Chapter 39: Two Wraiths Collide

The final mental strike.

It nearly knocked Wu Xian unconscious.

Fortunately, the Ghost Mother’s emotions did not erupt, so what followed would be easier to resolve.

Wu Xian closed his eyes, groped his way out of 401, stumbled and bumped along the way, and just managed to shut the door of 401 behind him; then he returned to 404, quietly locked and bolted the door, before completing the handover with the others.

From this moment on.

None of them would leave Room 404 again; instead, they would take turns clapping to alternate as seekers.

Only the Ghost Mother remained alone in 401, waiting for three o’clock in the morning.

…

The survivors hid in 404, unable to open their eyes, pressed against the wall, anxiously waiting for sounds from outside; when Wu Xian heard the jingle of keys, his blood turned cold.

The Ghost Mother, who had been waiting in 401, had reached her limit of endurance and no longer wished to remain in the same room, so her emotions grew agitated and she began clapping loudly on her own.

Shhh!

The corridor lights went out.

It was not the soft, easily torn texture of a woman’s skin—what he held felt more like a block of hardened ice bristling with sharp spines!

“Ah!”

The collision between the two great wraiths completely nullified the “Concealment Technique”; the Ghost Mother’s immense aura erupted without restraint.

Because among the remaining rooms, only theirs required the door to be opened!

The Door-Breaking Wraith reached the door of 404, its massive hand gripping the tiny key and inserting it into the lock; the four inside held their breath.

So the Door-Breaking Wraith kicked open the door of 401 and immediately saw a woman’s shadow reflected against the window.

But at that moment.

The Door-Breaking Wraith suddenly appeared beneath the inn, its silhouette chilling under the cold moonlight.

…

Even when alive, he had felt nothing for Yu Yinghua, otherwise he would never have strangled her and buried her in cement in the supermarket’s underground storage.

Tonight, the Peaceful Inn held no trace of that woman’s aura—it had returned to his domain.

Upon seeing the Ghost Mother, the Door-Breaking Wraith instantly brightened.

The Door-Breaking Wraith paid no mind to the pain in its hands.

The tense atmosphere between the two great wraiths vanished abruptly.

This enraged Wang Zhiwu, the Door-Breaking Wraith, for now no other wraiths would come to help him find easy prey; so he decided to slaughter thoroughly tonight.

Even beasts do not fight on sight; the Door-Breaking Wraith merely yielded slightly to the Ghost Mother, earning her forgiveness and the right to retreat unharmed.

Which room should be opened next?

Bound by the Fudi’s rules, the Door-Breaking Wraith could open only two doors per day.

There was no internet in the Fudi, but communication signals still worked.

Wu Xian closed his eyes, picked up Lu Yuzhu’s phone, and, following his daytime practice, fumbled to dial the pre-prepared number.

He married her only because the woman was foolish and had utility.

Accompanied by the Ghost Mother’s piercing shriek, her demonic aura exploded, blasting the Door-Breaking Wraith’s two hands away as thick, foul blood sprayed outward.

The Ghost Mother lifted her head, revealing a face more terrified than the Door-Breaking Wraith’s.

The phone ring was not a pleasant melody, but a recording Wu Xian had prepared in advance.

Upon hearing the door break, the four sighed in unison.

The air froze.

This was the fourth condition of Wu Xian’s plan.

The plan had been solid, but Yu Yinghua’s death had caused the Door-Breaking Wraith to think—something Wu Xian could never have anticipated.

Then he hesitated.

“Respected Ghost Mother, this may be our only chance to speak. If you wish to know the truth behind your daughter’s disappearance, please answer the call, activate speaker mode, and protect this phone from damage by others.”

The belief that two wraiths meeting must inevitably clash was merely a beautiful, arrogant human fantasy—Wu Xian had never been so optimistic.

After exchanging a few words.

Second, Yu Yinghua was dead.

Since these humans had killed Yu Yinghua, they must have noticed her mark—so… they would avoid the mark!

The immense demonic aura suddenly retracted, becoming suppressed and dense; the Ghost Mother had prepared for battle, under the tense gaze of the Door-Breaking Wraith.

But now, the wraith she had become was also dead.

It was furious now.

The Door-Breaking Wraith, just granted permission to leave the Ghost Mother’s territory, froze in place.

Bang!

First, it kicked open the door of 403; the room was pitch black, utterly devoid of any human aura—the Door-Breaking Wraith let out a furious roar.

Wraiths are like beasts.

The Door-Breaking Wraith’s figure instantly appeared in the center of the corridor.

But this did not mean their relationship was entirely hostile.

Zhao Juan’s phone rang.

The first door could be kicked open.

But immediately, it sensed something was wrong!

First, because last night his inn had been occupied by the Ghost Mother, preventing him from freely killing living humans.

The second door must be opened with a key.

Three o’clock at midnight.

Everyone heard a rhythmic clapping.

Clap-clap, clap-clap-clap…

He was delighted to discover that the door of 401 was only slightly ajar!

The Door-Breaking Wraith’s face, missing patches of skin, curled into a terrifying smile; since this room could be opened, there was no need to waste the precious opportunity to use the key.

Since becoming a wraith, he had never bothered to think, thanks to Yu Yinghua’s presence—but now that she was dead, he began thinking again for the first time in a long while.

The Door-Breaking Wraith slowly retreated; the Ghost Mother showed no intention to pursue, and the clapping game was about to resume.

So to provoke a fight between the two wraiths, a fifth necessary condition was required!

“Ding-dong, ding-dong!”

She was already furious from this humiliating game, and the Door-Breaking Wraith’s actions were a direct provocation—so she launched her attack immediately.

“Now, only one final act remains.”

This woman carried no wraith aura—she was alive!

He immediately extended his two massive hands, seizing the Ghost Mother; he had intended to tear her apart and bathe in her blood in a glorious, bloody ritual.

Since becoming a wraith, this was the first time he had felt fear.

Fortunately, the outcome was good.

The Door-Breaking Wraith pulled out its keychain, found the key to 404.

It suddenly twitched twice, let out a strange cry toward the Ghost Mother, who responded with a similar cry—this was the language of wraiths, sounding to living humans like irritating, senseless babble.

According to conventional logic.

The Door-Breaking Wraith whirled its head.

Who the “others” referred to was obvious.

He had already wasted his chance to kick open a door; now he must carefully choose which door to open with the key.

Make the two wraiths meet in a room as far away from the four as possible.

They all fed on humans and each had its own territory; the Ghost Mother was stronger, so the Door-Breaking Wraith would willingly yield to her.

The Ghost Mother extended her pale finger and pressed the answer button.

“Speak!”

(End of Chapter)