Chapter 131: Three Is the Magic Number 24

It was a monster made up of countless fused corpses—slimy, disgusting, and horrifying.

Xianyu Shi saw Wan Qianqian’s face among them, as well as other girls, though she wasn’t sure if one was Xiaoling Du. Besides the girls, there were boys too. Those grayish-white arms and legs intertwined, mixed with black, viscous matter, creating a deeply unsettling sight.

The creature seemed intent on entering, reaching towards the talisman Shi had just placed on the window. It recoiled as if burned, hesitating and retreating slightly.

Shi’s heart eased a little. No matter how terrifying its appearance, as long as there was a way to deal with it, there was no need to be afraid.

But the cafeteria had more than one window.

The fused monster quickly found another entrance, climbing in through a different window. Once inside, every head on its massive body craned forward, searching for the prey that should have been there.

Its enormous form knocked over tables and chairs against the walls with loud crashes. Apart from the useless furniture, it saw no living person.

It continued crawling and rummaging across the floor, even overturning the most suspicious cashier’s counter.

But underneath the counter was empty, and still no sign of a living soul.

Then it slowly searched along the walls, inching closer and closer to the corner.

Shi silently held the unconscious Xiaoyu in her arms, hesitating whether to retrieve the talisman she carried, but fearing that any movement might attract the monster’s attention, she remained utterly still.

The fused monster drew nearer, its speed increasing. The faces on each head began to show impatience, overturning tables and chairs in fits of rage.

It was almost upon her.

Many times, she felt it had discovered her, but the gazes of those faces always passed over her and moved elsewhere.

It couldn’t see her.

Not even sense her presence.

Shi wasn’t sure if the shadow in the dead-end alley was more formidable than this fused monster, but this creature had truly failed to find her. It passed the corner, then turned back toward the window.

As it passed the round table where they had played the spirit board earlier, countless hands emerged from the monster’s body, sticky and wet, clutching the tabletop. In a blink, the table was crushed into splinters, the remnants of her and Xiaoyu’s presence lingering on the shattered wood.

The monster climbed back out the same window it had entered.

But Shi didn’t dare relax. She maintained her original posture, holding the unconscious Xiaoyu tightly, motionless.

A long, long time passed.

Shi’s arms tingled with numbness. Thinking the monster had moved far enough away, she was about to move when a head slowly extended from the glass window near the corner.

Shi froze. The air stiffened as if she were petrified.

That head bore the face of a young man, long dead. His pale skin was tinged with a faint bluish-black, his eyes unnaturally wide, bulging grotesquely. The eyeballs slowly scanned the area, but after a full sweep, the fused monster gave up and climbed down from the second floor.

Shi dared not move, fearing the creature’s return.

Much more time passed before she heard scattered footsteps below, mingled with voices. Among them, Wang Aiguo’s excited tone was clear, complaining to Zhou Bushan that after paying money, he should be the priority to protect, not them.

Shi exhaled deeply, finally allowing herself to relax. She knew now that she and Xiaoyu were truly safe.

She stood up immediately, grabbed paper and pen from the cashier’s counter, quickly wrote a few words and slipped them into Xiaoyu’s palm, then stepped out from the shadowed corner, whispering, “Protect her.”

Who would have thought that after arriving in this world, the one she trusted most was a shadow in a dead-end alley.

The footsteps reached the door as they opened it.

Shi took a deep breath, hurried to the window, climbed up, and carefully turned to face the cafeteria.

The door opened.

Almost simultaneously, she jumped down from the windowsill in full view of everyone.

Zhou Bushan was stunned for a moment, then rejoiced, “You escaped through the window? Why are you back? What about Xiaoyu?”

Shi shook her head, her expression grim. “There are too many spirits here. Xiaoyu and I hadn’t been inside long before a fierce ghost appeared outside the window and took her away. I chased after it but couldn’t catch up, so I came back to look for clues. Xiaoyu is probably in grave danger now.”

She sighed. Her eyes caught the shattered round table on the floor, and she gasped, “How did the table get like this? It was fine just a moment ago!”

Zhou’s tone grew heavy. “I’m afraid there was more than one ghost attacking you just now. Sigh…”

Shi looked exhausted. “Let’s find somewhere to rest first. I’ve overexerted myself. I want to try an out-of-body spiritual search for Xiaoyu. Zhou, can you guard my soul?”

“Of course!” Zhou said. “Let’s go to the third floor. There’s staff dormitories where you can rest. The girls’ dorm is no longer safe—too many roaming spirits nearby.”

Wang Aiguo looked around uncertainly. “Master Dao, is it… is it possible Xiaoyu is in trouble too?”

Zhou sighed.

As they ascended the stairs, Shi spoke, “That fierce ghost came suddenly. I didn’t get a clear look… If it truly is the vengeful spirit of Xiaoling Du, it has already claimed two lives. I suppose it’s venting its anger.”

Wang asked anxiously, “So can we leave now?”

“No living person has been found, nor any corpse. If Miss Xiaoyu is still alive, how can we just abandon her?” Zhou sighed. “We must first find her. If she’s truly gone, we can think about leaving later. What do you think, Young Master Wang?”

Wang nodded sheepishly, seemingly resigned to the possibility Xiaoyu was dead. “Alright, then let’s look…”

On the third floor, Shi insisted that only Zhou enter the room with her, citing the need for no distractions during her out-of-body attempt.

The others remained uneasy outside, but Zhou comforted them, “It’s just a thin door. If anything happens, just knock.”

After about ten minutes, the door opened. Both Shi and Zhou wore grave expressions.

Zhou slowly shook his head. “Miss Xiaoyu is no longer among the living.”

A murmur ran through the group.

Their shock was subtle—they had doubted Xiaoyu’s survival, yet hearing it confirmed still struck them hard.

“But…” Zhou frowned, troubled. “I tried the recall spell; it still doesn’t work. It seems the vengeful spirit of Xiaoling Du remains unsettled.”

All eyes turned simultaneously toward Bai Yuxi.

The sister group had four members; now only Bai Yuxi remained. Was Xiaoling Du determined to take them all?

Each person harbored their own thoughts, while Shi quietly studied Lu Min standing beside Bai Yuxi.