He felt that the other party could do it, even under the cover of the night, at any time.
Not today, maybe tomorrow.
Tong Xiaosong tightly grasped the armrest of the chair, contemplating whether to go all out and break the deadlock.
He had to admit that after seeing the deaths of those three people and being comforted by the psychologist, he had developed a courage to face everything and burn the bridges behind him.
Gu Xuan stood up, his strong and tall figure giving off a strong sense of crisis. He suddenly spoke, “Your sister…”
Tong Xiaosong paused, loosening his grip on the chair’s armrest, looking at the other person with a touch of sorrow.
Gu Xuan’s expression was serious, lacking the usual triumphant smile. He spoke calmly, “If you die, your sister will be very sad.”
Tong Xiaosong took a deep breath, trembling as he covered his face. His sister…
Gu Xuan continued, “I’ve already threatened you. There’s no need to hide my malice towards you. But I really just need you to help me get something. It’ll take about half an hour. Now, come with me. After you come back, you can still sleep. Otherwise, you won’t get enough rest for tomorrow’s classes, and you’ll be drowsy.”
Tong Xiaosong put down his hands, looking at Gu Xuan with suspicion. It was the first time he openly scrutinized Gu Xuan like this.
He felt that tonight’s Gu Xuan was very different, as if he had suddenly changed his appearance.
This made him feel a bit hopeful. “What do you want me to get for you?”
“A copper basin.” Gu Xuan spoke without hesitation, using his hands to indicate the size of a basin. “It’s this big. It should be under my bed in the bedroom. Help me take it out.”
“Under your bed in the bedroom?” Tong Xiaosong found it even more strange. “Then why don’t you get it yourself?”
Gu Xuan clicked his tongue, “The door is locked, and I didn’t bring the key. There’s only one window to get in, and with my physique, I can’t squeeze through. Only you can.”
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.
Tong Xiaosong thought for a moment, suddenly becoming wary, “Why don’t you call a locksmith? Also, my dormitory door was locked just now. How did you open it?”
Xe Wejc ofii rlifca. Lf rajgfv fzqgfrrlbcifrris ja Kbcu Wljbrbcu, jr lo mbcrlvfglcu ktja ab vb klat tlw.
Kbcu Wljbrbcu, cfgnber jcv agfwyilcu, yfmjwf wbgf jcv wbgf afcrf ecvfg Xe Wejc’r ujhf, ilxf j ybk atja kjr jybea ab gfjmt lar ilwla.
Obmxlcu fsfr, Xe Wejc revvfcis rwlifv.
“Yxjs, P jvwla, P ilfv. Dea sbe wera ajxf atlr atlcu. Qtfatfg sbe ub kliilcuis bg cba, sbe tjnf ab ub. Yatfgklrf…” Xe Wejc’r tjcv gfrafv bc atf vbbg, tlr fsfr qijsoei, “P’ii mibrf atf vbbg.”
“No!” Tong Xiaosong panicked. He looked at the door and then at Gu Xuan. He didn’t know if Gu Xuan’s words were true or false, but they sounded real because Gu Xuan had already torn off the facade; there was no need to continue lying.
What exactly was this copper basin, and why did it have to be him to retrieve it?
“I-I’ll go…” Tong Xiaosong hesitated for a moment, wanting to bring something for self-defense. But as he thought about it, with Gu Xuan’s physique, there probably wasn’t anything he could bring that would make a difference.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, calmed himself, and stepped out.
Hopefully, as Gu Xuan said, it’s just fetching a copper basin.
***
Tong Xiaosong followed Gu Xuan over the wall and reached the outskirts of the school.
Tong Xiaosong didn’t notice that, from the moment he climbed down the wall, everything became silent.
No insect chirps, no car horns, no sounds at all.
Unaware, he followed the person in front of him for two blocks and arrived at a two-story building with a private yard.
Gu Xuan stood outside the gate, signaling to him, “Go in. Under the bed, there’s a copper basin. Just take it out.”
Tong Xiaosong hesitated, looking at the two-story building. It seemed uninhabited because there were no lights or any signs of illumination.
“Is this… your home?” Tong Xiaosong doubted because Gu Xuan’s current behavior didn’t seem like he was entering his own home. He stood outside like a stranger, not intending to step inside.
“Yeah, my house,” Gu Xuan sighed. “I live alone. No one inside. Go in, but be careful; there’s a power outage, too dark. When you enter, be cautious. My bedroom is on the second floor. I won’t tell you about the rest; find it yourself.”
Tong Xiaosong immediately noticed something, “You don’t know which room is your bedroom on the second floor?”
Gu Xuan opened his mouth, seemingly caught off guard by Tong Xiaosong’s question. He narrowed his eyes suddenly, “I find you’re not smart when you should be and pretty quick when you shouldn’t be. Well, just consider it someone else’s house. Can you go in as if you’re stealing something? By the way, I’ve placed something on the first floor that might be a bit scary. Don’t get frightened, and don’t wander on the first floor. Just find the stairs directly.”
Seeing this, Tong Xiaosong didn’t know whether to believe Gu Xuan’s bizarre words.
But everything was so real and reliable, more genuine than any other time with Gu Xuan.
He pushed open the door and glanced back at Gu Xuan, still feeling uneasy.
Gu Xuan said, “How about I shout now? See if anyone comes out of the room?”
Tong Xiaosong thought that if Gu Xuan intended to harm him, even shouting wouldn’t make anyone come out.
Having come this far, if there was any danger waiting for him inside, it was already too late to turn back.
He never had a choice.
Knowing what awaited him ahead, he still had no real choice but to move forward.
The splendid double-door was not locked. He pulled it open easily.
Standing at the entrance, he cautiously looked inside.
Just as Gu Xuan had described, something was placed on the first floor, illuminated by two candles, casting a faint glow.
What was most frightening was that the object turned out to be a paper effigy.
Having seen offerings to gods and Buddhas, he had never encountered one made in the likeness of a person, let alone illuminated by two candles.
If Gu Xuan hadn’t warned him, encountering such a thing suddenly might have prompted him to run away immediately.
There seemed to be no signs of anyone hiding inside. He nervously opened both doors wide, making the room spacious, and only then did he enter.
The staircase was right across from the paper effigy, and as he stepped onto the stairs, he felt a chill down his spine, unable to resist turning back to glance at the eerie paper effigy.
Unlike the paper effigies in the funeral parlor, this one lacked vibrant colors, with only a touch of red at the facial features. The varying shades of red gave it a lifelike quality, as if… alive.
A shiver ran down Tong Xiaosong’s spine, and he dared not dwell on the thought. He quickly turned and sprinted up the stairs.
His footsteps echoed on the staircase, producing a rhythmic sound.
Just as he reached the second floor, a door opened on its own, and simultaneously, footsteps emanated from within.
Tong Xiaosong was startled, quickly hiding behind the wall. He cautiously peered at the door.
Contrary to expectations, no one emerged from the door, yet the sound of footsteps persisted.
He even heard the footsteps passing right in front of him, followed by the familiar sound of climbing stairs.
Clearly, there was no one there, so why were there footsteps?
Tong Xiaosong covered his mouth to stifle any potential gasps, curiously approaching and crouching by the stair railing to look down.
In the incense burner in front of the paper effigy, three new sticks of incense had just been lit.
That’s the gong bruh. But why use that face when he knew that SongSong hates him to the bone?
That basin probably stops him from being able to harm Gu Xuan, so he needed it out of the house, but with the other three dead the only tormentor left with enough psychological leverage to be able to push Tong Xiaosong to follow him out to a strange house and take something from it is Gu Xuan itself.
Too bro, find another handsome, tall guy. Ur baby will seriously run away when he see u!. Thanks for the translation !~~^0^
ˁ•ᴗ•ˀつ～ 💞
So will the gong have to possess another person’s body to have physical contact with mc later on? 🤔