Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 170: He Didn’t Understand

The modern hospital suddenly dissolved, and a new scene poured in like cream. The damp air turned into dry mountain wind, carrying the scent of dust, vegetation, and sweat.

Not far from the foot of the mountain lay a beautiful village.

A’Shou reacted first. “This is… a village near Xushan?”

Bai Shuangying had a clearer impression. That was Fang Xiu’s hometown, the village where his grandmother once lived.

And the time was—

“Dad, Grandma fell.”

Fang Xiu’s parents were fleeing toward the mountain, with over a dozen strong young men chasing behind. The young Fang Xiu was held tightly in his father’s arms, his little arms wrapped around his father’s neck, blankly watching as his grandmother’s body collapsed.

A dark red stain marked the tree trunk she had hit.

Luckily, their old home was deep in the countryside, and Fang Xiu’s parents were wearing casual clothes and sneakers. Both were in good shape and fled desperately along the rugged mountain paths.

The undergrowth was dense, and weeds grew waist high. They panted as they ran, finally managing to shake off most of the pursuers, leaving fewer than ten.

Cen Ling cast a speed-enhancing spell toward the pursuers, but the spell passed through as if through smoke, leaving no ripple.

“It’s useless.” Fang Xiu tightly held Bai Shuangying’s waist as they floated in midair. “I don’t intend to attack you using ‘story characters’. These are true phantoms in every sense.”

Cen Ling didn’t reply. He flung a green attack spell back, but again the energy passed through the smoke without touching Fang Xiu.

Covered by the story, he couldn’t even strike Fang Xiu, who was supposedly an “outsider”.

During the Grave-Sealing ritual, he had been played by this so-called “Hong Shuangxi” the whole time. In the garden conflict earlier, he had been toyed with like a monkey. Even with all his scheming and emotional restraint, a rage still flared in his chest.

“Shh, please keep quiet while watching a movie. Silence is required.”

Fang Xiu raised a hand and put a finger to his lips. “A story is just a story. You can’t attack us here, and we can’t attack you. Very fair. See? A’Shou Jie has good manners.”

A’Shou hovered two or three steps away silently. Her gaze was downcast as she watched the events unfold.

Ghost immortal A’Shou?

Cen Ling had expected that an Underworld envoy might be trapped in the hospital, but he hadn’t expected it to be A’Shou. At the sight of her red figure, he immediately quieted down.

A’Shou wasn’t a low-level envoy that could be brushed off. If this ritual failed, he’d die trying. He still didn’t know what Fang Xiu was planning, but he needed to conserve his strength.

The watchers in the sky fell silent again. The story on the ground continued.

Fang Xiu’s parents had crossed the foot of the mountain and now ran into the true wilderness. To throw off pursuit, they deliberately picked treacherous terrain.

The pursuers slowed, giving the couple a chance to catch their breath and avoid collapse.

The young Fang Xiu still didn’t understand what was happening. He clung to his father’s neck and murmured, “Grandma… Grandma said I’m a demon.”

“Dad, Grandma’s mad at me. What do I do?” His eyes were red.

“Don’t be afraid, Xiu Xiu.”

Fang Xiu’s father, Fang Qiongyu, comforted him. “Grandma isn’t angry. She just…”

He wiped his eyes, speaking with unusual solemnity. “…She was possessed.”

“Possessed?”

Fang Qiongyu forced a smile. “Remember the story Grandma told you? Half the village got possessed and thought they were the same person.”

“Grandma’s the same. The one you saw wasn’t really her, it was a bad person. Grandma loved you the most. How could she be mad at you?”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Fang Xiu’s eyes. “I remember, I remember!”

“She said a demon mixed blood into the well. Everyone who drank the water thought they were that bald guy by the village gate. Then a master came and cured them.”

“Yes, the evil people from the Guishan Sect made Grandma drink blood and turned her into someone else.”

Fang Qiongyu kept running, carrying the boy. “She’ll wake up after a while.”

“Okay!” The young Fang Xiu finally stopped crying.

Floating above, A’Shou cast Bai Shuangying a meaningful glance.

A textbook case of karmic contamination. A village near Xushan… She could guess the culprit without even thinking. This wasn’t about blood in the well.

But when she saw Fang Xiu’s expression, she chose to stay silent.

Even if Fang Xiu could make his physical body into an E, he couldn’t freely write the taboos for the “Fang Xiu E”.

Those taboos must come from his own obsessions, his deepest scars.

…The second taboo: With the blood of an outsider, your ties to your kins are severed.

…Back then, what did that child feel when he discovered the truth?

After fleeing for over half an hour, Fang Xiu’s parents were drenched in sweat.

The young cultists behind them hadn’t given up. As soon as the couple slowed, they caught up again.

The sun hadn’t even set. The pursuers were clearly human, yet their footsteps sounded like ghosts out for revenge.

“If we keep running into the mountain, we’ll get lost!” Fang Xiu’s mother, Wen Jiu, gasped.

“These people are all mountain folk. We can’t outrun them!” Fang Qiongyu gritted his teeth. “Let’s head into Xushan proper. They won’t dare follow this time of year!”

The couple dashed into a narrow trail beside a cliff. Fang Qiongyu let his wife go ahead while he followed with Fang Xiu.

“They’re heading for the mountain—after them!” The pursuers gave chase without hesitation.

After a long chase, Fang Qiongyu, used to office life, was no match for the young men of the hills. He was one step too slow. A villager hurled a pitchfork, striking through his lower back.

Fearing he’d fall with the boy, Fang Qiongyu lunged forward, shoving Fang Xiu onto the trail.

The young Fang Xiu’s left leg scraped over jagged rocks, instantly torn and bloody.

But he didn’t even register the pain. His father’s blood poured out, soaking his clothes.

“Dad!” Fang Xiu screamed, heartbroken.

“Qiongyu! Xiu Xiu!” His mother’s voice trembled with tears as she turned back to pull him away.

But she grabbed empty air.

“Don’t hurt my dad!”

Seeing someone raise a weapon at his father, Fang Xiu charged forward, uncaring of the cliff beside him.

The lead pursuer was caught off guard. He lost his balance and fell off the cliff.

There were no trees on the cliffside. His neck snapped against a jutting rock, killing him before he hit the ground.

The sight stunned the rest. Fang Qiongyu gritted through the pain, stood up, and grabbed his furious son with a blood-soaked hand.

“Daddy’s fine,” he said with a pale face. “My clothes are dirty now. Let Mommy carry you. Keep running!”

Seeing his father still able to speak, the young Fang Xiu let his mother carry him. The family barely made it past the cliff path.

Finally, Xushan loomed ahead.

At the border were crude fences and brush-written warning signs. Beyond that, the forest was wrapped in thick fog, nearly zero visibility.

Fang Qiongyu tied his wound with torn fabric and stepped into the fog with his family.

His blood vanished into the soft, black earth, leaving no trace.

As expected, the pursuers didn’t follow. They stopped outside the fence and stared into the mountains with fear.

Their fear wasn’t unfounded. Within just a few minutes, the family could no longer find their way. The woods were full of bizarre, moss-covered trees, and the mist was unnaturally thick.

Fang Qiongyu finally collapsed under a tree. Wen Jiu let go of Fang Xiu and knelt beside him.

The cloth around his wound was soaked. The pitchfork had pierced vital organs. Even in a city, this would be a critical injury, and here there was no chance of saving him. His gaze was beginning to fade.

Leaning against a massive tree, he looked up at the mist-shrouded sky.

“Dad…” the young Fang Xiu whispered, as if realizing something.

“It’s fine. Daddy’s just tired.”

Fang Qiongyu lifted his hand to stroke Fang Xiu’s face, but when he saw the blood, he slowly lowered it.

Wen Jiu held his hand, blinking away tears and trying to look calm.

Fang Qiongyu gazed at his son with warmth. “Daddy will rest here a bit. You and Mommy go first. I’ll catch up soon.”

“Then we all rest together.”

Fang Xiu plopped down beside him, unwilling to move. “I’m hurt too. We’ll rest together.”

His scraped leg still hurt, but it was only superficial. Wen Jiu tore some cloth and bandaged it. The bleeding had stopped.

Fang Qiongyu gave a weak smile and exchanged a glance with his wife, nodding subtly.

“I’m really fine.” He coughed and said mysteriously, “Actually, Daddy knows magic. Really powerful magic… Did you know, Xiu Xiu, there’s a god in Xushan?”

Fang Xiu tilted his head in confusion. Wen Jiu nodded.

“When I was your age, Grandpa and Grandma told me stories… They said if you get lost in the mountains, you can make a wish to the immortal, and the immortal will take you home.”

“I’m going to do a spell now, to ask the immortal to send you home. You can’t watch though. If you see it, it won’t work.”

“Liar,” Fang Xiu said hoarsely. “Grandma never told me that. You’re lying.”

“Grandma and Grandpa had different hometowns. That one’s from Grandpa.”

Fang Qiongyu managed a crooked smile. “I really didn’t lie to you.”

“Really?”

“Really. I told you, lying is wrong.”

Wen Jiu stroked Fang Xiu’s head. She held back her sobs while tears streamed down her face.

“Come on, Xiu Xiu,” she said. “…Don’t disturb Daddy.”

Fang Xiu held her hand and walked into the mist, looking back with every step.

After ten steps, he couldn’t resist anymore. He pulled away and ran back the way he came.

At the same time—

“God of Xushan, I don’t know if you really exist…”

Fang Qiongyu slumped against the tree, bloody hands limp. “They say you grant wishes, if you offer a life in return…”

The forest was utterly silent. There was no birdsong, no wind.

High above, Bai Shuangying silently mouthed the words—

“God of Xushan, if you truly exist, please let my wife and child return home safely.”

“I offer my life. Let them go… Don’t let them get lost… Let them return home safely.”

His lip movements matched Fang Qiongyu’s prayer exactly.

Of course he remembered. This was the third time a lost child had asked to go home. What an ironic cycle. Back then, Bai Shuangying hadn’t even bothered to answer.

So many years passed. With the Guishan Sect’s “God of Calamity” teachings, few remembered his true name. To him, that father was just another human clinging to him, another thread of karma to sever.

…Let it be a farewell to human ties.

In front of Wen Jiu, who was searching desperately, a pale hand appeared.

From within the swirling mist, it pointed the way, guiding her toward the direction Fang Xiu had run.

In the end, Fang Xiu never found his father. He could hear his voice, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find him.

He cried in the thick fog until his mother found him and took his hand.

Wen Jiu lifted her bloodied, exhausted son and bowed toward the misty forest.

As his consciousness faded, the young Fang Xiu saw the mist receding from view.

Something white glowed among the fallen leaves, but his tear-blurred eyes couldn’t tell if it was a mushroom, a flower bud, or something else.

“Dad…” He stared intently at the forest.

“Thank you.” High in the air, Fang Xiu held Bai Shuangying tightly, his face calm.

“You let me know that in our final moment, my father didn’t lie to me.”

“…We really did make it home.”

“Mm.” Bai Shuangying held his warm human close. “I remember where he is.”

“If you want, I can recover his remains.”

“Okay.” Fang Xiu smiled.

Beside them, A’Shou remained silent. Cen Ling looked dismissive, as if he had just watched a farce.

Fang Xiu didn’t care about either of them. He reached out and made a gesture at the sky. Like a curtain being drawn, the scene abruptly changed.

……

The spacious mountain scenery was replaced by a dim apartment.

The apartment was old and cramped, with lattice windows from the last century. At the moment, both windows were open wide, without screens or security bars.

From the view outside, the apartment wasn’t on a high floor, probably the third or fourth story. It overlooked a dense cluster of aged buildings, likely an old district of a small city.

Inside, the TV was on, broadcasting the news: “Public security authorities are cracking down hard on cult activities. Cult leader Zhuang Chongyue has fled overseas.”

Wen Jiu was slicing vegetables at the counter. Her once-beautiful face looked haggard, and she had lost a noticeable amount of weight.

“Mom, can we not move again?”

The young Fang Xiu asked, “We’ve moved four times this year. I haven’t been to school for a whole year. Dad hasn’t found us. It’s probably because we move too much…”

He hadn’t grown much, and his cheeks had thinned. There was still a sparkle in his eyes, but not as bright as before.

The chopping stopped.

“Mom’s just worried the bad guys might find us. The police suggested we be careful too.”

Wen Jiu wiped her hands and hugged her son. “Now that the bad guy has run off, things should calm down. I’ll find you a school soon, so you won’t miss any more classes.”

“Then Dad can find us sooner too,” the young Fang Xiu said seriously.

Wen Jiu pressed her lips together. “Yes, Dad can find us sooner too.”

“I want to change my birthday wish,” the young Fang Xiu muttered. “Before I wished we wouldn’t move. Now I want to wish for Dad to come home.”

Wen Jiu smiled naturally and went back to chopping. “Today we’re making lots of meat dishes. Let’s make Dad drool with envy. He didn’t even come back for his son’s birthday.”

Bai Shuangying suddenly realized that when Fang Xiu lied, he looked a bit like his mother.

It seemed that after fleeing the village, Wen Jiu didn’t return to normal life right away. Instead, she lived cautiously, hiding. Considering how rampant the Guishan Sect had been at the time, her caution was understandable.

…Come to think of it, Fang Xiu killed someone for the first time when he was nine. This must have been his tenth birthday.

Wen Jiu made a full table of dishes.

Fried fish, cucumber salad, stir-fried chili pork, braised ribs, sweet-and-sour cabbage, and vegetable meatball soup—six homemade dishes filled the table. Three bowls of rice were neatly placed. A gap between the plates was just enough for a small cake.

Fang Xiu opened the fridge to find drinks. He hummed a little tune, and a trace of happiness returned to his expression.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The apartment door sounded in a steady rhythm.

“Mom! The cake’s here!” The young Fang Xiu, holding a big bottle of soda, called out happily.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The knocking was calm and unhurried.

Fang Xiu set the soda on the table and ran to wash his hands at the sink. His mom untied her apron and scolded him with a smile, “Greedy little cat.”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The delivery person seemed unusually patient today.

Creak—

Fang Xiu caught a scent in the air.

It was a distinct smell, one not even soap could cover. He had smelled it last year, and it had etched itself into his bones.

The moment it drifted in, his brain hadn’t even processed it yet, but his body froze with instinctive fear.

Blood.

Mom.

Water splashed from the faucet as the young Fang Xiu stood frozen at the sink.

His neck felt like it had turned to stone; he couldn’t even turn his head.

“Jump!” his mother screamed behind him. “Fang Xiu, jump!”

“Jump out the window! Call the police!”

“Run!”

In her screams, Fang Xiu could hear the muffled thuds of a blade stabbing into flesh.

The smell of blood grew stronger, and his vision began to blacken.

Why?

Hadn’t the cult leader run away?

Hadn’t it been a whole year of peace? Why now?

Why couldn’t they just be left alone?

His thoughts were in chaos, but his survival instinct kicked in.

Jump. Call the police. Jump. Save Mom. Jump. Jump. Jump.

The young Fang Xiu leapt from the open window.

There was a small courtyard on the first floor with a grape trellis. His body hit the trellis on the way down.

His right leg hit the ground with a crack. The bone fractured severely and pierced through the skin.

Through the agony, Fang Xiu forced himself to stay awake.

He stared at the lit window of their home and screamed.

“Help—!”

Fang Xiu was lucky.

An elderly couple lived on the first floor. They took him in, called the police and an ambulance, and bolted the doors tight.

…The attacker that day was a Guishan Sect believer. Strictly speaking, he was even distantly related to Fang Xiu; they were both from that same mountain village.

He ranted that Fang Xiu had ruined his parents’ path to becoming cult members, caused the deaths of two “family” members, and stolen what should have been the cult’s “family property”.

Three unforgivable sins.

Now their living god had been driven away. The man said he would kill the mother and child with his own hands and complete his offering to show his devotion.

The young Fang Xiu didn’t understand this insane logic. He only knew that from that day on, his mom couldn’t find her way home either.

He cried nonstop in the hospital and refused treatment.

It was all his fault. He was the reason Grandma hit the tree, the reason their family fell apart.

If not for him, Dad wouldn’t have been stabbed with that pitchfork.

If not for him urging Mom to open the door for the “cake delivery”, none of it would have happened.

If he had opened the door instead of Mom… How great that would have been.

…Why was he still alive?

The man who killed his mother had been executed quickly. Other than himself, he didn’t even know who else to hate.

“So you cried a lot when you were little.” Bai Shuangying stood pensively.

“I was just a kid,” Fang Xiu muttered, tugging on his ghost’s hair.

“I know human children cry easily. I thought you’d be the exception,” Bai Shuangying replied.

Fang Xiu played with the sleek strands of Bai Shuangying’s hair.

Sure enough, the Corner of Heaven’s Will wouldn’t feel things like “sympathy”. That was perfect. Sympathy was the last thing Fang Xiu needed.

As for those memories, that despair, he kept it all buried in his heart. He never forgot. Showing it to others didn’t change his emotions one bit.

“Showing me this is pointless.” Cen Ling sneered coldly. “No matter your age or how ignorant you were, you disrespected the leader and killed our family. You deserve to die.”

He had seen death plenty of times. His family had to abandon their “fake families” before joining the Guishan Sect.

Painful as death might be, what really mattered was whether one died with virtue. A perfect death was something to celebrate.

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow. “God, don’t tell me you think I’m trying to convert you.”

Cen Ling: “…”

Cen Ling: “Then why show this?”

“Take a guess.”

Fang Xiu clapped his hands. The crying child and the white hospital room shattered and vanished.

……

“Brother!”

In a warmly decorated living room, a slightly hoarse teenage voice rang out.

The image of Fang Xiu turned around.

He looked about thirteen or fourteen now, noticeably taller and sturdier. His face had lost its baby fat, gaining the gentle handsomeness of youth.

His hair was much longer, his bangs a mess covering his brow. A vague resemblance to his present self was emerging. But what had completely changed was his expression. Teenager Fang Xiu wore a sullen face with no trace of a smile.

His black eyes held no light at all, like two paper cutouts.

“Yuan Yongan, don’t call me ‘brother’,” Fang Xiu said. “Uncle and Auntie didn’t adopt me.”

The other teen clicked his tongue. “What’s the difference? It’s been over two years. I call you ‘brother’, so you are.”

This “Yuan Yongan” had thick eyebrows and a righteous look, though he seemed a bit simple. He grinned wide and laughed.

Fang Xiu didn’t respond.

“You ranked third in the whole grade. That’s amazing.”

Yuan Yongan didn’t care about the silence. He chattered away. “You missed so much school and still did this well. You’ll totally get into A University or B University someday.”

His eyes darted. “Tomorrow is New Year’s. Mom and Dad are giving us money. I bet Dad will give you a bonus too. Since I’ll witness it, you gotta treat me to barbecue.”

Fang Xiu sighed. “…So, how were your final grades?”

Yuan Yongan fell quiet.

After a while, he grumbled, “It’s New Year’s. Let’s not talk about bad stuff.”

Fang Xiu: “…”

Fang Xiu: “You want to go to police academy, don’t you? They don’t just take anyone.”

“I’m still in middle school, a year behind you. I just… uh… haven’t started working hard yet.” Yuan Yongan changed the subject. “Anyway, I got first place in PE this year!”

Fang Xiu gave him a resigned pat on the head, acting like a little adult.

“Show me your report card. I’ll tutor you.”

“Brother—”

“Not your brother.”

Yuan Yongan rubbed his head, pouting. “Fine, fine. But if I let you tutor me, will you accept me as your brother?”

“…We’ll see next year’s grades,” Fang Xiu muttered after a pause.

“Forget me for a second. Are you finally going to accept my parents?” Yuan Yongan leaned in and whispered, “They’ve been waiting these past two years. You can’t call them ‘Uncle’ and ‘Auntie’ forever.”

Fang Xiu fell silent again.

There was a noise at the door, and Yuan Yongan shot out of the room—his mom had returned, carrying a large load of fresh meat, vegetables, snacks, and drinks for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Fang Xiu followed him out and took one of the bulging grocery bags.

“Your useless dad’s working overtime tonight. The three of us are celebrating the New Year ourselves!” the woman declared loudly.

She looked ordinary, with rough skin and a plump figure, far from as beautiful as Wen Jiu. But when she looked at Fang Xiu, her eyes held the same kind of gentleness.

“Overtime again?” Yuan Yongan grumbled. “Every day it’s overtime. I bet he’s just trying to avoid giving us New Year’s money.”

“No worries, I already nagged it out of him yesterday,” Yuan Yongan’s mom said smugly. “You see that, Yongan? This is what it’s like being a cop. Don’t say I didn’t warn—”

“I still want to be one. Cops are cool,” Yuan Yongan replied.

“Cool my ass.”

“If he’s not cool, why’d you marry him?”

“You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting now?”

The mother and son looked about ready to wrestle. Fang Xiu sighed and cleared his throat. “Auntie Qin.”

Auntie Qin pulled her hand back from Yuan Yongan’s ear. “Xiu Xiu, what do you want for dinner? We bought everything—anything goes!”

She laughed heartily. The mother-son war disappeared in an instant. Yuan Yongan quietly gave Fang Xiu a thumbs-up.

That night, the dinner table was filled with food, and fireworks lit up the sky outside.

Teenage Fang Xiu paused with his chopsticks, staring blankly at the scene outside with an expressionless face.

“I guess you could say Yuan Yongan picked me up. His dad’s a cop with an excessive sense of justice.”

Adult Fang Xiu spoke like he was chatting casually. “After what happened to my mom, I went back to school. We happened to go to the same middle school. After he heard my story, he talked his parents into taking me in… Though I guess it wasn’t really adoption.”

“My parents left me a huge inheritance. I never had to worry about food or money. His parents didn’t touch a cent. They just took care of me.”

“Yuan Yongan’s dad being a cop meant staying at their place could keep distant relatives with bad intentions away and intimidate those cultists… Or so everyone thought at the time.”

Bai Shuangying: “Sounds pretty good.”

To him, even though the teenage Fang Xiu seemed gloomy, his body and complexion looked healthy. The Yuans clearly took good care of him.

“Yeah, looking back, those two years were probably the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Fang Xiu looked at his teenage self. “It’s just a shame that thirteen-year-old me was too naive.”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

Yuan Yongan chewed on beef while talking with his mouth full. “Mom, someone’s at the door.”

Teenage Fang Xiu’s hand trembled, and a meatball slipped from his chopsticks, rolling to the floor.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

“Who is it?” Auntie Qin got up and walked to the door.

“Delivery!” came the reply from outside.

Teenage Fang Xiu swallowed hard. His instinct was to scream, “Don’t open it,” but he reasoned that it was just trauma response and didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

“Must be your dad’s groceries,” Auntie Qin muttered as she walked in slippers toward the living room. “Even delivery folks work during the holidays. Tough job.”

Fang Xiu stared at the living room entrance, hands shaking so much he couldn’t hold his chopsticks.

Yuan Yongan glanced at him, a little worried. “Brother…?”

Creak—

“What delivery… huh?!”

Ah.

That smell again. Blood.

It had to be a hallucination. His mom had been gone for three years now. Why?

Why couldn’t they leave him alone?

“What are you doing? Call the police—call now!”

Auntie Qin screamed. “Help! Murderer!”

Sounds of struggle came from the doorway, followed by a loud thud.

Outside, fireworks burst in celebration, and the music drowned out the heavy sounds on the floor.

“Mom?” Yuan Yongan stood up in a panic, only to be grabbed by Fang Xiu.

“Hide and call the police.”

Fang Xiu spoke almost automatically, his voice shaking. “Hide—now!”

“My mom’s out there!”

Yuan Yongan’s eyes turned red. He broke free and grabbed a kitchen knife, charging into the living room.

Fang Xiu clenched his jaw and followed.

The moment he saw the scene in the living room, his blood froze.

Auntie Qin had been stabbed multiple times in the stomach, and her throat was slashed. She lay on the warm-toned wooden floor, unable to make a sound, blood spreading fast.

…It can’t be like this.

…I haven’t even called her Mom yet, Fang Xiu thought, strangely out of place.

Auntie Qin was still conscious. When she saw Yuan Yongan and Fang Xiu, her eyes filled with tears and despair.

“Run,” she mouthed. “Run.”

Standing over her was the killer—a tall, dull-looking man in an ill-fitting courier uniform.

He looked blank and sluggish.

The man slowly turned his head to look at Fang Xiu.

He gave a dull smile, revealing crooked, yellowed teeth.

The moment he took a step forward, Yuan Yongan pulled Fang Xiu and ran toward the master bedroom.

Once inside, he locked the door with trembling hands and pushed a nightstand against it. “Call 110, 120, hurry!”

His voice shook uncontrollably.

Fang Xiu ran to the landline like he was sleepwalking. He called the police, then the ambulance.

His mind was blank. His hands were icy cold.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The man outside began kicking the door with massive force. The door groaned under the pressure.

Yuan Yongan had no time to cry for his mother. He dropped the knife in his trembling hands and ran to Fang Xiu’s side.

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The man didn’t care if they called the police or not. He just kept banging on the bedroom door.

The lock was warped by the impact. The nightstand trembled violently.

“Let him kill me,” Fang Xiu said, stumbling toward the door. “Let him kill me. He’ll leave you alone.”

“He came for me.”

Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock. Knock knock knock.

The door burst open.

At that moment, Fang Xiu was yanked backward.

Yuan Yongan dragged him back and shielded him in the corner between the bed and the wall.

Fang Xiu tried to push him away, but Yuan Yongan was stronger, more solid… Of course he was. His brother always got top scores in PE.

His brother wanted to be a police officer someday.

He didn’t understand.

By the time the real police arrived, Yuan Yongan’s body had just been pulled off of Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu’s abdomen had been slashed open, blood soaking the room. It was impossible to tell whose blood was whose.

That night, Auntie Qin and Yuan Yongan both died on the spot.

The killer, seeing the police arrive, screamed “My offering is complete,” then slit his own throat with a grin.

Thirteen-year-old Fang Xiu was rushed to the First People’s Hospital of Taiyi City, Gui Province.

Due to massive and prolonged blood loss, his brain suffered severe damage. He fell into a deep coma.

From that moment on, he never woke again.

By the hospital bed, Fang Xiu’s soul hovered faintly, tethered to his body.

He drifted blankly at the bedside, watching people come and go, mourning in front of him.

He watched Officer Yuan cry in secret, overwhelmed with guilt… He watched ghosts and specters wander the hospital day and night.

They were curious about his out-of-body soul and would gather to watch from time to time.

This teenage soul looked more like a ghost than any ghost. He stood frozen at the bedside, motionless.

“At first, I thought if Uncle Yuan hated me enough, he might kill me. Then I could die unjustly, turn into a ghost, and get revenge.”

Adult Fang Xiu shrugged. “Too bad. He didn’t even want to hate me.”

“Everyone in the ward treated me well. I couldn’t even manage an unjust death.”

“Then I thought, even if I did become a ghost, who would I take revenge on? Who could I even kill?”

Fang Xiu looked down at his comatose body.

“I had no idea where the cultists were hiding or who else was involved. Zhuang Chongyue fled overseas. Even gods can’t leave their gates easily, let alone a ghost.”

“I thought about it nonstop, until the day I turned fourteen.”

A’Shou’s expression changed. “Fourteen? You didn’t… No, that’s impossible…”

Fang Xiu’s eyes curved slightly.

He raised a hand and pointed to the red T-shirt hanging by the bed.

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