Page 35

When the shuffling footsteps stopped, the unnatural silence became all the more noticeable.

It really was too quiet.

It was early morning, yet there were no voices, no clatter of pots and pans, no doors opening or closing...

Nothing at all.

Goosebumps rose on everyone's skin, and they all stared at the village chief.

The village chief looked embarrassed, with a trace of fear. He hesitated for a moment, then let out a long sigh. "People really do live here, but... no one quite dares to go outside. They usually sleep as long as they can."

"They don't dare go outside? Why?"

The village chief glanced cautiously into the distance.

Everyone followed his gaze. On the other side of the stream stood several low houses in a strikingly different style. They were drab and inconspicuous, their roofs black, blending almost seamlessly into the woods behind them.

The village chief seemed afraid someone might overhear him. In a very low voice, he whispered, "It isn't safe at night. If you're staying here, be sure to remember: don't go out at night, and don't open the door no matter what you hear."

"What do you mean?" Everyone was frightened and puzzled.

But the village chief didn't dare say more. He quickly waved a hand and lowered his head as he continued leading the way.

Everyone was baffled, but no one dared ask more.

"Holy shit."

As they walked, Yu Wen suddenly cried out and nudged You Huo. "Bro, look at that house."

You Huo looked over, and a few others who had heard him followed his gaze.

On the second floor of one house, someone stood behind a curtain, watching them in silence.

"I caught a glimpse of a face by the window out of nowhere. Scared me to death!" Yu Wen said, clutching his chest.

Right afterward, they realized it wasn't the only house.

In several houses, people were similarly pulling back their curtains and peeking outside.

The village chief said, "They're curious to see visitors too. They've just been frightened so many times that they don't dare come out easily."

"So they just stay inside all the time?" Yu Wen asked in surprise. "What do they do when they get hungry? Don't they eat or drink?"

"Every family here has a cellar with food stored in it, and a ladder to get down," the village chief explained. "And it isn't as if they never go out. In the afternoon or toward evening, people come out and move around a little. But they all go back inside before dark."

"Oh."

"Does it have to do with Black Granny?" You Huo asked.

The village chief fell silent for a moment, then nodded and said softly, "I heard you came to find her for some work?"

"Work? What work?"

At the mention of something related to their objective, everyone pricked up their ears.

"Work for the dead!" The village chief had frightened himself so badly that his face turned ashen. Lowering his voice, he said ominously, "Black Granny likes dealing with dead people. For example, she sews people back together when they've been broken into pieces."

"..."

The village chief said, "If someone in the family goes missing, they ask her to divine whether they're dead and where they died."

"..."

The village chief was getting a kick out of frightening them. "Sometimes she even picks people up herself and brings them back to work on."

Yu Wen was stunned with fright. "...What do you mean, picks people up and brings them back?"

"Take a few years ago..." The village chief pointed at the frozen river. "A girl floated down from upstream. Black Granny dragged out a big basket and gathered her up."

Floated? Gathered her up?

The man's choice of words was a stroke of genius, and it thoroughly creeped everyone out.

Several grown men gagged, and Yu Yao's legs went weak.

You Huo, on the other hand, showed little reaction. "Since all her work is for the dead, what are you living people afraid of?"

The village chief tucked his hands into his sleeves and shook his head glumly. "You don't understand. Sigh... spend a night here and you'll know."

Before long, the village chief led them to the end of the frozen river, and they crossed to the other bank over the thick ice.

The drab houses stood right in front of them.

Only when they got close did they see that the houses were built of stone, with uneven outer walls. Chaotic patterns had been painted in white on the gray stone, dried branches hung by the doors, and worn felt mats lay beneath them.

One house was rather different. An old crystal ball sat on its windowsill, along with some... stark white things that looked like finger bones.

Before they even entered, everyone smelled incense, thick enough to make them dizzy.

The village chief couldn't have wanted to be farther away from the house.

"This is where Black Granny lives." He craned his neck to take a look. "What time is it?"

Everyone pulled out their phones, only to find that their screens showed 23:13 at night, clearly out of sync with the time here.

While they were still confused, a deep voice spoke up. "6:55."

Everyone turned to look. Qin Jiu had spoken.

He waved his phone and said, "Not bad. A little more accurate than yours."

Chen Bin looked surprised. "This handsome guy's pretty impressive! The season and time in every exam are different from reality. How does your phone stay so well synced?"

Qin Jiu put his phone back in his pocket and said lazily, "Maybe because I'm an invigilator."

Chen Bin gave an "oh" as he sorted through his bag.

Two seconds later, his hand slipped, and his bag fell to the ground with a smack.

"Who are you???"

Qin Jiu ignored him. Instead, he pulled a card from his pocket and tilted his head toward You Huo beside him. "Does that count as helping you once?"

It was the [Invigilator's Help] card You Huo had drawn earlier.

You Huo snatched the card, flipped it over, and shoved it right under Qin Jiu's nose. "Please read all the words. Extra help. Do you know what extra means?"

Qin Jiu looked as though he might be smiling. "Not really."

What the hell are you smiling at?

You Huo said, "Go look it up in a dictionary."

A candidate without a watch had asked an invigilator for the time. Could that count as extra help? Of course not. It was just like taking an invigilator along to the bathroom; that was part of the job.

The card naturally wasn't used up. Qin Jiu said, "What a shame," and put it back in his pocket.

The village chief stood there in a daze for a while before coming to his senses. He reminded them, "Black Granny gets up at 7:30 every morning. She won't open the door before then. I'll take you to see where you'll be staying first."