Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The shadow that spread like mold had already engulfed the calves of the Joyous God statue in an instant. The mist around the statue churned and roiled violently, emitting a nonstop shrill whistle like a boiling teapot.

The white marble statue seemed to be melting as well—a layer of waxy yellow grease gradually seeped out from its grayish-white surface, and the stiff body began to soften and deform... as if it were transforming from an inanimate object into something alive.

The hands originally folded in a mudra before the chest began to move, frame by frame, like a skipping film reel.

With each movement, more viscous grease oozed out, producing an unpleasant, squelching sound. The red cloth draped over the statue gradually became soaked through with the grease, clinging to the statue's surface like a burial shroud, clearly outlining the ever-widening mouth filled with serrated teeth on the statue's face...

At the sight, the surging shadow accelerated its advance, spreading from the calves up to the thighs in the blink of an eye.

But just as it was about to creep higher, the Joyous God statue's stiff and clumsy arm suddenly became as limber as a human limb—slender fingers pressed together, sharp hooked claws sank straight into the mid-thigh, then slashed horizontally with force—

The three-foot-tall Joyous God statue was severed cleanly at mid-thigh. The upper half, untouched by the shadow, hit the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a visible ring of grayish-white dust. Instantly, a piercing alarm blared throughout the basement.

"What's going on?"

Xu Qingming and Xu Zhifei were both startled awake by the shrill alarm. The couple threw on their bathrobes and hurried downstairs, only to find Xu Wangchuan also emerging from his room. The three met at the stairwell, all pale-faced with hearts pounding.

"Why did the alarm go off all of a sudden?"

Xu Qingming, with the self-awareness befitting the wealthiest man in Jiangcheng, took security extremely seriously. Although Oak Manor had top-notch security, he didn't rely solely on the estate's security system—he'd also had an independent security system installed during the villa's renovation.

Especially the third basement level, where the Joyous God statue was enshrined—entry required a keycard, and even Aunt Qiu, their longtime housekeeper, didn't have clearance for the third basement level.

Xu Wangchuan gulped and said, "I think I heard a loud thud—the ground even shook."

Xu Qingming's face turned grim. Taking the lead, he said, "Let's go take a look."

The three headed down to the third basement. Xu Qingming first turned off the alarm and found the reinforced glass door to the basement securely shut, with no signs of a break-in. Puzzled, he swiped his card and went in—

The moment the motion-sensor lights came on, the three saw the state of the basement and gasped sharply in unison.

"How could the statue have fallen over?"

Xu Zhifei clutched her chest, her head reeling. For some reason, she had a bad feeling.

Xu Qingming's face was dark as a storm cloud. Seeing that the red cloth was still neatly draped over the Joyous God statue, but the lower part seemed strangely hollow, he braced himself and stepped forward. First, he pressed his palms together and muttered an apology, then reached out and pressed on it—

"It's hollow underneath."

Xu Wangchuan's face went white: "Did it break into pieces?"

Xu Qingming scanned the empty basement and said in a low voice, "Where are the pieces?"

They didn't dare lift the red cloth, but it wasn't thick—through it, they could faintly make out the statue's outline. The entire statue was intact from the thighs up, but the part below was severed.

The severed part had disappeared without a trace.

This was too bizarre. The three could only light incense, bow respectfully, solemnly apologize, and then back out.

Back in the living room, Xu Zhifei pressed a hand to her chest and sank onto the sofa, saying hopefully, "Could it have been a burglar? Maybe a burglar knocked the statue over?"

Xu Qingming didn't think something so weird was the work of a thief, but seeing his wife pale as a ghost and about to collapse, and his adopted son shaking with unease, he didn't want to scare them further. Instead, he said tiredly, "You two go rest. I'll call the master and have him come take a look tomorrow."

Xu Wangchuan nodded distractedly, then suddenly thought of something. He turned toward Xu Muchan's room and said, "With all that racket, why didn't Muchan wake up?"

His reminder made the couple realize someone was unaccounted for.

Xu Zhifei hesitated: "Muchan's blind—maybe he woke up but didn't come out."

Xu Wangchuan said, "I'll go check on him."

Xu Muchan had actually been awake. The commotion from the basement was too loud—he'd been jolted awake in an instant. But before he could fully come to, a pair of hands covered his eyes, and another pair clamped over his ears.

The shadow that had come back from the basement sat by the bed, letting out a low, soft, strange sound from its throat—a sound that pulled Xu Muchan deeper into sleep.

Only once he was sound asleep did all four hands let go at once, then shift to scoop up the sleeping boy and hold him tight.

Still growing, the boy was thin and slender, like a tender sapling that had just sprouted and hadn't yet unfurled its leaves. Held in the two-meter-tall shadow's arms like a baby, he looked especially small and fragile.

The shadow rocked him contentedly in its arms, lowering its head to whisper by his ear: "Achan is such a good boy."

The boy stayed oblivious in his deep sleep, his pale pink lips slightly parted, his breath a faint whisper.

The shadow held him and stared for a long while. Its blurry face gradually formed distinct features, and then it lowered its head to press its lips to those full, soft lips.

At first it was just a press, but soon it wasn't content with just tasting. The boy's intoxicating scent stirred a primal hunger. Countless arms shot out from the shadow's sides, each one scrambling to press against the boy's body, trapping him in an airtight embrace.

The boy seemed to sense something in his dream, his long brows knitting slightly as he let out an uneasy whimper.

The arms pressing against his torso and limbs withdrew like a receding tide, leaving only two hands gently cradling the back of his head while a third gripped his chin, forcing his mouth open. The shadow then pressed its lips to his again, its long, thin tongue curling into a tube, slipping through his parted lips, down his throat and esophagus, straight into his stomach, pumping a steady stream of nourishment.

The fresh nourishment was hard to digest. Though it had been pre-digested, the boy still choked, his eyes rolling back in his head, his slender neck arching back, miserable whimpers escaping him uncontrollably.

Luckily, it was over fast—just two or three minutes. The shadow finished feeding, let him go reluctantly, and laid the boy back on the bed, clumsily patting him a few times, mimicking human gestures.

Just as it was about to slip under the covers, someone knocked at the door.

"Muchan, you awake?" Xu Wangchuan's voice came from outside.

The shadow slowly turned its head toward the door. Two hands covered Xu Muchan's ears, while a third arm stretched out, reaching all the way to the doorknob, grabbing it and turning—

The door gave a soft creak.

Xu Wangchuan's hand was just raised to knock when the door swung open on its own, a gap wide enough for a person to slip through, with no wind to explain it.

Beyond the gap was pitch black—he couldn't see a thing.

But Xu Wangchuan inexplicably felt like a pair of eyes was staring at him from the darkness. The thought made his scalp prickle, but maybe the sudden problem with the Joyous God statue had given him a sense of urgency—for some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that the basement incident had something to do with Xu Muchan.

With all that racket, how could a normal person just keep sleeping like nothing happened?

Xu Muchan was blind, not deaf.

With that thought, Xu Wangchuan swallowed hard, braced himself, and pushed the door open to step inside.

He'd meant to turn on the light, but for some reason, he fumbled along the wall for a long time without finding the switch.

Giving up in frustration, he pulled out his phone and switched on the flashlight instead.

The flashlight beam was dim and hazy, as if covered in a layer of fog. Xu Wangchuan could only make out a vague lump on the bed—presumably Xu Muchan.

Could he really be sleeping that deeply?

Xu Wangchuan muttered to himself, but something made him keep walking toward the bed. Yet he took one step, two steps, three steps... countless steps, and the bed that was supposedly right in front of him stayed the same distance away, neither closer nor farther.

As if he could never reach it at all.

Xu Wangchuan realized something was wrong. Fear spread from his taut scalp down to the base of his spine, cold sweat trickling down. He wanted to stop, wanted to cry out for help, but could do neither.

His legs moved forward against his will, his calves already cramping from the excessive tension and overexertion.

"Wangchuan? Is Muchan asleep?"

Just when Xu Wangchuan was at the end of his rope, Xu Zhifei's lowered voice came from outside the room.

The force holding Xu Wangchuan in place vanished the instant the door opened. His legs gave way, almost dropping him to his knees. He stared at the person in bed, terrified.

This time, he got a clear look. Half of Xu Muchan's face was buried in the blanket, his expression peaceful, sleeping soundly.

The bizarre scene from moments ago seemed like it had all been an illusion.

But Xu Wangchuan was certain it wasn't. The lingering fear kept him from moving forward. He held his breath, tensed up, and carefully backed away.

Xu Zhifei, who had just stepped in, found her way blocked.

Xu Wangchuan fought to steady his voice and said quietly, "Muchan is still sleeping. Let's go out first."

The next morning, Xu Muchan woke up bright-eyed and refreshed.

He chalked it up to the old saying that good news puts a spring in your step.

After washing up and heading out, he was surprised to find that Xu Qingming and his wife, along with Xu Wangchuan, were already up and talking in the living room.

Strangely, on top of Aunt Qiu's voice, there were several other voices he didn't recognize, making the place noisy and chaotic.

Xu Muchan walked forward with his white cane and happened to overhear what they were saying. He blurted out in surprise, "Someone broke in last night?"

Xu Qingming and Xu Wangchuan had barely slept all night, and Xu Zhifei had only dozed off on the sofa for a bit, so she looked just as rough.

Xu Muchan, with his rosy cheeks and bright energy, stood in the middle of them, totally out of place.

Xu Wangchuan forced a smile and said, "Yeah, you slept so soundly that even all that racket in the middle of the night didn't wake you."

Xu Muchan was even more confused. He honestly hadn't heard a thing.

The confusion on his face looked so genuine that Xu Wangchuan couldn't spot a single crack in it, leaving him unable to figure out whether the creepy incident from last night had anything to do with him.

"The basement was broken into, but luckily nothing valuable was stolen."

Xu Zhifei pulled Xu Muchan to sit down and said gently, "We were supposed to take you to the hospital for a check-up this morning, but given the situation, we'll have to push it back a day."

A break-in at home was indeed a serious matter. Xu Muchan nodded in understanding and said, "A day earlier or later doesn't matter. I'll go to school today then."

Xu Zhifei nodded. Too worn out to say much more, she only reminded him, "Aunt Qiu has made breakfast. Eat something before you go."

Xu Muchan nodded and was led by Aunt Qiu to the dining table for breakfast.

While he was peeling an egg, Xu Wangchuan came over and sat down beside him. Though he couldn't see, Xu Muchan felt like he was being scrutinized, so he tilted his head toward him and asked, "Something on your mind?"

Xu Wangchuan met a pair of sightless eyes but guiltily averted his gaze, grasping for a topic: "The custom-made uniform will take half a month. Mom said you can wear one of mine first—I have a spare set that's never been worn. After breakfast, come to my room and get it."

Nanming required all students to wear uniforms. On Mondays for flag-raising ceremonies and other formal events, they wore the dress uniform; on regular days, they rotated between two sets of sportswear uniforms by season.

Xu Muchan had transferred mid-term, so naturally he didn't have a uniform on hand. He'd have to order one, and the fastest turnaround was at least half a month.

Considering that transferring mid-term already drew enough attention, walking among a crowd of uniformed students in regular clothes would stand out way too much. Xu Muchan simply nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll return a set to you once mine is ready."