“He’s perfectly sane.” Around Qiaoyan Police Station stood several mature poplar trees, their branches lush and verdant, painting the view green whenever one looked out the window. Midday sunlight streamed through the foliage, bathing three figures in a serene and cheery glow.
The stern-faced male officer spoke to Old Yang and Pretty Sister, “I checked. He’s a freshman at ”Heping”Medical College this year, majoring in forensic medicine. Despite him being 19, he started school late and skipped several grades. His mind is sharp.”
Heping Medical College was the pride of Jiangqi City. It was one of the best medical universities in the country with a very high admission score. It was rare for someone from Qiaoyan to get in.
Both Old Yang and Pretty Sister turned their surprised gazes towards Xia Bai, who sat by the window. Despite being 19, he looked more like a high schooler, slender and fragile-looking. Dressed in a green shirt with a small white sling bag, he seemed even more delicate than the leaves outside.
They both knew he had a stunning face, making Pretty Sister initially think he was entangled in some mess. Yet his eyes… well, he didn’t look particularly bright. The way he spoke was… rather peculiar too.
Old Yang exclaimed, “What? Heping Medical College? Him, studying forensic medicine?”
“I actually think he’s quite suitable for it,” Pretty Sister had a different opinion.
“Why?” Old Yang was puzzled. How could someone who kept calling out for his Xi Shen be suited for forensic studies?
Pretty Sister explained, “Isn’t he linked to the corpse herders? I heard they have various methods through which they make corpses move, one of which involves dissecting and reassembling bodies. Forensic medicine seems like a fitting direction for him.”
Old Yang: “…”
She added, “At least he wouldn’t be afraid of cadavers in class, right?”
The male officer asked, “Do you really believe what he said?”
Old Yang: “Why would he come to the police station for no reason, looking that desperate? But I don’t think the Xi Shen lost their way. It’s more likely that they were stolen.”
The officer stated firmly, “Even if what he said is true, five Xi Shen? We must consider the possibility of him stealing corpses.”
Old Yang pondered for a moment, “Let’s check his place.”
Xia Bai lived on the outskirts of Minshi Village, quite isolated from other villagers. It was located at the base of a hill. Entering his courtyard, the reason became apparent. Coffins were buried all over. Living close to such a sight would surely terrify the neighbors.
Old Yang asked, “Did these all contain bodies originally? Why does your family have so many corpses? Don’t tell me you’re a corpse herder, they don’t even exist in this day and age anymore.”
“I’m not,” Xia Bai replied truthfully, “My grandfather was a corpse herder when he was young. These five were homeless back then. Grandpa took them in and gave them a home.”
“…”
The trio inspected the site and checked the CCTV footage. Xia Bai was hoping to see where the Xi Shen had gone via the surveillance footage.
But he was disappointed. The cameras only covered the roads and the direction towards his house, but not the courtyard itself. And they showed no sign of five skeletal figures leaving his home.
Of course, that would be the norm. And there were no suspicious figures entering or exiting, either. The only odd thing was Xia Bai’s residence, which still had its lights on at 1 in the morning.
The trio turned to confront Xia Bai, only to find that he had bolted.
He was promptly brought back.
Standing at the police station’s entrance, Old Yang sternly asked, “Are you playing games with us? Do you know the consequences?”
Lowering his head, Xia Bai softly replied, “Thank you for believing in me and helping me. I’m not playing games.”
“Not lying to me?”
“No lies.”
Old Yang studied him for a few seconds, then switched gears, “When’s your college registration?”
Caught off guard by the sudden topic change, Xia Bai took a moment to understand. “Day after tomorrow.”
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.
Vfflcu tlw ibbxlcu jr kliafv jr j ogbraylaafc fuuqijca, Yiv Tjcu rmbivfv, “Qtja jgf sbe kbggslcu jybea tfgf? Vtbeivc’a sbe yf wbgf mbcmfgcfv jybea atf qfbqif ktb wluta fcmbecafg sbeg Wl Vtfc?”
Wlj Djl: “…”
Yiv Tjcu ila j mlujgfaaf, cba ab rwbxf, yea ab olvvif klat la yfakffc tlr olcufgr, “Gb sbe gfjiis kjca ab olcv sbeg Wl Vtfc? Rb wjaafg ktja?”
Xia Bai’s only question was, “If found, would they still be my family’s Xi Shen?”
“After all these years, they’d probably just be skeletons. Who’d want a skeleton?” Old Yang said, understanding Xia Bai’s worries.
Xia Bai opened his mouth as if to say something but ended up murmuring, “I really want to find them.”
“Alright,” Old Yang extinguished his cigarette, “This matter isn’t under our jurisdiction, and even if we wanted to pursue it, we couldn’t. But there is a department that can. I’ll report it to them.”
Taking a few steps away, he turned back to Xia Bai, “Don’t worry. That department is quite competent. You should focus on preparing for college… and maybe buy some food?”
Images from the previous night oddly flashed through Xia Bai’s mind. By the time he snapped out of it, Old Yang was already far away. Xia Bai tiptoed and shouted, “Thank you, sir!”
He felt a bit more at ease and rode his electric scooter to the town’s supermarket for some groceries. On the way, he could clearly sense an increase in tension around town. People were rushing, cars honked incessantly, but some semblance of order remained.
Entering the closest supermarket, it was noticeably crowded. As he grabbed canned goods and other convenience foods, he couldn’t help but overhear the latest gossip. “They really did shut down Quanguang city today. Rumor has it there’s a contamination source there. They’re not letting anyone in.”
Many shoppers specifically checked the origin of the food, avoiding anything from Quanguang. Items on sale were mainly from there, heavily discounted. Xia Bai found quite a few bargains.
He didn’t buy much. It’d be inconvenient to bring to school, and frankly, he was low on funds.
By the time he returned, it was already dark. Sitting on his doorstep, Xia Bai stared at the empty coffins in his yard. He had no appetite.
He sat there for a long while, sleep eluding him. It was a lonely, somber night.
Xia Bai had thought he wouldn’t receive any news before his school started. Surprisingly, by the next morning, Old Yang arrived, knocking on his door with a group. Apart from Old Yang, there were two men and a woman, making up a group of four.
After a brief introduction, the woman started pacing the yard with her phone, seemingly scanning for something. Old Yang and the two men examined the coffins while Xia Bai headed to the kitchen to prepare tea.
“He’s probably telling the truth. There were likely corpses in these coffins before,” the man in the red t-shirt remarked.
“The readings are abnormal, but only slightly. It’s not conclusive,” the woman replied.
The man in the white shirt questioned Old Yang, “Are you sure he hasn’t stolen any corpses?”
“Definitely,” Old Yang confirmed. “I had Little Lei do a detailed investigation. He does frequent the cemetery and funeral home, but he’s never taken a body.”
The woman, puzzled, questioned, “Why does he visit the graveyard so often then?”
Old Yang struggled to explain, seemingly disbelieving of what he was about to say, “He probably goes there for post-dinner strolls. The villagers say he does it quite frequently.”
“…”
“And the funeral home?”
“The cremation workers say he often watches the burning, his face always showing sorrow and reluctance.”
“…”
All four turned their gaze toward Xia Bai, who was still in the kitchen. The kitchen was in the western corner of the yard, and there was a large window. He stood there brewing tea. Perhaps sensing their gazes on him, he glanced up, his expression blank.
He had beautiful, large eyes, their irises lighter than average, giving him a pure and innocent look.
“He’s too strange. Might be hiding something,” the man in the red t-shirt commented. Xia Bai shifted his gaze from the red-shirted man and served a calming chrysanthemum tea on an outdoor wooden table. The four approached, unbothered by the coffins. After expressing their gratitude, they slowly sipped the tea.
The woman asked, “Xia Bai, you said the missing Xi Shen were taken in by your grandfather when he was young?”
Xia Bai nodded, “Yes.”
“A long time must’ve passed, then. They’d be left with only skeletons by now. If, as you claimed, five skeletons went missing, there would’ve been a huge uproar, but there’s no news about it in the entire town.”
Xia Bai hesitated, struggling for words. Old Yang pressed, “Speak up. No need to hide anything.”
“The truth is, they aren’t skeletons,” Xia Bai admitted. “If you saw them from afar at night, they’d look very much like living people.”
“How’s that possible! Those corpses have been dead for decades, and you’re saying they look alive?” The red-shirted man was incredulous, “Are you deceiving us? This whole Xi Shen story is a sham, isn’t it?”
The man in the white shirt, appearing gentle and fresh-faced, probed, “How do you know they look like living people?”
For the first time, a hint of guilt appeared on Xia Bai’s face. Seizing the moment, the red-shirted man thought he had caught Xia Bai red-handed. But then he heard, “I’ve secretly dug them up before.”
“…”
It wasn’t hard to believe, considering Xia Bai often strolled around in cemeteries and mourned for cremated bodies.
The woman and the man in the red t-shirt were speechless, but the white-shirted man continued, “Why did you dig them up?”
Xia Bai hesitated.
A blush appeared on his face.
“…”
“There’s definitely something off about him! We should detain him for…”
“Shut up!” The woman interrupted the man in the red shirt. She told Xia Bai, “We’ll help you search for them. Your situation is complicated. Due to safety precautions, we need to have someone follow you.”
Xia Bai replied, “I’m enrolling in school tomorrow.”
“Which school?”
“Heping Medical College.”
The woman exchanged a glance with the white-shirted man, who then looked at the red-shirted man.
Resigned, the red-shirted man said, “Would you mind if these two stay at your place during the search, while I accompany you for enrollment?”
Xia Bai pursed his lips, nodding in agreement.
As they were leaving, Old Yang reassured him, “Don’t worry, he’s primarily here to protect you. He’s really skilled.”
Xia Bai acknowledged the other’s words. He was well aware of the man’s prowess, even if he appeared a bit raucous. He had seen a photo of him in a forum two nights prior – bloodied but with an eerily calm demeanor.
Old Yang added, “His name is Hua Haoming.”
Heping Medical College was in Jiangqi city. From Xia Bai’s home, the journey took just an hour and forty minutes. Hua Haoming allowed Xia Bai time to pack and arrived after lunch – though someone had beat him to it.
When Hua Haoming arrived, a flashy red car was parked in front of Xia Bai’s modest courtyard. Xia Bai had already cleaned up his courtyard after the previous day’s inspection. A young man entered the courtyard.
Upon seeing Hua Haoming, Xia Bai introduced, “This is my high school friend, Lin Xiang. He said he’d drive me to school.”
Lin Xiang queried, “Xia Bai, who’s this?”
Xia Bai glanced at Hua Haoming, who managed to squeeze out, “A distant… friend.”
“…”
Xia Bai explained, “He’s worried about me, so he’s driving me to school too.”
“Oh, okay.” Lin Xiang casually called Hua Haoming “Bro” without any hesitation. He then turned to Xia Bai, “Do you have a phone now?”
“Mm.” Xia Bai nodded and took out an old phone with a cracked screen. “It belonged to my grandfather.”
Lin Xiang, who was ready to present Xia Bai with a brand new phone, quickly shoved it back into his pocket.
“Great, now that you have a phone, we can stay in touch.” He quickly whipped out his own phone from another pocket.
“Quick, add me as a friend!”
After Xia Bai added him, Lin Xiang happily grabbed one of the woven bags Xia Bai had, “Shall we go now?”
Hua Haoming watched Lin Xiang’s every move, but what occupied his thoughts were, ‘So Xia Bai never used a smartphone before turning eighteen. No wonder he’s so… peculiar.’
…But that couldn’t fully explain his oddness.
Xia Bai had a lot of luggage. Lin Xiang carried a pink and white woven bag, leaving behind a blue and white one. Hua Haoming glanced at Xia Bai’s slim figure and picked up that bag, heading out. Xia Bai, with his backpack and holding a file bag, followed closely and murmured his thanks.
Both of them had cars. When they reached the entrance, Xia Bai seemed unsure about which car to choose. Hua Haoming instructed, “Get in his car. I’ll leave mine here.”
All three of them settled into Lin Xiang’s car, with Lin Xiang taking the wheel, driving towards Heping Medical College.
Lin Xiang was chatty, and Hua Haoming wasn’t the silent type either. Besides, he was eager to glean more information on Xia Bai, so they struck up a conversation quickly. Hua Haoming inquired, “Are you and Xia Bai close friends?”
Lin Xiang nodded vigorously, “Absolutely! At least I consider Xia Bai my best friend. He’s genuinely amazing.”
Hua Haoming clarified, “Because he’s good-looking and excels academically?”
Most high school students primarily cared about academic performance and looks.
“Of course,” Lin Xiang replied with pride, “But those are just superficial things. The most important thing is Xia Bai’s sincerity towards me. He’s a real sincere guy.”
Hua Haoming glanced at Xia Bai, who was in the passenger seat. From his angle, he could only see Xia Bai gazing out of the window, the shadows of the leaves from an aged ginkgo tree in Jiangqi City and specks of sunlight dancing on his fair chin.
Hua Haoming adjusted his baseball cap and chuckled, “Oh?”
Xia Bai’s chin tensed slightly.
Lin Xiang, clearly moved, recounted, “I’ve been sleepwalking since I was a kid. It wasn’t a big deal at home, but during our freshman military training, I sleepwalked to a graveyard. I’m absolutely terrified of the dead, ghosts, and such. Waking up in a graveyard would have scared me out of my wits, y’know? But Xia Bai chased after me and carried me out. He always denies it, saying he wasn’t specifically looking for me. But come on, who goes for a midnight stroll in a graveyard?”
“…”
The car entered a bustling district. Perhaps the two were engrossed in the lively scene, for the atmosphere became quiet.
“When I woke up, I was on Xia Bai’s back, the cemetery far behind us. I wasn’t traumatized. I just remember how bright the moon was that night.”
“He’s so thin and weak, but he carried me out.”
Throughout the journey, Lin Xiang chattered away. Hua Haoming seemed amused, and Xia Bai appeared indifferent. It was a harmonious ride.
Finally, they arrived at Heping Medical College. The moment the car stopped, Xia Bai swung the door open and stepped out, patting his face lightly. Just like when they got in, Lin Xiang and Hua Haoming each carried one of the woven bags, while Xia Bai shouldered his backpack, holding a file bag.
The two woven bags, one pink and one blue, combined with their red, yellow, and green shirts, made a striking trio as they stood in front of the gates of this prestigious century-old institution.
Kinda weird that he sleepwalked into a graveyard but glad that MC saved him
Maybe was under some spell or something. Like that when you pick something up or accept and then your luck or yourself get replaced?
No way MC thought he was a corpse and wanted to bring him home
Omg hahhaha
This is so interesting 😊 ta