Anyone could see how strange that phone call was. If it were just Zhao Mingyue alone, she definitely wouldn’t go back. She feared that if she went on this trip, she might not return. She couldn’t even be sure if her Eldest Uncle was alive or dead.
But she had Bai Yu with her, so at least her personal safety was guaranteed.
“That village where your grandmother and Eldest Uncle live—is it the Front Village or the Back Village?”
“It’s the Back Village. The Front Village is basically deserted now.” Zhao Mingyue sighed. “My relationship with my grandmother is very bad, extremely bad. My grandmother is the type who prefers boys over girls. My mom gave birth to me and my older sister, two girls, so she never liked my mom and treated me and my sister very poorly.”
“I was chosen to be a sacrifice. From what my sister told me, it was my grandmother who recommended me, wanting to trade me for a little boy.”
“And my relationship with my Eldest Uncle isn’t very good either.”
“Normally, even if my grandmother really was having her 80th birthday, she wouldn’t invite me. I’m just a younger family member, one with a very low presence. Why would they specifically invite me? They’d be happier if I didn’t go.”
“Do you think they are even alive? That tone was really strange.”
Whether they were dead or not wasn’t important; they weren’t close anyway. What was important was that if they were dead and still could call her, that would be somewhat terrifying.
Actually, if they were dead and called, that was one thing. But calling was one thing; telling her to come back was another. That would be asking for her life. She had already run away, and they still wanted to drag her back? Why did they have to keep clinging to her?
Thinking of this, Zhao Mingyue felt a bit helpless. She really didn’t understand what these people were thinking.
“We’ll find out when we go and see.” Bai Yu sat down beside her. “What’s meant to come will come. If I’m not mistaken, if you don’t go the day after tomorrow, they will come looking for you personally.”
“Come for me personally?”
“Do you want to hear my thoughts?” Bai Yu said, “My judgment is: they are not dead yet, but their state isn’t much better than death. Whether they ultimately die depends on whether you go back, and after going back, what choice you make.”
“If you don’t go back, they will definitely come looking for you. In the end, you will still return to that place.”
After Bai Yu’s words, Zhao Mingyue was silent. “I feel like you’re trying to trick me.”
“Just a guess.”
“Then I’d better go back. I don’t want to see them show up in my house.”
Zhao Mingyue confirmed the upcoming plan. The day after tomorrow was her grandmother’s 80th birthday. Logically, she should go back a day early, which meant tomorrow, to help with preparations beforehand.
But going there meant definitely staying overnight. The daytime was already terrifying enough. Zhao Mingyue didn’t dare to imagine the consequences of spending the night there.
She definitely wouldn’t dare to go alone. Fortunately, Bai Yu was there.
After asking for Bai Yu’s opinion, Zhao Mingyue still had to reluctantly set the schedule for tomorrow afternoon, spending one night there.
Of course, she didn’t agree without conditions.
Her request was for Bai Yu to continue pretending to be a living person and accompany her.
It would be fine if Bai Yu hid in her shadow, but that always gave Zhao Mingyue the feeling of fighting alone. Without anyone beside her as a companion, she would still be scared. If Bai Yu pretended to be a living person and stayed by her side, it would be different. At least she’d have a companion, which would make her feel more at ease.
After thinking it over, Bai Yu agreed, on the condition that Zhao Mingyue couldn’t make her wear a dress.
Skirts weren’t suitable for combat. Everyday wear was fine.
The next day, Zhao Mingyue didn’t go to school. If she went to school now, she’d probably be surrounded by teachers and students.
That was normal. If she heard about some female student at school fighting off an armed assailant with her own strength, she would definitely want to go and see the “little hero’s” style too.
She did have to go to the convenience store, though. After all, she had a valid reason to take leave from school.
In the afternoon, Zhao Mingyue stayed home to rest. Before she could even call her head teacher, the head teacher had already called her. After a round of concerned inquiries, the teacher immediately said she could take these few days off.
The police had told him that the killer hadn’t been caught yet and was very likely to retaliate against Zhao Mingyue. Making her come to class at this time would be endangering her.
Just as the call with her head teacher ended, the old store manager called too.
It was the same thing: no need to come to work for the next few days, but salary would still be paid as usual.
The head teacher’s words didn’t move her, but the Store Manager’s words truly touched her deeply. Not only did she have five days off, but her salary was still normal.
After thanking the Store Manager, Zhao Mingyue lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Suddenly having free time, she didn’t know what to do.
“Bai Yu, do you think… I can become really strong too?”
She raised her slender hand and clenched it into a fist, her eyes unfocused. Her body was fine now. When Bai Yu left her body, she had felt some muscle soreness, but other than that, there were no major problems.
This also indirectly proved that her body could handle this level of intensity.
After all, her physical fitness had been enhanced during quests.
But she was still very weak.
When Bai Yu used her body, it was a completely different extreme. Being able to fight off that red-haired assailant spoke volumes.
If she controlled her own body, not saying she could achieve such an outrageous level, but having a third of that combat power would be fine, right?
But reality was, let alone a third, she didn’t even have a thirtieth.
“You can, but the process will be very arduous. You might even die.”
“Then… what if we slow it down a bit? Not as strong as you, just enough for basic self-defense.” Zhao Mingyue suddenly sat up, her eyes shining as she looked at Bai Yu.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
“Let’s not rush for now. Physical skill is only one aspect. There are many other things to consider.” Bai Yu’s eyes lowered. She paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke. “There is a shortcut. As long as it succeeds, your strength will experience a tremendous increase.”
“However, the success rate is very low. I cannot guarantee one hundred percent success.”
“What is it?” Zhao Mingyue’s eyes lit up.
“Something is dormant inside your body. It can seize your body, and conversely, you can also devour it.”
“As long as you can devour this thing, you will become powerful, even without specialized training.”
Hearing this, Zhao Mingyue hesitated. “How dangerous is it?”
“I can’t be completely certain yet, but this is a step you must eventually take. When the time comes, I will help you.”
“Then let’s do it!” Zhao Mingyue didn’t ask further. With this statement from Bai Yu, she immediately agreed.
She trusted that Bai Yu wouldn’t intentionally set her up. Since she mentioned it, it meant the matter was feasible, and the success rate was fairly high.
Night fell quickly. With Bai Yu in the house, Zhao Mingyue wasn’t afraid at all that the red-haired woman from the daytime would come for revenge, nor was she afraid of the person who sent her that text message showing up.
A night passed without incident, and the next day arrived.
The day after tomorrow was Zhao Mingyue’s grandmother’s 80th birthday, so she had to leave today. There was no rush, though. She slept in until nine in the morning, catching up on the sleep she had missed before.
It wasn’t until after she had finished lunch that she prepared to head out with Bai Yu.
Today, Bai Yu wasn’t wearing a little dress, nor the clothes Zhao Mingyue bought for her. She used Blood Threads to condense a black tracksuit. She didn’t wear her usual combination, mainly worried about being recognized.
What clothes she wore wasn’t important, as long as they were suitable for combat.
Zhao Mingyue stroked her chin and scrutinized Bai Yu for a long time before nodding with satisfaction once she had changed Bai Yu’s hairstyle to a high ponytail.
After getting off the bus, Zhao Mingyue walked along a paved road leading to the village. Walking straight ahead from here and then turning would be the Back Village.
The Front Village was remote, and the Back Village was also quite remote.
Close to Pingshan, there were only two villages within a thirty-kilometer radius of Pingshan Village, and they were quite far apart. You could say that once you got there, you were in the middle of nowhere.
Tianchang City wasn’t particularly rich or poor, but its main development was in the center, leaving the surrounding towns and villages quite backward, especially the villages deep in the mountains.
“Our village has always been a bit strange, with some peculiar rules. For example, you can’t bring outsiders into the village, and you can’t keep dogs in the village.”
“I guess it should be a bit better now, not as backward and outdated as before.”
“Whatever. I’m going back to my own home, and they’re the ones who called me back. Who I bring back is my freedom. If they have the guts, let them chase me away.”
On the small path, Zhao Mingyue chattered non-stop.
“Bai Yu, when you get there, if anyone says weird things to you, just ignore them. Don’t even bother.”
“There’s no need to follow those broken rules. Investigate whatever you want to investigate. Since we’re back, we can’t leave empty-handed.”
As she walked, Zhao Mingyue wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt the surrounding light had dimmed considerably, like it was twilight, even though it was only two-thirty in the afternoon.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, giving her the illusion of being back at Thirteenth High School.
There wasn’t even the sound of a bird chirping or an insect buzzing, nor anyone driving a car or riding an electric scooter past. In twenty minutes of walking, she hadn’t seen a single living person.
Most of the fields on either side of the road lay barren. Among those wastelands, burial mounds were very conspicuous.
Zhao Mingyue noticed that it wasn’t just the fields that were barren; even the weeds on both sides of the paved road were withered, yellow, and scorched black.
At a glance, there was almost no green to be seen.
And yet, two rows of trees were planted along the road. These dead trees, with their drooping branches and twigs, stretched far into the distance along the small path.
Walking a small path with nothing like that on either side as a reference often created the illusion of making no progress.
Looking back, the main road was very, very far away now, and the village ahead was still barely visible.
Just as Zhao Mingyue thought it was eerily quiet here, a crow flapped its wings and flew over, landing on a branch by the roadside and letting out harsh, unpleasant caws.
It seemed like black smoke was spreading in the sky, as if something was on fire somewhere. The further Zhao Mingyue walked inside, the colder her body felt.
It was June, the hottest time of the day, and she wasn’t dressed particularly heavily—a tracksuit and a backpack. How could she feel cold?
While she was puzzled, Bai Yu suddenly spoke up beside her.
“Ghost Wall Maze.”
