But her eyes were lifeless, staring blankly ahead, looking like a walking corpse, devoid of any living spirit.
This is Xiao Shuang, the younger sister of that classmate.
This family is truly tragic. Their son passed away, and their daughter is now seriously ill, just like her brother, having provoked something she shouldn't have.
The incident began when the school organized a trip to the park to pay respects to martyrs during the Qingming Festival, which also served as a spring outing. After laying flowers, the teenagers wandered around on their own. Eventually, a large number of them gathered in front of the newly opened haunted house.
Within about half an hour, almost everyone who came out had tears on their face. Some people looked very strong and calm when they came out, but when a friend came over and took their hand, they burst into tears.
Beside them, a staff member was engrossed in writing down a list of people in a small notebook. They were used to seeing this so often that they ignored it.
At first, everyone was excited to see how each person cried when they came out. Later, they crowded around to ask what was inside. Everyone was sobbing as they spoke, which made people anxious and eager to go in and see for themselves.
Xiao Shuang and several classmates were drawn inside. They went in together and came out crying, just like everyone else. When someone asked them what they had seen, Xiao Shuang, who was in the lead, replied:
"First, I crossed the Bridge of Helplessness. An old woman was holding a bowl and offering it to me, but she kept shaking her head."
"Oh dear, you guys ran so fast you left me behind. I wanted to turn back but there was no way to go."
But those who had been inside before shook their heads in confusion upon hearing this:
"Aren't there zombies and a female ghost in red inside? Where did this Bridge of Helplessness come from?"
Afterwards, Xiaoshuang and her friends asked around again, and only they had seen these things. When they asked the staff, they were told indifferently that there were never any such things in the haunted house.
The girls were somewhat frightened but quickly forgot about it until a week later, when they started getting sick one after another.
The family asked someone who could see to take a look, and they said the soul had been thrown into the underworld. But as for how the soul was lost or how to bring it back, everyone remained silent.
After learning about this, Xu Lingqiu decided to help.
It was because he couldn't stand by and watch someone die, and also because he felt guilty. However, according to the author's setting, everything he did was in vain.
In the end, Xiao Shuang could not be saved, and Xu Lingqiu's body was deteriorating day by day. With his bloodshot eyes wide open, he tried and failed again and again, and finally took a risk and decided to go to the underworld by himself.
Xu Lingqiu was truly panicked.
He thought he was different from two years ago and could handle many things.
Last year, he returned to the small village where the incident happened. Ostensibly, he said he was there as an art student to gather inspiration, but in reality, he was wandering around the house where they had stayed, looking for clues.
Later, the vengeful ghost was not found, but several cunning and mischievous creatures were discovered. While dealing with them, Xu Lingqiu could sense that they were more powerful than the ghost from years ago.
But so what? Xu Lingqiu continued to whip them without changing his expression. The cries of agony from under the branches were incessant, and they soon lost their breath.
Xu Lingqiu thought to himself, "So that thing back then was nothing special after all. It seems like it can be solved immediately now. But back then, I was helpless. I tried so many other methods but couldn't save a life."
That night, Xu Lingqiu sat alone on the mountain for a long time.
"I'm different now than before..." Xu Lingqiu kept telling herself.
Fortunately, just when Xu Lingqiu was about to commit the act of exchanging one life for another, Old Yan somehow found out about it. That night, he burned paper money at the street corner, muttering something, and pulled Xu Lingqiu and Xiao Shuang back from the underworld.
For Xu Lingqiu and the other charlatans, this matter was extremely difficult, but for Lao Yan, it only took a day from figuring out a solution to completely resolving it, and he did it with ease.
What's a difficult hurdle for the male protagonist is just a simple matter for a big shot like Lao Yan.
Xu Lingqiu took the initiative to find Lao Yan. Lao Yan was sitting in a small noodle shop on the street, engrossed in eating his noodles, while Xu Lingqiu stared at him from across the street.
Who exactly are you?
“I think I’ve seen what you were holding that day before, but isn’t that something that only appears in ancient books?”
After finishing his meal, Old Yan took a sip of water and smiled contentedly, saying:
"You still have a long way to go, but it's okay. Once you're in my office, we'll be family. You can learn and practice slowly from now on."
"Hey, come in, come in what office?"
Old Yan also raised a question in confusion, asking him in return:
"What, did you come to me today not to get into the Folklore Department? I'll help you get into the Folklore Department."
The novel's main plot completely veers off course from here. Aside from the supernatural elements, the rest of the story is pretty much the same as any typical coming-of-age tale: constant setbacks, growth, face-slapping, uncovering a grand conspiracy, more growth, more face-slapping…
"Many years later, when I went out to work, other people would greet me with smiles and call me Lao Xu."
"At that moment, I thought of that white-haired man, and the cunning look on his face when he coaxed me into the folklore department in the noodle shop. If he were still here, how wonderful that would be."
Reader: "If that white-haired man hadn't appeared, this novel wouldn't have fallen apart like this."
Sigh, why is Xu Lingqiu so persistent? The past is the past, why can't she let go?
Lu Mingran glanced at Xu Lingqiu beside her, knowing that he must have already encountered Xiao Shuang, who was pale and silent, and was confidently thinking of a way to deal with her.
...But then again, Lu Mingran actually had a better idea.
————————————
Old Yan was still in the sanatorium, busy with his work on the fourth floor, and didn't leave until after 7 p.m.
On the way back, Lu Mingran looked out the car window and saw two stone pillars standing by the roadside.
This wasn't just erected haphazardly. When this sanatorium was being built, strange things kept happening. Workers would mysteriously disappear, and village children would claim to have seen their long-dead grandfathers here, causing widespread panic. In the end, Old Yan came and erected something here to keep it in place.
"Little Lu..." Old Yan began, his voice a little hoarse, "Old Hu told you so many things?"
"Yes, that's not all."
Lu Mingran also knew that what was behind Lao Yan could be eradicated, but due to certain special reasons, removing these handprints would also cause his master's remnant soul to disappear. Therefore, he was unwilling, even if all he managed to leave behind in the end was a tiny trace of his master's aura.
Old Yan continued, "Then you should know that Xu Lingqiu and I really do have some history."
"Yes, then why don't you talk things out with him? Director Yan, I'm just helping you fill in what you didn't finish saying. Look at us, how well we understand each other."
Old Yan: "..."
To avoid being harmed by Lao Yan tonight, Lu Mingran didn't return to the hotel. Instead, she volunteered to call NPC Lao Hu and asked to work overtime.
This was the first time Lu Mingran had honestly come to work since he started doing this task. While others clocked out, he clocked in as soon as he entered the room. After his colleagues left one by one, Lu Mingran diligently rummaged through his drawers and finally found what he was looking for.
The next day, Lu Mingran returned to the sanatorium in high spirits and handed an envelope to Xiao Shuang's parents.
————————————
Two days later, the situation at Yixing Garden gradually calmed down. The root cause was that all three families had hired statues of deities they shouldn't have. And statues of deities are not something that can be hired haphazardly.
Old Yan really handed the police a living murderer, and one with evidence against him.
Lu Mingran stood beside him and asked in a low voice, "You didn't just grab some random unlucky guy to take the blame, did you?"
"That shows you have a very narrow view of the issue. While some things are certainly done by ghosts, there are also many human factors involved."
"Take this matter for example. Why did they suddenly want to invite the statue? Because they all know this man surnamed Zheng. This man not only cheated them out of money, but also tricked them into buying the statue to worship. He must be caught."
Afterwards, Lao Yan patted Lu Mingran on the shoulder and said in a good mood:
"My mission is complete. I'll have a few days off when I get back. Goodbye, young comrade."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, see you later!"
Lu Mingran also hospitably invited Lao Yan to stroll through the snack street, eating and drinking with him. The next day, she and Lao Hu took Lao Yan to the airport.
Before leaving, Lao Yan looked at Lu Mingran's smiling face and felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. After muttering a few words to himself, he turned and left.
Shortly after Lao Yan boarded the plane, Lao Hu's phone rang:
"Boss, a letter from the public requesting help."
A huge question mark immediately appeared on Lao Hu's head.
This is the result of Lu Mingran's hard work.
Lu Mingran seriously considered a question: the story described how powerful the various supernatural departments were, but since they were so mysterious and secretive, what benefits did they bring to ordinary people?
While deaths following a ghost story are certainly a major event, ordinary people also need your help when encountering common paranormal events.
Therefore, Lu Mingran spent a long time searching on the day she worked overtime, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there really were such things as public mailboxes and public hotlines.
Unfortunately, in the eyes of ordinary people, these things are no different from the feng shui advertisements on telephone poles, and few people take them seriously. It's already quite good that no one reports them.
Upon receiving the special letter paper and template, Lu Mingran immediately handed them to Xiao Shuang's parents and instructed them on how to write and send the letter.
"Eight hundred years have passed, and finally, a letter has arrived from the people!" The subordinate's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.
However, after a period of excitement, the subordinates became dejected again.
"Boss, this is a case of someone losing their soul and wandering into the underworld. This is going to be difficult."
Old Hu answered with great pride:
"Of course I know this is difficult. The only one who can do this is Lao Yan."
After he finished speaking, he and his subordinates fell silent.
After a two-second silence, the subordinate cautiously asked him:
"Boss, where's Director Yan?"
Old Hu looked up at the airport's announcement screen.
Old Yan just boarded the plane.
——————————
The next day, before dawn, Lu Mingran went to pick up the man at the airport. He waved a bag of hot soy milk he had just bought that morning in the wind and immediately recognized the white-haired Old Yan in the crowd.
For some reason, Lu Mingran felt that Lao Yan's white hair had become even whiter.
"Hello, boss! We've finally met again!"
Lu Mingran stepped forward and warmly shook hands with Lao Yan.
What does "finally" mean?
Old Yan behaved very restrained:
"We were only apart for one night, right, Lu?"
Fortunately, Lao Yan blamed Lao Hu, so Lu Mingran is still relatively safe for now.
It is said that losing one's soul can become very troublesome if left unresolved for too long. Old Yan frowned as he listened to Lu Mingran explain the general situation.
"They also have a son who was involved in an accident, right?"
Old Yan's gaze was icy:
"I'll have them go back to their ancestral graves in their hometown to check; I suspect there's something wrong."