Chapter 27 Part 3

A chill crept up her spine, like an exceedingly gentle hand.

The housekeeping auntie shouted at the door to no avail. Terrified that Wu Yinyu was in trouble inside, and also worried that a thief had entered the Wu family’s Shrine Hall, she simply rammed the door.

The Shrine Hall door was flimsy to begin with. Although it was bolted, it couldn’t hold. The housekeeper stumbled and burst right in.

The moment the door opened, Wu Yinyu plummeted from the beam, landing heavily on the floor.

Her hairpin had fallen out, her hair disheveled. She clutched her neck, retching violently. Only after lying prone on the floor for a long while could she finally make out the auntie’s voice.

That hemp rope had snapped when she fell. Now it lay curled beside her hand.

“Miss Wu, how could you be so hopeless?” Zhao Xinmei was scared utterly pale. She pulled Wu Yinyu’s hands away to examine her neck.

The ligature marks were clearly streaked with blood, strikingly vivid against her cold, pale skin.

Wu Yinyu, out of the corner of her eye, caught sight of the hemp rope. She propped herself up and scooped it into her hands, inspecting it closely.

The already filthy rope now bore several thick black smudges—fresh, the ink still wet.

Zhao Xinmei was startled, wondering where this rope had come from. She reached out, intending to take it away, but Wu Yinyu blocked her.

Wu Yinyu laughed abruptly, a soft scoff. Her laugh sent chills down Zhao Xinmei’s spine.

She hadn’t managed to figure out everything else, but she had clarified one hidden detail—

That mass of Ink Qi not only didn’t harm her, it was afraid of her dying.

“Miss Wu, you’re still so young, why would you…” Zhao Xinmei looked troubled, carefully observing Wu Yinyu’s expression. She had worked here for many years and naturally knew about Song Youzhi’s sudden madness. She wondered if this madness was contagious.

Wu Yinyu shook her head, her lips curving in a seemingly reassuring smile. Her voice was hoarse yet gentle. “It’s nothing. After being strangled by that rope just now, I’ve figured things out.”

“That’s good you’ve figured it out.” Zhao Xinmei quickly helped her up, eyeing the rope in her hand and saying, “Miss Wu, give me this rope.”

“No need.” Wu Yinyu steadied herself, coughing dully twice more. “I’ll handle the rope myself. Just move the ladder out.”

Zhao Xinmei had no choice but to move the ladder. She glanced back every few steps, afraid Wu Yinyu might do something foolish again.

The basement door should have been locked, but Zhao Xinmei pushed it open with a single shove. Trembling, she put the ladder away and ran back out, calling Wu Yinyu’s name, “Was it you who opened the basement door?”

Wu Yinyu walked out of the Shrine Hall, locked the door, and turned back, holding the hemp rope. “It was me. I forgot to close it.”

Only then did Zhao Xinmei sigh in relief. She cautiously asked, “Miss, does your bedroom still need cleaning?”

Wu Yinyu considered that the ink marks on the wall were already gone and simply said, “Go ahead, thank you.”

Zhao Xinmei responded with an “Aye.” She hadn’t expected that cleaning the room today would be even more nerve-wracking than usual, because Wu Yinyu stood right outside the door watching the entire time.

Wu Yinyu leaned against the doorframe, wondering if that mass of Ink Qi would suddenly appear.

But it didn’t. Even after Zhao Xinmei left, it didn’t show itself again.

It was past nine at night when Wu Wanying returned from the company. The moment he entered, he called out Wu Yinyu’s name. His voice was extremely loud, carrying an urgency he had never shown before.

Wu Yinyu could more or less guess why Wu Wanying was so anxious.

Zhao Xinmei’s salary was paid by Wu Wanying. What had happened that evening had most likely been reported to her paying boss.

So, upon hearing the shout, Wu Yinyu merely took her time leaving her room. She leaned on the railing with her smoking pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said, “Right here.”

Wu Wanying carried the reserve and old-fashioned manner typical of the older generation. Looking up, he said, “Can I talk to you?”

Wu Yinyu nodded and walked downstairs. She seemed to be holding something else in her hand as she said, “If you want to talk to me about what happened at the Shrine Hall this evening, just say it directly.”

Wu Wanying was slightly taken aback. From the moment he saw Wu Yinyu, his gaze hadn’t left her. His brow was deeply furrowed, as if he didn’t know how to begin. After a few seconds, he asked very indirectly, “Have you encountered some kind of problem recently?”

After coming down, Wu Yinyu sat weakly on the sofa. Observing that Wu Wanying didn’t have any Yin evil energy clinging to him, she said, “You could say that.”

“You…” After all the long estrangement, Wu Wanying wasn’t used to intimate conversations. He hesitated deeply as he spoke. “You can talk to me about it. What aspect is it? Relationships, or work?”

Seeing his rare attitude, Wu Yinyu suddenly wanted to laugh. She tilted her head, glancing sideways at him. “Do I look like someone who’d hang herself over romance? Work? If exorcising evil and suppressing ghosts counts as my work, then such trifles are hardly difficult for me.”

That wasn’t exactly wrong. Wu Wanying loosened his tie, struggling to speak.

Wu Yinyu tossed the manila envelope onto the coffee table and said, “Returning this to you.”

“Seems it’s related to the photos. Can you tell me?” Wu Wanying was extremely awkward.

Wu Yinyu looked at her “brother” silently, very curious—if Wu Wanying knew she was an orphan entrusted by a ghostly evil, would he immediately expel her from the family?

Of course, Wu Yinyu wouldn’t say it. She averted her gaze and shook her head. “What does it have to do with the photos? I just hit a bottleneck. You know how it is for us Living Constables. We always need that life-or-death moment for a flash of inspiration. I was just doing my job.”

“Nonsense!” Wu Wanying raised his voice.

Hearing this outburst, Wu Yinyu suddenly felt a twinge of reluctance. Because Wu Wanying’s worry seemed so genuine, a kind of cherished regard from a family member she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“Didn’t I come out fine?” she said dismissively.

“Then what if something had happened?!” Wu Wanying said severely.

“It wouldn’t have.” Wu Yinyu paused, then added, “When I say it wouldn’t have, it wouldn’t have.”

Wu Wanying had wanted to scold her a bit more, but seeing Wu Yinyu’s nonchalant expression, he realized he had lost his composure. He calmed down, shook his head, and said, “Don’t ever do that again.”

“There won’t be a next time.” Wu Yinyu stood up and went back upstairs.

That night, Wu Yinyu had another dream. Again, it was White Jade Capital, but what was before her eyes was no longer the Thousand-Layered Pagoda.

Countless Gourd Pagodas were scattered everywhere, some as tall as giant trees reaching the sky, others as small as toes. They seemed to piece together an unconventional maze, making it impossible to discern direction while walking within.

However, the light poured down from directly above, so even if the pagodas stood like a forest, no dark corner remained.

An enormous Buddha statue stood in the distance, like something out of a land of giants. It was even taller than the largest Gourd Pagoda, able to overlook everything here.

That colossal Buddha statue had its eyes closed, its fingers holding prayer beads. Its interior seemed hollow, emitting a solemn tolling bell sound at intervals, each one deafening.

Strangely, although this Buddha wore a kasaya robe, its hair was loose and its legs were stretched out, its seated posture casually unrestrained.

Standing beneath it, Wu Yinyu felt that even though the giant Buddha’s eyes were tightly shut, it was gazing at her.

Even if it wasn’t this giant Buddha before her, someone here was definitely watching surreptitiously, a hidden gaze filled with malice.

Just as she was searching for that watcher, a rebuke fell from above.

“Slaughtering the Buddhas of Little Enlightenment Ruins, do you acknowledge your crime?”

The voice was much clearer now, and it sounded remarkably like… Yu Zezhi.

Beside her, a fierce whirlwind raged. Everything around was swept into flying sand and rolling stones. The Gourd Pagodas, the towering Buddha statue—all disappeared. She was back beneath the Thousand-Layered Pagoda, bound by layers of Soul Locks, unable to move.

The barefoot, red-robed figure walked before her, the Lotus Pattern Jade Pendant at their waist clinking with their steps. The red-robed person unfastened the jade pendant, and before Wu Yinyu’s eyes, loosened their grip, shattering it on the ground.

The crimson red jade was broken beyond recognition. Wu Yinyu felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if it were being cut.

In the dream, she knew clearly that this jade was utterly unique.

Wu Yinyu’s eyes snapped open. Her nightgown was already more than half soaked with cold sweat. She sat up abruptly. The moment her eyes lifted, she saw the wall again covered in Devil Buddhas.

This time, the drawn figures looked even more like evil gods possessing someone. Each one bared fangs and brandished claws, their faces blue and tusked, utterly sinister.

Wu Yinyu sat quietly on the bed, no longer as panicked as the first time she had seen them. She merely raised her hands and glanced at them. Even when she saw her palms covered in ink, she remained impassive. Only then did she carefully observe each of the Devil Buddhas in the drawings.

Each one looked different; they clearly weren’t the same being.

She walked over and opened her laptop, checking the surveillance footage. Just as expected, she had gotten up in the early morning hours to draw them.

Looking further, she discovered the ink marks even extended beyond the door crack.

This wasn’t a good sign. Wu Yinyu stood up, walked to the door, took a light breath, and then pushed the door open to peer outside.

She hadn’t expected the hallway walls to also be completely covered in Devil Buddhas, not a single spot spared.

The various postures of the Devil Buddhas made her dizzy. She had to lean on the wall to stand steady. But the moment she did, the ink on her hands smeared onto the wallpaper.

She didn’t know what exactly this ink was trying to show her. But she understood one more thing: her time left in the Wu household was running short.

If this continued, Wu Wanying would inevitably be implicated. It was precisely because of Wu Wanying’s sudden concern that her reluctance to leave and guilt were flooding her, becoming overwhelming.

If Wu Wanying were to disappear like Lu Yiqi, she felt she would definitely be saddened.

Based on the previous time, these ink marks would disappear on their own before long. But unfortunately, this time, not only had she drawn outside her door, but she had also slept until noon.

If it were a weekend, Zhao Xinmei definitely wouldn’t come until the afternoon. But as it happened, today was a workday, so she arrived at noon.

Wu Yinyu was still in the hallway looking at the “paintings” when Zhao Xinmei entered the house with her key.