"What do you mean? Wasn't the master the one who sent you to protect me?"
I looked at Lu Zhiqiu in confusion. Although he was a man of few words, I had placed a certain degree of trust in him since the master had vouched for him. Yet his current attitude was baffling.
A sudden thought struck me—a memory from the hallucination. In that strange vision, my phone had received a text message. If parts of that illusion were becoming reality, could Lu Zhiqiu truly intend to kill me?
Before he could respond, the door to the room swung open. Lin Zhao walked in carrying a large bag. He glanced at Lu Zhiqiu, seated in the chair, then at me standing beside the bed amidst piles of packed belongings.
"Cunxi, what are you doing? The doctor said you need at least another week before you're discharged."
Over the past few days, Lin Zhao had become so familiar with me that he'd started calling me by my given name.
"I don't want to stay in this hospital anymore. If I need rest, I'd rather recover at home. Every minute here costs money, and I can't afford to waste it like this."
I couldn't exactly tell him that a ghost from my jade pendant had warned me to leave or I'd die here. People would either think I was insane or suffering from a concussion—neither of which I wanted.
"But even if you want to leave, you'll need to go through the discharge process first. Otherwise, the nurses won't let you out."
Lin Zhao, aware of my financial situation, didn't question my reasoning further.
He was right—I'd completely forgotten about the formalities. Insurance wouldn't cover anything if I skipped the process.
"Alright, help me finish packing. I'll handle the discharge paperwork."
As I moved toward the door, I opened it to find a little girl standing there, holding a lollipop.
"Big brother, do you want some candy?"
She held the lollipop out to me, and I awkwardly reached to take it. But before I could, Lu Zhiqiu appeared at my side and grabbed my hand.
"Leave. Now. Before I lose my patience," he said coldly.
What? Wasn't this guy supposed to be the calm, high-and-mighty type? Why was he being so harsh to a child?
"Hey, I get it if you're rude to me, but why are you—"
I didn't even get to finish my sentence before he shot me a glare that made me swallow my words.
Satisfied with my silence, Lu Zhiqiu turned to the girl. She looked timid, her voice trembling. "B-Big brother, I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to—"
"To lure this ignorant fool into taking your place as plaything for those things, right?" Lu Zhiqiu interrupted, his tone icy as he stepped protectively in front of me.
Those things?
Instinctively, I took two steps back, wary of anyone who approached me lately.
Lin Zhao, oblivious to the tension, walked over. "What are you guys doing? Why are you being so mean to a little girl?"
I tried to stop him, shaking my head subtly, but he didn't get the message.
He crouched in front of the girl. "Little one, why are you here alone? Where are your parents?"
"My parents are dead. I'm all alone now, and they bully me. Big brother, can you help me end this?" The girl looked up at him, her face filled with sorrow.
At first, I hesitated. But her words and demeanor confirmed my suspicions—she wasn't human.
Before I could pull Lin Zhao away, Lu Zhiqiu acted first, kicking Lin Zhao aside just in time to avoid the girl's unnaturally long, sharp black nails.
"So, you dodged," she sneered.
I turned back, horrified. The sweet little girl was gone. Her eyes bulged grotesquely, oozing blood. Her face was ashen, marred with cracks, and her hands ended in claws nearly seven inches long. She clutched a tattered rag doll, her once-white dress filthy and stained.
"Ah—!" Lin Zhao screamed. I rushed to help him up.
"You wanted to see ghosts, right?" I quipped, trying to steady him.
"That little girl… she's a ghost?"
Compared to Lin Zhao's reaction, I realized my first ghost encounter had been relatively tame. At least I hadn't needed someone to hold me up.
"Night's fallen. You can't leave now. Stay in this room until morning if you want to live," Lu Zhiqiu said curtly before taking off after the ghostly girl.
"Lu—" I called after him, but he vanished down the corridor before I could finish. Torn between chasing him and keeping Lin Zhao safe, I clenched my jaw and retreated back into the room, slamming the door shut.
After what felt like an eternity, Lin Zhao finally calmed down. "Why are you so composed?"
If only he knew. I was terrified, but fear wouldn't help. "This isn't my first rodeo. Still think it's cool to see ghosts?"
Lin Zhao, once fascinated by the paranormal, now looked regretful. "I can't believe ghosts actually exist. How do you guys deal with this every day without losing your minds?"
I couldn't tell him the whole truth, especially about the jade pendant. While I hadn't killed anyone directly, I was complicit in its curse. Legally, that could make me an accomplice, and I had no intention of going to prison.
An hour passed, but there was still no sign of Lu Zhiqiu. Anxiety crept in. Without the master or his disciple around, I felt vulnerable.
"Where is he? Why hasn't he come back? Do you think something happened to him?" Lin Zhao voiced my fears aloud.
I tried to maintain my composure. "He's the master's disciple. He must be skilled enough to handle this. Something probably came up, and he'll be back soon."
"We should go look for him. Strength in numbers, right?" Lin Zhao suggested.
"No way," I replied immediately. "He said to stay put. If we can last until dawn, we'll be fine. If we go out now, we'll only make things worse for him."
"But can we really stay safe in here? What if… those things get in?"
Sometimes, I wished Lin Zhao didn't have such a knack for jinxing things.