Huo Fu did not notice her mood dipping, instead he began telling his story with interest.
“You know why Niuzi is not afraid of me?”
“Why?”
“When I was sold into this Mountain Village, everyone kept watch on me, even my own parents would punish me for running, which completely crushed any thought of escape, only…”
Zuo Zhu felt she knew the answer. “Only she did not do that, instead showed you care, so the last bit of purity remained in your heart, which is why you were indulgent toward her?”
Huo Fu looked at her. “What are you thinking about all the time?”
“Fine, go on.”
Interrupted, Huo Fu’s melancholy immediately vanished.
“She could barely take care of herself, how could she possibly lend me a hand? She simply ignored me, unlike the others. I lived here for a long time, and even this bit of neglect felt precious. She felt she had done nothing wrong, which gave her more confidence than other ghosts.”
“Later, I died and killed all the people in the village. I originally planned to leave, but the lingering death energy held me here completely. Only when you came did I realize I could use the life force of the living to get out.”
Zuo Zhu already knew this, but hearing it from him made it feel different. She was so moved that she asked, “Then why don’t you leave yet?”
Huo Fu cast his cold gaze across the village’s malevolent spirits. “If I leave now, the death energy dissipates, and all the evil ghosts can leave as well. I need to take some time to gather the death energy and form a barrier around the village. When I leave, they will be trapped here forever with no way out. Only when their souls fade completely will it be their best end.”
The people in this village were corrupt even when alive and evil after death. Being trapped forever was their best fate.
Huo Fu glanced at Zuo Zhu and said with disgust. “Do not look at me like that. I am an evil person, and even in death I am an evil ghost that eats people.”
Zuo Zhu shook her head. “I do not think so.”
Huo Fu said, “I do not care what you think, only what I think matters.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Zuo Zhu asked.
Was he planning to eat her immediately since the dead would not reveal his secrets?
Her fear was obvious, and Huo Fu only smiled.
“You said you have neither merit nor contribution. I have thought about it. If I am to leave, you do have some use.”
“I can restrain my nighttime self from eating you, but after we leave here, you need to cover for me at night.”
Huo Fu had long considered that his nighttime demon personality would not have the intelligence to restrain its instincts. If he left the village, trouble would follow soon enough. After observing for two days, he concluded Zuo Zhu was an excellent choice.
She knew about both his personalities, was neither too afraid nor panicked, and could proactively cover for him. She was also beautiful and could spend nights with his demon side without suspicion.
He finally changed his posture and held Zuo Zhu in his arms, one hand at her neck. “If I find out you think about anything else after we leave, I will not wait until night to crush you.”
His murderous intent was not fake.
Zuo Zhu trembled with fear and gratitude, knowing she had safely held on to her life. For the first time, she did not need to worry about waking to find her arm gone.
Both parties achieved their goals and were satisfied.
Huo Fu continued gathering the village’s killing energy to trap the ghosts, not speaking further to Zuo Zhu. She returned to the cooperative with a relaxed, lazy feeling.
She wandered into the village cooperative to buy snacks. This backward village still called its small shop a cooperative, but it had become just a convenience store.
At the counter, the owner greeted her as if she were a valued customer. “What would you like to buy?”
Zuo Zhu realized why Lin Tianming and the others had not noticed the villagers were all ghosts. During the day, they seemed vibrant and alive.
“Give me a pack of AD Calcium.”
The owner found a dusty pack. “Thirty yuan.”
Zuo Zhu twitched, realizing even as ghosts, they still hiked prices. She handed over the money and checked the production date.
One week until expiry, perfect.
She was about to drink when she saw the owner’s eyeballs pop out from shock.
Zuo Zhu froze. Who said the villagers looked lively?
She tried to sip the AD Calcium, controlling herself from warning the owner.
But then she noticed the date had changed again. Now it was four to five years old.
The owner’s other eyeball dropped. Zuo Zhu wanted to put the pack back, but someone grabbed her wrist.
“Come with me!”
The voice pulled her forward. Surprised, she realized it was one of the people who had disappeared a few days earlier.
“Li Fang, you are not dead?”
Li Fang stopped, panting. “What I am about to tell you, do not be too afraid.”
Zuo Zhu nodded like a little chick pecking.
“In fact, there are no living people left in this village.”
She covered her mouth, pale with shock. “Impossible, I just saw…”
“Everything you saw during the day was an illusion. The nighttime village is the real one. Everyone here died four or five years ago,” Li Fang said gently.
Zuo Zhu wisely reminded him. “What if the village you found later is also a ghost village?”
Li Fang smiled tightly. “I can tell the difference.”
“Fine!”
Li Fang was flustered, not noticing that Zuo Zhu, who had always followed him, now questioned him.
“I could have left immediately, but I thought of you,” Li Fang said, holding her hand. “All this time, I knew your feelings but did not understand my own. Only at the critical moment did I realize I already loved you. I returned to take you away with me.”
Zuo Zhu was stunned, but her knowledge of the original character helped her understand.
This group of college graduates on a trip had Li Fang as the leader. Like Lin Tianming, he was a rich second-generation heir. The original girl always tried to use her beauty to win him, but his attention was ambiguous.
He suggested the trip, knowing about a development project in the mountains, hoping to seize it for himself. After arrival, he was among the first to disappear.
Zuo Zhu seemed moved. “Fine, I will leave with you, but what about Lin Tianming and the others?”
Li Fang shook his head. “I cannot take care of that many people. I can only look after you.”
Zuo Zhu shyly tugged his sleeve. “Will your parents approve?”
Li Fang looked at her deeply. “Do not worry, they will like you.”
Zuo Zhu felt happy but then remembered something. “But Li Fang, it is too late…”
Li Fang frowned. “Too late for what?”
“I have already pledged myself to someone else.”
Li Fang was stunned. Zuo Zhu’s face showed a mix of guilt, shyness, and unresolved attachment.
“She is strong. A few nights after your disappearance, I knocked on his door and stayed with him,” she admitted, blushing. “Li Fang, should we take him too? If you cannot accept him, I will listen to you.”
Li Fang could only remain silent.