He slept until evening. Su Er woke up parched, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Ji Heng lying on the other side of the bed. His posture was so proper that it was hard to tell whether he was truly asleep or just resting with his eyes closed.
After a moment’s hesitation, Su Er didn’t wake him and quietly went barefoot to get a drink of water.
Outside, the rain showed no sign of easing; in fact, it was pouring even harder. Su Er worried about the weather the next day. If the full moon were blocked by clouds, lighting the goat-horn candles to summon the demon could have unpredictable results.
“Help—”
A distant voice seemed to cry out. Su Er hurried to the window, straining to listen carefully. His gaze was repeatedly drawn to the eagle perched in the trees outside. It stared at Su Er motionless, its naturally sharp eyes showing no friendliness.
“Help me!”
The voice became clearer.
The person running toward him looked extremely disheveled. Wet hair fell over his forehead, partially covering one side of his face. He didn’t pay attention to the ground, only desperately sprinting forward.
Chen Buqi?
Su Er raised an eyebrow and shifted slightly to the right to get a better view. After about half a minute, he could almost be sure that there was no one behind Chen Buqi; no ghost was chasing him.
Chen Buqi seemed to sense something and suddenly lifted his head. His eyes, stark in contrast, glanced at Su Er, and the fear in Su Er’s gaze eased a little. A few more sprints brought him to the sliding glass door, where he slapped it frantically and croaked out for help.
Su Er watched him for a moment, then pointed toward the door. Chen Buqi understood and hurried to the main entrance.
“Th… thank you.”
Su Er noticed that he didn’t immediately lock the door upon entering. “Was someone chasing you?”
Chen Buqi shook his head, his pale face gasping for breath. “A ghost… tried to get me.”
“......”a
Startled and chilled, Chen Buqi hiccuped several times in succession before beginning to recount his ordeal. He had been alone in the bamboo house inspecting things when his body inexplicably reacted physiologically. Feeling something was wrong, he tried to leave. Not long before, while resting on the sofa, Zhu Mei somehow appeared in the room and was on top of him.
“I couldn’t control myself. Before anything happened, I used the last bit of reason I had to punch my lower body and escaped.”
Su Er couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.
Chen Buqi tried to continue but suddenly noticed the skin tissue on the statue and swallowed nervously. “That thing… it seems to be moving.”
Su Er remained expressionless. “You’re mistaken.”
Chen Buqi was certain he wasn’t. Being under the eaves and hearing the denial, he could only force a stiff smile. “I must be seeing things.”
He quickly shifted the topic back. “Zhu Mei is almost certainly a seductive ghost. I have a bad feeling—if anything happens with her, I’d be doomed.”
“She’s not a ghost. She’s a demon.”
The low voice interrupted him. Chen Buqi looked up. At the top of the stairs stood someone half-hidden in shadow, like a silent specter.
His heart skipped a beat. The little building suddenly felt far more eerie and terrifying than the world outside.
“A demon?” Su Er was not surprised by Ji Heng’s appearance, lowering his head in thought.
Ji Heng slowly descended the stairs. “The lady of the manor harbored hatred from years of abuse. Somehow, she learned the method to summon a demon. Earlier, she claimed to be the demon’s servant. Zhu Mei is likely the demon she summoned.”
Su Er realized, “No wonder the reward was candles. The Reincarnation Book seems like a companion object—every time a demon is summoned, a new Reincarnation Book appears.”
“What candles?” Chen Buqi was confused.
“The tools to summon demons,” Su Er said with a faint smile. “Of course, you could also use this information to gain Ye Xiaocen’s protection.”
Though his voice was gentle, Chen Buqi shivered.
“Absolutely not!” He raised his hands in protest.
Ji Heng sat down. “Honestly, whoever obtains the Reincarnation Book gets extra benefits—they can glimpse the past or see a fragment of the future.”
The future?
Chen Buqi’s eyelashes twitched, eyes flickering. “I just want to survive the instance.”
Ignoring his scheming, Ji Heng continued, “Ye Xiaocen has probably figured out part of this. Once he knows everything, he’ll definitely come to claim the candles.”
Understanding the implication, Chen Buqi quickly said, “I’ll find a way to mislead them.”
Ji Heng removed the Painted-Skin Ghost from the statue and muttered something. The ghost slithered over toward Chen Buqi.
Chen Buqi shuddered, instinctively wanting to flee.
“Don’t move.”
The voice was soft but commanding. Seeing the cold gleam in Ji Heng’s eyes, Chen Buqi froze. In that brief moment of hesitation, the Painted-Skin Ghost had already slipped into his pocket.
Ji Heng said lightly, “If you want to survive, don’t try any tricks.”
Chen Buqi’s face darkened, and he stubbornly said, “Players aren’t supposed to harm each other.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a slimy sensation crept up his arm. Chen Buqi panicked, realizing his hand was covered by an entire layer of skin, like a ridiculous duck webbing. He couldn’t even hold any tools—he could only watch helplessly as the skin enveloped his whole body.
His consciousness remained, but he had lost control of his body.
The Painted-Skin Ghost, unable to restrain its cruel nature, tried to take Chen Buqi as prey. Ji Heng pinched its eyeball slightly, and it immediately calmed down, transforming back into a sheet of skin that slipped into his pocket. Chen Buqi wiggled his fingers, confirming he could move again, but the next second, his body went limp on the floor.
After a long while, he regained his strength and stifled a bitter laugh, saying, “With techniques like this, why not just use them on Ye Xiaocen directly?”
Ji Heng replied, “Ye Xiaocen’s spiritual power isn’t low—he might sense danger beforehand.”
“I understand.”
Still shaken, Chen Buqi didn’t have the mood to ask how they had struck a deal with the ghost.
Ji Heng said, “You’ll stay here tonight. Tomorrow, Ye Xiaocen will definitely come looking for you.”
Chen Buqi, knowing his place, said, “Then I’ll sleep in the living room.” After a moment, he asked anxiously, “What if Zhu Mei comes in again?”
“That won’t happen.”
Ji Heng spoke with certainty.
Chen Buqi sighed with relief, but regret gnawed at him.
If he had known the “special service” referred only to a tattoo, he wouldn’t have turned Zhu Mei away that morning.
Ignoring his muttering, Ji Heng looked at Su Er. “It’s still early. Sleep a little more.”
Su Er murmured an acknowledgment, went upstairs, and lay back down, though sleep eluded him. He tossed and turned for a long time before finally dozing off in the latter half of the night.
The next day was sunny.
Many of the stone tiles on the ground were broken, and puddles had formed in the depressions. The path was slippery, and one misstep meant stepping in mud.
Zhu Mei didn’t show up to push her tattoo business today, much to Chen Buqi’s disappointment.
On the way to the restaurant, as Ji Heng had predicted, Ye Xiaocen came personally, saying he wanted to talk. His intention was clear—he mentioned the items outright. Chen Buqi glanced at Ji Heng hesitantly but ultimately followed Ye Xiaocen.
Zhou Que, waiting over there, showed a satisfied smile.
Intentionally slowing his pace, Su Er resumed his normal speed only after the group had turned and left. He occasionally twisted his neck to stretch, catching sight of the eagle in the tree. He froze for a moment. “Does it feel… like it wants to peck me?”
Before he could finish speaking, the eagle swooped down at incredible speed. The distance between them was only a few meters. Su Er quickly bent down to dodge.
A gust of wind swept over his head.
The eagle didn’t attack—it merely circled above him, let out a warning cry, and dropped a pile of droppings.
At the critical moment, Ji Heng pulled Su Er aside, saving his hair.
Su Er said expressionlessly, “I don’t think this has anything to do with luck.”
The eagle simply didn’t like him.
Ji Heng explained, “The goat-horn candle carries the demon’s aura. The eagle’s role is to suppress demons.”
Su Er sighed, beginning to understand. “The day Zhu Mei appeared, all the raptors had folded their wings into a stance. I thought it was respect, but it was really surveillance.”
For the already released demon, the eagle could only watch closely and maintain some deterrence. This added another layer of concern—once midnight passes and they try to light the candle to summon the demon, it might face significant interference.
Because they were delayed along the way, they arrived at the restaurant last.
Ye Xiaocen and his group sat at one table. Zhu Mei remained at the central table, eating Snow Maiden cake in large bites. The moment she saw Su Er, her beautiful eyes glinted with murderous intent.
Su Er shook his head and whispered, “Yesterday at this time, she still thought I was sweet.”
In one night, everything had changed.
Ji Heng glanced at him, amused. “It’s good you didn’t rush in to fight her when you realized you were eating a Painted-Skin Ghost.”
The chef at Window Two had returned; the head that Ji Heng had cut off was now sewn back, with a centipede-like black line around the neck. Seeing the two of them, he was angry and flustered, grabbing a handful of seasoning to sprinkle heavily on the roast lamb.
The roasted lamb was slightly smaller than yesterday. Even without the mysterious eye, Su Er could tell that it was actually Lin Lele’s corpse being roasted.
Every lamb had to be plucked at least three times to uphold decency, so he moved to Window Three.
The female chef was making Snow Maiden cake. Seeing an uninvited guest, she stopped stirring the fat and moved aside to serve a plate of fruit salad.
Su Er was surprised when the plate was handed to him.
The chef’s gaze locked onto his pocket. She said softly, “I smell the demon’s aura on you.”
Su Er didn’t reply and casually picked a spot to sit.
Today, the chef only served one portion of fruit salad. The portion was generous enough that the two of them didn’t bicker and shared it. After finishing the last bite of mango, Su Er and Ji Heng returned the way they came.
Ye Xiaocen asked, “Are you sure they’re going to the bamboo house tonight?”
Chen Buqi nodded.
Ye Xiaocen suddenly put down his chopsticks, saying nothing, just staring at him.
Had it been before yesterday, Chen Buqi might have been intimidated by the aura, but after experiencing the Painted-Skin Ghost, he knew nothing could be worse. He immediately responded with a cold expression, “Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”
Ye Xiaocen’s tone softened slightly. “Just asking casually. Don’t take it to heart.”
After breakfast, Su Er and Ji Heng didn’t leave the house again, patiently waiting for nightfall. The number of eagles gathered outside the windows kept increasing, all glaring with predatory intent, as if they wanted to swoop down and devour them alive. Su Er rolled up his sleeves and noticed that the tattoo had almost completely faded, unable to resist asking, “Once the demon is summoned, what’s the first thing it will do?”
“Unless there’s a twist, it’ll probably kill the person who summoned it.”
Ji Heng seemed to think of something amusing. “The type of demon might also relate to its individual nature.”
“Individual nature?” Su Er asked.
Ji Heng nodded. “Not its temperament. Take the former lady of the manor, for example—how would you describe her appearance?”
“Very enchanting.”
Just judging by her bones and features, the lady of the manor was the kind of woman Su Er would call dangerously seductive.
Ji Heng continued, “Chen Buqi was nearly assaulted by Zhu Mei, so she would be classified as a lust-driven demon.” His gaze shifted to Su Er. “If you can anticipate the type of demon about to be summoned, you can make preparations in advance.”
His eyes circled thoughtfully for a moment, finally letting out a sigh.
“……” What does that mean?”
Ji Heng shook his head. “It’s hard to imagine what kind of demon you’ll summon.”
Regarding the choice of summoner, both parties had agreed without discussion. Su Er’s personal mysteries made the Reincarnation Book even more crucial.
Ji Heng suddenly whispered a couple of words.
Su Er was surprised. “When the demon appears, we should smash the statue at it as a hidden weapon?”
Ji Heng made a shushing gesture, as if worried someone might be listening. “Keep it quiet.”
“…Okay.”
The rest of the time dragged on painfully. As evening approached, Ji Heng made some preparations: he double-locked the front door, pasted several talismans on the windows, and chose the first floor as the spot to light the candle. For some reason, Su Er felt the setup was meant to make it easier to throw the statue at the critical moment.
On the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar, the moon was exceptionally full. Su Er realized his worry the night before—that clouds might block the moon—was unnecessary.
Matches could be found in any drawer upstairs or downstairs, as if prepared just for them. As midnight approached, he placed the candle on the table, lit a match in advance, and kept his eyes on the wall clock to avoid missing the moment.
The seconds ticked to the last mark, and the match touched the wick.
Just as the candle was about to be lit, the eagles’ cries became piercing. They dove at the windows violently, but Ji Heng had prepared talismans, which restrained them to some extent.
The candle dripped black wax, emitting a stench of decay that made Su Er start doubting its material. Several times, he wanted to pull back, but the candle would go out if removed from the flame. He only struck another match at the last moment, just before his fingers would have been burned.
The windows shook violently under the assault. The talismans were designed for spirits, so their effect on the eagles was limited. Su Er glanced at them anxiously, but his hand remained steady, keeping the match in close contact with the wick.
Time felt infinite. On the seventh match, the commotion outside suddenly subsided. The eagles circled in the air, angry but keeping their distance. The previously dripping black wax pooled into a perfect circle on the floor, with some indecipherable symbols in the center.
Su Er drew a deep breath, aware that the demon was about to appear.
First, the head emerged from the formation. The demon had dazzling golden hair, and its face was so delicate it was impossible to tell its gender. Gradually, its upper body fully appeared, left hand raised, holding an ancient book.
“Now!” Ji Heng suddenly commanded.
Su Er, holding his breath, snatched the book from the demon’s left hand at record speed. Simultaneously, Ji Heng lifted the statue and slammed it onto the demon’s head.
The demon, revealing only half its body, looked confused: “???”
The statue: “???”
Ji Heng reminded him, “Quick, start flipping through the book.”
At the same time, he smeared coal dust over his own face.
Su Er also quickly used the Crying Child. The sorrowful wails caused the demon to suddenly soften its gaze, dampening its killing intent. With the immediate threat neutralized, he began reading the book. He had intended to call Ji Heng over, but the Reincarnation Book’s text would vanish whenever a second person’s gaze fell upon it.
Su Er had no choice but to read alone. On the cover was a line of exaggerated small print: The Book of Answers, sister volume The Reincarnation Book, a sensational release!
“……” No wonder the texture felt so familiar.
The first page contained only a title: Past Memories Chapter.
A flick of his finger paused the page, revealing new text: “Book Reader—Zhou Wuxia.”
“Zhou Wuxia?”
Su Er guessed it was his own name before entering the game and didn’t pay much attention, flipping forward.
At first, he remained calm. As he read further, his expression darkened until his lips pressed into a thin line. At that moment, the sound of someone banging on the door came from outside—probably Ye Xiaocen, realizing he had been tricked and attempting to break in. The clamor surged, yet Su Er felt as if he were in another world; the noise was quickly filtered out.
Each page contained few words, and he finished reading ten lines at a glance, then snapped the book shut.
After a moment of silence, Su Er looked up at Ji Heng. “The reason I was initially recruited was because a team member died in Grave Return.”
He paused, then asked, “Do you remember what that member looked like?”
Ji Heng nodded. After so much time together, he naturally remembered. Knowing Su Wr wouldn’t ask without reason, he thought carefully. Soon, his expression changed slightly—the face he thought he knew so well had actually become indistinct.
“In your memories, he died in the Deception, but actually…” Su Er enunciated each word. “He succeeded. He survived a dead-end instance, collected all the achievement points, and then left the game.”
Zhu Yun had predicted the futures of three people: one for herself, one for herself again, and the last—Su Er paid a certain price to ask her… about Ji Heng’s future.
In that future, Ji Heng chose to remain in the dead-end instance’s world.
“I wanted to change the ending of a certain story,” Su Er said, lowering his gaze. “So… I came back.”
The final sentence sounded like both an explanation and a statement of intent. A small, relieved smile curved his lips. “Thankfully, the future really can be changed.”
Even if one had to relive life-and-death trials, as long as they could stand face-to-face like this, everything was worth it.
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