Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Cheng wouldn't save her. The Red-Clad Woman was already dead—not the kind of death that turns a person into a ghost, but the death of a ghost itself.
The pupil of the eye staring at Jiang Cheng had dilated. The Red-Clad Woman's stiff body twitched sporadically, as if something were tugging at her, dragging her into the mist behind the car.
It was clear that the other missing people had met the same fate.
After the Red-Clad Woman's corpse completely vanished, Jiang Cheng continued to gaze into the mist behind the car.
He knew something terrifying lurked within, and after killing the Red-Clad Woman and the others, their group would inevitably be its next target.
Upon hearing of the Red-Clad Woman's death, Fatty huddled on the wooden seat, his body trembling uncontrollably. Huai Yi's face turned deathly pale.
"Brother Jiang," Huai Yi said, looking up at Jiang Cheng with a pained expression, "the guy inside the Gate on my body seems to have chickened out again. I've been calling him for ages, but he won't respond."
Jiang Cheng had noticed this shortly after they boarded the car. Wu had also lost contact; the Gate within him seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber.
However, it appeared more accurate to say that their Gates were being suppressed by the car itself.
The Disciples of the Door owed their formidable power entirely to the Power of the Door. Now stripped of that power, they were no different from ordinary people.
In some ways, they were even more vulnerable.
Squeak...
Tap.
Squeak...
Tap.
A strange sound drifted from behind the car, emanating from the swirling mist.
The trio immediately tensed, Fatty's ears pricking up like a startled animal.
Moments later, a blurry figure materialized in the mist. As it drew closer, a wrinkled face emerged from the fog.
It was an old woman, seemingly nearing a century in age, her back hunched dramatically as she leaned heavily on a cane. A blue cloth bag, adorned with small white flowers, hung from the cane's curved handle.
The old woman's legs appeared weak, forcing her to shuffle forward, dragging her feet awkwardly across the ground.
But what truly took their breath away was the old woman's attire: a black outfit that instantly evoked the image of funerary garments worn by the deceased.
There was no doubt—this old woman was a ghost.
As she approached, Jiang Cheng felt the surrounding temperature plummet rapidly.
Fatty didn't dare look at the Old Madam. Instead, he kept glancing at Jiang Cheng, desperate to convey something important but terrified of being noticed. His face flushed crimson from the effort.
Jiang Cheng nodded slightly, understanding Fatty's unspoken message.
Fatty wanted to say that the cold wind they had felt earlier had been exactly like this, and that the Red-Clad Woman had vanished shortly after it subsided.
Huai Yi silently prayed that this clearly suspicious Old Madam was merely passing by, perhaps taking a stroll after a meal.
But before his prayer could finish, the Old Madam stopped, slowly turned, and shakily lowered herself into a seat—right across from Huai Yi. He only needed to turn his head slightly to see her face.
To Huai Yi's utter dismay, the Old Madam seemed to have taken a liking to him. She didn't even give him a chance to play dead. No sooner had she settled than she began harassing him.
"Young man," the Old Madam rasped, her voice as hoarse as if she had just been unearthed. The surrounding chill instantly doubled in intensity.
Huai Yi sat bolt upright, staring straight ahead without a word. But his trembling legs betrayed his terror, shaking like cooked noodles.
Fatty kept his eyes fixed on the chair back in front of him, slowly shifting his weight to widen the distance between himself and Huai Yi.
"Young man," the Old Madam said, her voice surprisingly polite as she fixed her gaze on Huai Yi's profile, "I need your help with something."
After a long pause, Huai Yi remained motionless, pretending not to hear.
Seeming displeased, the Old Madam raised her cane and poked Huai Yi in the waist with the tip. "Young man, don't pretend you can't hear me," she said. "I know you can. I need your help with something."
Realizing he couldn't avoid her any longer, Huai Yi turned his head as if just waking up. His eyes, filled with confusion and dazed innocence, met the Old Madam's. He pointed to his ear, then waved his hand at her with a pitiful expression.
"You can't hear?" the Old Madam asked expressionlessly.
Huai Yi nodded vigorously.
The Old Madam studied him for a moment. Perhaps Huai Yi's sincere gaze had moved her, or perhaps she simply gave up. As she shifted her attention to Fatty, who was sitting the second closest, Fatty spoke first, his face stern. "Brother Huai Yi, how could you deceive this old woman? She's doing you a favor by asking for your help. Don't be ungrateful."
"Old man, if you need anything, just ask my big brother Huai Yi here," Fatty said, patting Huai Yi's leg before returning his gaze to the back of the chair in front of him, lost in thought.
The old woman shifted her gaze back to Huai Yi, her eyes growing colder. Her face visibly paled, as if drained of blood.
"Great-Grandmother," Huai Yi's voice trembled. Sensing the danger, he quickly added, "I was just teasing you earlier. Please don't take it to heart. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Hearing this, the old woman's composure steadied. She seemed to sink into a memory before slowly speaking, "My granddaughter has gone missing. I've searched everywhere, but I can't find her. I'm afraid something has happened to her. Kind people, would you be willing to help me?"
"Your granddaughter is missing?" Huai Yi frowned. Before he could respond, Jiang Cheng interjected, "Where did she disappear from?"
"At her university," the old woman replied, a hint of pride creeping into her tone. "She just started this year."
"University..." Jiang Cheng paused, considering. "Do you know which university specifically? And when did she go missing?"
Hearing Jiang Cheng's questions, the old woman's clouded eyes grew even more confused. She seemed to know very little about her granddaughter's disappearance. "I don't know. I asked, but no one would tell me."
The old woman looked utterly pitiful, but Jiang Cheng still refused. "Madam, you don't know enough, and our abilities are limited. Why don't you ask the other passengers on the bus?"
Before he could finish, the old woman suddenly snapped her head up, glaring at Jiang Cheng and his companions. "You don't want to help me find my granddaughter, do you?"
Fatty, startled by her sudden shift in demeanor, quickly explained, "Madam, it's not that we don't want to help, it's that we can't. We truly sympathize with you and understand your urgency, but our abilities are limited. Please understand."
"Lies!" The old woman's face twisted into a grotesque expression. Her wrinkled skin cracked open, revealing dry, shriveled flesh beneath. "All lies! You're just like those five earlier—you simply refuse to help me find my granddaughter!"
(End of the Chapter)
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