Looking Out for Oneself

The cold moonlight spilled onto the river, its surface shimmering with fragmented light. Floating in the water was a corpse with a face even paler than the moonlight—it was the face of Xie Sining.

Feng Yushu looked at the female corpse drifting downstream under the bridge, then back at the screen of her phone; the call had already ended.

"If the person in the river is Xie Sining, then who was the one who just called me?" Feng Yushu's voice trembled slightly; the terrifying possibility made her skin crawl.

"Stay calm. Although He Family Village is eerie, there have never been any actual supernatural demons or ghosts here. Perhaps Zhang Yangxu is using her phone to call you," Ning Zhe comforted her. "Let's head back to the Ancestral Hall first. You can call back and see what's going on."

Because he had already committed a taboo today, Ning Zhe, fearful of Bad Luck, did not dare to enter the water to retrieve Xie Sining's body to confirm more information.

The two left the bridge and hurried back.

"No answer." On the way, Feng Yushu let out a sigh of relief. "I've called Xie Sining three times in a row, and there's no answer."

"Try calling Zhang Yangxu?" Ning Zhe suggested as he walked quickly—his luck was terrible today, so he didn't dare to run at full speed.

Feng Yushu became nervous again. "I... I'll try."

But before she could find Zhang Yangxu's number in her contacts, the two passed through a small alley by the river, turned a corner, and a relatively spacious street appeared before them.

On the street, a man and a woman were walking slowly under the moonlight. The man was not tall, but his posture was upright, dressed in a Suit and Leather Shoes with a slightly loose beer belly. The woman was wearing a full OL uniform and high heels, following a step behind the man, slightly to his side.

"This!..."

"Quiet." Ning Zhe used his arm to pin Feng Yushu's neck, covering her mouth with his palm, and pressed her against the wall.

After pinning the terrified Feng Yushu, Ning Zhe leaned his head slightly out of the alley to quietly observe the two figures walking down the street. The cold moonlight cast long, long shadows behind them. "Zhang Yangxu and Xie Sining? What is going on?"

If Xie Sining was dead, then who was the person beside Zhang Yangxu?

If Xie Sining was not dead, then whose was the corpse in the river?

The two were heading in the direction of the Ancestral Hall. Seeing that Feng Yushu, whom he was holding, had gradually calmed down and stopped struggling, Ning Zhe said "Quiet" and released her, leaving a fiery red lip print on his right palm.

"Puh-ha—" Feng Yushu leaned against the wall with one hand, breathing rapidly. "Ni, Ning Zhe, the ones who just walked by were..."

"I know." Ning Zhe's gaze remained fixed on the two figures moving further away on the street. "Call Zhang Yangxu now, immediately."

"Ah, okay." Feng Yushu hurriedly opened her contacts and found Zhang Yangxu's number.

After Feng Yushu dialed Zhang Yangxu's number, the two on the street paused for a moment before continuing to walk forward.

As he walked, Zhang Yangxu took the vibrating phone out of his suit lining.

"Feng Yushu?" The contact name on the caller ID made Zhang Yangxu somewhat puzzled. He quickly answered the call. "What is it, Lady Bai? Is something the matter?"

"Watch out for Xie Sining!" Feng Yushu hurriedly warned. "Ning Zhe and I just passed the arched bridge and saw—"

"Saw what? Lady Bai, be clear, what did you see by the river?" Zhang Yangxu's nerves tightened instantly. He was about to press for more information when he saw a line of red text on his phone screen: "Call Ended."

"What's going on..."

In the alley, Feng Yushu looked at Ning Zhe in confusion. Her phone was in his hand; it was Ning Zhe who had snatched it and forcibly hung up, preventing her from continuing to warn Zhang Yangxu.

"Ning Zhe, why did you hang up?" Feng Yushu asked in a low voice.

Ning Zhe operated Feng Yushu's phone to hang up on Zhang Yangxu's callback and said, "Don't bring trouble upon yourself."

"Trouble?" Feng Yushu was even more confused.

Ning Zhe took a deep breath; the terrifying scene from moments ago still made him shudder.

"When you were calling Zhang Yangxu just now, I was calling Xie Sining at the same time."

Ning Zhe said, showing his phone, which displayed one "No Answer" call record—it was Xie Sining's. "At the same time Zhang Yangxu answered your call, Xie Sining didn't answer mine. She just stood there motionless, without any reaction."

Feng Yushu's face turned deathly pale. "Xie Sining, she..."

Ning Zhe continued, "When the call connected and you warned Zhang Yangxu to be careful of Xie Sining, I saw Xie Sining, who had been facing away from us, suddenly turn around. Her gaze went straight across the street, locking onto my head without any delay, like an auto-aim, and she stared at my face without any expression."

"When you said on the phone, 'Ning Zhe and I passed the arched bridge,' she was still staring straight at me, and she began to smile silently."

Feng Yushu's legs went weak. The excessive fright nearly made her collapse to the ground, her face turning even paler. "How could this be..."

Ning Zhe used deep breaths to regulate his heart rate and finally said, "Xie Sining is already dead. Whatever is following Zhang Yangxu now is something else. That 'ghost' is wearing Xie Sining's identity, and I don't know what its intentions are. I also can't be sure what will happen once we expose its identity."

That was why he had snatched Feng Yushu's phone without hesitation and hung up, to avoid drawing fire onto themselves.

"Then what should we do now?" Feng Yushu asked hurriedly.

Looking at her helpless, animal-like eyes, Ning Zhe understood: "Just as I judged before, Feng Yushu has a cowardly personality, lacks independent judgment, and is accustomed to relying on others... She is very easy to control."

Then there was only one thing left to do.

"Aunt, call Ye Miaozhu and Gu Yunqing and warn them that Xie Sining has been replaced," Ning Zhe said.

"And you?" Feng Yushu asked again.

"Gather those two, don't go back to the Ancestral Hall, and the four of us will go to the river to retrieve Xie Sining's body." Ning Zhe whispered while wiping the lip print off his palm with the corner of his shirt. "I hope we can find clues to Xie Sining's death on the body. I feel this might be related to the method of leaving He Family Village."

As for what would happen to Zhang Yangxu, that was up to his own fate; Ning Zhe chose to protect himself.

If he hadn't committed a taboo today, Ning Zhe wouldn't even have wanted to call Ye Miaozhu and Gu Yunqing; he would have gone alone. But that wasn't possible now. With his bad luck, going into the river to retrieve a corpse alone would likely lead to drowning, even though Ning Zhe was actually a very good swimmer.

After making the call, Feng Yushu followed behind Ning Zhe and left the alley.

On the distant street, Zhang Yangxu put away his phone, which had shown no answer several times, and silently cast his gaze toward the Xie Sining beside him.