After returning, Vivian went back to the work assignment she had been punished with and began serving on the elevator for the next month.
Yi Chen returned to the second floor, where he had rented a room, and quietly awaited word from Mr. Bone Listener.
Vivian also spoke with Yi Chen privately about Mr. Bone Listener's character. Although he was not very likable, as long as the money was right and the deal was reasonable, Mr. Bone Listener would never go back on his word. It was precisely because of his integrity that he had been able to conduct so much of his "ear business" Within the Original Tomb.
The second floor of the Black Funeral House inn.
Yi Chen was washing himself in the bathroom,
while Thirteen stood outside, holding up her master's clothes with one hand. She used the white candle atop her head to dispel the lingering death-image aura on the clothes' surface. She looked just like a garment steamer.
Suddenly,
Thirteen felt an ache in her ears. When she used her other free hand to rub them, she found that the more she rubbed, the harder it became to hear. Static even began to emerge, causing her thoughts to grow hazy.
At the same time, a skull rolled silently into the room.
The skull had a pair of ear-like structures growing on it. While rolling, it used them to cling to the ground and stay in place, while listening to the vibrations of the floor to detect the activity patterns of every living creature nearby.
Just as the skull was about to quietly roll into the bathroom and steal a glimpse of the beautiful sight he had dreamed of day and night, a voice came from inside:
"Shouldn't you announce yourself before entering my room,