The entire hotel was now submerged in a hazy mist. All the mountain sounds seemed to be coming from a distance, and everything around Xiao Lan was quiet, like a tranquil space that was separate from the world.
Xiao Lan sensed that the situation wasn’t right. “Gu Shengan?”
His voice echoed around him, but there was no response.
Xiao Lan frowned. “Luo?”
Suddenly, the dense, white mist was stained pitch black as the colour rapidly extended out from a distance. When it reached Xiao Lan’s feet, the shadow bundle slowly unfurled to reveal the black cat inside.
The black cat opened his mouth; it was a low and elegant voice. “Sir.”
Xiao Lan: “Where did you go?”
The black cat flicked his tail. “We were separated. This place appears to be an independent space. I was only able to determine your position when I heard your call.”
Xiao Lan held the cat and began walking through the white mist. This was still the hotel’s layout, but visibility in the mist was very poor, and he could only see roughly two meters around him.
There was no sound in the white mist; only his footsteps echoed in the emptiness, as if without end.
“Luo, did you notice that we seem to have passed this pool three times?” Xiao Lan frowned as he looked at the hot spring pool not far away.
Luo: “Yes. The crack in the third rock by the pool is exactly the same as the last two.”
Had they encountered a ghost wall? To encounter a ghost wall in a phantom space seemed… extremely reasonable. But logically speaking, he had destroyed the spiritual tool, so Gu Mo now shouldn’t mix up his aura with that of those five people; why was he still trapped?
As he was puzzling over it, he saw a figure in front of him standing under an old and lofty tree that looked decades old. That person was drenched in water from the hot spring and had black hair. Their head dangled at an impossible angle, as if there was no skeleton to support it.
It was Gu Mo.
Xiao Lan became guarded. He had already used his ability; it would be hard to go up against the boss now in this situation.
Gu Mo, however, didn’t approach them. She slowly lifted her dangling hand — there was a savage break where her wrist and arm were joined — and pointed in the direction of the hot spring, and then remained fixed in that pose.
After a while, Gu Mo’s figure gradually disappeared in the mist.
Did she want him to investigate the hot spring pool?
Xiao Lan recalled what Yang Degao said about how he dismembered Gu Mo’s corpse and tossed it into the cement mixer during an overhaul of the back garden at the time. Comparing locations, this hot spring just happened to be the back garden.
Then, Gu Mo’s body was probably here.
Xiao Lan: “Luo, check and see if there are any body parts here.”
“Yes, sir.” Luo stood up and ran over to the hot spring. A black shadow spread out with his movement, and it circled around the hot spring.
“Here.” Luo hopped onto a decorative rock and pointed at the rightmost side of the pool with his paw. It was a very hard cement surface which looked very durable and had no cracks in it at all.
Xiao Lan picked up a decorative rock from the side of the pool, and after weighing it for a moment in his hand, he threw it hard at the surface. It was tough, but still doable.
Solid rock collided non-stop with the hard ground and produced tremendous thumps.
After a while, the cement was pulverised to reveal countless rotten bones that had been cruelly chopped up; there was even a lone hand embedded in the cement, and not far from it was a dirty old handphone, which was like the one Xiao Lan fished out from the pond back then.
This was most likely Gu Mo’s actual phone; who knew what the one Tong Qing had picked up was made from.
This phone, which had been immersed in water, buried in cement for ten years, and looked impossible to turn on, suddenly lit up at that moment and dialled a number, as if someone was controlling it.
How touchingly sturdy.
.
The mist in front of Xiao Lan began to dissipate, and someone emerged at the same time — it was Yang Degao, who was so frightened that his face was deathly pale and his wrinkles had deepened significantly.
In front of him was a mottled and faded image that was similar to an old photograph.
Yang Degao in his fifties from ten years ago was firmly clutching a schoolgirl by the neck. The schoolgirl’s hair was long and inky black — it was Gu Mo.
“No!” Yang Degao stepped forward hurriedly to stop himself, but his hand simply passed through the shoulder of his past self. Yang Degao from ten years ago ignored him, and his movements weren’t affected in the slightest.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Cii bo atlr kjr pera jc liierlbc.
The harm had already been dealt; now, it was nothing more than an evil and guilt-ridden afterimage.
Xe Zb qeiifv ja Tjcu Gfujb klat ybat tjcvr. Vtf rageuuifv klat jii tfg wluta, ibbxlcu obg j kjs ab regnlnf, yea vfrqjlgfv ja atf lwwfcrf ragfcuat jgbecv tfg cfmx.
Eluta ja atja wbwfca, lc j qijmf rfqjgjafv ys j rlcuif kjii, atf gjember ijeutafg bo j ugbeq bo sbecurafgr gjcu bea. Ktfs kfgf jii ojwliljg nblmfr.
“That beggar Gu Mo didn’t even appear at dinner. She probably went on a date with someone.”
“How can that be called a date ah? It’s more or less just an appointment for that kind of thing.”
“Whoa —”
“How shameless ah.”
Gu Mo’s eyes instantly widened. She reached out to where the sounds were, and cried out soundlessly for help.
Help!!
Save me!!
Please come here ah!!!!
“Shall we go to the hot springs later?”
“Sure sure! I want to go to that famous medicinal spring.”
…
What a pity that a thin wall cut her off from her chance to survive. The sounds ruthlessly left, taking with them a girl’s last hope.
Ten years ago, Yang Degao’s face was filled with malevolent killing intent. With the sound of a crisp snap, a girl’s life faded. The last thing she heard was her schoolmates’ malicious mocking; the last thing she saw was her own teacher’s crazy appearance.
“No! No! I didn’t want to kill you! It was just an accident…” Pained, Yang Degao knelt on the ground with tears flowing down his face. In the fading image, the girl’s pale face soundlessly met his gaze.
There was the sound of a phone’s ringtone. It was an old song.
Yang Degao stiffened. This was his phone’s ringtone. He took his phone out from his pocket with a trembling hand. Astonishingly, the caller displayed was — Gu Mo!!
He had never saved Gu Mo’s number. There was no way someone who had been dead for ten years could make a call. Yang Degao tried to fling the phone far away with all his might, but his trembling hand didn’t have much strength, and the phone fell a mere meter away from him.
The phone automatically connected the call. This time, what came out wasn’t a mechanical, monotonous voice. The female voice on the phone was clear and refreshing, and carried a trace of bashfulness. “Excuse me, is this Teacher Yang?”
To Yang Degao’s ears, it was like a bewitching song from hell. He abruptly backed away. “Let me go… Let me go ba, I don’t want to die!!”
The voice on the phone rang out again. “Teacher Yang, did you, let me go?”
Yang Degao had already broken down. He knelt and slammed his head on the ground repeatedly with loud bangs. “I’ll burn you incense, give you offerings — I’ll give you anything!! Just let me go!!”
There was light laughter on the phone. “Hehe, give me anything? Then — come keep me company ba!!”
A geyser suddenly erupted from the hot spring and surged towards Yang Degao. Yang Degao was as powerless to struggle in front of the geyser as Gu Mo had been back then.
The geyser swept Yang Degao along with his cries of fear to the hot spring.
After a moment, a human figure dressed in Yang Degao’s clothes floated up to the water surface. Its four limbs were flabby and dangled listlessly, like a leaking balloon, and the figure’s shape rippled along with the water.
The faded world was shrouded in mist once more.
.
Xiao Lan continued forward, and didn’t encounter another ghost wall this time.
There was no way to tell the flow of time in the mist; who knew how much time had passed.
The figures of two people leaning on each other gradually approached in the white mist. It was Zhang Jie and Cheng Lang. Zhang Jie seemed to have twisted her ankle, and was limping as she walked. Next to her, Cheng Lang had wrapped his arm around her to support her as they moved forward.
When the two sides met, Zhang Jie’s expression changed; it was as if her mouth was filled with the rancid smell of that rotten cloth again. She stared hatefully at that cursed black cat, then did her best to stare daggers at Xiao Lan.
Noticing how strangely she was acting, Cheng Lang asked, “What’s wrong?”
With someone to protect her, Zhang Jie’s courage grew. “He’s the one who tied me up just now! It’s also his fault that we appeared here. We were so close to succeeding, but he destroyed the spiritual tool.”
Cheng Lang’s face sank as his hands balled into fists. “You fucke—”
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Lan raised a hand and punched the wooden pillar next to him. The pillar broke down the middle with a bang.
Xiao Lan gave them a light smile. “Need something?”
Cheng Lang: “…”
Zhang Jie: “…”
Nope, sorry to bother.
“Instead of reminiscing with me, it seems an old friend is paying the two of you a visit.” Xiao Lan pointed behind them.
They both turned their heads in confusion.
An outdated computer appeared in the mist. The screen was lit; it was the interface for a messaging software, and the chat content was scrolling very quickly.
Fu Wenbo: Did you guys hear? That Gu Mo ran off with some good-for-nothing last night.
Student A: For real? Don’t talk nonsense.
Fu Wenbo: For real ah. Everyone’s saying so. I heard that Teacher Yang even saw it. She must have gotten pregnant and ran away since she couldn’t hide it.
Du Yuhui: Sluts are just that disgusting. Being in the same class as her is simply my life’s greatest shame.
Zhang Jie: Aiya, Gu Mo is fine ba. She even ended up in the news ah; blame her for worrying people.
Student B: What news?
Zhang Jie: You still don’t know ah. [link]
Du Yuhui: Fuck me!
Cheng Lang: I knew she was this sleazy long ago; I look down on this sort of person. Look at this too. [link]
It was exaggerated writing one after another, and the news reports, which didn’t hesitate to distort the truth for the sake of clicks, were thus spread among the students by Cheng Lang and Zhang Jie. The crowd immediately burst into an uproar.
Zhang Jie’s face turned white as the chat scrolled. “No… lies… I was just worried about her…”
Chang Lang also began to tremble. “I don’t know, it wasn’t me.”
As if refuting their quibbles, the scene in the white mist began to change.
It was still a faded image, like an old photograph. Dressed in expensive silk pajamas, Zhang Jie was lying leisurely on her exquisite princess bed. One hand holding a snack, she typed with the other.
Princess J: I’ve given you the money, so write the report according to what I said.
Tangerine Gossip Little R: Ok, your satisfaction is guaranteed. With a bit more money, I can give you a good placement, want it?
Princess J: Want! How much space do you guys still have? Might as well just write a few more paragraphs.
Tangerine Gossip Little R: As long as you’re willing to spend the money, I can even give you the front page!
Princess J: Hmph, do I lack money?!
Elsewhere, Cheng Lang was sitting in his slightly small and ordinary room, and forwarding every link Zhang Jie sent to him to different groups, a faint smile on his face as he continued to find topics to chat about with Zhang Jie.
Cheng Lang and Zhang Jie shared a look, and saw the alarm and despair in each other’s eyes.
A crisp and melodious ringtone rang out.
Instantly, it was as if Zhang Jie had been struck by lightning. She looked at her phone, which was the latest model with the best tech, as if she was looking at a devil that was choosing someone to devour. Her entire body locked up with fear; she didn’t even have the courage to throw away the phone, and could only stare blankly at Gu Mo’s incoming call.
Gu Mo’s voice sounded through the phone. “Zhang Jie.”
Zhang Jie’s eyes widened, her harsh gasps almost causing her to be unable to speak a complete sentence. “Gu… he… Gu… Gu Mo…”
Gu Mo sounded like she was chatting with a friend. “Why?”
Terror caused Zhang Jie’s lips to tremble, each syllable somewhat shaky. “I – I…”
But what could she say? Say that Gu Mo had received more gazes on opening day? Say that the senior she liked complimented Gu Mo’s essay? Say that she was jealous of Gu Mo’s looks? Say that she was disdainful and extremely proud of herself when she learnt that Gu Mo’s family was poor?
In the end, she could only defend herself with a pale face. “I wasn’t the one who killed you, so don’t come after me, okay…”
Gu Mo laughed lightly, as if she was carefree and without worries. “No.”
“AH —” Zhang Jie let out a despairing scream, and as if she had finally found the strength, she hurled the phone to the ground. After that, she took out one thing after another and threw them at the phone. A bracelet with a Buddha carving, a blessed jade pendant from around her neck, a silk brocade bag from her pocket with a talisman inside…
But unfortunately, it was useless.
The bracelet was torn to pieces in the air by an unseen force, the beads sent flying everywhere and tumbling to the ground; the jade pendant disintegrated into powder as it fell; and the silk brocade bag burst into flames just before it touched the phone, and rapidly turned into drifting ash.
The entire time Zhang Jie was resisting, she was pale and weak, just like the young girl who struggled weakly in the past against persistent rumours and slander.
Before Zhang Jie could pull her hand back, it twisted as if something was pulling on it. Bit by bit, it turned in one direction in front of her eyes until it reached the limit that a human body could endure.
With a crack, there was the brittle sound of bones breaking, and Zhang Jie almost fainted at the intense pain.
Zhang Jie turned to Cheng Lang with a deathly white face. “Save me…”
This person had always expressed goodwill towards her since high school, and had put in a lot of effort with regard to the Gu Mo matter that year. He had even been willing to lend her a hand when they entered the dense mist this time; he had to be truly in love with her. This time, if they managed to get out of here alive, she may as well consider dating him ba; consider it gratitude for his many years of sincerity.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Lang took a step back.
There was an expression of righteous indignation on his face, and he shouted at the empty air around him, “Gu Mo, I only treated you that way because she lied to me. She kept telling me that you weren’t a good person, which was the reason why I misunderstood you. Actually… actually, the one I always liked was you!
“It’s true. The first time I saw you at the beginning of high school, you caught my attention. You were so unique in the crowd, like a secluded orchid in a deserted valley. At that time, I already had a deep impression of you.”
As if convincing himself, Cheng Lang pointed at Zhang Jie. “If she didn’t exist, if this malicious woman didn’t exist, we probably would have been together long ago.
“Momo, believe me, I really didn’t want to hurt you!
“Momo, you love me so much; you wouldn’t hurt me, right?”
This impromptu performance could be considered skilfully done. Regardless of whether it was feelings, the lines, or the actions, they were all quite perfect, and portrayed a touching scene of a wastrel deeply in love who suddenly saw the light. If this was a melodrama, it might move the vast stretch of audience that liked this sort of thing.
Unfortunately, there was no response; only Zhang Jie’s pained screams rang out endlessly in the air.
Seeing that his sincere confession didn’t garner the result he wanted, Cheng Lang’s heart sank. Ignoring Zhang Jie, who had already fallen to the ground in pain, he spared no effort to run away.
Even though working as a manager didn’t require much physical exertion, Cheng Lang usually went to the gym every week to maintain his figure. He was still in very good shape, and was very swift when running. In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared into the white mist, and the white mist did nothing at all to stop him, like a cat purposely releasing a mouse.
Zhang Jie was unable to come back to her senses for a time after Cheng Lang’s direct and unwavering act.
She never thought that she, a person who had been pursued for many years, would suddenly be betrayed, and the one who had done it was an ordinary man for whom she usually didn’t even spare a glance.
Fuck, men were scam demons.
Zhang Jie’s head was covered in cold sweat, and she placed her other hand on the ground and tried to stand up.
However, she felt an invisible force grab her arm, and then her left leg, her right leg, her neck…
Despair gripped her heart.
The force increased incrementally, and it gradually became hard for her bones and muscles to bear it. In the midst of a suffocating feeling and the pain of being torn apart, her awareness of this world slowly faded.
In the final bits of her consciousness, she was reluctant and unresigned to her fate. She was still young; she was so rich; her family has authority and power… She didn’t want to die…
Baobao Notes
Wow a 10k chapter. Jesus. gonna have to split this chapter, obviously.
thank you for the chapter!! ^-^
But you had to die b#tch . And no-one is mourning for you ~
To be honest, that’s your karma. All because of you being envious about her looks, and how you decided to be a bish about it as you gossiped and slandered her for being poor. I believe that was what you deserved.
Sorry, accidentally replied. 😅
It is ok😊 happens)
They deserve it (-ω- )
Thanks for the chapter!
Wow, so fast! Thanks for the translation (ﾟ∀ﾟ)
They were all jerks for no freaking reason. She was beautiful? So what?
She was poor? What did that have to do with you?
I hope Gu Shengan is okay!
Thanks for the chapter!
+1
I’d call them rotten or simply evil…
Thanks for the chapter!
thank you for the chapter! the deep voice cat made me remember of the video of a cat with deep voice….
Look up “Buff cat allstate voice” for the best meme ever lmfao
Thanks for the chapter!!
Thanks for the chapter!
Thank you for the chapter!!! ❤️❤️
Thanks for the update
Thank you!!!!!
Man I asked the same question as Gu Mo, “Why?” Y’all were teenagers, Why so malicious?
Children can be so mean… she’s prettier but because she is poor she is treated so badly…. shame shame…. thanks for the chapter
Xiao baby is like a deliverer of death
You are already so close to death what can your richness do? Heh
Karma. So sweet 😤