Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 164: Outside the Ritual

The eight people present instinctively held their breath, waiting for the knocking to stop. The sound came from every door, making it impossible to determine a specific source.

“…A taboo,” Xiao Tian whispered.

Song Zheng nodded in agreement. His Murder-Intent Seismoscope still showed no reaction, clearly indicating that this wasn’t the work of vengeful spirits.

Lu Yang pulled his cloak tighter. “What do we do? Even if Fang Xiu’s not here, we should form a team first.”

Since the Fierce Wind E, he’d been lucky enough to survive a few rituals and was no longer that clueless, clear-eyed college student. The hospital was massive and complex. It was definitely not a place for solo exploration. Sticking together and finding a base was basic survival sense.

“I think so too, though picking a leader is tough,” Cen Ling added casually, showing no fear at all. “Why don’t we settle on a base first and decide the leader once we find Fang Xiu?”

Lu Yang found that reasonable.

“Ah, we’ve got the numbers. Let’s head off on our own first,” Xiao Tian said, raising her hand. “It’s still daylight, perfect time to look for people.”

Lu Yang: “!”

He preferred finding Fang Xiu over setting up a base. After participating in later rituals, Lu Yang had only one thought: during the Fierce Wind Calamity, Fang Xiu had bought him months of time. Calling him a lifesaver wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Plus, these three seemed friendly. They didn’t have Uncle Hou’s “streetwise” pressure or the strange aura of Jiao Jiao and Yan Yan. Just looking at them made him feel safe.

“I’ll go with them. I was heading to the morgue anyway,” Lu Yang quickly said.

Uncle Hou’s face twitched, but he said nothing.

Jiao Jiao glanced at Uncle Hou and Cen Ling, her eyes flashing. She rubbed the cards in her hand. “Oh? Then it’s just right—four and four. You four go find Fang Xiu, and we’ll establish a base.”

……

Once the groups split, Song Zheng finally exhaled deeply. Even though they were surrounded by wide-open doors in a creepy hospital, he seemed visibly more at ease.

“While there’s still light out, we’ll help you find the morgue first,” Song Zheng said to Lu Yang. “I heard you can control corpses? Corpses are dead things. The spirit screening won’t block them.”

Lu Yang nodded gratefully. “Thanks. Oh, and be careful, everyone. Places like morgues might have taboos. If it gets dangerous, I’ll go in alone.”

He raised his fists with a serious look on his face.

Xiao Li and Xiao Tian exchanged a glance. The guy wasn’t too smart, but he wasn’t dumb either. Honest, even. Given how much he respected Fang Xiu, it was obvious Fang Xiu had helped him at some point.

According to the signs, the morgue was in the basement.

While the sun was still up, the group followed the stairs down. Fortunately, the hospital lighting was still good. The halls were spotless, corners decorated with potted plants, and pastel-colored instructional posters covered the walls. It didn’t look so scary.

Lu Yang grew bolder and moved to the front. He stretched his hand forward as he walked, cautiously glancing side to side.

“Looks like the enemies are among the other four,” Xiao Tian said quietly as she lagged behind the others with her companions.

Everyone here seemed to know Fang Xiu. Based on what they knew about him, the team was likely handpicked by him.

They knew his temperament. Fang Xiu wasn’t some saint. He wouldn’t go through the effort of negotiating with the Underworld just to help people out of the goodness of his heart. Even if he suddenly turned angelic, he wouldn’t have hidden himself right from the start.

The trio agreed that among the eight, someone was clearly Fang Xiu’s target.

They, the ones who held goodwill toward him, were more like “insurance”—even if they couldn’t help, they wouldn’t harm him and could occupy potential traitor slots.

“Uncle Hou… doesn’t seem too likely,” Xiao Li muttered. “Fang Xiu doesn’t like him, but their grudge isn’t that deep. Uncle Hou knows how capable Fang Xiu is, and he’s too crafty to pick a fight straight away.”

Song Zheng mused, “The other three clearly know their metaphysics. The danger’s probably there.”

“I heard they’ve got some private forum. We regular folks can’t even access it,” Xiao Tian sighed. “Anyway, I’m betting on Cen Ling.”

Xiao Li and Song Zheng both looked over.

“Jiao Jiao and Yan Yan outfits has that kinda of… Er, how should I put it… a kind of aura? I doubt Fang Xiu would have some deep personal feud with people like that. And Cen Ling—he’s handsome, but I feel nothing. That’s suspicious.”

Xiao Li: “…”

He snorted. “What about Yan Yan? He’s not bad-looking either. Didn’t see you react to him.”

Xiao Tian replied, “Yeah, I don’t dislike him. But being near him makes my nose itch.”

“Huh? I thought you were only allergic to dog hair?” Xiao Li asked, seemingly confused.

“That’s not the point. The point is I don’t dislike him.”

“Alright, alright,” Song Zheng cut in before the tangent got worse. “My gut says we shouldn’t be with those guys. For now, let’s just stay on track.”

“When we find Fang Xiu, we’ll ask him directly.”

As the mushroom trio whispered among themselves, the group continued deeper into the hospital.

The basement lights dimmed and the informational posters disappeared. Only the black letters of the [MORGUE →] signs remained as guides.

“It’s way too clean down here,” Lu Yang muttered in amazement. “Normally, even if there aren’t ghosts, there should be some lingering spirits. But there’s not even a fly.”

At first, the normality was reassuring. But in a place like this, being too normal was unnerving.

Lu Yang slowed further. Nearing the morgue entrance, he practically crawled forward. Song Zheng held up the seismometer; Xiao Li moved into position for backup.

“Ah crap!” Lu Yang gasped at the morgue door, barely keeping his voice down.

Turns out, that knocking had opened more than just “doors”.

Every corpse drawer had been pulled open. The cold metal plates blocked their view of the contents, and no bodies were visible. However, drawers with bodies had neatly placed flower wreaths on them making them easy to distinguish.

The corpses weren’t exactly quiet. Several emitted faint, ragged breathing sounds, as if struggling in pain. Beyond that, everything remained disturbingly normal.

Lu Yang stopped at one drawer and clasped his hands together to offer a respectful bow.

“I’d like to borrow your body. I promise I’ll return it after the ritual. If you’re unwilling, please give me a sign—ahhhhh!”

A head suddenly rose from the top of the drawer.

It was a middle-aged man’s head, smashed flat on one side. His face was crushed like a rubber mask that was stepped on. His eyes opened, murky and expressionless, and locked onto Lu Yang.

“Who… are you?” it asked, voice slurred and breath rancid. If Lu Yang weren’t used to corpse stench, he’d have puked right there.

The room was already cold, but the temperature dropped even more.

Xiao Tian swiftly drew her hairpin. Xiao Li’s hand went to his pocket. Only Song Zheng still stared at the seismometer—since entering the hospital, this thing had no reaction. He was beginning to doubt it even worked.

“I’m Lu Yang,” Lu Yang replied stiffly.

He knew giving his real name was risky, but lying to a spirit face-to-face was worse.

“Lu Yang. Lu Yang controls corpses.”

The spirit repeated his name, scanning him up and down.

“…Lu Yang, not enemy.” 

“You can use the body.”

All four froze. “???”

What kind of spirit was this? Why was it so cooperative?

“Everyone, back down.”

The spirit twisted its head with an awful crunch, calling to its neighbors. “He’s that person’s friend.”

With a chorus of unsettling movements, nearly every wreath-marked drawer produced a head. Twelve in total, young and old, all turned to stare at the stunned Lu Yang.

“Use carefully. Return after.” The flattened-faced corpse warned, “We still need cremation. If damaged, families will be sad.”

Lu Yang: “Okay. Got it.”

Why were they all being so polite?

He couldn’t help but ask nervously, “If—just if—I accidentally damage your bodies… what’ll happen to me?”

That head fell silent for over ten seconds. Though its face was warped, Lu Yang still saw a very meaningful look in those cloudy eyes.

“We will find you,” it said clearly. “You will pay monetary compensation—a lot.”

“If you refuse, that’s corpse desecration. A criminal offense.”

Lu Yang: “…”

That… was very realistic.

And to a college student who hadn’t entered society yet, criminal law violations were terrifying.

Xiao Tian honed in on a key point. “You said ‘that person’s’ friend? Who’s that?”

The head slowly turned toward her. Decaying flesh twitched until a crooked smile formed.

“The master here. Our god.”

“The real monster.”

“You’ll understand.”

……

Taiyi City First People’s Hospital, Gui Province.

A middle-aged man walked briskly toward the hospital building, hands in his pockets. Halfway there, he paused and looked toward the hospital entrance, frowning.

Several people loitered nearby. Most looked healthy, not like patients, and they kept exchanging glances at a high frequency. They hovered near the entrance like they were debating going in.

…Some of them even looked familiar.

“Lao Yuan, you’re early today.”

The voice pulled his attention back. A middle-aged nurse passed by, nodding in greeting.

“Xiao Cai,” Officer Yuan replied with a nod.

Nurse Cai: “Came for a check-up, or…?”

“Here to visit Fang Xiu,” Yuan Ye said. “Work’s been busy lately so I didn’t have time in the evenings.”

Nurse Cai sighed gently. “If you’re that busy, you really don’t have to come every day. Xiao Fang’s condition is stable. We’re all taking good care of him.”

“…It’s not that I don’t trust you.” Yuan Ye smiled, fine lines creasing his face. “It’s like coming home. I’m used to it.”

Nurse Cai’s gaze grew complicated. “Alright. I was heading that way too. Let’s go together.”

Before leaving, Officer Yuan glanced once more at the suspicious group outside the hospital. He suddenly remembered: one of them—at least one—had been involved with the Guishan Sect. They’d been released for lack of evidence.

…What were they doing here?

Then, their actions answered his question.

Yuan Ye’s vision blurred. When it cleared, a few of those people had vanished, right in front of him. They walked toward the hospital and disappeared into thin air.

…Something was wrong.

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