The girl fired off a rapid string of words without so much as a pause, leaving Cheng Haoyu dumbfounded.
She was scolding him?
She actually dared to scold him?!
"Shen Zhiyi!"
"Stop barking." Shen Zhiyi waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly, and said impatiently, "If you're not as cute as a little puppy, then don't go around barking like one. All that yapping is disturbing the peace—oh, since you're already barking like a dog, why not learn from your ancestors? A good dog doesn't block the path."
With that, she grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside, sending him stumbling, then walked right past him.
The girl's grip was surprisingly strong—she didn't give him a chance to resist.
Cheng Haoyu staggered, his body lurching uncontrollably toward the flower bed.
Having watched the spectacle unfold, Yu Qing cast a sympathetic glance at Cheng Haoyu, who was struggling among the flowers and plants, as Shen Zhiyi walked over.
"Isn't that your ex-fiancé? You're being pretty ruthless, aren't you?"
Shen Zhiyi sneered: "Want to experience the joy of becoming the ex–Young Master Yu?"
"No, no, no, I'll pass on that."
After the two left, Cheng Haoyu finally managed to climb out of the flower bed.
The moment he moved, he winced and sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.
Tsk, he'd twisted his ankle.
The man looked up in the direction the girl had gone, mentally jotting down a grudge against her.
Shen Zhiyi, just you wait! The humiliation you've dealt me today, I'll repay you a hundredfold!
Sitting in the car, Shen Zhiyi sneezed twice in a row.
She rubbed her nose and glanced out the window, letting out a scoff: Petty man.
…
Just as that master had said, Liang Yousheng had switched to a new construction crew and still couldn't tear down the orphanage.
Zhang Quan knew the owner of the new crew, so he'd come over out of curiosity to watch the show. But he ended up staying until midnight, and then received news that Liang Yousheng had been in a car accident.
"See! I'm not just crying wolf, brother!" Zhang Quan's face was flushed with excitement. "This orphanage really is cursed! Don't you believe me? The master I hired before said the Little Ghosts inside had to be dealt with before this place could be demolished. Boss Liang wouldn't listen, and look what happened, right?"
His friend was stunned speechless by his words and stopped insisting on working through the night.
Zhang Quan was about to say more when he looked up and saw headlights approaching from the distance. His eyes lit up immediately.
"Hey! The master is here!"
His friend followed his gaze and saw a young man and woman getting out of the car.
Before the construction crew owner could say anything, Zhang Quan waved and rushed over: "Young Master Yu! Master! Why are you back? Are you here to take care of the trouble in there?"
Shen Zhiyi dodged Zhang Quan's excited spittle and furrowed her brow.
Yu Qing smiled: "Just taking a look."
An answer that was as good as no answer.
Zhang Quan didn't press further, only asking mysteriously: "Is Boss Liang's car accident because he offended the Little Ghosts inside?"
Yu Qing smiled: "Who knows."
Figuring the timing was about right, Shen Zhiyi said, "Let's go in. The thing inside has been waiting a long time."
Zhang Quan's mouth fell open: "M-me? Me?"
Was the master talking to him? He didn't understand any of this stuff—would he get torn apart by the Little Ghosts if he went in?
"Not you."
Shen Zhiyi glanced at Yu Qing.
Yu Qing quickly responded: "Right, right, right. Let's go, let's go."
…
The hall looked just as it had the night before—the ceiling and walls blackened with soot, furniture beyond recognition, and weeds sprouting from the cracks in the concrete floor.
Yu Qing didn't understand why they had to come at night, but he didn't dare ask. He could only stay tense and focused, doing his best not to cause Shen Zhiyi any trouble.
Shen Zhiyi's goal was clear—the totem at the end of the corridor.
This time, with no Little Ghosts to interfere, the two quickly reached their destination.
As the flashlight beam fell on the vivid red totem, Yu Qing suddenly spoke up. "Zhiyi-jie, do you notice the color of this totem is a bit lighter than last night?"
Seeing the bright red Manjushage flowers amidst the ruins had been a huge visual shock to him, leaving a deep impression. So seeing it again today, he spotted the change in the totem at a glance.
Shen Zhiyi said casually, "Congratulations."
Yu Qing was baffled. "Huh?"
"You've finally made a little progress." Shen Zhiyi let out a heartfelt remark.
Yu Qing: "…"
Even though it was meant as praise, he felt utterly humiliated.
The young man let out a couple of annoyed grunts and reached out to touch the pale red petals, wanting to study what kind of paint it was.
"Wait—"
Before Shen Zhiyi could stop him, the young man had already pressed his hand flat against the totem.
Then, as if struck by an electric shock, his body convulsed violently, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.
Shen Zhiyi: "…"
I take back what I said about you making progress.
Yu Qing, you really are the dumbest Spirit Cultivator I've ever met.
…
The temperature around him grew hotter and hotter, and a thick smell of burning lingered in the air. Yu Qing covered his nose, coughing as he sat up.
He was sitting on the top bunk of a bunk bed. The room was empty, and through the half-open door, flames blazed outside.
"Fire! Fire! Everyone, don't push—head down the corridor toward the main gate!"
A woman's shrill voice came from the end of the hallway, quickly drowned out by the sound of collapsing debris.
Snapping back to his senses, Yu Qing immediately jumped off the bed and ran toward the door.
Children ran past him in groups, and none of them seemed to notice him at all.
This is… an illusion?
Frowning, Yu Qing followed the children as they fled.
The fire spread at an unnatural speed, quickly cutting off the children's escape route.
Blazing flames surrounded the entire hall.
The children crowded at the main entrance, pounding desperately on the sealed door.
With each impact, the sound of chains rattling came from beyond the iron door.
No one answered their cries for help.
"Everyone, don't panic!" A slightly older girl forced down her own terrified expression, pressing a wet towel over the mouth and nose of a younger girl beside her while comforting the others. "Don't be afraid—the director and the others will come save us soon. Don't be scared!"
"That's right, the director will come save us soon!"
"Everyone, don't be scared!"
The children huddled together, comforting one another, but as the fire grew more intense, despair crept onto every face.
One child burst into loud sobs, only to be choked into coughing fits by the thick smoke.
Through the smoke and flames, an orange figure tore through the gap and rushed to the girl's front.
"Da Huang!" The girl patted out the sparks on its fur and carefully picked up the orange cat. "Why did you come back?"
Holding the cat, she stared blankly as tears fell.
The fire was so big—she had thought it had jumped over the wall and escaped.
"Meow~" The orange cat gently rubbed its head against her cheek, as if to comfort her.
The girl hugged the stray cat tightly.
"Why won't anyone come save us?"
"Big sister, I'm so scared. Will the director come save us?"
"Big sister… are we going to die?"
The children's desperate cries gradually weakened until they faded completely.
Fire surrounded them on all sides, and their crying companions were slowly swallowed by the flames. All that could be heard was the thunderous crash of collapsing structures and the crackling of burning sparks.
The girl's eyes were stung shut by the thick smoke.
Scorching tongues of fire licked at her skin, and the cat in her arms let out a piercing shriek.
Suddenly, she made a decision. Straining onto her tiptoes, she lifted the orange cat high.
There was a two-inch gap between the top of the iron gate and the wall. If it were Da Huang, surely he could escape through it.
"Da Huang, you have to get out," she murmured, hoisting the orange cat up with all her might.
"You have to survive."
The orange cat leaped with all its strength, its front claws catching onto the top of the gate.
It kicked its hind legs desperately, squeezing its way out through the gap.