The light was dim and shadowy.

The cave wasn't very big.

It was incredibly hot inside, filled with the smells of rotting animals, human sweat, and all sorts of strange odors, like a running condiment jar.

Smelly.

It smells so bad it makes you dizzy.

Jiang Pengyue was breathing with great difficulty. She took the flashlight from her waist, turned it on, and shone it on the ground in front of her.

Lying on the ground was none other than the missing... Xu Manzhi.

She remained motionless, completely unlike her usual arrogant self, lying like a wounded mouse, barely alive, in a pile of smelly bones.

A monster was crouching nearby.

Yes.

Strictly speaking, this thing, which is neither human nor animal, has a long, grayish-white hair covered in mud, stretching for over ten meters. It is tangled together like moss, constantly fermenting and emitting a strong stench of decay.

Her face was completely obscured by her long hair.

At least Jiang Pengyue had never seen it.

She hunched over, squatting like a kangaroo, maintaining that posture day after day for ten years.

Sometimes, Jiang Pengyue seriously doubted whether the monster was actually a stone...

But when she eats, she makes gurgling sounds, which are quite creepy.

Third Brother never let her touch him.

Even the flashlight beam couldn't be shone into the monster's face.

She didn't know what the other party was...

But Third Brother said that if you encounter a life-or-death crisis, you can feed the monster and then get a fascinating item that doesn't exist in the world from it.

When she was little, she would ask her third brother what fascinating things were.

Her third brother would glare at her fiercely and say, "You're not allowed to ask or mention it. You can only come down when I'm not home and you're all grown up and ready to get married."

In her most desperate moment, she wanted to die.

But then a thought flashed through her mind: the monsters her third brother kept in the cave gave her a glimmer of hope, like a drowning person grasping at a last straw.

She came down and found the Gulu Monster.

It was on that occasion that the monster, who had been silent for over a decade, croaked with a hoarse voice, making a cracking sound, and murmured: "The wheel of fate has finally begun to turn."

Jiang Pengyue didn't understand.

But the Gulu Monster stretched out a hand covered in black grime, rummaged under its rear end, tossed her a piece of spice, and said, "Grind the spice and place it in every corner of the Gu family home. When you see Xu Manzhi, sprinkle some on the spot."

Jiang Pengyue was stunned.

How does this monster-man know so much about what's happening in the outside world if he hasn't even left?

Before she could ask, the gurgling monster continued, "Find someone who will help you with trivial matters. The pigeons kept on your third brother's balcony will deliver messages to him."

Jiang Pengyue followed the instructions of the Gulu Monster and actually matched them one by one.

She was so horrified that she couldn't express it in words.

What is the identity of the long-haired strange man in the cave? Does he have precognitive abilities?

What did she want with Xu Manzhi?

Amidst all these questions, Jiang Pengyue remained in shock for several days. When she saw Xu Manzhi again, she suddenly snapped out of her daze, her mind filled with all sorts of harmful thoughts.

She was terrified.

"Who exactly are you? And what do you want with Xu Manzhi?" Jiang Pengyue held up a flashlight, with a knife hidden at her waist. If the strange man made a move, she would have to protect herself.

"Giggle—" The long-haired monster made a gurgling sound from its throat, its laughter was extremely eerie and chilling.

"Stop laughing."

Jiang Pengyue wanted to run away.

But the person behind him spoke up: "Didn't you use my method to seduce Gu Jiajia and send Yan Lin to Guangshui Village? I didn't tell you to do that, but you listened to your evil heart, wanted to take revenge on the Gu family, and wanted to harm Yan Lin."

"You, you're talking nonsense!"

Jiang Pengyue's face was pale.

She drew a sharp knife from her waist, raised it, and threatened the strange man: "What, what do you want? I've already helped you. Don't try to control me. I'm going to live a good life, and I won't allow anyone to ruin it, or I'll—"

"So what? Murder? Arson? Become a vicious and wicked woman?" the strange man chuckled.

His smile radiated pleasure and appreciation.

Guh—

A foul stench emanated from the strange man's mouth, so sour and nauseating.

Jiang Pengyue is pregnant.

She gagged repeatedly as soon as she smelled the odor.

"Oh, you're pregnant? Let me guess whose child it is..."

"Aaaaaah, don't say it!"

Jiang Pengyue frantically brandished the sharp knife.

She lunged forward, only to trip over her long hair, causing the flashlight in her hand to fall to the ground and shine its light directly into the monster's face...

"ah--"

Jiang Pengyue let out a shrill scream and covered her eyes.

She retreated backward on the ground, kicking her legs incessantly, trying to break free from the entanglement of the long hair.

But the hair strands are numerous and messy.

The more it struggled, the more tightly its hair became entangled.

She reached out to grab it.

But then the strange man said, "Are you scared? Want to see my face?"

"No, no, I don't want to see. I'm leaving now, and I'll never come back here again. Whether you live or die is none of my business."

Jiang Pengyue felt like she had been stupid.

She was so close to happiness, why did she come to this godforsaken place and see such strange and filthy things?

Yes, yes.

That face, that face—

Jiang Pengyue ran off in a flurry of activity.

She ran so fast that she forgot to take the fallen flashlight and the sharp knife hidden in her hair.

In the light, the strange man made a gurgling sound again.

It said, "She's gone. You don't need to pretend anymore. I've already heard the noise."

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