Excessive ferocity due to caution

"The Farmer and the Snake?"

"What a cliché story!"

The paper doll nanny looked disgusted, seemingly dissatisfied.

Zhao Yi, however, continued speaking to himself:

"On a sweltering summer noon..."

"Huh? Isn't it winter?"

"Don't interrupt me!"

"OK."

Zhao began by saying:

"One sweltering summer noon, a farmer finished his work and was on his way home when he encountered a snake that was nearly dying from the heat. The snake stared at the bucket of water in the farmer's hand and said to him, 'Farmer, farmer, you've helped me cool off, and I will repay you!'"

Upon hearing this, the paper figure's eyes lit up:

"So the farmer watered it?"

Zhao Yi shook his head:

"without."

"The farmer took the sickle from his waist and peeled off the snakeskin directly."

He said to the snake: "That way you won't feel hot."

Sure enough, the snake stopped getting hot immediately.

Paper doll: "..."

After a moment of silence, she asked:

"Are there any... suitable for children to listen to?"

Zhao Yi:

"Is this story unsuitable for young children?"

"Hmm...it's alright, I have many more stories here. Let me tell you another one—the little girl who sold lotus flowers."

Paper Doll Granny:

"Hotan?"

"Wait a minute... something doesn't seem right!"

Zhao Yi has already begun his sermon:

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was very poor. She had no money and could only carry her family's heirloom lotus flowers to sell on the street. But people were very indifferent. She called out all day in the heavy snow, but she didn't sell a single lotus flower..."

"When night fell, the little girl felt very cold, so she lit a match. In the light of the fire, she saw her grandmother..."

"But the match went out after burning for only a short time..."

The paper figure asked tentatively:

"So she lit the second match?"

Zhao Yi replied:

"No, she set fire to the Hotan."

"So that night, everyone in the town saw their grandmother."

Paper doll: "???"

Live stream chat: "Hilarious! This ghost probably's never seen anyone with such wild methods before... I feel so sorry for him..."

Zhao Yi's eyes lit up with excitement, and he continued:

"And there's more..."

The paper doll nanny couldn't hold on any longer:

"Alright, alright, alright!"

"Thank you for your story, young man. I can fully appreciate your enthusiasm..."

Zhao Yi suppressed his fervent desire to continue telling the story.

"So, can you tell me now what happened in this mansion before?"

The paper figure sighed:

"Although I was possessed by a part of a vengeful spirit after my death, I don't remember most of the things about this mansion very clearly."

"All I can tell you is, whatever you do, don't go to the second floor!"

"Only the Second Madam is allowed to enter that area!"

"Anyone, human or ghost, whoever enters the second floor... will surely die!"

Zhao raised an eyebrow and said:

"Second Madam... is that the living person?"

The paper figure's gaze shifted to the window, where, in the cold moonlight, it looked at a brightly lit high-rise building.

"The second wife is named Su Mei. She is the master's only concubine."

"After the horrific tragedy that struck the mansion, everyone died except for her and Madam Fang Qian from Wangyue Tower."

There are actually two living people?

Could the horrific events that occurred at the mansion be related to them?

Zhao Yi pressed further:

"Where does Su Mei live?"

The paper doll nanny replied:

"In a small annex house not far from the main house."

"However, there's a terrifying pair of twin vengeful ghosts there. If you don't have a token... you'll definitely be killed if you go!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi knew that crucial information was about to be revealed.

"What is the token, and where can I obtain it?"

The paper doll nanny fell silent.

"The token is in Steward Che Lin's room, but his room is tainted with an excessively strong aura of resentment and murderous intent. These elements have merged together, creating a severe form of mental pollution. People can easily become lost forever in that environment..."

Zhao asked the paper doll nanny about the steward's room, thanked her, and left the room.

As soon as he went out, he heard a faint sigh coming from inside the room.

"Young man... be careful..."

"In this haunted house, not all the ghosts are as kind as I am..."

"If you see something chasing you... run! And whatever you do, don't look back!!"

Zhao nodded and closed the door.

Bai Zhihai's body was already cold on the ground, lying quietly in the corridor, his middle finger pointing directly at the room where the paper doll was.

Zhao Yi took a good look for a moment, then went up and stomped on his middle finger, breaking it!

He took a few steps, then, feeling uneasy, returned. He pulled out his scalpel, his "soul weapon," and severed Bai Zhihai's hands, feet, and head. Then, he meticulously knocked out all of Bai Zhihai's teeth, cut off his tongue, shaved off his scalp, and removed his nails...

In this way, even if Bai Zhihai were to turn into a zombie, it wouldn't pose much of a threat to him.

Looking at the pile of tissues on the ground, Zhao Yi smiled with satisfaction.

Get it!

A perfect work of art!

After he finished doing all that, he got up and left.

About five minutes after he left, the door to the next room slowly opened, and Wang Hua's deathly pale face peeked out from the crack in the door, his eyes fixed on the pile of human remains on the floor, his legs trembling...

What kind of monster did they encounter?

Not only did they kill him, they also mutilated him to this state...

Zhao Yi's bizarre behavior sent chills down Wang Hua's spine; he was more terrified than if he had seen a ghost!

I want to go by myself...

Kill such a madman?

Are you kidding me!

"No...no..."

"We'll have to wait until we reunite with them before making any further plans..."

"If I go to him now, he'll definitely skin me alive!"

Wang Hua's eyes were glazed over, and he muttered to himself.

The thought of Zhao Yi standing in front of him with a scalpel and a big smile made him tremble!

...

The steward's room is located at the back of the main house.

Zhao Yi walked along the dark corridor, occasionally feeling a chilling wind blowing from the dark, closed rooms next to him, and could vaguely hear eerie laughter and whispers...

"It smells so good...it smells like human flesh..."

"Hehe... This haunted house... how long has it been since a living person came here..."

"..."

Zhao Yi ignored the voices and went to the room that the paper doll nanny had told him about.

There was no sound inside.

A dead silence.

There are no people here, and no ghosts.

Just standing here can give you a suffocating sense of fear.

Zhao Yi slowly pushed open the door to Steward Che's room...

The next moment, countless terrifying black hairs stretched out and suddenly wrapped around Zhao Yi's body, dragging him into the room!

boom!

The door closed automatically and mysteriously.

The door rang in the corridor.

So over there...

There wasn't another ghostly cry...

:p＞

PS:

1. Thank you for reading.

2. My mind is foggy and I'm not quite myself today. I uploaded the first draft of the assignment, but I messed it up and made it into an unmelting mess. I've already revised it.

3. Goodnight everyone!