"Grandma, does anyone else live at the ng Da Tavern owner’s house? Where do his son and daughter live?" Aisha asked, knowing this was an important clue.
"Those ungrateful ones, after their father went missing, divided the family property and left an old blind woman behind to enjoy life elsewhere," the old lady said, clearly upset as she began to cough uncontrollably.
"Is the tavern owner’s mother still alive?"
"Yes, thanks to the Buddha in the temple for their care, even though she’s blind, her days are manageable. She lives in Wuyi Alley on the north side of town, the third house on the right at the alley entrance."
Realizing it was ti and unable to extract further useful information from the old lady, the two said their goodbyes. Before leaving, Yang Xiao made sure to subtly remind the old lady to keep today’s conversation to herself.
Having received silver and the temple’s Buddha’s compassionate visit for disaster relief and blessings, the old lady agreed without hesitation.
Upon returning, Yang Xiao and the five others reconvened and returned to the temple. Once in the ditation room, they closed the door, ensuring no one was eavesdropping, and Yang Xiao and Aisha shared what they had discovered that day.
Upon learning that the girl Aduo had once seen a charred black figure, Musa imdiately concluded that this figure was the ghost that killed Davi.
It was the invisible killer lurking around them all along.
As suspected, those high monks were indeed connected to the ghost. They secretly used the ghost’s powers to heal the townspeople, undoubtedly requiring a price to be paid.
From the current situation, it seems the ghost is now out of control, beginning to kill indiscriminately.
"Perhaps it’s not indiscriminate killing," Yang Xiao reminded. "I suspect those targeted by the ghost were once healed by it. Now the ghost is coming to kill them... like it’s collecting a debt."
"Then what about us?" Adila interrupted, "How do you explain us being targeted by the ghost?"
"Yeah, how about us... We didn’t ask the monks to heal us; we weren’t even here when they died," Shari whispered, comforted by Aisha’s presence at her side.
"No, those so-called high monks have already seen us," Musa shook his head. "Choosing the Worldly Alms Bowl is a very serious matter, requiring a significant connection with all six high monks. I think we’ve all been quietly healed by the ghost without us knowing."
Yang Xiao agreed with Musa, but there was no need to endlessly debate it; they would know for sure after speaking with Pato Abbot.
The facts were clear: the ghost had appeared and was among them, and their imdiate concern was how to survive the night.
"Folks, I’m not trying to cause strife here, but the other team is already suspicious of us. This morning I asked Datou about what happened last night, and all he gave was vague information, nothing useful," Adila said, sitting cross-legged on a chair and shrugging helplessly.
"That’s understandable. Three people died, and they were all from their team. But why is the ghost only targeting them?" Musa, a veteran in the world of martial arts with plenty of experience in nightmare tasks, faced this bizarre situation for the first ti.
Hearing this, Adila crossed her arms behind her head, a bit gloating, "It’d be great if the ghost keeps targeting their team. If we don’t stir anything up, and one person dies a day, they can last three more days, which should be long enough for us to leave this world."
"Hopefully," Aisha exhaled, her gaze instinctively drifting towards the window. The night was approaching, and tonight’s task awaited them.
The mont these words left her mouth, a faint sound echoed from the courtyard, as if soone was tiptoeing.
Though it wasn’t yet dark, they had already proven the ghost could kill during the day, causing everyone’s heart to tense instantly.
This visitor didn’t seem like a monk, as the monks’ shoes didn’t make this sound when they walked.
"Knock, knock, knock."
A very soft knock echoed through the door.
"It’s Maria. Please open the door," Maria’s voice squeezed through the crack, "Rest assured, I’m human."
"Maria, why aren’t you in your room? What are you doing here?" Yang Xiao, hiding behind the door, asked with a frown, with no intention of opening it.
"That team is strange; I’m certain they violated a taboo, and I want to join you," Maria spoke quickly. "I know many things, I’m a doctor, and I can surely help you."
"We’d love to help, but the room assignnts for the two teams were decided at the beginning, and you didn’t oppose it then. Besides, the monks in the temple wouldn’t agree either," Musa chid in to persuade.
"Alright, you better head back. We won’t tell others you ca tonight. If you wait longer, it’ll soon be dark."
Adila’s words effectively crushed Maria’s last hopes, leaving her to hasten back, dejected.
Once the footsteps outside completely faded, Shari finally dared to breathe deeply, "She... she was a fake, a ghost in disguise, right?"
"I don’t know," Adila said nonchalantly, finding a chair and leaning against a pillar to rest. "But it doesn’t matter. Whether human or ghost, we weren’t opening the door."
"That woman isn’t a good person, who knows if she’ll lead the ghost here." Adila muttered to himself, only for his own ears.
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