The Guesthouse Is a Haven for Young People

On the bus.

Fang Xian glanced at his digital watch.

It was eight thirty in the evening.

Through the window, Fang Xian could already see the lake glittering in the distance.

The outside was lined with wire fencing, dividing it into sections like cuts of meat.

"There's no one around."

Fang Xian looked at his phone as Xiao Jiu poked her head out through a gap in his backpack.

[Xinlin Subdistrict] [Thousand-Mountain Lake].

According to the Urban Legend Compendium, quite a few wild urban legends lurked here.

To be honest, Fang Xian had his doubts.

If there really were that many, Jiangzhou's social order might have collapsed long ago.

At the very least, things shouldn't look the way they did now.

"Jiu, jiu."

Xiao Jiu lazily licked a lollipop like a white cat, looking utterly carefree.

Fang Xian didn't feel safe at all.

After finally catching an urban legend that seemed powerful, was he still going to have to charge in with the Fire Axe himself?

Xiao Jiu seemed to notice him watching her.

She looked up at Fang Xian, gave him a sweet smile, and chirped, "Jiu, jiu."

All right.

Fang Xian had been wrong.

Xiao Jiu could just be his mascot.

Apart from the four college students behind him, everyone on the bus, including the driver, was silent.

Behind the driver's seat hung an old mascot from the Jingzhou Century Expo fifteen years ago. It was one of the three Fu Babies; Fang Xian remembered that the green one was called Lele.

The furry mascot looked as though it had hung there for years. Slightly faded, it stared at Fang Xian with its eerily large eyes.

No... Now even this thing is giving me the creeps.

Fang Xian rubbed his eyes.

He had come into contact with too many strange things lately.

"Hey, man, where are you headed?"

Just then, the guy from the couple behind Fang Xian came over with a smile and struck up a conversation.

Every group had someone who could talk to anyone and naturally took the lead.

A guy like that could lead an ambush against Xiao Yuanshan outside Yanmen Pass, or simply take his friends on a trip.

Fang Xian turned and gave him an innocent smile. "I came out for a little adventure this weekend. I booked a guesthouse near Changzhao Reservoir."

The guy blinked, then brightened. "Don't tell me it's Lakeflower Guesthouse. What a coincidence!"

Fang Xian lifted his phone with a smile. "It's the only guesthouse within two kilometers. It's not surprising we're headed to the same place."

The guy thought about it. Fair enough.

Fang Xian took the opportunity to chat with the group.

He got a feel for their personalities along the way.

All four were second-year students at the Jiangzhou Institute of Technology in Jiangzhou's Jinsha District.

The couple leading the group were Sun Heng and Weng Nannan.

The other two were He Qi, who hovered around Cai Qi, and Cai Qi herself, a girl with short hair.

As Fang Xian had guessed, Sun Heng and Weng Nannan hoped to bring He Qi and Cai Qi together. That was the reason for this three-day, two-night trip.

From what Fang Xian could see, though, Cai Qi seemed rather put off by the idea.

"Second year at Jiangzhou University. Fang Xian."

A confident smile curled Fang Xian's lips. "A lone traveler seeking corners of the world no one else has explored."

Jiangzhou University?!

Sun Heng and the others were stunned.

Jiangzhou University was one of the country's top universities, second only to Kyoto University and Xinhai University.

Within Jiangzhou, it stood in a league of its own.

Hmph.

When you're out and about, you get to decide who you are.

How else was I supposed to impress these youngsters without talking a little nonsense?

Especially He Qi.

Ever since Sun Heng had started talking to Fang Xian, He Qi had looked unhappy.

"Fang Xian, you really go to Jiangzhou University? That's amazing!"

Cai Qi reacted very differently to Fang Xian, a handsome student from a prestigious university, than she did to He Qi.

Fang Xian waved it off. "It's nothing special. I just scored a couple more points on the college entrance exam. I'll still end up working my fingers to the bone."

He Qi curled his lip. A little on the chubby side, he seemed to mutter, "Exactly. What's so great about it?"

Over the next twenty minutes,

Fang Xian won them over with his humor and the persona he made up on the spot.

With his fair complexion, Fang Xian looked warm and approachable when he smiled.

Cai Qi's expression changed almost at once.

Weng Nannan watched for a while and sensed something was wrong.

She quickly tugged at Sun Heng and gave him a hint.

Sun Heng understood. Weren't they here to bring their two friends together?

He had nearly ruined it.

As the scenery slipped past outside, Sun Heng asked pointedly, "Fang Xian, do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yeah," Fang Xian answered casually.

He opened his phone and found the photo Zhang Yuhang had posted of Song Yizhou in the Family of 514 group chat. "Here. This is my girlfriend."

Disappointment flashed through Cai Qi's eyes. Then the others gathered to look at the photo.

Zhang Yuhang's phone camera really was pretty good.

The photo made Song Yizhou look as though she were standing right beside whoever was viewing it.

"Damn, she's gorgeous!"

"Is that for real?"

Sun Heng looked skeptical. "Fang Xian, you're not pulling our legs, are you?"

Fang Xian kept his expression calm.

The better someone could keep a straight face, the more likely people were to believe him.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"When we get the chance, I'll bring my girlfriend along and we can all have a meal."

When we get the chance.

Which means never, Fang Xian thought.

Beep, beep, beep.

Outside,

Lele swayed several times.

It seemed they had reached the bus's final stop: Changzhao Reservoir.

The old woman got off first.

Then came Sun Heng and the other three.

Fang Xian shouldered his backpack and stepped off the bus.

The ground was littered with gravel.

Everything around them was pitch-black. There weren't even any streetlights, only a solitary bus-stop sign standing there like a hanged man.

A strange smell hung in the air, an earthy stench mixed with insect remains and manure.

"Hmm... Where's that little boy?"

Fang Xian looked around.

At some point, the little boy with the snacks had disappeared.

The boy had kept his head lowered the whole ride, so Fang Xian had never gotten a clear look at his face.

"This place feels... so deserted."

Weng Nannan pulled her clothes tighter against the chilly wind.

Seeing that, He Qi followed suit and fussed over Cai Qi, apparently hoping to drape his jacket over her shoulders.

"It's not too bad. Don't you think... the lake is beautiful?"

"Thousand-Mountain Lake is the water source for all of Jiangzhou. Changzhao Reservoir is just one small reservoir within it."

Fang Xian looked pleased. "He Qi, I noticed fishing gear sticking out of your backpack. Thinking of showing us what you can do?"

He Qi froze. At those words, his opinion of Fang Xian suddenly changed.

This guy seems all right.

He scratched his head and chuckled. "Actually, yeah. I was planning to sleep for a couple of hours tonight, then head out before dawn to bait a spot."