Chapter 155: This… is a cake stained with blood!

Chapter 155: This... is a cake stained with blood!

"I..." For a moment, countless memories flickered in the Red-dressed Ghost's bloodshot eyes. Her withered hands instinctively moved to her neck, making a scratching motion, "...I do."

Dark ghost energy surged like a tidal wave. Soon, she had a complete set of legs, her skin rejuvenated, and her nails regained their shine. She stood, momentarily engulfed by the swirling energy.

"I've found it!" Ghost Face suddenly exclaimed. "The entrance is here!"

Chi Shen, however, didn't respond. He only managed a brief glance at Ji Xing Chen, who had just exited the kitchen, before being pulled away by an unseen force.

Silence swiftly returned to the living room.

The whirlpool of ghost energy was entirely absorbed by the Red-dressed Ghost. For a fleeting moment, she displayed a deeply pained expression but refrained from screaming, settling down almost immediately.

Then, she lifted her head and leisurely surveyed the room.

Instead of the red dress, she now wore a pale blue qipao with her long hair neatly bundled up. Her features weren't the cute, petite ones from Dongshan Hot Springs; rather, they were refined and imbued with an air of erudition.

After a brief survey of the living room, she gracefully moved to the couch and sat down. With her hands folded in her lap, she observed her surroundings with both curiosity and restraint.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Chi Shen found himself in a classroom. The room bore an aura of antiquity, reminiscent of scenes from films set in the Republic of China era. A thick scent of blood hung in the air. There were twenty-three desks in total, and atop twenty-one of them lay a corpse.

The manner of their deaths varied. Some had gunshot wounds, others were decapitated, and a few even bisected at the waist. They rested on the desks in the exact positions they'd died. The remaining two desks weren't empty either: one had a mush of flesh over the chair, and from above the other, a body was suspended.

The hanging body was dressed in a light blue qipao. The wounds on her, while gruesome, were not fatal. Blood seeped from the gashes, staining the qipao a deep crimson. Her eyes bulged, and her tongue hung out, signs of asphyxiation.

"What... what is this?" Gui Lian, seeing such a bloody scene for the first time, was momentarily stunned, stammering, "Is this the sorcery of that foolish girl?"

"Seems like it," Chi Shen replied, diverting his gaze to inspect the bodies on the desks.

Growing increasingly anxious, Gui Lian pressed, "We're in. Shouldn't we just leave? I can see the exit. What are you doing?"

As Chi Shen turned over a body with severed limbs, Gui Lian's face turned green. He had this nagging feeling that the dead would reanimate.

"Looking for clues," Chi Shen calmly responded. "Now that we're here, we need to uncover something."

It didn't take long for Chi Shen to comb through the classroom, including the bodies. Finally, he reached into the mound of flesh, and to Gui Lian's shock, pulled out a key.

He tried the classroom door with the key, but it wasn't a match. Scanning the room, he approached a storage cabinet and inserted the key.

With a click, the cabinet opened.

Inside was a blood-stained roster.

As he began flipping through the pages, a sudden chill crept up from behind.

"She's... she's alive!" Gui Lian shouted in terror. "Chi Shen, she's come to life!"

Unfazed, Chi Shen raised a hand, holding down the contorted hanging specter, continuing to browse through the roster.

The ghost's struggle intensified, as if wanting to devour Chi Shen, but she was pinned effortlessly by his hand, her screams now reduced to feeble hisses.

"Liu Yue Zhen," Chi Shen suddenly uttered a name.

The hanging ghost immediately ceased her screams, her arms elongating and dislocating in a desperate attempt to snatch the roster, her form becoming grotesque.

"We are here to save you. It's over," the classroom door flung open to reveal Ji Xing Chen standing outside. He looked at

The hanged ghost ceased its struggle, staring at him in shock, tears of blood streaming from its eyes.

Ji Xingchen lifted his head to gaze at Chi Shen, "We can leave now. This spirit realm isn’t complete. Perhaps it’s due to the difference in our entry times. I entered through the execution grounds, and walking past it brought me here. She is a lone spirit trapped within the execution grounds."

"She was brutally tortured and eventually hanged," Ji Xingchen said, pausing momentarily. He held a blood-stained interrogation report in his hand and his own clothes were smeared with blood. He added, "She was betrayed."

Chi Shen glanced at the blood on Ji Xingchen, quickly determining it wasn’t his, and felt relieved. He then took a glance at the roster, stored it away, and placed it back into the cabinet.

"Let’s go," Chi Shen said, closing the cabinet door.

The hanging ghost returned to her previous state of tranquility, slowly crawling back onto the table where she had been hanged, placing her neck back into the noose and suspending herself once again.

The spectral gate to exit opened. Chi Shen took a final glance at the classroom filled with corpses before stepping onto the path out with Ji Xingchen.

After exiting the realm of the ghost in the red dress, Chi Shen returned to the living room. Ji Xingchen stood by the kitchen entrance, while the ghostly face was on the table. They all stood in their previous positions. The woman in the red dress, or rather Liu YueZhen, dressed in a teal qipao, now sat on the couch.

Liu YueZhen smiled gracefully at them, "I apologize if I frightened you."

Chi Shen checked the time, noting that he had marked the exact time before entering. Only about ten seconds had passed in reality, but inside the spirit realm, it felt like an hour or two. This situation was somewhat different from the death game, where there was virtually no time discrepancy.

He then smiled, asking, "Anything you wish to do?"

"Not really," Liu YueZhen replied with a smile, looking around with a hint of nostalgia, "I've truly won. If there’s any regret, it’s that I'd like to step out and see the world once more. I wish to do so alone."

"Of course," Chi Shen nodded, "You can use the paper body that was crafted for my mother earlier. I'll modify it for you. Let the ghostly face accompany you. He’s more familiar with the modern world and can guide you."

"Thank you," Liu YueZhen replied with eyes sparkling in gratitude, nodding slightly in acceptance of Chi Shen's suggestion.

The ghostly face hesitated, giving Liu YueZhen several glances, seemingly unable to reconcile the graceful and gentle girl before him with the crazed ghost in the red dress.

Hesitatingly, he began, "Why did you..."

"It's in the past now," Liu YueZhen interrupted, "Although I found out a bit late, winning is what matters. I’ll convey this news to them."

The ghostly face refrained from asking further.

"Let’s have dinner," Ji Xingchen reappeared at the kitchen entrance after a short while, holding a spatula, "Come help, I prepared an extra serving."

Chi Shen reluctantly entered, "Did you foresee this? Even buying extra ingredients?"

"No, I had originally purchased those for your breakfast tomorrow."

"What will I eat for breakfast tomorrow then?"

"I'll go downstairs and buy something for you."

"It's fine to switch it up occasionally, but I think your cooking skills could use a bit more honing..."