Severed Limb
Lu Congxing gently patted the small Bai Ze on the head. “What’s wrong?”
His expression was so soft that it didn’t seem like he was talking to an ordinary puppy.
Dany looked a little envious. She stared blankly at the small Bai Ze, imagining herself being treated with the same tenderness. Unconsciously, she clenched the cookie bag in her hands.
He Zhouyan directly sent a telepathic message: [There’s a scent of the Southern Abyss next door.]
The Gan Chao grass, which allows malevolent ghosts to parasitize, carries the scent of the Southern Abyss. Now, the scent next door had suddenly grown stronger.
He gently bit Lu Congxing’s finger, trying to lead him outside.
From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like the little white dog was acting spoiled, as if wanting to go outside. In response, the young man dotingly picked him up and stood up.
Dany felt a bit disappointed. “Are you leaving?”
Just then, Zhou Zijie opened the door. Her makeup had been freshly reapplied, and she called out to Lu Congxing before he could leave. “Wait a moment.”
“My computer broke. Can you help me fix it?”
She no longer seemed upset about her argument with her boyfriend and flashed a playful smile at Lu Congxing. However, the bruises on her face, which couldn’t be fully concealed, slightly ruined the effect.
The timing of her stopping him felt almost too coincidental. Lu Congxing didn’t want to reject her too bluntly, so he paused to explain that he didn’t know how to fix computers.
Zhou Zijie looked disappointed. She seemed eager to keep him around, a complete difference from her earlier unwillingness to see anyone.
Still nestled in Lu Congxing’s arms, the small Bai Ze suddenly perked up his ears. He twitched his fluffy, triangular ears before resting his head again, calmly sending a telepathic message: [No need to go. The scent has disappeared.]
It had vanished in an instant.
Maybe the ghost had sensed their approach. Lu Congxing felt a little frustrated—he had accidentally let some of his spiritual energy leak out in his excitement.
He hadn’t expected the malevolent ghost to be so sensitive.
Even though the energy was gone, they still needed to check. Saying his goodbyes, Lu Congxing ignored Zhou Zijie’s attempts to make him stay and carried the small Bai Ze to knock on the door of Room 401.
Li Guodong opened the door, looking at them in surprise. “Is something wrong?”
When Lu Congxing’s expression was serious, his youthful features became easy to overlook. He got straight to the point. “Who’s inside right now?”
Li Guodong looked puzzled. “Just me and my wife.”
Huang Xin stepped out from inside. When she saw Lu Congxing, her eyes lit up. “Master, did you discover something?”
Lu Congxing hesitated. Huang Xin was pregnant, and he was worried that bluntly telling her “A ghost was just in your home, likely up to no good” might frighten her.
So, he softened his words. “Did anyone come to your home just now?”
Huang Xin looked confused at first. “No… My husband and I have been in the room the whole time.”
Then, as if realizing something, she suddenly turned and rushed inside.
A moment later, a not-too-loud but clear scream came from within.
Li Guodong immediately ran in, alarmed, supporting her.
Lu Congxing followed. “What happened?”
Huang Xin pointed at an empty drawer, her face full of panic. “It’s gone, it’s gone! The necklace I put in here yesterday!”
Lu Congxing ran his hand over the desk but couldn’t sense any lingering yin energy.
The time he had spent talking to Zhou Zijie was enough for someone—or something—to slip in and out undetected. If the ghost had been careful enough, erasing any trace of yin energy wouldn’t have been difficult. After all, it was already attached to a human body, and there wouldn’t be much residual energy left behind.
He hadn’t been expecting much evidence, so he withdrew his hand without a word.
Huang Xin smacked her forehead in frustration. “That ghost must have come back.”
She had mentioned before that things in the room often moved or went missing. But she hadn’t expected the ghost to be bold enough to appear even while an exorcist was staying in the building.
Having Lu Congxing around had made her feel more at ease over the past few days, and there hadn’t been any strange occurrences. Now, the tension in her nerves returned, and she absentmindedly tugged at her dry, slightly disheveled hair.
Li Guodong spoke in a soothing tone. “Calm down, honey, be careful with the baby.”
Huang Xin didn’t seem to hear him at first, but after touching her belly, she finally began to settle down.
Taking advantage of the moment, Lu Congxing swept his gaze around the room, searching for any remaining traces.
It was almost exactly the same as last time—no changes at all. Without a point of comparison before, it hadn’t been obvious. But now that he was back, he noticed that the yin energy in this room was noticeably heavier than in the rest of the building, making it much cooler inside than outside.
Lu Congxing paused slightly. “Didn’t you install an air conditioner?”
Huang Xin shook her head. “Nope. I think it’s cool enough; I don’t see the need for one. I have no idea why those people keep making such a fuss about installing air conditioner.”
She was quite satisfied with the air conditioner He Zhouyan had installed for free in Room 403.
She hadn’t expected that simply renting a room to an exorcist for a while would come with this kind of perk. Compared to troublesome tenants, she much preferred having someone like this around.
Thinking of this, Huang Xin frowned again and gave Li Guodong, who was just standing there, a shove. “I told you to talk to the tenant in 404 about throwing trash in the hallway. You haven’t gone yet, have you? Just yesterday, I saw him tossing beer bottles on the floor.”
Li Guodong muttered, “It’s just a few cans. We can just pick them up.”
It was clear he preferred to avoid conflict—he wasn’t eager to get into an argument with Zeng Chengping.
But the more he acted this way, the angrier Huang Xin became. She let out a frustrated sigh, looking at him with disappointment. “So many people were after me back then… Why did I end up choosing someone like you?”
She had thought that an honest man who treated her well would be the best choice. But reality proved that marriage and dating were two completely different things.
The love they once had had long since faded, worn away by the mundane routine of daily life.
Her words were harsh, but Li Guodong’s face remained blank. It was as if he had long grown numb to her scolding. He simply lowered his head, silent and unresisting.
Arguing in front of others was awkward, so when Lu Congxing failed to find any traces of possession in Room 401, he found an excuse to step away.
Even after he closed the door, the arguing continued. Huang Xin was relentless in her criticism of Li Guodong.
Lu Congxing reached out and stroked Bai Ze’s ears, murmuring to himself, “Do you think that being too indifferent could make someone fail to notice if a close person had been replaced by a ghost?”
He Zhouyan flicked his fluffy tail, wrapping it around Lu Congxing’s wrist, staring at him intently with his dark, shiny eyes.
Lu Congxing smiled. “Forget it, you probably wouldn’t understand anyway.”
The small Bai Ze nudged him with his nose, thinking silently: If something had happened to the cub, I would have been the first to notice that something was wrong.
They returned to Room 403. The moment the door closed, He Zhouyan transformed back into his human form. The small creature from just a moment ago was now an imposing presence, trapping the slender young man between himself and the wall.
His vertical pupils were both dangerous and mesmerizing. He leaned down slightly. “Still unwilling to tell me who took you drinking last night?”
In reality, even if the cub refused to say, He Zhouyan had already guessed. He was only teasing him now.
Watching the boy’s pure and clear spiritual energy ripple with nervousness because of him—only to be completely enveloped by He Zhouyan’s own dominant spiritual energy—was rather amusing.
But Lu Congxing had no idea. Today, he had deliberately avoided the tenants of Room 404 to prevent an annoying request for money. He was also afraid that if his unpredictable guardian found out Zeng Chengping had given him alcohol, the guy would get beaten up.
Even the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs couldn’t keep He Zhouyan in check, let alone expect a Bai Ze to follow human laws about not resorting to violence.
Seeing the panicked expression on the cub’s face in his arms, He Zhouyan’s mood improved. He liked how, in this moment, the cub’s entire focus was on him.
His chest felt strangely full, weighed down by an unfamiliar emotion.
Just as he was about to tease the cub further, footsteps echoed outside. Lu Congxing’s eyes lit up as he reached out and pushed him away. “Someone’s coming.”
Regardless of who it was, he inwardly whispered a silent thanks.
A fleeting trace of disappointment crossed He Zhouyan’s eyes. He knew better than to push the cub too hard, so he backed off two steps, straightened his collar, and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt. The previously restrained spiritual energy he had was instantly overwhelmed by an intense, raw masculinity.
It was such an unconscious motion, yet Lu Congxing’s face inexplicably turned red. He had no idea why even the simple act of unbuttoning a shirt could seem so… seductive.
Startled by his own thoughts, he quickly turned around and opened the door.
Chen Jiatai, who had just raised his hand to knock, was surprised. “Oh! You’re home!”
Lu Congxing steadied his breathing. “What’s up?”
Chen Jiatai was about to casually pat his shoulder, but his gaze accidentally met He Zhouyan’s behind him. Though he quickly looked away, a strange sense of intimidation made his outstretched hand awkwardly retract.
He awkwardly rubbed his nose to hide his embarrassment and said with a laugh, “Haha, it’s nothing. I just wanted to ask if you’d like to play games with me tonight.”
Talking about something familiar lifted his spirits again. “Remember how you asked why I don’t buy gear? Well, I finally got some money today! Spent it all on some really cool skins. My livestream audience is gonna love it.”
He hadn’t forgotten that the viewers liked Lu Congxing’s voice and was already plotting in his mind.
Lu Congxing frowned slightly. He had only been curious the other day about why the in-game character wasn’t wearing any equipment—he hadn’t expected Chen Jiatai to remember.
At the time, Chen Jiatai had confidently said he’d be getting money soon, though he never mentioned how.
And judging by his current attitude, he wasn’t going to explain now either.
Chen Jiatai wanted to step inside to chat, but He Zhouyan, wearing a dark expression, remained in the doorway, making it very clear that he wasn’t letting anyone in.
The three of them fell into a strange standoff. Fortunately, footsteps echoed in the hallway, breaking the tension.
A group of police officers appeared—several of them, in fact.
Lu Congxing stared blankly as they knocked on the door to Room 402. No one had expected the police to show up at this hour.
Zhou Zijie opened the door, still wearing the same camisole from earlier, her makeup untouched. Seeing so many officers startled her, and for the first time, she showed an expression appropriate for her age—uneasy.
She hesitantly asked, “Officers, who are you looking for?”
Chen Jiatai, eager for gossip, immediately moved closer to listen. Lu Congxing hesitated for a moment but followed as well.
One of the younger officers glanced at them, pausing particularly on Lu Congxing and He Zhouyan before shifting his gaze away. The others, used to the public’s nosiness, remained serious.
The leading officer asked, “Are you Miss Zhou Zijie?”
Zhou Zijie nodded, looking even more anxious.
Noting her reaction, the officer softened his tone slightly. “Do you know someone named Chen Fei?”
“He’s my boyfriend. What’s wrong? Did he get into a fight or something?” Zhou Zijie tried to appear calm and experienced, but her nervousness was still apparent.
Chen Fei worked as a guard at an internet cafe, a place full of all kinds of shady characters. He often had to deal with unruly customers and troublemakers. On top of that, he was basically a small-time thug himself, so it wasn’t the first time he had ended up in a police station for fighting.
But this was the first time the police had actually come looking for him.
A bad feeling crept into Zhou Zijie’s heart. Even though she had imagined all sorts of scenarios, nothing could have prepared her for what the officer said next.
Her ears buzzed, and the figures before her blurred.
It felt like she had just heard a terrible joke.
The officer hesitated but remained professional, repeating in an official tone, “Earlier today, we received a report about severed limbs found in a trash bin. After conducting a DNA test, we confirmed that the remains belong to Mr. Chen Fei.”
A loud thud echoed as Zhou Zijie collapsed onto the floor.