It Started Raining

Yu Wan's first reaction Yu Wan hearing this news was probably one of bewilderment.

Yu Xing waited for a full five seconds before she could feel the person on the other end of the line trembling through the receiver.

"What... what did you say?" The girl's voice almost cracked as she tried to control herself. "Ye Qin, say it again!?"

"I said, my brother is dead." Yu Xing's tone was firm this time. Ye Ting was still listening nearby. He glanced at her, took a deep breath, and as if he had calmed down, he put away his vulnerability. "It's probably because of that incident that my brother turned into a ghost last night and almost hurt my sister."

We huddled together in one room and hid all night, only daring to come out at dawn.

Ye Ting asked, somewhat puzzled, "What is that matter?"

"Ye Qin, wait for me, I'll ask for leave and come to your house!" Yu Wan said anxiously Yu Wan the other end of the phone. Compared to this important matter, going to school could be put aside for now. It was only one day, and it wouldn't have any impact.

Yu Xing had this plan all along. He wanted Yu Wan earlier because he felt that if today really was the last day of this simulation, according to the system's calculations, it wouldn't allow the participants to stay peacefully until the evening.

Anyone who believes the saying that ghosts can't appear during the day is an idiot.

The first time he saw the reflection in the car window in broad daylight, and the first time he found his father's head in the refrigerator, it wasn't at night either.

The most important clues are often given at the very beginning.

"I told my mom I'd go to school as usual today so she wouldn't worry. I'll come to your house when it's time for school." Yu Wan end of the line, extremely glad that her decision to send her mother away was the right one.

Despite some negative emotions, Yu Xing still reminded Yu Wan again, "Okay, make sure you don't forget anything you need to take. Be careful. All your help must be based on your own safety, understand? I don't want to involve you."

Yu Wan a deep breath. "I'll be careful."

After hanging up the phone, Yu Xing looked at Ye Ting, who seemed a little confused, and explained to her that he and Ye Ting Yu Wan already noticed that Ye Ming was acting strangely.

Ye Ting was shocked. "But on the day you mentioned, my brother hadn't even touched Yugi yet, how could he...?"

She immediately realized something and asked uncertainly, "Could it be that the ghost possessing my brother caused his death, and not the Yugi's fault?"

No, that's not it. It's actually the Yugi's fault.

Yu Xing answered in her heart, then shook her head calmly. "I don't know either. Things have gotten to the worst possible state. We're just waiting for your sister Yu Wan to come today; she knows more about these things."

"Yes, Sister Yu Wan is amazing. All my knowledge in this area comes from Yu Wan." Ye Ting looked dejected. For a moment, she seemed saddened that she couldn't help as much Yu Wan.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. I'll ask the school for leave first, and then we'll go out to buy some food together. We can't go hungry." Yu Xing was hungry anyway, so he quickly called his homeroom teacher to ask for leave, and also called his brother's homeroom teacher. Fortunately, both of them usually had very good grades at school and were well-behaved, so the teachers trusted them and approved their leave very readily.

Taking this opportunity, Ye Ting changed into clothes suitable for going out, then picked up her small basket and obediently stood aside waiting for Yu Xing to finish everything.

When they stood outside, it was already broad daylight. The sun was rising Ranran from the east. Ye Ting stared blankly at the sunlight, blinked, and murmured, "So bright..."

At this moment, Yu Wan also hurriedly came from the direction of her house, carrying her big schoolbag.

Ye Ting suddenly said, "Brother, you and Sister Yu Wan can find a solution at home. I'll go buy groceries by myself."

Yu Xing glanced at her thoughtfully. "Aren't you afraid?"

"It's so bright outside, I'm not afraid. Compared to that, this house is much scarier." Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ye Ting uttered what was probably what all the ghosts trapped here most wanted to say. Her expression was serious, as if she had suddenly changed her mind and didn't intend to let Yu Xing accompany her.

Just then, Yu Wan arrived, panting as if she had run all the way. She quickly turned Yu Xing around and checked her over, then checked Yu Wan in the same way Yu Wan finally letting out a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness you're both alright."

"Sister Yu Wan..." Ye Ting almost cried because of her sister's concern, but she held back her tears and told Yu Xing, "You should quickly discuss a plan with Yu Wan. What will I do if you get hurt too! I'll go buy groceries by myself!"

Seeing Ye Ting's sudden insistence, Yu Xing nodded and let her go. Although he knew that if she went, something would inevitably happen to the girl before she could come back or not come back at all, the plot had to be done this way, and he had no way to forcibly stop her.

Moreover, Ye Ting was right about one thing: he really needed to hurry up and discuss a plan with Yu Wan, and also explain to Yu Wan what had happened in the past few days, so that he could make good use of Yu Wan as a potential teammate.

Soon, Ye Ting's figure receded further and further down the road, her body appearing as a tiny dot from a distance, looking incredibly real in the morning light.

Yu Wan, her face deathly pale, followed Ye Qin into the house.

Although there was no trace of Ye Ming inside, the blood scattered everywhere still Yu Wan. Shocked, Yu Wan Yu Wan around and asked incredulously, "What exactly happened to you yesterday?"

"I've been through something terrible, Yu Wan. I'm so tired." Yu Xing looked at her wearily, then briefly recounted the recent events to Yu Wan in as organized a way as possible.

In Yu Wan's eyes, Yu Xing's weary face was a direct result of the pressure of his brother's death and his sister's illness. The long-term stress had overwhelmed this underage boy in front of her, and she felt extremely sorry for him.

"I brought the exorcism tools I prepared. Once the ghost comes out, I can confirm the identity of the ghost that disturbed your house at the beginning." She took out a lot of small items that Yu Xing had never seen before from her bag. Judging from their appearance, these little things had nothing to do with those exorcism tools... Oh well, maybe this is just the effect of the subject's lack of imagination.

He leaned over and very "eagerly" asked about the functions of all the gadgets.

Yu Wan is indeed a paranormal enthusiast; she has all sorts of fancy things. Among them, the ones currently displayed on the coffee table include talismans for warding off ghosts and two silver chopsticks that look a bit like a dowsing rod for sensing ghosts.

Besides that, he couldn't recognize anything else: the spinning top-like little thing, a stamp, and the largest item in the bag, which was a small Zhuzi basket.

Yu Wan introduced this series of items, each one sounding exceptionally important and useful, but...

"..." Yu Xing had no hope for the functionality of these things. If they were actually useful, the tragedy that followed would seem rather ridiculous.

"By the way, where's that Yugi? I want to see it." Before long, Yu Wan steered the conversation to the Yugi. Yu Xing glanced at Yu Wan warily, making sure Yu Wan didn't Yu Wan her look.

"The Yugi is upstairs, but I don't think you want to see what's going on upstairs." Yu Xing pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. "Let's wait for Ye Ting to come back and eat first, otherwise you probably won't have any appetite after seeing what's upstairs."

When Ye Ting returned from grocery shopping, it was clearly a long trip. Yu Wan, Yu Wan knew their family well, was already familiar with their habits. She took out two sandwiches from her bag. "I've already eaten. Here, one is for you, and one is for Xiaoting. We'll cook the groceries she bought for lunch."

Oh, is there really such a good thing?

Yu Xing glanced at the sandwich casually. It seemed to be a handmade sandwich, with no brand logo printed on the outer packaging. Instead, it was simply wrapped in a piece of paper.

So he asked, "Did Auntie make this?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time since you've had my mom's cooking, hasn't it?" Yu Wan forced a smile. Although Ye Ming was an older brother she had known since childhood, she had long since built up a mental defense against this outcome. So, after receiving Yu Xing's call, she was still quite relieved that Ye Qin hadn't died like Ye Ming, entangled by those ghostly things.

As long as she can save Ye Qin, nothing else matters. At this moment, relieving Ye Qin's stress and giving her some breakfast made by her mother is the best choice.

Ye Qin once said that she loved eating her mother's cooking the most.

"Thank you for me, Auntie." Yu Xing sat down on the sofa and, while eating, checked the filling inside the sandwich.

Just by looking, she couldn't see anything wrong, Yu Xing tentatively took a bite.

"You're taking such small sips, are you afraid I'll poison you or something?" Yu Wan asked, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

She believed she understood Ye Qin; he was very strong, and the death of his elder brother must have been a huge blow to him. But precisely because of this, Ye Qin should be able to pull himself together and find a solution, not give up. Once he realized the importance of conserving his energy, Ye Qin would definitely not stop eating.

Yu Xing couldn't figure it out. The filling inside the sandwich didn't taste like human flesh, nor did it have any strange bloody smell or bits of meat. Whether judged by sight, smell, or taste, it was a normal sandwich. Therefore, Yu Xing decided to ignore it and treat it as a real sandwich.

He was quite hungry, so he finished his breakfast in a few bites before explaining, "I was just in a bad mood... It's okay, don't worry about me."

"Hmm." Yu Wan heartache and sighed, "Let's go upstairs and take a look. We can determine what kind of ghost Ye Ming has become by looking at the traces. Earthbound spirits and wandering souls are relatively safe. The real danger is that he might become a vengeful ghost or a phantom. These two types of ghosts can be very harmful to the living."

She spoke eloquently, so Yu Xing walked ahead and led her to the second floor.

Whether it was a coincidence or destiny, as soon as they went up to the second floor, they saw through the glass that the sky was rapidly darkening.

Dark clouds rolled in from afar, bringing a sense of oppressive darkness. Then, a deafening sound, loud enough to shake eardrums, reached their ears in a very short time.

That was the sound of torrential rain.

"It's raining heavily..." Yu Wan gravely. "Without sunshine, I have a bad feeling about this."

Once the dark, heavy clouds formed, they seemed to have eyes, rapidly approaching from afar with a torrential downpour, likely bringing their houses under the rain within a minute or two.

Yu Xing's expression changed, and she said anxiously, "Oh no, what about Xiaoting!"

"Don't worry, I saw she brought an umbrella. She always keeps a folding umbrella in her basket, you know, the kind that can be folded down to the length of your forearm, it's quite expensive, I think," Yu Wan comforted her.

If she hadn't said anything, Yu Xing would never have noticed that her younger sister had an umbrella in her vegetable basket. In those days, a folding umbrella must have been a rare find.

"My mom said she often sees Xiaoting at the market, sometimes even in the rain. Xiaoting's umbrella is very pretty and sturdy, so you don't need to worry about her getting wet. Besides, if the rain is too heavy to walk, she can take shelter under the eaves. She's not a child anymore; she knows everything." Yu Wan reassured her again, shifting Yu Xing's attention away from Ye Ting. "Okay, I have some bad news for you."

"What bad news?" Yu Xing asked immediately.

"We are the ones who can't even protect ourselves now. Ghosts are afraid of light; they don't come out during the day because the light is too strong, but at night it's not only dark, but the yin energy is also heavy, so they choose to appear at night."

"But that's not always the case. On rainy days like this..." Yu Wan looked at the sky outside, which was darkening so quickly, and then glanced at the mess on the second floor. Everywhere she looked was blood, which was horrifying to look at.

"You mean the rule that ghosts don't come out on rainy days doesn't apply, and we might encounter my brother's ghost earlier than expected, right?" Yu Xing clenched her fists, perfectly portraying anxiety and confusion.

Yu Wan, a little serious. "That's right, didn't you expect that? From now on, even if you're with me, you have to be extremely careful."

No, he'd figured it out, completely figured it out. Yu Xing thought to himself, he knew the system wouldn't let them have such an easy day. Now that things had progressed this far, wasn't it time to determine which of the deducers could continue fighting despite their fatigue and superficial relaxation?

Yu Xing not only anticipated the system's actions but also helped the system figure out the reasons behind them.

Splash...

The sound of rain grew louder as it approached, and then large raindrops pounded against the window, creating a loud and dense cracking sound.

The house was completely enveloped in rain.

Yu Xing was silent for a moment, then tugged at Yu Wan's sleeve, who was still relatively calm, and whispered, "Since it's so dangerous, let's hurry up and go check out the Yugi first."

Mentioning this, Yu Wan seemed to perk up considerably. "Okay."

They walked towards the room, and as soon as they got close, Yu Xing sensed something was wrong and pulled Yu Wan behind her.

Across from his room, Ye Ming's door was tightly shut, and blood was still pooling on the already blood-stained floor.

He clearly remembered that the door was open that morning.