Chapter 77

The incident of discovering a female corpse during the redevelopment of the unfinished building made it to the current affairs news on the same day. Numerous media reporters flocked to the scene, eager to obtain firsthand news. They interviewed the police officers responsible for the case, but of course, before any conclusions were drawn, the officers couldn’t disclose anything.

They also interviewed the two workers who found the corpse while breaking down the wall. They were genuinely shocked to find the body, having no prior knowledge of it. It was merely a female corpse, frozen into a solid block by the cement, and if not for the hair, it was hard to tell if it was male or female.

Even the local residents were interviewed. The rumors of hauntings on Fumin Road had stirred up a few times before, and with the emergence of the corpse, there seemed to be a reason for the hauntings. Why were clothes seen fluttering on the unfinished building? Because a woman in red ghost resided there! Why was there a coffin placed in the building, and why did it float in the air a few times? Naturally, it was because the woman had no coffin after her death and had possibly stolen one from a grave somewhere…

“Yes, yes, didn’t little paper slips looking for Mu Mountain float around before? Could it be the hometown of the deceased woman?”

“Maybe it really is, we should investigate Mu Mountain!”

“No wonder every time I passed the unfinished building, I felt like someone was watching me from inside. Turns out there really was something… It’s truly terrifying.”

“……”

Thinking back now, those inexplicable supernatural events seemed to make sense.

Old Man Wang couldn’t stand hearing such things. During the interview, he was quite agitated: “What ghosts or no ghosts, the most important thing now is that someone committed murder and hid the body. The murderer must be found and brought to justice. This murderer who destroys evidence must be severely punished!”

Old Man Wang’s indignant demeanor was captured on television, and Granny Wang commented, “You speak so bluntly, you might offend people. We see each other every day in the neighborhood, can’t you speak more tactfully?”

Old Man Wang replied, “Now we need to find the murderer. If we don’t provide clues and instead talk nonsense about ghosts, everyone will just end up discussing those supernatural events. Can you tolerate that? I can’t.”

Indeed, the current public opinion was heated, and the focus should be on the murder and body concealment case, not on supernatural events. However, with the supernatural events as a backdrop, it piqued the curiosity of others even more. With the matter gaining attention, surely the murderer wouldn’t remain unaware.

Xiao Wang looked at his father, “Dad, don’t get worked up, watch your blood pressure.”

Old Man Wang said, “I’m just worried that the corpse might be our benefactor. If that’s the case, it would be too heartbreaking.”

A little boy clutched his grandfather urgently, “Could it be sister? Sister is so pitiful.”

Xiao Wang: “…”

Forget it, let’s pretend he didn’t ask.

……

Jiang Tian and the Captain took a few sips of plain water to steady themselves, wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads. After some hesitation, they finally explained their purpose. They were here regarding the case of Xu Ying’s murder.

Oh, so Jumpy was called Xu Ying. To be honest, it’s quite a nice name.

“The crime scene had been destroyed long ago, and we didn’t find any other evidence there. We only know that Ms. Xu Ying disappeared four years ago and was never found. Since we had the chance to meet Ms. Xu Ying once before, we thought she might have been with Master Gu, so we came to ask about the case to facilitate the investigation and bring the real culprit to justice as soon as possible.”

This was certainly a good approach, aligning perfectly with the thoughts of the little ghosts. With the victim’s testimony, finding the perpetrator would be a piece of cake, wouldn’t it?

For a moment, all the little ghosts looked at Jumpy, who was sitting on the ground gnawing on a candle.

“Jumpy, do you remember who killed you? Quickly tell us all your grievances, now the police are here to help you!”

“Yes, we can’t let the perpetrator go unpunished!”

“Jumpy, Jumpy?”

“Jumpy, why aren’t you speaking?”

“……”

In fact, both the police and the little ghosts had good intentions, but they forgot one thing-Jumpy didn’t speak.

No matter what others said or asked, she just sat there with a gloomy face, gnawing on the candle, her gray-white eyes unmoving, not uttering a single word, though she ate quite a lot.

This was indeed a difficult situation.

Gu Feiyin stared at Jumpy for a while, unable to determine if she truly couldn’t speak or simply didn’t want to. Shaking her head helplessly, she said, “She doesn’t speak.”

Jiang Tian was taken aback and said, “Sorry, our request might indeed be too much for Ms. Xu Ying.”

The Captain nodded in agreement. Ms. Xu Ying was the victim, and her death was so tragic. She must have been extremely frightened and in pain when she was killed. Asking her to recall the incident would be like a second trauma. Although she was now a ghost, ghosts have feelings too. Who’s to say she wouldn’t feel fear and sadness?

The woman in red ghost swung her long whip and sat down beside Long Black Straight Hair, “Isn’t it that Jumpy doesn’t want to speak? I’ve never seen a ghost that’s mute. Even if she was a Mute in life, she should be able to speak after death.”

Because ghosts are different from humans. When a human loses a part of their body, it’s fatal and irreversible. Ghosts, however, are different. They are formed from intangible souls, and even if they lose a leg, they can cultivate for a few more years to regrow it. So not being able to speak shouldn’t really be an issue.

The biggest reason might be that Jumpy Xu herself doesn’t want to speak, and as for what reason makes her unwilling to speak, that’s hard to say.

Gu Feiyin naturally knows a bit, because she has never seen a Mute ghost before. Previously, when Jumpy and the Old Lady didn’t speak, she didn’t pay much attention. If other ghosts don’t want to speak, then they just don’t speak. She’s not the kind of authoritarian person who forces them to talk. This time is no different, “If you don’t want to speak, then write it down.”

That’s a great idea! If you don’t use your mouth, you still have your hands, right?

The little ghosts got excited: “Quick, quick, quick, bring paper and pen!”

“Does the landlord have paper and pen?”

“Yes, indeed.” Gu Feiyin replied, “In the drawer of my room, I bought a lot before and there are still some left unused. Who wants to go get them?”

The Headless Ghost ran the fastest: “I’ll go get it, I’ll go get it!”

Jiang Tian and the Captain were dumbfounded for a moment, letting a ghost write to express grievances? This kind of storyline probably only happens in movies…

But then again, there are ghosts here, and ghosts were once humans too, having received nine years of compulsory education. Writing is quite normal, nothing to be surprised about.

Soon, Jiang Tian and the Captain saw a sheet of A3 white paper and a pen flying out, a gust of cold wind blew past, and they landed straight on the table in front of them. They couldn’t help but swallow, rubbing their sweaty palms, feeling quite complicated.

Jumpy Xu hugged a candle and sat at the table, under the eager anticipation of the little ghosts and the three humans, she picked up the pen. The pen stood in the air for a while, then fell onto the table with a thud, rolling a few times across the surface.

“…?” Jiang Tian and the Captain looked at Master Gu simultaneously, who was staring gloomily at the air and said eerily, “I remember you know how to write, why aren’t you writing?”

That look, if seen by unrelated people, might make them think she’s crazy.

“What’s wrong? Is Ms. Xu Ying still unwilling to face it?”

“Yes.”

“……”

Gu Feiyin said, “If Jumpy doesn’t say who it is, do you have other ways to find the culprit?”

Jiang Tian replied, “We will do our best to investigate, first to understand Ms. Xu Ying’s life, look into her family and social relationships, we should be able to find suspicious points from there. As long as the culprit is still around, we will definitely catch him.”

The Captain said, “Moreover, as long as the culprit has a guilty conscience, remembering the place where the body is hidden, he will definitely keep an eye on the situation of the unfinished building. The matter of the body being dug up from the unfinished building is no secret, media reporters have already come by. I think he might already know about the body being dug up by the workers.”

Jiang Tian said, “That’s right, as long as the other party knows, they will definitely take action. We will visit Ms. Xu Ying’s friends and family in the next day or two, hoping to get some useful clues.”

Gu Feiyin quickly expressed her thanks, saying if they need help, just give her a call, she will provide assistance immediately.

Jiang Tian and the Captain agreed repeatedly, drank the remaining half bowl of plain water, then got up to leave. Before leaving, they bid farewell to Master Gu, and waved to the empty air, saying goodbye. After stepping out the door, the two exchanged glances, smiled with dazed expressions, awkwardly lowered their arms, and walked down the stairs in sync.

Today’s events are something they can boast about for a lifetime. Not only did they sit on a bench handed over by a ghost, but they also drank plain water poured by a ghost, and almost saw a letter of grievance written by a ghost. Who would believe it if they told anyone?

……

Once Jiang Tian and the Captain left, the room became lively again, with sighs and comments about how Jumpy is a Mute ghost. It’s too pitiful, unable to identify the murderer who killed her. Some enthusiastic little ghosts said they would follow Jiang Tian and the Captain to investigate the case. People can inquire, and so can ghosts, adding more effort; some little ghosts said they would wander near the unfinished building, maybe they could encounter some suspicious individuals?

“That’s great, you guys go early and come back early, strive to catch the culprit soon!”

“Jumpy, wait for us, we’ll definitely avenge you!”

“Wait for us to come back!”

Watching as most of the little ghosts ran off, Gu Feiyin glanced at Jumpy still burying her head in the candle, not expecting Jumpy to have such a stubborn head, yet a rather fragile heart. It would be nice if she could balance it out.

Oh, she suddenly turned to look at the Old Grandma huddled in the corner with a broom. This Old Grandma has been with Jumpy for so long, might she know something?

Old Grandma: “……”

Old Grandma pressed her chin down, not saying a word, her gray-white eyes turned, revealing some confusion and helplessness, as if saying she doesn’t know, she really doesn’t know anything.

Oh, that’s fine then, Gu Feiyin turned her eyes away.

Old Grandma: “……”

……

Jiang Tian was busy running around, not only visiting Ms. Xu Ying’s hometown but also going to the university where she studied, contacting several of her classmates, even those she used to be close with. After thorough investigation, they finally identified a suspicious person, Wang Tao.

Wang Tao is still in City A, working in management at a mall owned by his wife’s father. As the son-in-law, although his treatment is slightly better than young people just entering society, he started from the most basic level. When they went to find him, he was extremely surprised, and of course, he was even more agitated about Ms. Xu Ying’s tragic death at the unfinished building, even crying, causing the scene to become uncontrollable.

Because he acted so agitated, it actually made Jiang Tian feel that there was something wrong with him. First, the look in his eyes was too evasive and his words were vague. Second, he had already gotten married just one month after Xu Ying went missing, and as Xu Ying’s boyfriend at the time, this was simply beyond explanation.

Wang Tao’s wife was his high school classmate, a woman who looked very frail. It was said that her health had always been poor, so she had never gone out to work. According to the neighbors, Wang Tao and his wife had a very good relationship; they almost never quarreled, and every week he would take his wife back to her mother’s house to stay for two days. They were the model couple of the area.

When this news reached the ears of the little ghosts under the Ghost House at the overpass, the whole place erupted.

“Scumbag, it must be that scumbag Wang Tao who harmed Jumpy!”

“That’s right, it must be him. Jumpy had only been missing for a month when he remarried. Isn’t that just too heartless? Even in ancient times, people had to observe three years of mourning. I’m not asking him for three years, but couldn’t he have spent a bit more time looking for her? After all, that’s a human life! His girlfriend goes missing and he can still get married without the slightest burden-he’s clearly no good.”

“But there’s no evidence. The police comrades only suspect him; without evidence, nothing can be done.”

“Didn’t you find anything at his house? Any nightmares haunting him every night?”

“Of course he’s having nightmares, but we haven’t found any useful evidence. Besides, who would leave murder evidence at home? Anyway, I’ve already had a few little ghosts lurking in his house, waiting. If he really did something guilty, he’ll definitely slip up, and then we’ll know for sure!”

“That’s right, then we’ll go tell the police comrades and have them arrest him!”

This plan was actually quite good. Gu Feiyin almost wanted to nod in approval. After all, ordinary people can’t see ghosts, and when no one else is around, people won’t keep up the act. All their thoughts and feelings will show. If it really has something to do with Wang Tao, and the police come to him, there’s no way he’ll stay calm.

So, all they could do was wait.

They waited and waited. Barely two days later, the little ghost who had been monitoring Wang Tao came back. “That Wang Tao is definitely suspicious. Ever since the police comrades talked to him, he’s been obviously unsettled, can’t sleep at night, and sneaks off to the bathroom to smoke by himself. I think he’s got a guilty conscience.”

The woman in red ghost listened, happily snapping her long whip. “How about I go scare him and make him confess to his wrongdoing himself? I’m the best at dealing with this kind of scumbag.”

Gu Feiyin glanced at her and nodded, “Let’s go together then.”

No sooner said than done, that very night they all rushed over.

Gu Feiyin felt she was being quite kind-hearted. Considering that Jumpy’s body had just been unearthed and she wasn’t feeling well, she didn’t trouble her to carry her. She could only ask the Old Lady, who rode a broomstick, to take her along.

Old Lady: ……

Wang Tao and his wife lived on the twentieth floor of a high-rise. You had to swipe a card to enter-not like the neighborhood where she lived, where going up and down was no problem at all, completely unimpeded. Of course, this couldn’t stump Gu Feiyin either. She found a secluded spot and had the Old Lady carry her inside, floating all the way up to the twentieth floor. She clung to the window and peered inside, but unfortunately, it was pitch black and she couldn’t see a thing.

The woman in red ghost was already in the apartment, snapping her long whip back and forth. The Headless Ghost hid on the ceiling, the Armless Ghost crouched under the bed, the Middle-aged Female Ghost sat at the bedhead, and the Ghost Lady sat with her ghost maid on the lounge chair by the window, the rocking chair creaking back and forth… Dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at Wang Tao on the bed. He was sleeping restlessly, brows furrowed as if in the midst of a nightmare.

Wang Tao had a nightmare. In his dream, he was back on the university campus. But not only was there not a single person around, there were countless ghosts chasing after him. Some had no heads, some had no arms, some had no legs and could only crawl along the ground… All of them were grotesque, with pale faces and strange expressions, their mouths shouting, “Give me back my life! Give me back my life!”

“I died so miserably, why did you kill me…”

“Wuwuwu save me, save me…”

Wang Tao was utterly terrified, full of fear and panic, and could only run for his life, because he was afraid that if he was caught, he would be torn apart and eaten by these ghosts!

He screamed, “I didn’t kill you, I didn’t kill you! Don’t come for me!”

“Get away from me, get away!”

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression on the verge of collapse.

He ran all the way toward the school gate. Just as he was about to reach it, he saw the vehicles and crowds walking outside the campus, and the warm sunlight. As long as he got out, he’d be saved! Overjoyed, he ran desperately toward the exit!

But the moment he finally crossed the school gate, the beautiful sunlight instantly vanished, the cars and crowds froze in place. He stood stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt something tugging at his feet. In a daze, he looked down and saw countless hands reaching up from the ground-white, bony skeleton hands grabbing him and pulling him down, as if dragging him into endless hell!

With a sharp scream, Wang Tao jolted awake and opened his eyes, seeing only the hazy gray ceiling-so it had all been a dream.

Wang Tao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned on the bedside lamp. His wife, awakened by his scream, sat up and looked at him, “What’s wrong? Another nightmare?”

Wang Tao took a deep breath, rubbing his aching forehead, “I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

He got up and went to the bathroom, while his wife leaned against the headboard, frowning as she watched her husband’s distant figure. After sitting for a while, she also got up and went to the bathroom, knocking on the door and asking if he wanted to go to the hospital. Severe insomnia is bad for health and should be treated as soon as possible.

Wang Tao hummed in agreement, “You go to sleep. I’ll come after I finish this cigarette.” Because his wife’s health was poor, he always smoked away from her, a considerate gesture that naturally earned praise from others.

His wife felt helpless, thinking that when morning came, whether Wang Tao wanted to or not, he must go with her to the hospital for a check-up. This constant insomnia was not a good thing.

When Wang Tao finished his cigarette and came out of the bathroom, his wife was already asleep. He sat by the bed, thinking that it must be because he had been thinking too much lately, which was why he kept having nightmares. Tomorrow, he would go to the hospital to get some sleeping pills, and then he should be able to sleep soundly.

Thinking this, he felt much more at ease and prepared to turn off the bedside lamp and continue sleeping. But as he glanced around, he suddenly saw someone clinging to his window! The person was like a frog, with all four limbs stuck to the window, long hair swaying in the wind, seemingly trying hard to crawl towards him…

He couldn’t see her face, but instinctively thought of someone-Xu Ying!

Xu Ying also had long hair and was as frail as her. Was she here to seek revenge?!

No, it couldn’t be. There are no ghosts in this world! It must be that he had too many nightmares and was hallucinating…

Wang Tao was trembling all over, his face pale, cold sweat soaking his clothes. He stiffened his body and suddenly grabbed the remote control from the bedside table and threw it!

For a moment, the expected sound did not come. Wang Tao’s eyes widened as he saw the remote control he had thrown away floating back, drifting bit by bit through the air until it stopped in front of him. He tried desperately to retreat but was stuck against the wall with nowhere to go, and the remote control finally stopped in front of him, motionless.

The Long-haired Woman was still outside the window, and he could feel her cold, malicious gaze, as if she wanted to tear him to pieces!

Wang Tao’s teeth chattered, shrinking into the corner, not daring to move. Fear had taken over his entire mind, “I know, I know, you’re here to seek revenge! But I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die! Can you not kill me? Please don’t kill me…”

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The knocking outside the window grew clearer, and with a click, it seemed the window was opened by someone. Wang Tao stared at the window, watching the Long-haired Woman twist her limbs and crawl in, wobbling as she walked towards him…

The terror in Wang Tao’s eyes was almost tangible. He shivered and tried to hide, finally screaming “Help!” as he scrambled out of his home!

The Long-haired Woman staggered, her eerie steps limping as she chased after him, shouting, “Don’t run, don’t run…”

Wang Tao’s wife hid under the covers, trembling uncontrollably, biting her lip hard to keep herself from screaming…

…

Wang Tao went to the hospital that night because he ran too fast and accidentally knocked himself unconscious. Gu Feiyin chased after him and called Jiang Tian, who came and took him to the hospital.

At this moment, Gu Feiyin was sitting outside the hospital eating instant noodles. She had been busy all night, and her stomach was growling with hunger. After enduring the pain of numb legs and cramps while chasing Wang Tao, she had to reward herself.

The woman in red ghost sat beside her, coldly saying, “Wang Tao really is a scumbag. Jumpy was so unlucky to encounter him.”

The Ghost Lady said, “There are no good men in this world. Believing that men are good is truly foolish. Long Black Straight Hair, what are you eating? I want some too.”

Gu Feiyin extended her palm, “Five yuan a bowl.”

The Ghost Lady choked, then waved her hand, and the ghost maid immediately pulled out a piece of silver leaf from her pocket. Gu Feiyin handed over her instant noodles with both hands, then went to make another bowl, adding a sausage! Eating sausage with instant noodles is the perfect combination. She hadn’t been willing to buy it earlier, but now she was very willing.

The Ghost Lady: “…” 🙂