Chapter 47

“Mute, pick up the pace and wash those dishes quickly; they’re needed up front,” the Supervisor commanded from above, his voice laced with authority. “Can’t you hear me telling you to move faster? Look at the pile of dishes next to you. Stop dawdling! If it weren’t for my kind heart, who do you think would hire a Mute like you? You’re always dragging your feet and slacking off.”

“Do you think you’re cursing me in your mind? You should be thanking me, you know? If it weren’t for my pity in taking you in, do you think a Mute without an ID could land such a good job? You’d probably still be sleeping on the streets!”

The man known as Mute, bent over and slouched, sat in front of a basin filled with oily dishes. He kept his head down, vigorously scrubbing without a moment’s pause, not lifting his head even as the insults continued. The Supervisor, seeing his gloomy demeanor, cursed under his breath and, after a few more prompts, walked away to the front desk.

Once the Supervisor was out of sight, Mute lifted his head, glaring darkly at him, and spat on the floor.

He tossed his dishcloth aside and headed to the restroom to smoke a cigarette.

If it weren’t for the need to escape his past, who would want to wash these broken dishes and endure such treatment? His salary was only fifteen hundred a month, from which deductions were made for any dishes that broke due to their fragility, leaving him with barely thirteen hundred. Not even enough to cover his losses in two rounds of gambling. If it weren’t for the room and board provided, he would never tolerate such a dreadful job.

He was utterly fed up with this miserable life. If it weren’t for Zheng Jing causing him so much misery, he wouldn’t have to live like a fugitive, constantly hiding.

When Mute returned from his cigarette break, the Supervisor was standing by the sink, berating loudly. Seeing Mute, he pointed and shouted, “Nice job washing, Mute! Where did you disappear to? Watch your salary because you think it’s alright to go to the bathroom without finishing your work? What is it, can’t hold it in, or do you go too often? Maybe you should get checked at a hospital. If you love the restroom so much, why don’t you just live there?”

The busboys, overhearing the rant, couldn’t help but snicker, not feeling the slightest pity for Mute; rather, they found it amusing.

Mute was a pitiful sight with many faults, particularly his laziness. Even washing dishes wasn’t done properly, often causing others to stay late to help him. Whenever he could, he’d sneak off to the restroom. Now that Mute was being scolded, they were more than happy to watch the drama unfold.

Blushing with humiliation and his eyes seething with malice, Mute clenched his fists but dared not do anything rash; he just continued washing the dishes. Internally, he cursed the man endlessly, wishing he could kill him to vent his anger.

As Mute washed, he suddenly felt something strange. The water in the basin was oily, and he couldn’t see clearly; it felt like a piece of meat. Curious, he picked it up, but to his shock, the meat seemed to stick to him, refusing to be thrown away. His face turned pale as the meat seemed alive, clinging to him and appearing to fuse into his flesh.

Terrified, Mute tried to pull it off, but it only seemed to grow bigger and began to wriggle as if it wanted to take over his arm. In panic, he put his hand back in the water, hoping to wash it off, but then he saw the sink water turn into a pool of blood, the thick liquid reeking of death. Both his hands were covered in this blood.

He screamed in horror, knocking over a bowl at his feet, which shattered loudly, drawing everyone’s attention in the kitchen. “Mute, what are you screaming about?”

“It’s just Mute, what’s he doing breaking bowls now? We’re not taking the blame for this; the Supervisor will deduct it from your pay!”

“Let him clean it up; it’s not my problem.”

Mute was beside himself, seeing the disdainful looks from his colleagues and then at his own hands, where there was no meat or blood-everything seemed like a hallucination.

…

Mute was scolded for an hour by the Supervisor, resulting in over thirty broken dishes, costing him three hundred yuan deducted from his salary. With previous deductions for laziness, he was left with barely a thousand yuan for the month.

Throughout the scolding, Mute kept his head down, appearing submissive but seething with suppressed anger.

That night, after work, the colleagues gathered in the dormitory, still gossiping about Mute. He was truly disliked, gloomy and sly, always dirty, never shaving his scruffy beard or cutting his long hair, giving him a sinister look. He hardly had any friends.

“I heard Mute hasn’t gone home for the holidays in years. Maybe he has no one left?”

“I’ve never seen him call his family; maybe he’s really alone?”

“With his attitude, even if he had family, they’d be driven to despair. Did you notice how ugly he looked when the Supervisor scolded him? It was terrifying, like he could kill someone.”

“You must be seeing things; Mute is too cowardly to kill anyone.”

As Mute entered, the three chatting colleagues quickly shut up and turned to their phones.

Mute washed his face in the restroom, then climbed into bed to sleep.

At around three in the morning, when the dormitory was silent, Mute, who was pretending to be asleep, opened his eyes. He carefully got out of bed, walked to the balcony, and climbed over to the next one, where the opportunistic and bullying Supervisor lived.

He hadn’t planned on doing anything drastic, just wanted to borrow some money to spend. Since the Supervisor loved deducting their pay so much, Mute thought it was only fair to let him experience the loss.

The Supervisor lived alone, and the room was quiet, his breathing audible. Mute reached under the pillow and found a wallet, which surprisingly contained only five or six hundred yuan. Disgusted, he muttered about the Supervisor being a miser and took the money, putting it in his pocket. As he stood up to leave, the suddenly awakened Supervisor saw someone at his bed and shouted, “Who’s there?! Help, there’s a thief!”

Startled, Mute panicked, thinking that if the police were called, all his years of hiding would be for nothing.

Without a second thought, he pounced, covering the Supervisor’s head with a piece of clothing. He straddled the man, his eyes wide with fury, pressing down hard to prevent any resistance. Although the Supervisor was a robust man and capable of fighting back, he was trapped under the bedding and soon struggled to breathe, growing faint.

As the man beneath him stopped struggling, Mute slowly eased his grip, cautiously removing the cloth from the Supervisor’s face…

Instead of a breathless face, he was horrified to find himself staring into the face of a woman!

It was Zheng Jing, his ex-wife, whom he had killed!

Her face was pale and stiff, her eyes gray and lifeless, covered in blood. She stared at him and said, “Do you want to kill me again?”

Mute recoiled in shock, backing into something behind him. Turning in panic, he saw his young son with a massive wound on his head, his eyes nearly falling out, blood profusely leaking. The boy looked at him and asked, “Why did you kill Mom and me? Was I not good enough?”

Mute trembled uncontrollably, panic overwhelming him. He tried to flee, pulling at the door that wouldn’t budge. The bed’s occupants slowly drifted toward him, their bodies covered in blood and horrific wounds visible.

Pressed against the door, Mute sweated profusely, his legs weak. “I didn’t kill you, it wasn’t me!” he cried.

The woman stepped closer, each step causing blood to drip and pool at her feet, quickly forming a small puddle of blood that flowed toward Mute…

Overcome with fear, Mute screamed, “Get away, all of you! I didn’t kill you; you forced me! Yes, you forced me! You all deserved to die!”

“You married into the Peng Family. Alive, you belonged to us; dead, you’re still our ghost. How dare you think of remarrying? You unfaithful woman! And you, my son, I gave you life, and I can take it away. What right do you have to seek revenge…”

“They can’t kill me, they can’t!”

The woman and child stared at him, expressionless, drifting ever closer.

The blood reached his feet…

Mute, driven to madness, frantically turned the door handle, and just as he felt all hope was lost, the door swung open! He burst out without looking back.

He wanted to run downstairs but was stopped by a woman standing at the stairwell, dressed in a nightgown, her body covered in blood, her eyes cold and bleeding.

Mute didn’t actually know her, but he recognized her from a news photo he had secretly viewed after fleeing from a murder scene. She was only twenty-three, the only daughter in her family, named Li Ru, a recent university graduate.

…If only she hadn’t accidentally stumbled into his misdeeds, he wouldn’t have had to kill her!

Unable to go downstairs, he ran up to the rooftop, looking down from the ten-story building, his face covered in cold sweat. Beyond the fear, there was sheer terror.

He didn’t want to die, not at all.

Turning around, he saw the woman and child, accompanied by Li Ru, approaching him.

Their chilling gaze made him feel as if his death was imminent.

Zheng Jing’s voice was icy: “Peng Li, I’ve been married to you for so many years, and you’ve been nothing but a lazy glutton, addicted to gambling. When you lose, you drink, and when you’re drunk, you beat me. Mention divorce, and you beat me again. Later, I was pregnant with Xiaowen, and I said I didn’t want him, fearing he’d suffer in a family like ours. But you forced me to give birth. Now that Xiaowen has grown, have you ever fulfilled your responsibilities as a father? Have you ever given a single penny for living expenses? Have you ever picked him up from school even once? You’ve done nothing, yet you dare to claim his life just because you’re his father! Are you even human? You’re worse than an animal!”

“I divorced you not because I betrayed you, but because any sensible person would leave a man as irresponsible and lacking in commitment as you. Your parents disown you, your brother and sister-in-law ignore you, and even your son was killed by you… Serves you right, serves you right to be abandoned by everyone, a solitary soul!”

Peng Li fell to his knees with a thud: “I was wrong, I know I was wrong, please spare me, don’t kill me, I don’t want to die.”

Peng Xiaowen looked at him and said, “I didn’t want to die either. Neither did mom or sister. Why did you kill us?”

Peng Li pleaded in panic: “Xiaowen, Xiaowen, daddy was wrong, daddy knows he was wrong, please, plead with your mom to spare me… I’m your father, if you kill me, it’s unfilial, you’ll be struck by lightning, you’ll end up in the eighteenth level of hell with no chance of rebirth!”

Xiaowen glanced at his mother and said, “I’m not afraid. You caused mom so much pain, I want you to know what pain is too.”

Li Ru’s hand formed a blade from Resentment Energy, and she sneered coldly.

This man always assumed he was right, reasoning with him was futile; he could only understand through experiencing the pain of being killed himself. Only then would he know fear.

She would reclaim her life in the manner she lost it.

“Ah-help!!!”

…

The supervisor was unconscious for about an hour. When he groggily awoke, he saw the door wide open and immediately remembered he had been robbed. He quickly called the police, cursing under his breath, both angry and scared, thinking about how he almost suffocated to death, wishing he could tear that thief to pieces!

When the police arrived and checked the surveillance footage, they saw a man running out of the supervisor’s room and heading to the rooftop. There, they found “Mute” lying in a pool of blood, stabbed multiple times.

This bizarre murder case immediately caught the police’s attention. After taking fingerprints, they discovered that this man known as Mute was Peng Li, the man who had killed his wife, child, and a cohabitant two and a half years ago in City B!

Peng Li had multiple stab wounds: two on the face, two on the neck, one on the shoulder, three piercing the chest, and one through the abdomen. Besides these fatal injuries, there were also some cuts.

A total of over ten knife wounds, matching exactly the wounds of the three deceased from back then, not one more, not one less.

This strange murder case spread, sparking widespread speculation that perhaps the souls of the deceased had returned for revenge, which explained why the knife wounds were identical.

“Who would’ve thought Mute was faking it? He was so evil, daring to kill his own wife and son. Now thinking back, we lived with him for half a year, and surviving was truly lucky.”

“Yeah, it scared me to death. I used to think he was pitiful, always gloomy and never socializing, never going home for holidays… Who would’ve thought he was a murderer!”

“Really terrifying, is this guy mentally twisted?”

“Do you think there really are ghosts coming back for revenge?”

This incident was so eerie, and with the police unable to catch the perpetrator, the rumor of the three victims returning as Malevolent Ghosts for revenge spread more and more. The supervisor now recalls it with fear, thinking he was surely going to die when his mouth and nose were covered, yet he survived. If there really were Malevolent Ghosts returning for Mute, then they did well. That heartless scoundrel deserved to die!

The police investigated for months but couldn’t find any evidence of someone committing the crime, and eventually, the case was left unresolved.

…

Gu Feiyin finally got to enjoy the Crawfish offered by the Water Ghost. The Crawfish were kept in clean water overnight to purge them, making the meat even more tender. The next day, they were washed and cooked, one pot steamed, another stir-fried into spicy crab. The cooked crabs looked especially beautiful, all bright red, making mouths water. When the shell was opened, there was golden crab roe, delicate in texture, rich and fresh, so delicious it felt like swallowing one’s tongue. Perfect for munching while watching TV, keeping both eyes and mouth busy.

There were indeed many delicious things in the river she didn’t know about; the Water Ghost could stay a few more days.

The temporarily pardoned Water Ghost whimpered, someday he would rise and sing his song!

After finishing the Crawfish, Gu Feiyin received a call from Ma Ao, saying he had returned from City C, and Lu Jiangfei and the others had been discharged from the hospital, their health greatly improved. If possible, they wanted to meet her. The main reason was to thank her; without her, they might have been dead by now.

Gu Feiyin particularly liked “thanks,” because every thank you meant receiving a gift. She immediately agreed, saying, “Sure, but I have to work during the day, let’s meet after I get off work.”

Ma Ao happily agreed, setting the time for that afternoon at Gourmet House, a famously renowned Chinese restaurant, known for its exceptionally delicious food, hard to get a reservation, and very expensive.

Ma Ao had booked a table half a month in advance. He told Lu Jiangfei, “Don’t be fooled by Master Gu’s intimidating appearance; she’s actually very nice. When you guys got into trouble, even the police were helpless. I asked her for help, and she agreed without hesitation. On our way here, we even encountered a Face Ghost hijacking the plane, almost dying in the sky.”

Lu Jiangfei replied, “I understand, thanks, brother.”

Ma Ao chuckled, “If anyone asks, let’s not mention certain things. I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for Master Gu.”

Lu Jiangfei recalled the scene of Miss Long Hair fiercely biting the little girl and shivered involuntarily, nodding, “Don’t worry, such things, even if said, no one would believe.”

Indeed, no one would believe. Ghosts eating people was common, but who would believe humans could eat ghosts? Besides, he was genuinely grateful to Master Gu. Everyone has their secrets, and he certainly wouldn’t talk carelessly. Moreover, Master Gu only looked scary; she was a good person, a lifesaver.

Lu Jiangfei thought of Miss Long Hair, and for some reason, she reminded him of the little girl, with that cold, mischievous aura that made one shiver at a glance…

That evening, Ma Ao and Lu Jiangfei went to meet Master Gu, ordering a table full of delicious dishes, so good that Gu Feiyin considered working there. Of course, the ten thousand yuan thank-you gift from Ma Ao and Lu Jiangfei made her cry with joy, although she ended up donating nine thousand, leaving her with one thousand, which was still quite nice, equivalent to five months’ salary. With some savings, she could almost start advertising again.

It was truly heartbreaking; her twenty-eight thousand yuan advertisement yielded nothing, thinking that if spent on food, it could have stuffed her to death hundreds of times.

Just as Gu Feiyin worried about the wasted twenty-eight thousand, she finally received news from a helpful citizen. They said they knew “Mu Mountain,” in their hometown City D, there was a mountain called Mu Mountain, but that was the old name, only the older generation called it Mu Mountain. They heard it from their grandfather, who heard it from his father, and couldn’t remember much, but now it’s called Dalong Mountain.

Dalong Mountain is a well-known scenic spot, perfect for hiking and playing. At the foot of the mountain, there’s a film base, and crews often go there to shoot. She’s encountered several celebrities. Because from the mountain, you can see the filming base at the foot, and reporters go up the mountain to take secret photos. That news about someone being intimate with someone in the crew was taken from the mountain.

Gu Feiyin was delighted and decided to go check it out.

She was going on another trip, so Gu Feiyin first asked her kind boss for two days off. The kind boss knew she was looking for a way home, so he was very understanding and agreed, telling her to go early and return safely. After securing the leave, Gu Feiyin thought of her important assets at home, asking Neighbor Miss and Old Lady to watch the house, and the mischievous Water Ghost, she went to the river and punched him twice, making him see stars and lose his bearings, before confidently packing her backpack and setting off.

She booked a train ticket for that night, heading to City D.

Water Ghost: … 🙁

…

On the night she left, the quiet room suddenly welcomed an uninvited guest.

A man with a sharp face and monkey-like features suddenly opened the tightly closed door. He had scoped out the place; this house was only occupied by a long-haired woman who seemed eerie, and reportedly had no friends, and had just left with a backpack, unlikely to return soon.

He came to rob this house because he noticed the long-haired woman ate well, Carp and Crawfish were common, and there were big, fat Crawfish, each as big as his palm, costing hundreds per jin! Besides Crawfish, there were also large crabs, so plump that he drooled just looking at them. She brought back two bags at once, probably twenty or so. These large crabs were expensive, buying so many at once, how rich must she be?

Seeing this, the long-haired woman was definitely a wealthy person; no one without money would buy these.

So when he saw the long-haired woman leave with a backpack, he hurried over.

The room was fairly clean, but it was pitch black and cold, colder than outside, making him hug his arms involuntarily and carefully head to the bedroom.

Money, such an important thing, surely wouldn’t be hidden in the living room?

But there were two bedrooms, and he didn’t know which one the long-haired woman lived in. After thinking for a moment, he randomly opened a door, finding it dark inside, unable to see clearly, and cautiously entered.

The door clicked shut, and he entered the room, first pulling the curtains closed, then turning on his flashlight. Only then did he realize the room was very simple, not even a bed made, clearly unoccupied. It seemed the long-haired woman lived in the next room.

He turned to leave, but when he pulled the door handle, the door wouldn’t open. He was puzzled when he suddenly heard movement behind him. He turned to see the curtains fluttering, rustling in the breeze. His heart tightened, suddenly recalling the rumors of this house being haunted.

… No, what ghosts, there are no ghosts in this world!

His heart tightened, and he forcefully opened the door, heading to the next room.

This time, he went straight in, closed the door, and shone his flashlight around the room, only to see a coffin placed there?!

A coffin? Why was there a coffin in this room?!

The thief was bewildered and shocked. He cautiously walked over and noticed that the coffin wasn’t fully closed, leaving a small gap. He raised his flashlight and peered inside. It was pitch black, and as the light swept across, he recoiled in horror, falling to the ground!

His heart pounded with fear. Ghost Money? Why was there so much Ghost Money inside the coffin?

Feeling increasingly uneasy, he swallowed hard and scrambled to his feet. He opened the wardrobe and quickly rummaged through it. All he wanted now was to find the money and get out of this creepy place as fast as possible.

Nothing here, nothing there. He closed two wardrobe doors and moved to the one closest to the wall. He opened it and saw a cotton coat and a pair of black pants hanging inside. He reached into the coat pockets but found nothing. Not a single cent! Even the poorest households would have a few coins lying around, but this place had nothing!

Well, not exactly nothing. There was still a coffin full of Ghost Money…

This was the most terrifying house he had ever broken into. He didn’t dare think too much about it. He searched the cotton coat and the pants, squeezing them, but found nothing. He sighed, wondering how someone who ate so well could have no money at home.

He couldn’t help but tug at the coat and pants a few more times. As he did, he suddenly noticed a pair of small feet underneath the pants. The feet were pale and bluish, bare and lifeless. The thief’s heart skipped a beat. Was the Long-haired Woman some kind of pervert? Had she hidden someone in her house?

With trembling hands, he pushed the clothes aside, revealing a small boy. The boy was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, his face pale and bluish from the cold. His eyes stared unblinkingly at the thief.

The thief, confused and uncertain, asked, “Who… who are you? Did the Long-haired Woman capture you?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressionless boy smiled. As he did, blood began to pour from his face, revealing a large gash. Flesh and skin peeled away, and his eyeball seemed about to fall out, yet he still spoke, “Are you here to play with me?”

The thief was terrified. His legs gave way, and he fell backward onto the bed.

As he landed, he realized he had sat on something. He looked down and saw a woman covered in blood! Her eyes, filled with bloody tears, stared straight at him with a chilling, cold gaze.

The thief screamed and fell to the floor, scrambling to get away. He tried to open the bedroom door but couldn’t. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn’t budge. He was so scared he nearly wet himself, muttering prayers and begging for mercy, claiming he was innocent and pleading for his life.

Finally, he managed to open the door. Overjoyed, he rushed out, only to find a blood-soaked woman, an Old Lady holding a broom, and a pair of legs. He looked up and saw a woman’s head embedded in the ceiling…

Someone seemed to be approaching from behind. The cold sensation on his back made his hair stand on end.

“Please, don’t kill me. Please, let me go. I haven’t done anything wrong. Please, let me go!”

He stood there, stiff with fear, trembling all over. After a moment, he couldn’t take it anymore. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

The Neighbor Miss dropped from the ceiling, and several ghosts formed a circle around the thief, looking down at him.

“Mom, should we hand this thief over to the police?”

“We’re ghosts. We can’t hand him over to the police.”

“Then what should we do? Should we kill this bad guy?”

“Killing him would be best. I hate thieves the most. Back in college, I got robbed and had to eat instant noodles for a month. Now, the smell of instant noodles makes me sick.”

“Jumping Sister, Old Lady, should we kill him?”

Jumpy and the Old Lady glanced at the little boy, their expressions blank, saying nothing.

The little boy scratched his head, squatted down, and started counting on his fingers, muttering, “Kill, don’t kill, kill, don’t kill…”

The thief twitched a few times on the floor, cold sweat pouring from his forehead, tears streaming down his face…

Oh, if he had known this place was so terrifying, he would never have come here to steal!

Help!

…

It took over two hours to get from City A to City B, and another three hours to travel from the train station to the foot of Dalong Mountain. By the time Gu Feiyin arrived, it was almost eleven o’clock. She looked around the base of the mountain and felt it seemed unfamiliar, not quite like her Mu Mountain.

Her Mu Mountain was vast, with rolling hills stretching as far as the eye could see, but it didn’t have so many houses or people. The small village at the foot of Mu Mountain had only a few dozen residents.

The Handsome Monk was famous, attracting many visitors, but they never stayed long. They would listen to his teachings and then leave. The population remained small.

But perhaps Mu Mountain had changed. After all, she herself had changed. She didn’t know if she had slept too long or what, but the world seemed different when she woke up.

She found an expensive hotel at the foot of the mountain and stayed there for the night, costing her ninety-nine yuan. It pained her heart!

That night, around midnight, a sudden storm hit. Thunder roared, and rain poured down all night, scaring her so much she hid under the covers. This cursed weather just wouldn’t settle down.

The rain finally stopped by morning. She peeked out the window several times, making sure no lightning would strike her, before finally venturing out.

She had a bowl of Spicy and Sour Noodles at the hotel restaurant. The noodles were made from sweet potato starch, giving them a delicate yet chewy texture. The toppings, like pickled vegetables and celery, were plentiful. A special chili oil and a dash of vinegar, along with some blanched bean sprouts, made it incredibly flavorful. She couldn’t resist drinking a few mouthfuls of the broth.

To go with the noodles, she had a Military Steamed Bun filled with beef. Freshly baked, it was fragrant and crispy. She even dipped it in the noodle broth, which was a perfect combination.

After breakfast, Gu Feiyin packed her bag and prepared to climb the mountain. She bought a few steamed buns from a nearby steamed bun shop, just in case she got hungry while climbing.

As she was about to start her ascent, she saw that the mountain was cordoned off. Fans, media reporters, and many police officers were gathered at the base. They said no one was allowed to climb the mountain for the time being because a film crew had been caught in the storm last night, causing a landslide. Many people were still missing, and for safety reasons, the mountain was closed.

“Did you hear? At least a dozen people are still missing. They searched all night but couldn’t find them. Who knows if they’re okay?”

“The weather is so cold. Ordinary people would freeze to death in the mountains, and last night’s storm must have soaked their clothes. With no way to keep warm, they’re in big trouble!”

“I heard the lead actors are among the missing. That’s why the fans are going crazy. Some people even tried to sneak up the mountain to look for them. It’s just causing more trouble. If they get lost, more resources will be wasted to rescue them. What are they thinking?”

“I hope they’re okay.”

Most bystanders were just concerned because the missing people were celebrities, attracting public attention. Gu Feiyin stood at the base for a while, watching more and more people arrive until the entire area was crowded.

Gu Feiyin was dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected another incident so soon. It seemed like the heavens were always causing trouble.

At that moment, she regretted not having the Neighbor Miss and the Old Lady with her. If they were here, she could have been carried up the mountain.