53. Another Death

Yuuya Chi yawned as she stood by the bed and stretched lazily. Her stomach was already rumbling with hunger; she planned to have some instant noodles and then catch a nap. There was no way that ghost bride would disturb her sleep in broad daylight, right?

With that thought, she walked over to her backpack and pulled out a cup of old-style pickled cabbage and beef noodles. She boiled water, opened the packaging, squeezed in the seasoning, and poured the hot water, waiting for it to soak.

Jiang Pan, without hesitation, used the remaining hot water to make himself a cup of instant noodles as well. The two sat quietly, each absorbed in their phones. Neither spoke a word, and the silence in the room was almost eerie. Yuuya could even hear the faint sound of water dripping outside into a puddle.

[Chi Yuuya: Who do you think the insider could be?]

She sent the message to Jiang Pan. He looked up at her, eyes full of confusion and puzzlement. They were sitting right next to each other—why not just ask out loud instead of texting?

In this scenario, Jiang Pan was the only person Yuuya trusted. Though Lu Lin was her high school classmate, their relationship had never been particularly close—they merely chatted occasionally and shared notes. As for Hua Xiaoman, whom she met within this scenario and had even shared life-or-death experiences with, Yuuya was still reluctant to trust him, having never truly gotten to know him.

[Chi Yuuya: This scenario feels strange, like its difficulty level is underestimated.]

Jiang Pan sighed helplessly. Since she refused to speak aloud, they might as well chat through the app.

[Jiang Pan: What do you mean?]

This scenario should be straightforward—destroy all the paper effigies here, then find the ghost bride, and the mission would be complete. How could it be strange?

In fact, Jiang Pan found this scenario a bit dull. It was too refined, lacking the scary, terrifying vibe he preferred. He would have been more amused if it were bloodier and more violent, like the previous two scenarios. As it was, his camera and phone had little opportunity to be put to use.

[Chi Yuuya: There’s no limit to the participants, and the bodies plastered with yellow talismans were torn apart.]

[Chi Yuuya: That only means there’s a ghost among them.]

After sending the message, the noodles were ready. She grabbed her fork and began eating. It would be nice if there were a sausage to go with it.

[Jiang Pan: You figured that out already?]

[Jiang Pan: Seems like you’d make a good detective.]

Detective? That was something to consider later. For now, she was more focused on bringing honor to the country.

The two chatted on their phones for a while, finally stopping after finishing their noodles.

“I’m going to sleep,” Yuuya said slowly, wiping her mouth.

“Go ahead,” Jiang Pan nodded.

Lying on the large bed, Yuuya pulled the blanket up to her navel, eyes fixed on the yellow talismans stuck to the four corners of the bed. Only then did she feel at ease enough to drift off.

Her sleep was especially peaceful—if only the scream outside the courtyard hadn’t shattered the quiet. Then Yuuya could have woken naturally.

She climbed out of bed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. What was happening outside now?

Jiang Pan also got up, and the two, wearing slippers, opened the door and stepped out.

In the main hall lay a man dressed in a red wedding outfit, his hands folded over his stomach. A faint smile lingered on his lips, suggesting he had died after experiencing something joyful.

“Another death!” Xie Pei’s voice rang sharply through the hall, so loud and piercing that everyone present frowned.

“Wasn’t it said that the ghost bride only targets women as substitute ghosts? Why is a man dead now?” someone in the crowd asked, puzzled.