Chapter 30.2 Ye Family House No. 444 03
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Yang Xiao arrived in the afternoon, but she clearly didn’t believe in ghosts and spirits. She firmly believed that Zhou Chengjun must have encountered some deranged serial killer who carried out such bizarre and cruel methods of murder.
Yang Xiao: “These cruel and unusual methods of murder resemble a form of punishment. I know that many cold-blooded killers who murder without motive often have some kind of belief system. Especially those who follow cults, they believe that killing certain individuals helps liberate them. The fact that Zhou Chengjun was arranged in a kneeling posture after his death indicates that the person who killed him believed he was guilty, hence the punishment. In general, in such cases, it’s unlikely to be just one victim However, the victims should share a common characteristic. What I need to find is this common characteristic.”
There was no denying that besides her lack of reverence for ghosts and spirits, Yang Xiao was a very intelligent person. She could deduce all of this based solely on Zhou Chengjun’s cause of death. Perhaps it was this intelligence that allowed her to have no fear, as she could explain any mysterious and terrifying phenomenon in her mind.
Chen Yang and the others didn’t foolishly attempt to convince Yang Xiao that ghosts exist in this world and that she should show respect for them. Confident and intelligent individuals were stubborn. Unless they witnessed it with their own eyes or experience it firsthand, there was no need to forcefully persuade them.
Yang Xiao: “I will still go to the Ye Family House No. 444 tonight. I mentioned earlier that I want to debunk the superstitious rumors surrounding it. As for Zhou Chengjun’s death, I don’t believe it has anything to do with the Ye Family House No. 444.”
Hu Xiang looked worried, afraid that Yang Xiao’s words might anger Chen Yang and the others. She turned to her cousin, Hu Yingnan, who seemed deep in thought and rubbed her belly.”I’m feeling a bit hungry. Shall we go for afternoon tea?”
Mao Xiaoli: “Sister Hu’s suggestion has made me quite hungry too. Are there any particularly authentic tea and dessert shops in Shen City?”
“There’s an Italian gelato shop nearby that also serves excellent desserts and pastries. Their milk tea is quite flavorful too. The prices are reasonable. I’ll treat everyone. Let’s go together,” Hu Yingnan suggested.
Yang Xiao was pulled along by Hu Xiang to join them. Chen Yang was already enticed by the mention of gelato, desserts, and pastries. He stood up to leave but noticed that Du Shuo showed no interest. He hurriedly grabbed Du Shuo and said, “Brother Du, let’s go too.”
Du Shuo remained unmoved. “If we go, we can only have one serving of each item.”
Chen Yang nodded. Regardless, even if he could only have one serving, ordering multiple items would still him them to try a variety of treats. Du Shuo could tell what Chen Yang had in mind and said, “You can choose a maximum of four items.”
Chen Yang: “Why don’t you understand? I don’t get cavities anymore. I take good care of my teeth. Even if I consume a bit more sugar, it won’t be a problem.”
Du Shuo: “Your ‘bit more’ is several times the normal sugar intake of an average person. If I don’t keep an eye on you, you can end up eating sugar as your main course three times a day.” He stood up, pinched Chen Yang’s neck, and took long strides ahead. “No negotiations. If we discuss it further, I won’t go at all.”
Chen Yang had no choice but to agree, though he would grumble a bit, “Treating me like a child. Indeed, without legal recognition, there is no protection in this marriage.:
“How is it not legal?” Du Shuo, instead of pinching Chen Yang’s neck, now wrapped his arm around it and leisurely said, “Witnessed by heaven and earth, endorsed by the elders. There are even ghost officials and the Underworld as witnesses below. It’s perfectly legal.”
Chen Yang’s mouth curled up. “I’m human, you’re a ghost official. The laws of the underworld don’t apply here, and there’s no law governing marriages in the mortal realm either. If it’s not legal, it’s not legal. Stop talking nonsense.”
“Heaven and earth are the supreme law. We’ve paid our respects to heaven and earth. It means they agree, making it legal,” Du Shuo countered. “So, if I catch you secretly eating desserts later, be prepared for me to lawfully deal with you.”
If there weren’t so many people around, Chen Yang would have jumped on Du Shuo and bit his shoulder.
Hu Yingnan was closest to the two of them, and she faintly heard a few lovey-dovey whispers between them. She shook her head and patted her chest. Mao Xiaoli noticed and asked if she felt unwell. Hu Yingnan nodded, “Not feeling too well, I’ve eaten too much.”
She was stuffing spoonfuls of dog food into her mouth, feeling so full that she might burp.
So, the group headed to a nearby dessert shop and ordered an array of pastries and beverages. They ate and chatted. During their conversation, they overheard a group of young people at the neighboring table enthusiastically discussing their plans to livestream an adventure at the Ye Family House No. 444. Chen Yang glanced at Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao shrugged, “Don’t look at me. Nowadays, people on the internet follow whatever is trendy. Originally, our exploratory livestream was a niche interest. But after the news of Zhou Chengjun’s mysterious death spread, the Ye Family House No. 444 became popular. Let me clarify, it wasn’t me who spread the news. My original intention was to debunk superstitions.”
With her explanation, others had nothing more to say. However, it was surprising how quickly the news spread right after Zhou Chengjun’s death.
Zhang Qiudao: “It seems like there will be many young people exploring the Ye Family House No. 444, tonight. I wonder if anything will go wrong.”
With so many people going, even if there was something there, it would surely be provoked.
Chen Yang: “Make sure you all have your things ready and stay vigilant when we go there tonight.”
Everyone nodded. Around 7 o’clock in the evening, as the sky darkened, Chen Yang, Du Shuo, and the others went their separate ways. Mao Xiaoli and the others set off to investigate the situation at the Ye Family House No. 444, while Chen Yang went to find the person who had undertaken the first exploration of the Ye Family House No. 444. Due to the good relationship between Ziyang Palace and Baiyun Temple, Hu Yingnan, who had a connection with the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade in Baiyun Temple, managed to obtain the address of that first explorer.
Chen Yang and Du Shuo took a bus to get there. They sat together near the door, holding hands. Chen Yang rested his head on Du Shuo’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
There weren’t many people on the bus, so there were many vacant seats. As the bus moved forward, the driver yawned and noticed a sign ahead, feeling somewhat puzzled. It seemed like an unfamiliar route. But he rarely traveled this way and had just switched routes with a colleague today. Shaking his head, he followed the direction indicated by the sign and turned onto a sparsely populated road.
The road was lively at first, with cars coming and going. However, as they drove deeper, it became quieter. The streetlights on both sides were on, but they emitted an inexplicably dim light, creating an uncomfortable feeling.
Chen Yang opened his eyes and looked out of the window. Du Shuo raised his hand to shield his eyes and softly said, “Don’t worry about those things.”
Chen Yang brushed aside Du Shuo’s hand. “As long as they don’t bother me, I won’t pay them any mind.”
However, it was evident that these things rarely encountered intruders. They were not likely to give up at all.
The other passengers in the bus also noticed something was wrong. “This isn’t Donghua Road. How did we end up on this road? Where are we?” Soon, other passengers realized that this wasn’t the usual route they took, and the environment outside the bus windows was truly eerie.
A high school girl looked up and happened to meet a pair of malicious eyes outside the window. At first, she thought it was just a reflection on the glass. But when she looked back, she realized there was no one in the seat opposite her. What was that thing with eyes on the window glass?
As she looked back, a dark shadow swiftly passed by. She couldn’t help but scream, “There’s something outside the bus!” Her scream deepened the passengers’ fear, and they anxiously questioned the driver.
The driver’s face turned pale, and sweat beads formed on his forehead. However, he clenched his teeth and didn’t dare to mention the road sign he had just seen. It didn’t say Donghua Road but instead read Wenchang Road. Just a moment ago, he remembered the eerie legends about Wenchang Road circulating in Shen City.
In the past, Wenchang Road was a cemetery. Many poor people used to live there, and when they died, they were buried on the spot. Some people couldn’t afford a burial, so they were thrown into this area. Even deceased infants and stillborns were discarded on this road. In the past, Wenchang Road was jokingly called the Yin-Yang Street, referring to its sinister nature.
The driver had heard colleagues talk about it, advising that if one unfortunately entered Wenchang Road, it was best to stop and not drive any further, otherwise, they wouldn’t know where they’d end up. Today, the colleague who switched routes with him specifically reminded him to pay attention to the road signs when driving on Donghua Road and not to mistake them.
However, he still made a mistake and ended up on Wenchang Road. He couldn’t fathom that it could be so eerie just after sunset, even though it was only a little past seven.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him. The driver focused his gaze and realized that it was a black humanoid shadow reflected in the rearview mirror, tightly pressed against the bus. The shadow seemed to notice someone looking at it and turned to look back. Their eyes met precisely with the driver’s, who was peering into the mirror.
The driver was instantly terrified, his heart nearly stopping, followed by a frenzy of fear. He pressed the accelerator hard but realized the bus only moved about four or five meters before stalling. No matter how hard he pressed the gas pedal, the bus wouldn’t budge.
Then, something forcefully pounded on the windows, making a loud “bang, bang, bang” sound and leaving behind black handprints. The passengers inside the bus trembled in fear, screaming and crying out. The driver slumped in his seat, completely devoid of spirit.
They all knew it was only a matter of time before whatever was outside would break through the windows. Some tried to make phone calls for help, but there was no signal. Despair and anguish engulfed them.
Just as they were sinking into despair, Chen Yang stood up and said to the driver, “Open the doors.”
The driver took a while to react. “Are you… Are you planning to get off? Don’t be impulsive. Let’s wait a bit longer. Maybe there’s help coming.”
Chen Yang sighed. “I’ll go down and drive those things away. Open the doors. And no matter what happens, the rest of you mustn’t get off the bus.”
The driver stared at Chen Yang, vaguely understanding that he had fortuitously encountered an expert. He quickly opened the doors, allowing Chen Yang to get off. As soon as Chen Yang stepped out, the doors immediately closed. When he was three or four steps away from the bus, he suddenly vanished, engulfed by a thick black fog.
The passengers, nervous yet hopeful, looked outside, silently praying for Chen Yang’s safety. They were not only grateful to him for stepping forward to save them but also because he was their only lifeline.
Before getting off, Chen Yang already knew what they were facing. It was disha, type of evil spirits that enjoyed hovering over roads and causing accidents. Chen Yang formed the North Feng Killing Ghost Seal with both hands and chanted the Northern Feng Killing Ghost Seal, “Northern Feng Killing Ghost Seal, Fengdu Summoning Ghosts and Spirits Seal…Banish all demons, slay wicked gods, urgently as if following orders!”
In an instant, golden light appeared, gradually dispersing the thick black fog. Within the fog, the disha shrieked and swiftly retreated, no longer daring to linger. Inside the bus, the passengers couldn’t see the golden light, but they could feel the oppressive feeling of darkness easing up, and the fog seemed to be thinning.
One disha, unwilling to give up, attempted to forcefully smash through a window. However, it happened to collide with Du Shuo, who turned his head, expressionless, his cold eyes meeting the disha’s gaze. Before the disha could react, it was instantly dispersed.
Such terror left no disha foolish enough to dare approach again. Meanwhile, Chen Yang managed to drive away the disruptive disha. However, since Wenchang Road was once a cemetery, there were still many wandering spirits and restless ghosts on both sides. Chen Yang affixed two talismans on the bus, and two beams of light immediately appeared.
Chen Yang knocked on the door, signaling the driver to open it. As soon as he stepped into the bus, all eyes were fixated on him. Chen Yang spoke, “We can leave now. Don’t just watch or scream. If you’re scared, close your eyes or draw the curtains.”
Everyone followed his instructions, with the frightened individuals closing their eyes altogether. Of course, there were also brave souls who wanted to look, but even a quick glance left them trembling with fear. As for the driver, he kept his gaze straight ahead, not daring to look. Although he didn’t dare to see, he knew that there seemed to be many things outside watching them.
It wasn’t until warm lights appeared ahead that everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their grateful gazes directed towards Chen Yang as if they had escaped a disaster. Someone inquired about which Daoist temple he belonged to, hoping to pay their respects.
Chen Yang replied that he didn’t belong to any temple but mentioned Ziyang Palace and Baiyun Temple. He then turned around and sat next to Du Shuo, proudly saying, “I’ve mastered the Northern Feng Killing Ghost Seal.”
The Northern Feng Killing Ghost was used to eliminate evil spirits and demons, one of the seals of Fengdu. Normally, it required a peach wood carving to make the seal. However, Chen Yang didn’t use a physical seal but manifested it through his mind, displaying an extraordinary talent.
“Yangyang is amazing.”
“I was just trying it out, didn’t expect it to succeed. But next time, I want to try the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s Heart Seal,” said Chen Yang ambitiously.
Great Emperor of Fengdu Du Shuo’s smile stiffened for a moment as he held his little wife. “Yangyang will definitely succeed. Yangyang is the most clever.”
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