She Crawled Out

Xie Dong died from being possessed by an Evil Spirit?

This is far too abrupt.

Chen Mo felt a buzzing in his head, unable to believe this was the truth.

Only a few days ago, he had sent Qiulan to Xie Manor to find Dongzi. Although Dongzi had been depressed and despondent, he still kept in mind the matters Chen Mo had entrusted to him and had sent a reply.

And now, he is suddenly gone?

After a long while, Chen Mo finally regained his composure and bowed solemnly, "May I go in and see Dongzi?"

Xie Lianghong naturally recognized Chen Mo, so he nodded, "Follow me."

Upon entering Xie Manor, Chen Mo saw that the Maidservant and servants inside were all dispirited, walking with their heads bowed and footsteps light, as if afraid that making a sound would disturb the soul of the deceased.

Following Xie Lianghong to the mourning hall, Chen Mo saw a sealed coffin. White cloth hung beside it, and a portrait of Xie Dong was displayed on the wall. A couple knelt in front of the coffin, crying their hearts out.

They must be the Master and Mistress of Xie Manor.

There were very few people in the mourning hall, only some relatives of the Xie Family who had come to pay their respects. Perhaps because dying from being possessed by an Evil Spirit was not a glorious matter, they were keeping the funeral quiet.

Chen Mo led Qiulan inside, knelt down, and offered a few sticks of incense for Xie Dong.

Although Chen Mo was a transmigrator and had only met Xie Dong once, he had a very good impression of the guy and truly considered him a friend. He had even planned to come over today to educate Dongzi on how to defend against a gold digger... he never expected Dongzi to be gone.

The Xie Family couple were overcome with grief and paid no attention to Chen Mo. After offering the incense, Chen Mo retreated from the mourning hall and saw Xie Lianghong sitting on the steps beside the courtyard entrance, puffing away on a dry tobacco pipe.

Chen Mo approached and sat down next to Xie Lianghong, "Third Master Xie, how did Dongzi get possessed last night?"

Xie Lianghong took a fierce drag of his pipe, "Possession is just like that—it happens suddenly. It's also Xiao Dong's bad luck; he was clearly locked at home for three months without stepping out, yet he still got possessed."

"Third Master Xie, could you take me to see where Dongzi lived?"

Xie Lianghong did not answer, only giving Chen Mo a sideways glance, "Did you encounter something filthy before? Later, Xiao Dong even asked me about Old Master Li from the Blood Ridge Black Market."

With Dongzi gone, Chen Mo truly could not bear to lie. He recounted the incident from three months ago when he went to the Blood Ridge Black Market to buy a Qi and Blood Pill from Granny Li and got possessed.

Xie Lianghong was not very interested at first, merely asking out of habit, but as he listened, he became intrigued, his eyes growing brighter. By the time Chen Mo finished, Xie Lianghong had stopped smoking, tapping the copper bowl against the ground to extinguish the fire.

"You say you were possessed at the Li Manor and entered a Ghost Land? And it was Granny Li who lit a Red Candle for you, allowing you to walk out?"

"Yes."

Xie Lianghong waved his hand, "No, that's not right. The Ghost Land at the Li Manor is extremely vicious. Several people who entered it died and never came out. Even with a Red Candle to guide you, you would still need to survive within the Ghost Land itself. Tell me the details of the Ghost Land."

Chen Mo was reluctant to speak of the details inside the Ghost Land; after all, it was too horrifying.

Every time he recalled it, he felt terrible.

Xie Lianghong seemed to see through Chen Mo's hesitation and said, "Second Young Master Chen, back when you were in the County Office jail, you bought away the test subject I had earmarked. I haven't even settled that score with you yet. Asking for the details of the Ghost Land isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Chen Mo broke into a cold sweat, realizing that the jailer Li He must have taken his silver but ultimately failed to hide it from Xie Lianghong.

However, this was not a major issue, so Chen Mo didn't take it to heart and said, "That was my oversight. However, the matter of the Ghost Land is truly a bad memory, if it is not necessary..."

"It is necessary, absolutely necessary!" Xie Lianghong said with great excitement, "I examined Xiao Dong's corpse. He clearly died on his bed, yet he was covered in water—he was drowned. But there is no well in the courtyard where Xiao Dong lived, not even a large water vat. The Maidservant who served him didn't see Xiao Dong go out at night either. I suspect Xiao Dong's death is related to Old Master Li and his family."

Chen Mo felt his scalp tingle.

Lying on the bed and drowned by water!?

But why was Xie Lianghong so certain that Xie Dong's death was related to Old Master Li's family?

Chen Mo was surprised and asked tentatively, "Is it possible that some bandits were deliberately playing tricks? For example, kidnapping Dongzi in the middle of the night, drowning him, and then..."

Before Chen Mo could finish, he was interrupted by Xie Lianghong, "Impossible. Yesterday evening, my eldest brother lifted Xiao Dong's confinement. Xiao Dong was still thinking about Ruhua and shouting that he wanted to go out. I went in to comfort him. I only left after Xiao Dong fell asleep. Just as I reached the main gate, I heard Xiao Dong's screams from behind. When I rushed back to check... Xiao Dong had already drowned on his bed. Where would any bandits come from? Besides, Xiao Dong was a strong swimmer. When he was a child, he often went swimming in the great Huai River outside the city. He was definitely possessed by an Evil Spirit."

After saying this, Xie Lianghong grabbed Chen Mo's hand, "In my early years, I followed a master who transported corpses and learned the craft of autopsy. Although my eldest brother thinks being a coroner is a lowly profession and told me to change careers early to avoid disgracing the family name, I have always upheld my master's teachings and tried to help the local people. I have been trying to find the root cause of the Mad Demon Disease. Xiao Dong's death is bizarre, and I want to find out the cause. Based on my many years of experience, Xiao Dong likely didn't just suffer a normal possession last night, but accidentally stumbled into a Ghost Land."

Chen Mo felt uneasy hearing this, so he stopped hiding the truth and recounted the details of how he had accidentally entered the Ghost Land at the entrance of the Li Manor.

Xie Lianghong's eyes widened as he listened intently, and finally, he let out a long sigh, "So that's how it is. The key lies in the Red Candle Wax at the well. That Red Candle Wax was a Red Candle given by Goddess Hong Deng, which has a restraining effect on Evil Spirits and ghosts. I should have guessed it sooner..."

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

After their conversation, Xie Lianghong's attitude toward Chen Mo was clearly much warmer, and he nodded, "Follow me."

Chen Mo followed Xie Lianghong the whole way, looking around the spacious courtyard, secretly thinking that the scale of the Xie Manor was even larger than the Chen Mansion.

Although the Xie Family also did some business, they had a background in the officialdom. They might not have as much silver as the Chen Family, but their status was higher. Even the Magistrate of the County Office, Li Yu, was Xie Dong's uncle-in-law, which was proof enough.

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

There was no one left in the courtyard. Although it was the afternoon and the sun was at its peak, as soon as he walked into the courtyard, Chen Mo felt a gloomy chill. Qiulan shrank her neck and followed closely behind Chen Mo, her expression fearful.

Chen Mo immediately had a bad premonition about the courtyard and instructed Qiulan, "You wait outside."

Qiulan really didn't want to go in, but thinking about taking care of the Second Young Master, she hesitated.

Chen Mo saw her hesitation and smiled, "Don't worry, a grown man like me won't get lost."

Qiulan then performed a curtsy and retreated from the courtyard to wait at the entrance.

Passing through the courtyard, they entered the main room.

The gloomy feeling became even more intense. Fortunately, Chen Mo had entered the Inner Family and, by slightly circulating the Qi and Blood in his body, he felt nothing. As for Xie Lianghong, because he spent his life with the dead and had seen many ghosts, he was already accustomed to it.

Xie Lianghong led the way into the main room, "This is Xiao Dong's room. Everything here has remained untouched. Second Young Master Chen, you have been possessed before—can you spot anything?"

Chen Mo scanned the room.

The room was small, no more than fifteen or sixteen square meters, with a bed, a square table, and a cabinet placed near the southeast corner. In the center sat an extinguished stove.

Aside from the expensive furniture, there was nothing unusual.

Chen Mo also found a letter in the drawer.

It was in Xie Dong's handwriting and sealed with wax. On the front, it read: To my beloved Ruhua, for your eyes only.

If this were before, Chen Mo would certainly have scolded him: You're about to lose your life, yet you're still pining for Ruhua; what a disgrace.

But at this moment, Chen Mo felt a twinge of bitterness.

It was clear that Xie Dong truly loved Ruhua.

Taking advantage of a moment when Xie Lianghong wasn't looking, Chen Mo tucked the letter away.

His main intention was to preserve a good impression of Xie Dong in the hearts of his parents. If Master Xie and his wife were to get their hands on this letter, they would inevitably curse Xie Dong for being spineless.

In this world, class prejudice ran deep. Great families valued their reputation and looked down upon women from brothels.

Having stowed the letter, Chen Mo continued his search.

Suddenly, Chen Mo caught a whiff of a familiar stench.

It was a very faint, very slight stench.

Had Chen Mo not broken through to the Inner Family level, causing his Six Roots and Six Senses to undergo a transformation, he truly would not have been able to smell it.

And this stench... it was identical to the smell on the little girl from the Ghost Land and the Ancient Well at the entrance of Li Manor.

Li Hongxi!

How could this smell appear here?

In an instant, Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine.

Xie Lianghong, standing to the side, noticed Chen Mo's surprised expression. "Second Young Master Chen, have you discovered something?"

Chen Mo did not hide it. "I smell a familiar scent, the same one from when I accidentally entered the Ghost Land..."

Thud.

Xie Lianghong's face suddenly turned pale. Terrified, he collapsed onto the floor, the corners of his mouth twitching. "She, she crawled out. She has come to the Xie Family to silence us..."