The first thing Zhou Jiayu did after returning from the Meng family ruins was to send the two thieves to the police station. After all, stealing an incense burner was one thing, but not even sparing someone’s memorial tablet was simply intolerable.

After the heavy rain last night, the Meng family ruins completely disappeared, buried under mud. Their former glory was erased, leaving no trace. Before long, the legends about the Meng family would gradually vanish into the river of time.

However, even though they left the Meng family, new mysteries emerged. What exactly were those charred corpses that surrounded them that night? If, as Lin Zhushui and the others said, they were indeed living people, then how could living people turn into such a state?

Having narrowly escaped death and returned from the deep mountains to the mundane world, everyone was somewhat exhausted. Coupled with being caught in the rain, Zhou Jiayu and Shen Yiqiong both surprisingly caught colds.

Zhou Jiayu first felt a sore throat, then his nose became stuffy. By the time he woke up the next morning, he was already feeling drowsy and unwell. So, the two of them went to the hospital together and lay in bed getting IV drips.

“You young people are just too weak,” Lin Jue bought them fruit and peeled it beside them. “When you get better this time, I’ll buy you some tonics to nourish yourselves. What’s the point of catching a cold so easily when you’re so young?”

Neither of them had the strength to speak. Zhou Jiayu muffledly asked about Sir.

Lin Jue said he went to investigate something and told them to rest well, saying it wouldn’t be too late to return after they recovered.

“Oh,” Zhou Jiayu responded. His cold was indeed very severe, accompanied by a low fever. When his nose was blocked, he always felt like his brain wasn’t working well enough, unable to process any thoughts.

After the IV drip, Shen Yiqiong and Zhou Jiayu slowly made their way back to the hotel. Lin Jue told them to eat and quickly go back to their rooms to rest, saying that they needed to rest well when they had a cold.

Neither of them forced themselves. They ate a little something and then lay back in their rooms. Xu Jian, as the host, arranged a very nice hotel for them. Next to it was a beautiful large river. Zhou Jiayu didn’t know the river’s name, but the water quality was good, and willows were planted along its banks. It was late spring, and new buds were sprouting on the branches. A gentle breeze brushed by, making the scenery quite beautiful.

Zhou Jiayu had slept too much during the day, so he couldn’t sleep now. He lay on the bed and turned on the TV.

The TV programs were a bit boring. Zhou Jiayu idly flipped through channels with the remote control for a while, couldn’t find anything he wanted to watch, and simply put on a movie.

The movie seemed to be a romance. Zhou Jiayu played with his phone, occasionally looking up for a glance or two.

The sky outside gradually darkened, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellow glow. Zhou Jiayu thought for a moment and called Lin Zhushui.

“Hello.” Lin Zhushui answered the phone. “Guan’er.”

“Sir,” Zhou Jiayu said with a nasal voice, “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking into some Meng family matters. Did you take your medicine properly?” Lin Zhushui asked him.

Zhou Jiayu said, “Yes, I took my medicine properly, and I even got an injection.”

Lin Zhushui said, “Good boy, take care of yourself. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Zhou Jiayu hummed in agreement, feeling much happier. He chatted with Lin Zhushui for a while, and around 11 o’clock, Lin Zhushui told him to go to bed early over the phone.

Zhou Jiayu hung up the phone, and after a simple wash-up, he planned to go to bed. However, when he lay down and closed his eyes, he heard a very strange sound, as if something was knocking on the wall. The sound wasn’t loud, but it was hard to ignore in the quiet room. Zhou Jiayu listened for a while, feeling something was amiss. He got out of bed, hugged Little Paper, and began to search for the source of the sound.

After searching for a while, he found that the sound was actually coming from next door, and Shen Yiqiong was staying in the room next to his.

Zhou Jiayu thought for a moment and took out his phone to call Shen Yiqiong.

The phone rang a dozen times before Shen Yiqiong finally picked it up just as it was about to hang up itself. Shen Yiqiong was already asleep, his voice groggy: “Guan’er?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “What are you doing?”

Shen Yiqiong said, “Sleeping.”

Zhou Jiayu turned his head and looked at the wall: “…Didn’t you hear anything?”

Shen Yiqiong was puzzled: “What sound?” He paused, seemingly trying to figure out what Zhou Jiayu meant, but ultimately remained confused, “I didn’t hear anything.”

Zhou Jiayu, holding the phone, said, “Open the door, I’ll come over and take a look.”

Shen Yiqiong hummed.

Zhou Jiayu, holding Little Paper, went out and waited for a moment, then saw the door to Shen Yiqiong’s room open. Shen Yiqiong poked his head out: “Guan’er, what sound?”

Zhou Jiayu turned and entered his room.

Because the rooms were next to each other, the layout was similar. What puzzled Zhou Jiayu was that after he entered Shen Yiqiong’s room, the sound of knocking on the wall indeed disappeared.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Yiqiong, wearing pajamas, yawned. “I didn’t hear anything, but the soundproofing in this hotel is pretty good…”

Zhou Jiayu said, “That’s strange.” He heard nothing in Shen Yiqiong’s room.

Shen Yiqiong said, “Want to check your room?”

Zhou Jiayu nodded, so the two returned to Zhou Jiayu’s room. As soon as they entered, the knocking sound reappeared. Shen Yiqiong also heard the sound; he was a bit surprised because it indeed sounded like it was coming from his room.

“Is it here?” The two approached the corner of the room, wanting to pinpoint the sound source more precisely. However, after they approached the corner, Zhou Jiayu suddenly made a chilling discovery. He and Shen Yiqiong exchanged glances, seeing fear in each other’s eyes.

The sound source was indeed not in Shen Yiqiong’s room, but right in front of them—the small refrigerator in the corner was the source of the sound.

“Thump, thump, thump.” One sound after another, as if something was gently knocking inside. Zhou Jiayu’s and Shen Yiqiong’s footsteps paused, then they slowly retreated a few steps.

“Is it inside the refrigerator?” Zhou Jiayu asked.

“Yes,” Shen Yiqiong confirmed.

“Should we open it?” Zhou Jiayu’s hand tightened around Little Paper.

“Let Little Paper do it,” Shen Yiqiong came up with a good idea. Anyway, Little Paper wouldn’t be scared.

“Okay.” Zhou Jiayu thought this suggestion was quite reliable. He reached out and touched Little Paper’s head, signaling him to open the refrigerator. Little Paper hummed and ran to the refrigerator, nimbly pulling the refrigerator door open.

The moment the refrigerator door opened, Zhou Jiayu saw black liquid pouring out, followed by an indescribable stench. He had only smelled this smell once before—on a decaying corpse.

Fortunately, both of them had severe nasal congestion now, so they could only smell a little bit of the odor, but even that little bit made Shen Yiqiong feel nauseous and gag several times.

Zhou Jiayu quickly told Little Paper to come closer, so he wouldn’t get contaminated by the black viscous liquid. The liquid looked very viscous, and Zhou Jiayu even saw some hair and teeth-like tissues mixed in it. He really didn’t want to guess what this thing was.

“I’m going to throw up,” Shen Yiqiong said, covering his nose, his face pale.

After this thing flowed out of the refrigerator, it directly pooled on the ground. Zhou Jiayu now confirmed that there were bodily tissues inside. He said, “Let’s call the hotel and report it to the police.”

Shen Yiqiong said okay.

They first went next door to find Lin Jue. As soon as Lin Jue heard their description, she immediately came to check the situation. She saw the puddle of black, foul-smelling liquid and asked a question: “Guan’er, you said you heard a sound coming from the refrigerator, and there’s only this thing in the refrigerator, so does that mean…”

Zhou Jiayu instantly understood what Lin Jue meant: “This thing can move?”

“I don’t know,” Lin Jue checked the time. “Let’s inform the hotel first. This thing should be a person.”

So, it was calling the police plus changing rooms. The liquid caused the entire floor to be filled with a nauseating stench. When the police arrived, they were also startled by the scene and had a tough time, having to brave the stench to examine the composition of the puddle.

Zhou Jiayu’s room was moved up three floors. He originally wanted to rest well, but with all this commotion, his sleep quality was affected again.

The worst off was Shen Yiqiong. Affected by the smell, he went to the bathroom to take several showers but still felt the odor lingering in his nasal cavity.

“It’s so disgusting, what was that thing?” Shen Yiqiong’s face was very pale.

The two patients with severe colds were already weak. After such a stimulus, they felt their colds were even worse. Zhou Jiayu hated his good eyesight at this moment. When he closed his eyes, what appeared before him were the teeth and hair mixed in that black, thick liquid. Little Paper probably knew Zhou Jiayu was in a bad mood at this time and reached out to ruffle his hair, trying to comfort him.

“So disgusting,” Shen Yiqiong said dejectedly.

“I’ll burn some calming incense for you two,” Lin Jue said, seeing their dispirited appearance, a bit helpless. Who would have thought they’d encounter such a thing staying at a hotel? With so many rooms, it was truly lucky for Zhou Jiayu to encounter it.

Zhou Jiayu and Shen Yiqiong didn’t try to be brave. They obediently lay on the bed, watching Lin Jue light an incense stick in the incense burner. This time, they specifically requested a standard room from the hotel, thinking they could look out for each other if anything happened.

Fortunately, no other incidents occurred in the latter half of the night. The two slept until dawn, but Zhou Jiayu’s dreams were filled with that black, viscous liquid. He even dreamed that the liquid was wriggling towards him, leaving trails of sticky black marks on the ground…

Originally, as the first discoverers of the scene, Zhou Jiayu should have gone to the police station to give a statement. However, Xu Jian had connections, so they were spared this step.

Zhou Jiayu woke up the next day with no appetite. His face, already a bit haggard from the cold, now showed even more weakness. He and Shen Yiqiong both skipped breakfast, sitting in their room with expressions of utter despair.

They both suspected this incident was related to Meng Yangtian, but they didn’t expect to be informed by the investigating police the next day that this wasn’t the first time such a situation had occurred.

“Not the first time?” Zhou Jiayu was shocked. “You mean it’s happened before?”

The policeman looked quite young. He nodded when he heard Zhou Jiayu’s question: “Yes.” As soon as he said this, his older colleague next to him tapped him, motioning with his eyes for him to stop talking.

“Oh, sorry.” The young policeman quickly corrected himself, “I’m not sure either.”

Zhou Jiayu didn’t believe him at all, but seeing that they had no intention of revealing more information, he could only give up.

Fortunately, the day after this incident, Xu Jian and Lin Zhushui returned. Upon learning about the situation, Xu Jian immediately said he would send someone to inquire about what was going on.

The Xu family still held considerable status in the northeast, so it wasn’t particularly difficult to get information from the police.

Lin Zhushui also seemed a bit displeased that his little “salted fish Guan’er” was frightened again. He had only been away for one night, and these things happened again. He touched Zhou Jiayu’s head and said, “You’ll sleep with me from now on.”

It took Zhou Jiayu a moment to realize what Lin Zhushui meant. He instantly became excited: “Can I?”

“Why not?” Lin Zhushui’s tone was frank. “It saves on a room fee too.”

Zhou Jiayu thought to himself, “Sir, when did you become so frugal?”

Xu Jian looked at the interaction between the two, his expression very complicated. He finally couldn’t help but say, “Lin Zhushui, what’s going on with you and your apprentice?”

Lin Zhushui directly took Zhou Jiayu’s hand and kissed the back of it: “We’re together.”

Xu Jian: “Together?” He was still a bit confused.

“Hmm,” Lin Zhushui responded faintly.

Xu Jian was silent for a moment before saying, “Is it the kind of ‘together’ between a man and a woman?”

“Yes,” Lin Zhushui answered directly.

“What’s the benefit of a master and apprentice being together?” Xu Jian was clearly quite conflicted. “Besides, you’re both men…”

Listening to Xu Jian’s questions, Zhou Jiayu shamelessly said that after being with Lin Zhushui, he felt much more powerful. He could see dirty things more clearly, and he could draw three talismans in one breath without stopping.

Xu Jian was full of disbelief, then shifted his gaze to Xu Ruwang, who was munching on an apple nearby.

Xu Ruwang instantly choked, coughed violently a few times, and with difficulty swallowed the apple, exclaiming in horror: “Master, it’s fine if you mess with my hair, but please don’t actually think about being with me.”

Xu Jian said, “What the hell are you talking about? Am I that kind of master?”

“What kind of master?” Lin Zhushui asked coolly from the side.

“Oh, Mr. Lin, please don’t misunderstand. I mean I’m not the kind of master who would do anything to make his apprentice stronger,” Xu Jian said righteously. “I still have my bottom line.”

Zhou Jiayu glanced at Xu Ruwang’s hairstyle, which had been messed with several times, and thought to himself, “Your words aren’t very convincing.”

“You really aren’t? What if I told you this method could also let Xu Ruwang see those things, would you consider it?” Lin Zhushui clearly knew his old friend very well. After he said this, Zhou Jiayu saw Xu Jian fall into deep thought.

Xu Ruwang was almost in tears, saying, “Mr. Lin, please stop joking. My master will actually take it seriously.”

Zhou Jiayu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

However, Xu Jian thought for a while and then realized that Lin Zhushui was just teasing him. Zhou Jiayu’s talent wasn’t that easy to come by. If being with a master could open such a talent, then the most popular thing in their line of work would become master-disciple romance, and of the same sex, at that.

But Xu Ruwang was clearly still traumatized by the incident. The next day, he secretly shaved off his beautiful long hair, transforming back from a wandering rock singer to a convict freshly released from prison.

This look was certainly more pleasing to the eye than his full head of hair.

---

Regarding the black liquid, Xu Jian asked the police station to investigate and quickly received news that this situation had actually been going on for some time, but the police had no leads. The timing and location of the black liquid’s appearance were very random, sometimes in residential buildings, sometimes in the wilderness. As for Zhou Jiayu encountering it in a hotel, that was a first.

“If this were a novel, Zhou Jiayu would definitely be the protagonist,” Shen Yiqiong declared with his thick nasal voice. “With so many rooms, you managed to encounter it with a probability of a few hundredths of a percent.”

Xu Jian said, “Excuse me, I actually booked the room…”

Shen Yiqiong: “…Then you’re quite impressive too?”

Xu Jian silently pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

According to the police investigation, the composition of the black water was very subtle. It contained many human tissues, such as the teeth and hair Zhou Jiayu had seen before, as well as some non-bony structures. However, if the black water were human, it couldn’t be fully explained, because the police currently couldn’t think of any method that could turn humans into that appearance.

Zhou Jiayu, hearing Xu Jian’s description, immediately thought of the “good deeds” Xu Jinghuo and his group had done before, but he didn’t mention it and just listened quietly.

“Hasn’t the police had any reaction even after so many incidents?” Shen Yiqiong found it incredibly hard to believe.

“There are no bodies, and no one has reported missing. Of course, it’s better to avoid trouble than to seek it,” Xu Jian said. “There’s no evidence to prove that this liquid belongs to humans, so why bother creating trouble for themselves?”

It seemed like a valid point. To get the police to open a case, they first needed to prove that the black liquid belonged to humans. Although it contained hair and teeth, it currently seemed that this black liquid was beyond the scope of scientific understanding.

“To be honest, the officials don’t like dealing with us either. Every time they ask for our help, it’s because things have already escalated and they’re forced to,” Xu Jian said, a bit annoyed. “As long as no one dies, they won’t take it seriously.”

Zhou Jiayu felt shivers all over his body when he thought of the black liquid. His intuition told him that the black liquid was at least 80% related to humans, and if they had consistently heard the refrigerator making noise at the time, didn’t that mean the black liquid could actually move…

“What about those black liquids? Where did the police put them after collecting them?” Zhou Jiayu asked.

“There should be a department that specifically stores physical evidence, why do you ask?” Xu Jian was a bit puzzled.

Zhou Jiayu chuckled dryly: “Because I think those black liquids they collected might be alive…”

As soon as he said this, Xu Jian’s expression froze for a few seconds, then instantly contorted: “…Are you sure?”

Zhou Jiayu could only say that the possibility was high, because they discovered the black liquid by hearing sounds coming from the refrigerator. Although the liquid didn’t move after Shen Yiqiong opened the refrigerator, the possibility of the liquid being alive was actually there.

“I’ll ask them,” Xu Jian said, his expression grim, pulling out his phone to call the police.

Zhou Jiayu also made an excuse to go to the restroom and called Xu Jinghuo from there.

Xu Jinghuo’s phone connected quickly, and a lazy “hello” came from the other end.

Zhou Jiayu said, Xu Jinghuo, is this something you guys caused?

Xu Jinghuo was baffled: “What do you mean? What did we cause?”

Zhou Jiayu briefly described seeing the black liquid last night. “That black liquid might still be alive—what exactly do you guys want to do?”

Xu Jinghuo was silent for a moment: “This has nothing to do with me.” His tone was firm, not like he was lying. “The Xu family is gone. What’s the point of me doing all this?”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Don’t you want to revive the Xu family?”

Xu Jinghuo chuckled, “You understand, but I really didn’t do this.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “But I always feel it’s related to you.”

“Maybe there’s some connection,” Xu Jinghuo said. “Meng Yangtian doesn’t just have me working for him. He has so many lunatics under him, you can’t count on one hand the number of people who could do something like this.”

Zhou Jiayu said, “Give me a range?”

Xu Jinghuo: “Why should I give you a range?”

Zhou Jiayu: “Because Little Paper recognized me as his dad.”

Xu Jinghuo found that he couldn’t refute. As the only remaining direct descendant of the Xu clan, Little Paper’s status in Xu Jinghuo’s eyes was similar to that of the ancestral tree. If Zhou Jiayu were to suffer any misfortune, Little Paper probably wouldn’t survive either.

“Alright, do you remember that masked man who was with us at the school that time?” Xu Jinghuo said, “His family is in that northeastern area. There’s a very high probability that he’s the one who did it. I don’t have much information to give you. This person’s surname is Jiang, named Jiang Zhu, and he’s from H City.”

Zhou Jiayu: “Okay, thank you.”

Xu Jinghuo didn’t say anything and just hung up the phone.

Zhou Jiayu knew that Xu Jinghuo must have information. This phone call indeed didn’t disappoint him, directly providing crucial information and saving them many detours.

Zhou Jiayu put away his phone and came out of the restroom.

After Xu Jian contacted the police station, he learned that those liquids were indeed stored in the police station, but the specific method of storage was unknown. If Zhou Jiayu was telling the truth, it was truly worrying.

---

Zhou Jiayu said, “I just received some news, Mr. Xu. Can you ask your police friends to help me look up someone? His name is Jiang Zhu, from H City.”

Xu Jian said, “Jiang Zhu? Okay, I’ll have someone look him up.”

Then he found that there were only three people named Jiang Zhu in H City. Only one matched Zhou Jiayu’s age and gender criteria.

“Is there something wrong with this person?” Xu Jian was puzzled.

Zhou Jiayu affirmed, saying that this person might be related to these black liquids and that they could start by investigating him to look into the matter.

Xu Jian looked thoughtful upon hearing this and said he would have someone investigate more thoroughly.

After Xu Jian left, Zhou Jiayu finally revealed that he had called Xu Jinghuo. Since the She Mountain incident, everyone had assumed that there were no adult members left in the Xu clan, but Xu Jinghuo was an exception. Although Xu Jian was a good person, Zhou Jiayu wanted to keep this matter confidential to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Guan’er still keeps in touch with Xu Jinghuo?” Lin Jue looked at him with a smile.

Zhou Jiayu inexplicably felt a little guilty and said that he didn’t contact him much, only called him a few times because of the previous express delivery.

“A few times?” Lin Zhushui, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“J-just seven or eight times,” Zhou Jiayu stammered.

Lin Zhushui hummed in acknowledgment.

Zhou Jiayu thought the matter was over, but to his surprise, Lin Zhushui added coolly, “You’ve only called me five times in total.”

Zhou Jiayu: “…!!!”

---

Author’s Note: 

After counting the number of times Zhou Jiayu called him, Lin Zhushui began to sulk unhappily.

Zhou Jiayu leaned over to kiss and hug him, coaxing him by saying that although he didn’t call much, he gave many, many kisses.