afraid of ghosts, so she said knowingly, "Let Shi Lu accompany you."

Si Mucheng hadn't meant it that way, but he understood Wen Ya's meaning and thought it made sense; the location was convenient and there shouldn't be any problems. He waved his hand: "Shi Lu can't live without the Soul-Returning Lamp."

Wen Ya's eyes showed doubt: "Can you do it?"

Si Mucheng began to doubt himself after hearing her words. He shrugged and glanced around, "There... there shouldn't be any other ghosts here, right..."

Wen Ya's lips curled up slightly: "It's hard to say."

Si Mucheng sighed, "Oh well, if I run into a ghost, it's just bad luck."

He finally understood that being favored by ghosts was his destiny; the more he feared them, the more they came. Despite this self-awareness, he still silently took out his talisman, finally finding a little sense of security.

In just a few words, the two parted ways.

The factory had already shut down its power, but the moonlight was bright tonight, so there was no need for a flashlight. Even so, Si Mucheng still took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. Even though he spoke nonchalantly, the physiological fear deep inside was beyond his control.

Wen Ya walked into the factory. It was obviously much darker inside than outside. The moonlight couldn't penetrate, making the abandoned building look like a monster with its mouth wide open, disguised and waiting for people to walk into its trap.

Wen Ya pulled out a flashlight. She was rather old-fashioned and still used some old-fashioned methods, but the flashlight beam didn't reveal anything. However, Shi Lu spoke up at this moment: "I...I have a really strong feeling of unease about this place..."

Wen Ya raised an eyebrow: "Is the feeling very strong?"

Shi Lu moved a little closer to her and hesitated, saying, "It's not as intense here, but I feel more uncomfortable inside."

Wen Ya shone her flashlight and discovered there was another room, which was the "inside" that Shi Lu had mentioned.

Suddenly, she noticed something. The inner room looked like an operating room with a door. The door was ajar, but a sliver of orange light was shining through the crack.

Are the lights on inside?

But how could that be? This place has been abandoned for so long; even if there are homeless people here, there's no way there could be electricity.

Wen Ya was about to walk into the inner room when Shi Lu hurriedly said, "Don't go, I... I don't feel well, but don't go."

"It's nothing," Wen Ya said calmly, her steps unwavering.

Shi Lu was pacing anxiously to the side, but she still overcame the instinctive fear stemming from her spiritual body and floated over to Wen Ya.

She subconsciously wanted to get close to Wen Ya and watch Wen Ya push open the door. Even though she was already a ghost, she was still extremely nervous, afraid that some vicious person or a blue-faced, fanged ghost would suddenly appear behind the door. But then she thought, "Isn't she a ghost herself?"

Fortunately, nothing strange happened when Wen Ya opened the door.

Although Shi Lu had stopped breathing long ago, she was relieved in a way: "Thankfully, there's nothing wrong."

Wen Ya's brow remained furrowed. She glanced around the room, her gaze finally settling on a table in the center, upon which sat a small lamp, emitting a dim light. Her voice was cold: "There are anomalies everywhere here, and this lamp is the biggest anomaly. Moreover," she flared her nostrils, her brows furrowing even more deeply, "...it stinks here."

Shi Lu, being a ghost, had no five senses and couldn't smell anything in the air. Perhaps the place made her feel uneasy, as she was more agitated than usual. She hurriedly asked, "What's that smell? A dead rat?"

Wen Ya shook her head and waved the flashlight around. The light was too dim, and she couldn't see clearly what the stains on the corners of the room and the floor and walls were made of. But the faint fishy smell in the air and Shi Lu's behavior gave Wen Ya a guess.

She glanced at the lamp again, then suddenly realized something: "Here..."

Suddenly, Shi Lu screamed. Before Wen Ya could react, a force slammed into her back, and a stench of sweat wafted over. Wen Ya tried to resist, but the person quickly locked her hands in a grip, and she couldn't break free.

"My little beauty, you're so alluring. Just one look at me today and I knew you couldn't stand being alone. And you really wanted to be with me, didn't I? Don't worry, Uncle will take good care of you."

Upon hearing the voice, Wen Ya knew she had guessed correctly; it was the owner of the fried food stall.

His scalding breath was almost touching Wen Ya's neck, and the sticky skin on his arm made her feel nauseous. Wen Ya tried her best, but couldn't break free from his restraints.

Her resistance was futile in the eyes of the fried food stall owner. Although he wasn't tall, his weight was considerable, and with a downward press, Wen Ya was slammed onto the table. As she got closer, the stench intensified, and by the light of the small lamp, one could see a thick layer of dust and dark red grime on the table.

She didn't have a chance to think about what it was, but at that moment, she finally realized how vast the power disparity between men and women was. Even though she was a little taller than the average girl, she was completely overwhelmed and unable to resist a man who was about the same height as her.

The fried food stall owner looked extremely excited, pinning Wen Ya to the table while uttering obscene words like "little beauty" and "baby," his hands becoming increasingly restless. Wen Ya's eyes sharpened instantly, but there was nothing she could do at the moment.

Just as he was pondering how to break the deadlock, he heard a series of hurried footsteps behind him. At that same moment, a muffled sound came as the pressure on Wen Ya loosened, and the man cried out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Si Mucheng stopped his movement and came over to support Wen Ya.

Wen Ya used his strength to regain her balance, and glanced at the fried food stall owner who was rolling on the ground, groaning in pain as he clutched his lower back. It must have been thanks to Si Mucheng's kick just now.

Shi Lu paced around Wen Ya, asking, "Are you alright? Are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he? I'd feel so guilty if anything happened to you!"

Wen Ya hadn't expected to have to comfort a ghost. She smiled at Shi Lu and said, "It's okay, thanks to your quick thinking."

They even knew to call Si Mucheng over.

Seeing that Wen Ya was unharmed, Si Mucheng breathed a sigh of relief: "How is he? What's he doing here?"

Wen Ya pondered for a moment: "He should be the murderer without a doubt. This place is also very likely the primary crime scene."

"You mean..." Si Mucheng glanced at Shi Lu, but didn't finish his sentence, only saying, "What do you mean now?"

"Let's call the police," Wen Ya said calmly. "He must have had his eye on us from the beginning. I don't know if he followed us all the way here or if he laid an ambush beforehand. In any case, this place is inextricably linked to him. We'll have to pry out where Shi Lu's body is buried from his mouth."

Shi Lu felt extremely uneasy, not as a ghost. Knowing that the fried food stall owner was her murderer, she felt not resentment, but fear. She couldn't help but turn to look at the man in the corner, but after just one glance, her eyes widened, and she cried out shrilly, "Sister, be careful!"

Before she could even see what was happening, almost instinctively, Si Mucheng hugged Wen Ya, shielding her with his back. Wen Ya's clear eyes reflected the grotesque face of the barbecue stall owner and the cold glint of the knife in his hand. She hugged Si Mucheng back, dodging to the side, but the man's knife still grazed Si Mucheng's arm, drawing blood instantly.

Si Mucheng clutched his arm and looked at the man, who was glaring fiercely at Wen Ya, his tone filled with exasperation: "You filthy bitch, what are you pretending for! I'm going to kill all of you unfaithful bitches!"

Si Mucheng clicked his tongue: "Watch your mouth!"

The fried food stall owner gave him a cold look, then turned to Wen Ya and said, "You were the one who looked at me first! You gave me a hint! Why did you go and flirt with other people! You bitches are all the same! You played me for fools and humiliated me!"

Wen Ya frowned. She realized that she and Si Mucheng had both underestimated this person.

It's easy to tell from his words that he has mental problems. Moreover, he has actually killed people, and in an extremely brutal way. This shows that his thoughts cannot be understood with normal reasoning, and he doesn't care about human life.

This is a very dangerous person.

Si Mucheng assessed his own fighting ability, glanced at the knife in the man's hand, tilted his head, and whispered to Wen Ya, "Xiao Ya, I'll hold him off. You take the opportunity to run out and call the police later."

Wen Ya remained silent.

Si Mucheng is already injured, and it will take the police some time to get here. Si Mucheng's method is not rational.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, then she made a hand gesture.