Chapter 16

On the way back to the Wu residence, the paper effigy stuck to Yu Zezhi’s side kept fidgeting, truly like a restless little puppy.

Wu Yinyu tossed Lu Sansheng’s clothes onto the front seat and said to the driver, “Take these clothes to City First Hospital later. They belong to Third Young Master Lu.”

The driver asked cautiously, “Will anyone ask questions?”

“No.” Wu Yinyu leaned back. “Say I had you deliver them. Take them straight up to the ward. Just be careful not to let anyone from the Lu family see you.”

After getting into the car, the paper effigy was still diligently sniffing for a scent. It moved left and right, and thanks to its light weight, it even stuck itself to the window.

Since the car happened to be driving in the direction indicated by the two ghosts, the paper effigy was wagging its rear wildly. If this had been its original body, the thing wagging non-stop would have been its tail.

Wu Yinyu glanced at it sideways. She felt such a lively thing didn’t seem like the kind of creature Yu Zezhi would raise. Curious, she asked, “How can it smell anything?”

“After leaving its physical body, its five senses become much sharper. It’s not unusual that it can pick up a scent,” Yu Zezhi lifted her arm, pulling the paper effigy down from the window.

“Shall we let it lead the way?” Wu Yinyu propped up her chin. She actually rather hoped the path the paper effigy took wouldn’t lead to the Wu residence.

If it saw the Ink Qi there and explanations failed again, the Wu family would be in serious trouble.

“Let’s try it,” Yu Zezhi said.

But when the car was halfway there, the paper effigy’s liveliness vanished. It stuck itself to the hem of Yu Zezhi’s skirt, hanging there motionless.

Wu Yinyu raised an eyebrow. “Is it tired?”

“It can’t smell it anymore.” Yu Zezhi lowered her eyes, cradling the paper effigy in her palm.

“The Ink Qi took a detour?” Wu Yinyu was surprised.

“If that were the case, it wouldn’t just wither away like this.” Yu Zezhi calmly looked out the window.

Meaning, the Ink Qi had disappeared.

“Disappeared for no reason?” Wu Yinyu asked again.

Yu Zezhi thought for a moment, then said, “If it simply doesn’t want to be tracked, how can you say it’s for no reason?”

It was late at night when they arrived home. Unexpectedly, the living room light was still on. Before entering, Wu Yinyu assumed Wu Wanying had forgotten to turn it off, although, in her memory, Wu Wanying had never done such a thing.

The old residence was ancient; the last renovation had been over a decade ago. The door creaked loudly when opened.

Wu Yinyu entered, bent down to open the shoe cabinet, and took out a pair of house slippers for Yu Zezhi. Looking up, she said, “Boss Yu, please make do. Guests rarely come to this house, so we haven’t prepared new slippers.”

Yu Zezhi wasn’t that fussy. She took off her shoes and changed into them. After straightening up, she looked toward a specific spot in the living room and nodded very slightly.

Only then did Wu Yinyu realize that Wu Wanying was still sitting in the living room. His palms rested on his knees; he was sitting rather stiffly upright.

After Wu Qiyu passed away, Wu Wanying had been handling many of the family affairs. Company matters he could still manage, but when it came to designing things involving gods and ghosts, he found himself willing but unable. He had to rely on Wu Yinyu.

Over this period, he had lost a lot of weight. He worked harder than a donkey, got up earlier than a rooster, and slept later than a dog. Some time ago, a Death Visage nearly appeared on his face, and Wu Yinyu had to forcibly send him to the hospital.

Wu Yinyu hadn’t expected Wu Wanying to still push himself so hard. She clicked her tongue and asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping this late? I’d almost think you were waiting for me.”

The tea in front of Wu Wanying had long gone cold. Hearing this, he slightly tilted his head and said, “Elder Lu said you left very early. What have you been busy with?”

“Trying to investigate my whereabouts?” Wu Yinyu joked, speaking half-evidently, “Dealt with some matters, and also looked into the reason for Lu Yi’s disappearance.”

Wu Wanying was holding an envelope. He raised his hand, extending it toward Wu Yinyu.

Probably because an outsider was present, he spoke somewhat reservedly. “I inquired clearly about the shrine hall matter. Twenty-three years ago, a woman lodged in the side room. That room was only later converted into the shrine hall, but it’s unclear if the hemp rope was left from that time.”

“Twenty-three years ago?” Wu Yinyu walked over and took the heavy kraft envelope. “What is this?”

The envelope contained something unknown, seemingly a thick stack.

“Open it and see.” Wu Wanying added, “I went to Jadeite Garden this afternoon. Got it from Mom.”

Wu Yinyu opened the envelope and poured out over a dozen photos. The colors were very old, with the date printed in red on the corners – truly twenty-three years ago.

The date on the very first photo was, astonishingly, her birthday.

The layout and decor of the house in the photos were vastly different from the current Wu residence. One could barely recognize it as the Wu Family Old Residence.

After flipping through several, Wu Yinyu paused. She saw a familiar hanging beam and wooden pillar.

Twenty-three years ago, the shrine hall had no spirit table yet. Against the wall stood a tall mahogany cabinet, and inside the room, there was only an iron-framed wooden bed. Without a window, the entire room was as dim as a prison cell.

Only then did she notice the oddity: none of the previously flipped photos had any people in them.

“Keep looking,” Wu Wanying said.

Wu Yinyu had no choice but to continue flipping through. She saw a group photo – a couple holding two children, with an empty chair placed between them. She instinctively felt that the empty chair was supposed to have someone sitting in it.

The couple were naturally Wu Qiyu and Song Youzhi. The child each held was her and Wu Wanying. Wu Wanying was a year older than her, and she was still in swaddling clothes at the time.

What about the empty chair? For whom was the empty chair reserved?

Wu Yinyu looked at Wu Wanying in surprise. This was the first time she had seen these photos; she hadn’t even glimpsed a corner of them before.

As it was a family matter, it wasn’t appropriate for Wu Wanying to say much in front of an outsider. He cast a glance toward Yu Zezhi and then said to Wu Yinyu, “Mom only gave me the photos. She didn’t explain anything else.”

Wu Yinyu felt a chill in her heart. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Could it be that the woman lodging in the shrine hall back then wasn’t actually human? What else did Mom say?”

Wu Wanying shook his head. He only stood up after half a minute, his evasive attitude extremely obvious. “Nothing else. Get some rest early.”

He paused, then said to Yu Zezhi, “It’s quite late. The hospitality is inevitably lacking; I hope Boss Yu will forgive us.”

“It’s my impolite intrusion,” Yu Zezhi nodded to Wu Wanying.

Wu Yinyu sat down in the spot Wu Wanying had vacated and looked at the photos in her hand again.

The Wu residence twenty-three years ago had been quite simple. A box-sized TV sat on the table, looking almost like an oven. There was no one in front of the TV, but on its dark, hazy screen, there seemed to be a blurry shadow.

The photo must have captured the woman lodging at the Wu household back then. But alas, although a picture was taken, not a single face was captured.

“May I take a look?” Yu Zezhi asked.

Wu Yinyu shifted slightly to the side, making room. In one of the photos, she saw Song Youzhi looking toward a certain spot. Although her lips were curved upward, she seemed somewhat terrified.

Afterward, she spotted in the photos a corner of a talisman hidden behind a mirror, Five Emperor Coins placed under a cup, a red string tied to one leg of a chair…

From these clues, it wasn’t hard to deduce that Wu Qiyu and Song Youzhi hadn’t actually welcomed this lodger. They had even wanted to capture her, but they must have failed.

Why was Song Youzhi handing over these photos now? Had that woman returned? Was she connected to all the recent strange happenings?

The sofa dipped slightly as Yu Zezhi sat down beside Wu Yinyu, reaching out to take the photos scattered messily on the table.

Wu Yinyu observed Yu Zezhi’s expression carefully. After all, this person, like her, could see ink marks invisible to others.

Yu Zezhi’s expression was rather neutral, but her eyes curved almost imperceptibly, revealing a baffling look of nostalgia. However, the emotion in her eyes faded incredibly fast, like a fleeting reflection or an illusion.

She commented blandly, “For that era, being able to take such clear photos was no small feat.”

Wu Yinyu slid the photo of the television toward Yu Zezhi. Her index finger pointed at the dark shadow on the screen. “Do you think this could be that ‘person’ who never showed their face?”

“Yes,” Yu Zezhi answered almost without thinking.

Unfortunately, Wu Qiyu was dead. The only one Wu Yinyu could ask was Song Youzhi. But Song Youzhi’s mental state was truly not good; it was very difficult to get any reliable information from her.

Even stranger, ever since Wu Qiyu’s accident, sometimes just hearing Wu Yinyu’s voice would make Song Youzhi tremble. Even simple communication had become extremely difficult.

Wu Yinyu pinched a corner of Yu Zezhi’s sleeve, a gesture both intimate yet maintaining boundaries. She raised her chin slightly and said, “Let’s go, Boss Yu. Help me look at that surveillance footage.”

“Is this your attitude when asking for a favor?” Yu Zezhi neatly stacked the photos on the table.

Wu Yinyu tugged her sleeve again, her tone winding and melodious. “Please, Boss Yu. This is precisely the time I need your help.”

Yu Zezhi fell silent for several seconds, and her hand visibly stiffened.

“Let’s go.” Wu Yinyu stood up. Her silk qipao was already dirty beyond recognition; the black-and-white landscape pattern on the hem seemed to have acquired several messy new brushstrokes.

Only then did Yu Zezhi rise, handing over the envelope. “Take it. Your brother gave it to you.”

Wu Yinyu released Yu Zezhi’s sleeve, taking the envelope thoughtfully. She turned and walked toward the stairs, her hair, which had been pinned up for a long time, swaying in curls behind her. Looking back, she said, “I’ll take Boss Yu to the attic first, then I’ll go change my clothes.”

So Yu Zezhi went upstairs first. Not knowing where Wu Yinyu had saved the video, she simply sat and waited idly.

Wu Yinyu entered her bedroom. Just as she turned on the water to wash her hands, she suddenly heard a scraping sound coming from the drain.