White temples
"What?" Si Mucheng was surprised first. He turned to look at Wen Ya, but reacted quickly, "You suspect that fried food stall owner? But why?"
Wen Ya paused for a moment, then uttered two words: "Intuition."
Si Mucheng: "..."
"Huh?" He looked confused, doubting himself. "Is there something on him that I didn't see?"
Wen Ya did not answer, but looked at Shi Lu with a questioning look in her eyes.
But Shi Lu remained silent. She hadn't actually thought about that nightmarish, sinful night for a long time. After becoming a ghost, she was initially in a daze, but later remembered what she most wanted to do, only to find that she could never leave that underground place.
She was unwilling to recall the humiliation and despair, so she could only recall the beautiful moments in her life.
Sunshine, laughter, and love.
She can think of her father, the father she can't let go of the most.
Those memories of being treated gently, her father's tolerant smile, and his kind hands could all soothe her despair.
In life, she was an honest and timid person. Even after death, she dared not harbor resentment, but silently watched over and waited, holding onto the wish to see her father, as if waiting for a hope that was out of reach.
“I… I don’t remember very well,” Shi Lu lowered her head. She knew the person in front of her was a good person. Even though she seemed very cold, from the moment she stopped “her” from recalling what happened that night, she knew that she was actually a very gentle person. But it was all meaningless. “Sister, why do we need to find the murderer?”
Si Mucheng was taken aback, and Wen Ya tilted her head as well, seemingly puzzled.
Shi Lu continued, "All I want is to see my father. I don't ask for anything else."
"But!" Si Mucheng said hurriedly, "Don't you want to find the murderer? That's the person who killed you! Your body... hasn't been found yet!"
Shi Lu shook her head: "The shop owner also said that there haven't been any more cases since then. In the end, I'm the only unlucky one who got hurt. I can't care about the others, and I don't hate anyone. Sister, please take me to see my dad so I can leave sooner."
Si Mucheng asked incredulously, "Why?"
Shi Lu's lips twitched slightly: "...It's too bitter."
Life used to be tough, but she felt it was to be expected; it's normal for life to be tough, and she and her father would bear it together. She studied hard, took the college entrance exam, and hoped that she could work and earn money in the future, making things easier for her father. Life is short, but there is always hope.
But she died. She didn't expect that even in death, she would suffer. She couldn't wait for that hope, and because of her obsession, she couldn't find relief. She didn't know when these dark and hopeless days would end.
So, I'll just go see Dad one more time.
She just wanted to be free as soon as possible.
Wen Ya's clear, spring-like eyes looked at Shi Lu, as if she could see through the thoughts of a ghost. She spoke in a clear, cold voice: "You are free, but what about your father?"
Shi Lu paused.
"You said your death was sudden, and you were worried about your father, so your obsession was with him. If you could see your father one last time, you could let go of your obsession and be reborn in the Pure Land. But your father still has no news of you, and you are still nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead."
"Your soul is suppressed and trapped underground where there is no sunlight, but your father is suffering a different kind of darkness."
Losing one's only loved one is an inescapable source of suffering in life.
"At the very least, you should let him know where you are." Even if the truth is cruel, it will give him a sense of belonging.
Shi Lu looked stunned for a while before she spoke softly: "I...I'm not sure, because Mr. Sun is much fatter now than he was back then."
Si Mucheng looked at Wen Ya and said, "I spoke to that boss for a couple of minutes, and it didn't seem like anything special. He was quite enthusiastic, though. Did he slip up somewhere? Did you notice anything amiss, Xiao Ya?"
Wen Ya said calmly, "Call me Master."
Si Mucheng was taken aback, only then realizing that he had unintentionally called her Xiaoya again. He touched his nose and remained silent.
However, Wen Ya didn't care. She looked thoughtful, recalling the look in Boss Sun's eyes: "I'm not quite sure either, but his eyes were very unsettling."
Si Mucheng was taken aback: "His eyes?" He realized something was off. "That's right, he was greeting you from the start. But you're pretty, and some men like to flirt with pretty girls."
Wen Ya's eyes turned cold. Of course, she had encountered people like this before. However, she was aloof and her expression was not very friendly when she wasn't smiling. It was obvious that she was not someone to be trifled with, and not many people dared to mess with her. Some bold people would whistle at her, but that was all. However, there were also people who were easy to mess with.
She looked at Shi Lu: "Was Mr. Sun verbally rude to you before?"
Shi Lu knew that she still suspected Boss Sun. She shook her head: "He only ever gives a greeting each time."
"You responded every time?"
Shi Lu didn't understand what she meant, and simply said softly, "It's not right to ignore someone when they greet you."
Wen Ya pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "If I take you to your burial site, can you find it?"
After Shi Lu escaped from the underground thanks to the Soul-Returning Lamp, she could only drift around it, which is why she stayed by Wen Ya's side. When "she" heard that Wen Ya was going to find "her" corpse, a sense of tension arose within her. "She" said, "I don't know the exact location, but I can feel that suppressive force."
Wen Ya simply nodded, but she wasn't sure if she could find the place. She said to Si Mucheng, "Let's go to No. 2 Middle School again tonight."
Si Mucheng had no objection to this, since he was going to follow Wen Ya's lead anyway.
Dusk falls on the city.
The two people and the ghost emerged from the cave again.
The Second Middle School became increasingly deserted at night. Most of the shops in that row were closed, but some food stalls were still waiting, probably to do some business during the late-night snack time.
Wen Ya and Si Mucheng walked past, glancing at the fried food stall, which was, as expected, closed. Wen Ya looked away, while Si Mucheng glanced at the convenience store again. Luckily, no one was on the recliner by the door; otherwise, if the long-haired owner had seen them, he would have had to come up with an excuse.
Passing by the entrance of the Second Middle School, you'll find yourself in a residential area. The old town has many residential buildings, some old and some new, but with so many buildings, the roads become narrow, and the terrain is intricate and interconnected.
It was past dinner time, and people were taking advantage of this time to go out for a walk, making it quite lively.
Shi Lu told them that there was an abandoned factory after passing through this residential area, and further ahead was Yanhe Road. It took her fifteen minutes by bus to get from No. 2 Middle School to her home, but the bus route home did not pass by the school gate; there was only a stop on Yanhe Road, so she had to walk a bit to wait for the bus.
"Many students at school take that bus; it's very common."
"So the day you had the accident, it wasn't because you were walking alone at night?"
"That day... I was delayed a bit, and when I came out, there were indeed hardly any people on this road."
They had reached a fork in the road, near the end of a residential area, where there was hardly anyone around. The fork was Y-shaped, with an even smaller alleyway next to it. Wen Ya looked at Shi Lu, who nodded. She walked over and saw the shop the long-haired shopkeeper had mentioned was closed, right at the alley entrance, but it was still closed, the roller shutter tightly shut, and there was no sign. So, no one had taken over this shop yet?
Wen Ya paused for a moment, then said to Si Mucheng, "Let's go this way and take a look."
Si Mucheng had no objection, quickly walked over, and walked side by side with her into the alley.
This alley was even quieter than the previous road, without even streetlights. Fortunately, the moonlight was just right tonight, illuminating the road a little, but that was all. Si Mucheng looked at the dark road, swallowed hard, and couldn't help but move closer to Wen Ya.
After walking for so long, Wen Ya's collar was slightly damp with sweat, while Si Mucheng was like a giant furnace; you could feel the heat emanating from him if you got close. Wen Ya frowned: "Why are you crowding me?"
Si Mucheng never hid anything from Wen Ya. He sighed, "It's too dark."
Wen Ya knew this person was always timid, but she was still slightly speechless: "...You have a ghost right next to you, what are you afraid of?"
Si Mucheng was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant, scratched his head, and chuckled twice: "I'm used to it, I'm used to it."
After a while, Wen Ya said, "Don't worry, I'm here. No ghosts will suddenly appear."
Si Mucheng responded, then, remembering something, asked, "Why hasn't Xiao Feng arrived yet?"
Wen Ya sensed it for a moment and said calmly, "It's too far."
Si Mucheng: "..."
He was at a loss for words when he thought about how Xiao Feng, a chicken, had to run all the way from Yucheng to Lishi. Wasn't that animal abuse? Since Xiao Feng was a spiritual artifact, why couldn't she shrink down or turn back into a spiritual artifact and be carried in her bag?
He voiced his question, and Wen Ya glanced at him sideways. Although Si Mucheng felt that her eyesight wasn't very good, as if she were looking at a fool, the moonlight was dim, and he couldn't see clearly. By the time he wanted to see more clearly, Wen Ya had already turned her head back, leaving him with her profile. Her tone was quite patient as she said, "Xiao Feng's life-extending artifact is called the Longevity Bowl. It only borrows lifespan and cannot change the physical form."
Si Mucheng gave an awkward "Oh." However, chatting about trivial matters did dispel some of his instinctive fear. He couldn't stay still and was about to speak again when Wen Ya raised her hand to stop him. She gestured with her chin: "We've reached the end."
Upon hearing this, Si Mucheng looked ahead. The tall, desolate building was hidden in the darkness. He carefully discerned it: "This is..."
“It’s… a factory,” Shi Lu said. “It’s said to have been a food processing plant before, but it was moved after parents complained about the noise and said it would affect the students. But no one has taken over the land, and it’s been abandoned here for many years.”
Wen Ya said softly, "So, this alley leads directly here."
The city is a green curtain of crops, devoid of human habitation and lights.
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