He widened his eyes in terror, confirming that the three incense sticks were not there just a moment ago! The incense burner was clearly empty just now!
As if an invisible person walked out of that room, went downstairs, and lit the incense.
How is that possible…
Tong Xiaosong’s mind flashed with the scenes from last night again, and his body involuntarily trembled.
No way, could there really be ghosts?
No wonder Gu Xuan asked him to fetch it; it must be no good.
He swallowed hard, afraid to make loud movements. Taking advantage of the invisible person not returning yet, he quietly approached the open door.
Inside the room was clearly a bedroom, with the bedding still not tidied up, as if someone had just slept there.
He didn’t dare to linger too long, hastily crouching down to look under the bed. A yellow glow flashed, and the copper basin was right there under the bed.
So lucky!
Tong Xiaosong quickly reached out and pulled the copper basin out. Without taking a closer look, he hugged it and ran downstairs.
The thudding sounds echoed in the house.
Suddenly, there was a creak, as if someone had bumped into a chair, followed by the sound of a glass breaking.
Tong Xiaosong turned to look, but it was too dark to see clearly; he could only vaguely see that the sound came from the dining table.
Afraid to look closely, he bowed his head and ran outside but banged into the door with a loud thud.
The door?
Tong Xiaosong stared in shock at the door in front of him, his heart pounding with fear.
He had clearly left the door open, so who closed it!
Gu Xuan?
Was Gu Xuan trying to harm him again?
And had he fallen for it again?
Tong Xiaosong gripped the doorknob and, in despair, pressed down. With a creak, the door opened.
Moonlight streamed in, clearly revealing his desperate expression.
Tong Xiaosong was momentarily stunned, quickly looking towards the doorway. Surprisingly, Gu Xuan was still standing at the entrance. Upon seeing him, Gu Xuan smiled, “Did you get the copper basin?”
Heavy and hurried footsteps echoed in the living room.
Tong Xiaosong turned to look but didn’t see anyone.
Panic set in, and he quickly ran outside, tossing the copper basin to Gu Xuan.
“Here, take it!”
As he spoke, with a bang, the mansion’s door was forcefully closed by an invisible person from the inside.
Tong Xiaosong exclaimed in alarm, “There’s someone inside! But I can’t see that person!”
“Hush…”
Tong Xiaosong looked anxiously at Gu Xuan, whose index finger was pressed against his lips, sporting a mischievous smile with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
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.
Gu Xuan said, “He can’t harm you, and he can’t see you. You scared him with the noise you made. If you have the courage, make more noise later. It’s even better if you can scare him into going home to find his mom.”
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“Okay, the copper basin is yours.” Gu Xuan smiled and forcefully stuffed the copper basin into Tong Xiaosong’s arms. “I’m going home to sleep, and you should go back to sleep too.”
Saying that, Gu Xuan entered the courtyard, pushed Tong Xiaosong out of the yard, and casually locked the gate.
Seeing Tong Xiaosong still standing there motionless, he hesitated for two seconds, “…Do you want me to take you back to school?”
Tong Xiaosong immediately snapped out of his trance and quickly shook his head.
As long as Gu Xuan stayed away from him, no one could be more dangerous to him than Gu Xuan.
Seeing that Gu Xuan was really going back inside, he hurriedly asked, “What about this, this copper basin?”
Gu Xuan waved his hand, “Up to you. It’s best to keep it; it will bring you good luck.”
Tong Xiaosong stared blankly as Gu Xuan opened the mansion’s door and walked inside like the owner.
Could it be that he had misunderstood?
Was this really Gu Xuan’s home?
***
Meanwhile, inside the house.
Gu Xuan, wearing pajamas, with a pale and terrified face, surveyed the living room.
Something had just been here. What kind of thing could even go upstairs?
Upstairs? Not good!
Gu Xuan quickly ran towards the second floor, back to the bedroom. He reached under the bed, and his heart turned cold.
Refusing to give up, he crouched down to look under the bed, but still couldn’t see his copper basin.
The copper basin was gone?
This is bad, really bad!
Gu Xuan stood up and ran downstairs. Before he could reach the stairs, he saw the candles on the altar topple over, and the paper figure caught in the flames began to burn.
It’s over…
Gu Xuan collapsed, feeling as if he were in a daze.
Unable to suppress it.
His paper substitute had been broken, and everything it provided him would no longer exist. Death would once again come knocking.
How could this be?
Who was it?
Terrified, Gu Xuan couldn’t see that a person, dressed in a black tactical jacket and identical to him in appearance, was standing right in front of him.
With a chilling smirk and calm eyes, this person stared at him.
***
After a while, there was still no movement in the house. Tong Xiaosong shivered, feeling like he must be crazy to stand here.
He slowly walked back, clutching the copper basin.
Without examining it closely before, he now took a careful look. The copper basin was very old, seemingly used frequently for burning things. The bottom of the basin had been charred into a black mess, with many remnants of ashes, giving it a dirty and indescribably ominous feeling.
Could this thing bring good luck?
He would not believe Gu Xuan’s words.
Tong Xiaosong placed the copper basin on the side of the road. He had no intention of taking this thing back; he would rather forgo the so-called good luck.
Walking some distance away, he turned to look back. The copper basin was still in its place, seeming abandoned, giving him a lonely and cold feeling.
He shook his head abruptly. How could that be? It’s just an inanimate object!
Picking up his pace, he began to jog, wanting to quickly return to his dormitory, lie down under the blanket that could provide him with a bit of warmth.
Unbeknownst to the sprinting Tong Xiaosong, the shadow that should have been his alone now had a peculiar double image.
It seemed like something was hiding within his shadow, accompanying him on his way back.
As for the copper basin left behind, it had also disappeared, as if it had never existed.
***
Tong Xiaosong jumped over the school wall, and as he landed, a cacophony of sounds filled his ears – the wind, insect chirping, and faint, fragmented noises.
He was momentarily stunned.
Feeling a bit disoriented, he turned to look at the wall behind him. It belatedly occurred to him – was it too quiet outside the school?
With too many strange occurrences, he felt uneasy but chose not to dwell on it. He lowered his head and hurried towards his dormitory.
Standing again in the well-lit room, Tong Xiaosong finally felt a sense of security.
He unscrewed his thermos, poured the hot water onto a towel, and vigorously wiped his face with the warm, slightly hot cloth.
His stagnant blood seemed to restart its flow with this bit of warmth.
He took off his shoes, lay down on the bed, and was so exhausted that he couldn’t even summon the energy to change his clothes before closing his eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, Tong Xiaosong suddenly woke up from a dream. He smelled something burning.
Was there a fire somewhere?
As he opened his eyes, the smell gradually dissipated.
As if it were just a part of his dream.
Even though the smell was gone, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was familiar, as if he had encountered it somewhere before.
Suddenly, Tong Xiaosong was startled!
Why was the room pitch black!?
Did he turn off the lights when he went to sleep? Why couldn’t he remember turning off the lights?
It seemed like he slept with the lights on!
Did the power go out?
Tong Xiaosong tightly covered himself with the blanket, fear widening his eyes as he looked around.
Though the room was very dark, without any curtains, he could still see clearly through the moonlight coming in from the window.
There seemed to be no changes.
Hmm? What’s that smell?
Tong Xiaosong sniffed, gradually extending his body from the bed.
There was a very familiar smell, as if it was coming from… under the bed?
His body acted faster than his brain, and he bent down to look under the bed.
When he saw the golden thing under the bed, blood rushed to his brain in an instant. He froze, fear gripping his soul.
Why?
Why would the copper basin he threw away appear under his bed?
Coming back to his senses, Tong Xiaosong quickly ran to the door, slapping the light switch.
The dormitory instantly brightened, everything seemed calm, as if nothing was amiss.
He stared intently under his bed, his frightened expression as if there was a man-eating demon hiding underneath.
After a while, still no movement.
Tong Xiaosong’s mind was like a tangled mess. Did someone put the copper basin under his bed?
Did the copper basin grow legs by itself?
Who turned off his light again?
Did someone enter the dorm while he was sleeping?
He turned to check the door lock; it was tightly secured, showing no signs of being tampered with.
The lock was unidirectional, even if someone managed to pick the lock from the outside, it wouldn’t be possible to lock it from there.
After much thought, he recalled Gu Xuan. How did Gu Xuan manage to unlock the door?
Standing still for a long time, he finally felt a bit unsteady.
He crouched down and pulled out the copper basin again, carefully examining it. It looked the same as before, with nothing peculiar.
Except for the smell. He sniffed it forcefully, and the scent of burning seemed a bit stronger than before.
Other than that, nothing unusual.
After some contemplation, Tong Xiaosong opened the dormitory door.
He went to the large trash bin where everyone dumped their garbage and tossed the copper basin inside.
As he took a few steps back, he looked back anxiously and saw the copper basin still lying in the trash bin.
Returning to the dormitory with a cautious look around, Tong Xiaosong locked the door again.
He sat on the bed for a while, gradually feeling tired, wanting to lie down and sleep.
The next moment, Tong Xiaosong widened his eyes in shock. Why couldn’t he move!?
With a click, the light went out.
Ooo can’t move. Heheheheheeheh damn my dirty mind… Hehehe~~. Thanks for this awesome translation !
ˁ•ᴗ•ˀつ～ 💞
Cliffhanger 😭
Uh ohh OwO