Chapter 073: The peculiar Chi Shen.

Chapter 073: The peculiar Chi Shen.

At 4 in the morning, the entrance to Tongfu Garden was deserted; even the security guard was asleep.

A van parked at the community entrance held several men, all gazing towards the entrance. A tall and straight silhouette of a young man appeared to be speaking to something, yet no one was beside him.

However, they could see someone. Some could barely make out a blurry shadow, while others could distinctly see the figure standing next to the young man.

A pale face emerged from behind the young man. It was just a face, no body attached. It wasn't a mask either, for the face turned towards them, revealing a clear smile.

The men in the van swallowed hard, glancing at each other, hesitant, "Should we approach?"

Their eyes turned to a middle-aged man in his forties inside the van. The man seemed uncertain, perhaps recalling the terrifying events at Bai Hengqing's house that night, wary of the ghostly face.

He held a lighter, lit a cigarette, and remained silent, just watching the young man head into the community.

"If we don't act now, he'll be inside," someone reminded, but no one moved from the van.

Clearly noticing them, the spectral face floated mid-air, looking in their direction. It then turned to whisper a few words to the young man. Observing its demeanor, everyone in the car felt a pang of fear.

"Did you bring everything?" the middle-aged man calmly inquired, tapping ash from his cigarette. Glancing up, one could clearly spot a slender scar beneath his neck.

Another man hastily unveiled several cloth bundles, revealing a variety of ritualistic tools and stacks of talismans, stammering, "Y-yes, we have everything!"

At that moment, the young man near the residential gate slightly turned his head, a smile reaching his eyes, and cast a fleeting glance at the vehicle.

Under the pale, ghostly glow of the streetlight, the young man's blood-stained torso was visible, as if he'd just returned from hell. Yet, his smile was bright and affable.

The smoking middle-aged man's eyes narrowed momentarily, promptly stubbing out his cigarette, declaring, "We're heading back. Tell the boss this job can't be done."

Observing the half-bloodied state of the young man, another spoke, voice quivering, "Did he... return after committing a murder?"

The young man suddenly turned, heading in their direction.

"Should we flee?" the driver queried. "Maybe we should make a run for it?"

A voice from the back retorted, "Have some backbone! We came to get him, and now he’s approaching us on his own accord. Why run?"

"Let's see what he wants," the middle-aged man's voice settled the entire car.

The bloodied young man, undeniably handsome, looked even more enchanting with the vibrant bloodstains. Approaching the van, he courteously tapped on the passenger-side window.

The middle-aged man lowered the window, maintaining a composed facade, "What do you want?"

With a courteous smile, the man outside said, "You're nearing your end. I just thought I'd inform you. Perhaps you might need assistance?" His tone was not of a harbinger of doom but sounded more like a polite individual offering to help carry groceries.

The middle-aged man eyed him skeptically but only saw genuine intent to assist in the other's gaze. Briefly puzzled, he quickly responded coldly, "No need."

"Then, stay safe," the man outside offered a polite smile, then turned to leave.

As the handsome man entered the residential complex, tension visibly left the middle-aged man. He retracted the tightly clenched object in his right hand back into his pocket, signaling, "Let's go."

Inside the van, glances were exchanged, "What now, once we're back?"

Fastening his seat belt with evident irritation, the man snapped, "Do whatever needs to be done."

No one dared to speak further. The van swiftly departed from the entrance of the Tongfu Yuan community.

Chi Shen was already ascending the stairs.

A spectral face emerged from the side, voicing its puzzlement, "How did you discern his impending demise?"

"He's heavily cursed," Chi Shen remarked.

With a perplexed expression, the spectral face questioned, "How did I not perceive that?"

Chi Shen inquired, "Do you find his scent appealing?"

The spectral face pondered before replying, "Yes, it's the fragrance of food nearing ripeness."

"That's a sign of imminent death," Chi Shen stated.

The spectral face's bewilderment deepened, "You too detected that scent?"

Chi Shen merely smiled in response. As the elevator reached its destination, he leisurely exited. The doors automatically opened, and he produced the late-night snack he'd purchased from the convenience store. Although it could technically be considered breakfast now, he shared it with the others.

Just before sleep claimed him, Ji Xingchen unexpectedly appeared at his bedside, warning, "Those individuals harbor ill intentions towards you."

Chi Shen replied, "The Bai family. They probably want to persuade me to return. Initially, I assumed they'd resort to more forceful tactics, but they seemed content just to observe me."

Ji Xingchen seemed to pause momentarily, gathering his thoughts, before continuing, "This situation is indeed peculiar."

"Indeed, it is. However, unraveling it seems tedious. I no longer wish to ponder the complexities of interactions involving more than two people." Suddenly, Chi Shen stretched an arm out from beneath the covers. Taking advantage of Ji Xingchen's contemplative moment, he yanked him into the cocoon of blankets, adding, "Enough, let's sleep. Dawn is approaching."

Ji Xingchen's entire ghostly form went rigid.

"Join me," Chi Shen's voice sounded weary, growing softer with each word, "In theory, my body shouldn't feel this fatigued."

The warmth within the cocoon gradually transitioned to cold with Ji Xingchen's presence, yet Chi Shen appeared unaffected. As he drifted into sleep, he mumbled, "Remember to have breakfast."

With Chi Shen fully asleep, the previously frozen Ji Xingchen dared to move slightly. He gazed at Chi Shen's profile, lost in thought.

Suspended upside down in the bedroom, a second manifestation of Ji Xingchen suddenly exuded wisps of dark energy, drifting towards Ji Xingchen.

"You should recognize me," Ji Xingchen's voice echoed softly throughout the room, "Can you discern my current thoughts?"

The dark mist meandering in the room dispersed suddenly, vanishing like smoke.

A line of blood-red script appeared on the ceiling: "He trusts you, and this could herald your rebirth."

Ji Xingchen stared at the bloody characters for a long time, then whispered, "Goodnight, the other me."

The blood-written words disintegrated, flowing down the wall and disappearing into it.

Ji Xingchen stretched out his arms, embracing Chi Shen deeply.

A sliver of light crept in through the window. It wasn't a sunny day; the atmosphere felt heavy and gloomy.

The lady in red, just like every day, crawled up the door frame and opened the bedroom door. She looked around, puzzled to find a ghost missing. Although curious, she felt completing her daily task was paramount.

She approached the bed with a gleeful snarl, leveraging herself onto it with both arms. Just as she was about to flip the blanket, she realized there was no one underneath. Looking up, she found Chi Shen by the window, calmly buttoning up his shirt.

The red-clad ghost curiously went closer for a look and suddenly froze.

With a stoic expression, Chi Shen addressed her, "No need to wake me up today. Leave."

She wore a peculiar expression, saying nothing, showing no fear, just watching him.

Chi Shen, without paying her any mind, got dressed, washed up, and hesitated for a moment before heading to the kitchen and opening the cabinet beneath the gas stove.

After a brief exchange with the ghost hiding there, the bewildered spirit crawled out, cleaned up the pool of blood she had left behind, then moved to the living room, where she and Bai Wan stared at each other.

Chi Shen glanced inside the refrigerator, then stepped out. When he returned, he was carrying eggs, toast, and milk. He made a quick sandwich, ate it, and then sat in the living room.

He seemed deep in thought, his brows furrowed. The room fell into an eerie silence, with not a single ghost daring to speak, even the usually talkative Ghost Face watched him cautiously.

After a while, he reached out, subconsciously rubbing the bridge of his nose, then picked up his phone and made a call.

There was a prolonged pause on the other end before the landlord answered, "Is there a problem?"

The landlord's voice was cautious, bordering on fearful.

Chi Shen replied calmly, "Are you aware that there are ghosts in your property?"

The landlord, seemingly taken aback by the direct question, hesitated before warning, "Young man, you shouldn't speak of such things lightly. Beware of inviting unwanted entities, and don't say I didn't warn you."

"Were the people who died in this house your tenants?" Chi Shen's voice remained even.

The landlord fell silent, then replied awkwardly, "You know about that? Well, that's why the rent's so cheap! Don't worry, no one's died since then. The location's great, isn't it…"

"How much did the person who approached you, claiming they could solve the haunting issue of this house, ask for?" Chi Shen interrupted her.

Silence lingered on the other end for a while. When she finally spoke, her voice was husky, "How did you know someone had approached... They demanded 500,000. I spent all our savings on this house. It was supposed to be for our child, but they moved away and never returned. I just thought of renting it out, never imagined encountering such issues..."

The landlord's voice on the phone turned increasingly distraught, meandering through her woes. Soon, she broke down into sobs, mentioning how they still lived in an old decrepit house and had to pay maintenance fees for this one. If Chi Shen wanted to leave, she was willing to refund the rent.

The landlord's cries became so muffled that Chi Shen struggled to catch her words. He seemed poised to hang up, but he patiently listened till the end, ensuring her he had no plans to vacate before ending the call.

After the call, he looked up to find all the ghosts staring at him. Even the one hiding in the toilet had come out, appearing as though they had something to say.

The lady in the red dress seemed like she wanted to rush over but was held back by Bai Wan.

"I need to step out," said Chi Shen, nonchalantly rising from the sofa and heading out with his keys and phone.

As soon as he left, Ghost Face darted into Chi Shen's room, only to retreat in fear after seeing the malevolent aura surrounding the duplicate Chi Shen.

Bai Wan entered next, placing a row of red candles in front of her to fend off the dark energy. She tapped on a nearby cabinet, asking, "What happened last night?"

The cabinet ghost didn't open its door, a muffled voice emerged, "I didn't dare to watch."

Bai Wan: ?