CHAPTER 10: CHAPTER 6: A WARM HOME

Just as that woman was about to meet her gaze, Sang Que forced the affirmative address in her mouth to turn into a questioning tone.

Her voice trembled, followed by a cough to cover up her fear and panic.

Sang Que turned around normally, responding to her mother, who had just come through the door.

"I’m here, cough cough! Cough cough cough!"

In the corner of her eye, the woman behind her suddenly rushed over, clawing wildly, her tangled black hair revealing a face covered in blood and lacking a jaw.

The sharp ghostly wail was already in her ears. Sang Que held her breath in tension, and just as she couldn’t help but dodge, the terrifying woman suddenly dispersed into black mist, vanishing into thin air, as if driven away by some strange force.

Her hair was lifted by a sinister wind, making Sang Que’s body icy cold, but her right palm was burning hot, the contrast of hot and cold oddly distinct, and the mark of the Yansheng coin faded more.

"Little Que? What’s wrong with you?"

Sang Que’s mother, Sang Wan, maneuvered her electric wheelchair to Sang Que’s side, seeing her pale face, she asked with concern.

In the kitchen, Sister Zhang, the housekeeper, was slowly placing the groceries into the refrigerator.

Sang Que frowned and shook her head, staying silent.

After a while, Sister Zhang finished up, said goodbye to them, and left for the day.

During this time, Sang Que pretended to look for something, carefully checking every part of the house, but did not find any more evil spirits.

Returning to the dining table, Sang Que pushed aside the food her mother had bought, pulled her chair closer to her mother, and held her hand, feeling the warmth and reality.

"Now tell me, what’s wrong?" Sang Wan held Sang Que’s hand back, asking gently.

Sang Que looked heavy-hearted, "Mom, something happened to Qin Lu."

Sang Que briefly explained to her mother Sang Wan about Qin Lu’s situation, including her report to the police, while skipping over the time-travel and other scientifically inexplicable parts.

She and her mother had always shared everything without any secrets, originally intending to tell her everything as soon as she returned home.

But now, she didn’t dare to mention a word!

She wasn’t sure whether that evil spirit was still in the house, or if there were any other evil spirits she couldn’t see, eavesdropping.

Just like the Ghost Child, Ming Zhang couldn’t see it, but she could.

If other evil spirits found out she could see them and activated some rule that leads to death, it would definitely be dangerous.

She originally thought home would be the safest place, but who knew, there was even an evil spirit in her own home.

Are evil spirits allowed to intrude into private residences at will, is there no law and order?

Didn’t Ming Zhang say that in most cases, evil spirits cannot enter homes at night? Maybe the evil spirit she saw was originally in the house, an Earth-bound Spirit?

Sang Que couldn’t help but think, over the past two years she lived there, when she slept, ate, even went to the bathroom, was that evil spirit watching her?

Thinking about it made Sang Que’s scalp tingle and her anger rise.

Luckily, as long as she ’couldn’t see’ it, there would be no danger, since nothing had happened in the past two years.

No, the evil spirit just now had already realized she had issues, and might not have been completely dispelled. After dealing with the Ghost Child, the remaining power of the Yansheng coin wasn’t much, she could feel it.

Before, she had managed to chop off the Suicide Rope hanging Ming Zhang with one swing, definitely because she had just chanted a spell, leaving residual power.

The dispelling just now had the same effect.

If the evil spirit from earlier had completely vanished, there wouldn’t be any need to inconvenience her mother by moving to a different place; the house was specially designed for her mother, with many facilities making her life easier.

For her mother, moving would be incredibly difficult because of her disability; she’s sensitive and socially anxious, not liking to leave a familiar environment.

Moreover, even changing to a new place wouldn’t ensure it’s completely ’clean’.

Sang Que’s mind was in chaos, she forced herself to calm down, deciding to think of a solution slowly.

This world surely has hidden experts who can deal with evil spirits, and Ming Zhang’s book may record methods to confront them.

"Little Que, don’t overthink it. Trust the police to solve the case quickly and bring justice for Qin Lu. Look at your poor complexion, eat something, and go to bed early today. Whatever it is, talk about it tomorrow. Mom will help you as well."

Sang Wan looked at Sang Que with concern, pushing the dinner she bought in front of her.

Sang Que nodded, taking a couple of bites of fried noodles, but she didn’t touch the roasted brains.

The image of half a brain in the taxi still lingered fresh in her memory; she’d never eat that stuff again.

*

After dinner and tidying up, Sang Que checked every part of the house again, not finding any other strange occurrences, then went to the garden to burn the clothes she had worn before, for peace of mind.

Inside Ming Zhang’s money bag, there were only a few scattered silver ingots and copper coins, nothing else.

The blue leather book was very old, corners curled, the cover blank, with an unopened letter clipped inside.

The envelope read: To Brother Yan,

"Yan? Ming Zhang’s master’s letter?"

Sang Que set the letter aside, quickly flipping through the book. The handwriting inside was messy, the ink dark red, written in traditional Chinese characters with a brush; she could roughly make out some, the content was vernacular rather than classical Chinese.

Judging by the format, it seemed like Ming Zhang’s daily notes or memos.

The difficulty in recognizing traditional characters didn’t matter; she could scan it with her phone, connect to the internet, and find translations. With effort, she could understand it.

Sang Que picked up Ming Zhang Notes, went back into the house, locked all doors and windows, turned on all the lights, dispelled the darkness, and increased her sense of security.

Passing by the study room, she heard the rapid tapping of a keyboard inside and peeked through the door gap.

Her mother was sitting in front of the computer, soft light highlighting her gentle profile, long black hair draping over her shoulders, intensely focused, her fingers dancing on the keyboard.

Sang Que wasn’t fond of studying, but even she could think of the word ’demure and tranquil’.

"Is there something you need?" When Sang Wan noticed Sang Que, she turned and smiled, asking.

"Can’t you work harder during the day, save up more drafts, and go to bed earlier? Do you really have to stay up late writing every day to catch up with updates?"

"You wouldn’t understand, inspiration only comes at night."

Sang Que shook her head helplessly, ensuring nothing strange was in the study room either, then helped her mother close the door.

Her mother was an online writer, she had a car accident at fourteen, losing a leg, and then started making a living by writing.

She’s been writing for nearly twenty years, gaining some fame within the community.

Her mother not only raised her single-handedly but also saved up enough in this small town to buy two houses, two shops, and considerable insurance policies and savings.

This meant she wouldn’t have to worry about her future, could remain cheerful and outgoing, dabble in martial arts or archery, do anything she liked.

Even if her passions were short-lived, even if these wouldn’t help her land a great job, it wouldn’t matter.

Her mother said if she became successful, she should serve the country, rejuvenate Huaxia, or pursue the romance of poetry and distant lands.

If she didn’t, she could stay by her mother’s side as a carefree landlady, as long as she was healthy and safe, and happy every day.

Until yesterday, her life was still very warm, progressing in order, with a bright and worry-free future visible.

Now, it’s all turned upside down, the path ahead shrouded in fog, eerie and strange.

But no matter what, she would protect her mother, ensuring her mother could live worry-free, the life she wanted.

Sang Que looked up to the God of Stove magnet decorating the refrigerator, hesitated and struggled, then placed Ming Zhang Notes aside, pressing her palms together and bowed her head in prayer.

She didn’t know what to believe anymore; there were evil spirits in this world, maybe there were gods too?

After her prayer, Sang Que sighed and returned to her room, closed the bedroom door, leaving the living room and kitchen in silence.

Suddenly, the God of Stove magnet that had been stuck to the refrigerator fell off.

Sizzling!

The kitchen lights flickered twice, then returned to normal.

The neat, clean three-bedroom apartment exuded the warmth of a home.

*

In the small bedroom.

Sang Que pulled out the desk chair, seeing the brand new summer homework on the desk, she frowned.

Counting the days, there were still twenty-eight days until school started, writing it in the last week would still be on time. She decisively shoved the homework aside, covering it with other things, out of sight, out of mind.

She sat down, adjusted her chair, took a sip of water, and opened the ’Ming Zhang Notes’ in front of her, starting to read word by word...