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墨書 Inktalez
To verify the authenticity of this unfamiliar phone number and whether its owner is in trouble, Ye Chenfeng had them dial the number three times. Strangely, no one answered.
Could this be another incident similar to what happened with Chen Peiling?
Ye Feng had topped up her phone bill for several years, but the owner had long since passed away.
Daydreaming and making wild guesses, the four of them, except for Ye Chenfeng, exchanged glances. After eating hot pot, they felt a bit dry and thirsty, so they kept downing ice-cold beer.
After finishing a bottle of cold beer, feeling refreshed and much clearer-headed, they became more talkative.
Ye Chenfeng, extremely frustrated and anxious, felt lost.
Su Bei said, "Could it be that a junior from school has taken a liking to you but doesn't know how to say it? Maybe she sent you a text pretending to be in trouble just to ask you out?"
Qin Keqing nodded in agreement with Su Bei's speculation.
Shen Binghan stammered, "Ye Daozhang has quite a few female friends; why not introduce one or two to us so we can also find someone?"
"Yeah, that's a good suggestion."
Ye Chenfeng stood up and smiled wryly. "If you don't want to be scared to death, I can introduce you to a couple of ghost sisters instead. If you're afraid, just keep quiet."
Seeing him about to leave, Qin Keqing said, "Don't rush off. I'll go settle the bill, and then we can leave together."
Ye Chenfeng replied, "A few days ago, you mentioned going to Four Hospitals but didn't make it. I want to check it out tonight." He wanted to temporarily set aside the matter of the strange number and not let unresolved issues interfere with more important matters.
Su Bei and Shen Binghan were surprised. "You're still going? Didn't you already figure out what happened with Chen Peiling?"
Ye Chenfeng suddenly felt like smoking. He sighed and said, "This time I'm going for something else."
"Going to the Four Hospitals in the dead of night? What if someone catches you and beats you to death!" Shen Binghan's words were not unfounded; it was not just a scare tactic. There had been an incident in Purple City where a thief was beaten to death by a mob. The number of people involved was countless, and no one could determine who had struck the first blow, so the matter was ultimately left unresolved.
Moreover, the Four Hospitals was a mental institution, housing patients with severe mental illnesses. It was located far from the bustling city center, in the relatively remote northern outskirts. Although it was situated in a quiet area, who would willingly go there without reason? Unless one had lost their mind as well.
Ye Chenfeng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've been there before; it looks fine." He didn't want to drag the Three Troublemakers into this; it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, if they went along and couldn't help, he would have to constantly worry about their safety.
Qin Keqing settled the bill while teasing the waitress at the bar.
As a regular customer with reward points, he saved quite a bit on this meal.
The waitress was a young woman who seemed to have a good impression of him, but he viewed her from a position of superiority. In the world of rich second-generation individuals, how could an ordinary person understand? Ye Chenfeng knew that many girls at school had crushes on Qin Keqing because of his family background and handsome appearance, making him quite popular.
However, Qin Keqing's interests extended beyond mere beauty; not just any pretty girl could attract him or make him commit. He dismissed those at school who were infatuated with him. The girl before him had some charm, but he merely joked with her. When she seriously asked for his phone number, he simply smiled and walked away with an indifferent demeanor.
"You want to go to the Four Hospitals?"
Qin Keqing nodded at Ye Chenfeng's question. "What? Are you afraid I might not come back?"
Qin Keqing enjoyed adventure; during high school, he had cycled and hiked to many places.
Now that Ye Chenfeng mentioned going to the Four Hospitals, he naturally wanted to tag along but was curious about Ye Chenfeng's intentions for visiting such a taboo Mental Hospital.
Ever since he deciphered the meanings in The Ghost-Quaking Scripture and learned about fortune-telling and even basic mind-reading techniques, he had become increasingly intrigued.
Leaning forward, Qin Keqing spoke seriously about going to the Four Hospitals. It seemed he was genuinely interested—
"What's up? You want to go?"
Sitting in the back seat together, they whispered to each other while Su Bei and Shen Binghan in front exchanged skeptical glances.
"Well, I just don't know what you're planning to do this time. You aren't thinking of capturing a lunatic to play with, are you?"
Ye Chenfeng didn't want to involve any of the Three Troublemakers, so he had no intention of telling them about it. Noticing Qin Keqing's interest in the matter, he simply smiled and said, "It's nothing, just going to find someone."
Qin Keqing straightened up, puffed out his chest, and declared, "I'm coming with you."
Seeing him so confident, Ye Chenfeng realized that Qin Keqing must have thought he would agree to let him tag along.
"Don't. The person I'm looking for doesn't like strangers."
"Oh." Qin Keqing looked disappointed and fell silent after that.
In front of them, Su Bei and Shen Binghan were eavesdropping but couldn't hear clearly. They decided not to interrupt and instead closed their eyes slightly, dozing off.
Ye Chenfeng had no plans to return to school; he got off at the North Gate station and intended to take a taxi to the Four Hospitals in the northern suburbs.
Seeing this, Qin Keqing disregarded Ye Chenfeng's objections and also got out of the car.
Su Bei and Shen Binghan were puzzled by what these two were up to. Since Shen Binghan seemed genuinely drunk, they opted not to insist on getting out and instead returned to school.
As autumn deepened, the mornings and evenings turned chilly. Daylight hours noticeably shortened, and at this moment, pedestrians hurried home. Only Ye Chenfeng and Qin Keqing were heading away from school toward the Four Hospitals in the western suburbs.
The car drove quickly, but it was cold inside.
At first, Qin Keqing didn't feel cold, but after sitting for a while, he began to shiver.
The driver was a middle-aged man. He found it strange that two kids would want to go to the Four Hospitals at this hour. Anything could happen on the road, including robbery.
In his line of work, there had been cases where drivers were killed during robberies, and their cars ended up submerged in water.
The driver was filled with suspicion towards Ye Chenfeng and Qin Keqing.
He glanced at them in the rearview mirror; they didn't seem like bad people. But then he looked again and noticed an unexpected third person—a woman with a pale face partially hidden beneath her inky black hair.
The driver jolted slightly, focusing again, but she had vanished.
It seemed to be a trick of the light, perhaps due to visual fatigue.
He sighed and asked Ye Chenfeng and Qin Keqing, "Are you visiting relatives?" He figured that was the only reason they would be heading to the Mental Hospital at this hour.
"Yes," Qin Keqing thought it was cold but kept that to himself. He casually agreed while watching Ye Chenfeng leaning back in his seat, dozing off.
Ye Chenfeng wasn't asleep; he was aware of the extra "person" in the car.
This additional "person" was Chen Peiling.
The driver caught sight of Chen Peiling and quickly signaled for her to become invisible, not wanting to frighten anyone.
"You two must be heading to college soon, right?" The driver often made small talk, hoping to glean something from their conversation. If they were indeed troublemakers, he needed to plan ahead—either abandon the car and flee or just go along with it and use today’s hard-earned money for safety.
This time it was Ye Chenfeng who responded; upon hearing the driver's question, he opened his eyes.
"Yes, don’t overthink it, Uncle. We’re just visiting relatives."
The driver was puzzled; it seemed this kid wasn’t simple—he could see through his thoughts.
Qin Keqing questioned, "How did you know he suspected us of…"
Ye Chenfeng smiled and replied, "It's a secret."
"Hey, are you keeping secrets from me?"
Qin Keqing cursed under her breath.
Chen Peiling, feeling furious, suddenly elongated her body, moving as swiftly as a snake. Her tongue flicked out and quickly licked Qin Keqing's face.
It felt wet and sticky, startling Qin Keqing into exclaiming, "What was that?"
Ye Chenfeng suppressed the urge to laugh and pretended to be nonchalant, glancing around and asking, "What do you mean?" As he spoke, he pulled out the Ghost-Collecting Gourd to intimidate Chen Peiling, warning her that if she didn't behave, he would collect her.
This tactic proved effective.
Chen Peiling dared not act recklessly.
But Qin Keqing was relentless. "I mean, Ye Daozhang, there can't be anything dirty in this car, right?" She kept wiping her face with her sleeve, still feeling uncomfortable, and frowned as she spoke.
Ye Chenfeng frowned in response. "Stop talking nonsense; the driver will overhear and make a fuss."
The car had already left the North Gate of Purple City far behind. The streetlights along the road looked like stars hanging in the night sky. Beneath the dim light, a thin layer of mist floated gently like a delicate veil, swaying with the wind.
The headlights illuminated the road ahead, revealing rapidly flashing zebra crossing signs against what seemed to be a smooth yet uneven road. Bored, Qin Keqing wanted to open the window to look outside but found it impossible; the wind was too strong. Even slightly opening it made the cold air sting her face painfully.
As the car sped forward, both sides of the road were shrouded in darkness; it was hard to tell whether it was trees or something else entirely.
Suddenly, a massive sign appeared unexpectedly on an iron frame ahead: Purple City Fourth Hospital, 200 meters ahead.
They were approaching Purple City Fourth Hospital.
Ye Chenfeng's heart grew heavy. He felt conflicted about whether to tell Qin Keqing their purpose for coming here. If he didn't tell her and something unusual happened later, it would be difficult to explain. But if he did tell her and she didn't believe him, what then?
Ye Chenfeng had no complaints about the character of the Three Troublemakers. For instance, he could catch ghosts and draw talismans, and only they knew about his ability to assist spirits. He had managed to keep everything under wraps, and if even a hint of it leaked out, he wouldn't be able to explain himself no matter how many mouths he had.
Two hundred meters might take just a few minutes for someone walking, but in a car, it was just a blink of an eye before they arrived.
Qin Keqing got out of the car and looked blankly at the asphalt road stretching toward the Four Hospitals, flanked by graceful willows swaying in the breeze.
"Is this where we get off?"
Ye Chenfeng smiled wryly and said, "The driver refused to go any further. What do you suggest we do?" As he paid the fare, he added, "Maybe you should turn back."
"Don't be ridiculous."
Qin Keqing brushed him off and strode ahead.
Ye Chenfeng waved goodbye to the driver and followed her.
Chen Peiling brought up the rear. She was wary of Ye Chenfeng's Ghost-Collecting Gourd but couldn't help wanting to tease the handsome Qin Keqing in front of her.
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