Translator: Cinder Translations
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"This..." Li Lu's face brightened. While it was highly unlikely that the ghosts in their mission would kill one after another, having someone accompany her was certainly the best option.
She didn't agree hastily, but instead pursed her lips and looked toward Chen Xiaomeng with hopeful eyes.
Chen Xiaomeng slowly stood up.
Her attitude said it all.
"Then thank you, Miss Xiao Longnu," Li Lu leaned forward, her eyes shining with gratitude.
Chen Xiaomeng spoke softly, "You don't need to thank me; thank Mr. Yin." Then, with a natural look, she turned toward Jiang Cheng and smiled slightly. "After all, a gentleman like Mr. Yin would never allow two women to take risks alone. He will stay with us to ensure our safety."
"Am I right, Mr. Yin?" Chen Xiaomeng winked.
"Of course," Jiang Cheng puffed out his chest, putting on a strong persona.
He then stepped forward, removed the wooden stick propping the door, and pulled it open. The night wind rushed in, blowing sharply against their faces.
Unexpectedly, the temperature difference between day and night here was so extreme.
Jiang Cheng covered his face with one hand and held the door with the other to prevent it from banging. He turned back to Chen Xiaomeng and Li Lu, speaking quickly, "Hurry up, don't go far. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings for you."
"You're just standing here to help us?" Chen Xiaomeng suddenly raised her voice.
"Otherwise?" Jiang Cheng looked innocent, but after saying this, he seemed to feel it wasn't very secure and took a small step back.
Li Lu, in urgent need, didn't have time to argue. She tightly wrapped her clothes and hurried outside.
Then came Chen Xiaomeng, who glanced at Jiang Cheng before following Li Lu out.
The two didn't go far, instead stopping at a place hidden by grass. This yard had probably been abandoned for some time, as the weeds had grown as high as half a person.
Jiang Cheng strained his eyes, watching in the direction of the two. In the dim light of night, he saw Li Lu trembling a few times before crouching down, leaving only her head visible above the weeds.
Chen Xiaomeng stood about three meters away from Li Lu, positioned between Li Lu and Jiang Cheng.
She seemed to have already planned that if anything went wrong, she could immediately retreat back to the room, and since Li Lu was currently inconvenienced, she would be an easy target for the ghost.
"Mm?"
About half a minute later, Chen Xiaomeng suddenly made a sound. She stared fixedly at a spot, as if she had noticed something.
Li Lu, already tense from her limited mobility, froze when she heard Chen Xiaomeng's voice. Her body started trembling violently.
"What... what's happening?" Li Lu asked in panic.
Upon hearing Chen Xiaomeng's voice, Jiang Cheng didn't immediately look in the direction she was focused on. Instead, he continued to stare at her, squinting slightly.
It wasn't until he heard Li Lu's loud shout.
"Fire!"
She didn't suppress her voice, and in the still of the night, it was jarring to hear. Almost immediately, hurried noises came from the room behind them.
Footsteps followed, and then Yu Man, Zhou Rong, and Pei Qian ran out. Everyone instinctively gathered behind the wooden door, trying to peek outside.
They had no intention of leaving the room.
Through a broken corner of the window frame, the group noticed a fire flickering in the distance. Zhou Rong's pupils shrank, "It's the Qian family's ancestral hall," he said decisively.
"How did the ancestral hall catch fire?" Pei Qian stared at the direction of the fire, seeing the flames intensifying. Then, large sections of the fire seemed to collapse.
He speculated that the structural supports of the hall had been burned away, causing it to fall.
"It should have been abandoned... so where did the fire start?" he muttered.
Earlier that morning, they had passed by the ancestral hall and noticed that the nearby houses were all empty, clearly abandoned. Yet, at this hour, a fire had suddenly broken out.
Chen Xiaomeng and Li Lu returned. Li Lu was still limping because of her leg injury, but the fear on her face was all too real.
Zhou Rong turned around, scanning the village. With such a large fire, the village was eerily quiet.
This made him suspect whether anyone still lived here or, if they did, what kind of people were they.
The next day, as dawn broke, the group arrived at the burned-down Qian family ancestral hall.
The massive building had been completely transformed overnight.
The ground was covered in ashes and debris, with only the most basic brick and stone structure left, though now it was as black as charcoal.
Sporadic flames still burned around, and occasional crackling sounds could be heard.
The wind blew, lifting a cloud of ashes into the air.
There were no people nearby. It was unclear whether the villagers were too busy to care about this place or if they simply didn't want to be associated with the Qian family, which had been almost wiped out by ghosts.
Zhou Rong chose a relatively clear path, avoiding the brick walls that might collapse at any moment. The group entered the hall.
Inside, the hall wasn't as large as they had imagined.
The main hall was probably less than 200 square meters.
They spread out to look for clues, but since Li Lu had an injury and couldn't move well, she stayed behind.
Fire and water are ruthless. Yu Man's eyes filled with sorrow as she stood there. It felt as though she was standing in the midst of a firestorm, with the surrounding heat swirling and twisted figures flickering in the flames.
In her ears echoed the heartbreaking sounds of those lost in the fire.
A year ago, that great fire had taken away some of her best friends, as well as the man she loved most and who loved her.
For a girl from a broken home, it was easy to become an outcast in the eyes of her classmates. She smoked, drank, had tattoos, and even fought with boys from other schools while holding beer bottles.
The teachers, even the principal, had long given up trying to contact her parents.
They all knew she had an alcoholic father and a timid, mentally troubled mother.
She hated going home and despised the cramped, dim stairwell covered in little advertisements.
She despised her mother's confused and helpless eyes.
But none of this prevented her from being an outstanding student.
Not top of the class, but within the top ten.
On good days, she could rank in the top five.
This was impressive to the "delinquents" she hung out with.
They couldn't understand how she could still manage to study well despite being with them skipping classes, playing games, and fighting.
They could never guess what went through her mind as she stood chewing gum while listening to the old principal drone on.
(End of the Chapter)
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