… …
Wang Chenghao's face was paler than a ghost. His lips were trembling, and his teeth were chattering. He leaned against the wall, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
Who … was behind the door?
Who … would be so stingy at four in the morning?
He didn't dare to open his mouth or ask.
Rustle … Rustle … The sound behind the door grew louder and louder, as if something was about to break through the door and walk out!
"Ahhhhh!!!"
Wang Chenghao couldn't hold it in any longer. At this moment, he didn't dare to walk back. Instead, he rushed to the first floor like a madman.
The first floor was pitch-black.
"Boss … Boss!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He needed light and sound!
This damned inn was driving him crazy!
According to tradition, the owner of the hotel should be standing guard at the door.
But not this one.
"Where is he … where is he?!" He was on the verge of tears. There was no response at all. It was as quiet as an ice-cold grave.
He could not bear it any longer and rushed to the door to open it.
Only to find that... the door had been locked!
"Open the door … Open the door!!" He pounded on the door with all his might as tears streamed down his face.
But after hammering twice, he suddenly stopped moving.
It wasn't that he didn't move, but that his body, which had just calmed down, started trembling again.
The hair on his neck stood on end.
Through the reflection of the glass door, he saw … the woman in the black dress … standing right behind him!
His face was deathly pale, and his eyes were bloodshot as he stared straight at him!
Suddenly, the lights came on. He was completely unprepared and screamed like a frying pan!
"Ahhhhh!
Help!!
Ghosts!
There's a ghost! "
"Guest."
The old man's figure appeared in the darkness, holding a lantern from decades ago. His voice was like an owl's in the darkness, and the light illuminated his aged face, making Wang Chenghao even more terrified.
"Are you … going out?"
"I'm leaving!
Switch on the lights!
Let me leave!! "Wang Chenghao leaned against the door and screamed.
The old man did not reply.
After a long time, he said, "Go … don't ever come back …"
The sound of keys shaking could be heard. Wang Chenghao shouted with a sobbing tone, "Uncle, turn on the light!
Let's switch on the light first!
I can't take it anymore! "
"Is … that so …" The old man's voice grew hoarse, "Do you … want to turn on the lights?"
"Yes, yes!
Turn on the lights! "
Silence.
Three seconds later, with a click, the lights were turned on. Wang Chenghao took a look, and his eyes rolled back as he fainted.
Blood …
The walls in all directions were covered in blood!
It was unknown how many years it had been since these bloodstains had dried up.
Some turned into big X's, some wrote something.
And that wasn't the scariest part. The scariest part was that the shelves behind the counter were filled with memorial tablets!
At this moment, a loud "dong" sound suddenly came from the second floor.
It sounded as if someone had kicked the door open.
The old man's expression changed, and he madly rushed to the second floor.
To her astonishment … Qin Ye was standing right in front of the door beside the bed.
"You!!" The old man shrieked and grabbed at Qin Ye like a madman.
The closer he got to Qin Ye, the paler his face became. Finally … his wrinkled face looked as though it were about to crack open, and his expression was one that could only be described as ferocious.
But before he could even get close to the old man, Qin Ye's body suddenly erupted with an even denser Yin energy than his own. The old man cried out in alarm as he was blasted several meters back!
"Is this necessary?" Qin Ye furrowed his brows and shook his head. He didn't even look at the old man. Instead, he turned to look into the room.
It was pitch black inside the room.
The curtains were drawn tight, but there were four candles in the room. And these candles … were placed right on top of a pitch-black coffin!
"Meow ~" A black cat leapt out from behind the door. Qin Ye glanced at it, only to notice that it had already scratched the back of the door.
"Death is death. It doesn't matter what happened in life.
Don't dwell on it anymore. "Qin Ye sighed and retracted his gaze. Then, he picked up the old man's clothes and dragged him to the first floor.
It was cold to the touch.
The old man did not have the slightest bit of warmth, nor … was he weightless.
Wang Chenghao, who was lying on the ground, did not show any mercy at all. Wang Chenghao immediately let out a cry that sounded like a pig's squeal. Wang Chenghao sighed in relief and woke up. When he saw the scene in front of him, he almost fainted again.
"Open your eyes wide."
Qin Ye tossed the old man aside and sat down on the dilapidated sofa, "This is your ill-fated fate. You should resolve it yourself."
"M-mine?" Wang Chenghao finally calmed down as soon as he saw Qin Ye.
In his heart, Qin Ye was the omnipotent Doraemon.
"Introduce yourself." Qin Ye ignored him and lifted his chin at the old man, "How long have you been dead?
Why are you still here? "
"It's him!
Isn't he human? "
Wang Chenghao nearly jumped out of his seat. Qin Ye pressed him down onto the sofa and looked him straight in the eye, "Do you want to be my friend?"
Wang Chenghao froze for a moment, and then nodded desperately.
"Then, get used to it." Qin Ye turned around, "Let's begin. I don't have much patience."
"You're … an Emissary of Hell?"
The old man's voice was now completely ethereal. Qin Ye glanced at his phone with some measure of impatience, "There's still 35 minutes until 5. I'll take you on your way as soon as that happens.
You'd better cut the crap. "
"Yes …" The old man drew a deep breath, and then kowtowed to Qin Ye, "Lord Emissary of Hell … I've been rude!
Please forgive me! "
"My name … is Zhou Dongfang.
I was … 49 years old when I died.
But I didn't disperse because I wanted to murder you for your wealth!
Your Excellency, please understand!
This inn … has never taken a single life before! "
Qin Ye responded lazily, "Of course. If you hadn't told us not to stay here when you first entered, your soul would have already dissipated into nothingness."
"I'm just curious." He leaned forward, "Why didn't you disperse?
Your form … is so solid that even humans can't tell.
Is this … a house immortal? "
"A house immortal?" Wang Chenghao asked curiously.
Qin Ye explained patiently, "A house immortal isn't actually an evil spirit. Rather, it's a manifestation of a person's lingering obsession after death. It's not malicious, but it's related to one's family.
The heavens have opened their eyes and left a sliver of hope for them to guard their home and become a house immortal. "
"Generally speaking, house immortals would never harm anyone. In fact, they would do their best to protect their home.
To put it bluntly, they're earthbound spirits that are benevolent.
They retain their sentience when they were alive.
They're completely different from wandering ghosts who can't even speak properly. "
Wang Chenghao nodded thoughtfully, and then suddenly turned to Zhou Dongfang, "Something's not right!
He didn't want us to stay here at first, but he still allowed us to stay!
He's a murderous spirit!
He's not a good person! "
"It's because he couldn't wait any longer …" Qin Ye glanced at the old man with a complicated expression, "Listen to his story … This is your sin …"
Zhou Dongfang gazed deeply into Wang Chenghao's eyes, "My wife and I … have been living in Solid County for decades. We've been living here since we were young.
I wasn't young when I gave birth to my daughter. "
"My daughter's name was Zhou Fangrong …" His eyes flickered with a trace of reminiscence, and the corners of his lips curled up into a faint smile, "She was beautiful, just like her name.
She was the campus belle in middle school and high school … Unfortunately, we were poor back then, and we couldn't afford to buy anything. Decades ago … the national highway hadn't even been constructed yet, and our small hotel barely had enough money to make ends meet … "
"After high school, my daughter changed somewhat. She began to yearn for a life outside. That's right … we understand … Solid County is too small. She's beautiful and sensible, and she ought to go out and see the world, rather than be like her parents, trapped here for the rest of her life …"
His voice was choked with sobs, "But I never expected that … this departure … would be an eternal farewell!!"
Wang Chenghao could feel the boundless regret and hatred in the other party's heart when she said the word 'farewell'.
"She … went to Eastsea to work."
"Eastsea is a developed province, and the cost of living is high.
That said, Rongrong never asked for money from us. In fact … she would even send money back to us every month. "
"We were very gratified … We would praise our daughter to everyone we met, telling them how sensible she was … Later on, the amount of money she sent back to us grew larger and larger, from hundreds to thousands, and finally tens of thousands!
Tens of thousands! "
"We were still happy at first, until one day …" His body trembled, and tears began to stream down his face, "My … my deceased wife and I … will never be able to forget that day …"
"That day … when we woke up, we noticed that all the important places in the entire county, including Rongrong's previous school, the entrance of our neighbourhood, and even the entrance of the largest food market … were all plastered with a notice!"
His body trembled like a withered leaf in the wind as he stared at Wang Chenghao, "The notice stated that … she had seduced the boss of a company and became a mistress!
Furthermore, she was greedy, and she even insisted that someone else marry her!
Her demands were endless!
In the end … the other party sued her in court.
In the end … the company won the case … and my daughter was convicted of extortion and sentenced to a suspended sentence!!! "
Boom!
Wang Chenghao shot to his feet and stared at Zhou Dongfang with great disbelief.
"Sit down." Qin Ye continued calmly, "Let me finish …"
"This is the final conclusion of this ill-fated relationship."
Wang Chenghao's mouth was slightly agape as he shook his head and sat down with great disbelief.
The old man looked him in the eye and continued, "I don't believe it … I refuse to believe that my daughter would do such a thing!
She's so smart and so beautiful!
How could she possibly do such a thing?! "
"But … the court had already sentenced her!"
"I nearly went crazy back then … I called her up and lashed out at her. I asked her to come back, but she didn't respond.
Her mother … suffered a heart attack on the spot, and she was admitted to the hospital … She didn't know that I'd never told her about this! "
Zhou Dongfang's tears flowed like a river, "I was afraid … I was afraid that if I put too much pressure on her, she would do something stupid.
I knew it … She may seem like a glib talker, but she's actually a very sensitive person … I'd sold my house behind her back, and all I had left was this small hotel by the side of the street … "
"But … I believed in her. I believed that she would be able to change even if she had done something wrong.
But everyone in the entire county!
Not a single person gave her a chance!! "
He shut his eyes, and his body trembled violently, almost as though he were recalling those hellish days, "Whore … the prostitute raised by the Zhou family … the slut who sold her body and took men's money … These were all good things to hear … In fact, even the men who'd proposed to us would point at the entrance of the hotel and curse us every single day!!"
"We didn't even dare to step out of the house. We couldn't even lift our heads …" He pointed to his hair, "That's when my hair turned completely white.
Her mother … left before me amidst the endless abuse and abuse … "
Zhou Dongfang shut his eyes, and his eyelids trembled violently, "I … I've forgotten when I left … My last wish was to protect this family … Don't they say that men are the backbone of the family?
I, Old Zhou, am useless … I couldn't protect them when I was alive … but I'll protect them when I'm dead … "
Qin Ye sighed and stared at the dark ceiling, "Then … why did you stay here?"
Zhou Dongfang opened his eyes and smiled at Qin Ye. His smile was filled with a childlike longing and satisfaction, "I haven't heard from my daughter since then. I've been thinking that perhaps she'll send a letter back. That way … I'll stay at home and watch over her …"
Wang Chenghao stared at Zhou Dongfang's wrinkled face, and his throat began to ache.
"The hotel is just by the roadside … If she were to return … wouldn't I be able to see her right away?"