This is Impossible

"Wuwuwu~"

In the rear courtyard of Li Manor, a room echoed with hoarse, low sobbing.

It was Granny Li, bent over the bedside, muttering something under her breath, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly forlorn and pitiful.

On the bed lay a girl in a red dress, about thirteen years old, identical to the one Chen Mo had seen earlier in the Ancient Well.

The difference was that this girl in red had her limbs pinned to the bedboard with long, thick iron nails. Red and white talismans hung on both sides, and several female Paper Figures with painted eyes stood around.

The setup was similar to what Chen Mo had seen when he woke up in the Chen Family Ancestral Hall.

But here, the girl on the bed had already turned pale, her face covered in corpse spots, her back swollen with edema and riddled with festering pustules, emitting a thick stench of decay.

If not for the incense burning in the room, the smell would have spread far.

A small black whistle was stuffed in the girl's mouth, occasionally producing low, hoarse cries and even words.

Granny Li sobbed, nose running and tears falling, "Hongxi, your fate is cruel! It's all your mother's fault—I couldn't call your soul back. The Goddess Hong Deng refused to help either. They're forcing our family into a corner."

Just then, the black whistle in the girl's mouth moved, rolling like an Adam's apple, and a voice came out, "Mother, I saw him."

Granny Li said, "He was Possessed by Evil and entered the ghost ground. Seeing him is nothing strange."

The black whistle kept rolling, producing the girl's clear voice, "I saw him scrape off the red wax from the well's rim. He could scrape it off... Mother, I can be saved. I can come out."

Hearing this, Granny Li's whole body trembled. Her earlier dejection vanished, replaced by a radiant energy, "Really?"

"Really! I wanted to scare him, then lure him into scraping off all the red wax from the well... But this man is cautious and sharp-minded. He didn't fall for it. Mother, you have to help me. I don't want to stay trapped in the well forever, without even a chance to reincarnate and start over..."

Granny Li was overjoyed. She wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded repeatedly, a fierce glint flashing in her gaze, "Alright, alright, alright. Hongxi, don't worry. You're my only daughter. If you can get better, I'd gladly die for you..."

As Chen Mo walked out of Li Manor, he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold. He stopped abruptly and turned to look back at the manor's gate.

"Second Young Master, what are you looking at?" Ma Tie came up beside him, curious.

Chen Mo shook his head, "Nothing."

Then he walked over to the Ancient Well by the entrance and peered down into it carefully.

The well was intact. The stone rim was smooth and neatly stacked, with no moss, and no red wax on top.

There was no foul smell either.

Chen Mo found this very strange.

Could the well he'd seen in the ghost ground be a different one?

But he'd clearly been Possessed by Evil right here.

"Brother Chen, what are you staring at?" Xie Dong came over, curious.

Chen Mo said, "Dongzi, does Granny Li usually draw water from this well to drink?"

Xie Dong replied, "Yeah. Not just Granny Li—the shopkeepers and workers around here often come to draw water too."

Just then, a few workers did show up, carrying buckets and ropes. They tossed the rope-bound buckets into the well, shook them, and hauled up water.

Some workers left with their buckets, while one in a gray short jacket filled a waterskin and took it away.

Chen Mo immediately approached him, "Hey, buddy, would you sell me that waterskin?"

The worker turned and saw Chen Mo's wealthy attire, his attitude turning respectful, "Young master, if you want water, you can just draw your own."

Chen Mo took some loose silver from Xie Dong and pressed it into the worker's hand, "I didn't bring a waterskin, and I'm really thirsty. Please do me a favor."

The worker glanced at the silver—a full two taels.

Enough to buy dozens of waterskins.

He thought to himself: Have I run into some rich landlord's idiot son?

He handed the waterskin to Chen Mo, still a bit wary, "Young master, you can't go back on your word."

Chen Mo took the waterskin and walked off, "I won't."

The gray-clad worker clutched the silver, watching Chen Mo's retreating figure, "Since when did Honghe County have such a lavish rich young master? My crappy waterskin sold for two taels?"

It wasn't that Chen Mo was reckless with money—he just really wanted to figure out if the well in the ghost ground was this one. He planned to take some well water back to study. And with Li Manor so eerie, he didn't want to linger, so he spent a bit extra.

Away from Li Manor, they reached the bustling market, crowded with people and lively. The dread in Chen Mo's heart eased somewhat.

Xie Dong and Chen Mo boarded the carriage, while Qiulan and Ma Tie sat on the driver's board, urging the horses toward the canyon exit.

The carriage was lined with animal hides and hung with a Running Horse Lantern, bright and warm.

Chen Mo took the chance to pull out the waterskin, unscrew the cap, and bring it close to his nose for a careful sniff.

No trace of the girl's unique stench.

Xie Dong watched Chen Mo acting all mysterious and was getting impatient, "What are you doing? You've been off ever since you got Possessed by Evil. Don't scare me. If something happens to you, Uncle Chen will skin me alive."

Chen Mo had no mind to argue with him, "Dongzi, is there another Ancient Well inside Li Manor?"

Xie Dong shook his head, "No, there isn't. Otherwise, why would Granny Li come to the gate to draw water?"

Chen Mo pressed, "What about the rear courtyard?"

Xie Dong scratched his head. "Granny Li never lets anyone into her backyard. Only the old-timers at the Black Market know about it."

Chen Mo said, "Look into that for me later. Also, dig up whatever you can on Old Master Li and his daughter—the more detail, the better."

Xie Dong thought Chen Mo was overcomplicating things, but seeing the serious look on his face, he agreed anyway. "Fine, fine, I'll ask around for you. But hey... when are we hitting the Spring Breeze Tower again? I've been pining for Miss Ruhua. You've gotta help me out with that."

Chen Mo pulled his thoughts together, figuring Xie Dong had helped him plenty, so he ought to at least show some concern. "What's going on between you and Miss Ruhua?"

The moment Miss Ruhua came up, Xie Dong's eyes lit up. "I've dropped no less than two hundred taels on her lately, but she still won't let me stay the night. It's driving me up the wall."

Chen Mo shot him a sideways glance, half-sympathetic. "Did she tell you that feelings take time, and to give her a chance to accept you?"

Xie Dong beamed, like he'd found a kindred spirit. "Exactly, exactly! How'd you know?"

Sigh.

Chen Mo let out a breath. "You've run into a gold digger."

Xie Dong looked utterly lost. "What's a gold digger?"

Chen Mo tried to explain but couldn't find the right words, so he just said, "You'd better pick another target."

Xie Dong looked like he'd been struck. "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Mo said, "You're no match for her. You can't outplay her. Keep this up, and she'll drain you dry."

Xie Dong immediately argued back, "Impossible! Ruhua is wonderful. She has feelings for me too! Brother Chen, I see you as a brother—don't go breaking us apart!"

Chen Mo was speechless. "I'll go see Miss Ruhua later, spend some silver. She'll say the same things to me, show the same affection she showed you. You believe that or not?"

Xie Dong shook his head frantically. "No way, absolutely not!"

Chen Mo looked at him with pity.

Brother, you just haven't played enough. Too naive.

At the end of the Xu hour (7–9 PM), Chen Mo and the others entered the city through the West Gate. After parting ways, it took another half hour to reach the gates of the Chen Mansion.

From a distance, Chen Mo spotted his mother, Madam Chen, standing at the entrance with a group of guards, searching everywhere.

The moment he stepped off the carriage, Madam Chen rushed over, tears welling in her eyes. "Second Young Master, where have you been? You've worried your mother to death!"