Chapter 12

“Old man, I’m suddenly discovering you’re far more cunning than I imagined.” Zhu Ming believed Xiao Cheng hadn’t thought that far. His relationship with Old Man Xu was close; with the old man guiding him, he didn’t need to think too hard to clear the dungeon.

But an old fox like Old Man Xu had eaten plenty of salt in his life. It would be strange if he had seen nothing!

Old Man Xu rubbed his stubbly chin, a bit embarrassed. “Little comrade, don’t make me out to be so bad. I did know the meaning of those offerings. But many deities, besides their primary duties, possess the ability to subdue ghosts and exorcise evil. How would we know it wouldn’t work without trying?”

Zhu Ming said coldly, “It wasn’t you who was taking the risk. Of course, you don’t mind trying.”

Old Man Xu chuckled. “You don’t understand. Participants who complete a mission receive a reward from the previous dungeon. Although our Supernatural Abilities can’t be used, this reward can. If little A-Zou here really encountered danger, the three of us certainly wouldn’t stand by and do nothing.”

“Is that so?” Zhu Ming was still full of sass. “Anyway, A-Zou and I aren’t doing it. If you want to complete the mission through this array, find someone else. Look, isn’t there a ready person right here? I think Miss Zhao here would do quite well.”

Of course, Miss Zhao was unwilling. She pursed her lips and said, “My hair is short.”

After successfully drawing a wave of aggro, Zhu Ming shook the papers in her hand and said airily, “Also, a page is missing from here.”

Zhu Ming tossed the papers to Xiao Cheng, leaving him staring wide-eyed as he flipped through them. “Paper scraps in the staple seam. Actually, I misspoke about something just now. The ghost didn’t not take the key; they took it and then returned it. During that process, they must have tampered with the clues in the Basement.”

“If this Basement was prepared for us by the ghost from the very beginning,” Miss Zhao said with her lips pressed thin, “then why was there any need to alter the clues inside?”

Zhu Ming answered directly, “How would I know? The text on the missing page overlaps with a sentence on the back of the third page. So I’m guessing the real hint isn’t about some Virtuous Maiden inviting a deity, but something else entirely.”

“Could all of this just be a smokescreen obscuring the real way to clear?” Xiao Cheng murmured. “But there are no other clues. We’ve already searched the entire villa—”

As he spoke, his voice abruptly stopped, because he suddenly remembered: there were still plenty of places they hadn’t searched!

“The real clearing method is in the Butler’s Room and the Storage Room?” Xiao Cheng scratched his head. “Isn’t the butler a ghost? This means we need to barge into a ghost’s den! If we could get inside and rummage around, it might be okay, but we still haven’t found the second key, have we?”

All doors had locks. However, the Guest Rooms could be unlocked automatically without a key. But entering other places, like the Basement, required a key. So the Butler’s Room probably did, too.

Speaking of keys, Yun Zouchuan suddenly looked up and said, “I know where the key is.”

Zhu Ming raised an eyebrow. “Where?”

Yun Zouchuan said, “On the butler. When he did his patrol last night, I heard a strange sound.”

Jingle-jangle. A string of metal clinking and scraping together—that was a key ring.

Xiao Cheng: “…That answer is really a mixed blessing.”

“Alright, let’s stop here for now,” Old Man Xu said helplessly. “Since both Miss A-Zou and Miss Zhao are unwilling, we can’t force you. This matter ultimately puts you girls at greater risk. The time has passed now. Nobody should continue discussing this here. If we can’t think of anything else, we’ll just have to come up with a new plan tomorrow.”

Unfortunately, besides Xiao Cheng, no one else paid him any attention.

Yun Zouchuan’s lips were pressed tightly together. Her round eyes were strained wide open. She raised a foot and kicked over an incense burner. The red candle immediately went out, red dates scattering across the floor.

She was still furious.

She could try inviting a deity, but this… this was absolutely unacceptable.

If she had known earlier, she never would have agreed!

A hand gently rested on her shoulder. Yun Zouchuan heard her Boss scold her a couple of times, and a surge of grievance suddenly welled up in her chest.

Seeing her lips purse, Zhu Ming was taken aback. “A few words and you’re going to cry? Alright, alright, what are you crying for? It’s not like we really let you birth any little ghost.”

Yun Zouchuan lowered her head and muttered, “Knowing I’m stupid, and you still scold me.”

Zhu Ming scratched her head, then hugged Yun Zouchuan in distress and patted her back. “Alright, don’t cry, don’t cry. I won’t scold you anymore. Okay?”

Yun Zouchuan sniffled and grabbed Zhu Ming’s sleeve. “Not okay. You still have to promise me one thing.”

Zhu Ming: “Don’t worry, I’ll help you get reve…”

Yun Zouchuan: “Give me a raise.”

Zhu Ming: “…nge? Keep dreaming.”

Having said that, she coldly and ruthlessly pushed Yun Zouchuan away and picked up the objects placed on the cement platform. “Since the butler can tamper with clues, we should take these away, in case he tries something else tonight.”

Old Man Xu stepped forward. “Comrade, wait. Let me keep those items safe. These are clearly the Binding Objects of the ghosts. Old Gao fished up the key and lost his life for no clear reason. Taking these things into a room might also trigger a taboo. I have life-saving means and am safer than you. Consider it my apology for asking you young girls to take the risk just now.”

Zhu Ming looked at him suspiciously. “And you wouldn’t pull any tricks? No. I need to look at these first.”

Saying this, Zhu Ming took a flashlight and began examining the wristwatch, while giving the mobile phone to Yun Zouchuan to inspect.

The wristwatch didn’t reveal much. But holding the phone, Yun Zouchuan pressed the side button. “It lit up.”

Everyone: “???” Wait, shouldn’t this phone be as dead and powerless as the watch by now!

“I get it!” Xiao Cheng had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly remembered the complaints Old Gao had made yesterday after his fight with Xiao Song. “If this watch isn’t very waterproof, it would easily break and rust after falling into water. So, the time these things have been sitting here probably isn’t long.”

Before, the two dusty objects were just placed together. Combined with the note that made it seem like a long time had passed, everyone assumed they were both dead and broken.

Zhu Ming’s brow smoothed. She took the phone and praised A-Zou. “Sure enough, a fall into a pit is a gain in your wit. Look at this, great effect. Almost got tricked just now, and you’ve already smartened up.”

Yun Zouchuan was a bit baffled. “What are you praising me for? If you want to investigate the phone’s clues, of course you should try to open it, right?”

Waterproof or rust—what did that have to do with the phone?

Zhu Ming clicked her tongue. “Praised too soon.” It seemed that sometimes, thinking simpler could lead to faster discoveries.

The fact that the phone still had power wasn’t the most important thing. What was important was what was inside it.

Everyone was eager to find out quickly, but the phone had a passcode.

A four-digit passcode, which seemed simpler than a six-digit one. But without any clues at all, the difficulty hadn’t decreased in the slightest. Moreover, they could only try three times; three wrong attempts and it would lock.

Xiao Cheng said, “I’ll look at those three sheets of paper again. Maybe there’s a clue.”

Miss Zhao said coldly, “Since we’re not performing the ritual tonight, I’m going back first.”

With that, she turned to leave, her steps revealing anxiety. Old Man Xu sighed, watching her retreating figure. He turned back and said, “How about we research it during the day instead? It wouldn’t be good to run into the butler.”

Zhu Ming stared at the phone screen for a long while, silent. Her black clothes and black hair made her almost merge with the darkness in the Basement. The screen’s glow reflected on her face, half in shadow, half in light, making her seem especially inscrutable.

Just as Old Man Xu and Xiao Cheng were about to leave, Zhu Ming, who had been staring blankly at the phone, suddenly let out a little laugh.

“I know. The passcode is… 1, 0, 0, 1.”

Click. Unlocked successfully.

Yun Zouchuan: “So the passcode was that simple.”

Xiao Cheng was incredulous. “In what way was that simple? I would never have thought of that!”

Zhu Ming began swiping through the phone, trying to find any useful hidden information. “It’s pretty easy to guess. The four digits are a hint. And the phone belongs to the butler. The Butler’s Room is clearly marked, yet it’s numbered along with the Guest Rooms. There must be something fishy. With three tries, there’s no harm in trying.”

Xiao Cheng said weakly, “The phone is the butler’s?”

Zhu Ming gave an affirmative hum and casually explained, “There are two groups of ghosts here. The butler and the Water Ghost. Can you understand that?”

Xiao Cheng: “Wait, let me think—I remember now! The one stabbed to death with the metal skewer and the one drowned in the pool are two different people. Two people died here!”

Zhu Ming: “Mm. The Water Ghost pretended it could be hurt by the metal skewer to create the illusion that there was only one ghost here. That way, it matched the situation described in those three papers. But that disguise was too clumsy. Maybe ghosts lose IQ points after turning. That’s not important. I’m just puzzled: back when they first made up this story, why not just write that two Fierce Ghosts needed to be suppressed? Anyway, two ghosts, two Binding Objects. The watch is the female ghost’s. The phone should be the butler’s.”

Xiao Cheng suddenly saw the light. “Why did these ghosts go through so many twists and turns? What do they really want?”

Zhu Ming tossed the phone to Xiao Cheng and threw the wristwatch to Old Man Xu. “I don’t know. But it can’t be anything good.”

The information on the phone was very sparse. Any app requiring the internet was unusable. The only two things worth noting were the contacts and the wallpaper.

There was only one contact, saved as “Little Yan.” There was no way to view the phone number, and no other contacts existed.

The wallpaper was a picture of two hands holding each other. One male, one female, wearing matching couple-style watches. The women’s watch was identical to the rusty one they had.

Though there was no other evidence, it was already easy to guess that the butler and the female ghost were very closely connected.

But they still couldn’t enter the Butler’s Room, nor search the Storage Room.

“Uhm…” Yun Zouchuan cleared her throat. “Since there’s a phone, why not try making a call?”

Zhu Ming thought for a moment. “That’s also an idea. But it’s a bit risky. No telling who would answer.”

However, something happened very soon that broke through everyone’s hesitation and made the decision for them.

A harsh, piercing ringtone suddenly erupted in the absolutely silent darkness, repeating endlessly, together with the vibrating buzz of the phone, filling the entire Basement.

Zhu Ming, Yun Zouchuan, and Xiao Cheng each looked toward the incoming call display on the screen with varying expressions.

[Little Yan (Decline) (Answer)]