Room Change

Lost in thought, the taxi soon pulled up at the entrance of the Ivy Apartments. Shen Xing paid the fare, while Feifei stood on the sidewalk with her small backpack, gazing around incessantly.

It felt as though the little girl hadn't been home in years; every scene she laid eyes on now filled her with uncontrollable joy.

Once Shen Xing had unloaded all the bags and slung them over his shoulders, Feifei turned and headed toward the apartment entrance. Upon entering, she expertly navigated toward the stairwell leading to the first floor, with Shen Xing following close behind.

Old Man Wang was cleaning the hallway, rinsing a basin of water by his doorway.

"Hello, Grandpa Fugui!" Feifei's sweet voice rang out as she greeted him before continuing up the stairs.

Old Man Wang was caught off guard. He looked up to see Shen Xing, laden with bags, trailing behind Feifei and offering him a smile.

"Is that Feifei?" he asked, puzzled.

Lin Feifei turned her head and smiled. "It's me, Grandpa."

"Oh! Feifei is back!" Wang Fugui stood up, beaming as he held the empty basin.

Feifei pointed at Shen Xing. "Uncle Shen picked me up from the orphanage. He's adopted me."

"Ah!" Wang Fugui dropped the basin he was holding; it clattered to the floor. He stared at Shen Xing and Feifei in a daze until they disappeared up the stairs.

Shen Xing felt a bitter smile tugging at his lips, but he said nothing.

When they reached the third floor, Feifei's footsteps faltered. She stopped, her gaze fixed on the tightly shut door of her home.

Since the incident, the Lin family's door had not been opened by anyone other than the investigators, and a yellow police seal still clung to the lock.

Now that the case was closed, the seal could have been removed long ago, but since no one had returned and outsiders dared not approach, it had remained in place.

Staring at her front door, Feifei's eyes slowly welled up with tears, and she stood there, motionless.

Shen Xing took her hand and said softly, "Don't look at it. Let's go upstairs first."

Feifei didn't say a word. She pulled her gaze away and accompanied him up to the fourth floor.

Having never been up here before, Feifei looked left and right upon entering Shen Xing's room. She soon realized there wasn't much to see, as the entire layout could be taken in at a single glance.

She placed her small backpack on the sofa, and seeing Shen Xing carry his bags into the bedroom, she prepared to follow.

"Close the living room door first," Shen Xing called out from the bedroom.

Feifei paused, then saw Shen Xing poke his head out of the bedroom doorway to remind her, "Remember from now on: always close the door when you enter."

Feifei nodded, turned back to shut the living room door, and then curiously stepped into the bedroom.

The workbench immediately caught her eye, followed by a sturdy wooden shelf beside it, which held some of his earliest wooden carvings along with the more recent ones: the Fake Hong Bin, the Blood Pupil, and the Skin Face.

Feifei looked up at these wooden carvings with curiosity.

Among them were pieces crafted recently, while others on the shelf had been kept there by Ye Ting, representing some of her favorites.

Shen Xing took a wooden carving from the workbench drawer—an Ebony Buddha Statue he had finished some time ago, designed to be worn as a pendant.

He remembered that back when Lin Wanru, Feifei's mother, was murdered, he had been so unsettled by the image of the Blood Pupil that he had kept the unfinished Buddha statue by his bedside to find peace of mind.

Ever since the statue was completed, Shen Xing had kept it tucked away in his drawer.

Ebony is often used for protective amulets and has historically been considered an object that wards off evil.

The wood emits a faint, woody fragrance that helps calm the mind, though whether it truly wards off evil, he couldn't say.

In this world, there was no such thing as "consecration," only a folk tradition that a protective charm must be kept in a sealed space for three days.

The Ebony Buddha Statue had been sealed in the drawer for far longer than three days, untouched.

In Shen Xing's view, that was as good as consecrated in this world.

He handed the Ebony Buddha Statue to Feifei. "Keep this in the inner pocket of your bag. It's not a toy, so don't take it out to play with. Just let it stay with you."

"Mm, thank you!" Feifei took it obediently, returned to the sofa in the living room, carefully placed the statue in her inner pocket, and carried her bag back to the bedroom. "Uncle Shen, where will I sleep tonight?"

"You take the bedroom, I'll sleep on the sofa," Shen Xing replied without hesitation, having already made up his mind.

Feifei shook her head. "This place is too small. If you need to work at night, I'll be in your way."

She paused, then pulled a set of keys from her bag. "My house is bigger than this. Why don't we just move back downstairs? There are two bedrooms there."

Shen Xing was taken aback. Feifei continued, "Not only will we have more space, but you'll save on rent. My mom bought the third-floor apartment, and the mortgage was paid off long ago."

Shen Xing hesitated. "If we move back down there, will you..."

His concern was not unfounded; after all, Lin Wanru had died right at the entrance of the living room downstairs. Forcing Feifei to see that spot every day might mean she would have to face the agony of her trauma constantly.

A smile appeared on Feifei's face. She shook her head and said with great maturity, "I've come to terms with Mom's passing. Even if I feel sad or grieve in the future, those are just memories. I'll write them in my diary, and I won't let anyone else see it."

She paused, seemingly having made a decision, and added, "Well, only you can see it."

Shen Xing smiled and reached out to pat her head.

Moving wouldn't happen today; there was too much clutter in the rental to sort through, and the apartment downstairs had been empty for so long that it needed a deep cleaning.

As they discussed moving down, Shen Xing realized he didn't actually feel any fear. He had already seen Lin Wanru's corpse walking about and had even fought it—and come out on top.

In truth, thanks to Feifei, he would not only save on rent but also move into a much more spacious home.

Both of them were the type to act once they made a decision. Feifei led the way with the keys, while Shen Xing followed with a broom, a clean basin, and a rag.

When they reached the third floor, Shen Xing tore off the yellow police seal. Feifei inserted the key into the lock with great focus and turned it half a rotation.

The living room door hadn't been double-locked since the incident, as no one had been going inside anyway.

Because all the doors and windows had been kept shut, the moment the door opened, the dark, lightless room was revealed. A stifling, musty odor rushed out, followed instantly by a bone-chilling cold that permeated the air.

Feifei, standing beside Shen Xing, shivered visibly.