Chapter 105 - 105 One hundred and five

Words : 1411 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

105: One hundred and five. After dark 105: One hundred and five. After dark Five in the afternoon. The gloomy sky was as dark as night. Residential windows lit up, while the streets without street lamps remained dim. Outside Song Hu’s house, the line of cars hadn’t dispersed, and another car had arrived recently, adding several figures entering the gate. Soon, a figure emerged holding a lantern, hung the ghastly white lantern on the door, and then retreated back inside. Faint noises of chaos crossed over the high walls; it seemed a mourning feast was set up in the courtyard. Not thirty meters from Song Hu’s home, by the roadside, an old Xiali car sat quietly in the dark. The silhouette of the driver’s seat was faintly visible. Lu Li had been waiting in the car for a day, and to avoid any complications, he hadn’t let Yang Chunxue out. He couldn’t guarantee whether Song Hu’s ghost would detect Yang Chunxue’s presence and turn tail to flee. The cell phone screen lit up, he glanced at the time, and then it went dark again. In this quiet waiting, time passed silently. Hours later, approaching midnight, a faint snort suddenly arose from the street. Lu Li’s eyes fell on the rearview mirror where, ten or so meters behind the car, a figure staggered towards them. “Sister, boldly walk forward~” The figure’s face was unclear, but the sideburns were noticeable, and the old voice was equally familiar. It was Old Taoist Lu from Qianqing Temple. Lu Li quietly watched Old Taoist Lu approach in the rearview mirror, walking past the car directly towards Song Hu’s house hung with the white lantern. He hadn’t noticed Lu Li was also here. Lu Li frowned slightly, not expecting Old Taoist Lu to appear here, and his target seemed to be Song Hu’s house. Whatever his purpose, it could potentially disrupt the plan. Lu Li opened the door and approached the old Taoist quickly. He couldn’t let him spoil things. It just so happened Lu Li had new questions to ask. ... Gentle, relaxing piano music emanated from the room, flowing through the corridor. The melody continued for a few seconds, then abruptly stopped with the echo of the piano keys. “What happened...?” Han Lan appeared at the door, her coffee steaming in her hand. Wu Zihao turned his head in surprise, seeing it was his wife he gave a wry smile, “My mind’s a mess, probably because we just moved. I better rest and resume writing in the morning.” Han Lan walked closer to the piano room, setting down the coffee on the table: “The coffee is already brewed.” “I’ll drink it tomorrow morning, it’s better for staying alert when it’s cooled,” Wu Zihao closed the piano lid, organizing the music sheets he had written that day. Han Lan shifted the conversation: “Speaking of which, what’s with next door? I just saw a white lantern hanging at their door, someone died, right?” “Doesn’t matter, it’s not our new house anyway,” Wu Zihao didn’t care much. “But...” Wu Zihao pulled his hesitant wife onto his lap, embracing her waist and whispered softly, “I know you still have complaints, but wasn’t it great to buy such a big house for just a few hundred thousand?” Han Lan escaped his grasp with annoyance and headed for the door: “I’m going to sleep, I have to get up at six to send Rou’er to kindergarten.” “Wait for me.” Wu Zihao covered the coffee with a piece of white paper to keep it from dust, turned off the lights in the piano room and followed her out. Bang. The door closed, leaving the piano room in total darkness. Back in the bedroom, the couple looked reluctantly at their daughter in pajamas playing with Beibei. “You should be in bed now,” Han Lan scolded as she entered the room and picked up her daughter. Beibei tried to jump up to play with its little owner, but was lightly tapped on the head by Han Lan and had to trail behind the family of three with its tail drooping, to the bedroom at the end of the corridor. With her daughter tucked into bed and covered, and despite getting drool on her forehead, the couple stepped to the door, said goodnight, turned off the light, and closed the door behind them. The room darkened comfortably, when suddenly a gaunt human silhouette appeared on the ceiling above the bed. “Ah—!” Rou’er’s eyes widened as she let out a terrified scream. The still-open door was pushed open, and the lights turned on. The couple was shocked to see their daughter pointing at the ceiling and crying out, “There’s someone on the ceiling!” At these words, the couple’s hair stood on end, and they instinctively looked up, but apart from the whitewashed ceiling, there was nothing else. Exchanging helpless glances, Han Lan walked over to the bed to comfort their daughter for a while. She then called the golden retriever over, lifted it onto the bed, and said, “Beibei will stay with you, are you scared now?” “Uh...” Rou’er timidly nodded, her small hand clutching the edge of the blanket. Han Lan let out a sigh of relief, retreated to the doorway and turned off the light, “Don’t scare us again.” Click. The two left the room. As the door closed, the last ray of light disappeared. “Wu...” Rou’er fearfully curled up under the blanket. The footsteps outside gradually faded away, with the golden retriever lying next to her, weighing down the blanket. With Beibei by her side, Rou’er gathered her courage and quietly poked her little head out, her dark eyes staring at the murky room, blinking. “Could Rou’er really have seen something...” On the way back to their room, Han Lan muttered softly. Wu Zihao chuckled dismissively, “Don’t scare yourself, and don’t scare me either.” “Huh? The wallpaper is torn.” Han Lan paused and frowned as she looked at a tear at knee height in the wallpaper, revealing the white wall behind it. The tear was right next to their daughter’s bedroom, and they hadn’t noticed it when they viewed the house that morning. Wu Zihao gently pushed his wife forward, resignedly saying, “It doesn’t matter; if you don’t like the wallpaper, we can change it tomorrow.” “No need, it’s already troublesome enough...” The couple returned to their bedroom, changed into their pajamas, and went to bed early. They were both somewhat tired from moving all day. Snap. Wu Zihao turned off the bedside lamp. The moment the room darkened, a dried-up human silhouette flashed across the ceiling. ... “Taoist Master Lu.” The sudden sound behind him gave the senior member of the Taoist Sect a start before he realized who was calling him and abruptly changed his expression. “You followed me!” “I arrived here before you,” Lu Li replied. Old Taoist Lu realized this point and took a few steps back to distance himself from Lu Li, suspiciously asking, “What are you doing here, kid... trying to steal jobs from an old Taoist like me?” “I’m investigating a disappearance case; Song Hu is likely an informant,” Lu Li answered without concealing the fact. He assumed Old Taoist Lu might be here for the soul of Song Hu. Old Taoist Lu gave a light sigh of surprise, re-evaluating Lu Li, “Are you a government officer?” “Yeah.” Ghost Envoy and government officer are not too different. Half-believing, half-doubting, Old Taoist Lu huffed, “I have no objections to you examining the dead, but his soul must be handed over to me for transcendence.” “I can do it myself,” Lu Li replied. He certainly wasn’t going to let Old Taoist take the credit. “Humph... I don’t trust you,” Old Taoist ignored Lu Li and turned to approach Song Hu’s house. Lu Li followed closely behind, slowing his steps near the door; he had been there during the day, and entering again at night might arouse suspicion. Old Taoist Lu had no such concerns, as if performing a magic trick, he pulled out a compass from his robe, leapt through the iron gate, “This is the place!” A righteous shout came from behind the door. “Is today the seventh day after the deceased’s death?!”

Chapter 105 - 105 One hundred and five

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