Chapter 81: The Search

Chapter 81: The Search

"Young people never listen to advice. Once something happens, it'll be too late. I suggest you go back early!" the Old Man said, trembling as he prepared to leave.

At that moment, Chen Shouyi noticed the phrase "these past years" in the old man's earlier words. A thought struck him, and he called out to stop the Old Man.

"Elderly Woman, wait! I wanted to ask—how long has this house been Haunted?"

"Why do you ask? About ten years, I think. I’m old now, and my memory’s fading. It’s an old story anyway..."

After listening to the Old Man ramble on for a while, Chen Shouyi finally pieced together the gist of it.

To put it simply, it was a tale that had to be told—about a Lustful Old Widower, whose children were all abroad, and a Young Maid.

In the end, the Young Maid, unable to endure the humiliation, hanged herself.

Afraid of being exposed, the old man hid her body in the Basement and pretended to live normally every day—until one day, he never came out again.

Later, the house changed hands several times. Because the price kept dropping, there was never a shortage of buyers who refused to believe in superstitions. Yet without exception, every person who lived here first grew rapidly weaker, then became bedridden, and finally died under mysterious circumstances.

Gradually, the place became completely abandoned, and no one dared enter anymore.

After finishing the story, the Old Man offered one last warning before leaving.

Chen Shouyi stood in place, deep in thought.

Ten years—that was a long time.

Before the Otherworld Force Field Invasion, did ghosts exist in this world? Chen Shouyi couldn’t outright deny it, but generally speaking, they probably didn’t. There had never been any concrete proof of ghosts in the world.

At the very least, from childhood to adulthood, he had never seen one with his own eyes, nor had anyone around him experienced anything like it.

There were plenty of ghost stories, of course, but most were fabricated, hearsay, or exaggerated rumors.

And even if ghosts did exist, they couldn’t possibly be this powerful.

After all, before the Otherworld’s mysterious force field invaded, Earth was fundamentally a world where the supernatural remained hidden.

But if this incident was real… then it was rather strange.

Lost in thought, he turned to glance at the house again. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but even under the blazing sun, the entire building felt Eerie and Chilling.

Then an idea struck him—why not search the place?

He wasn’t afraid.

First, it was broad daylight.

Second, based on the Old Man’s description, this ghost wasn’t strong enough to kill someone on sight.

More importantly, he was a Martial Artist. His vitality far surpassed that of an ordinary person. The magnetic field of a powerful being like him would repel weaker ghosts, preventing them from even approaching him.

After a brief hesitation, he picked up his briefcase and walked toward the dilapidated front door.

The lock had long since rotted and fallen off, saving him the trouble of breaking it open by force.

He pushed the door open, and with a creak, a cloud of dust mixed with the thick stench of mildew rushed at him. The interior was dim, the floor covered in a thick layer of dust.

The windows were old-fashioned wooden frames, their glass shattered and the wood itself rotting. A gust of wind made them sway slightly, creaking ominously.

The living room's front wall was adorned with a massive, partially tilted landscape oil painting, and the space was furnished with numerous rosewood pieces of furniture. As Chen Shouyi passed by a chair, he casually wiped off the dust, only to realize these furnishings were surprisingly well-preserved. Despite the house being abandoned for so long, its interior seemed largely untouched.

It was clear the last owner had likely fled in terror, leaving everything behind without a second thought. And as for these ill-omened belongings, no one else dared to touch them either.

...

Chen Shouyi made his rounds, inspecting every room on each floor.

Eventually, he even attempted to locate the basement where the nanny had died, but after searching for a long time, he found no trace of it. He guessed it must have been sealed off long ago.

Before long, Chen Shouyi retreated from the house.

The oppressive cold here was indeed heavy, as if shrouded in a lingering gloom. Staying inside was deeply unsettling. He had initially suspected the presence of a Spatial Gateway, but from start to finish, he found no signs of one.

Had he overthought it?

Chen Shouyi let out a self-deprecating laugh.

If there really were a Spatial Gateway, it would have been discovered and controlled long ago—certainly not left untouched until now.

Stepping into the courtyard, he practiced his sword for another half-hour before returning to the hotel.

...

The next morning at 9:30, Chen Shouyi arrived at the Martial Apprentice Examination Hall within the Martial Arts Assessment Center.

A dozen or so people were already inside.

Some sat together in small groups chatting, while others remained silent, keeping to themselves.

When Chen Shouyi entered, most eyes turned toward him.

"Hah, he doesn’t look much older than my son!"

"Probably just signed up for fun. There aren’t any strict requirements anyway."

After a few murmurs, they quickly lost interest in him.

"Old Liu, I bet you’ll pass this time for sure."

"Haha, same goes for you. I’ve seen you in the Otherworld Training Room a lot these past few months."

"The training there is really effective, but the cost is insane—2,000 a day. Over these few months, I’ve already spent 200,000. If I fail again, I might as well just bash my head against a wall."

"Too many monks, too little gruel—what can you do? But it’s an investment. Once you become a Martial Artist, that kind of money won’t even matter to you."

Chen Shouyi walked over and took a seat nearby. Filled with curiosity, he was just about to ask for clarification when a young man nearby beat him to it:

"Excuse me, what’s this 'Otherworld Training Room' you’re talking about?"

"You don’t have one where you’re from? It’s in Liudong District, Hedong City. There’s a Spatial Gateway there that leads directly underground in the Otherworld. A few years back, the city government converted it into a training facility."

"You locals have it good—not just electricity, but plenty of Spatial Gateways too. Where I’m from, there isn’t a single one." The young man sighed regretfully.

"That’s not necessarily a good thing. More Spatial Gateways mean more potential dangers. If something goes wrong, it’s trouble."

"True, but for us Martial Artist Apprentices, it’s hard to improve without them."

...

"Did you hear? Another Blood Sacrifice Incident happened in Dongning City over in Ningzhou?" An older man suddenly brought up the topic.

Chen Shouyi stiffened and immediately asked, "When did this happen?"

"A few days ago, are you from Dongning City?" The middle-aged man glanced at Chen Shouyi and asked.

Seeing Chen Shouyi nod, he continued, "This time it was truly tragic. Over a hundred people died—men, women, the elderly, and children. I heard Dongning is now under martial law, and a full-scale search is underway."

...

Has Dongning deteriorated to this extent?

Chen Shouyi felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Apart from his parents and younger sister, who weren’t in Dongning and thus safe, nearly everyone he knew was in Dongning City.

His uncle’s family, his classmates, his friends, and Zhang Xiaoyue—had any of them been affected?