The World Below Surface 62 ☆ Strange Little Girl

As the sun sets in the sky, it casts a sharp divide between light and shadow in the room's centre, illuminating an old lady statue in a shrine. The statue's white hair and gentle smile conveyed a sense of tranquillity, while the shrine itself was cloaked in incense ash, signifying its history of worship.

The temperature dropped upon entering the room, and a faint musky odour permeated the air. Luo Ying's expression softened, but her eyes betrayed her terrifying coldness. She had no patience for nonbelievers and longed to rid them of her presence. However, Zhang Bo failed to notice her peculiar behaviour, instead kneeling before the statue and lighting three incense sticks.

"Come on, Xiao Lu, Xiao Luo, both of you should also pay your respects and ask Old Lady Third Whisker for her blessings," Zhang Bo urged cheerfully.

Lu Yan hesitated before glancing at Luo Ying, who remained frozen. It was dark inside the room, but Zhang Bo's shadow betrayed him, showing a curved spine and a swaying tail.

"Aren't you going to pay your respects, Xiao Lu? Xiao Luo?" Zhang Bo's wide smile belied his true intentions.

Luo Ying's nails dug into her palms as she struggled to maintain her composure. Lu Yan watched curiously, wondering what Luo Ying's endgame was. If she bowed her head, it would prove that she was not there to preach, which could only mean trouble. But why would she worship these low-level creatures while hiding her beliefs unless they had bigger plans?

After hesitating, Luo Ying took the incense from Zhang Bo and approached the shrine. Lu Yan followed her lead and knelt beside her, bowing respectfully.

But sincerity was crucial for the ritual's success, and Luo Ying was anything but sincere. Lu Yan could not help but wonder what their true intentions were. Was Luo Ying willing to endure this charade for the sake of the village?

Lu Yan pretended to be ignorant, bowing thrice with respect, hoping to unravel the mystery before him.

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On the god shelf, an old lady with a powdered face and white hair grasped a jade sceptre with a benevolent smile, yet Lu Yan saw beyond the facade. The lady's eyes curved up but were steeped in darkness, revealing unhidden murderous intent.

Light and brisk footsteps echoed from a nearby room, catching Lu Yan's attention. A little girl, no more than six or seven years old, bolted out of the room, her bright red flowered dress fluttering behind her. Her eyes ignited with delight at the sight of Zhang Bo, and she sprinted straight into his arms, declaring, "Grandpa, you're back!"

Granted, the little girl was adorable, with snow-white skin and vivacious eyes, but something about her was unnerving. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that her lips were a ghastly shade of red. She would pursue them even when smiling, never exposing her teeth.

Zhang Bo tenderly patted her head and hushed her, saying, "Don't be noisy, we have guests."

A soft reprimand emanated from the room, "Li Li (丽丽), don't make noise. Old Lady Third Whisker enjoys tranquility."

A pallid and fragile young man ambled out from behind the curtain, his movements sluggish, indicating his poor health. Li Li, the little girl, obediently disengaged herself from Zhang Bo's embrace and rushed over to hold the man's hand, staring at the two strangers with her big black eyes.

Zhang Bo introduced them, "Xiao Lu, Xiao Luo, this is my son, Zhang Hui Xuan (张慧萱), and my granddaughter, Li Li."

Despite being unmistakably male, he was bestowed with a decidedly feminine name. After exchanging names, Lu Yan appeared perplexed. Zhang Hui Xuan took the initiative to explain, "I was born frail, and Old Lady Third Whisker conferred my name after scrutinizing my fortune. She said I required a girl's name to subdue my fate, or else I wouldn't survive."

Zhang Bo chuckled and gave him a thumbs up, "Old Lady Third Whisker is remarkably accurate. Since changing his name, he barely fell ill, and even found a wife and had children."

At the mention of children, Li Li's big eyes widened, and she suddenly piped up, "Daddy, I saw my auntie again yesterday. She was shivering with cold and asked for clothes to wear."

Auntie? Lu Yan's heart stirred, though he kept his expression placid. Zhang Bo had more than one child, it seemed.

Zhang Hui Xuan blanched, his face ashen. "What nonsense are you talking about again?" he snapped at Li Li.

Undeterred, the young girl persisted, "Dad, can I give Auntie some of my clothes to wear?"

Zhang Hui Xuan opened his mouth to scold the girl, but no words came. A violent cough shook his body, and he gasped for air.

Oddly enough, Zhang Bo didn't stop Li Li's pestering. Instead, he watched his son's hacking with a pained expression etched on his face.

Li Li stopped giggling, observing her father's suffering. In a small, timid voice, she asked, "Dad, can't we? Auntie said she's freezing."

"No!" Zhang Hui Xuan roared as he struggled to catch his breath. "No! Go back to your room!"

Li Li whined and retreated to her room, her pigtails swinging as she went.

As soon as the door slammed shut, Zhang Hui Xuan apologized to Luo Ying, "I'm sorry. We've spoiled Li Li."

[TN: If you are not reading this novel on puukkiss.wixsite.com/inkydragon, please support the original translator by visiting my website. Thank you! :D]

"It's alright," Luo Ying nodded sympathetically. Then, she asked, "Who's the auntie Li Li mentioned earlier? Do you have any sisters?"

The air in the room grew thick with tension. Zhang Hui Xuan paled even further, his skin blending with the white walls. His reply came out cold and sharp, "What does it have to do with you? Don't ask what you shouldn't."

But Luo Ying didn't back down. She smiled sweetly, "I'm also a member of Village of the Heavenly Immortals. Of course, I want to know."

Zhang Hui Xuan's eyes narrowed to slits, and his voice turned shrill, "Get out of here!"

Undeterred, Luo Ying stood her ground. "Even if you don't tell me, I'll investigate it myself." And with that, she spun on her heel and left.

Lu Yan and Luo Ying arrived together, but Zhang Hui Xuan's anger was directed only at Luo Ying. Lu Yan attempted to walk with her, but Luo Ying gestured for him to stay behind. Lu Yan halted his steps, watching her walk away with countless thoughts filling his mind. It was clear that Luo Ying had intentionally provoked them just so she could leave alone. What was she trying to achieve?

After Luo Ying left, Zhang Hui Xuan's attitude improved visibly, as did Zhang Bo's. Lu Yan couldn't help feeling their warmth was excessive, and he secretly increased his vigilance. This family must be up to something.

As they sat in the main hall chatting, the sound of stir-frying could be heard coming from the kitchen, and the aroma of the food drifted over, making everyone's stomachs growl. Lu Yan had little appetite, but Zhang Hui Xuan was different. When the fragrance of the roasted chicken wafted over, he swallowed his saliva, and his sharp, thin tongue licked his lips. It was a rather animal-like behaviour.

During dinner, everyone in Zhang Bo's family came out. It was Zhang Bo's wife cooking in the kitchen, a short and chubby woman with a round face and a pair of fox-like eyes.

"You must be Xiao Lu, right? Just call me Auntie," Zhang Bo's wife said, her eyes narrowing even more. Lu Yan complied and called her Auntie, which made her even happier. "Good, good, you haven't been back for a long time. Hurry up and eat."

Everyone sat around the dining table, but Zhang Bo's wife didn't take a seat. She picked up one of the whole chickens on the table and walked through the courtyard to the main hall. Lu Yan followed suit and said, "Let me pay my respects too."

Zhang Bo's wife took small steps to the shrine, placing the plate of chicken in front of the deity. She prostrated herself and continuously chanted blessings. After only two or three minutes, the steam rising from the dish emitting a tantalizing aroma visibly disappeared.

Zhang Bo's wife breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the plate to leave. Lu Yan asked softly, "Auntie, how do we handle this?"

Zhang Bo's wife didn't even turn her head. "It needs to be buried. Only Old Lady Third Whisker has tasted it, and no one else can eat it."

With this answer, Lu Yan returned to the dining table and waited with everyone else.

To his surprise, Li Li, the youngest child in Zhang Bo's family, sat at the head of the table, a plate of roast chicken in front of her. While the others had not yet touched their chopsticks, she had already begun tearing into the meat with her hands, revealing two rows of sharp, animal-like teeth that looked particularly vicious as she ripped into the meat. As she ripped into the meat, Lu Yan noticed Li Li's teeth were sharp, like those of a wild animal. It was clear why Li Li never smiled with her teeth showing. The others at the table were not surprised by this sight, as Zhang Hui Xuan even patted Li Li's back lightly, telling her to eat slowly and not choke.

With a table full of family members, Lu Yan noticed that Li Li's "aunt" and mother were absent. He didn't want to pry, so he asked Luo Ying about it the next day.

As soon as dinner was over, Zhang Bo revealed some insider information. With the New Year coming up, every family in the village would hold ancestral ceremonies, and their family was no exception. Coincidentally, the village head's elderly mother was in poor health, and Hu San's wife said she was close to death. Each family would need to send someone to carry the coffin, but Li Li was too young, and Zhang Hui Xuan could not do it. Zhang Bo hoped that Lu Yan could replace Zhang Hui Xuan.

Lu Yan didn't answer immediately. He still didn't know the procedures for ancestral ceremonies in this village. What if he rashly agreed and ended up walking to his death? "Did Old Lady Third Whisker agree to this?" he asked, trying to gather more information before making a decision.

This question stumped Zhang Bo for a moment. After a while, he hurriedly stood up and looked like he was about to enter the main room.

The dining room was adjacent to the kitchen, the dim light flickering from the single light bulb hanging on a wire above the table. Li Li sat at the head, her young voice cutting through the air just as Zhang Bo rose. "No need to ask; he can go."

A sudden gust of wind blew in, carrying with it the musky scent of a fox. Li Li's expression was no longer that of a six-year-old girl. Her voice was sharp and insistent, her narrow eyes locked on Lu Yan. "You can go in his place. This is Old Lady Third Whisker's meaning."

The bulb swayed, casting ominous shadows on the wall. Two pointed ears protruded from Li Li's shadow head, stark against her silhouette.

Lu Yan's heart plummeted, but he reluctantly agreed. Only then did Li Li revert to her childish form, bouncing away as Lu Yan watched her shadow on the ground.

If they needed him to replace Zhang Hui Xuan in offering ancestral sacrifices, then he was safe until the ceremony. At least, they would try to ensure it. Therefore, he accepted Zhang Bo's invitation to stay the night. A guest room awaited him at the end of the hallway.

"This is how we live in the countryside. We sleep early." Zhang Bo's wife said, tucking in the bedding. "If you hear anything during the night, don't respond and don't come out, understand?"

She pulled an oil lamp and box of matches from the bedside table, placing them within easy reach. "There are often power outages at night. This will be your only source of light."

As if on cue, the room plunged into darkness, the sound of crackling electricity filling the air. "See? Just as I was saying," Zhang Bo's wife muttered, striking a match and holding it to the wick. A flickering flame illuminated the room.

"Thank you," Lu Yan murmured, stepping aside to let her leave. "I'll be careful."

As Lu Yan stood beside his room's door, his eyes fell upon Li Li standing at the other end of the corridor, draped in a red dress that burned like coals in the glow of the kerosene lamp she held. Her face, as white as snow, gleamed under its light. Her long hair tumbled like tendrils of night, framing her shiny black eyes that fixed themselves upon the room he occupied. Whether she peered at him or something beyond him, he could not tell.

Li Li parted the side door and slipped inside, the wood quivering gently as it closed. Zhang Bo's wife, following close behind, entered the room and drew the door shut. Lu Yan shut his door and sat on the edge of the bed. As he was preparing to lie down, a blurry black shape appeared on the yellowed curtain at the room's right flank.

The farthest room to the right sat entirely alone, separated from the rest of the house. Its window looked out upon the back mountain. Zhang Bo had warned him beforehand that to thwart insects and creeping things from infiltrating the room, they had sealed its window and draped its thick curtains. To ventilate it, one needed to open the door.

Lu Yan's breath caught in his throat.

At that moment, with the group of taskers yet to arrive and the world unchanged, he resolved to act as he always had in such circumstances, pretending he had seen nothing. He shrugged off his coat, and climbed into bed. Extinguishing the kerosene lamp, he shut his eyes and pretended to sleep.

Hold on! Something's off.

A startling thought crossed his mind, leaving him short of breath. He struggled to quell the urge to flee. With a household guardian spirit at their beck and call, they should have nothing to fear... Shouldn't they? And the team of taskers, they would arrive soon enough, wouldn't they?

**

"Chu Chu, do you really think this is wise?" Yu Xiang Guang trailed behind Lin Chu, his expression troubled.

Lin Chu was armed to the teeth with weapons and recording devices, filling every available space on her body. She grinned wickedly as she heard the remark from her friend. "This is a great opportunity to conduct research in another world. Of course I have to be fully prepared," she answered.

"But," Yu Xiang Guang was hesitant. "They all said not to bring too much stuff with us. Otherwise, if we encounter ghosts, we won't be able to run," he warned.

Lin Chu shrugged off his concerns. "If we can't run, then we'll just die," she said nonchalantly. "It's not a bad thing to end a boring life."

Yu Xiang Guang was fearful, "Hey, don't say that. We will come back safely."

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore," Lin Chu replied. "By the way, is it really as you guys said? Less than a second in reality?"

Yu Xiang Guang nodded.

"Is the technology in that world similar to ours?" Lin Chu asked again.

"Yes, but their country's history and some significant events differ. We've tried to investigate when the changes started, but we haven't found out," Yu Xiang Guang explained.

Lin Chu pondered deeply. According to their accounts, no matter how long they spent on their mission - a week, a month, or even half a year - only less than a second had passed when they returned to their world. The speed of time in the two worlds was clearly different, yet the dates on their return were close. Why was this so?

Yu Xiang Guang probably couldn't provide helpful answers, so Lin Chu decided to investigate it herself. It had been a long since she encountered something as challenging as this.

Finally, they arrived at the designated location in a university town near a small supermarket. The entrance to the other world was an inconspicuous alleyway. After midnight, if they walked to the end of the alley, they could enter the other world.

Lin Chu and Yu Xiang Guang were the first to arrive half a day early, thanks to Lin Chu's coercion and persuasion. Yu Xiang Guang nervously guarded the entrance, peering inside.

The alley was dark and eerie, with tall, old-fashioned buildings blocking the sunlight. As they walked further in, the darkness seemed to engulf them.

Lin Chu meticulously plucked a small piece of dark green moss with her tweezers, tapping down some pieces of soil and sealing them in a transparent bag. She'd cross over to the other world at midnight to gather more materials, eager to compare and contrast the differences. Carrying several storage bags in her bag, she knocked and tapped on the wall before sticking her legs in the gap. Swiftly, she installed a mini camera on the high wall, followed by another in the corner. Within moments, the area of less than one square meter was equipped with five or six cameras.

As time went by, the weather grew increasingly sombre.

As Lin Chu emerged from the alley, Yu Xiang Guang awaited her anxiously, sighing in relief at her appearance. They decided to eat first, as Yu Xiang Guang had arranged to meet the others at the small supermarket entrance at ten o'clock that night.

As the minutes ticked by, more and more students arrived to dine and drink. Located within the university city, the eatery attracted a considerable crowd. Lin Chu blended in with the college students, skillfully hiding in plain sight.

Yu Xiang Guang trembled with fear, the coward that he was. Although the other taskers insisted that ghosts only existed in the other world, he remained frightened. Despite no ghosts, peculiar incidents have been reported in the area recently.

With time running out, the bustling university city showed no signs of slowing down; more students continued to flock to the area. Yu Xiang Guang urged the excited Lin Chu to hurry, exclaiming, "Come on, Chu Chu, it's time to go on a mission."

Lin Chu returned to reality, replying, "Oh, right." She quickly called out to the boss, "Boss, please hurry. I need to return to the dormitory to check in."

The pair hauled their bounty of barbeque to the meeting point. Four people were already waiting by the small supermarket entrance, their eyes widening at the sight of the food. Lin Chu introduced herself, "Hi, I just received the task, so I didn't make an appointment with you guys earlier. My name is Lin Chu. It's my first time doing a task. How many times have you guys done it?"

As the jumbled food was passed around and Lin Chu revealed it was her first time on a mission, the corners of everyone's mouths twitched, betraying their amusement. An Xing Yu, the youngest in the team, came forward with a blank, almost robotic expression in his gaze. "I'm An Xing Yu," he introduced himself, "I've done seven missions already."

Lin Chu had spotted him before. He was the only one who appeared youthful yet lacked the liveliness of the rest. She chuckled and switched the plastic bag to her other hand before greeting him with a handshake. "Nice to meet you, boss," she said.

With An Xing Yu leading the way, they all reintroduced themselves and arrived at the entrance of a narrow alley. They formed a circle and began discussing the possible paths for the mission ahead.

Lin Xue Yuan (林雪原), a woman with the same surname and gender as Lin Chu, noticed her and asked, "Oh, it's your first time on a mission. Have you registered on our website?"

Lin Chu smiled, her dimples deepening. She raised her phone and shook it. "I joined, and my ID is [The first time the lights come up in the evening]."

"You're [The first time the lights come up in the evening]?" Lin Xueyuan was taken aback.

Lin Chu had a level one account, but she had earned a name for herself by solving all the challenging tasks in the forum with unconventional methods. Her solutions were creative and practical, as confirmed by the senior executors. They had thought she was a veteran tasker using a new identity, but they were shocked to find out she was a genuine rookie.

Everyone's eyes changed, now looked at her with admiration and respect.

Lin Chu patted her chest. "I'll try not to hold you guys back," she promised.

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