Chapter 3
Chapter 3
That night, we went back to school and got a proper night’s rest.
When I returned to the dorm, I heard hushed voices coming from the room next door.
“I told you guys days ago, that Chen Ling has been doing shady work outside.
“Look, it’s almost eleven tonight and she still isn’t back at the dorm.
“And she has the nerve to fight us for the hardship grant? Shameless.”
…
I stopped in my tracks and turned to look over.
They didn’t even bother hiding the fact that they were badmouthing someone. Their dorm door was open, and several girls were inside, each doing her own thing.
The one speaking was named Wang Ran. She usually looked so honest and simple, but who knew she was so slick when it came to talking behind people’s backs?
I raised my hand and knocked on their door.
“Ladies, creating karma with your mouth comes with consequences, you know.”
Wang Ran’s expression changed. She lowered her head and fell silent.
I let out a soft scoff, turned around, and went back to my own dorm.
After I showered and finished tidying up, I lay down on my bed and received a message from Wang Ran.
[Ruyi, do you know what Chen Ling has been doing lately? How is she making so much money?
[Can you ask her to introduce me to it too?]
Me: “…”
Speechless. Truly speechless.
I immediately typed back: [No. I’m going to make big money tomorrow too, and I’m afraid you’ll steal my livelihood.]
Then I blocked and deleted her in one smooth combo.
Keeping an idiot’s contact info would contaminate my phone.
The next evening, we arrived at Longmen Ancient Town at half past six.
Lin Yuan stood beside me, looking a little hesitant.
Come to think of it, this was his first time accompanying us to subdue demons.
My husband, Dragon King Mingyuan, had accidentally drawn demonic energy into his body three hundred years ago while purging evil from the world. The Ten Great Spirit Sects sealed him beneath Dongshan.
Not long ago, an elder of the Luo Family of Qingcheng passed away from old age, and the seal began to loosen. A wisp of Mingyuan’s Demon Soul gained its freedom and took refuge inside the body of a college student, Lin Yuan.
The two of them had even reached an agreement.
By day, this body belonged to Lin Yuan. By night, it belonged to Mingyuan.
After we waited for a while, Mr. Jiang finally arrived late.
“You must be Classmate Yun, right?” His eyes practically lit up as he looked at me.
I smiled and pointed at Lin Yuan. “This is my boyfriend.”
Mr. Jiang sized him up, then said, “What an outstanding young man.”
He glanced down at his watch. “It’s about time. Why don’t we go change first?”
He led us through Longmen Ancient Town, turning left and right, before finally cutting through a narrow alley and arriving before a building.
It looked like an old Huizhou-style residence from long ago. Black stains sprawled across its white walls, and moss grew over the dark roof tiles.
It looked very strange.
Mr. Jiang stopped in front of the main gate.
“Classmate Yun, you two go in first. Someone will guide you.
“I have other matters to attend to, so I need to leave now.”
With that, he stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The moment a rustling sound came from beyond the gate, he turned and ran.
As if something terrifying would appear in the very next second.
Lin Yuan and I stood before the door.
The sun gradually vanished beyond the horizon, and at last, it was completely hidden.
The presence of the person beside me changed in an instant. He reached out and took my hand.
“Are you afraid?”
I glanced sideways at him. “Looking down on me?”
Mingyuan chuckled. “I wouldn’t dare.”
As we spoke, the gate before us creaked and was slowly pulled open from the inside.
A lifeless eye peered out through the crack.
Only then did half the door open fully.
It was a girl dressed in a dull gray maid’s outfit. Her skin was almost deathly pale, her pupils extremely dark. The blush on both sides of her cheeks looked jarringly out of place, and when she stared at you, it was rather eerie.
“Come in with me.”
Mingyuan and I exchanged a look, then followed her through the gate.
Beyond the gate was a large manor courtyard.
The girl walked ahead to lead the way and did not say a single word the entire time.
I stared at her feet.
At first, I thought she was walking on tiptoe. But when I looked more closely, I realized her feet had actually been bound.
In the twenty-first century, this kind of vile custom still existed?
I formed a hand seal and was just about to throw it out when Mingyuan lightly squeezed my palm.
“She isn’t alive. Look at her neck.”
I focused my gaze and saw a faint raised seam on what seemed to be her smooth neck.
It was the mark left behind when a paper figure was pasted together.
She was actually a paper maid.
We had not walked much farther when another paper maid turned in from the side.
She stopped in front of Mingyuan. “Groom, please come this way.”
Mingyuan said nothing. After staring at her for three seconds, he released my hand and followed her into a nearby room.
I, meanwhile, was led in the opposite direction to another courtyard.
The moment the courtyard gate opened, a foul, rank stench rushed straight at me.