All the way down the mountain and into the village, Qiao Ziruo said nothing. She simply held the bones wrapped in red silk and walked straight ahead.
Qin Manjiang stepped forward and asked the old Taoist, "Master, I'd like to ask you something."
The old Taoist glanced sideways at him and sighed. "Go on, ask. The moment I saw you three, I knew I probably wouldn't get through this ordeal."
Qin Manjiang froze, not understanding what he meant.
After thinking for a moment, he asked his question anyway. "Master, do people in this world really have souls after they die?"
At this question, even Mei Sijun, who had been walking silently at the back, grew interested and paid much closer attention.
Unexpectedly, the old Taoist neither nodded nor shook his head. Instead, he looked into Qin Manjiang's eyes, an unreadable emotion in his own aged but bright eyes. "People with eyes like yours have souls after death."
This answer brought both Qin Manjiang and Mei Sijun to a halt. They exchanged a glance. That was a very strange claim indeed.
This old Taoist seemed to know more than they did, despite their firsthand participation in the Ghost Story Game.
"Wait!"
Qin Manjiang caught up in two strides, only for the old Taoist to wave a hand and point toward an old house enclosed by a fence. "We're here. I need to make some preparations. I'll discuss it with you in a while."
Since he had put it that way, Qin Manjiang could only nod.
Though Qiao Ziruo was still downcast, her emotions had stabilized. She handed the red-silk-wrapped bones to the old Taoist, who carried them through the gate. He was going to turn the main room into a mourning hall.
Qiao Ziruo sat blankly on the wooden threshold, worn