Perhaps it was mass delusion, or maybe it was Hua Gu’s unique ability, but the echo didn't manifest when Xiao Shu spoke. He deliberately mimicked Hua Gu, shouting several times at the top of his lungs, yet only his own voice returned, with no reverberation whatsoever. Hua Gu followed suit, calling out a few times, all ending in failure.

“What was that just now?” Hua Gu asked.

Echoes originate from sound waves reflecting off a solid surface; people can only discern an original sound from its echo if the time difference between the arrival of the two at the eardrum is three seconds or more. In simpler terms, we always experience echoes when speaking, but because the reflecting surface is so close to the ear, the original sound and the reflection arrive almost simultaneously, perceived as a single sound. To actually hear an echo, one requires a vast, open space paired with a smooth, solid plane. Conditions like these are frequently encountered in massive structures such as the Temple of Heaven, which is why it boasts an Echo Wall.

In the case of typical residential architecture, indoor echoes are virtually impossible. Firstly, the space is confined, and secondly, the furniture and arrangements create countless reflective surfaces. As soon as sound waves leave the throat, they are rapidly bounced back by these scattered planes within the room, never forming the three-second time lag necessary for the ear to separate the original sound from its reflection.

Therefore, Hua Gu’s question from earlier—"What are you two whispering about privately?"—generating an echo within the room had startled everyone.

In the confusion, no one answered Hua Gu. After those few shouts, the entire villa descended into a deathly silence, chilling the heart like a haunted house.

We couldn't remain in this heavy quiet indefinitely; the necessary tasks still needed to be performed methodically. So, I broke the silence first, saying to the group, "Let's split up and look around."

Xiao Shu glanced at me, as if questioning why I wasn't mentioning the library. I gave him a quick wink, and he instantly understood that this was a tactic to distract Hua Gu and A Mang.

Hua Gu readily agreed with the suggestion to scout around. The reason I wanted to send Hua Gu and A Mang wandering through the villa was that I clearly sensed their way of thinking differed from ours. Xiao Shu and I had come to the Reflection Villa with a specific objective; now we needed to eliminate distractions to fully realize that goal. Hua Gu and A Mang, however, had no set purpose for being here; they were merely accompanying us, like tourists admiring the novelties surrounding them. Thus, the best approach was to let them wander, which would satisfy their curiosity without interfering with our work.

Consequently, the four of us divided into two pairs. Hua Gu and A Mang embarked on their journey of novel exploration, while Xiao Shu and I headed straight for the library.

Everything remained as it had been. Entering the library, entire walls of books stood neatly arranged on their shelves. The rolling ladder, having been used last time, had not been touched and remained parked in its original spot. Where Xiao Shu and I had previously sat on the floor, there were now two chairs.

I looked curiously at the chairs and couldn't help but ask Xiao Shu, "We sat on the floor the last time we were here. Do you know who brought these chairs in?"

“It must be the housekeeper, no one else,” Xiao Shu speculated thoughtfully. The housekeeper he referred to was Hua Jinlan’s mother, the one who had spoken to me the day my soul left my body in this very library. Mentioning her suddenly reminded me of what my grandmother had said about Hua Jinlan holding a grudge against her and Hua Gu’s family. Connecting that to the dismissive expression Xiao Shu had given my grandmother, it felt like there was a great deal worth dissecting here.