CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 6: THE OLD CAMPUS

Under Mu Yunchu’s inquiry, the two finally recounted exactly what happened that night.

At that time, a few classmates were standing at the entrance of the old school district. From the time Zhao Qingqing went in, it was probably less than ten minutes before she came out.

They thought nothing had happened.

After all, in this group, Zhao Qingqing was the first to enter the old school district. Everyone was originally very curious, and when she came out, they gathered around asking questions for a long time, confirming that inside was just older and more worn out, with nothing ghost-related at all, so they wanted to go back and continue eating.

But Zhao Qingqing disagreed.

She said she was tired and wanted to go back to her dorm to rest.

The others wanted to persuade her again, but seeing her serious look, they thought she was upset and didn’t bring it up again.

Maybe it was the evening breeze, the male classmate who suggested the punishment became sober. He felt his actions weren’t very good, and the atmosphere became quite awkward.

Rather than continuing to play like this, it was better to stop.

So everyone went back to their homes, each finding their mother.

When Zhao Qingqing returned to the dormitory, she simply washed up and went straight to bed without speaking to them, covered herself with a quilt, and didn’t make a sound.

At that time, the two thought Qingqing was angry, asked a couple of questions, but didn’t get a reply and didn’t think much of it.

"We thought she was asleep from the alcohol," Yu Lan recalled.

They still couldn’t be sure where the problem started, so they could only describe the events in detail to facilitate Mu Yunchu’s analysis.

After saying everything they could, the two cautiously observed Mu Yunchu’s expression.

They found her expression somewhat solemn, which wasn’t a good sign.

Their hearts were racing.

After hesitating for a while, they finally asked the question they had been holding in.

"Yun Chu..." Chen Wanjun opened her mouth, "Is there really a ghost in that old school district?"

Otherwise, Zhao Qingqing’s current state was too bizarre, unable to be explained by other reasons.

Previously, they didn’t know Mu Yunchu had such skills.

If they had known earlier, they would have asked sooner.

Thinking that there might be a possibility, they felt goosebumps all over.

But what if.

What if those were just exaggerated scary tales?

However, Mu Yunchu’s answer shattered the last hope in their hearts.

"Yes."

Just a simple word brought immense imagination.

At this moment, the two were already imagining in their minds, standing at the gate that night, whether there was a group of ghosts standing in line inside watching them.

Even though it was broad daylight, they felt a chill surrounding them, shrinking their necks unconsciously.

Mu Yunchu said nothing.

That old school district not only had ghosts but certainly more than one.

Qing University has been around for a hundred years, and the old school district for nearly a hundred, not mentioning if anything ever happened there in recent years, the chaotic era of the Republic more than a hundred years ago wasn’t short of deaths.

But Mu Yunchu chose to keep these words to herself.

Otherwise, if she said them, it would surely frighten the two.

Seeing Mu Yunchu fall silent again, the two were scared to death, asking, "So what should we do now?"

"I’ll go see the old school district tonight."

She felt Zhao Qingqing’s current state was somewhat strange.

To solve it, they’d probably have to find the ghost causing trouble.

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanjun and Yu Lan’s expressions were quite spectacular. First, their faces transformed like a color palette, then various emotions appeared in succession.

Finally, only admiration remained.

"Then we’ll take good care of Qingqing here in the apartment..."

Though curiosity was strong, fear still prevailed.

Besides, Mu Yunchu hadn’t planned to bring them along.

However, there was an unexpected incident in the evening.

Mu Yunchu was resting in bed with her eyes closed, planning to set off once the sun completely set and darkness fell.

Because although it was holiday time, there were occasional patrol guards and students who didn’t go home; broad daylight was too conspicuous, and that ghost might not show up.

Then, just before eight o’clock, Zhao Qingqing, who had been lying quietly in bed for a long time, suddenly went mad, climbing onto Chen Wanjun’s bed beside her, and while she was unprepared, strangling her neck tightly.

If her cries for help hadn’t been heard in time, who knows what might have happened.

Mu Yunchu flew over, quickly pulled out a talisman from her pocket, and stuck it on Zhao Qingqing’s forehead.

The latter seemed to have been drained of her soul, lying stiffly on the bed.

No one dared to stay alone in that room with her now.

Chen Wanjun rubbed her neck, marked red from strangulation, not coming to her senses for quite a while.

...

An hour later, Mu Yunchu stood at the foot of the bed packing her backpack, hearing them talk, turning back to confirm, "Are you sure you want to come with me?"

The two nodded vigorously like chicks pecking at grains.

"I think it’s better to follow you than staying here worrying about Qingqing."

"Moreover, we also have some responsibility for this incident. What if we can help with something."

Mu Yunchu: "..."

Though she felt helpless, seeing their determination, Mu Yunchu could only agree to take them along.

The trio carefully left the dormitory building, avoiding making any noise to evade the patrolling guards, finally sneaking into the old school district.

Standing at the foot of what used to be the dormitory building, Mu Yunchu suddenly halted. She looked up at the building, her gaze falling on a pitch-black area.

But she was sure that just a moment ago something was watching her.

Chen Wanjun started to have second thoughts.

Especially seeing the eerie, old building in front, she thought over her decision to come along.

Clearing her throat, hoping to use sound to dispel the growing fear around her.

"Yun Chu, which floor are we going to?"

She knew her question was pointless, not expecting an answer.

Because Mu Yunchu wasn’t sure either.

They could only start searching floor by floor.

But she was sure this building was peculiar.

Turning on the old flashlight found in the dormitory corner drawer, its beam shone ahead, the dim yellow light faintly illuminating the building’s interior.

Chen Wanjun turned on her phone’s flashlight, as if only this could give her a sense of security. But compared to the flashlight, its light seemed almost useless.

Like most dormitory buildings, upon entering through the main door, the first thing seen was the staff room.

A room with a small window that could be opened, inside was a bed left with only its metal frame. Cobwebs covered the surroundings, showing that nobody had come in for ages.

As the three moved through the corridor, the light cast their shadows long and distorted, freakish and twisted to the point that anyone would be startled on first look.

As they ventured deeper, whether it was an illusion or not, they felt the temperature around dropping considerably. The two clung tightly to Mu Yunchu’s side, seeming to find a faint sense of security only there.

After checking out the first floor, Mu Yunchu didn’t feel anything strange, letting them breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Although curiosity had tempted them here, no one truly wanted to see an actual ghost.

Because nothing odd had happened, gradually they relaxed.

"So this is the old school district dormitory, I’ve never seen one before," Chen Wanjun said shaking her phone.

"Seems similar to our current residence, just that the windows and doors are more worn out."

After all, it’s a building older than the ages of the three put together.

Another big difference was that the dormitory used to have ten beds, the rooms larger but crammed with beds felt tighter. And the dorms were not segregated by gender, but housed on different floors.

...

But starting from the second floor and onward, things slowly started to feel off.

At first, standing in the airtight stairwell, a cold breeze blew from somewhere, as it brushed through Chen Wanjun´s hair, her heart tightened abruptly, with goosebumps rising all over her.

The wind was like a low, deep growl.

She couldn’t help but speak, "Did you hear anything?"

Only to receive negative responses from the others.

Gripping her phone tighter, she scanned around vigilantly, yet all she saw were mottling walls and tightly closed dorm room doors without seeing even half a window.

Nervously swallowing, she quickened her pace, eager to stick close to Mu Yunchu ahead.

Upon reaching the third floor, Mu Yunchu stopped in front of a dorm room door. But Chen Wanjun had no mood to question if she had found anything unusual.

Because she caught a strong whiff of the scent of decay.