A better candidate

"": 200,

"": "",

"": "Had he just been careless...

It was Gu Ya's words that had startled him.

Luo Bin was still coughing. His throat ached in waves, and it felt as though the medicine had backed up into his nose, its bitterness shooting straight to the top of his head.

"Are you all right, Xiao Shan?" Zhang Yunling was just as worried, her voice slightly tense.

"No... I'm fine..." Luo Bin took a heavy breath and subtly winked his right eye at Gu Ya as a warning.

"As long as you're all right. That's what matters."

Gu Ya picked up a rag from the edge of the table and wiped away the splashed medicine, as though she hadn't noticed Luo Bin's gesture.

She glanced cautiously toward the courtyard gate before saying, "Xiao Shan, sit down. You too, Ling. This has to do with the dead man who turned up beneath Xiao Shan's window this morning."

"..." Luo Bin knew there was no stopping her now.

Those words caught Zhang Yunling's attention, but she still kept a hand on Luo Bin as she helped him sit.

Luo Bin felt thoroughly uncomfortable and awkward.

For one thing, the gesture was caring and intimate. For another, Gu Ya was revealing their secret...

Now that she had spoken, stopping her would be wrong too. It would damage her relationship with Zhang Yunling. Once Zhang Yunling grew curious and started asking around, everyone would find out.

So Luo Bin kept quiet.

"Well, here's what happened. Xiao Shan noticed something wrong with the dead man. When an ordinary person dies..."

Gu Ya went into great detail, repeating almost everything Luo Bin had said.

A fine sheen of sweat kept forming on Zhang Yunling's forehead. Just like Gu Ya at first, she was frightened.

"Your Uncle Luo found out that the people living near the marks Xiao Shan left are Zhao Shu, Feng Ji, You Jiang, Yan Li... oh, and the Spirit Medium, He Gui."

"There's definitely nothing wrong with the Spirit Medium. Aside from his bad temper, he's as dedicated to the village as the Village Chief. The other four households are all worth suspecting, and they have one thing in common: they all live alone," Gu Ya explained carefully.

Luo Bin's heart gave another little jolt.

The Spirit Medium was called He Gui, and he lived in that area too?

That was like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

Still, Gu Ya had shared their secret with another person. To Luo Bin, another person meant another mouth, and that left him uneasy.

But Zhang Yunling was gentle and delicate, and she treated his family well, didn't she?

Even though the original owner of this body had done some improper, offensive things, she still sewed clothes for him, brought him medicine, and cared even more about Gu Ya.

Birds of a feather flocked together.

Gu Ya was kindhearted, and so was she. Was that why they were so close?

"I understand, Aunt Gu. If I see them, I'll be sure to keep well away." Zhang Yunling lightly wiped the sweat from her temple.

"You've always been cautious. I'm not worried about you." Gu Ya smiled.

"Xiao Shan really has become impressive. People say girls blossom as they grow up, but perhaps Xiao Shan was a dragon stranded in shallow water all along? So his usual playboy behavior was just an act." Zhang Yunling smiled sweetly. As she looked at Luo Bin, there was even a faint hint of... a young girl's admiration in her eyes.

Luo Bin felt his face burning, and even his ears turned red.

"Ling, don't praise him. His head will swell in a moment." Despite Gu Ya's words, the pride in her eyes only deepened.

"Aunt Gu, I'm not flattering him. Xiao Shan really is capable. He takes after Uncle Luo so much, and he's even surpassed him. You have all the more to look forward to now," Zhang Yunling added softly.

Cultured and gracious, with such a charming smile?

For a moment, Luo Bin became distracted.

Everyone appreciated beauty, but Zhang Yunling's beauty wasn't merely skin-deep. Her personality and understanding both revealed a keen sensitivity. Was she beautiful inside and out?

In a place as filthy as Cabinet Mountain Village, was she a breath of fresh air?

Gu Ya was genuinely delighted, her smile bringing out fine crow's-feet at the corners of her eyes.

"Aunt Gu, you still have plenty to prepare, don't you? I won't stay and hold you up. Whatever happens, please be careful tomorrow. Go safely and come back safely."

Zhang Yunling rose, ready to leave.

"Xiao Shan, walk your sister Ling home." Gu Ya immediately stood up.

"Mm-hmm." Luo Bin nodded.

Fortunately, there was nothing else pressing just then. Although Gu Ya had spent some time explaining everything, it was four o'clock at the latest, and it wouldn't get dark until seven. He had time to walk her home.

After they left the courtyard, Zhang Yunling walked a little ahead of him, her hands clasped behind her back and her steps rather light.

Luo Bin followed behind.

Ten minutes or so later, they reached the entrance to Zhang Yunling's courtyard.

"Head home and get some rest early, Xiao Shan." Zhang Yunling turned back with an easy, gracious smile.

"Uh... how about I come in and chop some firewood? It's still early." Luo Bin scratched his head.

"Sure." Zhang Yunling stepped aside a little.

Luo Bin entered the courtyard, walked over to the woodshed, picked up the axe, and began chopping wood.

Zhang Yunling brought over a stool and sat beside him to watch.

Luo Bin knew the saying about lust being a knife hanging overhead. In an environment like this, tender words and lasting love were unrealistic, impossible.

But people had their instincts.

There shouldn't be anything wrong with keeping a little affection alive, right?

When he left this place, there shouldn't be anything wrong with taking Zhang Yunling along, should there?

Naturally, chopping a little firewood was no problem either.

Zhang Yunling poured Luo Bin some water.

It carried a faint, refreshing scent of mint.

She also came over and wiped his sweat for him.

For a moment, Luo Bin felt rather overwhelmed by the attention.

After a while longer, the light of the setting sun began to glare as it sank toward the western hills.

"It's getting dark. Hurry home," Zhang Yunling reminded Luo Bin.

Only then did Luo Bin put down the axe.

"I'm off, Sister Ling."

He left Zhang Yunling's home.

Walking along the village road, Luo Bin's arms were a little sore after two hours of hard labor, but he felt especially refreshed.

Inside the house, beside the table.

Zhang Yunling sat quietly in a chair, holding the cloth doll in her hands.

"It's not that I failed to seize this opportunity. Tomorrow, Uncle Luo, Aunt Gu, and Xiao Shan will have to go scout the way. If I send Xiao Shan to the Village Chief now, the Village Chief will definitely sense something wrong. Xiao Shan shouldn't be going out tonight in the first place. Sending him could very well end in failure."

"The first time, someone took the blame. The second time, the Village Chief will definitely be more vigilant. Succeeding would be almost impossible."

For several seconds, Zhang Yunling quietly gazed at the cloth doll.

"Opportunities like this don't come twice. Aunt Gu practically told me a secret. There really is something wrong with Xiao Shan. How did he become so much smarter than before?" A curious gleam grew in Zhang Yunling's eyes.

"Mm-hmm, I was angry earlier, but what is it we want to do? Restore the village to normal, right? I never wanted to sacrifice Uncle Luo and Aunt Gu anyway. Xiao Shan seems very good now too, and the Village Chief is highly wary of evil spirits. Then we could have a much better candidate."

"Can you figure out who in the village is pretending to be an evil spirit and killing people?"

Zhang Yunling lifted the cloth doll slightly and asked it in all seriousness.

Then she softly shushed it and raised the doll to her ear, as though afraid someone else might hear, closing her eyes to listen.