This time, the attack didn't land as easily as the last. The woman, who claimed to be Wenshu, merely flickered to the side, gracefully dodging the high-pressure water jet Xiao Shu had launched, and cooed, "Is this how you treat a lady?"

Xiao Shu shot her a cold, sideways glance, her voice flat. "First, you are not a lady. You faint at the sight of a killing, yet you sit atop this pile of corpses as steadily as a mountain. Does that logic track? Second, when Xiao Shu first met me, she wasn't wearing shoes. The real Wenshu made him take his off at the door to the reception room before letting him in to see me and his sister. Neither of those details match. I absolutely will not believe you are Wenshu; saying you’re a Yao guai seems slightly more plausible."

"Alas!" The woman sighed, reaching beside her for a scythe. With a light movement, she drew the blade across the skin just below her own neck. "Where are there so many Yao guai in this world? I am nothing more than a lingering spirit under your father’s command." As she spoke, she peeled the skin back from the shallow cut, tearing her entire face away, hair and all. It truly wasn't Wenshu, and Xiao Yu’s previously bright gaze instantly dimmed.

The woman was a vision: a high nose bridge, round almond eyes, and cherry lips—a beauty comparable to Xi Shi or Diao Chan.

"My name is Zhang Yuqiu, and I’ve been waiting for you here for a long time," she said, offering Xiao Shu an awkward smile. Xiao Shu remained unconvinced and pressed on. "What is your relationship with my father? And why are you waiting for us here?"

"Well…" Yuqiu lowered her head, lacing her ten fingers together, looking like a child caught doing something wrong, and murmured, "You’ve been his son for over a decade, yet you don't truly know your own father. You should ask him that question yourself. He asked me to wait here for you because you didn't leave with Li Xiaohao’s car. The hospital is dangerous, so he sent me to take you somewhere safe."

Xiao Shu glanced at Xiao Yu, who spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness, his eyes filled with disappointment.

Seeing his brother’s state, Xiao Shu felt a sharp pang in her own chest. She softened her tone. "How did you manage to disguise yourself as Wenshu? Where is she now?"

"She…" Yuqiu glanced around, left and right, "Disguising myself as her was just a way to trick you into leaving this place sooner. As for that woman’s whereabouts," she vaguely pointed toward the pile of corpses behind her, "she might be in this heap, or perhaps that one. In short, she is no longer in this world." A hint of cynical nonchalance played on her lips as she spoke.

Xiao Shu looked back at Xiao Yu. "Do you believe a word she’s saying?"

"Ninety-eight percent unbelievable!" Xiao Yu stated firmly.

With that, the two bypassed Zhang Yuqiu and stepped over the mound of bodies, preparing to head toward the basement.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, the basement is dangerous," Zhang Yuqiu said, seeing they weren't swayed, her tone laced with annoyance.

"Thanks. Considering you’re using Father’s name, I won’t do anything to you. Go back wherever you crawled out from," Xiao Shu called over her shoulder to Zhang Yuqiu while climbing the mountain of corpses.

The woman remained by the doorway, arms crossed, a cold smile playing on her lips, clearly waiting for a show. Meanwhile, Xiao Yu glanced back at her. He saw the facial mask, the one eerily similar to Wenshu's, carelessly tossed on the ground amidst the scattered hair. A wave of anxiety washed over him, intensifying his urge to find the real Wenshu immediately.