Chapter 119: Rebellious Children.
Chi Shen was already cheerfully opening another bag.
Because the woman in red suddenly became solid, to avoid scaring others, Chi Shen kindly persuaded her to climb into his backpack. With no room left for his luggage, luckily, Zhong Yi quickly provided him with another bag for his clothes. Now he had two bags.
The current bag held his change of clothes and the swimsuit he had bought at the mall.
Seeing Chi Shen's action of zipping his backpack, Ji Xingchen's hand, which was unbuttoning his shirt, paused. He calmly rebuttoned it, saying, "I'll go outside for a bit."
Chi Shen had already pulled out the clothes from the bottom of his bag. Seeing Ji Xingchen's reaction, he became alert, "Do you have an issue with my shark-themed swimsuit?"
Ji Xingchen was already opening the door, and before leaving, he didn't forget to say, "No."
"I saw the refusal on your face."
Ji Xingchen had closed the door behind him.
Chi Shen had no choice but to take a bath by himself. It must be said, the hotel environment was truly exceptional. The private hot spring pools, though small, came in a pair, one of which had a massage feature. The pools were surrounded by evergreen plants, ensuring a lively green view even in winter, beautifully isolating the room's private hot spring from the outside.
While soaking in the massage pool, Chi Shen sighed, "Is this what a vacation feels like?"
Gui Lian (Ghost Face) was in the other pool, blowing bubbles at the bottom, making "gurgle gurgle" sounds, seemingly agreeing with Chi Shen's statement. After a while, he floated up, his pale face radiating happiness, "It's a pity Lingling didn't come."
Chi Shen's smile faded a bit as he looked up at the sky, "I hope she's safe out there."
Before they set off for Dongshan Hot Spring Holiday Hotel, Chi Shen checked his bag and noticed Huang Lingling was missing. He searched the hotel arranged by the Zhong family but couldn't find her.
Eventually, a security guard informed him that in the morning, a little girl ghost said Chi Shen had arranged an important task for her outside. So, he let her go.
Chi Shen looked at the guard with an indescribable expression, "You believed a ghost?"
The guard replied, "It's the ghost you brought. I found her credible!"
Chi Shen patted the guard's shoulder, "Thanks for that."
The guard grinned, "It's my duty!"
As Chi Shen was about to turn away, the guard suddenly called out to him, "Mr. Chi, the little girl left a message for you."
Chi Shen asked, "What was it?"
The guard looked puzzled, "She said 'have fun'. Weren't you guys on an investigation? How can it be fun?"
Chi Shen paused, looking outside, and chuckled, "Never mind. As long as the child is happy. She's probably in her rebellious phase."
The guard was even more confused, "Huh?"
Chi Shen heavily patted his shoulder again, letting out a fatherly sigh, then turned to board the vehicle heading to Dongshan Hot Spring Hotel with the other ghosts.
Hence, upon arrival at the Dongshan Hot Spring Hotel, only the ghost Huang Lingling was missing.
Hearing Chi Shen's words, Gui Lian (Ghost Face) sighed, "It's too dangerous for a little girl to be out there alone."
After his sigh, it suddenly dawned on him. He quickly flipped over on the water surface, "She's a fierce ghost! Others should be the ones wary of her. The danger is to them. Why are we even worried about her safety?"
In stark contrast to the lively scene with Chi Shen, the room across his—occupied by Bai Wan and the red-dressed female ghost—was much quieter.
Bai Wan entered the room carrying a backpack with the red-dressed ghost inside. She'd been stuffed in there for a good ten minutes. Initially obedient, the ghost was now wriggling restlessly. From the outside, it looked as though a horrifying alien creature was gestating within the black backpack.
Bai Wan soothingly patted the backpack, calming its contents slightly. Once she closed the door, she unzipped the backpack amidst its continued writhing.
A pale hand immediately shot out from within, followed by a clump of hair. The pale hand then yanked the hair hard, and half of a body emerged from the bag before promptly falling onto the floor with a thud.
The red-dressed ghost, holding her bruised forehead, gazed up at Bai Wan with tear-filled eyes, "Ouch! Why am I even alive? I'm so uncomfortable!"
Bai Wan gently picked her up, rubbing her forehead reassuringly, "It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt. Want something to eat? Or perhaps some fresh air?"
Saying so, Bai Wan glanced out of the large window and then produced a piece of candy that Chi Shen had previously folded.
The red-dressed ghost swiftly crawled up Bai Wan's arm and devoured the candy. Despite the tears in her eyes, she cheerfully exclaimed, "Fresh air!"
Bai Wan, somewhat exasperated, held her while sliding open the glass door, ready to step out. Suddenly, the red-dressed ghost sprung from her embrace and dashed to her bag, exclaiming, "Clothes!"
Chi Shen had also prepared clothes for Bai Wan, but they weren't swimwear. Considering Bai Wan's era, he got her long-sleeved tops and pants, as well as a long skirt.
The red-dressed ghost excitedly pulled the skirt from the backpack. Her terrifying eyes gleamed, "Pretty! Wear!"
Bai Wan paused, staring at the skirt for a moment. Touching the veil covering her face, her voice took on a hint of amusement, "If you like it so much, I'll help you wear it."
Compared to the joyous atmosphere here, the ambiance in the room next to Chi Shen's was notably peculiar.
Zhong Yi and Zhong Jingzhu entered their room and locked the door behind them. They then began inspecting every corner of the room meticulously.
Each held a device in their hands: the latest version of a Yin energy detector. Utilizing the sensitivity of willow leaves to Yin energy, it used cinnabar as a scale to detect elusive Yin energies.
After a thorough inspection, both shook their heads in unison, "No response."
Zhong Jingzhu mused, "We've detected no Yin energy in the entire hotel."
"From the looks of it, this might just be a regular criminal case, unrelated to paranormal events," Zhong Yi added.
"But you've seen what happened in Harbor City," said Zhong Jingzhu.
Zhong Yi nodded, deep in thought. They had now stepped outside, near the entrance to the hot springs. "Do you recall what happened on the first day Grandfather arrived?" he asked.
Zhong Yi had committed Grandfather Zhong's notebook to memory, and although Zhong Jingzhu had read it, he hadn't memorized its contents.
Still, Zhong Jingzhu had a sharp memory. "Stay away from the water... the knocking sounds?" he recalled.
Splash—
As soon as he spoke, they heard a sigh from next door, from Chi Shen: "Taking a dip in the hot springs is truly relaxing."
Chapter 119: Rebellious Children.
Chi Shen was already cheerfully opening another bag.
Because the woman in red suddenly became solid, to avoid scaring others, Chi Shen kindly persuaded her to climb into his backpack. With no room left for his luggage, luckily, Zhong Yi quickly provided him with another bag for his clothes. Now he had two bags.
The current bag held his change of clothes and the swimsuit he had bought at the mall.
Seeing Chi Shen's action of zipping his backpack, Ji Xingchen's hand, which was unbuttoning his shirt, paused. He calmly rebuttoned it, saying, "I'll go outside for a bit."
Chi Shen had already pulled out the clothes from the bottom of his bag. Seeing Ji Xingchen's reaction, he became alert, "Do you have an issue with my shark-themed swimsuit?"
Ji Xingchen was already opening the door, and before leaving, he didn't forget to say, "No."
"I saw the refusal on your face."
Ji Xingchen had closed the door behind him.
Chi Shen had no choice but to take a bath by himself. It must be said, the hotel environment was truly exceptional. The private hot spring pools, though small, came in a pair, one of which had a massage feature. The pools were surrounded by evergreen plants, ensuring a lively green view even in winter, beautifully isolating the room's private hot spring from the outside.
While soaking in the massage pool, Chi Shen sighed, "Is this what a vacation feels like?"
Gui Lian (Ghost Face) was in the other pool, blowing bubbles at the bottom, making "gurgle gurgle" sounds, seemingly agreeing with Chi Shen's statement. After a while, he floated up, his pale face radiating happiness, "It's a pity Lingling didn't come."
Chi Shen's smile faded a bit as he looked up at the sky, "I hope she's safe out there."
Before they set off for Dongshan Hot Spring Holiday Hotel, Chi Shen checked his bag and noticed Huang Lingling was missing. He searched the hotel arranged by the Zhong family but couldn't find her.
Eventually, a security guard informed him that in the morning, a little girl ghost said Chi Shen had arranged an important task for her outside. So, he let her go.
Chi Shen looked at the guard with an indescribable expression, "You believed a ghost?"
The guard replied, "It's the ghost you brought. I found her credible!"
Chi Shen patted the guard's shoulder, "Thanks for that."
The guard grinned, "It's my duty!"
As Chi Shen was about to turn away, the guard suddenly called out to him, "Mr. Chi, the little girl left a message for you."
Chi Shen asked, "What was it?"
The guard looked puzzled, "She said 'have fun'. Weren't you guys on an investigation? How can it be fun?"
Chi Shen paused, looking outside, and chuckled, "Never mind. As long as the child is happy. She's probably in her rebellious phase."
The guard was even more confused, "Huh?"
Chi Shen heavily patted his shoulder again, letting out a fatherly sigh, then turned to board the vehicle heading to Dongshan Hot Spring Hotel with the other ghosts.
Hence, upon arrival at the Dongshan Hot Spring Hotel, only the ghost Huang Lingling was missing.
Hearing Chi Shen's words, Gui Lian (Ghost Face) sighed, "It's too dangerous for a little girl to be out there alone."
After his sigh, it suddenly dawned on him. He quickly flipped over on the water surface, "She's a fierce ghost! Others should be the ones wary of her. The danger is to them. Why are we even worried about her safety?"
In stark contrast to the lively scene with Chi Shen, the room across his—occupied by Bai Wan and the red-dressed female ghost—was much quieter.
Bai Wan entered the room carrying a backpack with the red-dressed ghost inside. She'd been stuffed in there for a good ten minutes. Initially obedient, the ghost was now wriggling restlessly. From the outside, it looked as though a horrifying alien creature was gestating within the black backpack.
Bai Wan soothingly patted the backpack, calming its contents slightly. Once she closed the door, she unzipped the backpack amidst its continued writhing.
A pale hand immediately shot out from within, followed by a clump of hair. The pale hand then yanked the hair hard, and half of a body emerged from the bag before promptly falling onto the floor with a thud.
The red-dressed ghost, holding her bruised forehead, gazed up at Bai Wan with tear-filled eyes, "Ouch! Why am I even alive? I'm so uncomfortable!"
Bai Wan gently picked her up, rubbing her forehead reassuringly, "It's okay, it's okay, it doesn't hurt. Want something to eat? Or perhaps some fresh air?"
Saying so, Bai Wan glanced out of the large window and then produced a piece of candy that Chi Shen had previously folded.
The red-dressed ghost swiftly crawled up Bai Wan's arm and devoured the candy. Despite the tears in her eyes, she cheerfully exclaimed, "Fresh air!"
Bai Wan, somewhat exasperated, held her while sliding open the glass door, ready to step out. Suddenly, the red-dressed ghost sprung from her embrace and dashed to her bag, exclaiming, "Clothes!"
Chi Shen had also prepared clothes for Bai Wan, but they weren't swimwear. Considering Bai Wan's era, he got her long-sleeved tops and pants, as well as a long skirt.
The red-dressed ghost excitedly pulled the skirt from the backpack. Her terrifying eyes gleamed, "Pretty! Wear!"
Bai Wan paused, staring at the skirt for a moment. Touching the veil covering her face, her voice took on a hint of amusement, "If you like it so much, I'll help you wear it."
Compared to the joyous atmosphere here, the ambiance in the room next to Chi Shen's was notably peculiar.
Zhong Yi and Zhong Jingzhu entered their room and locked the door behind them. They then began inspecting every corner of the room meticulously.
Each held a device in their hands: the latest version of a Yin energy detector. Utilizing the sensitivity of willow leaves to Yin energy, it used cinnabar as a scale to detect elusive Yin energies.
After a thorough inspection, both shook their heads in unison, "No response."
Zhong Jingzhu mused, "We've detected no Yin energy in the entire hotel."
"From the looks of it, this might just be a regular criminal case, unrelated to paranormal events," Zhong Yi added.
"But you've seen what happened in Harbor City," said Zhong Jingzhu.
Zhong Yi nodded, deep in thought. They had now stepped outside, near the entrance to the hot springs. "Do you recall what happened on the first day Grandfather arrived?" he asked.
Zhong Yi had committed Grandfather Zhong's notebook to memory, and although Zhong Jingzhu had read it, he hadn't memorized its contents.
Still, Zhong Jingzhu had a sharp memory. "Stay away from the water... the knocking sounds?" he recalled.
Splash—
As soon as he spoke, they heard a sigh from next door, from Chi Shen: "Taking a dip in the hot springs is truly relaxing."
