“Since the ghost has left, we need to hurry up.” Zhou Rong looked around. The anxiety in his heart amplified. “We’ll split up. I’ll search the kitchen.”
“I’ll stay here just in case the ghost comes back.” Bei Qian volunteered immediately. Then, they both turned to Jiang Cheng. The only option left was the second floor. Clearly, they wanted him to search the unknown location.
“Exciting!” Jiang Cheng was excited.
Zhou Rong almost shouted from Jiang Cheng’s reaction. Bei Qian had it even worse. Due to his age, he suddenly felt a spot of wetness in his pants. “Then… we’ll have to trouble Mr. Yi.”
After saying that, the pale-faced Zhou Rong left. He headed to the kitchen door. The ghost exited this door earlier. The chopping sound also came from the kitchen. Bei Qian was innately scared of Jiang Cheng. This man… didn’t seem to be mentally sound. To prevent himself from being bogged down by Jiang Cheng, Bei Qian chose to stay away from him.
Jiang Cheng moved to the staircase. He didn’t go upstairs immediately. After some thinking, he suddenly knelt down and placed his ear on the wall next to the stairs.
Due to the line of sight, Bei Qian couldn’t see him anymore and naturally assumed Jiang Cheng had gone upstairs.
There was a thin layer of dust on the floor. Jiang Cheng’s eyes scanned up the stairs. There were conspicuous spots where the dust had been disturbed. He narrowed his eyes and got up the steps silently. He chose a spot with a good vantage point and knelt down. He… discovered a few shoeprints. They looked unclear and messy, like… they were left behind when people were escaping in a panic.
Based on what Bei Qian said earlier, they should have been left behind by Jiang Zhongyi before he died. Jiang Cheng carefully analysed the prints. He soon confirmed that the prints belonged to more than one person. They came from two people. Based on the sizes, they should be two male adults. Jiang Cheng was immediately reminded of Ben Fu, who had gone missing the first night. It was very likely that he had been there and was attacked by the ghost there.
Jiang Cheng looked down. To the side of the spot where he was standing, there was a sign of dust disturbance. It suggested that… there was once a woman who was doing the same thing as Jiang Cheng was doing. She chose to occupy the same positions to observe the shoeprints on the stairs.
A different emotion appeared in Jiang Cheng’s eyes for the first time. He raised his head to scan the shadowed corner of the staircase. Then, he backed down the stairs slowly. As he turned around, he caught a face at the kitchen door. It was Zhou Rong. However, his face was whiter than before.
Bei Qian had also returned. Jiang Cheng pretended to have returned from the second floor and had found nothing.
“How was it?” Bei Qian looked at Jiang Cheng and whispered. Jiang Cheng shook his head with disappointment.
Bei Qian licked his lips and glanced at the stairs. Then, he asked in a pointed tone, “Why didn’t I hear any footsteps coming from upstairs earlier? Was Mr. Yi too scared and didn’t actually go upstairs?”
Hearing that, Jiang Cheng moved away and gestured at the stairs, “If you don’t believe me, you can go up and look for yourself.”
Bei Qian glanced at the dark end of the staircase, and his lips dried.
“Wait… I think you should come in to take a look.” Zhou Rong suddenly interrupted. He sounded like he was suppressing a vomit or something. At the same time, a lingering scent of blood floated out of the kitchen.
Bei Qian’s face darkened when he thought of something. In the end, he moved over with Jiang Cheng. Zhou Rong moved away to let them into the kitchen. Bei Qian entered first, and Jiang Cheng was behind him.
Once they entered, they were hit by a thick stench of blood and the horrible smell of meat decay. On the floor was a black stone stove. The part that was connected to the cement floor was slathered with a thick layer of yellow mud. There were a few china bowls placed in the corner. Most of them were chipped. There was also a giant basin covered with a wooden lid.
The stovetop was bloody… like a butcher’s corner.
Zhou Rong clearly had taken a look inside the basin earlier. Therefore, when he lifted the lid this time, he only took a deep breath. However, Bei Qian’s face drained of colour. Inside the basin… were pieces of minced meat. Some of them with strange colours should be internal organs. The scariest thing they spotted among the meat was a finger with broken bones and attached skin.
Bei Qian, who was the frailest, started to vomit. Jiang Cheng danced away at the first notice. Zhou Rong reacted slower. When he wanted to evade it, the vomit had already hit his shoes.
The vomit mixed with the blood on the cement floor. Even though the blood hadn’t dried, it had turned viscous. Once stepped on, the blood would make a squishy sound. Anyone who stepped on the blood would leave behind a print.
“Hmm?” Jiang Cheng suddenly said.
Zhou Rong instantly looked at him. Before he could say anything, the latter warned in a whisper, “Did you hear that?”
“What…?” Bei Qian was scared.
“It came from upstairs.” Jiang Cheng turned to the door and said, “Stay here. I’ll go take a look.”
“I’ll go with you.” Zhou Rong followed him. However, he felt a pull on his arm.
“Mr. Zhou.” Bei Qian looked weak, but he held onto Zhou Rong tightly. He whispered, “Let him go on his own. It’s safer for us… I mean… The ghost is coming back. We should look for clues here.”
During their swift interaction, Jiang Cheng had already left the kitchen.
Zhou Rong slowly turned around to look at Bei Qian’s worried face. A few seconds later, Zhou Rong smiled, “Okay.” Zhou Rong started to move backwards, “I’ve already found some clues.”
His gait was strange. He was also suddenly so much firmer and stronger. Bei Qian was practically dragged away by him.