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barely had the door swung open.

A figure let out a terrified shriek and darted forward, and Chu Yuening instinctively stepped in to intercept. She then saw a delicate finger, as white as scallions, trembling as it pointed at the pockmarked wall. Under the warm yellow light, a tiny black creature was crawling about in a crevice.

With lightning speed, Chu Yuening flung the red bag towards the wall. There was a snap, and the bag detached from the surface. The cockroach twitched its legs before its lifeless body tumbled down.

The girl patted her heaving chest in relief and lowered her tiptoes. "Thank goodness you're back, sis. I almost got scared to death by that roach."

"Otherwise, Hong Kong would have seen one more contorted corpse tomorrow, and one fewer young Hong Konger willing to strive for the betterment of society."

Flipping through her memories, Chu Yuening discovered the truth.

This was the original owner's younger sister, also the antagonist in "The Tycoon's Sweet Exclusive Love."

In the original storyline, after the original owner's demise, Chu Yi soon dropped out of school to work illegally in a bar. As an adult, she crossed paths with the male lead, who had by then become a rising star in the business world. They engaged in a passionate romance. Later on, upon meeting the female lead and being captivated by her supposed innocence and kindness, he broke up with Chu Yi, vowing to wash his hands clean of his underworld dealings for the sake of the protagonist.

Feeling wronged, Chu Yi entered the business arena herself, constantly clashing with the male lead. Eventually, she became a ruthless female mogul, feared in the Hong Kong business scene.

Unfortunately, in novels, evil never triumphs over good, especially when opposing the main characters. Chu Yi ultimately fell into a trap, suffering bankruptcy and accumulating massive debts. Tragically, she was hit by a truck and killed.

Chu Yuening regained her composure to find Chu Yi back at the table, her white socks muddied and textbooks sprawled out before her, as she sang foolishly while solving problems.

Chu Yi...

A businesswoman tycoon?

Well... one wouldn't have guessed.

"By the way, sis, don't worry about the rent," Chu Yi interrupted her studies momentarily, lifting her head from the books. "I called that person, and they'll be delivering the owed payment."

That 'person' was, naturally, their two-timing father.

Chu Yuening didn't dwell on him. She placed the money on the table and carefully instructed, "There's 460 yuan here. Keep 60 for yourself, and when the landlord comes for the rent later, give her the remaining 400. Tell her we'll settle the rest tomorrow."

Chu Yi didn't inquire about the source of the money. Instead, she looked up in surprise. "If I'm paying, what about you? What are you doing out late at night?"

"I have somewhere to be," Chu Yuening said, bending down to pick up the red bag again. But Chu Yi called out to her once more.

"Wait."

Chu Yi rushed to the kitchen and soon emerged, cradling a bowl with her eyes fixed on its surface as she carefully made her way out. She playfully grinned at Chu Yuening.

"Mrs. Li from downstairs sent over this cooling pork soup. It's been kept warm. Drink it before you head out."

Chu Yuening didn't hesitate; after not eating all afternoon, she was indeed hungry. She held the bowl with both hands and drank most of it. Noticing Chu Yi's constant gaze, she smiled and asked, "Haven't you eaten yet?"

Chu Yi dismissed the concern. "Sis has had it harder, so you should take better care of your body."

"Though, Mrs. Li is a bit odd. She says she dreams every night about someone asking her to marry them." To avoid dwelling on the soup, Chu Yi skillfully changed the subject. "Isn't that funny? At her age, Mrs. Li still gets these romantic feelings?"

Chu Yuening sensed something off but didn't dwell on it. Knowing that Chu Yi had intentionally left the entire bowl for her, she returned the half-filled bowl.

"Focus on your homework, and we'll have meat tomorrow too."

"Yay!" Chu Yi bounced with joy, grabbed the bowl, and skipped back to her desk to continue her studies.

Descending the stairs, Chu Yuening heard the crickets in the village house garden competing to chirp. Without wasting time, she calculated anew based on Uncle Jian's given birth dates. On Yonglong Street, she flagged down a taxi.

"Shui Au Village, please. Thank you."

The taxi driver switched off the meter, his voice carrying a hint of hesitation as he glanced at his passenger in the rearview mirror. "It's ten o'clock already. Lamma Village hasn't been too peaceful lately. You should be cautious, miss."

Chu Yuening, holding onto the plastic bag, felt a spark of curiosity, her lips curling into a smile. "How so?"

"The usual eerie occurrences, I suppose," the driver replied softly, concerned about alarming her. "I've heard from colleagues who drop off passengers there that they hear women crying in the dead of night, but when you go to investigate, no one's there. It's quite frightening."

As they sped along the road, the scenery became increasingly desolate as they approached Lamma Village.

The driver asked, "We're almost there, miss. Which specific area of Lamma Village are you headed to?"

Chu Yuening counted on her fingers. "Just a little further, yes, right here."

After paying the fare, she stepped out of the taxi and found herself surrounded by a grove of banana trees. Following the path over the hill, she soon reached a concrete street lined with buildings.

In Lamma Village, the land belonged to the villagers, each household having constructed two or three-story homes. Despite being considered rural in Hong Kong's land-scarce territory, it was still a fairly prosperous area.

At half past eleven at night, many villagers were already asleep. Chu Yuening, using her calculations, began searching for the house number.

"The odd numbers are on the left, even numbers on the right. Number 366, that's it. This matches Uncle Ken's address."

Ye Tianliang's house was a two-story structure with a fence surrounding the outer courtyard. A large tree extended its branches over the road. Chu Yuening didn't need to search deliberately; she could already see the towering black aura.

Following the aura, Chu Yuening made her way to the backyard.

A well caught her attention.

She halted in her steps.

A massive stone slab rested atop the well opening, secured by tightly wound chains that dug into the ground, as if suppressing something beneath. The surface of the slab was covered in an intricate pattern of yellow talismans, and the chilly well water trickled out through the chains.

"It's a Yin Dragon Soul Shackling technique."

The victim's soul was sealed by coffin nails piercing the crown of their head, trapping their three souls and seven spirits. The coffin was then vertically plunged into the well, submerging the remains in the Yin water, preventing any escape.

This method neither allowed the victim to transcend to the afterlife nor relieved them from the constant torment of being trapped in the cold water.

It was akin to imprisoning someone, leaving them unable to go anywhere, with no hope of life or death.

Chu Yuening's expression darkened.