"Do girls always compete with each other like this?"
After witnessing a palace drama play out, Su Jie finally spoke up.
"No, it's just that I couldn't stand watching Zhao Xuanmiao being all pretentious and fake there."
Liu Yingying became a bit embarrassed under Su Jie's gaze.
She had her own tea ceremony skills, but she believed her moral character and demeanor were much higher than Zhao Xuanmiao's—at least she wouldn't keep such a large circle of adoring fans.
"Su Jie, you don't think badly of me, do you? I... I might love money a bit, but I don't look down on others, and I've never played with anyone's feelings."
"You're quite honest."
Su Jie touched Liu Yingying's flushed cheeks and said, "Stay here tonight."
Liu Yingying's cheeks reddened even more as she played with her fingers and softly murmured an affirmative.
Su Jie, with a smile on his face, held his wine glass and looked around, saying, "Everyone, enjoy your food and drinks. I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'm going to rest early."
Having said that, Su Jie led Liu Yingying away from the lawn and into the villa.
Many people at the venue understood what was happening and silently remarked on Liu Yingying's luck in finding a powerful supporter.
......
Accompanied by another high-pitched moan, an exhausted Liu Yingying fell into a deep sleep.
Su Jie lit a black candle—Soul Calming Incense—which could aid in the cultivation of one's divine soul. Ordinary people who inhaled it would enter a deep sleep and wake up the next day feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
After doing all this, Su Jie dressed himself and left the villa alone in the night, heading to the dock in the backyard.
Splash splash!
The sounds of water from Qingshui River in the backyard surged as the figure of the Thousand-Handed Centipede emerged.
"Let's go, we'll find some people to play with."
Su Jie patted the head of the Thousand-Handed Centipede, then stepped onto its back and let it carry him toward the eastern district of Linping City.
..........
In an abandoned, unfinished building on the east side of Linping City, several heavy trucks stood in the deserted area.
The building, which should have been quiet and desolate, buzzed with noise, along with loud voices—a group of tattooed tough guys were drinking and making merry.
"Brother Hu, when can we go back? It's not fun just drinking without any girls!"
"Exactly, exactly. We've pulled off such a big deal, we deserve some reward, right?"
The group, now drunk, immediately revealed their true natures, seeking some entertainment.
The man they called Brother Hu, a bald strong man nearly two meters tall, laughed and scolded, "Once the coast is clear, I'll take you to the nightclubs, and you can live it up for a month. For now, just stay put and wait for the boss's arrangements."
"Aren't we being too cautious? We did the job so cleanly, what could possibly go wrong now?"
"Hmph, our opponent most likely has overseas connections. Being careful never hurts."
Brother Hu pointed at the man who had just spoken, instructing, "Lei Zi, stop thinking about what's in your pants all day. If we deliver this cargo smoothly to the boss, you'll be set for several years. Then you'll have all the women you want, but for now, hold it in for a few days."
"Alright, alright, Brother Hu, I can't argue with you. Whatever you say goes."
Lei Zi scratched at his crotch, put down the bottle and said, "I'm gonna go take a leak."
"Lei Zi, you're not gonna chicken out on us, are you?"
"Yeah, you've only had a few bottles of horse piss! And now you wanna run off to pee?"
"Shut the hell up. As if I'd back down. You just wait, I'll deal with you all when I get back."
Lei Zi cursed as he staggered out of the room with drunken steps.
He didn't go far, as the place was just an unfinished building with bare concrete everywhere, so he simply found a corner and unzipped to relieve himself.
Rustle rustle!
Suddenly, Lei Zi heard a strange, faint sound by his ear.
It was as if something was crawling. In the dark, where the eyes could not see, hearing often became more sensitive, so Lei Zi heard it very clearly.
"What's that sound?"
His body jerked, Lei Zi pulled up his pants and took out a lighter from his pocket.
With the light of the flame, he looked towards the source of the sound.
He saw a huge dark shadow dart across the ceiling, with grim, purplish-black insect armor and numerous pale limbs wriggling underneath.
The terrifying and eerie sight immobilized Lei Zi as if he were under an immobilization spell; his mouth hung open, but no sound came out due to fright.
Crack! Crack!
Suddenly, the horrifying figure on the ceiling stopped moving and dangled half its body down.
Just like an eagle snatching up a chick, it dragged Lei Zi up to the ceiling in one bite, followed by sounds of bones breaking. Then, silence ensued.
Inside the house, the group that was drinking suddenly heard someone say, "Why has Lei Zi been gone for so long and not come back yet?"
"Maybe he's passed out somewhere. Someone go take a look."
"Haha, I have to take a few embarrassing photos of him, so I can make fun of him when we get back."
Two tattooed men hooked arms and stood up to go outside and check.
Another ten minutes passed, and someone said, "Where are Broken Teeth Feng and that monkey? They've been gone to look for Lei Zi for so long. Didn't they all pass out drunk outside, too?"
Brother Hu, who was playing cards, frowned and said, "Something's not right! Call them."
Clatter!
Just then, the few candles lit in the room all went out, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.
Before the drinking group could realize what was happening, several screams were heard around them.
"Get a flashlight, turn on the phone lights."
Brother Hu's complexion changed drastically as he shouted for someone to turn on their phones, while he himself hastily grabbed a prepared flashlight and switched it on.
When light once again filled the room, a scene unfolded that shocked everyone present.
Out of the original group of more than a dozen people, five were now gone, leaving only seven, including Brother Hu.
"Big Stupid Black, Ah Yun, Chen Luozhi, Brother Bing, and Ah Gu are all missing."
Someone counted out the missing persons, their voice trembling.
In the space of just a few seconds, five people had vanished, in addition to the previously missing trio including Lei Zi.
Eight people had disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead.
"Ghosts... could there be ghosts? When this building was under construction, a worker died from falling. Have we... have we angered something unclean..."
One superstitious person was close to peeing their pants out of fear, and their words only heightened the others' nervousness. They huddled together like a flock of quail, clearly on edge.
Brother Hu, who had never believed in ghosts, developed goosebumps on his skin and cursed loudly, drawing out a machete and looking into the darkness beyond the light, bellowing, "Who's there? Who's playing tricks? Show yourself if you dare, I'll chop you to death! You think you can scare me like this? If my balls shrink even a bit, I'll take your surname."
No response came. In the darkness, only the cold night wind poured in through the unsealed windows.