Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Extra Chapter: The Iron Hook 2

Jin Ling said, "This chair was placed right by my bedside, very close. At first, it was empty, but after a while, a figure in black suddenly appeared sitting there."

Jin Ling tried to get a clear look at the face, but the figure's head was bowed, long hair obscuring half of it, with only a pair of pale hands visible on the armrests.

He quietly adjusted the position of the mirror, but as soon as his wrist moved, the woman seemed to sense something and slowly raised her head.

Her face was crisscrossed with dozens of bloody knife scars.

Wei Wuxian wasn't surprised, but the younger generation was completely stunned.

"Wait a second," Lan Jingyi said, setting a bowl of porridge in front of Jin Ling. "A female ghost? How? Are you sure you weren't just seeing things because you were scared?"

Jin Ling slapped the table: "I'd rather hear anyone call me stupid except you. Even though the blood and hair made it hard to see her face clearly, her hairstyle and clothes were unmistakably those of a young woman. We must have been barking up the wrong tree." He continued, "Although there is indeed lingering resentment on the iron hook, the one causing trouble in the White House is probably not the Hook Hand."

Lan Jingyi said, "Didn't you take more time to get a closer look and see her features? Maybe we could identify her based on some distinguishing marks, like moles or birthmarks..."

Jin Ling snapped, "Do you think I didn't try? I was about to, but the ghost noticed the moonlight in the mirror and looked straight up. The mirror caught her eyes, and before I knew it, I made eye contact with her."

If you're caught spying on evil spirits, you have to drop the mirror, shut your eyes, and play dead. Otherwise, it might provoke the spirit's ferocity and increase its killing intent. Lan Jingyi said, "That was too close..."

The table erupted in chatter: "But the thief didn't see a woman in his vision."

"Just because he didn't see her doesn't mean she wasn't there. Maybe the thief was in the wrong spot..."

"No, this female ghost, why is it a female ghost? Who is she?"

Lan Sizhui said, "The woman's face was slashed dozens of times, so she's probably one of the Hook Hand's many victims. What Jin Ling saw was probably her lingering resentment."

Lingering resentment is when a spirit keeps replaying a scene filled with deep hatred. It's usually the moment right before death or the event that caused the most hatred.

Jin Ling said, "Yes. The White House I saw in the mirror last night looked nothing like it does now—it was more like an inn. It looks like before the Bai family built the White House, there was an inn right here. The woman was murdered in that inn."

Lan Jingyi said, "Oh, now that you mention it, we did find some info that the Hook Hand could easily break into inns. He'd sneak in at night and go after women traveling alone!"

Lan Sizhui said, "And the room where this lady—or madam—was killed is in the exact same spot as the White House built by the Bai family!"

No wonder the Bai family head kept saying there were no old secrets or unnatural deaths in the White House. It wasn't some cover-up; they were genuinely innocent, and this had nothing to do with them!

Jin Ling took a sip of porridge and said with feigned calm, "I always knew it wouldn't be that simple. Well, at least we have to solve it now."

Wei Wuxian said, "Jin Ling, take a nap later. We still have work to do tonight."

Lan Jingyi glanced at his bowl and said, "Senior Wei, you haven't finished your porridge. Don't leave any leftovers."

Wei Wuxian said, "I'm done. You eat more, Jingyi. You're leading the charge tonight."

Lan Jingyi was startled and almost dropped his bowl: "What? Me?? Leading the charge?!"

Wei Wuxian said, "Jin Ling didn't finish watching last night, so today we'll all watch it together and see for ourselves. You're up first."

Lan Jingyi turned pale: "Senior Wei, are you sure you're not mistaken? Why me?"

Wei Wuxian said, "No mistake. It's training. Everyone gets a turn, everyone has a chance, everyone has to step up. Sizhui and Jin Ling have already had their turns, so the next one is you."

"Why is the next one me..."

Wei Wuxian, of course, wouldn't admit that he only remembered Lan Jingyi's name among the younger generation besides Lan Sizhui and Jin Ling. He just patted his shoulder and encouraged him, "This is a good thing! Look at the others, they all want to take their turn."

"There’s no one else left; they all took off ages ago!"

No matter how much Lan Jingyi protested, by midnight, he was still shoved to the front of the White House.

Outside the White House, several long benches were set up, all packed with people. Someone poked a hole in the paper window, and instantly it was full of holes, looking pretty sad.

Lan Sizhui made his own hole in the window, thinking, "This isn’t even peeking anymore—with all these holes, we might as well just tear the whole window down..."

Wei Wuxian had indeed put Lan Jingyi right up front, where he could see everything clearly and in full detail. If this were a play, it’d be the best seat in the house. Too bad Lan Jingyi didn’t want this prime spot at all.

Squeezed between Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui, he stammered, "Can I move somewhere else..."

Wei Wuxian, pacing nearby, shot back, "Nope."

The others thought Wei Wuxian’s tone sounded a lot like Lan Wangji’s, and a few even snickered. Wei Wuxian said, "Good attitude, staying calm—very good, very good."

Lan Sizhui, who’d almost lost it, quickly straightened up. Wei Wuxian added, "See, I don’t even have a seat—don’t take your luck for granted."

Lan Jingyi asked, "Senior, do you want my seat..."

Wei Wuxian replied, "Nah."

Lan Jingyi: "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Wei Wuxian said, "You can ask questions, though."

Lan Jingyi had no choice but to tell Lan Sizhui, "Sizhui, if I pass out, you gotta let me copy your notes."

Lan Sizhui, torn between laughing and sighing, said, "Fine."

Lan Jingyi sighed in relief, "Okay, that’s a load off."

Lan Sizhui reassured him, "Don’t worry, Jingyi, you’ll be fine."

Just as Lan Jingyi looked grateful, Jin Ling patted his shoulder, all serious, and said, "Yeah, don’t sweat it. If you pass out, I’ll wake you up right away."

Lan Jingyi flinched and batted his hand away, "Back off—who knows what crazy method you’d use to wake me up."

As they muttered, a faint blood-red glow seeped through the paper window, like someone had lit a red lantern in the dark room.

Everyone went dead silent, holding their breath.

The red light shone through the tiny holes, making the peeking eyes look bloodshot.

Lan Jingyi shakily raised his hand and asked, "Senior... why does this room look so red? I’ve never seen anything like this blood-red glow. Was there a red lantern in the room back then?"

Lan Sizhui whispered, "It’s not a lantern—it’s because of this person..."

Jin Ling said, "It’s because this person’s eyes were full of blood."

In the red light, something new abruptly appeared in the room.

A chair, and a "person" sitting on the chair.

Wei Wuxian said, "Jin Ling, is this what you saw last night?"

Jin Ling nodded, "But, I didn’t look carefully last night. She wasn’t sitting on the chair... she was tied to the chair."

As he said, the woman’s hands on the armrests were tightly bound with rope.

Just as everyone was about to take a closer look, suddenly, a black shadow flashed by, and another figure appeared in the room.

There was actually another "person" in the room.

And this second figure, their eyelids and lips had been cut off, unable to blink or close their mouth, with bloodshot eyeballs and bright red gums exposed, a thousand times more terrifying than the legends had described!

Lan Jingyi exclaimed in shock, "The Hook-handed Man!"

"What’s going on? I thought the iron hook had already been melted! How is the Hook-handed Man still here?"

"Are there really two evil spirits in this room?"

Hearing this, Wei Wuxian chimed in, "Two? Is there one or two evil spirits in this room? Can anyone clarify?"

Lan Sizhui said, "One."

Jin Ling added, "One. The Hook-handed Man in this White House isn’t a real evil spirit—it’s just a residual shadow of the woman’s dying moment, recreated by her resentment."

Lan Jingyi said, "Even though it’s just a shadow, it’s still just as terrifying!"

As they spoke, the face slowly moved towards the wooden door. The face drew closer, becoming clearer and more ferocious with each moment. Even though everyone knew it was just a shadow—and the iron hook with the Hook-handed Man’s residual resentment had been destroyed—a chilling thought lingered:

We’ve been spotted!

If that unlucky thief had seen this while peeking into the White House at night, no wonder he’d have been scared to death.

The face stopped just inches from the paper window, paused, then turned and strode toward the chair.

Only then did everyone finally start breathing again.

Inside, the Hook-handed Man paced the room, the old wooden floorboards creaking under his steps. Outside, Jin Ling suddenly grew uneasy.

He said, "Something’s been bothering me since earlier."

Lan Sizhui asked, "What is it?"

Jin Ling said, "The resentment shadow must be a recreation of the woman’s death, no doubt. But would an ordinary person stay so calm when facing a murderer, not making a single sound? In other words."

He said, "This woman was clearly conscious—why didn’t she scream for help?"

Lan Jingyi said, "Was she frozen in fear?"

Jin Ling said, "Even so, she wouldn’t stay completely silent, not even crying. When ordinary women are terrified, don’t they usually cry?"

Lan Sizhui asked, "Was her tongue still there?"

Jin Ling said, "There was no blood at the corners of her mouth, so her tongue should still be there. And even if she couldn’t speak clearly without a tongue, she wouldn’t stay completely silent."

Lan Jingyi, sandwiched between them, felt like he was about to die: "Can you two not discuss such horrifying things so calmly right next to me..."

A young man said, "Could it be because this inn was abandoned, or there was no one else around, so she knew screaming wouldn’t help, and just didn’t bother?"

Lan Jingyi, who could see the clearest, had something to say: "No, judging by the shadow, the room’s furnishings aren’t dusty—it’s clearly still in use. There must have been other people around, or she wouldn’t have stayed here."

Jin Ling said, "At least you're not completely hopeless. Besides, whether there were other people around is one thing, whether she would scream is another. For example, if you were being chased in the wilderness, even if you knew no one else could come to save you, wouldn’t you still scream for help?"

Wei Wuxian clapped softly nearby, whispering, "Wow, as expected of Family Head Jin."

Jin Ling blushed and angrily said, "What are you doing, don’t distract me like this, okay!"

Wei Wuxian said, "If this distracts you, it means your focus still needs work. Look, look! The Hook-handed Man’s about to make his move!"

Everyone quickly turned to look. They watched as the Hook-handed Man pulled out a loop of hemp rope, slipped it around the woman’s neck, and began tightening it slowly.

The creak of the tightening rope!

So this was the source of the eerie creaks the White House owner mentioned happened every night.

The woman’s face, crisscrossed with scars, bled heavily under the pressure, but she didn’t make a sound. The onlookers’ hearts twisted in agony, and someone whispered urgently, "Scream! Call for help!"

Against all expectations, the victim stayed silent, but the murderer acted. The hemp rope slackened, and the Hook-handed Man drew a gleaming iron hook from behind.

The youths outside the door were so horrified they wanted to burst in and scream for the woman, rousing the whole city. The Hook-handed Man’s back blocked their view as his hand reached forward. From where they stood, they could only see the back of a hand on the armrest, its veins suddenly bulging.

Even now, the woman stayed silent!

Jin Ling couldn’t help but wonder, "Is she out of her mind?"

"What do you mean by out of her mind?"

"Maybe... she’s lost it."

"..."

Calling someone crazy might sound harsh, but given the situation, it seemed the most likely explanation. Otherwise, how could a normal person remain completely unresponsive at such a moment?

Lan Jingyi, his head pounding, turned away. Wei Wuxian, however, murmured, "Pay attention."

Lan Jingyi, visibly shaken, said, "Senior, I... I can’t keep watching."

Wei Wuxian said, "There are far worse things in this world. If you can’t handle this, there’s no point talking about anything else."

At this, Lan Jingyi steadied himself, turned back, clenched his teeth, and kept watching, his face twisted in pain. Just then, something unexpected happened—

The woman suddenly snapped her mouth shut on the iron hook!

The bite made the youths outside jump in unison, startled.

Inside, the Hook-handed Man, equally startled, yanked back but couldn’t free the hook from the woman’s teeth. Instead, the woman, along with the chair, lunged forward, and the hook, which was meant to take someone else's tongue, somehow ended up slashing his own abdomen!

The youths outside screamed in chaos, pressing against the door, desperate to see more through the window. The Hook-handed Man, wounded and in agony, froze, as if struck by a memory. His right hand clawed at the woman’s chest, as if to rip out her heart. The woman, still in the chair, rolled away, dodging the heart-rending attack, but with a "rip," her chest clothing was torn.

In such a moment, the youths couldn’t care less about propriety.

But what stunned them was the "woman’s" flat chest.

This was no "woman"—this person was a man in disguise!

The Hook-handed Man lunged forward, trying to strangle him with his bare hands, forgetting the hook was still in the other’s mouth. The man jerked his head to the side, and the hook sliced into the Hook-handed Man’s wrist. One struggled to break the other’s neck, while the other tried to cause massive blood loss. For a moment, the two were locked in a stalemate...

Until the rooster crowed and dawn broke, the red light inside the room faded, and the shadowy figures completely disappeared.

The circle of youths at the White House door stood there, stunned.

After a long while, Lan Jingyi stammered, "Th-th-this, these two..."

In everyone’s mind, there was one thought:

In the end, neither of them could’ve made it, right...

They never would have guessed that the evil spirit tormenting the Bai family for decades wasn’t the hook-handed man, but the hero who had defeated him.

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

"Who would have thought the hook-handed man was subdued like this..."

"If you think about it, this was probably the only way, right? After all, the hook-handed man was elusive, and no one knew exactly where he was. Without disguising himself as a woman to lure him out, there was no way to catch him."

"But that was so risky!"

"It really was dangerous. Look, this hero fell for his trick and got tied up, which is why he was at a disadvantage from the start. If they had faced off directly, he wouldn’t have been at such a disadvantage!"

"Yeah, and he couldn’t even call for help. The hook-handed man had killed countless people and was extremely cruel. Calling for help would’ve just led to more deaths..."

"That’s exactly why he kept silent!"

"They both met their end together..."

"The legends left out this hero’s brave deed! It’s really strange."

"That’s just how it is. People are more into the stories of killers than heroes."

Jin Ling pointed out, "The dead don’t want to move on, usually because of unfinished business or unfulfilled wishes. And those with incomplete bodies often linger because they haven’t recovered their lost body parts. That’s why he’s been haunting this place."

Even a small thing, kept for decades, would be hard to let go of, let alone a piece of flesh from one’s mouth.

Lan Jingyi listened with deep respect. "Then we’ve got to find that tongue fast and burn it for him, so he can move on!"

Everyone jumped up, eager to start. "Right, how can we let such a hero die without a complete body!"

"Let’s search everywhere—the western graveyard, the cemetery, all of Bai family’s grounds, and the hook-handed man’s old house. Leave no stone unturned."

A bunch of energetic youths bolted out the door. Just before leaving, Jin Ling glanced back at Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian asked, "What’s wrong?"

Wei Wuxian had stayed quiet the whole time, not saying a word, which made Jin Ling feel uneasy, suspecting something might have gone wrong. But after some thought, he figured nothing important was overlooked, so he said, "Nothing."

Wei Wuxian smiled. "If it’s nothing, then get searching. Just be patient."

Jin Ling then marched out the door, full of determination.

A few days later, he got what Wei Wuxian meant by "be patient."

Previously, the iron hook had been found by Wei Wuxian and Lan Sizhou in just half an hour. But this time, Wei Wuxian didn’t help with the search for the tongue, letting them take their time, and it took them five full days.

When Lan Jingyi jumped up holding something, the others were almost exhausted.

Though they were disheveled and reeked from rummaging through the wild graveyard, everyone was thrilled. After they told Wei Wuxian, he seriously explained that finding it in five days on their own was already impressive—many cultivators would give up after ten days or half a month without success.

The group was thrilled, gathered around the dead man’s tongue. It was said that objects with a fierce aura would turn green, but this thing wasn’t just green—it was almost black, hard to the touch, and radiated a sinister energy. It was hard to believe it had once been part of a human body. If not for its unnatural state, it would have rotted long ago.

After performing the rituals and burning the tongue, it seemed like a major event had finally been resolved.

Having gone this far, it should have been settled.

So, Jin Ling was quite satisfied with this night hunt.

But before he could enjoy his satisfaction for long, the head of the Bai family came to Jinlin Tower again.

It turned out that after burning the tongue of that hero, there was indeed peace for two days. But only two days.

On the third night, strange noises started coming from the White House again, and they grew louder each day. By the fifth night, the entire White House was completely unable to sleep.

This time, the disturbance was more intense and terrifying than ever before. The noises were neither the sound of rope twisting nor the cutting of flesh—they had turned into human voices!

According to the head of the Bai family, the voice was hoarse, as if struggling to move a tongue unused for years. The words were indistinct, but it was unmistakably a man's scream.

After screaming, it would cry, pitiful and miserable, starting weakly but gradually growing louder until it became almost hysterical, both pitiful and terrifying. Not only could it be heard throughout the White House, but even people three streets away could hear it, sending shivers down the spines of passersby.

Jin Ling was also deeply troubled. With the end of the year approaching, he was too swamped to deal with it himself, so he sent a few disciples to investigate. When they returned, they reported that, aside from the agonizing screams, there was no other harm. Though it was certainly disturbing the peace.

While turning in the night hunting reports, Lan Sizhui recounted the incident to Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. After listening, Wei Wuxian took a pastry from Lan Wangji's desk and ate it, saying, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about."

Lan Sizhui said, "Even with screams like that, there's nothing to worry about? Usually, once a spirit's lingering attachments are resolved, it should move on."

Wei Wuxian said, "It's true that resolving lingering attachments can lay a spirit to rest. But have you thought that maybe the hero's true attachment wasn't about getting his tongue back to reincarnate?"

Lan Jingyi, who had finally scored top marks and was secretly thrilled about avoiding punishment copying texts, couldn't help but interject, "Is it just that he wants to scream every night and keep everyone up?"

To everyone's shock, Wei Wuxian nodded and said, "Exactly."

Lan Sizhui was stunned, "Senior Wei, what do you mean?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Didn't you all figure out earlier that the hero didn't want to endanger innocent lives, so he endured the hook-handed killer's torture without a sound?"

Lan Sizhui sat up straight and said, "That's correct. Is there something wrong with that?"

Wei Wuxian said, "Not exactly, but let me ask you this—if a deranged killer were waving a knife in your face, draining your blood, slashing your face, choking you, and hooking your tongue, would you be scared? Would you want to cry?"

Lan Jingyi thought for a moment, his face pale, and cried out, "Help!"

Lan Sizhui, however, said solemnly, "The family teachings say we must remain composed even in danger..."

Wei Wuxian interrupted, "Sizhui, cut the formalities. I'm asking if you'd be scared. Just answer."

Lan Sizhui's face turned red, and he straightened his back even more, saying, "Sizhui wouldn't—"

Wei Wuxian pressed, "Wouldn't?"

Lan Sizhui admitted honestly, "I can't say I wouldn't be scared. *Cough*."

After saying this, he nervously glanced at Lan Wangji.

Wei Wuxian couldn't help but laugh, "Why are you shy? Feeling fear is human nature. Isn't that right? Hanguang Jun, look at Sizhui—scared of punishment, sneaking looks at you. You should agree with me. If you say 'yes,' it means you agree with my point, and you won't punish him."

He lightly nudged Lan Wangji, who was sitting upright and reviewing the notes, in the stomach with his elbow. Lan Wangji, without changing his expression, said, "Yes."

After saying this, he wrapped an arm around Wei Wuxian's waist, holding him firmly in place to prevent him from moving, and continued reviewing the submitted notes.

Lan Sizhui's face turned even redder.

Wei Wuxian struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, so he maintained the position and continued speaking seriously to Lan Sizhui, "So, enduring without screaming does show heroic courage, but it goes against human nature and instinct. That's also the truth."

Lan Sizhui tried to ignore Wei Wuxian's posture and thought for a moment, feeling a bit of sympathy for the hero.

Wei Wuxian asked, "Is Jin Ling still troubled by this?"

Lan Jingyi said, "Yes, Young... uh, Jin-gongzi also doesn't know what exactly is going wrong."

Lan Sizhui asked, "Then, since that's the case, how should such a malevolent spirit be dealt with?"

Wei Wuxian replied, "Let him yell."

"..."

Lan Sizhui said, "Just... let him yell?"

Wei Wuxian confirmed, "Yes. Once he's yelled enough, he'll naturally leave."

Lan Sizhui immediately felt half of his sympathy go to the members of the Bai family.

Fortunately, although the hero had pent-up grievances and frustrations, he harbored no ill intentions. The eerie sounds from the White House lasted for months before finally fading away. Presumably, the hero finally yelled out all the cries he hadn't finished in his lifetime, and then, satisfied, passed on to reincarnation.

Only the Bai family suffered, enduring long nights of restlessness and torment. And once again, the White House became notorious.