Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

She began to recount her story, which was largely consistent with what the homeless man Lin Yu had first encountered had said: the sudden fire, the inexplicable ghost story that followed, and the landlord hiring a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain to perform a ritual.

But what's intriguing is that, towards the end, a hint of hesitation and... an undisguised desire for gossip appeared on her face.

Lin Yu keenly noticed the expression on her face and immediately placed another fifty-yuan note on her face: "Grandma, is there... something else going on here?"

Grandma Chen stared at the three banknotes Lin Yu was holding down, her desire growing stronger until it completely overwhelmed her hesitation. She gritted her teeth, leaned forward, and whispered, "Young man, let me tell you… back then, everyone said it was an accidental fire… but… it really wasn't!"

Her cloudy eyes gleamed with a mixture of excitement and fear at the prospect of sharing a secret: "That fire... it was clearly set by Liu Xiangxiang herself! I saw it with my own eyes."

That night, she stood at the door of her fifth-floor apartment, holding something that looked like a torch.

Although I couldn't see her face clearly from a distance, I recognized her figure and that tattered jacket! It was definitely her! There was no mistake!

"She set the fire herself?" Wang Junyue couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The three people beside Liu Dashan were also somewhat surprised. Wasn't this self-immolation? Could Liu Xiangxiang be a member of a cult?

"That's right!" Granny Chen nodded vigorously: "Not long after her daughter died, she went mad, talking nonsense all day long, and cursing at everyone she saw."

Everyone she meets says someone else killed her daughter… Who would have thought she would do something like this! And she burned so many innocent people to death… What a tragedy!

She sighed, but there was little sympathy for the deceased in her tone; instead, there was a sense of knowing "I knew it."

"Daughter?" Lin Yu immediately seized on the key point: "You mean Liu Xiangxiang's daughter? What was her name? How did she die?"

Grandma Chen tried hard to recall, rubbing her temples with her wrinkled hands: "Her daughter... was called... Liu Yue'er? Yes, her name was Yue'er."

That girl, so pitiful... it seems she was kidnapped! A few days later, her body was found in that stinking ditch behind the village...

Her face showed a mixture of disgust and pity: "Completely naked, clutching a tattered rag doll... covered in bruises... I heard... I heard it was even violated... Oh, what a tragedy!"

She sighed: "Liu Xiangxiang's husband died young, and her elders are gone too. She's left with only this daughter to depend on for survival."

"My daughter died, and died so tragically... of course she went crazy, crying and screaming all day long... then she had a fight with the landlord, and then... she set fire to the house..."

She seemed to think the logic made perfect sense.

A rag doll? Upon hearing this, Lin Yu thought of the little girl's ghost. It seemed that the ghost must be Liu Xiangxiang's daughter, Liu Yue'er.

But why did she become a ghost? And why was she wandering on the fifth floor? Was she looking for her mother?

"Argued with the landlord?" Lin Yu didn't think about anything else for the moment, but secretly noted the information, and continued to ask, "Why did they argue? Do you remember?"

Grandma Chen frowned and thought for a long time: "It seems...it seems to be because of her daughter? I can't remember exactly what they were arguing about, but they were arguing quite fiercely, and not long after that, the incident happened."

"And what about the monk? Do you know the monk's background?" Lin Yu pressed.

Grandma Chen shook her head: "The sorcerer? He was hired by the landlord later. He was very secretive and wouldn't let anyone near him during the rituals. All I know is that he spent a lot of money! I don't know anything else."

Lin Yu handed the last fifty-yuan note to Granny Chen: "Thank you, Granny. This information is very helpful to us."

Grandma Chen happily put the money away, but didn't forget to remind everyone, "You absolutely mustn't tell anyone I told you!"

Leaving the convenience store, the outside was completely shrouded in darkness.

The walled city resembled a lurking beast; the passageways were pitch black, with only a few scattered lights in the distance, adding to the eeriness.

The air seemed to freeze, carrying a bone-chilling cold that made Zhang Jun and Liu Yueyue instinctively hug their arms tightly.

"It's getting dark..." Liu Dashan's voice was solemn: "Nighttime is the most dangerous time in eerie dungeons. Let's all go back to our apartments, lock the doors, and don't come out no matter what noises we hear. We'll meet at the same place again tomorrow morning."

This suggestion was immediately met with strong approval from Zhang Jun and Liu Yueyue.

They were already terrified by Granny Chen's story and the eerie environment, and all they wanted was to find a safe place to hide.

Although Lin Yu felt there were still many unresolved questions, such as the conflict between the landlord and Liu Xiangxiang, the identity and purpose of the sorcerer, and whether the little girl ghost was Liu Xiangxiang's daughter Liu Yue'er, he also knew that blindly exploring at night was extremely risky, so he nodded in agreement.

The five men said "Be careful" to each other and quickly split up, their figures disappearing into the dark alleyway.

Lin Yu returned to his apartment and locked the door.

Instead of resting immediately, he respectfully placed the small incense burner, incense, candles, paper money, and gold ingots that he had just bought from the incense shop on the wooden table in front of the statue of Qingyuan Daomiao Zhenjun.

He lit three ordinary incense sticks and placed them in the incense burner. Wisps of smoke rose and swirled before the statue of the deity.

Lin Yu took a step back, solemnly bowed three times to the statue of the deity, and silently prayed, "True Lord, I, Lin Yu, am in a dangerous situation, surrounded by evil spirits. I earnestly hope that the True Lord will protect me."

After doing all this, Lin Yu sat down on the bed, took out his notebook, and, by the dim light in the apartment, sorted through the clues.

He heavily circled the names "landlord," "master," and "Liu Yue'er."

Landlord: Had a fierce conflict with Liu Xiangxiang (due to Liu Yue'er's death?), and is extremely afraid of the name Liu Xiangxiang.

The sorcerer's identity is suspicious (not from Longhu Mountain, possibly from an evil sect), yet he went so far as to use a silver-level artifact to suppress evil spirits; his motives are unclear. Is it for money? With such abilities, why would he be short of money?

Liu Yue'er: A key figure, she died tragically, and her death directly led to Liu Xiangxiang's madness and arson. (The ghost of the little girl at the fifth-floor entrance is highly likely to be Liu Yue'er.)

The clues seemed to become clearer, but they also led to more mysteries.

Lin Yu felt that the core of the truth lay in the dark entanglement between the landlord, the sorcerer, and Liu Xiangxiang and her daughter.

Time passed in silence.

The night in the walled city was eerily silent; not even the chirping of insects could be heard.

Lin Yu leaned against the headboard, closing his eyes to rest, with the executioner's knife beside him.

It was just past midnight.

"ah--!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream ripped through the deathly silence of the city's night sky without warning.

Immediately following were more terrified screams, their voices distorted, spreading like a plague in an instant:

"Fire! Fire! Help!"

"A ghost! There's a ghost! Help!"

"Fire! Run!"

Lin Yu, who was not yet asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and rushed to the window.