Thriller Zone: From the Mental Hospital to the Ghostly World

[I added 2000 words to the previous chapter this morning; those who haven't read it can go back and check it out.]

The fear that this face instilled in Yin Ziqin was no less than the fear she felt when her father said "snake shedding its skin" years ago.

Because she already knew that Xiao Yan was a ghost!

But the question is, when did Xiao Yan appear behind him?!

How long did they spy on them?

Instinctively, she reached into her pocket, but stopped herself.

No... You only have one chance to use it.

Is it really necessary this time?

With a determined look, Yin Ziqin turned around and stared directly at Xiao Yan behind her!

"what happened?"

Yin Ziqin took the initiative and asked the question.

At such close range, Yin Ziqin could clearly see that Xiao Yan's eyes, which were always smiling, were now filled with only coldness.

Although not as ferocious as in the video, it still carried a strong sense of suspicion.

"What's this?" Xiao Yan pointed to her phone.

Yin Ziqin's mind raced; firstly, Xiao Yan was from ancient times and couldn't understand the concept of a "cell phone" at all; secondly, she absolutely couldn't let Xiao Yan know that the cell phone could "record" everything that had happened in the room before.

Why is my face on it?

Xiao Yan moved closer and closer, her eyes fixed on Yin Ziqin, as if trying to discern something unusual from her expression.

As soon as she said that, Yin Ziqin immediately judged that there was an 80% chance that Xiao Yan hadn't seen the previous scene.

In other words, Xiaoyan only saw it after her phone froze and the white face appeared.

"It's just a mirror." Yin Ziqin raised an eyebrow. "Didn't I lend my mirror to Jiang Zhong? How did it end up here?"

“…”

Xiao Yan didn't speak, but stared at her inquisitively.

Yin Ziqin held her phone up to Xiao Yan's face; the black screen still reflected Xiao Yan's face fairly clearly.

"Just now, my face was colorful."

Xiao Yan said coldly.

Yin Ziqin replied naturally, "Is it a lighting issue?"

This explanation is completely untenable.

Yin Ziqin knew very well... but she didn't need to actually make Xiao Yan believe her. She was just gambling that whether Xiao Yan believed her or not, she wouldn't let her die!

The two of them squatted on the ground and stared at each other.

Xiao Yan suddenly snatched the phone away, tapping up and down with her fingers, and then tried to press the side buttons like Yin Ziqin, but the phone was already completely out of power and was now as hard as a brick.

On the dark screen, only Xiao Yan's serious face was reflected.

She loosened her grip, and the phone fell heavily to the ground, immediately developing a long crack.

"I'm sorry." Xiao Yan looked at the crack and finally smiled faintly. "I broke your mirror."

Yin Ziqin waved her hand and stood up, seemingly unconcerned.

She was genuinely indifferent, after all, she had obtained all the necessary information, and besides, it wasn't her phone.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Yan asked again. "Shouldn't you still be at the Zhou residence at this hour?"

This point.

She did indeed know about reinforcing the wooden door.

Yin Ziqin had already prepared a response to this question, and she deliberately repeated Ah Jian's instructions in their entirety, then added:

"It's almost time, so I'll wait here first."

Xiao Yan nodded slightly: "You go back first."

"Come back when the hourglass is almost empty."

After saying that, her ears twitched, and she looked towards the door.

Footsteps approached, and a figure appeared in the doorway... It was Du Tingfeng!

His complexion wasn't very good, but upon seeing Xiao Yan, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Yin Ziqin's eyes flickered slightly, knowing that Du Tingfeng must have seen the note she left and had come to meet her. So...

Du Tingfeng must have also discovered Xiao Yan's true identity?

A sense of gratitude welled up in Yin Ziqin's heart.

If it were anyone else in her room, whether it was Jiang Zhong or Wu Gong, they would never have come to her aid knowing there was danger.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Du Tingfeng led her away from the Zheng residence.

The two pretended to chat for a while, and only began exchanging information after confirming that no one was following them.

“I didn’t find Jiang Zhong’s strange object,” Yin Ziqin said, “but I did get the cell phone he left under the roof tile.”

Immediately, Yin Ziqin recounted the entire incident, including the strange changes in Old Madam Zheng and Old Master Zheng, her speculation about "molting," and her tense conversation after being discovered by Xiao Yan.

“I know my answer is nonsense; I also know she knows my answer is nonsense,” Yin Ziqin said, as if reciting a tongue twister.

"It's just a face-saving excuse to get by."

Du Tingfeng was not surprised.

“Yes. She definitely won’t kill you.” Du Tingfeng said simply, “All three doors need to be reinforced at the same time. If you want to complete the repairs, you can’t do it without one person.”

At the Zhou residence, there were exactly three people arranged, not one more.

Yin Ziqin nodded and wiped her sweat.

It's impossible to say she wasn't afraid.

But it was precisely because she had thought about repairing the door that she dared to take such a gamble.

Fortunately, it had a good ending.

Then the topic of Wu Gong came up again.

Based on the note, Du Tingfeng guessed that Jiang Zhong's death might be related to Wu Gong, but he really didn't expect that Tan Xiangsong was also killed by Wu Gong!

"Hiding grass in a pillow...this person is truly insidious."

Du Tingfeng said solemnly.

This is not just about killing each other.

The false clue of "rotten grass smell" further disrupted the thoughts of all those entering the realm, and could even be said to have slowed down the entire mission's progress!

If Yin Ziqin hadn't boldly gone to look for the phone, and if Du Tingfeng hadn't followed A-Jian, they would still be completely unaware of anything.

As the two approached the gate of the Zhou residence, Du Tingfeng stopped, a complex emotion appearing in his eyes.

He seemed unsure how to begin, remaining silent for a few seconds before starting to tell Ah Jian's story.

Du Tingfeng's tone carried a faint sadness.

Two orphans, of low social status, living in misfortune.

One was replaced, and the other, unaware of what was happening, killed his lover with his own hands.

Ultimately, they chose to commit suicide together.

Even Yin Ziqin sighed heavily after hearing the story.

"Following his last wishes, I have hidden his head and Xiaoyan's sheep head together in Changhao's house."

Du Tingfeng said that he planned to bury the two people together tomorrow, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, when the tree was cut down.

“Ah Jian gave us some key information.”

Du Tingfeng raised his finger:

"First, after a person is replaced, the original person will become a black goat."

Du Tingfeng was unaware that Chen Ji and Chu Jing on the back mountain also knew this; he deduced it from the words of Silver Earring and A-Jian.

"Second, the person who replaced Xiao Yan is most likely one of the two elders of the Zheng family... to be precise, the ghost inside their bodies."

Du Tingfeng believes that the two elders of the Zheng family were only the first body that the ghost replaced, and they only "shed their skin" after finding a new target.

"three."

"The breakfast we had on our first day in the territory, and the mutton that Abu ate, were all Xiao Yan's meat."

"Xiao Yan is a black goat."

"In other words, only by eating the meat of a black goat can an ordinary person be transformed into a gray goat with a human head and a goat's body."

---One more chapter