Tú Yòu trembled as they stepped into the dimly lit morgue. The air was thick with the stench of decay and damp wood. Rows of wooden beds lined the room, each holding a shrouded corpse covered in coarse, bloodstained textile. Flickering candles cast long shadows on the cracked stone walls, making the room feel alive with unseen movement.
"Why are we in a morgue? This place is terrifying!" Tú Yòu muttered, clutching his sleeves to steady his trembling hands.
Ān'nà giggled, her voice breaking the eerie silence. "Hihihi… A ghost afraid of corpses? Ridiculous!"
"Even kids fear corpses, and there are so many here! Why did the Young Master send us to this creepy place?" Tú Yòu grumbled, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Quiet, kid!" Ān'nà snapped, her tone sharp.
"I'm not a kid! I'm Tú Yòu!" He puffed his chest, though his quaking legs betrayed him.
"Exactly. Tú Yòu—a ghost, not a kid!" Ān'nà smirked, brushing past him. "Now move. Help me inspect these bodies. Rì chū (sunrise) isn't far."
Tú Yòu hesitated before stepping closer to the wooden beds. His trembling fingers peeled back the coarse textile covering the corpses, revealing pale, mutilated bodies. Some bore deep claw marks, while others had charred skin, as if burned by unnatural flames. Most were missing their heads entirely.
"Sister Ān'nà, I've uncovered them. Hurry!" Tú Yòu said, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Tú Yòu, this one's missing its head. Likely killed by the Four-Eyed Wolf. No need to check further," Ān'nà remarked, her eyes scanning the jagged wound where the head should have been.
"Sister, why make me check when you already know? That's cruel!" Tú Yòu covered the body again, shuddering at the sickly sound of cloth against cold, lifeless flesh.
"Strip this one," Ān'nà ordered, moving to another bed.
"Strip it? That's inappropriate! I'm young!" Tú Yòu protested, his voice cracking.
Ān'nà sighed, her patience waning. "We must examine the body to know how they died. These aren't ordinary deaths."
"Fine, but just one!" Tú Yòu muttered as he removed the textile from another body. His voice grew frantic as he pointed. "Headless… headless… all headless! Are ghosts playing tricks on us?"
Ān'nà frowned, her gaze shifting to a wooden board near the entrance. The faint candlelight illuminated faded characters etched into the surface. "Ah, this is the section for headless corpses. They're grouped here for identification. No wonder!"
Tú Yòu groaned, throwing his hands up. "You couldn't read that earlier? I've been uncovering these for nothing!"
"That's why you should learn to read," Ān'nà teased, her lips curling into a mischievous grin.
"I died before I could go to school!" Tú Yòu snapped.
"Shh! Quiet. Someone's coming," Ān'nà warned, her eyes narrowing.
The door creaked open, revealing three guards dressed in coarse, dark robes tied with thick sashes. Their shoes clacked against the wood floor as they entered, carrying wooden lanterns that swayed with their steps.
The senior guard, Zhào Xuàn, had a thick beard and a stern expression. He slapped the youngest, Liú Shēng, on the back of the head.
"Why are you panicking? You guard corpses daily. Stop disturbing my card game!" Zhào Xuàn barked, his voice echoing off the walls.
"But… Senior Zhào…" stammered Liú Shēng, pointing toward the row of uncovered corpses. His face was pale, his hands trembling as he clutched his lantern.
Zhào Xuàn frowned and approached a bed, pulling the textile back over a body. "Why are these exposed? Who's messing with this section?"
The second guard, Wáng Hé, squinted at the row. His voice was low and wary. "Senior, I saw the covers float earlier… by themselves. That's why I called you."
Suddenly, a loud clang echoed through the morgue. Tú Yòu, bored and restless, had kicked a brass basin lying on the ground.
Zhào Xuàn flinched as the basin struck his foot. His face darkened. "Who threw this?" he bellowed, drawing his sword with a sharp hiss.
He moved toward the corner of the room, his lantern casting shifting shadows. The faint light revealed only cobwebs and dust. "Not even a rat," he muttered, though the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.
When another basin hit his feet, Zhao Xuan's hair stood on end. Meanwhile, his two juniors, Wang He and Liu Sheng, were already trembling, their faces pale—almost indistinguishable from the corpses laid on wooden platforms.
Zhao Xuan gripped his sword tightly and addressed the unseen presence, his voice quivering but resolute. "Senior, whoever resides here, please forgive our intrusion. If Senior reveals himself, we can assist with whatever you seek."
A soft giggle echoed, carrying the sweet, unsettling scent of Plumeria flowers. "Does Handsome Brother truly wish for me to reveal myself?" teased Gǔ Tiān Ān'nà, known as Sister Ān'nà.
Before Zhao Xuan could respond, the eerie sound and floral aroma overwhelmed him. "Ewww..." he muttered, bolting from the morgue at full speed.
His juniors, stunned by the retreat of their fearless leader, exchanged wide-eyed glances before scrambling after him.
Ān'nà smirked and turned to Tú Yòu. "Quickly now! More people will arrive soon, including exorcists. The young master's wrath is far worse than theirs. We must finish this task!"
Tú Yòu sighed but complied, dropping his playful demeanor. He moved swiftly, lifting the coarse textile shrouds covering the corpses. The flickering candlelight illuminated the wooden platforms, the pale flesh of the dead, and the faint stains of dried blood.
"Start with the first one," Ān'nà instructed, pointing to a familiar face. Tú Yòu froze as he recognized the corpse—the thug they had encountered at the illegal hunting site during Píngdàn.
"This... wasn't he the one who fainted from fright when we left? The one we met near Uncle Chén's stall?" Tú Yòu asked, his voice faltering.
"Exactly! He was alive and had minor injuries when we departed," Ān'nà snapped. "Now stop stalling and examine the body."
Reluctantly, Tú Yòu obeyed. Stripping the corpse of its rough garments, he observed the pale, lifeless skin. "No external wounds," he muttered. After a moment's hesitation, he used his ability to enter the body, examining its organs.
When he emerged, his face was grim. "Sister, there are no internal injuries either—but the blood is completely gone."
Ān'nà frowned, her mind racing. "We left the site at Píngdàn, and it's now nearing Rìluò—that's almost 12 hours. If these thugs were alive when we left, they must have been killed shortly after we departed, likely around Rìchū. Someone they trusted must have been responsible, allowing them to get close."
She gestured sharply. "Check the other three. They should be nearby."
Tú Yòu grumbled but complied, uncovering one body after another. The morgue reeked of decay and candle wax as he located the remaining three thugs. Examining each in turn, he confirmed the same result: no blood, no bruising, no visible injuries.
He returned to Ān'nà, his expression troubled. "All four are the same, Sister. No blood, no bruising. It's as if something drained them completely."
Ān'nà's brow furrowed. "When a person dies, blood stagnates and clots. Bruises form where it pools, especially in the lower body. But these corpses show no such signs. Something external must have drawn the blood from their bodies."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "This is no ordinary death—it's the work of something... unnatural."
Ān'nà reached out to SìSì, her three-tailed fox companion, using telepathy.
"SìSì, can you hear me?" she asked.
SìSì, lounging in her cozy room within the Summoning Space, stirred from her slumber. The room was part of a 3-story house designed by Wǎng based on Ān'nà's suggestions, tailored to the needs of each occupant.
The house featured a balcony, a meeting room, a living room, two storage areas (for food and loot), a library, and ten rooms. Wǎng's spacious chamber occupied the top floor, while Tú Yòu's smaller room neighbored GǔGǔ's quarters and her adjacent food storage. Ān'nà and SìSì's rooms were side by side, with SìSì's including a personal toilet due to her being a living creature. One room was reserved for Sì Xiǎo Láng, should he pass Master Yán Shèngxīn's test. The remaining five rooms stood empty. The library showcased martial arts skill books looted by Tú Yòu, per the Master's request.
Hearing the call, SìSì promptly knocked on Ān'nà's door. "Sister, what's wrong?"
"Idiot, I'm not there! I'm outside investigating the corpses with the Boy," Ān'nà replied sharply.
SìSì rubbed her eyes, recalling the events from earlier. That afternoon, Yán Shèngxīn, exhausted from sleepless nights, was abruptly woken by Méi Líng's persistent knocking.
"Young Master, are you in?" Méi Líng called.
Inside, Ān'nà entered Shèngxīn's dream to rouse him. "Master, someone's at the door. Shall I wake you?"
"Who is it?" he asked groggily.
"Méi Líng," Ān'nà replied.
"Ugh, fine," Shèngxīn grumbled. "This dormitory never lets me rest." He dragged himself up, adjusted his clothes, and opened the door. Feigning surprise, he greeted, "Oh, Méi Líng."
"Young Master, thank goodness you're well! This morning, Teacher Fēi Hǔ canceled the forest visit and informed class leader Lǐ Wěi, who couldn't reach you. Lǐ Jié' even came by earlier with food to thank you for aiding him after his duel with Wáng Xīn for the Woolly Ice Rhinoceros. But there was no response. My father feared you might have fallen ill after yesterday's rain, so he sent me with food," Méi Líng explained.
Shèngxīn accepted the meal gratefully. "Your family is too kind. Thank you, Méi Líng. Do you want to come in?"
Blushing, Méi Líng added, "I'd enter if we were at your estate, but here, I'd fear gossip."
Shèngxīn smiled, placing the food inside and returning. "Anything else?"
"Yes. Didn't you wake for the forest trip? The schedule—"
"I overslept," Shèngxīn replied casually. "I was exhausted and unwell."
"That's fortunate. The trip was canceled because unidentified corpses were found in the forest this morning. Trees were scorched, and the area was unsafe. In four days, a beast market bazaar will open for students lacking their first beasts. The school will subsidize half the cost."
Shèngxīn nodded, yawning. His recent mornings were filled with sleeping late due to his new ghostly companions.
"One more thing." Méi Líng handed him a pouch. "This is from Madam Zhāng, your third aunt. Hearing you lacked a beast, she sent this to help you purchase one."
"Anything else?" Shengxin asked, stifling a yawn.
"Nothing, young master. I'll return to help father," Méi Líng said, bowing before leaving.
Shengxin shut the door, stepping into his room lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp. The bed was crafted from dark rosewood, its frame strong and minimal, adorned with a simple cotton mattress and a silk coverlet embroidered with a subtle cloud motif—a symbol of tranquility. A bronze incense burner on the table released a faint wisp of sandalwood smoke, filling the room with a calming fragrance.
Nearby, a bamboo scroll case and a ceramic tea cup rested on the low table alongside a jade pendant, a treasured keepsake from his father. The faint chirping of crickets outside blended with the quiet of the night.
As Shengxin lay down, the cool silk of the coverlet against his skin began to ease his fatigue when SìSì's voice shattered the peace.
"Young Master, sorry to disturb you."
"What now, SìSì? Can't it wait until morning? I want to continue my sleep !" Shengxin groaned, his voice heavy with exhaustion.
SìSì hesitated. "The forest... it's strange. Corpses everywhere, and the trees are damaged. Wasn't it fine when we left?"
Silence.
"He's mad again," SìSì thought, replaying the memory of Shengxin's terrifying glare when she disobeyed him earlier.
Tú Yòu snapped, "Stupid fox, let the Master sleep!"
Suddenly, Shengxin sat up. The realization hit her like a cold wind.
"I'm doomed!" SìSì panicked. Her two ears closed down. Her body trembled.
Ān'nà sighed. "Brazen fox, who's going to defend you now?"
Shengxin interrupted sharply. His tone commanding, "Ān'nà, Tú Yòu, go to the city morgue tonight. Investigate the hunters' corpses. Find out what killed them."
Grumbling, Tú Yòu muttered, "Thanks to this fox, we can't rest."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to present moment,
Ān'nà growled, "SìSì, wake up! We need answers!"
"Sorry! I'm here!" SìSì stammered, jolted awake. She forgot what Ān'nà was asking about.
"Focus. Have you seen beasts die from blood loss or bodies drained dry?" Ān'nà repeated her question.
SìSì was silent.
"She's sleeping again," Tú Yòu muttered.
"Wake up, fox!" Ān'nà barked. "If guards or exorcists come, we'll be in trouble!"
"Sorry! I'm here! I'm thinking," SìSì stammered, jolted awake in her Summoning Space.
Ān'nà heard footsteps. "Hurry! Humans are coming!"
"Check their necks! Are there bite marks?" SìSì suddenly exclaimed.
Ān'nà turned to Tú Yòu. "Flip the bodies. Now!"
Grumbling, Tú Yòu flipped the stiff corpses. He froze. "There are two puncture marks. Bruised skin around them."
"Good. Let's leave!" Ān'nà ordered.
They vanished just as morgue guards and an exorcist master entered.
The master, clad in a flowing black robe embroidered with talismanic patterns, carried a ceremonial Bā kuā. His sword, a gleaming jian with runic carvings, hung at his side. Its hilt bore intricate engravings of dragons and phoenixes, glinting faintly in the torchlight.
Drawing his sword, He stepped forward. His sandaled feet echoing against the wood floor. The guards, pale and trembling, dared not get too close.
The master stopped before the corpses, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the twisted bodies. Drawing his sword, he began chanting in a strange dialect, his voice deep and rhythmic. Talismans from his bag floated in the air, glowing faintly before attaching themselves to the bodies.
After a moment, he paused. His sharp gaze scanned the room. "The ghosts are gone," he said, sheathing his sword. "I'll place talismans to keep them from returning."
"Was it really a ghost, Master?" Zhao Xuan asked, trembling.
"Yes, it was—"
Zhao Xuan fainted mid-sentence.
"Brother!" Wang Hé and Liú Shēng rushed to help him.
Liú Shēng snorted. "Claims to be the bravest but faints first!"
"And late at that!" Wang Hé added, laughing.
---------------------------------------End of Chapter 8-----------------------------