Hugh Thompson and I stayed at the school to keep investigating. We went to the teacher’s dormitory, now rebuilt as a staff building. Hugh Thompson led us there, convinced the old teachers’ office used to be here.
Back then, the village had a local bully in his twenties who idled away his days and loved tormenting the villagers. Only the village chief could keep him in check. The chief was well respected and everyone listened to him. Whenever the bully caused trouble, the chief would speak up and many villagers would rally to help. The chief had a daughter named Helen Chen, the pride of Chenshire.
"If we could just find that female ghost’s remains, we’d have a way," Hugh Thompson said.
We continued investigating among the students. By six in the evening, we still hadn’t seen Rachel Lan. I was getting worried—I’d called several times, but no one answered.
Hugh Thompson and I were about to eat. Just as we sat down, Hugh Thompson burst in, looking panicked.
For months, no matter how Helen Chen struggled, she couldn't escape the bully's grasp. Her spirit gradually broke. But then, Ethan Zhang appeared and saved her, helping her flee Chenshire.
Hugh Thompson and I immediately stood up.
Just then, Hugh Thompson got a call. As soon as he answered, his face changed.
The outcome was inevitable: Helen Chen suffered endless torment from the bully and eventually threw herself into a well. The villagers watched her tragedy unfold but no one spoke up. Everyone remained silent.
Not long after Helen Chen's death, the bully became village chief and received funds for road repairs. Soon after, he absconded with the money, and the matter was left unresolved.
The villagers thought their ordeal was over, but peace didn’t last. It began with one household: overnight, the entire family slaughtered each other with knives. Days after their deaths, the corpses dissolved into pus, leaving only white bones.
Once again, everything was shrouded in mystery. No one knew who taught the students the ghost’s game, and Hugh Thompson said he’d learned about Helen Chen from a teacher, but that teacher had died years ago.
After Hugh Thompson finished telling the story, everyone fell silent. I got up from the ground.
“Then why is she targeting those students?” I asked.
Suddenly, I remembered the dream—people born on the Ghost Festival. I hurried to Hugh Thompson’s room and told him what I’d dreamed.
"Master, how can we find Helen Chen?" Rachel Lan asked.
"Helen, you’re here again?"
Hugh Thompson said this, and I nodded. Then we went to Rachel Lan’s room. Strangely, the door was open, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Still, she can’t just kill those students, can she?”
"Helen, that’s enough. Stop thinking about revenge. Just move on and reincarnate."
I stared at him in surprise.
“No matter what, we need to stop this at the source. I’m really worried about those missing students. Even if I don’t know whether they’ve met with tragedy, I still bear some responsibility.”
We hoped Zachary Chow would help us, but he refused without hesitation.
“Hey, kid, judging by your face, you’ll face death nine times out of ten in the future. You’re under the Sevenfold Curse, aren’t you? Be careful—don’t mess with things you shouldn’t, and maybe you’ll live a little longer.”
I ignored Zachary Chow and listened to his laughter as we left.
On the way back, we suddenly got a call from Chief Stone: all four missing students had returned safely. They’d been found.
We were all stunned.
“That’s impossible. By all rights, those students should already be dead,” Martin Snow muttered. I glared at him.
“Do you want them dead that badly? Damn, you’re a teacher, aren’t you?”
“Sorry, sorry, I got carried away. I just think that ghost wouldn’t let those students go so easily.”
When we got back to the school, we learned that the four students who'd returned couldn't remember anything. They'd been found in the dormitory by the administrator, but had no recollection of where they'd been for over a day.
Once again, everything was shrouded in mystery. No one knew who taught the students the ghost’s game, and Zachary Chow said he’d learned about Helen Chen from a teacher, but that teacher had died years ago.
It was getting late, so the school arranged a place for us to stay—a reception building, a bit old and worn.
In my sleep, I dreamed the same dream again: the woman in red high heels pacing anxiously in a long, narrow corridor.
This time, I saw clearly—it was Helen Chen, dressed in red, a short skirt, her feet marked with cigarette burns. The corridor itself was becoming clearer too.
Principal's Office—three large characters above an old, shabby building.
“Hongyan, you’re here again?”
A man’s voice came from inside. Then the Principal's Office door opened—it was Principal Roy Chen, looking about ten years younger than now.
“What about what you promised me?” Helen Chen’s voice was cold. Suddenly, I saw her—she was a ghost, her face ashen, her body dripping wet, skin as pale as paper.
“Hongyan, that’s enough. Stop thinking about revenge. Just move on and reincarnate.”
“Hmph. Who helped you get your position back then?”
Helen Chen floated right up to Principal Roy Chen, reaching out to rest her hand on his shoulder.
“I told you—I need to find three people born on the Ghost Festival. I’ve found two already, but this time, that monk ruined things. I want you to hurry up and find the last one. There are so many students here—once I find them, I can leave.”
Suddenly, everything vanished. The corridor, Helen Chen, and Principal Roy Chen were gone. It was pitch black, but in the darkness, I saw a pair of blood-red eyes.
Who was it?
“Ethan Zhang, hurry up and solve this. Stop dragging it out. Find a way to stop John Chou.”
A woman’s voice cut through the darkness. I looked over in surprise.
She was dressed in a black suit, with long, straight black hair and striking, cold features. Her blood-red eyes stared right at me.
“Who are you?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. If John Chou asks you to do something, don’t agree. Only you can stop him.”
“Remember, Ethan Zhang, only you can stop him.”
Suddenly, I woke up, drenched in sweat.
It was already daylight. The sounds of morning study drifted in. I checked the time—it was nearly eight o’clock.
I thought back to the dream—what was it all about? And who was the woman constantly warning me? She wanted me to stop John Chou, but I had no clue what to do.
Suddenly, I remembered the dream—people born on the Ghost Festival. I hurried to Hu Tianshuo’s room and told him what I’d dreamed.
Then I called my teacher to ask about Lily Qian’s birthday. Turns out, she really was born on the Ghost Festival.
“So, there are already two people born on the Ghost Festival. They may have already been killed, but Lily Qian hasn’t met with disaster yet—maybe for some reason, or maybe the time just isn’t right.”
Hu Tianshuo said this, and I nodded. Then we went to Lan Ruoxi’s room. Strangely, the door was open, but she was nowhere to be found.
“Where is everyone else?” I asked.
“Chief Stone seems to be at Chenshire this morning—he found something important, so he took people there. I heard they found a corpse that hadn’t decayed yet, but was already dead, right under Chenshire. Apparently, it used to be a teacher at this school.”
Hu Tianshuo and I stayed at the school to keep investigating. We went to the teacher’s dormitory, now rebuilt as a staff building. Martin Snow led us there, convinced the old teachers’ office used to be here.
We found the site, but the original building was long gone.
“If we could just find that female ghost’s remains, we’d have a way,” Hu Tianshuo said.
We continued investigating among the students. By six in the evening, we still hadn’t seen Lan Ruoxi. I was getting worried—I’d called several times, but no one answered.
Hu Tianshuo and I were about to eat. Just as we sat down, Martin Snow burst in, looking panicked.
“Ms. Yan Chen hasn’t come to class all day, and she’s not in her dorm either.”
Hu Tianshuo and I immediately stood up.
Just then, Hu Tianshuo got a call. As soon as he answered, his face changed.
“What’s going on?”
“Twenty-three members of the Ghost Burial Squad have gone missing. Chief Stone went out to buy food for them, but when he got back, they were gone. And Lily Qian has disappeared from the hospital.”
I panicked.
“What should we do?”
“We need to go to the hospital and find Lily Qian—that’s the key. We don’t have time to worry about anyone else right now. As long as Lily is with us, that ghost can’t do anything.”