The text beyond had become blurred, and only a few sentences were legible.
Xia Chi said, “It’s already quite clear. Lady Yuexian is this statue and Rumian has a deep connection to it. She’s the one who excavated it. Rumian once survived a near-death experience when she fell from a rope ladder. Maybe it was during that escape from death that she became a follower of Lady Yuexian.”
“That guy in sunglasses said he saw Rumian’s face in his dream, right?” Xia Chi continued. “What if Rumian had gone off the deep end, thinking she was Lady Yuexian? So, she went around pretending to be Lady Yuexian, but in reality, there’s no Lady Yuexian. Rumian was Miao Pan’er, and is now Luo Mei.”
Xia Chi grew more excited as he spoke. “Brother, the murderer must be Rumian, right?”
‘I’m really quite clever. I’ve figured out this difficult question. I’m today’s MVP!
Go ahead, praise me!’
The flash of inspiration: […]
It’s hopeless. Sigh.
Bai Lixin: […]
‘Oh, I forgot to tell Xia Chi that Rumian and Miao Pan’er are two different people.
Forget it, I won’t say anything.’
Twin Ponytails also looked at Bai Lixin expectantly.
Bai Lixin felt like he had a lump in his throat. He stiffly cleared his throat and nodded in response to their hopeful gazes. “I think your analysis makes sense. There’s a high likelihood that Rumian is the murderer. You two have really made significant progress today.”
Xia Chi and Ponytails had joyous expressions, happily holding hands and dancing in circles.
‘Wow, this a blast; it feels like life has reached its climax.’
Bai Lixin: “…”
S419m: [Uh, I think we can rule out these two from being possessed? Rumian wouldn’t be that foolish, right?]
Bai Lixin’s mouth twitched: […]
—————————-
In the live broadcast room
[God Xin feels that Xia Chi’s wears his heart on his sleeve.]
[Cut Xia Chi some slack. This might be one of the few shining moments in his life. Even though, judging by God Xin’s expression, he’s probably wrong. But… he’s in a good mood now.]
[Rumian, Miao Pan’er, and Luo Mei… these names all seem to have three waters and one eye in common.]
[Hmm? That’s true. Who learned from whom? Miao Pan’er’s original name should be Lin Pan’er, right? She changed her surname later.]
[One line in the inscription says: ‘Build temples by the water, with eyes as the pinnacle.’ Eyes are round, which coincides with the circular roof in the underground palace under the library. By the water, there’s a small river next to the willow grove, right?]
[Do you think Rumian almost died when she had that fall years ago, and Lady Yuexian miraculously saved her? As a result, she became a devout follower of Lady Yuexian. So, using her influence and power, she resurrected that ancient temple.]
[I think there’s a possibility. She fell from about 20 meters! Who could survive falling from such a height?]
[Could it be that Lady Yuexian saved Rumian because the name ‘Rumian’ happened to contain ‘moon’ and ‘water’? Does this Lady Yuexian have an obsessive-compulsive disorder ?]
[…Well, that’s quite a unique perspective.]
————————-
At 8 PM, Bai Lixin arrived at the location for his professional task.
This was a residential house where the previous occupant had committed suicide due to depression. The landlord, fearful of the history, had opted for a professional sleep tester to renew the occupants.
Shortly after, Shen Mo sent him a message, saying that he had followed Bai Lixin’s instructions and met the contact. He had also discreetly asked about the whereabouts of the missing girl.
*The contact from the illegal auction in the live broadcast room.
Bai Lixin then reported the situation to the police, who promptly arrived and apprehended the contact.
From there on, it was just a matter of following the leads to completely eliminate this extensive underground network.
Around 9 PM, Shen Mo arrived at the residential house.
Upon opening the door, Shen Mo walked in, looking disheveled and slightly out of breath, indicating he had rushed over.
“I’ve asked,” Shen Mo began casually as he found a seat on a couch, “that girl borrowed money from them, claiming it was for an abortion. She’s a college student who got pregnant and didn’t dare to tell her family. Through someone’s introduction, she found that underground organization. Guess who the man involved with her is?”
Bai Lixin took a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and handed it to Shen Mo. “Could it be Chen Ping?”
Shen Mo raised an eyebrow as he accepted the water. “How did you guess?”
Bai Lixin took out the old phone from his backpack and showed the two top messages to Shen Mo. “I just guessed. From the way you asked me, it’s likely someone I know. Among the people I know with chaotic private lives and a connection to the organization, only Chen Ping fits the bill. He had a high probability, so I guessed randomly.”
Shen Mo chuckled. “I basically sold myself out.”
His eyes fixated on the text messages in Bai Lixin’s hand, and he furrowed his brows tightly. “Puppy? Bitch? Who is this person?”
“This is a phone I found in Chen Ping’s room,” Bai Lixin explained. “Puppy likely refers to Chen Ping, and bitch… well, I’d rather not say. After Chen Ping’s death, this phone remained unused for a while. Then, it came into my possession, and that’s when the person on the other side started communicating with me. Do you want to see what I’ve been texting with them?”
Shen Mo responded with certainty, “Yes!”
Handing the phone to Shen Mo, Bai Lixin got up and walked into the bathroom.
He had just finished washing his hands when he suddenly heard the toilet flushing in the adjacent stall.
He glanced at the tightly closed sliding door but turned to leave.
Just at that moment, there was a knocking sound on the sliding door of the toilet that should have been empty.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound was dull and heavy, not quite like someone knocking with their hand.
Bai Lixin halted in his tracks, silently watching the sliding door, but his hand made no movement.
Perhaps sensing the lack of response, the knocking on the sliding door suddenly intensified, and even the door itself began to tremble.
Bai Lixin remained motionless, just watching.
He remembered the briefing for the professional task, it was said that the deceased had committed suicide in the restroom.
The knocking persisted for a long time before it finally ceased. When there was no sound, Bai Lixin placed his hand on the sliding door and opened it.
The restroom, with its ceramic-tiled floor, was relatively clean, although there was some dust accumulated due to lack of cleaning.
A noticeable trace ran across the dusty floor, starting from the sliding door where Bai Lixin stood, following the edge of the toilet, and finally disappearing into the toilet bowl.
“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”
From the toilet, strange sounds suddenly emanated.
Bai Lixin glanced inside, and there he saw a pair of blood-red eyes hidden beneath seaweed like hair, staring at him unblinkingly from the small hole in the toilet.
Their eyes met, and suddenly, the little ghost let out a sharp scream, shrinking its head and vanishing deep into the toilet.
Bai Lixin: ???
‘When did I become this formidable?’
“You’ve got quite the courage, don’t you?” a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him.
Bai Lixin instinctively turned around but before he could see the intruder clearly, he felt a force pushing him backward and he fell back on a cold object.
Lowering his head, he saw that the toilet lid had been pressed shut by the man’s foot, and he himself was sitting on the toilet lid.
Bai Lixin raised his head, only to witness Shen Mo’s eyes turning into vertical pupils.
This…
It seemed the little ghost wasn’t scared of him but rather the snake demon behind him.
Shen Mo towered above, staring down at Bai Lixin. His finger hooked the sliding door and he pulled it handsomely. The sliding door closed with a loud bang.
“You have a new message on your phone. I checked it for you. Hope you don’t mind,” the man said, his hand bracing the sliding door as he leaned down to look at the young man.
Bai Lixin looked bewildered. “What message?”
Shen Mo’s golden vertical pupils contracted twice as he handed the phone to Bai Lixin. “This thing invites you to a hotel room.”
Bai Lixin took the phone and glanced at the latest message from noon today: “If you want to meet me, come to room 2394 at the Saint Kai Hotel.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Is this person messing with me? Why send the room number at this moment, especially while Shen Mo had the phone?
“Do I need to explain?” Bai Lixin wanted to sound confident, but under the man’s golden vertical pupils, he felt a bit uneasy.
Shen Mo smirked without much expression. “That’s for you to decide.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Storm clouds gathering, a storm is imminent.
*A phrase to indicate that something big is about to happen.
Help!
“I catch ghosts, as you know, and I’ve dedicated my heart to this great cause. Then I discovered this evil spirit from Chen Ping. I suspect it killed many people, so I had to play along. I swear I have no connection with it.”
“You believe me, right?” Bai Lixin looked at Shen Mo earnestly after explaining.
Shen Mo’s vertical pupils flickered, and he suddenly chuckled. “Do you need any help?”
The topic changed so quickly that Bai Lixin was momentarily confused. “Help with what?”
Shen Mo’s hands reached under Bai Lixin’s armpits, restricting his movements. “Help you experience what it’s like to book a room, so you won’t be helpless or clueless when the time comes.”
He bent down, his ice-cold cheek pressed against Bai Lixin’s face. A blood-red snake tongue protruded from his mouth, gently licking Bai Lixin’s slender neck.
Bai Lixin trembled all over, and in a daze, he blurted out, “In, in the restroom?”
The man’s deep chuckle rang out in his ears. “Where else would you like it? On the couch? On the bed? On the floor? Or perhaps you’d like to try them all?”
Bai Lixin blinked in a daze, his mind buzzing.
————————-
In the live broadcast room:
[I think only children do multiple-choice questions. Adults go for all options.]
[I second that. For someone who’s done it everywhere, from the sofa to the bed and even in the sea, there’s nothing to fear.]
[The black screen is coming soon, and I’m already prepared for it.]
[Well, I’m already numb to it.]
——————————
Staring into the eyes so close to him, Bai Lixin’s muddled brain finally caught up. “You were teasing me earlier, weren’t you?”
Shen Mo replied, “You didn’t even open the message, how would you know the room number? But it’s a pity for this creature. The one it wants is in my arms now. Do you think it’s furious?”
Shen Mo lifted Bai Lixin with both hands, and Bai Lixin found himself sitting on Shen Mo’s lap.
Shen Mo sat confidently on the toilet lid, still looking at Bai Lixin with those vertical pupils, showing no signs of evasion. “Did my eyes scare you?”
Bai Lixin examined the golden eyes closely, the vertical pupils were surrounded by numerous colorful spots that continually contracted.
Those eyes were bright and clear, like suns.
And those spots resembled sunspots.
“They’re so beautiful.”
Bai Lixin stared inti those golden pupils absentmindedly, and instinctively reached up to touch the man’s cheek.
The man, who had his heart in his throat until now, finally let it go. He took a deep breath and confessed after hesitating for two seconds, “I need to tell you something. I’m not human.”
Bai Lixin responded, “I already knew that. You’re not a person; you’re a snake. A silver snake that likes to crawl into my bed in the middle of the night. Are you mistaking me for a heater?”
The man chuckled with some embarrassment. “Actually, I’m not a snake either. To be precise, I’m a mountain god.”
“The snake form is my avatar. I’ve lived for thousands of years, witnessed the changes in the world and the shifting sands of time. As my faith dwindled, my power diminished significantly. Later, I entered the human world and integrated into it.”
“I took on the form of Shen Mo, was discovered by talent scouts and entered the entertainment industry by chance. Somehow, I ended up becoming an actor.”
Bai Lixin scrutinized the man in front of him.
The man’s fine black hair cast a shadow over his smooth forehead. Beneath long lashes, within the depths of shadow, the man’s gaze flickered as he looked at Bai Lixin.
Under his calm expression, a hint of unease was exposed.
He was nervous, anxious that the young man in front of him might be afraid or repulsed by his appearance. Nervous that the young man might flee after discovering his true identity.
The man instinctively tightened his hold on the young man’s waist, afraid that the young man might run away.
The text beyond had become blurred, and only a few sentences were legible.
Xia Chi said, “It’s already quite clear. Lady Yuexian is this statue and Rumian has a deep connection to it. She’s the one who excavated it. Rumian once survived a near-death experience when she fell from a rope ladder. Maybe it was during that escape from death that she became a follower of Lady Yuexian.”
“That guy in sunglasses said he saw Rumian’s face in his dream, right?” Xia Chi continued. “What if Rumian had gone off the deep end, thinking she was Lady Yuexian? So, she went around pretending to be Lady Yuexian, but in reality, there’s no Lady Yuexian. Rumian was Miao Pan’er, and is now Luo Mei.”
Xia Chi grew more excited as he spoke. “Brother, the murderer must be Rumian, right?”
‘I’m really quite clever. I’ve figured out this difficult question. I’m today’s MVP!
Go ahead, praise me!’
The flash of inspiration: […]
It’s hopeless. Sigh.
Bai Lixin: […]
‘Oh, I forgot to tell Xia Chi that Rumian and Miao Pan’er are two different people.
Forget it, I won’t say anything.’
Twin Ponytails also looked at Bai Lixin expectantly.
Bai Lixin felt like he had a lump in his throat. He stiffly cleared his throat and nodded in response to their hopeful gazes. “I think your analysis makes sense. There’s a high likelihood that Rumian is the murderer. You two have really made significant progress today.”
Xia Chi and Ponytails had joyous expressions, happily holding hands and dancing in circles.
‘Wow, this a blast; it feels like life has reached its climax.’
Bai Lixin: “…”
S419m: [Uh, I think we can rule out these two from being possessed? Rumian wouldn’t be that foolish, right?]
Bai Lixin’s mouth twitched: […]
—————————-
In the live broadcast room
[God Xin feels that Xia Chi’s wears his heart on his sleeve.]
[Cut Xia Chi some slack. This might be one of the few shining moments in his life. Even though, judging by God Xin’s expression, he’s probably wrong. But… he’s in a good mood now.]
[Rumian, Miao Pan’er, and Luo Mei… these names all seem to have three waters and one eye in common.]
[Hmm? That’s true. Who learned from whom? Miao Pan’er’s original name should be Lin Pan’er, right? She changed her surname later.]
[One line in the inscription says: ‘Build temples by the water, with eyes as the pinnacle.’ Eyes are round, which coincides with the circular roof in the underground palace under the library. By the water, there’s a small river next to the willow grove, right?]
[Do you think Rumian almost died when she had that fall years ago, and Lady Yuexian miraculously saved her? As a result, she became a devout follower of Lady Yuexian. So, using her influence and power, she resurrected that ancient temple.]
[I think there’s a possibility. She fell from about 20 meters! Who could survive falling from such a height?]
[Could it be that Lady Yuexian saved Rumian because the name ‘Rumian’ happened to contain ‘moon’ and ‘water’? Does this Lady Yuexian have an obsessive-compulsive disorder ?]
[…Well, that’s quite a unique perspective.]
————————-
At 8 PM, Bai Lixin arrived at the location for his professional task.
This was a residential house where the previous occupant had committed suicide due to depression. The landlord, fearful of the history, had opted for a professional sleep tester to renew the occupants.
Shortly after, Shen Mo sent him a message, saying that he had followed Bai Lixin’s instructions and met the contact. He had also discreetly asked about the whereabouts of the missing girl.
*The contact from the illegal auction in the live broadcast room.
Bai Lixin then reported the situation to the police, who promptly arrived and apprehended the contact.
From there on, it was just a matter of following the leads to completely eliminate this extensive underground network.
Around 9 PM, Shen Mo arrived at the residential house.
Upon opening the door, Shen Mo walked in, looking disheveled and slightly out of breath, indicating he had rushed over.
“I’ve asked,” Shen Mo began casually as he found a seat on a couch, “that girl borrowed money from them, claiming it was for an abortion. She’s a college student who got pregnant and didn’t dare to tell her family. Through someone’s introduction, she found that underground organization. Guess who the man involved with her is?”
Bai Lixin took a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and handed it to Shen Mo. “Could it be Chen Ping?”
Shen Mo raised an eyebrow as he accepted the water. “How did you guess?”
Bai Lixin took out the old phone from his backpack and showed the two top messages to Shen Mo. “I just guessed. From the way you asked me, it’s likely someone I know. Among the people I know with chaotic private lives and a connection to the organization, only Chen Ping fits the bill. He had a high probability, so I guessed randomly.”
Shen Mo chuckled. “I basically sold myself out.”
His eyes fixated on the text messages in Bai Lixin’s hand, and he furrowed his brows tightly. “Puppy? Bitch? Who is this person?”
“This is a phone I found in Chen Ping’s room,” Bai Lixin explained. “Puppy likely refers to Chen Ping, and bitch… well, I’d rather not say. After Chen Ping’s death, this phone remained unused for a while. Then, it came into my possession, and that’s when the person on the other side started communicating with me. Do you want to see what I’ve been texting with them?”
Shen Mo responded with certainty, “Yes!”
Handing the phone to Shen Mo, Bai Lixin got up and walked into the bathroom.
He had just finished washing his hands when he suddenly heard the toilet flushing in the adjacent stall.
He glanced at the tightly closed sliding door but turned to leave.
Just at that moment, there was a knocking sound on the sliding door of the toilet that should have been empty.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound was dull and heavy, not quite like someone knocking with their hand.
Bai Lixin halted in his tracks, silently watching the sliding door, but his hand made no movement.
Perhaps sensing the lack of response, the knocking on the sliding door suddenly intensified, and even the door itself began to tremble.
Bai Lixin remained motionless, just watching.
He remembered the briefing for the professional task, it was said that the deceased had committed suicide in the restroom.
The knocking persisted for a long time before it finally ceased. When there was no sound, Bai Lixin placed his hand on the sliding door and opened it.
The restroom, with its ceramic-tiled floor, was relatively clean, although there was some dust accumulated due to lack of cleaning.
A noticeable trace ran across the dusty floor, starting from the sliding door where Bai Lixin stood, following the edge of the toilet, and finally disappearing into the toilet bowl.
“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”
“Gurgle.”
From the toilet, strange sounds suddenly emanated.
Bai Lixin glanced inside, and there he saw a pair of blood-red eyes hidden beneath seaweed like hair, staring at him unblinkingly from the small hole in the toilet.
Their eyes met, and suddenly, the little ghost let out a sharp scream, shrinking its head and vanishing deep into the toilet.
Bai Lixin: ???
‘When did I become this formidable?’
“You’ve got quite the courage, don’t you?” a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him.
Bai Lixin instinctively turned around but before he could see the intruder clearly, he felt a force pushing him backward and he fell back on a cold object.
Lowering his head, he saw that the toilet lid had been pressed shut by the man’s foot, and he himself was sitting on the toilet lid.
Bai Lixin raised his head, only to witness Shen Mo’s eyes turning into vertical pupils.
This…
It seemed the little ghost wasn’t scared of him but rather the snake demon behind him.
Shen Mo towered above, staring down at Bai Lixin. His finger hooked the sliding door and he pulled it handsomely. The sliding door closed with a loud bang.
“You have a new message on your phone. I checked it for you. Hope you don’t mind,” the man said, his hand bracing the sliding door as he leaned down to look at the young man.
Bai Lixin looked bewildered. “What message?”
Shen Mo’s golden vertical pupils contracted twice as he handed the phone to Bai Lixin. “This thing invites you to a hotel room.”
Bai Lixin took the phone and glanced at the latest message from noon today: “If you want to meet me, come to room 2394 at the Saint Kai Hotel.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Is this person messing with me? Why send the room number at this moment, especially while Shen Mo had the phone?
“Do I need to explain?” Bai Lixin wanted to sound confident, but under the man’s golden vertical pupils, he felt a bit uneasy.
Shen Mo smirked without much expression. “That’s for you to decide.”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Storm clouds gathering, a storm is imminent.
*A phrase to indicate that something big is about to happen.
Help!
“I catch ghosts, as you know, and I’ve dedicated my heart to this great cause. Then I discovered this evil spirit from Chen Ping. I suspect it killed many people, so I had to play along. I swear I have no connection with it.”
“You believe me, right?” Bai Lixin looked at Shen Mo earnestly after explaining.
Shen Mo’s vertical pupils flickered, and he suddenly chuckled. “Do you need any help?”
The topic changed so quickly that Bai Lixin was momentarily confused. “Help with what?”
Shen Mo’s hands reached under Bai Lixin’s armpits, restricting his movements. “Help you experience what it’s like to book a room, so you won’t be helpless or clueless when the time comes.”
He bent down, his ice-cold cheek pressed against Bai Lixin’s face. A blood-red snake tongue protruded from his mouth, gently licking Bai Lixin’s slender neck.
Bai Lixin trembled all over, and in a daze, he blurted out, “In, in the restroom?”
The man’s deep chuckle rang out in his ears. “Where else would you like it? On the couch? On the bed? On the floor? Or perhaps you’d like to try them all?”
Bai Lixin blinked in a daze, his mind buzzing.
————————-
In the live broadcast room:
[I think only children do multiple-choice questions. Adults go for all options.]
[I second that. For someone who’s done it everywhere, from the sofa to the bed and even in the sea, there’s nothing to fear.]
[The black screen is coming soon, and I’m already prepared for it.]
[Well, I’m already numb to it.]
——————————
Staring into the eyes so close to him, Bai Lixin’s muddled brain finally caught up. “You were teasing me earlier, weren’t you?”
Shen Mo replied, “You didn’t even open the message, how would you know the room number? But it’s a pity for this creature. The one it wants is in my arms now. Do you think it’s furious?”
Shen Mo lifted Bai Lixin with both hands, and Bai Lixin found himself sitting on Shen Mo’s lap.
Shen Mo sat confidently on the toilet lid, still looking at Bai Lixin with those vertical pupils, showing no signs of evasion. “Did my eyes scare you?”
Bai Lixin examined the golden eyes closely, the vertical pupils were surrounded by numerous colorful spots that continually contracted.
Those eyes were bright and clear, like suns.
And those spots resembled sunspots.
“They’re so beautiful.”
Bai Lixin stared inti those golden pupils absentmindedly, and instinctively reached up to touch the man’s cheek.
The man, who had his heart in his throat until now, finally let it go. He took a deep breath and confessed after hesitating for two seconds, “I need to tell you something. I’m not human.”
Bai Lixin responded, “I already knew that. You’re not a person; you’re a snake. A silver snake that likes to crawl into my bed in the middle of the night. Are you mistaking me for a heater?”
The man chuckled with some embarrassment. “Actually, I’m not a snake either. To be precise, I’m a mountain god.”
“The snake form is my avatar. I’ve lived for thousands of years, witnessed the changes in the world and the shifting sands of time. As my faith dwindled, my power diminished significantly. Later, I entered the human world and integrated into it.”
“I took on the form of Shen Mo, was discovered by talent scouts and entered the entertainment industry by chance. Somehow, I ended up becoming an actor.”
Bai Lixin scrutinized the man in front of him.
The man’s fine black hair cast a shadow over his smooth forehead. Beneath long lashes, within the depths of shadow, the man’s gaze flickered as he looked at Bai Lixin.
Under his calm expression, a hint of unease was exposed.
He was nervous, anxious that the young man in front of him might be afraid or repulsed by his appearance. Nervous that the young man might flee after discovering his true identity.
The man instinctively tightened his hold on the young man’s waist, afraid that the young man might run away.
