CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 29: PAPERMAN

Sang Que slept until three or four in the afternoon before getting up. After eating, she left the last Exorcism Talisman with her mom and took two Ghost Soldier Talismans with her to Xujiawan Village to find the temple guardian.

She originally planned to take a taxi, but recalling her previous taxi experiences, Sang Que decisively chose the crowded bus.

Of course, having many people also increased the risk of encountering evil. Before leaving, she purposely wore sunglasses and overhead headphones to cover her eyes and ears, hoping that those filthy things wouldn’t realize she could see or hear them.

There weren’t many people on the afternoon bus. Sang Que sat in an empty spot at the back, logging into various accounts on her new phone.

In the class group chat, Qin Lu’s incident had made it to the trending news, and everyone was spamming candle emojis to mourn.

Finally, the class teacher sent a message: ’Have you all finished your summer homework? Do you need two more sets of exercises?’ The group instantly became silent.

In another group chat without the class teacher and any teachers, there were 99+ new messages, with everyone continuing to discuss Qin Lu’s incident.

Some people’s views were so skewed it was unbearable to read, still adhering to victim-blaming, even dragging Qin Lu’s mother into it. Sang Que finally understood why the class teacher forbade discussions about Qin Lu’s matter.

Sang Que scrolled up, reviewing the chat records from the day Qin Lu’s incident happened. She hadn’t paid attention to the group chat since then.

That day, there was a blood moon spectacle, and someone in the group suggested a ghost story relay.

Sang Que suddenly recalled the ’story relay’ group appearing on her old phone, sending chills down her spine.

Every story in the class group chat began with ’Let me tell you a true story, my friend...’

Sang Que read through the chat records, paying close attention to the stories everyone shared, especially the locations mentioned, silently noting them down in her mind. She planned to avoid them regardless of their truth.

Suddenly, the words ’Xujiawan Village’ and ’temple guardian’ caught her eye, and Sang Que lifted her finger, pausing the screen at that message.

[Xu Yichao]: Let me tell you a true story, it’s my personal experience. How many of you know about our Yu City’s Xujiawan Village’s temple guardian?

[Lu Hongjie]: I know, the temple guardian in Xujiawan Village is quite famous among the older generation in Yu City. Last time my grandma got lost, it was the temple guardian who used divination to find her, truly amazing!

[Hu Wei]: Really? (skeptical)

[Gu Jialun]: Wasn’t there an accident at the demolition site over there a while ago? Many people said they saw Apiao. There’s a yellow-haired UP master who specializes in seeking death, and even explored Xujiawan Village. In the live broadcast, it was said that Xujiawan Village is the oldest village in the Dragon Spine Mountain area, with many strange occurrences.

[Zhou Ning]: Even before the demolition of Xujiawan Village, there weren’t many people with the Xu surname left. When the exhibition center was being built across from the village, it was mainly construction workers living there. The place was chaotic, and there was even a dismemberment case with many inexplicable occurrences.

[Lu Hongjie]: It wasn’t just the dismemberment case. Last year there was a family annihilation case, but it was tightly covered up, so few people know. Besides that, there are many online creepy stories about Xujiawan Village, like the July Photography Studio, Fatty Pork Shop, and so on.

[Xu Yichao]: Don’t interrupt, let me tell you the story (angry). It’s a bit long; I’ll record a video.

[Zhang Chaobin]: Alright, alright, we’re waiting!

...

[Xu Yichao]: (video)

The video thumbnail showed Xu Yichao’s face. He looked decent, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He played basketball very well and was a member of the school basketball team.

Sang Que was in the same class as Xu Yichao but not very familiar with him. She remembered him because many people said he had an ill-fated nature towards women, destined to be alone and never marry.

In the beginning of high school, this rumor spread wildly. Any girl who came near him inevitably faced bad luck; losing things or tripping was common.

Sang Que thought at the time that even without approaching Xu Yichao, people occasionally lose things or trip, all just superstition, so she didn’t take it seriously.

Sang Que clicked on the video; Xu Yichao was sitting in front of a dining table.

"This story is quite long, and typing is too troublesome. I’ll narrate it for you. Hic~"

Xu Yichao wiped his mouth with a tissue and took a sip of water.

"Sorry, I ate too much at lunch, noodles my grandma made. Actually, my name wasn’t originally Xu Yichao. I changed it after the incident when I was a child. If I hadn’t, I would’ve died."

"I remember it was when I was six or seven, during summer vacation. My parents were working in the south, so I stayed with my grandparents in Xujiawan Village. There were many kids in the village, and we often played together."