Chapter 47: Old Man Wang

Chapter 47: Old Man Wang

Before Chen Xingyue could question him further, Chen Shouyi quickly made up an excuse and hurried away.

When he returned to the hotel, he couldn’t help but sigh. His days of freedom were over. He had originally planned to tough it out until the agreed-upon "training period" ended, but luck wasn’t on his side—Chen Xingyue had caught him.

After sitting for a while, he had no choice but to pack his things. Glancing at the bags of food he had panic-bought earlier, Chen Shouyi thought it over and decided to leave them there.

For one, his sudden purchase of these items would be hard to explain and might arouse his parents’ suspicions. Secondly, he had booked the hotel for half a month, and there were still six days left. Since he wasn’t short on money, it made more sense to keep the room as a supply stash rather than check out early.

Besides, he had listed the hotel room as the delivery address for his packages. Given the current situation, there was no telling when they’d arrive. If he checked out now, it would only complicate things later.

......

"Dad! Mom! I’m back."

The restaurant’s door was shut, clearly indicating business had already stopped. At Chen Shouyi’s call, the metal rolling door soon lifted, and Chen Mu and Chen Dawei came out to greet him.

"Shouyi, why are you back?" Chen Mu asked.

Chen Shouyi immediately repeated the excuse he’d prepared earlier.

"You should be on break. Yesterday wasn’t so bad, but this morning, everything just felt… off. My heart’s been uneasy all day," Chen Mu said, her voice tinged with anxiety.

"Stop with the superstitious nonsense," Chen Dawei chided lightly before smoothly changing the subject with a smile. "You’ve only been gone a few days, but you look paler—and handsomer."

The question had finally come. Chen Shouyi steadied himself and replied quickly, "The training was all indoors. Probably just from not getting any sun."

"You really should avoid too much sun. You look much better now," Chen Mu added with a laugh.

After that, neither of them pressed further about his changes. Instead, they asked about the training camp—how the food was, how he got along with the other trainees, whether the training had been effective.

Chen Shouyi had prepared answers for all of these on his way home and responded smoothly.

Just like that, he’d made it through.

He had even more contingency plans ready, but they weren’t needed. A sudden realization struck Chen Shouyi: sometimes, the things you think are impossible to face don’t seem like a big deal to your parents. As long as you’re healthy and safe, that’s enough for them.

......

Before long, Chen Xingyue returned as well. She didn’t bring good news—while daily necessities were still available, the supermarket’s shelves for non-staple foods were nearly empty.

"Good thing we bought so much this morning!" Chen Mu said with foresight.

Chen Shouyi felt his mother was overreacting. Their family ran a restaurant; even without panic-buying, they always had plenty of staples like alcohol and grains in stock. Enough to last the four of them at least a month.

After dinner, as Chen Shouyi and Chen Xingyue headed upstairs, she suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously.

"Bro, I’ve got something to tell you. After you left last night, Old Man Wang—the one who ran the grocery store in our neighborhood—died!"

"What? He was always so healthy. How’d it happen so suddenly?" Chen Shouyi asked, surprised.

This area used to be rural countryside and was only designated as part of the city a few years ago, so Chen Shouyi was familiar with most of the neighbors.

However, it was merely familiarity—claiming any deeper affection would be disingenuous.

Chen Shouyi was just slightly surprised at first, thinking that was all there was to it. But what Chen Xingyue said next took a bizarre turn.

"They say it was a cerebral hemorrhage. By the time they found him, he was already on his last breath. Last night, during the night vigil, Old Man Wang's two sons—you know how they are—stayed up only until midnight before going to sleep!"

Chen Shouyi nodded. With no electricity last night and only candlelight, it was understandable that less filial children wouldn’t last long.

"But when they woke up in the morning, Old Man Wang’s corpse was gone! Guess where they found it?"

"Where?" Chen Shouyi played along, though he was genuinely startled.

"They finally found it at the east gate of the residential area, a full half a kilometer from their house. Isn’t that strange?"

Chen Shouyi nodded again.

A corpse moving on its own—in the past, he would’ve dismissed it as baseless rumor.

But after encountering a ghost last night, he knew the world had truly changed.

"From now on, it’s best not to go out at night," he warned his sister.

Chen Xingyue, unused to her brother’s concern, replied awkwardly, "Of course I know that."

Then, lowering her voice, she asked, "Brother… do you think ghosts exist in this world?"

"Don’t you know the Otherworld is full of ghosts and spirits at night?"

"I mean on Earth."

"So what if they exist? Are you scared of ghosts?" Chen Shouyi gave her a sidelong glance.

"I—of course not! I was just asking casually." Stung by his look, Chen Xingyue quickly feigned indifference.

"You really want to know?"

"Actually, I did run into a ghost last night. It was around one or two in the morning when I suddenly woke up needing to pee. The air felt unnaturally cold, and the window was wide open—which was weird because I’d definitely closed it last night…" Chen Shouyi lowered his voice, deliberately building suspense.

"I don’t believe your ghost stories. You’re just making things up. I’m going back to my room." Watching Chen Xingyue practically flee, Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Who knew his sister was afraid of ghosts?

……

Chen Shouyi returned to his long-unused bedroom.

He took Shell Woman out of his briefcase.

She looked around at the familiar-yet-unfamiliar surroundings, dumbfounded. "Giant, are we staying here today?"

Chen Shouyi nodded. Unlike the Hotel, the soundproofing here was poor. If he talked to himself, someone would probably knock on the door soon.

"Why aren’t we staying at the old place?" Shell Woman pressed anxiously.

"Why does there have to be a reason?" Chen Shouyi couldn’t help but whisper sharply.

"But… but my… my Gem!" she stammered.

"Isn’t it right there in your hand?" Chen Shouyi snapped.

"Only one! I had o-one!" Shell Woman pitifully opened her palm, revealing the single glass bead.

Used to her flawed counting, Chen Shouyi immediately grew suspicious. "Since when did you have two?"

There were only two places Shell Woman’s glass beads could go after receiving them from him.

First, there was the one she held tightly in her hand, never letting go even while eating or sleeping.

Second, there was the one she secretly hid in a buried shell treasure chest on a small island in the Otherworld.

As for the Hotel room, she never left anything there.

"I... I didn’t pick up yours... I just have o-one," Shell Woman said guiltily, turning her head away.

Are you sure this isn’t a case of "protesting too much"?

Chen Shouyi almost laughed. You stole my glass bead, and now you’re acting like you’re in the right?

Fortunately, he was in a rare mood to let it slide. If he made her cry again, it’d just be a headache. After all, it was just a glass bead. He generously took out another one and pressed it into her hand. "Here, happy now?"

Shell Woman’s face lit up with delight as she clutched it tightly, her expression instantly brightening.

……

In the middle of the night, Chen Shouyi was abruptly awakened by a strange noise.

It sounded like someone straining in the bathroom, the kind of forceful grunting when one can’t quite manage to relieve themselves.

At first, he thought someone in the house was constipated.

But after listening for a while, he realized something was off. The noise seemed to be coming from outside the window, gradually growing closer, accompanied by the dragging sound of shoes scraping against the ground.

The October weather was still warm, so he hadn’t closed the window. Combined with the dead silence of the night, the sound was unnervingly clear.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he got up and peered outside.

The moment he looked, his hair stood on end.

With a Constitution of 13.8, his vision was far sharper than an ordinary person’s. Under the faint moonlight, he could clearly see a grotesque figure dozens of meters away, slowly shuffling toward him.

The figure wore a funeral shroud—a dull gray garment with a golden character for "longevity" starkly embroidered on it.

Its face was sickly pale, cheeks deeply sunken, giving it a sharp, almost rodent-like appearance. Its mouth hung slightly open, revealing a few yellowed teeth. And those eerie, strained grunts were coming straight from its throat.

"That’s... Old Man Wang!"