Translator: CinderTL
Seeing the Old Madam's sudden change in demeanor and her mention of the Red-Clad Woman and the others, Jiang Cheng finally understood how they had met their end.
"Old Madam," Jiang Cheng said, stroking his chin with a reassuring air, "perhaps we didn't express ourselves clearly. What I meant was that we're happy to help you find your granddaughter, but we need more clues from you to work efficiently and reunite you with her sooner."
Hearing this, the Old Madam's emotions finally calmed. She nodded and said, "It seems I misunderstood you."
With trembling hands, she untied the cloth bundle attached to her walking stick. As the bundle came undone, something rolled out, spun across the ground, and came to rest at Huai Yi's feet.
"No need, Old Madam! I'll get it!" Huai Yi exclaimed enthusiastically, bending down quickly to pick it up, eager to make a good impression.
But as he held the object in his hand, Huai Yi's expression shifted dramatically. His initial confusion gradually morphed into horror.
In his hand was a crudely made clay figure, patched together with scraps of fabric and colorful clay.
But what truly terrified Huai Yi was that he recognized the mud figure. It carried a sack sewn from scraps of fabric, the crooked stitches making it look awkward, and wore a scarf around its neck.
This is the writer!
The same writer who had been telling them stories just an hour ago—how could he have transformed into this ghastly state so quickly?
Huai Yi swallowed hard and slowly raised his head. In the next instant, a horrifying scene flashed into his mind like a lightning bolt.
The Old Madam's cloth bag was half-open, revealing a dense collection of mud figures of all shapes and sizes. Huai Yi quickly spotted the remaining members of their group among them.
Noticing Huai Yi's frozen stance with the mud figure in his hand, the Old Madam casually said, "Young man, if you like that little toy, you can take it. This old woman has plenty more."
Huai Yi's lips twitched. "Take it to play with?"
"We haven't done anything to earn such a precious gift, Old Madam," Jiang Cheng interjected with feigned righteousness, glancing at Huai Yi. "Return it to her immediately."
Huai Yi hastily placed the mud figure back in the bag as if it were a hot potato, but the Old Madam didn't seem to mind. Her withered, twig-like fingers rummaged through the cloth bag until she finally pulled out something that looked like a hairpin.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a brooch shaped like a leaf.
"This is my granddaughter's brooch," the Old Madam said, her eyes softening as she spoke of her. "She treasures it dearly because I bought it for her. If you find her and give her this brooch, she'll know you were sent by this old woman."
Jiang Cheng slowly stood up, took a few steps forward, and politely accepted the brooch. It was an ordinary piece, yet in the Old Madam's eyes, it held immeasurable value.
By now, Jiang Cheng and his companions were less fearful of the Old Madam than they had been initially. At first, they hadn't understood her purpose or origins.
Now they understood: the entire bus was a supernatural event, and the Old Madam was the NPC assigning their mission.
If they followed her instructions and methodically completed the task of finding her granddaughter, they would be safe. Otherwise, they would share the fate of those clay figures in the bag.
With this realization, Jiang Cheng turned his attention to the bus itself.
So far, this bus seemed unlike any supernatural event he had previously encountered.
This wasn't a single incident, but rather a convergence of multiple supernatural occurrences.
The Old Madam, the man reading the newspaper up front, the ghost bride—each was, in essence, a distinct supernatural event.
Jiang Cheng couldn't be sure how many more supernatural events were lurking on the bus. He had a nagging feeling that the secrets hidden within its walls were far deeper than what they had already witnessed, and that the true horrors were still concealed in the depths of the fog, waiting to emerge.
The Old Madam, now without her brooch, seemed drained of vitality. She withered before their eyes, appearing to have aged twenty years in an instant, eliciting a pang of pity.
With the mission objectives clear, the next step was to pinpoint the destination. Jiang Cheng carefully pocketed the brooch and turned to the Old Madam. "Ma'am," he asked gently, "which university does your granddaughter attend? How do we get there?"
"Don't worry about that," the Old Madam replied, her voice weak but firm. "Jiangtan University is right next to the next bus stop. You'll see it when you get off." She raised her head, glancing at something above Jiang Cheng and the others. "Prepare yourselves. The next stop is ours."
"Next stop..." Fatty echoed, mimicking her gaze upward. Through the hazy mist, he dimly spotted a small red light flickering overhead.
"It's the bus route map," Huai Yi observed, his vantage point allowing him to see more clearly.
"Can you make out the stops?" Jiang Cheng whispered.
Huai Yi shook his head. "No, the fog's too thick."
Just as they were speaking, the bus screeched to a halt. The doors groaned open.
Outside, the fog remained thick and impenetrable. It seemed they wouldn't see anything until they stepped out.
"You've arrived. Time to get off," the Old Madam said, rising to her feet and nodding at them. "Please, you must find my granddaughter."
Jiang Cheng was the last to disembark. Before stepping off, he glanced back at the route map. The fog had momentarily thinned, revealing a winding, circuitous path dotted with small black circles.
Jiang Cheng interpreted each circle as a stop along the way. The convoluted path snaked endlessly into the mist, as if symbolizing a road of no return.
As Jiang Cheng stepped off the bus, a wide but slightly dilapidated school gate loomed before him, bearing the gilded characters "Jiangtan University." Much of the gold leaf had peeled away, and the gate itself was in disrepair, giving the place a desolate, decaying appearance.
The bus had delivered them right to their destination. How thoughtful.
"Jiangtan University," Huai Yi said, smacking his lips. After a moment, he commented, "This name feels so ominous. 'Jiang' means river, and 'tan' means deep pool—it's all water, giving off such heavy yin energy."
Just as they were about to approach the university, a voice suddenly caught their attention. "Hey, you guys over there!"
They turned toward the sound and saw a group of five people approaching from about thirty meters away to their right.
The group consisted of three men and two women, each dressed in a different style, but clearly their peers.
"Could they be teammates?" Huai Yi asked, surprised.
(End of the Chapter)
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