When Zhou Huan and Dongzi arrived at the derelict building, Dongzi guided Zhou Huan to the sewer grate where the little beggar had vanished. Zhou Huan pulled out his compass-lantern and descended into the sewer, Dongzi following close behind.
“Brother, why are we going down here?” Though Dongzi grasped Zhou Huan’s general intention, he hesitated to affirm his own suspicion.
Zhou Huan turned back with a slight smile, “Just follow me. We’ll probably be staking this place out all day.”
The two men navigated the sewer system once, finding nothing particularly unusual save for mapping out the basic structure. Starting from the entrance where the little beggar disappeared, there were three main forks, each branching out further into multiple subsidiary tunnels.
“Dongzi, here’s the plan: You take the flashlight and check these tunnels one by one. Mark every path you take so you can find your way back,” Zhou Huan instructed Dongzi with care.
Dongzi nodded firmly and started to move with his light, but Zhou Huan held him back. “Remember, if you spot the little beggar, absolutely do not spook him. Watch what he does, and ideally, lure him back here.” Zhou Huan then handed the compass to Dongzi. “Take this. If you encounter a ghost or specter, it will react. As long as you draw a Ghost-Repelling Talisman, you can find your way back safely. Remember, no alarming the spirits!”
“Don’t worry, Brother, I won’t spook anything. If I see a snake, I run!” Dongzi’s irrelevant rambling left Zhou Huan speechless, so he simply waved him off to depart.
With Dongzi gone, Zhou Huan scrambled out of the sewer and swiftly climbed to the roof of the abandoned building, settling in a corner to watch and wait below.
The sun traversed half the sky, bringing the time to noon. Zhou Huan peered down from the building’s edge; everything remained perfectly calm. Since this road had been abandoned for ages, few people ever passed through.
As Zhou Huan intently watched the sewer exit, a faint, fresh scent of cucumber drifted in on the wind. He inhaled lightly, his nerves beginning to tighten slowly, for he knew this was a signal—the sign of Yu Qiu’s imminent appearance. He stood up, fixing his gaze on the spot where the little beggar frequently surfaced, unblinking.
Dongzi emerged from the sewer opening below and waved towards Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan immediately waved back, whispering softly, “Dongzi, hurry up and get up here! Don’t let them spot us!”
Dongzi was indeed quick. Hearing Zhou Huan’s words, he sprinted up to the abandoned building and stood beside Zhou Huan, looking down together.
The wind grew stronger, gradually turning cool. Under Zhou Huan’s steady gaze, a small child slowly crawled out of the sewer Dongzi had uncovered.
“Brother, the little beggar!” Dongzi exclaimed excitedly, pointing him out to Zhou Huan.
After climbing out, the little beggar ran toward the corner of the building, his run still carrying a hint of childish awkwardness. He reached the corner, found his spot, squatted down, laced his small hands over his knees, and constantly scanned his surroundings with his little head.
“He’s waiting for Yu Qiu!” Zhou Huan stated with certainty.
Dongzi’s eyes widened, constantly sweeping the area around the derelict building, muttering under his breath, “Yu Qiu…”
Suddenly, the compass in Dongzi’s hand began to spin wildly. After a few rotations, the needle locked rigidly in the direction to their right. Zhou Huan and Dongzi almost simultaneously whipped their gaze toward where the compass pointed. At this moment, the fresh cucumber scent intensified, and a young woman dressed in white slowly approached, carrying a plastic bag containing something.
“Brother, Buns!” Dongzi reacted quickly this time. “That’s Yu Qiu!” Dongzi’s voice was kept extremely low.
Zhou Huan murmured quietly, “Just watch them for now, we’ll talk later!”
Yu Qiu walked over to the little beggar, squatted down, and slowly opened the plastic bag. Inside, several steaming hot buns were revealed, their aroma winding its way slowly up the building structure.
“It’s the same smell!” Zhou Huan muttered under his breath.
“Are you hungry, son? Mommy will feed you the buns!” Yu Qiu spoke very gently, her fair face showing a look of maternal kindness.
The little beggar snatched the buns with both hands and began to eat happily. On closer inspection, something wiggly seemed to be oozing from the corners of the child’s mouth.
Seeing the little beggar eat with such delight, Yu Qiu said to him again, “Mommy has something to take care of. Eat by yourself today, and tomorrow Mommy will bring you more buns, okay? Be a good boy, go on back now!”
A mother’s intuition or bond, perhaps—the little beggar heard Yu Qiu, clutched the buns in the plastic bag to his chest, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Just then, Yu Qiu slowly lifted her head. Her gaze landed on Zhou Huan and Dongzi standing on the rooftop. The corner of her mouth curled up slightly, then she turned and slowly walked away. Whether that look was a provocation or an enticement, one thing was clear: Yu Qiu had detected Zhou Huan and Dongzi’s presence.
“Dongzi, quickly go after the little beggar! Don’t lose him this time; I’ll follow Yu Qiu!” Zhou Huan said, turning and sprinting toward the ground floor.
“Brother, let me go after Yu Qiu! I want to talk to her face-to-face!” Dongzi was insistent. Despite all the evidence pointing to Yu Qiu’s true nature, Dongzi still wanted to hear her admit it personally.
“I told you to chase the little beggar, so go chase the little beggar! I’ll let you see your dream girl,” Zhou Huan practically bounded down the stairs, reaching the ground floor in moments. When he arrived, he found Yu Qiu standing still only dozens of meters away from him.
Dongzi followed Zhou Huan’s orders, sticking close to the little beggar’s trail.
Zhou Huan cautiously approached Yu Qiu step by step. “Why aren’t you running?”
“Why should I run? Haven’t you been looking for me? I’m waiting for you, aren’t I?” Yu Qiu’s tone remained remarkably gentle, immediately followed by a burst of maniacal laughter. Yu Qiu slowly turned her head, causing Zhou Huan to lean back slightly.
This was because the face now confronting him was not the Yu Qiu he had just seen; it was a visage covered in wounds and bloodstains, her white clothes still trailing blood. “What’s wrong, Great Master Zhou? Are you afraid of this little ghost? Come on, let’s go home and chat some more!”
Zhou Huan offered a slight smile. “It’s not fear; it’s just that your transformation is too rapid. You give people no time to catch their breath.”
“Heh heh heh!” Yu Qiu walked slowly ahead, leading Zhou Huan toward the two-story bun shop in the northern shantytown area.
When Zhou Huan reached the bun shop, he discovered six corpses—including Li Tianxiong, Li Zhihe, and the EMT personnel—all suspended from the second floor.
“How is it, Master Zhou? Aren’t their appearances spectacular? My buns were just out of filling, luckily they showed up. Otherwise, my child would have starved!” Yu Qiu spoke with chilling cruelty.
Zhou Huan fell silent for a moment, then followed Yu Qiu to the second floor, bowing his head in deference without speaking a single word, just trailing behind.
Yu Qiu reached her room on the second floor and pushed the door open. “This is my room. Master Zhou, please come in and sit for a while! Capturing them was unavoidable. I truly didn't want any unpleasantness between us.”
“Miss Yu, I wanted to ask you, why do you have such a fondness for making steamed buns?”
“I won’t hide it from you; my little son only likes to eat buns, so as a mother, I can’t do anything else but bring him buns every day,” Yu Qiu said, her eyes appearing moist with unshed tears.
Zhou Huan followed up, “What kind of meat does your son eat in those buns?”
Hearing this, Yu Qiu hiked up the cuff of her trousers. “Look at my leg!” At this point, Zhou Huan clearly saw that Yu Qiu’s leg had been sliced open to the bone, the black and white bone protruding through the skin. The rough gaps where the bones met were starkly visible.
“Were the buns you made for others before... made with your own flesh?” Zhou Huan pressed urgently.
Yu Qiu nodded silently. “It’s my own son; if I don’t feed him plenty of meat, who will I feed it to?”
Zhou Huan was somewhat moved by Yu Qiu’s words. He said, “How about this: I can give you a new method. You can switch to making vegetarian buns!”
“Mind your own business! How I do things is not for you to dictate. I’m holding back because I see you’re a decent person, but you need to leave now!” Yu Qiu’s temper suddenly erupted in fury. The wounds on her face split wide open, and black blood jetted from every cut, with scorch marks visible in places, making her whole appearance blurry.
Zhou Huan’s tone remained perfectly cordial. “I don’t wish to disturb your peace, but I cannot bear to see you like this either. Besides, your mother has been looking for you. Since you are already in the Middle Yin Realm, why abandon your mother for your son? Furthermore, I need to save my two friends!”
“Hahahaha! Don’t even think about it!” Yu Qiu’s exposed leg was patched with scraps of flesh. She suddenly leaped onto the railing of the second-floor staircase, striking a posture like a tiger emerging from its lair. “They all deserve to be the filling for my buns! If you keep helping them, I will turn you into bun filling too!”
“You don’t have to be so extreme. I can make a deal with you—a transaction where you only gain, never lose!” Zhou Huan spoke with ease, projecting confidence.
Upon hearing Zhou Huan’s words, the anger gradually receded from Yu Qiu’s expression. She pondered for a moment, her large eyes casting their gaze onto Zhou Huan. “Since you speak of a transaction, fine. I want to see what kind of deal you have in mind for me!”
Zhou Huan pursed his lips. “Miss Yu Qiu, I know your death was perhaps not entirely voluntary. But I don’t understand why you are feeding buns to others. Please tell me about it; perhaps I can help you!”
“Stop with the nonsense! Didn’t you say you wanted a transaction? Tell me your terms!” Yu Qiu’s tone grew sharply demanding.
Zhou Huan pointed a finger toward the people hanging on the second floor. “I want to exchange them. You can name your price, and I will satisfy it. But I believe what you truly desire right now is to reunite with your parents. However, in the Middle Yin Realm, you cannot see your mother and father, nor can you reincarnate, and you cannot fully care for your son. So, as long as you stop harassing them, I will help you!”
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