The Truth?

Zhang Chen sat quietly in Ziyun Pavilion, his tea untouched. He kept glancing at his phone, and finally, when it was 7:20, Zhang Chen stood up and walked out of the cafe. The summer sunset had already dipped below the hills, and the streetlights had come on, illuminating the people in the darkness.

"So you did come after all," Zhang Chen said, watching the Mercedes slowly approach, his anxiety vanishing. After the white Mercedes slowly parked in the "Shang Yin Dao" parking area, a woman with a seductive figure, wearing a black, low-cut, form-fitting dress, stepped out of the car. She chuckled when she saw Zhang Chen.

If it weren't for the ten bright crimson fingernails on her hands, which were so dazzling even in the dark, Zhang Chen might have been completely fooled by her.

"Teacher Xie, the private room is booked. Come with me," Zhang Chen said to Xie Wen.

Xie Wen didn't say anything, sticking close to Zhang Chen's arm as they went inside together. The servers here, seeing Zhang Chen with such a woman, all widened their eyes, associating Zhang Chen with the rich and powerful. Zhang Chen couldn't be bothered by their stares and strode into Ziyun Pavilion.

A server handed him a menu. Zhang Chen flipped through it for a long time, but there wasn't a single item priced under 30 yuan. In the end, he had no choice but to order an Americano. Xie Wen, sitting opposite him, saw this and smiled faintly.

"I'll just have a hot mocha," Xie Wen said softly, without looking at the menu.

After the server nodded and left, they soon returned with two cups of coffee. Once they were gone, Zhang Chen stood up and locked the door. Then, he sat back down in his seat.

"Teacher Xie, are you human or a ghost?" Zhang Chen suddenly asked.

An ordinary person would have thought Zhang Chen was an idiot and left in a huff. But Xie Wen gently picked up her cup, sipped the coffee, and said one word: "Human."

Zhang Chen smiled and said, "Your family is so wealthy, you're highly educated and capable, and you're also very beautiful. Why would you come back to teach in this godforsaken place? Is it because of your deceased husband?"

As Zhang Chen spoke, he carefully observed Xie Wen's expression. She had shown slight smiles when he spoke of the first part, but her demeanor turned sad as soon as he mentioned her husband. However, Zhang Chen caught a detail in between: before she started to cry, there was a clear look of hesitation, but it seemed to be quickly suppressed.

Could it be that she's not the problem, but a victim? Is it her husband's problem? Did he linger after death for some reason, haunting her and killing those around her? That's why she had to move back to this small county town. But why would she drag her beloved cousin into this? And someone as wealthy as her must have spent a fortune in the big city trying to deal with whatever was haunting her, but since it all failed, she doesn't trust me?

Zhang Chen pondered this. Seeing Xie Wen remain silent, he stared at the coffee in front of him. The liquid in the cup slowly floated up, coalescing drop by drop into a coffee-colored sphere in the air. Xie Wen watched Zhang Chen's display with disbelief. The sphere then changed into various shapes before slowly falling back into the cup.

Xie Wen became a little excited but then quickly became dejected again. Seeing Xie Wen's reaction, Zhang Chen stood up and gestured for her to follow. When Zhang Chen first entered the cafe, he noticed faint wisps of malevolent energy emanating from a corner of the lobby. If he guessed correctly, there must be a ghost there, and not an ordinary one.

Zhang Chen led Xie Wen to the corner. There was actually a three-meter-long corridor, and at the end of it was a door with the words "No Trespassing" clearly posted, locked with a heavy iron padlock.

Seeing that no one followed, Zhang Chen walked to the door and felt the aura seeping from the gap, ten times more potent than what he'd sensed outside. Without a word, Zhang Chen stared at the iron lock. After a moment, the lock automatically sprang open, and a gust of cold wind blew out, making Xie Wen shiver behind him.

"Do you want to go in?" Xie Wen asked, sounding a bit scared. The area behind the door was pitch black.

"Just follow me," Zhang Chen said, stepping inside. A foul odor hit him, and Zhang Chen quickly covered his nose. Using the dim light from the corridor, he could barely make out that the interior was a derelict toilet. Xie Wen hesitated for a moment before following him in.

The instant Xie Wen stepped inside, the door slammed shut. The light above flickered on, not with white light, but a faint red glow.

"Ah~~~" Xie Wen screamed, pointing at the washbasin. Zhang Chen naturally sensed it too and looked over. A man wearing the "Shang Yin Dao" uniform was standing there, touching his hair. In the mirror, what was on the man's head wasn't hair, but a mass of maggots.

The man turned around. He had a decent face, but his nose had been cut off. He first looked at Xie Wen, and Zhang Chen noticed a flicker of fear in the man's eyes when he saw Xie Wen's hands. He then turned his gaze to Zhang Chen and lunged forward.

"Be careful!" Xie Wen shrieked.

But Zhang Chen didn't care at all. Having not consumed "raw meat" for half a year, Zhang Chen grabbed the lunging man, intending to devour him. Unexpectedly, the man's form mutated. His hair suddenly grew incredibly long, tightly entangling Zhang Chen. The man's true form sprouted many mutated limbs from his back, resembling a praying mantis's forelegs, and began stabbing at the ensnared Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen remained calm and collected. His eyes darted to the toilet not far away. With a "crack," the toilet was ripped from the floor and flew directly at the server-like man, slamming him against the wall. The hair entangling Zhang Chen also loosened. Before the man could get up, Zhang Chen grabbed him, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed him whole.

Immediately, the malevolent energy in the abandoned toilet dissipated, and the lights turned back to normal white.

A voice sounded.

"Devoured a complete low-level fierce specter, gaining saturation: 17%. Acquired skill: Growth (Imperfect)."

Zhang Chen

Main Soul Frame Status: Active
Main Soul: Gluttonous Ghost
Saturation: 72%
Compatibility with Current Host: 35%
Secondary Soul Frame Status: Inactive
Skill Slot Count: 3
Used Skill Slots: 1
Acquired Skills: Telekinesis (Evolvable, Used), Growth (Imperfect, Unusable)

Telekinesis: Can control invisible force with the mind. Current proficiency: 41%.
Physical Condition: Poor
Perception Ability: High
Overall Evaluation: Poor

"That was delicious! And I got so lucky, not only did I kill this ghost, but I got a skill too. What's this about it being imperfect and unusable?" Zhang Chen hadn't expected that he'd just wanted to find some wandering ghost to make Xie Wen believe him, but he'd stumbled upon a formidable opponent.

Xie Wen, standing beside him, was utterly stunned.

"Let's go," Zhang Chen said, leading the astonished Xie Wen back to Ziyun Pavilion. He also locked the door to the abandoned toilet as they left.

Xie Wen was still somewhat shocked, but also with a hint of sadness, she said, "Classmate Zhang, I actually know you're a bit different. But I've met people similar to you before. Since you want to know, I'll tell you."

"I met my husband when I had just started university. I was in the Faculty of Arts, and he was in the Faculty of Fine Arts. We met during a club activity. He told me then that he was also from Jinxi County. He was ordinary-looking but very kind. Every time we went somewhere, he'd buy me a bottle of yogurt, saying it was good for my health. Gradually, we got together."

"He was very good at nail art and had a particular fondness for nails. He would meticulously groom my nails every day until they were beautiful. I was truly happy then." As she spoke, Xie Wen actually shed a few tears.

"Over the four years, our feelings deepened, but when we graduated, we encountered problems. His family background was poor, and my parents didn't approve of us being together. Furthermore, I pursued postgraduate studies while he opened a nail salon outside our university. He lived frugally, saving all the money he earned, hoping that by the time I finished my three years of postgraduate study, he would be qualified to propose to me."

Zhang Chen noticed that Xie Wen's face was covered in tears as she spoke, but he felt something wasn't quite right. He couldn't pinpoint it, so he continued listening to Xie Wen's story.

"Three years passed, but when he went to propose to my family with the money he'd saved, he was driven away by my brother and the others. They called him a toad wanting to eat swan meat and kicked him out. I cried for a long time, but my family still wouldn't allow us to be together. Eventually, I received news of his death at home."

Zhang Chen immediately asked, "So you two aren't married yet? Also, how did he die?"

"We weren't married, but I don't know how he died," Xie Wen said, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

"You don't know? How could you not know?" Zhang Chen asked in surprise.

"I was confined at home those days and wasn't allowed to go out. A few days later, my brother came to tell me he was dead. I asked him how he died, but he wouldn't say. I really couldn't get in touch with him afterward, and the nail salon we used to frequent was also closed. I couldn't find any news about him."

"But just when I was about to forget about him, something happened. My brother said one of his fingernails had turned red. We couldn't see it, and thought something was wrong with him. But every day after that, my brother said another fingernail turned red, and no one paid much attention. Ten days later, my brother died in his own bed. His limbs and head were severed. It was so terrifying."

"My brother's wife and children all died too. It wasn't until my fingernails also started turning red that my family spent money to hire someone who claimed to be very powerful. But they were all frauds, and my fingernails continued to turn red day by day."

"Then one day, my parents brought a man from who knows where. The man was just under 1.7 meters tall and looked very strange, but he could see my red fingernails. After the man came to our house, he looked around, and suddenly, all the features on his face sank into his face, turning him into a 'Faceless Man.' He then turned back into a normal person and said, 'Come with me to Jinxi County.'"

"I don't know where my parents found this person, but with no other choice, we had to return here. Following the man's instructions, we arrived at the house where I live now. The man told me to wait outside, saying he would go in and take a look. I stood outside the door, and from time to time, I could hear the sound of things breaking inside. I was very scared, but I could only wait."

"After a while, the door opened. The man had two broken hands, and his face was badly scraped. I screamed out loud at that moment. Unexpectedly, he opened the door and collapsed on the ground, and a piece of paper fell from his body."

"Wait," Zhang Chen interrupted her. "Was his neck also cut open?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Xie Wen asked.

"Continue," Zhang Chen replied without answering.

"The paper read: 'Miss Xie, if you want to live, buy this house. You must stay in the house after 9 PM. This is also considered repayment for your parents' kindness.' So, after that, I moved here and stayed home before 9 PM as the paper instructed. Even when all ten of my fingernails turned red, nothing happened."

After listening, Zhang Chen obtained several pieces of information. The 'Faceless Man' must be the limbless specter that had been shaking its head when he escorted Wang Yizhi to Xie Wen's house last night, likely a warning to Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen suddenly said, "Why did you involve Wang Yizhi?" As soon as he said this, the entire table began to shake violently, but the coffee in the cups remained completely still.

"Don't tell me Yizhi's fingernails have also turned red?" Xie Wen stood up from her seat, seemingly completely unaware of this matter. Her eyes then welled up with tears. "I don't know either. I thought that thing would only target me, especially since my parents are fine. If I had known, I definitely wouldn't have... sob sob sob"

Seeing Xie Wen so distressed, Zhang Chen felt he might have gone too far. It seemed his cousin was truly unaware of anything.

After a period of silence, Xie Wen checked the time, her expression changed. She immediately wiped her tears with a tissue and asked, "It's already 8:30. I have to go back."

Zhang Chen nodded. Although he had some lingering questions, if something truly happened, it would be terrible. He paid the bill and followed Xie Wen out. Watching the departing Mercedes, Zhang Chen stood in place, thinking, "Is this the truth?"