Chapter 12

Tao Lizhi woke up in a frenzy, insisting on changing rooms and crying that he had been eaten by ghosts. Yet, he was perfectly fine-arms and legs intact, and his spirits were even better than the previous night, though he was still a bit weak from his illness. He didn’t seem to have any issues at all.

But he insisted, vividly and convincingly, “It’s true! I heard it myself. Last night, several ghosts were around my bed, eating me!”

Tao Mom started tearing up again, while Tao Dad was so angry he wanted to give his foolish son a good scolding!

The doctor smiled at him and said, “But your body is fine, with no injuries. You must have had a nightmare. It’s common for people with a fever to have wild imaginations-what you think about during the day can appear in your dreams at night.”

Tao Lizhi replied, “My body may not be injured, but I feel like my internal organs might have been eaten. Can you do a CT scan to check?”

Everyone was speechless.

Of course, the results showed everything was intact, not a single organ missing. Tao Lizhi felt relieved yet incredulous-everything was there, so what did they eat last night?

The doctor said, “Now you can rest assured, patient. Your body is really in good shape.”

Tao Lizhi thought carefully and said seriously, “This could be some kind of illusion. You’ve all been fooled! But I won’t be deceived!”

The doctor was speechless.

Tao Dad really wanted to kick him. How did he end up with such a foolish son?

When Bi Heng and Jiang Long arrived, Tao Lizhi was eating. The chicken soup was skimmed of fat, looking light and not greasy at all. The steamed pork ribs were tender and fragrant, and the green vegetables were crisp and fresh. He quickly devoured a large bowl of rice.

Bi Heng’s eyebrow twitched, finding it hard to comprehend.

Jiang Long’s mouth twitched as well. With such a good appetite, he didn’t seem to be suffering from any ghostly torment. He remembered how he had almost wet himself back then. “Didn’t you say your internal organs were eaten? Aren’t you afraid of leaking with all that food?”

Tao Lizhi, holding his chicken soup, was teary-eyed.

Bi Heng said, “Alright, stop scaring him.”

Jiang Long shrugged.

Accompanying Bi Heng and Jiang Long was Master Zhang, who had visited before.

As soon as Master Zhang entered the room, his expression turned grim, more so than last time. He walked around the room, asked about Tao Lizhi’s situation last night, and then said, “There are indeed traces of ghosts in this room, likely the same ones as before. It seems we must visit the haunted house.”

Visiting the haunted house was inevitable. Master Zhang needed to prepare and soon left the hospital.

Bi Heng and Jiang Long stayed a while longer. Bi Heng asked suspiciously, “Xiao Zhi, did you really hear several ghosts saying they were going to eat you? Think carefully, did they say anything else?”

Tao Lizhi nodded, saying he indeed heard it. He mentioned that the ghost was particularly rude, even inviting others to join in eating him. However, the ghost said something strange. He couldn’t remember exactly, as he was overwhelmed with fear at the thought of being eaten.

He scratched his head and hesitated, “I think I heard a woman say something like, ‘… I don’t know who this kid offended, but they really went all out… The Tao Family is wealthy, how could they have a poor relative like you?’ or something like that?”

Bi Heng squinted and exchanged a glance with Jiang Long, asking seriously, “Are you sure you heard that?”

Tao Lizhi shrugged, “I didn’t hear clearly… I was almost scared out of my mind!”

The three of them fell silent.

Tao Lizhi scratched his head, blinking as a peculiar thought crossed his mind. Why did he feel like he wasn’t being eaten but rather being saved?

Because every time he was so cold he could hardly breathe, he would see those ghosts. Yet, the next day, he would wake up feeling as lively as ever!

Could it be that he misunderstood those three ghosts?

No, impossible. How could a ghost with such a sinister smile be a good ghost?

…

As they left the hospital, Bi Heng and Jiang Long were deep in thought. If Tao Lizhi hadn’t misheard, it meant someone might really be plotting against him, trying to take his life.

Using Resentment Energy to consume Yang Energy, leading to a silent death, was eerily similar to dying from Yin Energy exposure.

It was as if someone had meticulously planned it.

The two exchanged a glance, and Bi Heng called Tao Dad, advising him to send over a couple of bodyguards and not to let anyone unfamiliar approach Tao Lizhi. Tao Dad, still upset with his foolish son, became anxious upon hearing Bi Heng’s words, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Xiao Zhi again?”

Bi Heng replied, “I suspect Xiao Zhi’s illness is man-made. Until we resolve this, it’s best not to let unrelated people near him, just in case.”

Tao Dad asked, “Bi Heng, have you discovered something?”

Bi Heng said, “There are some findings, but I need to verify a few things.”

Bi Heng, being several years older than Tao Lizhi and always exceptionally capable and steady, was trusted by Tao Dad. Knowing Bi Heng wasn’t one to speak without reason, Tao Dad immediately arranged for a few bodyguards to be sent over. After all, no matter how foolish his son was, he was still his son and needed to be cared for.

…

The haunted house in the amusement park wasn’t the most popular spot. Those with weak nerves didn’t dare enter, and the brave ones, knowing it was fake, scoffed at it. Those with just the right amount of courage would come for the thrill, sometimes even scaring the actors instead.

The ghost actors had it tough. Initially, they could scare themselves, but after scaring people so often, they became numb, unable to even scare themselves anymore.

But today felt different. As soon as they entered the haunted house, they couldn’t help but shiver. Was the heating not on enough today? Looking towards the end of the haunted house, they felt as if something significant was there, creating a sense of oppression. On second thought, it seemed like a strange idea, probably just an illusion.

Soon, the first guest arrived.

This guest was a horror live-streamer, though not very famous, with just a few thousand followers. He had visited various haunted houses and escape rooms, developing an unbreakable spirit and a bold heart.

Now, holding his mobile phone, he strolled in leisurely. Along the way, he encountered hanging ghosts, shoe-touching ghosts, doll ghosts, and more… none of which fazed him. He even pointed at them, occasionally taking selfies.

It seemed all haunted houses followed the same routine, and the future of this one didn’t look promising. Without the thrill of scaring people, where was the fun? Only couples seemed to enjoy haunted houses for the romantic atmosphere.

The ghost actors were helpless, filled with frustration.

However, just as they were feeling disappointed, a terrified scream suddenly echoed from the end of the haunted house!

The ghost actors perked up, astonished: Who was this amazing person, achieving such remarkable results?!

The male guest was genuinely bored with the repetitive haunted house. As he passed by a room and saw a coffin, he pushed it open without thinking-it must be a prank with a dummy dressed as a ghost inside, just a big joke.

But after pushing it open, nothing strange jumped out, surprising him.

The coffin emitted a dim, eerie blue light, with haunting piano music playing from all directions, and a chill rising from the floor, making him shiver involuntarily.

He was just surprised at how well the haunted house had set the atmosphere, then leaned in to look inside the coffin. Even though he was prepared, he was startled!

The dim blue light made the woman’s face appear even more pale. She lay there quietly, eyes closed, so still she seemed not to be breathing. More frightening was the cold aura emanating from the coffin-it was like a corpse! His hand on the coffin felt like it was on ice. Just one glance made his spine tingle, goosebumps rising, and a sense of unease creeping in.

As he was feeling uneasy, the woman, who had her eyes closed, suddenly opened them.

She stared at him with a sinister gaze, pulling her lips into a creepy, eerie smile.

He felt his scalp tingle, screamed, and stumbled back, falling to the ground!

…

Gu Feiyin felt like she had found paradise. Her new job wasn’t tiring, the workplace was warm and draft-free, much better than her previous job-no, a hundred times better!

The new job was so good that she unknowingly fell asleep. How could she not? In the unfinished building, the wind blew from all directions, leaving her hands and feet cold every night, never warming up. On rainy, windy nights, she had to be careful not to let her quilt get wet. Suddenly having a warm place to lie down, she was so happy she almost fainted-until a guest pushed the coffin, waking her up with the sound of it moving-she was startled! How could she sleep on the job, letting down her boss’s trust and such a great job?!

She abruptly opened her eyes, meeting another pair of eyes-the visitor was a man, staring at her as if frozen.

A guest.

She pulled her lips into a kind, gentle smile.

“Ahhh-!”

With a bang, the coffin lid closed again, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps running away.

“Streamer, streamer, where are you?”

“Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter! Trying to act cool, and you got scared by a person pretending to be a corpse?”

“Didn’t you guys find the woman in the coffin terrifying? When she opened her eyes, I thought she was going to jump up and eat me!”

“Streamer, streamer, come back! Aren’t you going to take your phone?!”

…

On Gu Feiyin’s first day lying in the coffin, besides earning sixty yuan, she also received a six yuan tip. What a heavenly job-she couldn’t afford to lose it!