TRYMBPIETM 46: Mirror, Night, Snow Peak (9)

Although Luo Ting used uncertain wording, his tone was very firm, immediately attracting the attention of everyone present.

Luo Huaiyu’s gaze fell on him. “What?”

Chi Qingzhou also looked over with curiosity.

Luo Ting pulled the two of them to sit down and said with a hint of sarcasm, “You probably don’t know yet, Sheng Yihang died a strange death before, and it was very odd.”

Luo Huaiyu had been killed by Sheng Yihang more than a month ago and was later thrown by Sheng Yihang, who had prepared in advance, in a remote cemetery behind.

He had originally been a cultivator, and after being stimulated by the resentment and the cemetery’s dead energy, he had awakened in his body that very day.

But he couldn’t get up immediately, so he sunbathed for several days and finally regained the ability to move.

Afterward, worried about his parents and sister being hurt, he didn’t even bother to confirm the situation with Sheng Yihang, rushing back to Yuntian Province under the blazing sun.

Therefore, he had no idea that about a week after his death, Sheng Yihang had also mysteriously died.

Luo Ting said, “Sheng Yihang had an accident in the middle of the night. The next morning, when the staff went to clean, they found his body, and they quickly called the police.”

At that time, Luo Ting had also taken on a corpse transport job and, fearing trouble along the way, had specifically requested relevant materials.

According to the records, Sheng Yihang had worked overtime at the company until 11 p.m., finally finishing the work he had fallen behind on for the past couple of days. He quickly packed up his things and prepared to go home.

From the company’s surveillance footage, it was clear that during the process, he had paused two or three times, rubbing his chest, possibly feeling some discomfort.

But he didn’t think much of it and took no action, finishing packing and directly heading downstairs.

When he reached the artificial lake outside the company, his body suddenly swayed. One hand pressed against his chest, and he fell headfirst into the lake.

Luo Ting sneered twice, “When I went to Mo Du to, I specifically went to check his company. At that time, people in the company were gossiping that he either died from overwork or was taken by a water ghost as a substitute^[1], but actually, neither was the case.”

“He drowned in the artificial lake, but the place where he fell was the shallow edge of the lake, the water was only about 10 to 15 centimeters deep.”

Of course, that wasn’t the most bizarre part.

The truly strange thing was that when he fell, his body was face up, and his mouth and nose weren’t submerged in the water. Normally, he shouldn’t have drowned at all.

But he died from drowning anyway, and his heart failure was just the cause of his fall.

Luo Ting said, “This death was too odd. At the time, I also worried that he had been taken as a substitute, so I rushed over to the artificial lake. But I found that the lake was very clean, likely cleared by a master when it was dug.”

Although the work of corpse herders nowadays had changed a lot from the past, the old traditions were still passed down through generations.

For example, the three no’s of transporting corpses.

One of the three no’s was not handling the corpse of someone who had died by drowning or hanging.

The older generation of corpse herders believed that such people had been taken as substitutes, and their souls were trapped, making it impossible to return them to their home. Therefore, they generally refused such work.

Nowadays, their business scope had expanded, so they didn’t care too much about this, but it still showed how troublesome such situations could be.

“At that time, I really thought I had to confront something in the water to take him away.”

Luo Ting’s expression became even more mocking.

“But when I got there, the water ghost wasn’t there. Instead, I found traces of struggle where he had fallen. This means that before he died, he was at least conscious for a while and tried to save himself, but failed.”

This was truly thought-provoking.

A person who died from heart failure, accidentally fell into an artificial lake, lying face up in water only about ten centimeters deep, but still somehow inhaled water and slowly suffocated.

If he had drowned while unconscious, he might not have felt much pain, but Sheng Yihang, on the other hand, had regained consciousness.

He realized his situation, struggled desperately to get to the shore, but it was in vain, and he couldn’t escape the inevitable.

The incident happened at night, with no security patrols and no pedestrians passing by.

He had tried to save himself. Alone in the silent night, he tried his best to climb out of the lake. His short nails broke and bled from scratching, leaving numerous scrape marks by the lake. In the end, he painfully died from suffocation, little by little.

No one knew exactly what had happened at that time, and Luo Ting didn’t know either.

But seeing the nail marks all around the lake, Luo Ting knew how painful and unwilling he had been in his death.

This was the reason he was willing to take Sheng Yihang’s body back.

The police investigation concluded that it was an accident, and Sheng Yihang, a young man, died. His grandfather was such a kind man, so of course, he wouldn’t refuse such a job.

This was also why he now found it so ironic.

The police’s investigation results weren’t wrong, it was indeed an accident, but whether it was karma or not was hard to say.

“Maybe it’s the deceased old man teaching his unworthy descendants a lesson,” Luo Ting said firmly, “This is his retribution!”

Luo Huaiyu was silent for a moment, letting out a long breath, his eyes showing a slightly sarcastic and relieved expression.

He stood up and spoke calmly, “Perhaps it really is retribution, but I no longer believe in retribution. I will find him, and personally send him to hell. I want him to suffer in the eighteen levels of hell, never to be reborn!”

Luo Ting stood up as well, “Let’s find him! I’ll help you find him! Such a beast should never get away with it!”

Chi Qingzhou, who had been quietly listening to Luo Ting, suddenly spoke, “Ah Yu, before we came to Shaoqiu City, I heard something. Your Mother, Father, and sister should have met with an accident not long ago, right?”

Luo Huaiyu understood and answered directly, “Yes, it was just a few days ago. They passed away after Sheng Yihang. It’s very likely that after Sheng Yihang was taken, he was transformed into something.”

Then, Sheng Yihang, who was no longer human, couldn’t control his twisted desires and directly barged into the Luo family’s house.

Chi Qingzhou said softly, “Your parents and sister, they were actually affected by your resentment and have already risen as Walking corpses, right?”

Luo Huaiyu’s gaze darkened. The moonlight reflected in his all-black eyes, casting a faint, eerie glow.

He slowly raised the corner of his stiff lips, revealing an exaggerated smile, his voice filled with delight.

“Yeah. They’ve all risen as Walking corpses.”

Chi Qingzhou also smiled.

He smiled innocently, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with pure joy for his friend.

“Now your whole family can take revenge on their own. Ah Yu is really clever.”

“Thank you, Zhou Zhou.”

Luo Huaiyu closed his eyes. The guilt that had been weighing on his heart for the past few days and hidden deep inside suddenly eased considerably.

His voice was hoarse, his throat rolling several times before he finally spoke a quiet thanks.

He wouldn’t say too many sweet words, and he didn’t think his friend needed those sweet words.

He wanted to repay his friend, but he didn’t need to use empty words. All he needed to do was always stand by his friend’s side and help with whatever his friend needed.

Zhou Zhou was right. Good friends should help each other.

Luo Ting patted Luo Huaiyu’s shoulder.

He understood, he understood everything.

When Zhou Zhou really wanted to be friends with someone, no one could escape from his grasp.

Not wanting the atmosphere to continue being heavy, Luo Ting changed the topic, “The priority now is to quickly find out where Sheng Yihang is.”

Luo Huaiyu glanced at him and continued, “Sheng Yihang is very cunning. All the death energy that can be sensed is attached to other people or objects. He himself is hiding very deeply.”

Chi Qingzhou hummed softly, leaning on Xing Shuangzhan’s shoulder, and turned his head to look at Luo Ting. “Ah Ting, you think that Sheng Yihang was “stolen”, right?”

Luo Ting nodded, though he was somewhat confused, “After Sheng Yihang disappeared, I went back to check at dawn. There were traces of dragging and moving in the nearby grass and on the ground. It seems that on the night he went missing, he was first hidden nearby and then taken away.”

The place wasn’t too far from him, but for some reason, he couldn’t find it no matter how many times he searched that day.

“I didn’t notice anything unusual that day, so I feel that whoever stole the body isn’t simple.”

But without traces of magical power, he couldn’t even be sure if the person who did it was a cultivator.

“No signs of a struggle…”

Chi Qingzhou’s gaze flickered for a moment as he suddenly recalled the deathly and ghostly energy that had previously filled this forest, belonging to Xing Shuangzhan.

He tilted his head upwards, silently gazing at the peak of Jingming Mountain through the gaps in the tree canopy for a while before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

Xing Shuangzhan gently squeezed the back of his neck in a comforting manner.

Chi Qingzhou nuzzled against Xing Shuangzhan’s shoulder and turned to Luo Huaiyu to confirm, “Ah Yu, you said earlier that after Sheng Yihang went to your house, he left with another person? Was that person a cultivator?”

Luo Huaiyu thought for a moment, “My parents and sister are ordinary people, so I don’t know if he’s, but Sheng Yihang indeed acted with him.”

Luo Ting suddenly realized that the person who had acted with Sheng Yihang was likely the one who stole his body!

This person might have used Sheng Yihang in some sort of ritual, and treating Luo Huaiyu’s family this way, there must be some other motive involved.

He looked at Chi Qingzhou inquiringly.

Chi Qingzhou nodded slightly.

“To find out where Sheng Yihang is, we likely need to first figure out why this person stole his body.”

This person must be a cultivator. It’s hard to say how capable they are, but at least their ability to hide their tracks is impressive.

He was bold enough to appear openly at the Luo family’s residence, which shows a high level of confidence in this ability.

In his view, even if Xing Shuangzhan had gone to the scene, it wouldn’t necessarily help uncover the person’s whereabouts.

Chi Qingzhou lowered his eyes.

Such confidence made it hard for him not to doubt the person’s identity.

He murmured to himself, “So, why did he steal Sheng Yihang’s body and not someone else’s?”

Perhaps this person was connected to the lost power of Xing Shuangzhan?

Xing Shuangzhan lowered his head and patted his back in reassurance. “It’s nothing serious, don’t overthink it.”

Chi Qingzhou reached out to wrap his arm around Xing Shuangzhan’s neck and hummed softly through his nose.

Luo Huaiyu’s gaze flickered. He glanced at the two of them leaning against each other before suddenly saying, “My parents might know something. Earlier, I was too affected and irrational, focusing only on revenge and not asking carefully. But if you want to know, Qingzhou, why don’t you come with me to ask them?”

Chi Qingzhou immediately raised his head. “Where are Uncle and Aunt now?”

Luo Huaiyu carefully observed and pointed in a direction, speaking uncertainly, “I think they’re over there. They’re moving, so I’m not sure of the exact location, but I can tell the general direction. I’ve always been able to feel their presence, so it’s no problem to take you there.”

Chi Qingzhou looked in the direction he pointed, slightly stunned.

Wasn’t that the direction he had come from?

Could it be that Uncle, Aunt, and Ah Yu’s sister were now at the Bishui Bay resort villa?

….

Xue Jinshi hurriedly carried a black plastic bag, rushing towards the location for the afternoon games.

Although the resort villa was under renovation and there weren’t many staff, he feared being seen by patrolling security guards, so he occasionally glanced around, making him appear somewhat suspicious.

He avoided people as he made his way to the small waterfront square where the games took place in the afternoon, and once there, he sighed in relief before starting to look for the changing room he had used earlier.

He thought his actions were very covert and no one would notice him sneaking out, so he felt a little relaxed.

What he didn’t know was that not long after he left the villa, his personal livestream was affected by death and ghostly energy and had quietly begun.

His fans and some regular viewers entered the livestream, watching him wander around the small square in confusion.

【Is that Xue Ge? It’s already dark, why isn’t he watching TV in the villa? Why’s he out here?】

【Is this Xue Jinshi? What’s that thing he’s holding in his hand?】

【Is Xue Ge looking for something?】

【It looks like the place for afternoon games, maybe Xue Ge left something here?】

【Looking for something? Why not call the staff to help, it’s pitch black, how can he see anything?】

Everyone was puzzled as they watched him circle around the two rows of buildings, eventually stopping at the door of a changing room.

This was the room Xue Jinshi had used to change clothes earlier in the afternoon.

Xue Jinshi turned on his phone’s flashlight and confirmed that there were traces of his presence on the doorframe, his slightly furrowed brow relaxing.

He swapped the plastic bag to his left hand, gripped the door handle with his right hand, and pushed it down firmly.

Click.

The lock made a dull sound but didn’t move at all.

“Tch.” Xue Jinshi impatiently tried a few more times, but the lock was completely stuck and wouldn’t open.

Since he couldn’t enter through the front door, Xue Jinshi released the handle and turned to walk to the back of the changing room.

He didn’t plan to look for the key.

When he marked the room earlier, he had already considered the possibility of the staff locking the door, so he had purposely gone back to the villa to unlock the window.

Now it seemed like his choice was wise.

Xue Jinshi secretly congratulated himself for thinking a few steps ahead. He quickly turned to the back of the house, scanning the area until he found the corresponding changing room—

This particular room’s window was quite conspicuous, being the largest one among all the rooms.

Normally, changing rooms on the ground floor would have small windows if any, but for some unknown reason, this room had a large sliding window, big enough that even someone as tall as Xue Jinshi could easily climb through.

Because of this window, the other guests had been unwilling to use this changing room earlier in the afternoon.

Even though the window had frosted glass, they still felt it was unsafe.

Xue Jinshi noticed this and voluntarily swapped rooms with Zhong Lingshu, receiving a thank you from Zhong Lingshu.

Zhong Lingshu was a seasoned superstar, so this behavior wasn’t surprising.

During the live broadcast, there was a bit of commotion. Some fans praised Xue Jinshi for being considerate, while others mocked him for trying to gain favor.

Nobody expected that Xue Jinshi’s reason for choosing this room had nothing to do with Zhong Lingshu.

He simply thought it would be easier to climb through this room’s window, which would be convenient for him later in the evening.

Xue Jinshi placed the plastic bag on the floor and tried pushing the window open.

The window had no anti-theft net, so it was easy for him to open.

【???】

【What’s going on? What is Xue Jinshi trying to do?】

【Ah, this looks like the changing room Xue Ge used in the afternoon. So Xue Ge really left something here, right?】

The audience was confused by his actions. Some viewers thought he was acting strangely.

Although his fans kept defending him, suggesting he might have left something behind, the general audience remained skeptical.

【If he really left something behind, why not call the staff to help? It’s too dark to see anything.】

This question was too straightforward.

Even Xue Jinshi’s fans started to feel that their explanation didn’t hold water.

But they quickly came up with a new narrative, remembering the special tasks from the other live streams, and began justifying his actions.

【Xue Ge is tired after a whole day. If this isn’t a special mission, why would he be out here instead of resting?】

【Other people get special missions, so why can’t Xue Ge? Xue Ge’s achievements speak for themselves!】

【Everyone knows Xue Jinshi’s abilities. It wouldn’t be surprising for him to trigger a special mission if he finds a clue.】

Some fans who had started disliking Chi Qingzhou since the previous episode also agreed with these claims.

Ever since the incident with Chi Qingzhou and the truth about the illegimate child, rumors had lost their footing. Even behind-the-scenes scheming had stopped, and the audience no longer bought into the negativity.

The haters could endure one or two comments, but after a while, they couldn’t take it anymore.

They were here to vent their frustrations, not to be scolded!

Seeing the other fans getting upset about Chi Qingzhou, the haters were ready to team up with them and argue.

Meanwhile, the livestream room fell silent for a moment as Xue Jinshi continued his actions.

Audience: “…” 

Golden Crows^[2] : “…