He Xing erged from the room much faster than Yan and the other two had anticipated.
"Already done?" Yan asked in surprise, feeling it had only been about twenty minutes.
He Xing hesitated slightly before replying, "There was... another arrangent."
The woman nad Li had earlier dripped sothing onto her eyelids.
Li claid it would allow He Xing's parents to possess her body and communicate with her. In her hands, she held an ancient, round mirror.
In that brief mont, He Xing glimpsed the legendary underworld through the mirror.
Her eyes briefly t her parents' reflections before they passed by. Li then asked her, "Do you want a brief reunion or a longer one?"
"Longer, of course," He Xing answered without hesitation.
"Given your... circumstances, another thod might suit you better than the fleeting glimpse most people get."
He Xing didn't fully grasp Li's implication, but if it ant more ti with her parents, she was all for it.
After seeing her parents in the mirror, Li asked her to wait and plucked two strands of her hair.
He Xing watched as Li deftly twisted the strands into an unfamiliar knot, placed it inside a brocade pouch, and handed it to her.
"Tonight, you'll have a good dream," Li said.
Now, He Xing clutched the pouch tightly in her palm. Though she had seen her parents in the mirror, there had been no real interaction.
After witnessing Li's abilities, He Xing was brimming with anticipation for the night ahead.
Suddenly, her gaze froze. Before entering the room, she had only seen a black umbrella floating in the air—but now, she saw... a person? Or a ghost?
He Jiajia imdiately noticed the stare. The young girl playfully winked. "Pretty sister, can you see now?"
He Xing nodded calmly. "I can now. Sothing was applied to my eyelids."
"Ox tears?" Yan guessed.
He Xing shook her head. "Not sure."
Since she had chosen to trust the professional, she hadn’t asked for details earlier.
But... He Xing silently glanced at the couple and Ding Ling. None of them had anything applied to their eyes, yet they could see ghosts just fine!
The drive from campus had taken about an hour, plus so walking. He Xing's session with Li lasted twenty-sothing minutes, leaving the group with ti to spare.
Yan checked the ti. "It's almost noon. Should we grab lunch nearby? After that, do we stay longer or head back?"
"Stay longer!" He Jiajia chid in eagerly.
"We ghosts haven’t had visitors in ages—and even when people co, they can’t see us."
"Our haunted house renovation is almost done. Everyone’s rehearsing scripts—you could help us test it out," Li added, stepping out from the doorway.
Seeing her erge in a blood-red wedding dress made Yan’s heart skip a beat, and he couldn’t help but wonder about Cheng Li’s true nature.
"Haunted house renovation... just this place?" Zhu Jue asked.
"Xue Family Alley—all of it," Li replied, raising a slender finger to draw a circle in the air.
Yan’s mouth fell open. "That’s huge."
"Yep! Plenty to explore," He Jiajia agreed, nodding vigorously.
"Li, joining us for lunch?" Ding Ling asked.
Li shook her head. "No, but co back this afternoon as our first test group. We’ll finish the final touches by then."
"We’ll bring back takeout as a celebration for your grand opening," Yan suggested.
As the four left Xue Family Alley in search of food, Zhuo Si arrived at his trial location, gear bag strapped to his back.
[Xue Family Alley]
This was it.
Zhuo Si wore a specially tailored jacket today, its multiple pockets stocked with essentials—holy water, talismans, garlic, spirit money—anything he might need at a mont’s notice.
The letter he’d received that morning had filled him with excitent, but he wasn’t careless.
After all, its wording was crystal clear:
"Investigate the supernatural truth—and survive."
The inclusion of "survive" spoke volus. The urban legends about Xue Family Alley weren’t baseless; they hinted at real danger.
As a "Supernatural Intern," failure would only cost him his position—but he wasn’t about to take risks lightly.
He’d spent the morning researching Xue Family Alley.
The biggest rumor? It was haunted.
The most widespread version dated back to the real estate boom over a decade ago. The dilapidated alley wasn’t a protected heritage site, but its ghostly reputation scared off developers. One group had tried surveying the area, only to encounter vengeful spirits haunting their dreams until they hired a dium, apologized, and vowed never to disturb the place again.
Since then, foot traffic had dwindled—though in recent years, thrill-seekers and paid livestrears had ventured in at night.
So claid doors wouldn’t open, trapping them in endless loops. Others got lucky and saw nothing. A few swore they’d been dragged by unseen hands or spotted floating shadows...
The most recent record Zhuo Si found was from three days ago—a paranormal enthusiast described seeing shoes hovering midair and bloody footprints appearing under his flashlight beam, despite no one being there.
Most of these accounts happened at night, making them all the creepier. Though unsure of their validity, Zhuo Si morized every detail. Better safe than sorry.
The letter confird Xue Family Alley held sothing supernatural.
But he was visiting in broad daylight—surely nothing worse than nightti could happen, right?
Standing at the alley’s entrance, Zhuo Si took a deep breath. Seeing other tourists snapping photos of the ruins reassured him.
At the very least, with so many people around, survival shouldn’t be an issue.
But what exactly was the "supernatural truth" his trial demanded he uncover?
With excitent, caution, curiosity, and a sliver of fear, Zhuo Si finally stepped into Xue Family Alley.
Was it his imagination, or did an icy draft—like an air conditioner blasting cold air—rush over him the mont he crossed the threshold?
Steeling himself, he pressed forward. A glance back confird no other tourists had followed.
The weather was splendid today, the midday sun still blazing warmly as Zhuo Si's sneakers made no sound against the cobblestone path.
Walking through Xue Family Alley, Zhuo Si ntally rehearsed the possible scenarios he might encounter.
No floating shoes trailed behind him, nor did he stumble upon any footprints ahead—was it because it was broad daylight?
Soon, he approached the entrance of a courtyard. Without hesitation, he stepped forward. As far as he knew, this area was uninhabited, so there was no risk of trespassing.
The mont his fingers barely grazed the wooden gate—not even applying the slightest pressure—it swung open with a sudden whoosh.
There was no wind, yet the gate trembled faintly, creaking as if sothing clung to it, watching him from above.
Hands shoved in his pockets, Zhuo Si tightened his grip on the talisman and small peachwood sword. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside.
A gust of wind rushed past him—the gate must have closed. He spun around, but it had shut without a sound.
"Giggle, giggle~" Childlike laughter echoed, not from just one source.
Zhuo Si slowly turned his head and saw a floating cat's cradle, its strings twitching as if waiting for him to play.
He swallowed hard, his mind freezing. Should he engage or not?
Before he could decide, the red strings coiled around his hands, urging him to manipulate them. Instinctively, he began weaving the pattern.
Once finished, the red threads floated up again.
But before he could relax, sothing tightened around his ankles.
Holy—
A stretchy rubber band materialized—whether it had dropped from above or sprung from the ground, he couldn’t tell—and his legs beca its supports.
Then, he saw them: two pairs of black embroidered shoes, hopping over the band.
Zhuo Si’s legs trembled. Before he could escape, the cat’ cradle reappeared, demanding another pattern.
After finishing, the embroidered shoes floated over, lifting the rubber band stretched between his legs—his turn to jump.
Seizing the mont, he pretended to comply but instead kicked off weakly, tossed a talisman, and bolted for the gate.
Noticing the latchless door, he dashed through without looking back, sprinting down the alley.
Damn it! The records never ntioned Xue Family Alley was haunted by children!
He didn’t dare glance behind him, though his backpack felt heavier. After three frantic loops, realization struck—the alley’s corners, roofs, and walls were identical. Hadn’t he been turning right? Why did it feel like a ghostly loop?
Panting, he forced himself to stay quiet, afraid of attracting attention.
The courtyard’s spirits must be bound there—child ghosts, unable to leave.
But now, he stood before the sa gate for the third ti, its bronze rings gleaming.
His throat tightened. Should he enter? Even if he didn’t, running further would only lead him back here.
As if sensing his thoughts, the gate creaked open.
Gritting his teeth, Zhuo Si accepted it—as a Supernatural Intern, this might be the heart of Xue Family Alley’s mystery.
Go in.
Steeling himself, he stepped inside, fingers already loosening the cap of his holy water vial.
Yet, the courtyard was eerily still.
Then—
A tug at his hair.
"Giggle~"
His pockets were buttoned shut, then unbuttoned, one by one.
The hand gripping the vial brushed against sothing icy—skin?
His backpack lightened as invisible hands rummaged through his pockets.
Zhuo Si stood paralyzed, like at on a chopping block, scrutinized and prodded by unseen forces.
Suddenly, a cold grip seized the back of his neck, hoisting him into the air like a helpless chick.
For the first ti, he saw his own feet dangling as he was carried toward the main house.
His mind raced, but his body was rigid, powerless.
Only one thought remained:
Will I make it out alive?
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