Chapter 39: A Photograph

Zhang Yan-hong brought Ye Luo home.

The sky was gradually darkening, and Zhang Yan-hong lit a candle.

She glanced at Ye Luo with a complicated expression. "It'll be seven o'clock soon. Remember, no matter what sounds you hear or what sights you see, you must not step outside."

"Alright," Ye Luo answered, looking obedient.

But after everything that had happened, Zhang Yan-hong didn't believe Ye Luo would be so docile.

She emphasized, "I know you're strong, but there are many things that strength can't solve."

"Don't worry. I promise I won't take a single step outside," said Ye Luo.

Seeing Ye Luo's sincerity, Zhang Yan-hong looked at her with suspicion, but could only choose to trust.

She said, "Anyway, it's just a warning. If you insist on courting death, it's none of my business."

Ye Luo raised her eyebrows.

So Zhang Yan-hong has a bit of a prideful streak.

But tonight, Ye Luo truly had no intention of leaving.

Tomorrow, during the day, she wanted to confirm a few things.

She glanced at the three corpses on the floor and the bowl of meat on the table. "What should I do about the bodies?"

Zhang Yan-hong replied with an expressionless face, "Ignore them. If you can't stand the smell, just go to your room and shut the door. Any empty room in the house is yours to choose."

Ye Luo nodded noncommittally. "And the meat? I doubt it's meant for humans."

Zhang Yan-hong pressed her lips together, a hint of sorrow in her eyes. "It doesn't matter whether you eat it or not. Since you've come here, you're bound to face what's coming."

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes.

The candlelight flickered.

Though she and Zhang Yan-hong stood side by side, only her own shadow remained on the white wall.

Ye Luo suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Yan-hong's hand.

Zhang Yan-hong didn't flinch, merely looked at Ye Luo emotionlessly. "What are you doing?"

Ye Luo released her hand with a smile. "Nothing, really. I just suddenly felt a little scared."

Zhang Yan-hong was still flesh and blood; when Ye Luo touched her, she could even feel her warmth.

Then why had her shadow vanished?

This Luoxia Village hides too many secrets.

"What are you afraid of?" Zhang Yan-hong said bluntly. "It's almost seven. I'm going to rest. Find a room yourself, and once inside, close the door. No matter what happens, don't leave your room—until six tomorrow morning. Otherwise, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourself."

With that, she went into a small room.

Ye Luo thought for a moment, then entered the largest room—presumably Zhang Jin-tao and Chen Cui-hua's.

"The last minute."

A patrolman's voice echoed through the village.

"Those without assigned tasks, return to your rooms immediately."

"The night wind is strong. For your safety, do not leave your rooms."

"Thirty seconds left. If you haven't entered your room, hurry up."

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes and closed the door.

Seven o'clock struck.

The village, once faintly lit, plunged instantly into darkness. Only a cold, eerie moonlight remained.

"The night wind is strong. Do not leave your rooms."

"The night wind is strong. Do not leave your rooms."

The patrolman continued to walk through the village, shouting his warnings again and again.

Ye Luo watched his silhouette from afar through the thin gauze window.

If no one is allowed outside after seven, then what about the patrolman?

Moreover, he'd revealed something important.

"Those without assigned tasks, return to your rooms immediately."

So those with assigned tasks can leave their rooms after seven?

But what are these tasks? How are they assigned?

Ye Luo had many questions, but too few clues to confirm anything.

Once the patrolman had gone, Ye Luo used the moonlight to search the room.

She wanted to see if there was anything useful hidden in Zhang Jin-tao and Chen Cui-hua's room.

It was the largest room in the Zhang family, but only about ten square meters. A bed and a table took up most of the space.

Ye Luo rummaged around and found only two items that might be clues.

One was a calendar, marked with the latest date: July 9th, 1978.

The other was a photograph.

Ye Luo examined the photo by the moonlight.

Suddenly, her pupils contracted sharply.

It was a wedding photo.

A man and a woman, both in red garments embroidered with traditional patterns.

But what was horrifying—the man's eyes were closed, his face swollen, and he lay in a coffin.

He was clearly dead.

Beside the coffin, a pale woman stood. A red thread was tied around her wrist, its other end fastened to the man's hand.

The woman in the photo was Zhang Yan-hong.

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes.

This photo—Zhang Yan-hong and a dead man’s wedding portrait?

A term came to her.

Ghost marriage.

Zhang Yan-hong had been matched for a ghost marriage early on.

So what was her current situation?

Where was that man?

In this world, the dead could very well exist in another form.

Was the man still entangled with Zhang Yan-hong?

Was her half-human, half-ghost state related to the ghost marriage?

Ye Luo’s heart stirred.

She suddenly activated her ability.

"I know who you are."

This ability allowed her to learn the birth dates of up to five people per day.

Today, for the first time, she checked Zhang Yan-hong and the man in the photo.

The information returned quickly.

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes.

She’d always thought Zhang Yan-hong was thirteen or fourteen, but her birth date and the calendar’s date showed she was already sixteen.

Moreover—

Tomorrow was Zhang Yan-hong’s sixteenth birthday!

Sixteen.

Ye Luo thought back on the other girls she’d met today. She could check three more people, so she investigated the birth dates of three girls.

The results surprised her.

All of them were sixteen.

And their sixteenth birthdays were either tonight or tomorrow night.

Among them were both daughters of Zhang Tie-gen; both turned sixteen tonight.

What would happen when they turned sixteen?

Of the five people she checked, four were girls whose sixteenth birthdays fell within these two days.

That couldn’t be coincidence.

Ye Luo even suspected that all the village girls were turning sixteen during these days.

Tomorrow.

She’d have five more chances to check birth dates, and planned to use them well.

When she'd used up her five chances, seven days would be up, and she could draw another ability.

That meant she’d have two abilities in this round.

Whatever the next ability was, Ye Luo thought, "Better than nothing."

She had no hopes for luck, but even a low-level ability might prove useful.