Long Time No See

"Ultimately, you're proud of knowing that Old Brother Fang, so you keep glorifying him to make it seem like having such a friend is so enviable."

"But in reality, you're just a self-important and unimportant person. My dad has many friends, and you're not even in the top ranks." Yu Xing wasn't sure about this either, but he wanted to destroy his confidence because the noodle stall owner's way of speaking annoyed him.

He frantically takes the blame for others, forgives them, preaches on their behalf, and categorizes anything he doesn't believe as "rumors," when in reality, even the things he himself believes are unfounded.

The only word to describe this kind of person is "disgusting".

Having obtained the information he wanted, Yu Xing decisively changed his attitude faster than flipping through a book. He stood up, took out 100 yuan from his pocket, placed it on the table, and sneered at the stall owner's dumbfounded expression, "I don't need your offer to buy me noodles; I'm too disgusted to eat."

"I came back this time to see how much longer your 'Old Brother Fang' has to live."

After uttering that final harsh remark, Yu Xing turned and left.

Instead of following the route taken by Hua Subai and the other two, he turned in another direction at the next intersection.

Going to the pharmacy to look for clues wasn't difficult to begin with; either Hua Subai or Yan Li could go. It was their business if they wanted to team up and probe each other, but Yu Xing preferred to take this opportunity to wander around alone.

There was someone around me before, and there was something he hadn't looked at yet.

Yu Xing pulled a letter out of his bag; it was the same letter his brother had sent him, mentioned in the background information.

Since the system specifically mentioned this, it must exist; and since it exists, it must be meaningful.

Perfect timing, he can take this opportunity to read through this unknown information himself first.

The letter paper was thin and slightly translucent. Yu Xing pulled it out and opened it, revealing densely packed, ugly handwriting.

He had already learned this information from the stall owner—San's father had been in poor health for the past two years and had been staying at home. It was impossible to determine at the moment whether it was due to abuse from his stepmother or the effects of a curse in the house that only he knew about.

San's father abused her, perhaps because she wasn't his biological daughter.

What role San played when he was a child is still unknown, but now his brother is married and goes to the market with his wife to buy groceries, which sounds like he is a very normal person.

--These were Yu Xing's thoughts before she opened the letter.

Now, looking at the mess of scribbles on the page, he began to doubt whether his brother was even human.

He didn't think humans could write such ugly characters.

First of all, the ugly handwriting is not due to a lack of practice, but rather the uneven pressure on each stroke, making the whole character look very distorted, as if it were actually crawling on the paper.

To put it simply, it's like the person writing the characters doesn't have good control over the pen, nor does they know how to write them, yet they still manage to painstakingly draw them out bit by bit.

Yes, it looks just like it was drawn!

Yu Xing was sensitive to the brushstrokes in painting and immediately realized that the words on the letter were not written, but rather resembled some kind of copying. The person holding the pen had treated them as symbols and awkwardly copied them.

His brother couldn't have written this without suffering from mental illness for several years.

In this instance, the probability of encountering ghosts is much higher than developing a mental illness.

Let's look at the content again...

[Little Xing, the Snow Festival is about to begin. Are you still not coming back this year? The Snow Time Flower will definitely bloom especially beautifully this year. I hope you can come back and see them, so we can enjoy the flowers together.]

[Winter is still so cold. Even with charcoal fires, several people have frozen to death. My dad's health was also damaged by the cold, and he's confined to a wheelchair every day. Thankfully, the caregiver is good at taking care of him, so we don't have to worry about him too much.]

[By the way, Grandpa Gardener is getting old too. If you don't come back soon, you might not see him one last time. Mom misses you a lot too. She asked me to tell you that she won't do anything to scare you anymore... Okay, actually I think it was a small thing, just a misunderstanding. You're all grown up now, you shouldn't be afraid anymore, right?]

[Come back, come back! You haven't met your sister-in-law yet. I want to introduce her to you. We've always liked the same things since we were kids. I'm sure you'll like the woman I like too. She's wonderful, really.]

[Nowhere is as good as home. If you come back, I'll give you everything I've ever won in fights, and I'll give you the woman I like. You hate that housekeeper, so we'll fire her when you come back. Wouldn't you be happy?]

Okay, the content doesn't sound like something a normal person would write.

After reading the letter, Yu Xing felt there were too many things she wanted to complain about, and too many things that were terrifying upon closer inspection.

Judging from the incoherent and illogical wording alone, and the increasingly impatient manner towards the end, including the act of directly erasing some parts, the "brother" who wrote the letter is definitely not someone who can be trusted.

Dad got frostbite, the gardener is dying, Mom did some scary things, and the nanny is awful.

This house is truly a den of monsters, gathering all the elements of a horror movie.

Yu Xing folded the letter and put it back, then pondered for a moment.

He needs to go home, but it's not urgent. Even if he finds out the location in advance, he can't go there today.

Today's time should be reserved for the Main Quest. Once these deducers find their guide, Gao Yiling, the Main Quest will definitely advance, and the death point of this journey will be revealed.

Tonight, I'll definitely have to stay with the other participants, as arranged by the guide.

"Hey!"

Just as Yu Xing was considering her next move, a woman's voice drifted over from a distance.

He turned his head and saw a strange woman dressed in a handsome men's outfit. She had broad shoulders, long legs, and a wolf tail hairstyle, making her look more like a handsome man at first glance.

Of course, this only applies at first glance. Although the woman had a heroic appearance and wore makeup that made her look somewhat masculine, the strategist's eyesight was not so sharp that they couldn't distinguish between androgynous and neutral attire.

The woman was waving at him. Seeing that he had noticed her, she ran over through the passersby and said naturally, "I saw you were looking at something, so I didn't want to disturb you. Now that you're done, I came to say hello. Long time no see."

Yu Xing genuinely had no recollection of the other person. Since the other person wasn't a townsman but a diviner, there was no need to pretend. He adjusted his glasses and asked directly, "Who are you?"

"Demon." The wolf-tailed woman patted her somewhat flat chest, her smile cool. "Do you remember me? Although it's been a while, I should still leave some impression on you, right?"