Translator: Cinder Translations
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Unlike Zuo Jing, who couldn't conceal her panic, Jiang Cheng's face showed almost no emotion. He had noticed an anomaly in Shi Liao Zhi's footprints—they were reversed.
Immediately, he recalled what the beggar boy had done.
That little beggar had walked backward while pointing at the ground. He had been trying to indicate this exact detail.
A ghost's feet are reversed.
Shi Liao Zhi was indeed an imposter. The real Shi Liao Zhi had long since died in the attic. Jiang Cheng had always been puzzled about how Shi Liao Zhi had escaped, and now, at last, he had his answer.
After noticing the anomaly in the mirror, Zuo Jing instinctively glanced at Shi Liao Zhi. To her shock, he seemed to have sensed something and suddenly twisted his head around. His sinister eyes were devoid of any emotion.
"Why are you looking at me?" Shi Liao Zhi took a step closer to Zuo Jing, his presence as chilling as solid ice, instilling a deep-rooted fear.
Standing at a different angle, You Qi couldn't see Shi Liao Zhi's face. He instinctively wanted to mediate, but after taking just a few steps, an intense chill ran through him, forcing him to stop.
Jiang Cheng silently stepped back. Behind him was a window—his last resort for escape.
Zuo Jing's face turned deathly pale as she watched Shi Liao Zhi approach step by step.
Escape!
She had to escape!
But she needed a good enough reason—not something that would provoke the ghost. Otherwise, she would die as well.
Just then—
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Someone was at the door.
The knocking was slow and not particularly forceful, but in the eerie silence, it was incredibly jarring.
Shi Liao Zhi was distracted by the sound and actually stopped moving, slowly turning his head toward the door.
Jiang Cheng turned as well. In the cold moonlight, a shadow was cast on the door's paper screen. But what made him frown was how strangely bulky the silhouette was.
A piercing chill erupted in his heart. The night was so silent—yet no one had heard the approaching footsteps of the visitor. Zuo Jing's slender fingers trembled violently, and something flickered in her pupils.
Could it be… there was more than one ghost?
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. Her initial plan to escape was now completely drowned in fear. She wasn't even sure if what she was seeing was real or an illusion.
What if… what if Shi Liao Zhi wasn't actually a ghost?
What if the anomalies she saw were just tricks played by the real ghost to drive her out of the room?
What if the real ghost was waiting outside the door?
The one outside… might be the true ghost.
Panic erodes a person's will. Even though Zuo Jing had undergone training, the deep-seated terror in her heart was not something human resilience could easily withstand.
She was running out of time—she had to make a decision fast.
"Is… is anyone there?" A voice called from outside. Jiang Cheng frowned—it was the voice of the Fatty. But something about it sounded… off.
After a brief silence and no response, the Fatty continued, "The middle-aged woman sent me. She said… she said Young Master Huang has fallen ill again and needs a doctor." He paused before adding, "Please, open the door for me."
The Fatty's voice was unsettling, as if every word was squeezed out from his throat with great effort.
Upon hearing the voice, Shi Liao Zhi, who had been staring at the door, suddenly took a few steps back. His eyes filled with fear, and a few seconds later, he lowered his voice and warned, "Be careful… it might be a ghost."
Zuo Jing glanced at the door, then at Shi Liao Zhi, who suddenly seemed normal again. He too appeared to be hesitating.
She wasn't someone who usually hesitated—but this decision was a matter of life and death.
A shadow flashed by. You Qi widened his eyes—he saw Jiang Cheng step forward and pull the door open.
Shi Liao Zhi, standing beside Zuo Jing, reached out a hand as if to stop him, but it was too late.
The door swung open.
In the cold moonlight, the Fatty stood at the entrance.
There wasn't a single person around him. The night was so silent it felt dead.
The moment You Qi saw the Fatty clearly, he felt an icy chill at the back of his head. The Fatty was drenched from head to toe, his lips bluish-purple, and water was dripping continuously from his pant legs, pooling into a small puddle on the ground.
As soon as the door opened, the Fatty's dull eyes suddenly lit up.
"Mr. Hao!" The Fatty called out excitedly. "Please come with me! Young Master Huang has fallen ill again—he needs a doctor!"
Jiang Cheng stared into the Fatty's eyes. He didn't respond. He didn't move.
The Fatty seemed anxious. He reached out, grabbed Jiang Cheng's wrist, and tried to pull him out. But Jiang Cheng stood firm, unmoving.
At that moment, Shi Liao Zhi also stepped forward. He seemed terrified of the Fatty and only dared to advise cautiously, "Mr. Hao, isn't it too late tonight? How about we… go tomorrow instead?"
Upon seeing Shi Liao Zhi, the Fatty's expression darkened dramatically. The blood drained from his face, leaving it as pale as frost. His grip on Jiang Cheng's hand trembled, yet he refused to let go.
"Mr. Hao," the Fatty whispered, staring into Jiang Cheng's eyes. After a brief pause, his bluish-purple lips moved again.
"Listen to me."
The next moment, Jiang Cheng no longer hesitated. He stepped out of the room.
The Fatty's eyes turned red with emotion, but he didn't dare show it. Instead, he quickly switched positions with Jiang Cheng, allowing the latter to pull him away.
"I'm coming too!" Zuo Jing, as if granted a lifeline, rushed out of the room in a few steps.
You Qi followed next.
He was slow to react, but he wasn't stupid. At this point, even an idiot would know what to do. He didn't even dare to glance at Shi Liao Zhi—he simply bolted out after them.
"Wait for me! I… I'm coming too!"
Now, only Shi Liao Zhi remained in the room. He stood there motionless, making no move to leave.
Gradually, an unmistakable resentment took shape in his eyes. He stared fixedly at the Fatty's broad back.
Then, the fourth drumbeat sounded.
The sound came from the attic.
Shi Liao Zhi's figure started to blur—until, suddenly, he vanished.
"Huff—"
Hiding in the nearby forest, Chen Qiang let out a long breath. At the same time, his gaze toward the Fatty carried a new kind of emotion.
An Xuan and Xia Meng were crouching beside him, concealed behind a dense thicket that provided excellent cover.
Even now, as he recalled the scene from moments ago, Chen Qiang couldn't shake his fear.
That pale, bluish-purple face, with its lifeless eyes wide open in eternal agony, replayed endlessly in his mind.
The bloated corpse beneath the red wooden boat…
It was Shi Liao Zhi.
What exactly had happened to him?
Why had he ended up like this?
No one knew.
But one thing was certain—he was dead.
And after his death, a ghost had taken his form and infiltrated the room.
Once they understood this, they quickly figured out the only way to survive:
Leave the room.
The farther, the better.
Because when the final drumbeat sounded…
The ghost would kill whoever remained inside.
(End of the Chapter)
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