Although the walking corpses were annihilated, the matter was far from over. That little boy was still hidden within the walls, and sealing the space had not truly captured him. Nevertheless, the boy's helpers had mostly been eliminated by this point.
As the flames within the space gradually subsided, and the final flicker died out, stillness returned. The walls and floor showed no signs of having been burned, but the walking corpses were finally and utterly gone.
Gu Yi and Bai Ru did not linger. Gu Yi shouldered Li Jin once more and led the way out of the passage, back into the sewer.
“Let’s get Li Jin out of here first. As for the ‘Accumulated Grudge Realm,’ we’ll come back once we find a way to break it after we get out,” Gu Yi suggested.
Bai Ru nodded in agreement.
The two decided not to search for another exit, choosing instead to retrace their steps.
After carefully crawling out of the sewer exit, they realized the sky outside was darkening. They had been underground for a full night plus a day.
The school day was long over, and the campus was silent, devoid of any figures.
They loaded Li Jin into the car. On the road, Bai Ru noticed Gu Yi appeared preoccupied and couldn't help but ask, “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
Gu Yi’s expression was grave. After a moment of silence, he finally said, “I don’t think this is finished.”
“How so?” Bai Ru inquired.
Gu Yi glanced at Li Jin in the back seat. “That little boy only appeared to us in spirit form, but we never found his remains in the end.”
Bai Ru considered this. “Maybe they decayed?”
She immediately shook her head, dismissing the thought. The walking corpses that appeared in that space were clearly the corpse that had been brought into the sewer with the little boy. After twenty years, while that body was severely decayed in many places, it shouldn't have completely vanished into nothingness.
“What do you think?” Bai Ru asked.
Gu Yi shook his head. “I’m not sure, but I always suspect that while we were down there, someone else was hiding in the shadows—a living person.”
This feeling wasn't new; they had harbored this suspicion while underground before, specifically when Principal Hao suddenly transformed into a vengeful corpse. Now, the fact that they couldn't find the little boy’s remains only deepened their doubt that others were involved.
Who was following them in secret?
Gu Yi pulled out his phone and called Jiang Tao. Upon asking, he learned that Wu Zhongyou had not yet returned, which immediately made them both a little worried.
Seeing Gu Yi finish his call, Bai Ru hesitated for a moment before finally taking out her own phone. With one hand on the steering wheel, she dialed Kuang Feifan with the other.
The automated prompt clearly indicated the other party’s phone was powered off.
A look of immediate worry crossed Bai Ru’s face, and she put the phone away without a word.
“What happened?” Gu Yi noticed her expression and asked, “Did something happen with Kuang Feifan?”
Bai Ru’s face was grim. “I can’t get through. I’m worried he…”
Though the rest of the sentence remained unspoken, Gu Yi understood: she feared Kuang Feifan had gone back to that haunted building again.
After a moment of thought, Gu Yi suddenly said, “When we get back, you go shower and then go find Kuang Feifan. I’ll handle things here.”
Bai Ru said nothing until they pulled up in front of Wu Zhongyou’s house. Only then did she look at Gu Yi and ask, “I’m leaving now. Will you be alright by yourself?”
Gu Yi grinned slyly. “When have I ever not been alright?”
After getting out of the car, Gu Yi insisted on taking Bai Ru upstairs, urging her to take a shower and change before leaving. He insisted she not drive back to the city, claiming he needed the car, but Bai Ru knew he was concerned that after being awake all night, driving might overwhelm her physically and mentally.
They called a few more times during this period, but Kuang Feifan’s phone remained off.
By the time Bai Ru left, night had already fallen. Gu Yi settled Li Jin in, then began pondering what supplies were needed to deal with the lingering issues in the sewer. He made a list and handed it to Jiang Tao, asking him to arrange for the items and keep an eye out for Wu Zhongyou.
“I’m leaving now. You… be careful,” Bai Ru said to Gu Yi, her concern evident.
Gu Yi shrugged, his tone relaxed. “Don’t worry, the cleanup won’t be too complicated.”
Bai Ru felt conflicted. She had asked Gu Yi for help, yet now she was leaving him alone simply because she couldn't reach Kuang Feifan—which felt disloyal.
However, if Kuang Feifan had truly entered that haunted building again, given his meager self-defense capabilities, he was likely facing mortal danger.
Gu Yi saw her internal struggle and continued to persuade her. “Relax. You know my abilities; dealing with this stuff isn't a huge problem for me. But Kuang Feifan is different. If he really went back into that haunted building like you said, the situation is definitely not optimistic. For both duty and sentiment, you should go check on him now.”
Finally, the worry for Kuang Feifan overwhelmed Bai Ru’s hesitation. She managed a strained smile for Gu Yi. “I’m sorry, I’ll go look. If he really went back into that haunted building, wait until I see how I deal with him.”
Gu Yi rolled his eyes, unconvinced. “Will you? You’ll probably just feel terrible for him. Go on, now. Don’t be so polite between us.”
As Bai Ru settled into the taxi heading back to the city, Kuang Feifan was finding himself in dire straits.
Meanwhile, shortly after Gu Yi saw Bai Ru off, Wu Zhongyou suddenly returned home.
Seeing Wu Zhongyou walk in, Gu Yi’s face darkened, and he asked in a rather cold tone, “Where were you?”
Wu Zhongyou managed a strained, hesitant smile. “I… needed some air, and I took a quick look around the school, just in case anything else was happening there.”
Gu Yi looked at him, his expression softening slightly, though he remained displeased. “You should have told Jiang Tao if you were going out. Running off like that—what if something happened? Especially after what we encountered yesterday.”
Wu Zhongyou knew he meant the incident last night when Principal Hao took Li Jin. He also knew he had been reckless, and quickly apologized, “Yes, I was careless. I’m sorry.”
Gu Yi waved his hand, unwilling to press the issue further, and changed the subject. “Forget it, just be more careful in the future. By the way, nothing happened at the school during the day, right?”
Wu Zhongyou shook his head. “No, everything was normal.”
Gu Yi gave an “Oh.” It seemed whatever transpired in the sewer hadn't affected normal life at the school. He looked at Wu Zhongyou again. “You… go rest for a bit. You look tired, like you’ve been doing manual labor. Are you alright after getting hit last night?”
Wu Zhongyou laughed. “I’m fine, that was nothing. Today… I was moving things, so I’m a bit worn out.”
Gu Yi smiled too. “Then have some water, rest a little, and we’ll get something to eat when Jiang Tao gets back. Get to sleep early.”
Wu Zhongyou casually asked, “What’s Little Jiang up to?”
Gu Yi didn’t hide it. “He’s helping me prepare some things. There’s still some clean-up work to be done in that sewer.”
Wu Zhongyou paused. “Clean-up?”
Gu Yi didn’t elaborate much. “We need to completely dismantle some of the arrangements down in the sewer; I need some tools.”
Wu Zhongyou asked with concern, “You… are going back? Tonight? Oh, right, where is Miss Bai?”
Gu Yi yawned. “Bai Ru has something she needs to take care of. I’m not going tonight; I’m exhausted. We can do it tomorrow afternoon.”
Wu Zhongyou nodded, asking no further questions. He poured a glass of water, drank a couple of sips, and headed toward the inner room, poking his head out a moment later to ask Gu Yi, “Why is that child Li Jin still unconscious?”
Gu Yi replied casually, “He’s fine. The seal within him has been broken. It wouldn’t do him good to stay out too long anyway. But don’t touch the talisman on his chest. First, it prevents evil things from entering his body, and second, it helps him focus his mind. Ghosts and spirits can’t touch that talisman, but if you touch it, it’ll fall right off, so be careful.”
Wu Zhongyou nodded in understanding, returning to the bedroom and closing the door behind him. Since he only had one bed, sleeping meant sharing it with Li Jin.
However, after closing the door, Wu Zhongyou didn't immediately get into bed. Instead, he walked to the bedside and stared down at Li Jin, whose eyes remained closed.
His expression slowly darkened. After a moment of hesitation, he finally seemed to make up his mind, slowly reaching toward the area on Li Jin’s chest where the talisman was placed.
Since Wu Zhongyou was an ordinary person, he easily peeled the talisman off.
He looked at it, hardened his resolve, bit his own finger until it bled, smeared a few drops onto the cinnabar markings on the paper, and then reapplied it to Li Jin’s chest.
Immediately, Li Jin’s face twitched in what looked like agony, his brow furrowing tightly, and he let out a faint, low moan (“Wu”). After a few seconds, his expression returned to normal.
Seeing that he hadn't woken up, Wu Zhongyou let out a breath of relief, carefully lay down beside him, and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.
After lying there for an unknown amount of time, Wu Zhongyou heard the bedroom door open. He opened his eyes to see Jiang Tao entering and sat up.
Jiang Tao glanced at Li Jin, who remained motionless, seemed satisfied that nothing appeared amiss, and whispered to Wu Zhongyou, “Come out and eat something.”
Wu Zhongyou gave Li Jin one last worried look. Jiang Tao smiled. “Brother Yi said as long as the talisman isn't moved, he’s fine.”
Following Jiang Tao out of the room, Wu Zhongyou saw three bowls of instant noodles set out on the table in the living area. Gu Yi was leaning back on the sofa, looking as if he were resting. Jiang Tao informed Wu Zhongyou that Gu Yi had told them to eat first.
Having been running around all day, Wu Zhongyou was indeed hungry. He sat down and didn't stand on ceremony, slurping down one bowl noisily.
At this moment, they were all in the living room; only Li Jin lay motionless on the bed inside the bedroom. Suddenly, a ripple appeared on the nearest wall, and a small black figure stepped directly down from it, solidifying into the image of the little boy by the bedside.
The boy stared at Li Jin, his eyes gleaming, and a sinister grin spread across his face. He flickered and lunged toward Li Jin, just as he was about to merge with the boy’s body, when suddenly, a burst of golden light erupted from Li Jin, instantly enveloping the little boy within it.
The golden light seemed to cause the little boy excruciating pain, and his piercing screams filled the room.
The others outside were startled. Wu Zhongyou was the first to rise, shoving open the bedroom door and rushing in, stopping short in astonishment at the sight.
From behind him, Gu Yi’s unhurried voice drifted out: “Didn’t expect that, did you, Wu Zhongyou? You failed to complete your mission.”
Wu Zhongyou turned to face Gu Yi, his expression filled with absolute shock.