Chapter 47
Zhou Yang replied softly, "It's definitely possible."
"Can I come with you tomorrow? I'm also very curious about the coffin-making process..."
Su Cheng raised her hand hesitantly.
At the same time, she heard the sound of someone leaving downstairs, so she asked Mu Ling to follow An Jing from a distance to see where he lived.
Su Xiaoxiao waved casually, "We're leaving at nine tomorrow morning. If you're late, we won't wait for you."
"OK, thanks."
After returning to her room, Su Cheng sat on the bed and switched to Mu Ling's perspective.
After nightfall, most households in the village closed their doors, and as An Jing walked along the road, villagers she encountered would greet her warmly.
This is a united village, where everyone is tacitly hiding something, and An Jing is the highest-ranking person in the village.
An Jing's residence is on a different street that Su Cheng hadn't visited that day.
Her house was no different from the other villagers' houses, except that there seemed to be something pasted behind the gate, preventing Mu Ling from getting close.
"Go check other people's houses; see where those ghost children are."
"Good."
Mu Ling slipped into a villager's house, where a family of four—two elderly people and their middle-aged children—were eating and chatting.
The ghost child who appeared at the door during the day has vanished.
A talisman was pasted on the door of a small room on the second floor, which prevented Mu Ling from passing through the wall to enter.
After leaving that household, Mu Ling drifted to the houses of other villagers, and the same thing happened.
Each room has a small room with a talisman pasted on its threshold.
"This village is full of genuine talismans... There must have been one pasted behind An Jing's gate earlier too..."
An Jing's talisman was pasted behind the main gate, while the other villagers' talismans were pasted on the outside.
Is this talisman for ghost children?
An Jing pasted the door shut to prevent other ghosts from entering her house... which means there might not be any ghost children in An Jing's home?
"Come back and see if there's a room in the inn with a talisman on it."
After returning to the hotel, Mu Ling searched each room.
On the second floor, rooms 1-4 are occupied by Su Xiaoxiao and a few others, room 5 is occupied by Su Cheng, and room 8 at the very back is the owner's room.
Only the bed in room 208 was different from the others; it had no yin energy and wouldn't make Mu Ling feel attracted.
There were no rooms with talismans on the second floor, Mu Ling searched for a while on the first floor before realizing she couldn't enter the storage room in the corner of the kitchen.
This is it.
Mu Ling looked at the storage room, which was hidden by the shelves, and spoke with certainty.
A talisman was pasted on the top of the door to the storage room. The door was very narrow, just wide enough for one person to pass through. If the person entering was slightly overweight, they might not be able to fit.
It was in a corner and was blocked from view, so it's no wonder Su Cheng didn't notice it when she came in to serve the dishes.
"That's about enough, you can come back now."
"Good."
Mu Ling answered quickly, then darted through the wall back into the room and lay back down under the bed.
Seeing how much she liked it, Su Cheng couldn't help but wonder if she could take the bed with her when she left the instance...
Su Cheng hadn't eaten much at dinner, so she took out some snacks and eight-treasure porridge from her bag.
The eight-treasure porridge still tastes as familiar as Su Cheng's, the cucumber-flavored potato chips are as crisp and refreshing as ever, and the chocolate is bittersweet...
After rinsing her mouth after eating, Su Cheng, while lying in bed, reminded Mu Ling, who was sitting by the bed, "Wake me up at three in the morning."
From under the bed came Mu Ling's ethereal voice. "No problem."
Su Cheng closed her eyes and went to sleep, feeling at ease.
The bed beneath her seemed to induce sleepiness, and Su Cheng fell into a deep sleep after only a short while.
The jade pendant adorning her neck gleamed with a dim light, its soft glow enveloping Su Cheng as if forming a barrier to prevent something from intruding...
3 a. m.
Su Cheng was awakened by a breath of cool air blown on her eyes. She opened her eyes and was met with Mu Ling's bloodshot eyes.
"..."
Her expressionless face made Mu Ling slightly purse her lips.
"You were more interesting when we first met..."
Thinking back to that time, Su Cheng would be startled by her reflection in the mirror when she saw herself sitting on her shoulders.
Is anyone coming from outside?
Mu Ling retreated under the bed. "No, everyone should be asleep by now."
Su Cheng rubbed her eyes, stretched, and got out of bed.
She didn't have a nightmare just now and seemed to be in good spirits, so it seems the bed had no effect on her.
She patted the bed and said to Mu Ling, "Don't lie there anymore, let's go."
Mu Ling crawled out from under the bed, brushing aside her disheveled hair. "Are you going to the storage room in the back kitchen?"
"Since they've already discovered it, wouldn't it be a shame not to go check it out?"
She deliberately chose to wake up at three in the morning, because that's when most people are asleep.
After taking a sip of water, Su Cheng took out a cartoon wolf mask, put it on, and quietly opened the door.
She walked towards the innermost room, stopped at the door of 208, stood there for a moment, and heard the even breathing inside.
She turned and left silently, and as she passed room 203, she could still hear Su Zhou playing games inside...
He's still awake... Young people can really stay up late.
Su Cheng descended the stairs with extremely light steps, Mu Ling following behind her.
One person and one soul entered the kitchen.
Su Cheng opened the refrigerator first, which contained unused pork and vegetables, but no suspicious pieces of meat.
She checked the cupboard again; the dishes and chopsticks were neatly arranged, and there was nothing unusual about them.
The stove surface and the large pot were cleaned up thoroughly, and firewood was placed under the stove.
Wait, why is there still firewood in the stove so late at night...?
She crouched down, moved aside the firewood, and sure enough, saw the small steel box hidden underneath.
The small, square steel box, about the size of a palm, was squeezed against the stove wall by firewood; it was so small that you might not even see it unless you were deliberately looking for it.
Su Cheng took out the box and gently broke it open.
It contained powder in a sealed bag.
The residue on the sealing strip indicates that it has been used.
This thing is hidden inside the stove; it must be something that no one can see.
If it were a normal item, there would be no need to hide it from people.
Since it's already been opened, it's possible the cook put it in the food while preparing it...
No, it should be in the meals that everyone eats.
Everyone's taste is different, and the powder comes in such a small packet that it's simply not enough to add to every single dish.
Rice is something that everyone eats together.
Su Cheng understood and put the steel box back on the stove untouched.
Although it has been confirmed that Xu Rong husband have ill intentions towards the "outside tourists," it is best not to alert them before we know exactly what they want to do.
She walked to the corner and only when she pushed the shelf did she realize that it had wheels, making it very easy and effortless to move.
Su Cheng slowly turned the doorknob, but it didn't open with a click.
It's locked.
Su Cheng calmly took out her Omnipotent Key, worth 500 points, inserted it into the lock, and gently turned it.
The door opened.
A note from the author:
none
Chapter 47
Su Cheng met a pair of dark, piercing eyes. The four-year-old little devil wasn't afraid; in fact, he tilted his head in confusion, as if wondering why a stranger had come...
Only when she saw Mu Ling emerge from behind Su Cheng did she widen her eyes and timidly dart into the small coffin in the niche in the wall.
"This kid is such a coward... Do all the households in this village keep ghosts?"
After the door was opened, the talisman lost its effect, and Mu Ling floated in unimpeded.
Su Cheng closed the door. "I guess every household has a room like this, but I wonder what the villagers use it for to raise little ghosts."
This small storage room, specially set up to house ghosts, is only 5 square meters in size. The space is cramped, and there is a sandalwood scent inside that Su Cheng once smelled in the temple.
The rocking horse that the little girl had just sat on was still swaying slightly, and toys such as rattles and plastic balls were scattered around it.
A square niche was carved into the wall, and in front of the niche, an altar was filled with incense and candles that had already burned down to their base.
A small coffin was placed in the niche.
The small wooden coffin, nearly 20cm long, was carved with intricate runes.
She opened the coffin lid, and inside lay the stark white skeleton of an infant!
Through Mu Ling's ghostly perspective, Su Cheng can see that the little ghost child has floated out of the coffin again and is crouching fearfully in the corner of the room.
"Can you talk to her? See if you can get any information from her."
Su Cheng asked Mu Ling through her thoughts.
I'll give it a try.
Mu Ling approached the little devil, "Little friend, can you talk? Tell your sister..."
"Wow..."
The little devil seemed frightened; his bluish lips parted wide, and he began to cry!
Her cries were loud and clear, seemingly able to penetrate the entire floor.
Su Cheng was immediately anxious, "We can't let that brat attract the boss and his wife!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Ling frowned and grabbed the little devil by the neck. She lifted him up like a chick, and the little devil's legs thrashed about, his cries instantly turning into whimpers of struggle.
The shrill crying stopped, and Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Ling narrowed her eyes slightly, "Little brat, if you cry again, I'll eat you up!"
"Waaaaah! Waaaah!"
"I can let you go, but if you keep crying, I won't be so polite!"
Mu Ling put the little devil down, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, she grabbed his neck again.
"Don't cry!"
Little Ghost Lin's eyes were filled with tears. If it weren't for her unusually pale and lifeless appearance, her aggrieved and frightened expression would be no different from that of a normal child.
Mu Ling put the little devil down again, and then pinched her throat as she opened her mouth to sing.
After going back and forth twice, the little devil finally understood. When Mu Ling let go, he obediently covered his mouth, squatted on the ground with tears in his eyes.
Su Cheng and Mu Ling reached the same conclusion--
This little brat can't understand human language, and he can't speak either.
The remains in the small wooden coffin were naturally those of the little ghost, who died shortly after birth. The cause of death could have been an accident or homicide.