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As May arrived, the weather turned humid and warm. The schoolyard was alive with buzzing mosquitoes, while bats flitted about under the eaves of the dormitory building. Crickets of all sizes chirped incessantly in the corners and on the windowsills.
Ziya was unaware of how many times she had tossed and turned in her sleep. In her daze, she felt a parching thirst and a burning pain in her throat, her head heavy and foggy.
"Sun Meng, darling, turn on the light; I want some water," Ziya called out lazily without opening her eyes, merely squinting. After a long silence in the room, she repeated, "Sun Meng... darling, turn on the light..."
When there was still no response or sound of the light turning on, Ziya finally crawled out of bed. She groped her way to the wall where Sun Meng's bed was and flipped the switch with a click. The room was instantly illuminated, revealing that Sun Meng's bed was empty, with blankets haphazardly piled to one side... Where could she be? Perhaps she had gone to the bathroom.
Thinking this, Ziya inhaled sharply and tiptoed out of bed. The dormitory door was ajar, and the bathroom light was on. The sound of dripping water echoed clearly in Ziya's ears.
Checking her phone, she saw it was already eleven at night. In this small town, by this hour, the streets were nearly deserted except for the occasional passing vehicle and those sneaking out over walls at midnight—students who often stayed out all night and would only return to class after being roused by the internet café owner shaking them awake.
Ziya glanced at her phone again; Sun Meng still hadn't returned. Growing anxious, she pushed herself up from the edge of her bed and headed toward the bathroom. The door was closed. She knocked softly, "Tap tap, Mengmeng, are you there?" No one answered. Yet as her fingers touched the doorknob, it creaked open with a soft squeak. Peering inside revealed only a cold white porcelain toilet, a trash can, and a roll of toilet paper.
With no one in sight, panic surged within Ziya; beads of sweat formed on her palms. She quickly dialed Sun Meng's number but was met with a message saying it was turned off. Whether it was fear or something else entirely, an inexplicable unease settled in her heart. She stepped out of the dormitory into an eerie silence; the pale streetlights flickered incessantly, casting an odd yellow glow that danced across tree branches along the roadside. The shadows swayed gently in the breeze like a devil waving its arms.
Steeling herself, Ziya forced calmness as she stepped outside. The night wind brushed against her forehead bangs as she tightened her clothes. Unsure where to search for Sun Meng, she contemplated shouting for her but hesitated—what if something happened to her? Wouldn't it be ridiculous to disturb others? This conflicting thought left Ziya feeling confused; perhaps she should check the classroom for any sign of Sun Meng.
As she entered the darkened corridor, a chill swept over her. Gritting her teeth, she pressed on despite whatever doubts lingered behind her; she dared not look back. The low bushes seemed menacing in this stillness. Alone in such an eerie atmosphere made Ziya genuinely fearful.
The sound of rustling footsteps echoed beneath her feet; though she knew it was just her shoes making noise, her mind wandered to thoughts that felt like they came from somewhere behind her. She continued forward, passing rows of classrooms and stepping over gnarled branches that only appeared fearsome in the darkness until she reached the school's front yard.
Two towering Huangguoshu trees loomed over the classroom's outline. As Ziya walked towards the abandoned rockery pond in the corridor, the eerie sound of water droplets falling from the rocks echoed around her, creating a chilling 'ding-dong' noise. Her heart raced, and a sudden tightness gripped her chest, making her steps hurried. Was that shadow... Sun Meng? Ziya's legs trembled as her nerves tightened, and she could feel saliva pooling under her tongue, the sound of her swallowing audible to herself. She pressed her body tightly against the pillar and slowly turned to look at the shadow.
As Ziya caught sight of the shadow, a flicker of flame suddenly ignited. It was the shadow lighting a candle along with an Incense Master. The red incense stick swayed in the wind, releasing wisps of smoke, while the candlelight flickered in response to the breeze. The shadow reverently raised both hands in prayer towards the Huangguoshu.
With the candlelight illuminating the scene, Ziya could make out the side profile of the figure. She felt a sense of familiarity but couldn't quite place it; from her angle, she could only see the person's back and side. As the candle burned down and wax dripped away, a pungent smell of smoke wafted through the air... cough... Ziya suddenly coughed and quickly covered her mouth, but she had already startled the shadow. The person looked around in panic and quickly discerned that the sound came from behind the pillar.
Under the dark shade of Huangguoshu, the shadow caught a glimpse of Ziya hiding behind the pillar and hurriedly grabbed a nearby basket before retreating in the direction from which they had come. Alarmed, Ziya quickly stepped out from behind her hiding spot and quietly followed after the shadow.
The shadow indeed exited through the Side Door. Once outside, Ziya rushed to open it but found it wouldn't budge, causing her to break into a sweat. The lock on the Side Door was broken; if she used some force, it should open—she had seen Zhiqing do it before. Thinking of this, Ziya hurriedly pulled out her phone and dialed his number, silently praying for him to pick up quickly. After several rings, he finally answered.
It was one o'clock in the morning, and Zhiqing sounded quite impatient as he picked up.
"Hello... who is this?" His yawns made Ziya feel embarrassed for waking him up, but Sun Meng's disappearance was serious business. How could she handle this alone? She had spotted a dark figure; there was no choice but to alert Zhiqing.
"It's me... Ziya. Sun Meng is missing; you need to come quickly..."
"What? How could Sun Meng be missing?"
"I don't know... I'm scared." The more Ziya thought about it, the more frightened she became, tears welling up as she spoke.
"Don't worry; I'll be right there. Where are you now?"
"I left school and saw a woman burning Ghost Money under Huangguoshu; she went out through the Side Door..." Just then, their call abruptly disconnected. Ziya had already opened the Side Door; stepping outside, she quickly closed her phone and headed toward the road. The Side Door led to a Gravel Road that branched off toward several nearby towns on one end while leading to a wider road on the other. Ziya felt that she might still be able to catch up with that shadow but didn't have time to think too much about it. Her intuition told her that this shadow was closely related to Wang Yuanyuan's disappearance.
This book was first published here; read the official content at the earliest opportunity!
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