Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Xiao Jiejie's Secret Salt Deleting Pavilion

Cen Sheng wasn't sure whether Xiao Jiejie was human or ghost, but he knew she was definitely troublesome.

When the Zhuan Yun monster first hit the security door of room 404, Ji Meng and the others didn't seem too surprised.

They all worshipped the image of the Holy Mother Tongming Xian and had encountered ghosts. Logically, the sacrifice ritual could be held in anyone's home; there was no need to specifically come to Yinhe Community.

Knowing the presence of monsters here, yet the four were willing to take the risk to come, showing how adept Xiao Jiejie was at manipulating people.

It wasn't just them; even Cen Sheng had been deceived by her.

The Guanyin pendant Cen Sheng bought from the temple in the afternoon shattered into pieces the moment he entered the door in the evening.

This indicated that in the setting of the "Yinhe Ghost Stories" novel, Buddhist and Taoist items could restrain or sense unclean presences nearby.

However, the dense talismans on the walls of room 404 and the Bagua mirror on the door seemed to have no effect.

Whether it was Wang Wenlong rushing into the living room or the Zhuan Yun monster hitting the security door, those religious objects showed no reaction.

The 60 yuan Guanyin pendant and the 30 yuan prayer beads, merely imbued with a trace of incense, knew to warn Cen Sheng that something unclean was in the house.

Xiao Jiejie, haunted by ghosts for so long, never thought of going to a nearby temple to seek blessed items. Instead, she hung a bunch of meaningless fakes on the door at home.

The fake yellow talismans on the walls, the counterfeit Bagua mirror on the door, and the black dog and rooster corpses in the bedroom were all part of Xiao Jiejie's deliberate design.

It was all to make people believe that she had encountered a ghost.

By pretending to be a victim, she could completely dissociate herself from the female ghost. This diverted people's attention entirely to the ghost, overlooking her oddities.

Tonight was exceptionally chaotic, with encounters involving Wang Wenlong, being chased by the Zhuan Yun monster, and finally negotiating with the fierce ghost Bai Qiao in room 403.

Cen Sheng had been busy since entering the house, lacking the time and energy for calm reflection. Now, thinking carefully, he realized he had missed many details.

"According to the clues left by Rong Ye, there was a mention of 'climbing on the cabinet when hearing a baby cry, and hiding under the bed when hearing a woman scream.'"

"Rong Ye's disappearance occurred two months ago. In the past two months, the female ghost has crawled out of the cabinet and had brief confrontations with Rong Ye."

"Wang Wenlong once said that he and the madwoman in the cabinet were different; he didn't eat leftovers from others."

"This indicates that the ghost in the cabinet is indeed malevolent, as Wang Wenlong had seen her eating people in room 404."

"Xiao Jiejie had to return to Yin He District every night. On the night the female ghost emerged from the cabinet, she must have been present."

"So how did Xiao Jiejie avoid that crisis?"

"Without the power to confront the female ghost, the only explanations for Xiao Jiejie's survival are two possibilities."

"Either she's in cahoots with the female ghost in the cabinet."

"Or, she herself is a ghost!"

"The second possibility is the most dreadful. If Xiao Jiejie is indeed a ghost, they might face two evil ghosts tonight."

————

"Having her mask torn apart, Xiao Jiejie abandons her guise of a caring elder sister. With a cold smile, she pulls out a folding knife from her trouser pocket."

"‘Why couldn’t you all just follow my plan? I told you, after trapping that detective, don't bother with him anymore, but you wouldn’t listen!’"

"Bloodshot eyes flash in Xiao Jiejie’s glare, ‘I had prepared sleeping pills for you all. You could have died painlessly. Now, you’ll have to watch yourselves being torn and devoured by the ghost, fully conscious!’"

"Seizing the moment while Ji Meng and Dou Li are still in shock, Xiao Jiejie lunges forward, stabbing the knife towards Ji Meng's chest."

"Shen Sheng threw a sports shoe, hitting her wrist hard."

"Ji Meng, with tears in her eyes, struggled to snatch the dagger from Xiao Jiejie while sobbing, 'I trusted you so much, treated you like my sister, and this is how you repay me! What did I do to deserve this?'"

"'There are no whys. Weren't you planning to kill Shen Sheng earlier? He didn't even know you, what did he do wrong?'"

"Already feeling guilty, Ji Meng's grip weakened as she was confronted with this accusation."

"Shen Sheng, crouched in the gap of the entryway cabinet, grabbed a decorative fake flower and threw it at Xiao Jiejie."

"'Ji Meng! I never took the sacrificial ritual seriously! You just wanted to survive, which I totally understand! Moreover, you decided to sacrifice me only after mistaking me for a peeping Tom.'"

"Shen Sheng's tone softened, 'I was thrown out of the door with Wang Wenlong, and you kept trying to save me. How can someone like you be considered bad?'"

"'We have five people on our side, and she's alone. Ji Meng, Lili, we can definitely survive tonight and leave Yin He District! Dawn will come, and we all can make it!'"

"Gazing at the frightened and tearful Dou Li, Shen Sheng's voice was gentle yet firm, 'It's okay, I never blamed you. If I could save victims from a serial killer, I can also lead you away from evil spirits. Don’t be scared, I swear, I will lead you out of here.'"

"No one expected him to say such words. The room fell silent for a moment, even Xiao Jiejie paused in her actions."

"Blushing, Ji Meng suddenly roared and pounced on Xiao Jiejie, smashing the small stool on her face."

"Dou Li silently ran to the door to remove obstacles, trying to free Shen Sheng from behind the wardrobe."

"Meanwhile, a familiar narrative voice echoed in Shen Sheng’s mind."

"[Ji Meng’s favorability +25]"

"[Current favorability of Ji Meng: 65 (You are the person she trusts the most)]"

"[Dou Li’s favorability +15]"

"[Current favorability of Dou Li: 37 (You are a good person)]"

"[Xiao Jiejie’s favorability +20]"

"[Current favorability of Xiao Jiejie: 73 (If only I had met you earlier)]"

……

…

"Previously, when Shen Sheng threw Wang Wenlong out of Room 404, the favorability and saintly father roles of all five people significantly increased."

"Hearing such high numbers, Shen Sheng wasn't too surprised. But what he didn't expect was the increase in Xiao Jiejie's favorability, which was even higher than Ji Meng's."

"Sensing Shen Sheng's probing gaze, Xiao Jiejie turned and looked coldly at him."

"Shen Sheng frowned uncomfortably. He knew that look all too well; she really wanted to kill him."

"'If only I had met you earlier…'"

"Remembering the hint from the narrative voice, Shen Sheng started to form a guess in his mind."

"Before he could ponder further, the narrative voice sounded again, significantly increasing his already high saintly father value."

"[Saintly Father Role +5]"

"[Current Saintly Father Role: 14]"

"[Despite facing betrayal again, you continue to forgive their faults. Even when hurt and misunderstood, your smile remains as warm as the spring breeze. In their eyes, you are the hope to live on. In her eyes, you are a faint yet dazzling light in the endless night of Yin He District.]"

"[Congratulations to ‘Shen Sheng’ for completing the side quest – Beginner’s Path]"

"[Title acquired: Little Saintly Father]"

"[Congratulations ‘Shen Sheng’ for receiving the side quest reward - Xiao Jiejie's Secret]"

"[Everyone harbors unspeakable secrets deep within. You tore away the ghost's false mask and protected the four girls. Xiao Jiejie is grateful to you. Unable to defy the ghost, you are her only hope. She is willing to share her secrets with you.]"

"Before the narrator could reveal Xiao Jiejie's secret, Shen Sheng had already figured out why she hated him so much yet her favorability grew so rapidly."

"She was possessed by a ghost, overpowered and unable to control her own body while still conscious and alive."

"She could only watch helplessly as the malevolent spirit used her body to deceitfully gain her friends' trust."

"She saw friends who had been with her through sleepless nights being led to their doom under the ghost's malefic influence."

"The narrator did not record the ghost's favorability, only Xiao Jiejie's data."

"Every increase in Xiao Jiejie’s favorability was a distress signal that only Shen Sheng could hear."

"Her goodwill towards Shen Sheng, translated into numbers by the narrator, became her only way to communicate with the outside world."

"The author has a message:"

"I’m here! Thanks to the angels who voted for me with Overlord Tickets or nourished me with Nutrient Fluids from August 20, 21:39:06 to August 21, 17:33:04~"

"Thanks to the angels who threw landmines: Oududu, 49943957 – 1 each;"

"Thanks to the angels who irrigated with Nutrient Fluid: Oududu 20 bottles; Jiang 10 bottles; Pink Panther Loves Little Pink 3 bottles; Chang Geng Really Warm 2 bottles; Thanks for the Invite, I’m in Good Spirits, Rong Rong Rong, Wuu Wuu, Update Where Are You, 56460267 – 1 bottle each;"

"Thank you so much for your support, I will keep trying!"