Transtor: der Transtions

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  “Drowning pond?” Pei Qian thought for a moment.

  Though everyone was from the modern world, thanks to TV dramas and movies, they had heard of such cruel punishments from feudal society, so they didn't appear overly shocked.

  "As the mairator, even if she's dead, I think the police would have searched for her body," Zh looked up at the vilge chief and said, "Otherwise, who prove that she really died?"

  At the same time, Zh's gaze seemed to casually g Jiang g’s face, as if expeg a response from him.

  But clearly, he was overthinking it.

  Jiang g squinted his eyes while roasting the fire, looking fortable, like a zy cat.

  Zh helplessly withdrew his gaze. He had inally thought that the vilge chief’s description of Zhao Xiang Mei would make the tter recall someohat person—he slightly ged his expression, and the face of the terrifying woman hiding in the dark room of the Anping Inn appeared in his mind.

  A hypothesis formed in Zh’s mind: Could it be that Zhao Xiang Mei hadn't actually died, but survived through some unknown means aually ended up in Anping Town, hiding in the Anping Inn?

  Though it sounded far-fetched, Zh, with his five previous missions under his belt, khat in the nightmare world, anything bizarre could happen. The key was whether there was evideo support the theory.

  Or rather, clues.

  “Zhao Xiangmei is really dead,” the vilge chief sighed, “I guarahis because I was there when her body was thrown away. It was ice-cold when I touched it, and I kept having nightmares for several days after. That definitely wasn’t the temperature of a living person!”

  Zh, however, seemed a little aggressive. “Then... the body?”

  “In the pond behind the mountain.”

  “Didn’t the police anize a search to retrieve it?” This time, it was Ben Fu who spoke, hugging his knees and looking like a child listening to a scary story.

  The vilge chief slowly shook his head, his eyes being cold. "You don't uand the pond behind the mountain. It’s strange, with water temperatures always extremely low. Anything that falls iher it’s a person or anything else—disappears without a trace."

  He licked his lips, suddenly l his voice. "The old people in the vilge say that it leads to the underworld."

  Xiaomeng sneered when she heard this. Whether or not it ected to the underworld, she knew something was definitely wrong.

  "We’ll go check the pond behind the mountain tomorrow," Zh said. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Is the stoablet with the curse still there?"

  “It’s still there,” the vilge chief nodded.

  At this point, the previously silent dark-skinned man suddenly leaned forward, awkwardly saying to the vilge chief, “Vilge chief,” then subtly gesturing towards the window.

  Everyone followed his gaze and noticed it was already pletely dark outside.

  Seeing this, the vilge chief immediately became nervous. He thought he had cealed his emotions well, but it was clear he couldn’t fool these perceptive people.

  “Perhaps the vilge isn't very safe at night,” Zh said, first gng out the window before turning baile at the vilge chief, his rea.

  “Everyone, rest early. We won’t disturb you anymore,” the vilge chief quickly stood up, signaling to the dark-skinned man. The man immediately began pag up their things.

  Once everything acked, the two of them left through the door.

  Before leaving, the vilge chief promised to take them to the deep pond behind the mountain early the m. He also remihem not to wa night and to stay inside.

  They all khe reason without it being said.

  After the vilge chief left, the group had a brief meeting. Zh articurly focused on the pond behind the mountain, believing it might hold clues.

  Pei Qian remained more servative. He suggested they gather more information in the vilge first and wait for the right time befoing to the pond.

  Soon after, he proposed a frighteni someusible hypothesis.

  “Maybe the curse is triggered by seeing the stoablet or by beihe pond before actually arriving there,” he sed everyoh his steady gaze, his voice deep and reassuring, making his suggestion seem very pusible.

  “Could it be like that?”

  Ben Fu’s face turned pale with fear. He had been wavering, but now he immediately leaoei Qian’s side.

  Just as the group was debating whether to go to the pond tomorrow and at what time, Jiang g suddenly raised his right hand.

  It only took about 10 seds for everyoo notice him, stuing, and look at him.

  Zh’s face flickered with a strange expression but he still asked, “Mr. Yin, do you have something to say?”

  “Actually, it's nothing,” Jiang g put his hand down and looked around before speaking. “I just think this courtyard is quite stra seems like it’s been lived in, but also looks like it’s been abandoned for a long time.”

  Many clever people in the room immediately uood the meaning behind his words.

  From the outside, this grand courtyard looked dipidated, with the gate in poor dition. Some areas that had once been pnted with flowers and pnts were now rown with wild grass due to .

  However, the inside of the house didn’t look the same.

  There were coal ashes left iove, and a few rge bamboo baskets were stacked in the er of the room.

  When the lid was lifted, it was filled with charcoal.

  The dark-skinned man had e iy-handed, but in just a short time, he had brought in a bundle of firewood, indig that there earby where firewood was stored.

  All of this suggested that someone must live here regurly. Jiang g stood up, pushed open a side door, aered a dimly lit room. It still showed that a few pin-colored quilts were ly stacked on the dirt bed.

  Though old, the bedding was retively and smelled fresh.

  Xiaomeng lowered her head, her face alternately lit and shadowed by the firelight. “So, what you’re saying is...” she slowly spoke, “The person who lives here didn’t bother to up the courtyard. They just stay here and aren’t preparing to live here long-term.”

  Upon hearing this, Pei Qian, Zh, and Xiaomeng’s eyes all lit up.

  Wasn’t this exactly like them?

  They were here to iigate the case, so they wouldn’t stay long or bother with ing up the courtyard and tending to the pnts. They only needed a pce to rest.

  Zh looked at everyone, lowered his voice, and said, “Do you remember what the innkeeper said?”

  “Those... those missing exorcists?” Jiang Zhongyi’s eyes widened. He was a believer, more aced to describing those unfathomable, terrifyiies as demons.

  At this point, everyone’s eyes grew fearful.

  Acc to their reasoning, the people with special abilities, who had been paid a rge sum of moo e to the vilge, must have oayed here, only to mysteriously disappear and never return.

  (End of the Chapter)

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