At 7 p.m., we boarded the plane to York City right on schedule. Snowridge Springs is less than sixty kilometers from York, and our flight would arrive after eleven tonight. My mom had already contacted the Underworld Agent in York City to arrange our reception.
That means we'll reach Snowridge Springs by half past midnight. There’ll still be time for a soak in the hot springs before bed, and we can wake up early to see the snowy landscape. Just thinking about it makes me excited.
Even though we’re going for business, there’s no point in obsessing over things that don’t matter. A little fun along the way is fine. I remember last time at Jinla Temple, I kept overthinking everything, and the climate there didn’t suit me at all. My skin’s still a bit dark from that trip—it’ll take a whole winter to recover. The hot springs are just what I need.
I glanced sideways at Felix Fan, who was sitting in front of me, looking relaxed with his headphones on. My dad sat beside me. We’d both asked Felix several times, but he always dodged the question, never mentioning what kind of technique the Third Master of Nether Syndicate had created in Snowridge Springs.
I didn’t bother asking anymore. This guy’s personality is impossible to pin down—he’s all jokes on the surface, but you never know what he’s really thinking. Honestly, I still don’t know what kind of person he is.
The plane began to take off slowly. I planned to nap for a bit, but the thought of having another nightmare kept me awake. My dad seemed to notice what I was thinking and started to laugh.
"You used to have nightmares all the time when you were little. I remember you’d often wake up scared in the middle of the night. Do you still remember any of those dreams?"
I shook my head, looking at my dad in confusion.
"Why bring that up?"
Just thinking about those nightmares makes my teeth itch. It was always the ghosts’ fault—some of them even sent me dreams on purpose. After sunset, they’d mess with me, and when I finally fell asleep, they’d sneak into my dreams to scare me.
"Dad, those ghosts you used to scare me with really went too far. Why did they always come up with new ways to frighten me?"
My dad shook his head.
"Ghosts are just bored, I guess. And you can see them—of course they'd mess with you. I got pranked by ghosts too, back in the day."
I shot my dad a sideways glance. But among all the ghosts I've met, the ones who go out of their way to mess with people are actually pretty rare. Most ghosts just stick to their own little corner, living quietly and peacefully. Still, the ones that scared me when I was younger left such a vivid impression that I remember those incidents to this day.
The most unforgettable incident was when Dad didn't come home again, left me some cash, and told me to grab dinner at a nearby restaurant. Mona Tong came over to keep me company. That night, a ghost showed up at my house and said it wanted to play hide-and-seek. If it found me, it would eat Mona Tong. I was so terrified I nearly fainted, and dragged Mona out in the middle of the night to hide in a nearby temple until morning.
With a loud smack, my left fist landed in my right palm.
"If I ever run into any of those ghosts who scared me as a kid again, I'd skin them alive and really teach them a lesson."
My dad immediately patted me on the shoulder.
"It's all in the past. Come on, sweetheart, take a nap. If you have a nightmare, I'll wake you up."
There wasn't much to do on the plane, so I took his advice and fell asleep. When I woke up, the plane was landing. That nap was peaceful—I didn't dream at all.
When I woke up, I put on my coat. The three of us left the airport and saw a driver in an SUV waving at us. As soon as we got over, the Underworld Agent started buttering us up, saying he’d take us out for barbecue.
"No need. Just take us straight to Snowridge Springs. If there’s a barbecue place there, we’ll eat there."
The agent immediately chimed in, saying the places over there would probably have long lines by now. But I insisted we go first. Just thinking about the hot springs made my whole body relax. I’d gone to famous hot springs with Ouyang Wei in winter before, and it really was comfortable.
All the way there, the agent kept talking about Snowridge Springs. With the internet booming in recent years, the place had basically become a small town. The inns by the river were packed, and even the ones further back were full—each one built taller than the last for a better view. But only the ones by the river had hot springs where you could soak and admire the scenery. We’d booked one of those riverfront hot spring hotels.
It was nearly midnight, but the roads were still crowded. The agent told us that people who couldn’t get a spot would drive to the night market near York City to eat. In this freezing weather, a quick trip on the highway would take just half an hour each way.
Sure enough, after just forty minutes, I saw a dazzling strip of lights in the distance. The agent said those were the river lights—they only came on at night and looked beautiful. The roadside was lit up by a small town, and even from far away, I could feel its lively atmosphere.
People were everywhere. Our car stopped slowly in the parking lot outside town, but since we couldn’t find an inn, the Underworld Agent said if we needed anything, just call him and he’d come over. For now, we should head to the hotel.
We’d wanted to grab a bite, but even takeout was impossible to order. Everywhere along the river, people were strolling, waiting for diners at the night market to finish so they could finally eat something in this cold night.
Outside some hotels, barbecue stalls were set up. The whole way was packed with people—it felt just like a festival. But from up here, looking down at the river, the view was breathtaking.
We arrived at the hotel we’d booked. The room was tiny. Even though we had two rooms, each with its own indoor hot spring, the price was outrageous and the springs were barely big enough for three or four people. At least the glass let us see everything outside. The hotel sat right at the end of the riverside road, nestled against the mountain.
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Once I got into the room, I washed up and slipped straight into the steaming hot spring. Instantly, I felt all my tension melt away.
But then my stomach growled. I figured I’d soak a bit longer and then check out the street to see if any restaurants had space or could deliver.
After a while, I looked out at the river, which glittered like a galaxy under the string of lights. It was beautiful. I couldn’t help but get lost in the view, but my mind drifted back to that night in Exile Town—the scenery there was even more stunning.
"If Qingyuan ever comes back and things settle down, we should go vacation in Exile Town again."
Just then, I noticed something odd about the river—it looked twisted, not quite right. It didn’t match what I’d seen earlier. My skin was flushed from the hot spring, so I got out, wrapped myself in a towel, and went next door to knock. As soon as I stepped in, I felt a murderous tension. Dad and Felix Fan were playing chess again.
"You two really know how to enjoy yourselves."
I muttered, then told them the river just didn’t feel the same as when I arrived. Dad said it was just my imagination. I got dressed and headed out—I couldn’t take it anymore, I needed to eat.
Up on the highway above the river, business was booming. I searched for ages, nearly reaching the edge of town, but still couldn’t find anywhere to eat.
Helpless, I stood by the roadside, staring at the river below, just like all those people waiting for a table in the cold night. Looking around, it was all couples—while I stood there alone, I sighed.
Finally, I managed to get a table and sat down in relief. Just then, a little girl ran over.
"Big sister, are you here alone?"
I nodded, but quickly added,
"There are two more with me."
"Can we share the table? We’ve been looking for ages."
I glanced at the man behind the girl and nodded. The two of them sat down happily.
Soon, I called my dad. He said just bring something back for him—he wanted to keep playing chess with Felix Fan.
"By the way, big sister, have you heard the scary stories about this place?"
I looked at the quirky little girl in front of me. She clearly wanted to tell a ghost story. I nodded.
"Tell me."
"Xiao Ruo, don’t start. It’s so late at night."
Her boyfriend wasn’t happy, but the little girl ignored him and started talking anyway.
Just then, the lights went out. Chaos erupted. I noticed something on the river in the distance, but couldn’t see clearly. I immediately released some power, but in a blink, whatever I’d seen vanished. I didn’t sense anything.
Suddenly, the lights came back on. I dropped my skewer onto the plate. The little girl in front of me had become faceless, her mouth moving but the whole scene was impossibly bizarre.
But I wasn’t scared. My hand was already gripping Belle. All around, everyone’s faces had vanished. I sneered.
"Whoever you are, show yourself."
I shouted.
"Ruoxi, what’s wrong? Wake up."
Out of nowhere, it felt like I’d plunged into an icy pit. I gasped and jolted awake, panting, eyes wide. It was just past ten o’clock—I was still on the plane. Felix Fan glanced back at me, confused. I looked at Dad, bewildered.
"Didn’t we already get to Snowridge Springs?"
Dad looked at me, puzzled.
"What did you dream about?"
I swallowed and checked the time again. It was only 10:05 p.m.