In the cramped, dark room, almost the only sound was the chewing of a vengeful ghost. Ji He stood there, coldly watching the scene before her, blood and flesh flying everywhere, the vengeful ghost chewing on severed limbs.
Ji He's face turned a little pale, but as a veteran player of global horror games, she took a deep breath and quickly surveyed her surroundings.
The vengeful spirit's realm is slowly closing in...
Just before it was about to drag the whole house away and disappear, Ji He's gaze fell on the iron basin filled with blood on the altar. She seemed to vaguely see something reflecting light.
"roar--"
Just as the vengeful ghost roared once more, Ji He decisively picked up the iron basin and rushed out. The moment she burst through the wooden door, the vengeful ghost charged forward, but before it could get close, the ghostly aura instantly contracted and vanished completely.
The entire cage, built of bricks and cement, fell completely silent after the ghost realm disappeared. As for Xia Changhong?
Now, even the body can't be found.
Holding the iron basin filled with blood, Ji He couldn't help but sneer. As she collected all the blood with a prop bottle, she wiped the iron basin clean: "Trying to scheme against me? What a joke."
"Ms. Ji He, what are you doing here?"
Just then, a voice with weak legs came from behind. Ji He's hand paused, and she turned around abruptly, only to find Ruan Qing'an standing not far away at the door, watching silently with his leaden gray eyes.
After their eyes met, Ruan Qing'an smiled little by little, revealing a soft and sweet smile, but... it made Ji He feel vaguely uneasy.
She instinctively tried to hide the iron basin, but before Ji He could do so, Ruan Qing'an had already walked over and leaned in to take a look: "Ms. Ji He, what are you holding?"
Ji He: I'll take it now, can you just pretend you didn't see it...?
Her lips twitched. It wasn't appropriate to put it away in front of Ruan Qing'an now, otherwise it would be blatantly obvious that she was trying to hide something. So Ji He just smiled awkwardly and said, "It's nothing."
"No one lives here, I just came to take a look."
"What is this?"
Ruan Qing'an was taken aback. Ignoring Ji He's words, she squatted down in front of the iron basin. There was still some blood that Ji He hadn't been able to clean out in the basin, and an iron photo frame was left at the bottom of the basin.
A corner of the iron frame still faintly reflects light. Inside the frame is a yellowed old photograph. The child in the photograph is wearing tattered clothes. It looks like a boy's portrait, but the head area is torn.
One-third of the photo was missing, the cut was jagged, and the cracks that were spreading had even affected other parts. Blood was seeping into the gaps in the frame.
Ruan Qingan picked up the photo frame and looked at it carefully.
Ji He reached out and took it back into the iron basin, saying casually, "I took it from this family out of curiosity. I should put it back to them to avoid being impolite."
"Alright, I'll listen to you, Ms. Ji He."
Ruan Qingan nodded and released his hand.
037: [Ancestor, is there a problem with that photo?]
Ruan Qingan couldn't help but frown: "I don't know. I missed the clues here, and it will be difficult to find them in a short time. However... I don't know why, but I always have a vague feeling that these places have something in common, but I just can't remember it for a while."
She stopped paying attention to Ji He and instead focused her gaze on the fairly well-repaired brick house, observing it carefully.
Ji He, holding the iron basin, waited until she was out of Ruan Qing'an's sight before waving her hand and taking back the iron basin, the photo frame, and the blood that had been contained earlier.
It was brought back from the Ghost Realm, after all. The Ghost Realm has disappeared, but this thing has remained, so it must be useful.
Back in the courtyard, before Ji He could speak, Ruan Qing'an, who was observing the wall, caught her eye and smiled, "By the way, Ms. Ji He, I saw your freshly made bed and personal belongings in the inner room. Are you planning to stay here?"
“Perfect timing. I also felt that Uncle Zhang’s place wasn’t very safe. Since you’ve already found a place to stay, let’s stay here together.”
Recalling how Ruan Qing'an packed her up and threw her out last night, Ji He's lips twitched again. She wished she could throw this NPC in with Xia Changhong as well.
Anyway, Ruan Qingan is the murderer, so maybe...
A hint of murderous intent flashed in Ji He's eyes, but just then, footsteps came from outside, and a tall man walked in. Even in this small place, he was still as gentle as a gentleman, with handsome and gentle features.
Jiang Shihe walked in while adjusting his cuffs: "Miss Ruan, you really are here. I asked around on the way and that's how someone found out where you were, so I came here."
Looking at Jiang Shihe, he was completely calm and composed, with not even a drop of sweat on his forehead. In fact, there were faint red marks on his neatly arranged cuffs.
Ruan Qingan: ...It's hard to imagine how he found out.
However, she didn't say much. She jogged forward, grabbed Jiang Shihe's sleeve, and lowered her head guiltily: "I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang, I couldn't find my way back..."
"It's okay, I'll come find you."
Jiang Shihe's eyes held a gentle smile as he looked at the petite, rabbit-like girl in front of him. He couldn't help but raise his hand to rub her, but he realized his mistake halfway through and curled his fingers, pretending to casually try to pull his hand back.
But at that moment, a pair of soft hands grabbed him and rubbed against his palms. Ruan Qing'an tilted his head and looked at Jiang Shihe, his beautiful eyes like crescent moons.
“I knew Mr. Jiang would come looking for me.”
"I just need to wait for you where I am."
Soft and obedient, like a little rabbit kept in the palm of one's hand, Jiang Shihe felt his heart melt when he saw her. His eyes were filled with emotion as he stared straight at her.
For a moment, that gaze seemed even more morbid than the original owner's spying, but just as Ruan Qing'an lowered her head in feigned shyness, she avoided Jiang Shihe's gaze...
She took a small step back, clutching the hem of her clothes, and carefully changed the subject: "By the way, Mr. Jiang, isn't Uncle Zhang having some problems? Well, Ms. Ji He just found a new place to stay. She was just telling me about it. She's such a good person. Let's stay here!"
"Is that so? Then thank you very much, Ms. Ji He."
As Jiang Shihe spoke, he finally looked at Ji He, as if he had only just noticed her existence, and nodded politely.
Seeing the pink-bubble atmosphere between the two, Ji He couldn't help but clench her hands a little tighter. She really wanted to throw these two NPCs who were having a romance in the dungeon out!
While the players are working themselves to the bone, these guys are having a great time chatting.
Most importantly...
Ji He's lips twitched. She had found this place, so why were these two thanking her so readily? Had they been invited by her? Had they gotten her permission?
These two must be bandits!
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