Old Doll ┃ Qin Jiu: "..." You actually had the nerve to bring that up???

It was soon 7:30.

The group heard a creak from the main house as they waited anxiously.

The door opened. Black Granny was finally awake.

The crow called out:

"The listening test will now begin. All examinees, please proceed to the location immediately. Each passage will be played only twice."

As soon as he saw that Black Granny was awake, the village chief tried to slip away like a mouse that had spotted a cat.

Before leaving, he told them, "Black Granny has a rule for visitors. You have to draw a card before you go in."

Draw cards again?

You Huo's face immediately fell.

"What kind of cards? Playing cards or those tarot cards girls play with?" Yu Wen seemed to have been exposed to them often enough at school to know a little about them. "Does she tell your fortune after you draw one?"

"Even if she did, would you understand her?" Old Yu said irritably.

"Good point. Then what's the card for?"

The village chief hesitated, then said, "It tells you whether you'll get a peaceful night's sleep."

Perhaps anticipating what they were about to say, he hurriedly added, "Don't even think about skipping it. You have to draw one, or the consequences will be even worse."

The village chief seemed to recall something from the past and shuddered again.

"Anyway, remember: whatever you do, don't make her angry!"

With those parting words, the village chief hurried away.

Wrapped in his military greatcoat, he hurried across the frozen river and ducked into an inconspicuous house on the other side, its doors and windows tightly shut.

The whole village fell quiet again. The two sides of the river seemed like different worlds.

Having learned from the last exam, the group didn't dare waste time and quickly made their way to Black Granny's door.

A small, thin old woman who looked like a vulture was waiting at the door. Her face was like aged tree bark, its furrows deep, but her eyes had distinct blacks and whites, like a child's.

That only gave her an incongruous, eerie look.

She wore an elaborately patterned headscarf, and strings of ornaments hung from both hands, clinking together.

The ornaments must have been heavy, because she had some difficulty even raising her hands.

Black Granny stared at the group without moving her eyes for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. Her teeth were thin and sharp, sending a chill down their spines.

She muttered something, fanned out a stack of cards before them, and gestured with her lips at Old Yu, who was standing at the front.

"M-me? Do I draw one?" Old Yu was in a panic.

Black Granny thrust the cards toward his hand again.

Old Yu glanced at the others and hesitantly drew a card.

Black Granny turned it over. Those who could see its face drew a sharp breath.

Although they couldn't understand the writing on the card at all, many of them recognized the figure standing on a stone pillar, holding an enormous scythe.

"Fuck... that's Death, right?" Yu Wen said quietly. "I don't remember what cards are in a deck like this, but I think there's a Death..."

A cold sweat broke out on everyone's backs.

Black Granny giggled again, her voice as sweet and lively as a young girl's.

Just then, a scratching sound suddenly came from the door she was leaning against.

It was the same sound as fingernails scraping across a surface...

Having already taken one exam, the group knew that sound all too well.

Sure enough, a question appeared on the door in the blink of an eye.

Listening test: Please answer the following questions based on what you hear.

(1) What is Black Granny's name?

(2) Where is Black Granny's family? Please find them.

(3) How many people are in Black Granny's house?

Test requirements: Papers will be collected at 7:30 every morning. If the answers fail to hit the right scoring points, one examinee will be chosen at random and placed in a coffin.

Placed in a coffin...

What coffin???

The moment the questions appeared, Black Granny opened her mouth, revealing her thin, pointed teeth...

And spoke a long string of gibberish.

"..."

Eight faces stared in bewilderment.

The scratching sound came from the door again.

A new line appeared beneath the questions: The listening passage has been played once. The second playing will now begin. Examinees, please listen carefully.

Black Granny was about to open her mouth again when a hand suddenly reached out from nowhere and stuffed a wad of cloth into it.

Her mouth was instantly blocked.

You Huo's voice rang out. "Sorry, wait a moment before you continue."

Everyone: "???"

The newcomers, Chen Bin and Liang Yuanhao, stared with their mouths hanging open...

You could fucking do that?!

Chapter 19: Old Doll ┃ Qin Jiu: "..." You actually had the nerve to bring that up???

"Bro, you..." Yu Wen looked at the wad of cloth in Black Granny's mouth and asked quietly, "Where did that come from?"

You Huo replied, "I picked it up in the next room."

After a moment's thought, he added, "It's not dirty."

Yu Wen: "..."

Dear brother, was this a question of whether it was dirty?

The wad of cloth was indeed very clean, though, with a beautiful, intricate pattern and a fragrance somewhat like the incense wafting out of Black Granny's house.

The group comforted themselves: At least it wasn't a smell Black Granny hated, right?

But...

Was it really okay to do this?

Wouldn't it make Black Granny angry???

Before leaving, the village chief had earnestly stressed that they must never, ever make the old woman angry... How many minutes had it been?

"I think you can't go a day without breaking a rule," said Qin Jiu, who had been forced to become You Huo's personal invigilator.

You Huo said, "Did the exam requirements they just announced say we couldn't pause the listening test?"

Qin Jiu said, "No, they didn't."

You Huo said, "Was there a rule against gagging the question?"

Qin Jiu said, "Not that either."

You Huo said, "What rule did I break?"

Qin Jiu seemed to find it rather interesting. He gestured toward the door, inviting You Huo to continue, perhaps wanting to see what else he could get up to.

You Huo pulled his phone out of his jeans pocket and opened the recording interface. Then he took the wad of cloth out of Black Granny's mouth and said, "Go on."

Everyone: "..."

Black Granny: "..."

"Right! Our phones work!"