Xie Mingchi and Wan Wuqiu were lying in wait outside the restaurant.
They briefly glanced inside, but couldn't see the box.
Just then, they heard the sound of little ghosts roaring from the first floor, and soon, black mist surged into the restaurant.
Xie Mingchi knew that Xiao Xiao and the others had succeeded and immediately shouted, "He Qi, Shen Feinian, get out here!"
At the same time, he dashed straight into the black mist.
The mist was dense, obscuring his vision. Xie Mingchi raised his arm to shield himself and made his way toward the Buddhist altar.
The box… the box… They were so close now. They just needed to find the box and the beads inside, and they would have succeeded!
Xie Mingchi reached the side of the altar, and, following its edge, quickly felt around inside.
But it was empty.
Xie Mingchi froze for a moment.
Where was the Fierce Buddha?
A chill suddenly ran down his back, and he instinctively turned around. To his shock, the Fierce Buddha had somehow appeared behind him, raising a skull in his hand—
He heard Wan Wuqiu's voice: "Xie Mingchi—"
At that moment, several strands of black mist surged forward, wrapping around the Fierce Buddha's neck and pulling it forcefully backward.
Now was the chance!
Xie Mingchi quickly searched the altar, and after a long while, he finally touched something cold and hard.
It was the incense burner!
He hastily reached inside, scraping around, and soon enough, his fingers touched a square box.
Xie Mingchi was overjoyed and quickly pulled the box out, opening it to reveal the string of beads inside.
He turned around, beads in hand, only to see Mr. Du, standing five steps away, grinning at him maliciously as he forcefully pulled on the little ghost that had bitten him.
Xie Mingchi: "I…"
Just as he was about to speak, he froze.
Something still felt off. Even though this was a low-level puppet realm, the placement of the soul thread felt too conspicuous.
He had discovered the box just the day before and suspected it might contain the soul thread. The next day, Mr. Du moved the box.
It made sense, but it also felt too deliberate.
Xie Mingchi recalled the servant's words:
"The second floor is Mr. Du's workplace. Please do not casually go to the second floor."
Do not casually go to the second floor, not "absolutely must not."
Not absolutely must not…
Xie Mingchi didn't believe that no one else would notice the loophole in the rules. If others shared his thoughts, they would definitely check Mr. Du's office. Based on the clues from other rooms, it would be easy to deduce that the soul thread was probably in the office.
Once Mr. Du noticed someone had entered the office, he would move the box again.
Everything fit too perfectly, almost like Mr. Du was deliberately guiding them to believe that the box he took held something crucial—the soul thread.
But what if this was just Mr. Du manipulating them?
A sudden chill ran through Xie Mingchi as he stared at Mr. Du, who was still grinning at him.
Mr. Du hissed in a low voice: "Did you find my soul thread?"
"Did you find my soul thread?!"
Too deliberate, as though he was waiting for Xie Mingchi to say he found it, waiting for him to lift the beads in his hand so that, according to the rules, Mr. Du could kill him.
No, no!
The soul thread wasn't here!
Xie Mingchi's mind raced as he thought back to his earlier reasoning with Wan Wuqiu. Mr. Du must have kept the box on his person—
So, following the same logic, Mr. Du had probably kept the soul thread on him at all times?
He didn't trust anyone but himself, so he would keep the soul thread close, safe.
For him, life was more valuable than wealth—he had faith.
Faith…
Xie Mingchi suddenly looked up at Mr. Du's left hand.
He remembered that Mr. Du also wore a string of Bodhi beads on his left wrist!
What better place to keep his life's secrets and spiritual reliance than right there?
In that instant, Xie Mingchi lunged forward, trying to grab the beads from Mr. Du's hand.
Mr. Du reacted quickly. Even though little ghosts were gnawing at his body, drawing blood, he still managed to dodge Xie Mingchi's reach.
Xie Mingchi's heart sank as Mr. Du instinctively shielded his left hand. That was the soul thread's true location!
The little ghost had already bitten into Mr. Du's chest, right by his heart.
"Ahhh—"
Mr. Du let out a scream of agony, trying to shake off the black mist.
Just then, Wan Wuqiu appeared out of nowhere, swiftly and accurately wrapping his elbow around Mr. Du's neck, choking him tightly.
"Now!"
Xie Mingchi acted decisively and moved forward again, prying open Mr. Du's right hand to reveal the beads. He wrenched the string of beads from his hand.
"Clang, clang, clang—"
"Mr. Du," Xie Mingchi said, each word deliberate, "I've found your soul thread."
The beads scattered across the ground, and the black thread that had once held them together now looked like a thin, almost invisible strand of silk in Xie Mingchi's hand.
In an instant, the wails of the little ghosts ceased. Mr. Du's heart was pierced, and he collapsed to the ground.
A blinding red light emanated from his body, so bright that Xie Mingchi had to shield his eyes.
The light was so intense it seemed to pierce his very nerves. He felt dizzy, then collapsed.
Before losing consciousness, he heard Wan Wuqiu whisper nearby:
"Sleep now. Just think of it as… a nightmare."
...
When Xie Mingchi regained consciousness, he found himself lying on the living room couch.
The mirror that had led him into the void leaned against the wall opposite him.
He sat up, his head still heavy with a dull ache, and reached up to rub his temples. That's when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
Before long, He Qi appeared in front of him.
"Bro!" He Qi looked at Xie Mingchi, visibly shaken, and took a long time to gather his thoughts. "I think I just… had a nightmare."
Xie Mingchi didn't have the heart to tell him the truth. "Mmm… What nightmare?"
He Qi gestured wildly with his hands. "It was like… I was suddenly taken to this place called 'Void' from our house. Weird name, right? And even weirder, you came after me soon after and picked a thing called a 'Ghost Puppet.' We ended up in a puppet realm, and met two people—Wan Wuqiu and Shen Feinian… Oh, and Shen Feinian's not human, he's a ghost puppet…"
He Qi rambled on for a while, and Xie Mingchi just watched him kindly.
When he finally finished, He Qi sighed in relief. "But when I woke up, I found myself in my room. So it must've just been a nightmare."
Xie Mingchi hesitated for a moment, hoping not to disturb He Qi's fragile state of mind. "Actually… I had the same nightmare as you."
He Qi froze for a second. "What?"
After a brief pause, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, I get it now! We're so in sync! Or maybe we ate something bad."
Xie Mingchi: "…"
Who eats something bad and ends up having the same nightmare?
Seeing his brother's blank expression, He Qi hesitated. "...Bro, should you say something else?"
Xie Mingchi gave up trying to explain and simply raised his left hand.
A silver bracelet shimmered under the moonlight, with a bead that had turned gold.
He Qi: "…"
Was he still not awake?
He slapped his face, then his eyes widened in disbelief. "Holy crap, is that real? It's real?! Holy crap!!"
Xie Mingchi also found this whole situation absurd.
Tonight had started out as a peaceful evening. The whole thing had begun with Xie Mingchi's dream.
In the dream, it was a rainy night. Xie Mingchi was alone, trudging along a mountain road.
Time and space blurred. It felt as though he had walked for five minutes or five hundred years.
His body ached, and his vision blurred, unsure if it was rainwater in his eyes or his own failing sight.
Eventually, he stumbled upon a patch of flat ground and collapsed into a patch of wisteria flowers.
A villager heard the noise, came out with an umbrella, and rushed to shield him from the rain. He anxiously asked, "Young man, what's wrong with you?"
Xie Mingchi could barely speak, his voice hoarse. "Please… check my pulse."
"...Check your pulse?" The villager hesitated. "But I don't know any medicine…"
Still, he did as asked.
At first, nothing seemed
unusual, but as he continued, his hands grew cold with dread. After a while, the villager released Xie Mingchi's wrist and stepped back, horrified.
There was no pulse.
Xie Mingchi realized with a shock that he could no longer feel his arms.
He managed a stiff smile and said, "Scared you, huh? Sorry about that. If you can't find my pulse, do you mind burying me?"
"Ahhhh—ghost! Ghost!"
The villager fled, crying out, terrified.
No wonder the villager ran. Who could handle a dead person talking?
Xie Mingchi sighed.
It was just an action. He had no breath left.
"…Am I dead already? Can't even be buried?"
The rain poured down harder, drenching him. A flash of lightning struck the sky, followed by a thunderous crash—
And that's when Xie Mingchi woke up.
He shot up from bed, gasping for breath.
It wasn't the first time he had this dream.
The window was open, and the wind carried the rain inside, blowing the curtains toward his face, bringing the cold of the night.
Outside, it was raining—exactly like in the dream. Xie Mingchi paused for a moment, then coughed, rubbed his temples, and stood up to close the window.
He found a notebook from his drawer and opened it to the page filled with "正" characters. He added the third stroke to the last incomplete one.
Suddenly, the door handle turned, and the door cracked open. Two eyes appeared behind it.
The eyes were dark, as if the depths of an abyss. They didn't look human.
Xie Mingchi glanced at them, then waved his hand. "It's okay. Come in."
He Qi stepped in, standing beside Xie Mingchi. "Bro, another nightmare?"
"Yeah," Xie Mingchi said, running a hand through his hair, "same one again."
He Qi looked stunned. "How many times has it been… Your eyes are red again."
Xie Mingchi glanced in the mirror and covered his reddened eyes. "It's fine. It'll pass soon." He stared at the page full of "正" characters for a moment, then said, "The 273rd time."
Since he could remember, it had been the 273rd time he had that dream.