Chapter 139: Children’s Laughter (18)
The screams coming from outside were incredibly horrifying, filled with intense fear that made everyone who heard them feel their hairs stand on end, hearts trembling in unease.
Outside the Jing Estate, the wind howled violently, and inside, the cries of agony echoed continuously.
In the eerie, dark surroundings, the house, with its retro decorations, seemed like a haunted mansion.
Everyone unconsciously lowered their breathing, fearing that something sinister lurked outside the room.
Li Xuetang, in the middle of speaking, was interrupted. He froze for a moment before turning to look at Yan Shixun, hesitating as he asked, “Could that sound be Chi Yan?”
Even though Chi Yan had committed heinous acts, exposing her cruel methods of feeding the ghost child and harming Bai Shuang and others, to most people, she was still considered a human being.
A normal person, even if filled with anger and disgust, would not lower their morals to the level of an animal.
While Li Xuetang and the others were furious with Chi Yan’s actions, when it came to the possibility of her being in danger, they hesitated and felt a sense of worry, wanting to go out and check.
But Yan Shixun stopped them.
“Bai Shuang is unconscious and defenseless. She needs someone to protect her,” Yan Shixun said. As soon as his words left his mouth, everyone’s gaze slowly shifted to Lu Xingxing and An Nanyuan, sweeping back and forth between them.
Lu Xingxing: “?? Why are you looking at me?”
An Nanyuan understood what everyone meant.
Since he and Bai Shuang were considered “veteran” guests of the show, having been present from the very first episode, their relationship had grown quite strong after several escape attempts. So everyone instinctively thought he was the one who should stay behind to look after Bai Shuang.
But the problem was…
“Brother Yan, just now you told Director Li that we would all play roles that are closest to our real selves.”
An Nanyuan hesitated as he pulled out an invitation ticket from his pocket. The ticket was adorned with colorful images of handsome men and beautiful women, dressed lavishly, not unlike Lu Xingxing’s current appearance.
“I am currently playing the role of the editor-in-chief of the Binhai Daily. According to the plot, I am Lin Ting’s direct superior. But…”
An Nanyuan raised his doubts: “In such turbulent times, there should be a lot of major news to cover. But why, as the busiest editor-in-chief of a newspaper, would I have the time to go to a ballroom?”
Lu Xingxing took the ticket in confusion and, the moment he saw the name of a male dancer on it, his face turned green—this was him!
Yan Shixun immediately understood what An Nanyuan meant: at the busiest time, he went to an entertainment venue completely unrelated to his work. Such strange behavior must have a hidden motive.
An Nanyuan’s role might be like Zhao Zhen’s—one that could be harmful to Jing Bin or Lin Ting.
Having him stay to accompany Bai Shuang might not be the safest option.
—Who knows if this role brings with it a hidden danger.
Yan Shixun made up his mind instantly: “Lu Xingxing, you stay here.”
Bai Shuang had no ability to protect herself. If the ghost child in the Jing Estate really had ill intentions toward Bai Shuang, she would be like lambs to the slaughter.
Although Lu Xingxing was young and impulsive, and sometimes reckless, he was still a talented Taoist from Haiyun Temple, a disciple of Taoist Song Yi, which meant he couldn’t be too bad.
The two of them together made for the perfect match.
—Most importantly, he no longer had to restrain himself from wanting to punch Lu Xingxing.
Lu Xingxing was stunned—he had been hoping to see Chi Yan face misfortune!
Yes, he was a petty person, what of it? Chi Yan dared to insult Yan Shixun, someone even he respected, and Lu Xingxing felt it was no different from her insulting him. He just wanted to see her face some terrible consequence for insulting Yan Shixun to feel better!
But if he stayed with Bai Shuang, he wouldn’t be able to witness that.
Lu Xingxing initially wanted to refuse, but when he saw Bai Shuang’s pale face, he hesitated.
“Alright,” Lu Xingxing reluctantly said. “Brother Yan, you have to tell me when you get back, whether it’s really Chi Yan who’s in trouble, and if she’s in a particularly bad situation.”
Yan Shixun: *forced smile*
“Before we leave, there’s something I think you all need to know first.”
Yan Shixun’s expression grew serious as he instructed the group, “There’s a simple method to ward off evil, which you can use to protect yourselves.”
Everyone’s attention was immediately captured, and the audience before the livestream held their breath, eager to jot down notes.
Then they heard Yan Shixun say: “Just think about alpacas grazing, and you will be safe.”
Everyone: “…”
The audience: [……..]
Everyone’s minds involuntarily pictured the image of an alpaca chewing, and it was incredibly catchy—no one could think about anything else for a moment.
For those like Zhang Wubing, who understood the context, it wasn’t as confusing. He knew Yan Shixun was just trying to prevent everyone from overthinking. But for others, like An Nanyuan, who had just returned, they were a bit bewildered.
However, Yan Shixun’s expression was extremely serious, and he didn’t seem to be joking at all.
So, trusting Yan Shixun, everyone, even though they felt something was off, began to blankly and confusedly think about alpacas.
Ye Li looked at Yan Shixun with a smile in his eyes, understanding the purpose behind this.
Even if it was the wrong answer, it would leave an imprint in people’s minds, like a virus, subtly altering normal thought patterns.
If you directly tell someone “don’t do this,” they would often end up doing it anyway—not even out of a rebellious instinct, but because their brain subconsciously accepted the command.
In contrast, giving them a positive instruction—telling them what they should do—worked better.
At this moment, in Ye Li’s eyes, Yan Shixun, seriously saying “alpaca,” was unbearably cute.
“Ah… alpaca.” By the time they stepped out the door, several people were still in a dazed, confused state.
Even the live chat comments were filled with “alpaca” and “alpaca grazing, dazed and confused.”
However, they really couldn’t focus on being scared by the screams in the JingEstate anymore.
But as they stepped into the corridor, everyone was suddenly jolted awake by a cold gust of wind. Their previously foggy minds cleared instantly.
The heavy wooden door had muffled many of the sounds, but now that there was no barrier, they finally heard the sounds they had been ignoring.
“Creak… creak…”
The floorboards on the first floor made faint noises, as if someone unsteady was walking across the living room.
From the clumsy, muffled sound, it seemed like an adult man.
But the problem was—except for Chi Yan, everyone else was here. So, who was walking on the first floor?
Everyone exchanged glances, but soon Zhao Zhen looked at Yan Shixun in terror and silently mouthed: *corpse.*
No, there was another person.
The corpse of the dead master, which had been lying on the living room carpet.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brows, signaling everyone to stay where they were, before silently moving to the corner of the staircase, peeking down through the gap.
The group held their breath, nervous, not daring to make a sound, as they watched Yan Shixun’s movements. They felt their heartbeats race, fearing that any noise might alert whoever was downstairs.
An Nanyuan, who was already jittery, began to let his imagination run wild, recalling scenes from the horror films he had seen. Before he could even see what was downstairs, he had already scared himself half to death.
However, because of the angle of the staircase gap, Yan Shixun didn’t spot any figures or the corpse.
He cautiously and quickly moved down the stairs, testing each step.
As he moved, his field of vision shifted. Finally, he saw the spot in the living room where the body had been placed.
However, the carpet was empty, with only blood and charred fragments scattered on the woolen carpet. The body had completely vanished.
Yan Shixun’s heart sank.
He had seen corpses come back to life before, but with the current strange happenings in the Jing Estate and the ghost child’s backlash, everything had taken a dangerous turn.
Furthermore, Yan Shixun had not forgotten… the master’s body had suddenly appeared in the fireplace, then ignited, and before that, there had been no trace of the person, only the sound.
This made Yan Shixun extremely cautious, wondering if this was a sign of yet another body.
The footsteps and floor sounds on the first floor hadn’t stopped. Yan Shixun continued moving slowly down the golden railing, trying to keep the whole living room in his sight.
However, just as he turned the corner of the staircase, he was caught off guard by a face that was burnt and mangled.
The lifeless eyes, like cloudy glass beads, stared straight at Yan Shixun, with burnt skin curling up, revealing pale red, stiff flesh underneath.
But the edges of this face had already carbonized, and bits of black fragments were falling off. The half-burnt appearance was even more disturbing than a completely charred corpse, surpassing the psychological limit of what any normal person could bear.
It was the master who should have been lying on the ground, already dead.
Even Yan Shixun felt his heart jolt and speed up the instant their eyes met.
An Nanyuan, who had been trembling in fear and stretching his neck to peek over, completely broke down mentally at that moment. Unable to hold back, he let out a short, sharp cry.
But immediately after, An Nanyuan slapped his hands over his mouth with a loud “smack!” He looked at Yan Shixun’s back with a terrified and guilty expression, scared that his outburst would draw the attention of the dead corpse.
However, in the very next second, just as Yan Shixun was reacting, that face suddenly vanished into thin air!
It disappeared just as abruptly as it had appeared.
Almost at the exact same moment, the footsteps in the living room also ceased.
Yan Shixun’s hand had instinctively reached for his coat pocket but then abruptly froze. He stared at the empty air in front of him, his brows sinking into a shadowy, contemplative frown.
The audience watching the livestream had their hearts hanging in their throats, thoroughly terrified.
[Holy shit! When that face suddenly plastered itself against the lens, I almost threw up my dinner from the fright! That was so freaking terrifying!!!]
[Same here! I was lying sideways under my blanket watching, and now I don’t even dare turn around. I keep feeling like if I do, I’ll come face to face with something just like that!]
[Fuck, I finally understand now why someone said earlier that a half-burned corpse is even scarier than a fully burned one. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at roast lamb or roast chicken again… Ugh!]
[Holy shit holy shit holy shit!!! Yan Shixun is a real man! He actually managed to stare at that thing without even flinching! Just for that alone, I respect him! I’m just an ordinary working guy and never followed any celebrities, but from now on, Yan Shixun is my big bro! He’s freaking awesome!]
[New fan here — is this the rise of domestic horror films? Are our horror movies finally making a comeback? I’m so excited! I’ve been watching ghost films for years, and this is the first Chinese horror film in recent years that’s actually scared me.]
[Damn it, I want to know how Chi Yan is doing! I heard her voice but didn’t see her! Yan Shixun, hurry up and find her! If she’s hurt, I’m blaming you!!!]
[…? I didn’t expect there would still be genuine fans of Chi Yan. And you want Brother Yan to save her? Who do you think you are, the emperor? Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter.]
[Wuwuwu, ever since I heard Director Li explaining the movie plot just now, I’ve been about to faint from fear. If Chi Yan follows the original plot, could she already be dead? Is that why we can’t see her?]
[No way. This is the short film Director Li made for the show, remember? It’s a collaboration, of course they have to blend elements from both sides. But what Director Li said earlier probably wasn’t about the movie plot — no way he’d spoil it. He’s not stupid, he still wants box office sales.]
[But this has to be the script. I’m sure of it now. Otherwise, Director Li wouldn’t have given himself a role too. Didn’t you hear him say it himself? He’s playing a rickshaw puller. Looks like that sickly kid finally succeeded in chasing his idol — his social media account is full of movie reviews, especially of Director Li’s films.]
[AAAAAAAAHHHH!!! The face disappeared!!! Damn it, that face just vanished!!!]
[What’s scarier than encountering a ghost face? It’s when the damn thing appears and then disappears!!! How are we supposed to know where it went? I’d rather it stayed right there where I could watch it!]
[I’m crying now, wuwuwu, why did I think it was a good idea to watch this alone at home? I was just trying to kill time, and now great — I’m definitely not bored anymore. I’m just scared half to death, wuwuwu.]
Yan Shixun had no idea that, on the other side of the livestream, millions of viewers had already been scared out of their minds by what just happened.
He stood calmly where he was. His heart, which had raced for a moment during the face-to-face encounter, gradually steadied again, returning to a strong, even beat.
Yan Shixun took slow, deliberate steps forward, stopping at the landing halfway up the stairs — the most prominent spot overlooking the entire high-ceilinged hall.
From there, he took in the full view of the first floor.
And it was then that he noticed something strange.
Even though the corpse had disappeared, the wooden floor of the hallway and the wool carpet in the living room were now stained with splotches of blood, as if someone had walked through while covered in it.
These bloodstains hadn’t been there earlier when Yan Shixun first went upstairs.
He didn’t know whether something had happened downstairs while they were in the cloakroom upstairs, or if… it had happened right when they were in the living room — only they hadn’t been able to see it at the time.
Thinking about the suddenly disappearing face, Yan Shixun furrowed his brow, sensing something off in the Jing Estate.
Apart from them, there were other unseen entities right there with them.
Perhaps… those beings were hiding in every dark corner, watching them with hollow, dark eyes, silent and deathly still.
A large pool of blood stretched all the way to the door of a half-open room on the first floor, almost as if it was pointing the way, plainly telling Yan Shixun—*the answer you seek is here*.
But the viewers before the livestream, however, clearly thought otherwise.
They watched the crowded scene in the livestream, nearly fainting from fear.
[I told you that ghost wasn’t gone, it was still there, just standing and staring at Brother Yan!]
[What’s going on with this kid? Why is he just standing there, staring at Brother Yan with that creepy smile? I’m getting chills, I’ve never thought kids could be so terrifying.]
[Wait a minute, Brother Yan seems like he can’t see them! Pay attention to the change in Brother Yan’s gaze, when he looks at the child, his eyes are fixed as if there’s no child there, like the child is invisible to him.]
[This child must be crazy, didn’t he die? Wasn’t it Brother Yan and Zhao Zhen who pulled him out of the fire? He couldn’t be more dead, right? Why is he still walking around, and why can’t Brother Yan see him?]
[Seems like there’s more than just him… Since earlier, the camera’s been shaking a lot. It’s passed over places outside the frame several times, and it looks like there are several human-shaped figures clinging to the ceiling?]
[…You don’t have to be so polite, what human-shaped figures? Those are ghosts. The truth is, they didn’t even notice that there are so many ghosts looking at them from above! Ahhh!!!]
[When I was sitting in my chair, I silently looked up at the ceiling. This is so scary! Even though I’ve been looking over my shoulder every now and then since watching the show, that’s only behind me. Who would remember to check above their head all the time? There are ghosts watching you from where you can’t see. Wuwu.]
[Why? I believe in Brother Yan, after all, he’s the one who broke that huge electric figurine (dog head.jpg). But if he can’t even see them, how’s he supposed to deal with it?]
[Oh no, you guys are making me panic.]
[I’ve never realized before how great split-screen shots are! Wuwu, ever since there’s only this one camera, and I can’t choose what to watch, I’ve been worried about what’s going on in other places. Bai Shuang and the others won’t be okay, right? What if this is a trick to lure them away?]
[Choking… So, what if Chi Yan intentionally led everyone away and now wants to go back and kill Bai Shuang while no one’s around? Didn’t the director just say that Chi Yan’s character killed Bai Shuang’s character? What if she realizes one blow isn’t enough and decides to strike again?]
[Oh my gosh, looks like you guys really don’t like Chi Yan. You’re coming up with all sorts of things against her.]
[She hasn’t said a single honest word up until now, how can we trust her? But honestly, I don’t think it’s her this time. Look, there’s blood on the floor…]
Yan Shixun frowned. In the eerie quiet of the Jing Estate, where even the sound of breathing was audible, it felt as if he were standing alone among a crowd of ghosts. The ghost child, who had never shown itself, was hiding somewhere, silently observing everything.
He knew full well this might be a trap, but still, he walked down the stairs and headed toward the room.
With his excellent memory, Yan Shixun recognized that the noise had first come from this very room. It was only after that that the series of strange incidents involving the master had begun.
“B-Brother Yan,” An Nanyuan gulped, his voice trembling as he asked, “How about… not going down there?”
“It feels like there are ghosts downstairs,” An Nanyuan struggled to suppress the cry in his voice, worried about Yan Shixun’s safety.
Images from movies flashed uncontrollably in his mind.
Ghosts lurking behind doors, corpses waiting to be discovered in rooms, blood dripping from bodies hidden in wardrobes…
Yan Shixun glanced sideways at An Nanyuan, a half-smile on his face. “When you can’t see the ghosts, there’s no place that’s absolutely safe. But if you do nothing, that’s when you’re truly waiting for death.”
As soon as those words left his lips, Zhao Zhen, who had been hesitant before, immediately made up his mind, setting off from his spot and following closely behind Yan Shixun.
“Brother Yan, I’ll go with you.”
Seeing that Yan Shixun didn’t seem to reject them, Zhang Wubing immediately rushed over, even faster than Ye Li.
He was joking, wasn’t he? This was his lifeline! Who would leave their lifeline behind?
Ye Li: “………”
He silently watched Zhang Wubing’s figure, which was almost as fast as a rabbit, and once again deeply felt how despicable that ghost child was.
—Although he was pleased with the arrangement of him and Shixun being a couple, and thought the ghost child wasn’t bad, with such power and no chance of reincarnation, maybe they could hire him for a position in Fengdu.
But the decision to make Zhang Wubing the daughter…
It was clear now that decision was a bit too hasty. He would have to reconsider.
Ye Li, with a cold face, thought this to himself.
Though he wore a floor-length dress, it didn’t hinder his movements.
As they turned the corner toward the bloodstained hallway, Ye Li subtly quickened his pace, squeezing Zhang Wubing behind him without making a sound. He naturally surged ahead of everyone, walking beside Yan Shixun, and took his hand.
Yan Shixun looked down at Ye Li’s strong hand with distinct joints, and without words, said, “Are you a kindergartner, afraid that you need to hold someone’s hand? Should I hold your hand even when you go to the bathroom?”
Yan Shixun expressed his disgust, “You’re even worse than Zhang Wubing.”
Ye Li lifted his dark, feather-like eyelashes, glancing at the nearby Zhang Wubing.
Zhang Wubing, filled with survival instincts, immediately shuddered, like a small animal sensing danger. He stopped walking quietly, too afraid to step forward.
Zhang Wubing: Although I really want to hug my dad’s leg, my mom is so scary QAQ. Only someone like Brother Yan could probably control my mom.
But as he thought about it, Zhang Wubing suddenly recalled something Yan Shixun had said before—”If a person isn’t fierce, how can they control evil spirits?”
He looked at the two people walking side by side ahead of him and suddenly thought how harmonious the scene seemed.
Could it be that Brother Yan’s fierceness was meant to control this unnamed assistant director? Fierce people control evil spirits. Heh, now that I say it, I’ve just called my mom an evil spirit.
Zhang Wubing was amused by his own thoughts, laughing to himself.
Song Ci, who was walking nearby, noticed him: “…”
He glanced at the still lively Zhang Wubing and then at the front, where Yan Shixun walked, feeling a bit emotional.
Maybe this is just the luck of a fool?
Song Ci thought about this and kept trying to walk forward but was suddenly pulled back by Zhang Wubing.
“What are you doing?” Zhang Wubing whispered, speaking quietly.
Song Ci, confused, looked back at him. “? What do you mean? What are you doing?”
Zhang Wubing gave him a strange look, then, in a volume only the two of them could hear, asked, “Haven’t you heard the saying? If you disturb someone in love, ghosts will chase you. Didn’t you see my parents are over there flirting with each other?”
He said confidently, “In this situation, it’s safer to stay behind. Haven’t you noticed everyone else is behind us? You’re the only one who’s clueless, rushing ahead.”
Zhang Wubing even tried to teach him the experience he’d gained over the years: “The key to hugging the thigh is, you must never make the person and their powerful associates angry.”
In the beginning, if he hadn’t left a good impression on Master Li Chengyun when the university started, and subsequently caught Brother Yan’s attention, with Brother Yan’s lone wolf-like personality, he wouldn’t have cared about him for so long.
Zhang Wubing: Plan successful √
Zhao Zhen, who had quietly slowed his pace: “…”
Song Ci, who usually did his own thing, was completely puzzled and thought to himself that Zhang Wubing should probably be renamed Zhang Dabing.
Only Ye Li, who was silently holding onto Yan Shixun’s wrist, unwilling to let go, slightly lowered his lashes. He couldn’t help but curve his lips into a faint, satisfied smile.
Having a daughter wasn’t too bad.
“Hubby, someone wants to harm me.” Ye Li’s voice was calm and deep, yet the content shocked everyone.
He blinked his dark, feather-like eyelashes and frowned slightly before saying to Yan Shixun, “I’m scared.”
Yan Shixun: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
It was hard to tell just what he was actually afraid of…
However, thanks to Ye Li’s extraordinary beauty, even though he seemed unfamiliar with the feeling of “fear” and couldn’t convey it properly in his expression, there was still no sense of awkwardness.
When Ye Li lowered his eyes to look at Yan Shixun, his black hair slid down from his shoulders, accidentally brushing across Yan Shixun’s neck, causing a slight tickling sensation.
Yan Shixun furrowed his brows and, by the time he realized what had happened, his previous speechlessness had completely vanished. He now felt like Ye Li might be a bit too close.
“Next time, if you want to act scared, at least do it properly.” Yan Shixun raised his hand and placed it on Ye Li’s chest, pushing him slightly away.
But under the satin-like fabric, Ye Li’s firm yet not exaggerated muscles were evident, and the peculiar sensation made Yan Shixun even more uncomfortable. He quickly retracted his hand, feeling an inexplicable urge to keep his distance.
“You, a grandmaster, still feel scared?” Yan Shixun scoffed. “Even someone as silly as Lu Xingxing wouldn’t believe that.”
The others who had been quietly observing from behind: … *Pfft*.
The comments on the screen also flooded in with amusement: [The most amazing independent musician, Lu Xingxing, gets unfairly treated.]
[From rebellious music genius to the little fool scorned by his master, is this moral degeneration or human nature distortion?]
[What is the relationship between Brother Yan and this… unknown gentleman? This interaction is making my face burn.]
[Honestly, this gentleman looks really good in this dress. By the way, can I get a link? I’d love to know where the costume team bought it.]
Ye Li didn’t mind the crowd’s reactions. He only smiled as he looked at Yan Shixun, “Doesn’t Shiwen want to protect Wanxiu anymore?”
Yan Shixun: “… Now that you put it that way, I really can’t refute it.”
He stopped dwelling on Ye Li’s behavior, assuming Ye Li was just indulging in his acting craving and wanted to play the role of Jingshi Wanxiu. He let Ye Li follow him as they entered the room.
The Jing Estate was large, and naturally, it had guest rooms on the first floor for hosting guests.
Before the master’s body suddenly appeared, Yan Shixun had heard footsteps and the sound of a door opening coming from here. He couldn’t help but wonder if this master had a role in the script and was a guest of the Jing family.
As Yan Shixun pushed open the door, the door creaked and groaned. What appeared before everyone was a room splattered with blood.
Someone immediately let out a startled cry.
Li Xuetang was also shocked by the brutal scene, standing frozen and staring at the room, unable to snap out of it.
Yan Shixun scanned the room and, just as he had suspected, there weren’t many signs of life in the guest room, which seemed more like a temporary lodging.
On the floor was a bamboo-woven suitcase, completely soaked in blood. Yet, it was still possible to see that inside, besides clothing, there were some paper notebooks.
Yan Shixun walked over, pulled out a handkerchief from his suit pocket, wrapped it around his hand, and bent down to pick up the notebook.
The only good news was that the notebook’s owner hadn’t used a fountain pen like most people of this period. Instead, they had used a charcoal pencil, and the handwriting hadn’t been smudged by the blood.
Yan Shixun flipped through the notebook and discovered that it was a set of notes regarding Jing Bin.
It detailed the exact time and date, what had been done, and who had been met. Everything was written clearly.
It was like a tracking and surveillance report.
But that wasn’t all. The notebook also recorded Jing Bin’s family connections, and even repeatedly emphasized one particular line: “Suspected to be in a secret relationship with editor Lin Ting.”
Yan Shixun turned sideways to glance at Li Xuetang standing outside the door and lifted the notebook in his hand. “Director Li, what’s your take on the owner of this room?”
“You must have seen the body when you came in. I believe you’re familiar with him — he’s the master you invited to preside over the opening ceremony.”
Yan Shixun calmly stated, “Before we lost consciousness and got pulled in here, this master was already dead, lying in the stairwell of the hotel. When he appeared just now, he was already in a corpse state.”
“Director, in your script, what identity did you assign him?”
“To monitor Jing Bin, perhaps…”
After Yan Shixun briefly summarized the contents of the notebook, Li Xuetang fell into thought for a moment before speaking. “Remember I said Lin Qiong had a chance to escape because someone helped her?”
“Because that person fought with the butler, Lin Qiong was able to seize the chance to flee, and the helper was killed by the butler.”
Li Xuetang explained, “In my script, on the first floor of the Jing Estate, there was indeed a guest — he was a Feng Shui master from Binhai City, invited by the Jing family to check the house’s feng shui for Jing Bin. But at the same time, he was also part of the old faction, sent to assist Lin Qiong in succeeding.”
“However, what Lin Qiong didn’t know was that besides helping her, this helper had another mission — to monitor Lin Qiong, and after she succeeded, to kill her as well, staging the scene as a robbery and murder of the entire family.”
Before Jing Bin, the state-sponsored student, took charge, the Jing family was a traditionalist household.
Although they weren’t completely closed-minded and understood that societal development was inevitable — agreeing to send Jing Bin abroad for study — many of their old habits couldn’t be changed overnight.
For instance, their blind belief in feng shui and the Eight Characters.
After noticing that Jing Bin had been frequently targeted lately, the Jing family investigated while simultaneously inviting a master to check if there was an issue with the house’s feng shui.
Although Jing Bin felt helpless about it, for the sake of his family’s peace of mind, he allowed the master to stay in the house temporarily until he could spare the time.
However, the old faction naturally had a stronger hold over traditionalists, and that master was never truly on the Jing family’s side.
The audience, caught off guard by the sudden death announcement, exploded: [!!!]
[I’m starting to panic — can someone tell me if a real person actually died?! Or is this still part of the script?]
[Ahhh!! I wasn’t even that scared before, thinking, “As long as I’m not afraid, nothing can touch me.” So I wasn’t that afraid of ghosts. But this ghost, it… it *kills* people! It really killed someone!!]
[Damn! This show’s gone wild! They actually dare to shoot a script like this?! Are they some kind of censorship darlings with connections?!]
“That master really was lacking in skill. Took on the commission without even casting a fortune for himself.”
Yan Shixun sneered, “The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”
Li Xuetang nodded but also realized something. “You all mentioned earlier that Chi Yan raised a ghost child… Could it be, the master I invited was actually the one helping her?”
“Sometimes, you can’t help but sigh — no one can escape the great fortune of heaven and earth.”
Yan Shixun looked down at the notebook, his eyes filled with mockery. “He thought he could get away, but after going around in circles, he still ended up dying where it all began.”
Wait…
Yan Shixun was suddenly struck by his own words and realized something.
Chi Yan’s control over that ghost child had been unnaturally strong. Yet, judging from what he knew, Chi Yan was not someone particularly obsessed with control — she cared more about interests and benefits. If that was the case, then the ghost child must have had some special trait that Chi Yan was unwilling to let go of.
More importantly, the ghost child hated Chi Yan and the master who had helped her.
The ghost child wanted to torment and kill them in the most fearsome way.
Since the master had already been dragged back to the beginning, then why wouldn’t everything return to the true start of it all?
A beginning even earlier than he had imagined…
“Director Li, you said earlier that you had deeply researched the Jing family?” Yan Shixun asked.
Li Xuetang, not knowing where he was going with this, nodded.
“Besides the current old master of the Jing family, were there any other children?” Yan Shixun pressed. “For example, a child who had just been born not long ago.”
Li Xuetang furrowed his brow, thinking hard for a long time before hesitantly saying, “I’m not sure about that. But I did hear that the Jing family in the capital had a child who… couldn’t be spoken of. Supposedly died very young.”
A flash of lightning tore through Yan Shixun’s mind.
He suddenly realized why they had ended up in the old Binhai City of a hundred years ago.
—Because the ghost child was a child of the Jing family.
The Jing family’s pursuit of Chi Yan, the fact that Chi Yan ended up getting Lin Qiong’s identity — it was all because…
In the ghost child’s eyes, Chi Yan and Lin Qiong were the ones who had caused the Jing family’s tragedy.
So he wanted to return to the very beginning of everything, to kill Chi Yan and Lin Qiong before any tragedy could happen.
As for the master, he had been dragged back to the starting point as well, so everything could be settled.
However, in the original story, the helper assigned to kill Lin Qiong had died, which meant Lin Qiong had managed to escape human pursuers.
But the ghost child would not spare Chi Yan.
Therefore—
Yan Shixun abruptly looked toward the doorway.
And just then, he vaguely saw a small child standing at the entrance.
The child was holding a leather ball, tilting his round, baby-faced head up, staring seriously at him.
Without thinking, Yan Shixun lowered his gaze to meet the child’s eyes.
His Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice came out hoarse. “You just wanted to go back to before everything turned bad, didn’t you?”
The child looked surprised that Yan Shixun could see him.
He tilted his head slightly, his long eyelashes fluttering. “You can see me.”
“Why?” he asked. “Don’t you want to kill me?”
The child’s voice carried a natural softness, speaking in an adorably sweet tone, “I’m a ghost, a vengeful ghost, a very powerful one.”
Yan Shixun slowly walked over and crouched down in front of the child, carefully making sure the child did not have to keep looking up.
“But becoming a ghost wasn’t what you originally wanted, was it? Do you want to become human again?”
The child only let out a clear, soft giggle, dragging out his words in that sweet voice, “An Evil Spirit Bone Transformation. Once you’ve become a ghost, how can you become human again, silly big brother.”
Hearing such ominous words about an evil ghost coming from a child’s mouth startled Yan Shixun.
But when he blinked and tried to ask the child more, he realized the child’s figure had already vanished.
Beside him, An Nanyuan swallowed hard and asked in a trembling voice, “Brother Yan, who… who were you talking to?”
Yan Shixun frowned. “You guys didn’t see anything?”
Everyone shook their heads in unison, faces full of confusion.
Even he had only just suddenly been able to see that child — before this, he hadn’t seen anything…
Yan Shixun’s gaze deepened, a guess forming in his mind.
After discovering Yan Shixun could see him, the child had asked why he didn’t want to kill him — it was likely, for the child, these two matters were closely connected.
— Only those who bore no intention to harm him, who felt no fear toward him, could see him.
Yan Shixun was momentarily stunned, realizing that the ghost child’s reason for pulling them all into this place might be different from what he had originally thought.
But before he could think further, the sound of hurried high-heeled footsteps suddenly echoed from the corridor outside.
Among all of them, only Chi Yan had been wearing heels!
Yan Shixun immediately stood up and rushed out.
A gust of fragrant wind, mixed with the metallic scent of blood, swept down the hallway.
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