INSIDER Chapter 26

He and Song Gui had entered the “game” guided by the “rules,” believing they wouldn’t be detected by those within the game. Li Jiapeng and He Mingde seemed perfectly normal, and Yang Cheng was the victim. Lu Chu quickly thought of the mysteriously elusive Qi Li, who had been present since the first “game.” In this “game,” only two people could participate: him and Song Gui. It was clear that Qi Li was not a native of the game. So, what identity did Qi Li assume to be here?

The old woman said, “Four people have come from outside the village.” Was she implying that some were originally from this village, or was there a ghost among them?

Already on edge from the series of bizarre events, Li Jiapeng directly voiced Lu Chu’s suspicion, “Are you saying there’s a mole among us?”

The old woman looked up at him, her bright eyes piercing through her skeletal frame, making his scalp tingle. She said, “Not a mole, a ghost.”

He Mingde, recovering from his earlier shock, angrily retorted, “How is that possible? We’ve known each other for years. How could any of us be a ghost? Aren’t ghosts afraid of light, fire, and many other things? If there’s really a ghost among us, why didn’t you say so before? Are you villagers trying to frame us?”

“Frame? There’s nothing to frame you for.” The old woman calmly twisted her neck, making cracking sounds. “As for why I only tell you now, it’s because I’m not omnipotent.”

“Not omnipotent?” He Mingde sneered, “Then how did you conclude that one of us is a ghost?”

Song Gui frowned and stopped He Mingde from asking further questions. He then asked the old woman, “Sorry, we just lost a brother, and everyone’s emotions are high. But I really want to know why you only tell us now that there might be a ghost among us?”

Upon hearing this, the young girl who had been silent beside the old woman became anxious, “You city folks are all bad people! Grandma used forbidden techniques to help you with divination, and now she needs a long time to recover. And you don’t believe her and even question her. Get out, all of you!”

She began pushing Song Gui and the others with her small body, calling them bad people as she did.

The girl was the one who opened the door for Lu Chu and his companions last time. Because of the old woman’s strong presence, they hadn’t paid much attention to her. Only now did they notice she was dressed in red, which, in the dim, enclosed space, didn’t seem out of place and matched the surroundings well.

Song Gui stopped the girl’s harmless hitting and said, “We didn’t mean that. It’s just that what’s happening is too unexpected, so our tone was a bit harsh.”

The girl still didn’t listen, glaring at them with hatred.

The old woman called her, “Xiaoyun.”

The girl finally lowered her head and stood beside the old woman again, still wringing her hands and muttering something.

The old woman stood up, and the girl quickly went to support her.

The old woman took out several jade amulets from a table behind her and handed them to Lu Chu and the others, who accepted them.

Holding the amulet, Lu Chu felt its significant weight, recognizing it as something extraordinary. He stuffed it into his inner pocket.

The old woman waited for them to put away the amulets before slowly saying, “When I first saw you, I felt an inexplicable strangeness. Do you remember the incense you lit here? After you left, an eerie wind from the underworld blew, extinguishing all the incense. Normal earthly breezes would only make burning incense burn faster and brighter. That’s when I knew my feeling was right. It has returned.”

Lu Chu, sensing he was nearing the truth, asked, “It?”

“The thing that killed Guo Jianping twenty years ago.”

This statement shocked everyone, despite their suspicions. Lu Chu’s grandmother anxiously asked the old woman, “Will it keep killing? What about my grandson? Do you have a way to get rid of it?”

The old woman sighed, “That’s why I’m telling you now. I didn’t know before. I could sense something strange would happen but didn’t know the source. Now, after using forbidden techniques and sacrificing years of my life, I only know that one of the five people from outside the village is a ghost. I don’t know who.”

Li Jiapeng murmured, “One of us…is really a ghost?”

He looked at his old comrades, from Song Gui to He Mingde, and finally to Qi Li, then yelled, “Why?! Even if one of you is a ghost, hasn’t Chengzi been good to you all these years? Do ghosts really have no humanity?”

He Mingde, irritated by the sudden accusation, snapped, “What do you mean by that? Are you saying we’re the ghosts? First, let’s determine if there really is a ghost. If there is, why couldn’t it be you?”

“Me? How could it be me?!”

“Maybe it’s a diversion tactic. Ghosts might have some intelligence too.”

Song Gui sternly interrupted, “Enough! Everyone, shut up!”

After Li Jiapeng and He Mingde calmed down, Lu Chu asked the old woman, “So, you’re saying you’re no match for it.”

The old woman closed her eyes and nodded, “Twenty years ago, I might have been able to deal with it. Now, I’m no match for it.”

Qi Li said, “If one of us is a ghost and you can’t defeat it, aren’t we in great danger?”

“No.” The old woman opened her eyes, still bright. “While I can’t defeat it, I can ensure mutual destruction if it reveals itself. It has waited twenty years, not to cause trouble for itself but to seek revenge on those from twenty years ago. It won’t expose itself easily. You’re just its starting point, not its target.”

Revenge?

Lu Chu asked, “Is it the child in Wei Rong’s womb?”

The old woman shook her head, “No.” Then she continued, “The events of twenty years ago aren’t as simple as we think. I only learned some truths from the mad Wei Rong, but I can’t piece it all together. If you want to know, you can ask her, if she can tell you anything.”

“Go on, leave now.” The old woman, supported by the girl, walked into the inner room, leaving one last remark, “Karma is inevitable. The heavens are changing. I have exhausted myself with this divination and can’t hold on any longer.”

Finally, only Song Gui and Lu Chu’s group were left to face each other.

“What now?” He Mingde broke the silence first.

Song Gui rubbed his chin and looked around, “Let’s go back first. If there’s a ghost, it will reveal itself.”

Lu Chu’s grandmother kept clutching his hand, praying for ancestral protection.

“I think,” Lu Chu said, “it’s necessary to visit Wei Rong.”

He added, “Preferably right now.”

Li Jiapeng nodded, “Agreed.”

The situation was getting increasingly complicated. No one could rest easy without uncovering the truth. If the entity from twenty years ago started its revenge, who could predict the next victim?

“Alright, let’s go now.”

———

Lu Chu’s grandmother was too old to exert herself. It took a lot of persuasion for Lu Chu to convince her to go home and rest. The rest of them then headed to Wei Rong’s house.

Most villagers they encountered avoided them, and some children even threw stones at them, making Li Jiapeng’s eyes redden with anger. Fortunately, Lu Chu had asked his grandmother where Wei Rong lived in advance, or they might not have found anyone to guide them.

Wei Rong had lost the ability to live independently twenty years ago. With her parents deceased and other relatives unwilling to take her in, she still lived alone in an old mud house. Relatives took turns bringing her food daily.

Upon arriving, they truly understood what “unable to live independently” meant.

Standing in front of the small wooden door, they were hit by a nauseating stench. Inside the courtyard, it was filthy beyond description, with the smells of a latrine and rotting food mingling, making it unbearable.

There were only two rooms in the courtyard, one for cooking and one for living. The latrine was a messy pile of broken bricks.

From the courtyard, they could vaguely hear Wei Rong muttering to herself, saying things like “retribution” and other incoherent ramblings.

Lu Chu stepped forward, intending to enter first, but Qi Li stopped him.

Qi Li said, “I’ll go.”

He then walked in.

Lu Chu followed closely. Upon entering, he was overwhelmed by the stench, a mix of mold and filth. In the next moment, he saw a long object hurtling towards Qi Li. Qi Li didn’t dodge but deflected it with his hand.

Clang!