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Time passed second by second, and as noon approached, the sunlight grew stronger, warming the hall they were in to a comfortable degree. Of course, this comfort was built on a precarious foundation, as two figures loomed menacingly before them.
Zhang Long had been waiting for any sign of movement from Xiao Mei behind him. After all, he was the only one familiar with this place and capable of handling the situation. However, since the ominous words spoken after the sacrifice, Xiao Mei had remained eerily silent, standing still as if lost in slumber amidst the light. The two spirits had also ceased their movements, flanking them on either side. The hungry ghost across from Xiao Mei occasionally emitted hissing sounds, while the water ghost squatted in front of Zhang Long, droplets of water pooling beneath it, growing increasingly foul-smelling.
This predicament left Zhang Long feeling helpless. He feared that speaking out might provoke the two spirits, yet remaining silent could lead to trouble with his companion behind him. Just then, he noticed the water ghost rising to its feet, its eyeballs swinging grotesquely with the motion. This sudden action made Zhang Long's skin crawl; he instinctively assumed a defensive posture when he heard a phone ringing behind him.
Turning around, he saw Xiao Mei holding a phone with the name "Song Bunan" displayed on the screen. The beeping sound while waiting for the call to connect was jarring; each tone seemed to agitate the two restless spirits nearby. However, once Song Bunan's voice came through the line, both spirits abruptly halted their movements, tilting their heads curiously at the phone.
"Hello? Is that you, Xiao Mei? What's going on?" Song Bunan's voice crackled through the line due to interference. Zhang Long noticed that as soon as Song Bunan spoke, the hungry ghost began to slowly retreat into the shadows where sunlight did not reach. He turned to see that the water ghost was doing the same. Xiao Mei seemed to notice this phenomenon as well and switched to speaker mode, informing Song Bunan not to come over and that they would return to find him.
Meanwhile, they realized that the path leading to the main door had become remarkably clear. Zhang Long heard movement behind him; clearly, Xiao Mei intended to do the same thing. They exchanged no words but communicated through Xiao Mei's ongoing conversation with Song Bunan, ensuring that there was no interruption on that end. As soon as the water ghost retreated into darkness and was nearly out of sight, Zhang Long urged, "Let's go!"
The distance to the main door was about five meters—a length that felt daunting for Zhang Long as he ran for his life. Xiao Mei ran parallel to him without hanging up the phone. Just as they reached the door and it swung open, the water ghost lunged at them like a mad creature.
Xiao Mei shoved his phone into Zhang Long's hands and pushed him out of the room. Zhang Long steadied himself at the doorway to help Xiao Mei but looked up just in time to see Xiao Mei confronting the water ghost directly, a knife gleaming with blood under the sunlight.
Zhang Long had only a superficial understanding of Xiao Mei's abilities. According to their leader, while he practiced no dark arts per se, his temperament made his methods seem ruthless—using blood as a medium for actions others could achieve with tools but in a far more vicious manner.
"This is also his weakness; impatience and anger can easily cloud his judgment. If you notice him acting rashly or excessively during a task, stop him regardless of whether it leads to victory or defeat."
But now there was no one to stop him; under his blade, the water ghost dissipated into black smoke in the light while the hungry ghost darted deeper into the mansion as if everything that had just transpired was merely a dream. Zhang Long pulled Xiao Mei out without time for reprimands as he watched Xiao Mei lower his head and follow behind him unsteadily before collapsing onto a sofa in a small room and wrapping himself in a coat. His muffled voice emerged from within: "I'll wake up before I leave."
Song Bunan considered himself quite adaptable; aside from certain issues where he struggled with controlling his temper and tears, he generally faced most situations calmly—including encounters with ghosts in Dragon Garden or reading peculiar books only accessible at specific times. He even found himself inexplicably fond of Xin Yi despite having met her only a few times. According to his analysis, this older brother treated him well solely because he was pursuing Song Bunan's brother.
Initially planning to take a car to Jiang Family Courtyard, Song Bunan stood outside his community and received three consecutive refusals from passing taxis. With less than an hour remaining until their agreed meeting time of three o'clock, he steeled himself and opened his phone’s map app before hopping onto his electric scooter. After donning his helmet and mask, he wobbled out of the community gate and scoffed at taxis speeding past: "If you don't want to go, fine by me! My little scooter won't get stuck in traffic—ha!"
Of course, riding along didn’t prevent him from thinking about recent events. He mentally reviewed everything that had happened over these past few days—though nothing seemed particularly noteworthy—he felt he had performed decently overall. He pushed aside any unpleasantness regarding his brother and even forgot about needing to change bandages on his back.
Compared to Dragon Garden, getting from his home to Jiang Family Courtyard was much shorter; following navigation led him straight there without detours. Along the way, he passed by an office building where he would soon start working and a house bought by his brother Song Buxian after moving out.
He remembered how upset he felt when his brother announced he would be moving out; Song Bunan had cried quietly under his covers all night long. Although he felt happy during dinner when hearing Song Buxian’s news—finally free from constant oversight—lying in bed that night brought back memories of packing while listening to their parents fussing over reminders about locking doors and closing windows before trips. In darkness without lights on in his bedroom, tears streamed down his face unexpectedly.
He disliked his brother but never imagined they would part ways like this; whether near or far didn’t matter—the simple fact that no one would ask about homework upon returning home saddened him greatly. Their parents were often absent; most of his time had been spent alongside his brother. Now that Song Buxian had moved out and their parents were still away frequently, he realized he'd be alone.
"Sigh..." Lost in these thoughts brought on by inexplicable melancholy caused Song Bunan nearly to run a red light. He barely stopped outside the line when a motorcycle whizzed past just ten centimeters from his front wheel. After calming down and taking a breath, he turned back intending to thank whoever had pulled him back just in time but found himself staring at someone familiar: dressed in black riding boots and motorcycle pants with an intricately designed leather jacket featuring dragons and lightning on their helmet—standing next to an impressive motorcycle while rubbing what must have been their hand after grabbing onto Song Bunan’s scooter moments earlier.
That figure seemed so familiar yet elusive; unable to recall where he'd seen them before made it frustratingly difficult for him not just express gratitude profusely instead as they effortlessly mounted their bike with long strides before waving goodbye and speeding off.
As Song Bunan reflected on how many good people existed in this world while slowly maneuvering himself back behind the brake line with his scooter—thankfully at this hour traffic wasn’t too dense—he felt relieved not having embarrassed himself too badly.
Upon arriving at Jiang Family Courtyard’s entrance marked by crimson walls resembling ancient architecture—a grand red-painted door caught his attention causing an involuntary jolt within him—not only did it have ornate gold-painted nails arranged neatly but also featured stone lions guarding either side.
Having watched numerous dramas like "The Grand Mansion," "Qiao Family Courtyard," or "Walking West," images flooded through Song Bunan’s mind depicting wealthy families’ dynamics alongside imagining how various characters might behave within such settings while simultaneously comparing what little pocket money remained in his bank account against this imposing entrance—realizing it barely amounted enough even for one door nail!
Why did Xiao Mei invite him here? This question weighed heavily on Song Bunan’s mind as another pressing thought arose: how would he get inside?
Riding his small electric scooter, Song Bunan felt a bit embarrassed as it was dwarfed by the steps in front of the house. He parked it at the entrance, unsure if the homeowner felt ashamed, but he certainly did. Silently, he pushed off the ground to reverse back to the road, deciding to find a parking area for his scooter where it wouldn’t look so out of place.
Just as he was about to turn around, a car pulled up beside him. He was momentarily stunned as the window rolled down to reveal Xiao Mei, who was wearing a Sad Frog eye mask and looked like she had just woken up. “You’re here pretty early! Let’s go in together. But since you’re on a scooter, you can follow us in from the back,” she said, her sleepy accent thickening her words. With no way to refuse, Song Bunan reluctantly followed her car to another entrance.
The back door had no steps; instead, there was a gentle slope leading up to the Redwood Gate. It was just as grand as the front door but lacked the decorative stone studs. At that moment, one of the doors was already ajar, revealing a man in a suit and white gloves standing outside. He appeared to be in his sixties, sporting gold-rimmed half-frame glasses. A silver chain protruded from his suit’s pocket, secured next to the first button with a clamp, making him look like he had just stepped out of a perfectly staged photograph.
In front of this door was a spacious area with several cars parked haphazardly. Xiao Mei got out of her car and walked over to him, giving his shoulder a friendly pat. “It’s safer to park in the yard; besides, I don’t feel like walking. You can give me a ride up!” Without waiting for an answer, she confidently hopped onto the back seat of his small electric scooter and playfully nudged him forward. “Come on, let’s go!”
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