I was crammed into the sickroom along with Pi Hou'er, and because of that, I ended up standing directly behind the male nurse. Frankly, I was already paralyzed with fear. When I saw Wu Qian lunge for the male nurse, I don't know if it was instinct or what, but I actually shoved the nurse away.

The male nurse was lucky; my push managed to divert his face away from Wu Qian's grab, saving him from being disfigured. But alas, his shoulder wasn't so fortunate; Wu Qian managed to rake three bloody scratches across it.

I instinctively took a few steps back, then involuntarily glanced toward the glass window, taking ages to find an angle where I could once again see Wu Qian’s reflection refracted above.

Just as easily, I saw the female ghost behind Wu Qian, staring at me with malevolence. Was she angry that I had ruined her business?

In the span of a breath, I thought I saw the female ghost behind Wu Qian suddenly flicker, lunging at me with claws extended and mouth agape.

I immediately screamed in terror, spun around, and bolted toward the exit of the sickroom, nearly tumbling and crawling my way through the crowd. By this point, the sickroom was utter chaos; some nurses were already dragging Doctor Wang out, while the remaining several burly nurses had wrestled Wu Qian down and pinned his hands to the floor.

In the ensuing pandemonium, I didn't even pay attention to Pi Hou’er’s movements, my sole focus being to escape the room, terrified that the female ghost would catch me.

It wasn't until I slammed against the wall opposite the door in the corridor that I realized I had nowhere else to go. I frantically looked around and suddenly saw Pi Hou’er standing right in front of me, waving one hand around, his whole body trembling uncontrollably, sweat pouring down his face, his expression one of absolute dread.

It was then I noticed a yellow talisman stuck to his palm, already damp with perspiration.

Just as I was about to ask him what he was holding, I saw several nurses finally subdue Wu Qian and move in to administer a sedative. Suddenly, I caught sight of Wu Qian’s face; his eyes had cleared up at some unknown moment, and he was looking right at us.

I clearly heard low sounds issuing from his parting lips.

“He has come… He has left… He wants us dead…”

He kept repeating this phrase. I could sense that he wasn't delirious when he said it; on the contrary, he was completely lucid now.

Was he warning Pi Hou’er and me?

I didn’t know if Pi Hou’er had heard him, and just as I was about to get him to notice Wu Qian’s strangeness, he grabbed me. Taking advantage of the continued confusion, Pi Hou’er and I fled the hospital.

It wasn't until we got clear of the main gate that I realized my entire set of clothes was soaked through with sweat from the commotion. A slight breeze made me feel chilly, and I was so utterly exhausted it felt like all my energy had been drained—more tiring than running four kilometers. Moreover, everything I had just experienced only registered as sheer terror.

I glanced back. Beneath the blood-red sunset, the hospital building looked like the entrance to hell, making the hairs on my body stand up involuntarily; my scalp tingled, and my muscles felt rigid.

Pi Hou’er gripped my arm and hurried me away from the hospital.

On the road, I asked him, “What was that thing in your hand just now?”

“A talisman. I don’t know if it worked,” he managed a wry smile.

So, it had just been a desperate, last-ditch effort. The female ghost hadn't gone after us—whether due to the talisman’s effect or because she changed her mind, I would probably never know.

I told Pi Hou’er what I heard Wu Qian say, and he nodded, confirming he heard it too. It seemed the ghost was closing in on everyone, picking them off one by one.

I truly couldn't understand why the ghost wanted to kill us; we had merely lived there.

“He has come, he has left, he wants us dead.”

I could never forget that sentence. He, or perhaps she, wanted us dead. I had only witnessed the scene of Wu Qian’s mother dying; Pi Hou’er likely saw more, or understood more.

“What do we do now?” I had no plan, so I had to ask Pi Hou’er.

“Keep looking for the Ye family,” he replied without hesitation.

Easier said than done. Locating their new address was incredibly difficult. I can barely recall the process; we just wandered everywhere, making inquiries, even posting 'missing person' notices—we even tacked up self-written notices under a bridge.

Those who haven't been through it can't imagine the hardship. Every time we thought we had a lead, we would follow the trail only to come up empty.

However, we made new progress regarding the original location. I managed to track down the architect who designed and built that place. He was actually a renowned architect, though not yet famous when that place was constructed, but he already possessed a distinct style. Most importantly, I found contact information for his descendants. If everything went smoothly, we might be able to uncover information about the property’s original owner.

Just then, Pi Hou’er told me he had found a clue about the Ye family. Unexpectedly, he led me onto a train heading south.

If I remembered correctly, the Ye family consisted of four generations living under one roof—a large family, at least in my estimation.

I desperately wanted to know more, but Pi Hou’er was secretive. After much probing, he gave vague, evasive answers, only telling me in frustration that he wasn't entirely sure, fearing that speaking it aloud might jinx the possibility.

Our reckless superstition and suspicion perfectly described us then, so I stopped pressing, following him blindly, not even noticing our location after we disembarked.

Next, we took a bus, finally arriving at a town. It was only then I learned we had to go into the mountains.

Even so, neither of us had any real experience, so we grabbed some water and bread and headed into the wilderness.

I remember us suffering immensely. I asked him what exactly we were looking for, and he told me we needed to find a temple.

I nearly laughed out loud, unable to imagine a temple existing in these mountains. Yet, the outcome was astonishing: after wandering in the mountains for several days, we actually spotted a temple.

I still remember the long flight of bluestone steps leading up to the temple. Though it looked desolate and uninhabited, there were, incredibly, monks inside.

Two old monks.

I couldn’t tell which monk looked older, but I could test them with the surname Ye.

Sure enough, the monk who appeared slightly younger visibly stiffened. He studied us closely for a long moment before hesitantly looking at me and calling out, “Little Jun-Jun…”

I could only offer a wry smile.

Because at that moment, I recognized him too: he was Uncle Ye, the father of Ye Wenmo, the Ye family’s only son.

I couldn’t fathom why Uncle Ye had become a monk, but Pi Hou’er seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and asked directly, “You know already, don't you?”

At this point, Uncle Ye’s expression was very complicated. He led us into an empty room, and only after we sat down did he begin to inquire about our situation.

Catching up and small talk was clearly not what we were there for. Pi Hou’er and I summarized the events we encountered and our previous thoughts about that place.

Unsurprisingly, Uncle Ye immediately agreed with our assessment.

“Wenmo must have fled abroad,” Uncle Ye told us.

We couldn't believe our ears.