She Had Crawled Out

Xie Dong had died after being possessed by evil?

This was far too sudden.

Chen Mo's head buzzed. He couldn't believe it was true.

Just a few days ago, he'd sent Qiulan to Xie Manor to look for Dongzi. Though Dongzi had been depressed and dejected, he'd still remembered what Chen Mo had asked him to do and sent back a reply.

And now he was suddenly gone?

It took Chen Mo a long while to collect himself. He cupped his hands solemnly. "Could you let me go in and see Dongzi?"

Xie Lianghong naturally knew Chen Mo, so he nodded. "Come with me."

Once inside Xie Manor, Chen Mo saw that all the maids and servants looked dispirited. They walked with their heads down and their steps light, afraid of making a sound and disturbing the dead man's soul.

Xie Lianghong led him to the mourning hall. Chen Mo saw a sealed coffin, with white cloth hanging beside it and Xie Dong's portrait on the wall. A husband and wife knelt before the coffin, weeping as if their hearts would break.

They were presumably the master and madam of Xie Manor.

There were few people in the mourning hall, just some relatives from the Xie Family who'd come to pay their respects. Perhaps being possessed by evil was too shameful, so they'd kept the funeral quiet.

Chen Mo went in with Qiulan, knelt, and offered Xie Dong several sticks of incense.

Though Chen Mo had come from another world and had met Xie Dong only once, he'd had a very good impression of the man and truly considered him a friend. He'd even planned to come today and teach Dongzi how to defend himself against gold diggers... He hadn't expected Dongzi to be gone.

The Xie couple were overcome with grief and didn't acknowledge Chen Mo. After offering incense, he left the mourning hall and saw Xie Lianghong sitting on the steps beside the courtyard gate, puffing away on a long-stemmed pipe.

Chen Mo went over and sat beside him. "Third Master Xie, how was Dongzi possessed by evil last night?"

Xie Lianghong took two hard puffs on his pipe. "That's how it happens. It comes out of nowhere. Xiao Dong was just unlucky. He'd been locked at home for three months without stepping outside, and he still got possessed."

"Third Master Xie, could you take me to Dongzi's room?"

Xie Lianghong didn't answer, only shot Chen Mo a sidelong glance. "Did you encounter something unclean before? Xiao Dong even asked me about Old Master Li of the Blood Ridge Black Market."

Dongzi was already gone. Chen Mo couldn't bear to lie, so he told him about going to the Blood Ridge Black Market three months ago to buy Qi and Blood Pills from Granny Li and getting possessed by evil.

At first, Xie Lianghong had shown little interest and had asked only in passing. But as he listened, he grew more engaged, his eyes growing brighter and brighter. When Chen Mo finished, Xie Lianghong stopped smoking altogether. He knocked the brass bowl against the ground several times and put out the embers.

"You said you were possessed at Li Manor and entered Ghost Land? Granny Li lit a Red Candle for you, and that's how you got out?"

"Yes."

Xie Lianghong waved a hand. "That can't be right. The Ghost Land at Li Manor is extremely dangerous. Several people have entered and died; not one has come back out. Even with a Red Candle to guide you, you still had to survive inside the Ghost Land. Tell me every detail."

Chen Mo didn't want to talk about the details of Ghost Land. They were simply too horrifying.

Every time he thought back on them, he felt awful.

Xie Lianghong seemed to see his hesitation. "Second Young Master Chen, you bought the experimental subject I'd picked out from the County Office jail. I still haven't settled that score with you. It's not too much to ask you for details about Ghost Land, is it?"

Chen Mo broke out in a sweat. It seemed that though the jailer, Li He, had taken his money, he still hadn't managed to keep the matter from Xie Lianghong.

But it wasn't a big deal, and Chen Mo hadn't taken it to heart. "I was out of line. But what happened in Ghost Land is a deeply unpleasant memory. Unless it's necessary..."

"It's necessary, it's absolutely necessary!" Xie Lianghong was agitated. "I examined Xiao Dong's body. He clearly died in bed, yet he was soaking wet all over. He'd drowned. But there's no well in the courtyard where Xiao Dong lived, not even a large water vat. The maid who served him didn't see him leave in the middle of the night, either. I suspect Xiao Dong's death had something to do with Old Master Li's family."

Chen Mo felt his scalp prickle.

He'd been lying in bed and drowned!?

But why was Xie Lianghong so certain that Xiao Dong's death had something to do with Old Master Li's family?

Chen Mo was astonished. He ventured, "Could bandits have deliberately played tricks to make it look supernatural? For instance, dragged Dongzi out in the dead of night, drowned him, then..."

Before Chen Mo could finish, Xie Lianghong cut him off. "Impossible. Last night, my elder brother lifted Xiao Dong's confinement. Xiao Dong was thinking of Ruhua and kept clamoring to go out. I went in to comfort him. I didn't leave until he'd fallen asleep. I'd just reached the main gate when I heard Xiao Dong scream behind me. By the time I rushed back... Xiao Dong had drowned in bed. What bandits? Besides, Xiao Dong was an excellent swimmer. When he was little, he often went swimming in the Huai River outside the city. He was possessed by evil, that's all."

With that, Xie Lianghong grabbed Chen Mo's hand. "In my youth, I followed a corpse-driving master and learned how to dissect bodies. My elder brother thought being a coroner was a lowly profession and made me change trades early, lest I disgrace the family. But I've always followed my master's teachings and helped the people here. I've tried to uncover the root of Mad Demon Disease. Xiao Dong's death was bizarre, and I want to find out what killed him. In my years of experience, Xiao Dong probably wasn't afflicted by an ordinary case of possession last night. He must have wandered into Ghost Land."

Chen Mo felt uneasy after hearing this, so he stopped holding back and told him what had happened when he accidentally entered Ghost Land outside Li Manor.

Xie Lianghong listened intently, eyes wide, then let out a long sigh. "So that's how it was. The key was the Red Candle Wax at the mouth of the well. The Red Candle was given by Goddess Hong Deng, and it could suppress Evil Spirits and ghosts. I should have thought of that..."

Chen Mo said, "Third Master Xie, could you take me to Dongzi's room?"

After their conversation, Xie Lianghong was noticeably warmer toward Chen Mo. He nodded. "Come with me."

Chen Mo followed Xie Lianghong, looking around at the spacious courtyard. He mused that Xie Manor was even larger than Chen Mansion.

Though the Xie Family did some business, they had official connections. They might not have as much silver as the Chen Family, but they held higher status. Even Magistrate Li Yu of the County Office was Xie Dong's uncle by marriage, which spoke volumes.

Before long, they arrived at a quiet, desolate courtyard.

There was no one in the courtyard. Though it was afternoon and the sun was high, Chen Mo felt a chill as soon as he stepped inside. Qiulan hunched her shoulders and stayed close behind him, looking frightened.

Chen Mo immediately got a bad feeling about the place, so he told Qiulan, "Wait outside."

Qiulan truly didn't want to go in, but she also wanted to look after Second Young Master, so she hesitated.

Chen Mo saw her uncertainty and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm a grown man. I won't just vanish."

Only then did Qiulan curtsy and leave the courtyard, waiting at the entrance.

They crossed the courtyard and entered the main room.

The eerie feeling grew stronger. Fortunately, Chen Mo had entered the Inner Family and could stir his qi and blood a little, which made him feel fine. Xie Lianghong, who had spent years around the dead and seen plenty of ghosts and oddities, was accustomed to it as well.

Xie Lianghong led the way into the main room. "This was Xiao Dong's room. Nothing here has been touched. Second Young Master Chen, you've been possessed before. Can you tell anything?"

Chen Mo scanned the room.

It was small, only about fifteen or sixteen square meters. A bed, square table, and cabinet stood in the southeast corner. There was also an extinguished brazier in the middle.

Aside from the expensive furniture, nothing seemed out of place.

Chen Mo even found a letter in a drawer.

It was in Xie Dong's handwriting, sealed with wax. On the front, it read: "To my beloved Ruhua."

Before, Chen Mo would surely have scolded him: The man was nearly gone, and he was still thinking about Ruhua. What a hopeless case.

But now Chen Mo felt a sour pang of jealousy.

It was clear that Xie Dong truly liked Ruhua.

While Xie Lianghong wasn't looking, Chen Mo pocketed the letter.

He mainly wanted Xie Dong to retain a good image in his parents' minds. If Master Xie and his wife got hold of the letter, they would inevitably curse Xie Dong for being such a hopeless case.

In this world, people cared deeply about family background. Wealthy families valued their reputations and looked down on women from brothels.

After putting away the letter, Chen Mo continued searching.

Suddenly, Chen Mo smelled a familiar stench.

It was faint, very faint.

If Chen Mo hadn't broken through into the Inner Family and undergone a transformation of the Six Roots and Six Senses, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.

And that stench... was exactly like the smell coming from the little girl in the ancient well in Ghost Land outside Li Manor.

Li Hongxi!

Why would that smell be here?

In an instant, Chen Mo felt a chill crawl over him.

Xie Lianghong saw his startled expression. "Second Young Master Chen, did you notice anything?"

Chen Mo didn't hide it. "I caught a familiar scent. It's the same one I smelled when I entered Ghost Land..."

Plop.

Xie Lianghong suddenly went pale and dropped to the ground in fright. His lips trembled. "She... she crawled out. She's come to my Xie Family to silence us..."