Chapter 59
Chapter 59
The East Lake Villa District was a residential development built around an artificial lake.
Its residents were prominent figures and wealthy elites from every sector of society. Every one of them was either rich or influential.
Xia Ke’er could afford a villa here after only two years of fame. It seemed she had gained tremendous benefits from worshipping the fox Xia Tian – not only fame, but substantial wealth as well. Between the tangible and intangible rewards, their value was impossible to count. No wonder Xia Ke’er refused to let Xia Tian leave. An ordinary person could not accumulate this much wealth in several lifetimes.
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou got off the motorcycle, silver cases in hand, and walked quickly toward the entrance of the East Lake Villa District.
The villas were widely spaced, with considerable distances between them. Walking from the entrance to Villa 23B would take some time.
The security guard checked their credentials, then let them through.
He kindly reminded them, “Motorcycles aren’t allowed inside, but the neighborhood has its own shuttle. You can take that and arrive in no time.”
Xie Qingling thanked him, then walked with Shen Huaizhou to the shuttle stop.
The shuttle arrived quickly. There were few passengers; only Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou were aboard.
Their unusual clothes drew several sidelong looks from the driver, but he asked no questions beyond their destination before driving toward Villa 23B.
After five minutes of weaving along the neighborhood’s roads, they finally reached Villa 23B.
It was a detached three-story villa designed in the style of a classical Chinese garden, with white walls and dark tiled roofs. A heavy ebony door blocked all inquisitive gazes from outside.
Xia Ke’er’s whereabouts remained unknown, and they could not be sure whether she was home. Xie Qingling had originally planned to sneak straight inside and look around, but the sight of surveillance cameras everywhere made her abandon the idea.
Better not create extra work for the Logistics Department.
“You knock,” Xie Qingling told Shen Huaizhou. “If no one answers, we’ll climb in through a window.”
She issued the order with perfect ease. Shen Huaizhou looked down at her, then went forward and obediently knocked.
After a while, a woman of about forty or fifty came to the door. Her hair was flawlessly arranged and pinned behind her head. She wore white cotton clothes and a gray apron, as though she had been working.
She stared warily at the pair. Opening the ebony door only a tiny crack, she stuck her head through.
“Who are you looking for?” she asked, her voice just as guarded and cautious as her posture.
Xie Qingling frowned slightly, pulled Shen Huaizhou behind her, and kept him from speaking. His rough, deep male voice might frighten the woman.
“Hello, ma’am. We’re here to see Ke’er.” Xie Qingling smiled with exceptional innocence, her voice sweet as honey. “We’re from the dance troupe. We came to rehearse a new production with her.”
“You’re from the troupe…” The woman immediately relaxed upon hearing this, though she still kept the door open by only a crack. “You came at a bad time. Ke’er isn’t home today. Come back tomorrow.”
When she started to close the door, Xie Qingling blocked it with one hand and smiled. “It doesn’t matter if she isn’t here. We have a prop that we must deliver to her personally before we can leave. Ma’am, could you let us bring it inside? We’ll go as soon as we’ve delivered it.”
Xie Qingling raised the silver case in her hand, indicating that it contained a prop for Xia Ke’er.
“Then… then come in.” The woman opened the door and let them inside.
Leading Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou into the reception hall, she said, “Have a seat. I’ll pour you some water.”
With that, she went into the kitchen.
Xie Qingling immediately lowered her voice. “Follow my lead. If necessary, put her in an illusion so we can search this villa.”
It did not matter that they had come up empty and failed to find Xia Ke’er.
They could search for the thing she worshipped and discover what it truly was.
Worship required an altar, offerings, daily cleaning, and the burning of incense. It was bound to leave traces they could follow.
Shen Huaizhou nodded.
Before long, the woman emerged carrying two glasses of juice. She set them before Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou and said, “Here, have something to drink. It’s scorching outside, isn’t it? I put ice in the juice to cool you down.”
She appeared to be a very thoughtful person.
Xie Qingling pretended to take a sip, then actually began chatting with the woman about everyday matters.
“Ma’am, you’re the housekeeper here, aren’t you? You don’t look well. You seem a little frightened.” Xie Qingling smiled gently. “Don’t be nervous. We aren’t bad people. If you’ve run into any problems, you can tell me. I might be able to help.”
Having her motives called out to her face made the housekeeper look even more uncomfortable. Her gaze darted about as she stammered, “P-Please don’t take it personally. It isn’t you two. I’m just… I’m just a little frightened!”
“…Frightened?” Xie Qingling surveyed the bright, spotless villa and asked as if in passing, “Is there something wrong with this house?”
“Oh!” The housekeeper nearly leaped into the air. She looked at Xie Qingling with tears in her eyes, as excited as if she had finally found someone who spoke her language.
“That’s exactly it!” Her eyes flitted around, her face taut with vigilance and alarm. “I haven’t worked here long, but even I know there’s something strange about this house.”
“I used to work somewhere else. I only came because I heard this place paid well. Who could have known…” The housekeeper slapped her thigh, her face full of regret. “If I’d known it was like this, you couldn’t have paid me enough to come! Once I finish this month and collect my wages, I’m quitting. I’m done!”
“Oh? No wonder I haven’t seen you before! I visit Ke’er often, but you didn’t look familiar. So you’re new!” Xie Qingling looked astonished. “What’s wrong with the house? Hurry and tell us.”
Shen Huaizhou raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, silently listening to Xie Qingling lie through her teeth.
“This place is haunted.” Cold sweat covered the housekeeper’s face. With two young people there instead of being alone, however, she found a little more courage to speak. “The woman who hired me is a celebrity. She’s single, doesn’t usually associate with many people, and lives here alone. But several times now, I’ve woken in the middle of the night and heard people talking in the master bedroom. One of the voices belonged to a man!”
“At first, I assumed my employer had a wild side and was carrying on some secret affair for the thrill of it. But that’s her private life, so I wasn’t going to tell anyone. As time passed, though, something started to feel wrong. There are only traces of one person living in this house. Any man would need clothes and food, wouldn’t he? But there’s nothing! It’s as if he doesn’t exist!”
Terror gradually spread across the housekeeper’s face. “And that’s not the only strange thing. I only noticed after I’d been here for a while… Raw meat often vanishes from the refrigerator. Especially these last two months. Bloody cuts of meat will be bought one day and gone the next! And what’s even more frightening…”
“My employer told me to buy live chickens for chicken soup. But… but before I could even make the soup, the chicken disappeared. I searched and searched, and all I found was a pile of bloody feathers!”
“The next day, she told me to buy another chicken, but that one vanished too! Again, all I found was a pile of bloody feathers. That chicken… that monster ate it raw, feathers, blood, and all!” The housekeeper’s face had gone steadily paler.
Xie Qingling patted her hand in comfort. “It’s all right. Perhaps you’re overthinking it. There could be a thief. Don’t frighten yourself. Once you quit this job and find a reliable new employer, everything will be fine.”
But the housekeeper waved a hand. “That’s not all. This house has too many secrets. Take the third floor. My employer won’t allow me to go up there to clean. She insists on doing everything there herself.”
“Last month, I went to a yin-yang master who deals with supernatural matters. He said I had less human vitality than before, as though I’d attracted something evil. I figured there was no point earning money if I didn’t live to spend it. I heard the housekeepers before me also worked here for a few months, developed health problems, and left. I… I’m truly scared.”
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou exchanged a glance. Each saw understanding in the other’s eyes.
“Oh, I’ve said too much.” The housekeeper wiped the sweat from her face and gave a strained laugh.
The housekeeper remained deeply uneasy, with dark circles beneath her eyes. Xie Qingling understood at once that fear must have kept her awake night after night, her nerves stretched taut every day.
After some thought, Xie Qingling decided they could not simply keep covering everything up. She said, “Ma’am, I know someone who’s very good at dealing with supernatural problems. Why don’t you let her treat you? Go to this address. I guarantee that after one dose of medicine, you’ll be completely cured.”
As she spoke, Xie Qingling gave her the address of the office at 221 Central Street.
The housekeeper seized on the address as if it were a lifeline. She said ecstatically, “She’s really that good? Then… then I’ll find time to visit. No, I’ll go now. Right this minute.”
As she spoke, the housekeeper stood and picked up the glasses. “Since you aren’t drinking, I’ll clear these away. I’ll find time to visit her in a little while.”
Then she rushed into the kitchen to tidy the dishes.
Shen Huaizhou asked softly, “Would this person you know happen to be Ye Anran?”
“Correct.” Xie Qingling smiled. “Senior Anran can treat her and hypnotize her afterward. Otherwise, when will these days of constant fear ever end? If someone becomes convinced that they’re sick, sooner or later their body will develop problems. Don’t you agree?”
Shen Huaizhou said nothing.
Today it was a hair transplant center; tomorrow, a supernatural master. At this rate, the office at 221 Central Street would soon become an urban legend in its own right.
Just then, a terrified scream came from the kitchen. Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou immediately ran over and found the housekeeper collapsed on the floor, her face ashen.
Her trembling finger pointed in one direction. “The chicken… The live chicken I bought is gone again!”
Only an empty chicken coop sat quietly in the kitchen.
Xie Qingling and Shen Huaizhou exchanged a glance. Both could barely stop themselves from reaching for their weapons, but in the next instant, Xie lowered her eyes and shot Shen Huaizhou a look that told him to hold back.
She told the housekeeper, “Ma’am, I just remembered that we still have something to take care of, so we’ll be leaving now. Thank you for having us. I’ll treat you to coffee next time we’re free.”
The housekeeper was already beside herself. When she heard they were leaving, her face grew even uglier.
“I… I’m leaving too! I’m going to see that master!” she said.
“Don’t rush,” Xie Qingling soothed. “She isn’t available every day, and she happens to be out today. You can go when she’s free. Your timing today is simply unfortunate.”
The housekeeper looked utterly despondent, and her entire body trembled.
Fortunately, her time in the villa had already trained her heart to withstand a great deal. She managed to hold herself together, wiped away her sweat, and rose with determination. “Fine. Then I won’t see you out.”
Only after leaving Xia Ke’er’s villa did Shen Huaizhou say grimly, “He devours raw flesh and drinks blood, craving blood from the depths of his soul. Clearly that beast’s cultivation is still lacking. He never truly passed the trial of burning his tail to become human. He cannot shed his animal nature, and if he remains in human society, sooner or later he’ll cause a disaster.”
Then he lowered his head. “Do you truly plan to leave?”
“Of course not,” Xie Qingling said. “Unless we double back and catch him in the act, why would that cunning fox ever tell us the truth?”
“That’s what I thought too.”
They immediately turned around and circled to the rear of Xia Ke’er’s villa.
“This time, we’ll have to climb in through a window.” Xie Qingling pointed toward the second floor as she laid out the plan. “The third floor should be the shrine room. She won’t use it often and doesn’t let the housekeeper go up. The second floor should hold the master bedroom. We’ll start there.”
“There are surveillance cameras everywhere, so we’ll probably be recorded, but… I think the Logistics Department will forgive us for creating this tiny bit of extra work.”
After granting herself the Logistics Department’s forgiveness, Xie Qingling took the lead. Using a branch jutting from a nearby tree, she leaped onto the open-air balcony on the second floor.
Shen Huaizhou followed close behind.
Since it was daytime, the floor-to-ceiling window on the second floor had been left open. The two slipped inside without encountering any obstacles.
Thick carpet covered the hall, swallowing every trace of their footsteps and leaving the space utterly silent.
What they did hear was a strange gulping sound from the master bedroom suite.
Xie Qingling frowned. She quietly pushed open the bedroom door and followed the noise toward its source –
The bathroom inside the master suite.
Through the blurry frosted glass, she could make out a white figure sitting in the bathtub, clutching something and gnawing at it in a frenzy.
The figure was too absorbed – or had lost too much reason – to notice the shadows slowly approaching.
Listening to the hair-raising sound of flesh being torn, Xie Qingling strode into the bathroom, clamped one hand onto the white figure’s shoulder, and forced it to turn around.
To her shock, the face that turned toward her was Xia Ke’er’s beautiful face.
In her arms lay the half-eaten chicken. Blood streamed down and dyed the hem of her dress red. Bloody shreds of meat clung to her white teeth, and loose chicken feathers stuck around her mouth. She looked grotesque and terrifying.