"What did you say?"
Xiao Bai's body stiffened, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger. Such an important clue, and Ye Xiaomei thought it was no big deal, keeping it hidden all this time, only revealing it when they brought up that eerie tree again.
In truth, Ye Xiaomei hadn't meant to conceal it deliberately. She just subconsciously felt that if she mentioned this clue, Xiao Bai would likely come up with some terrifying suggestion right away. And sure enough, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, she heard Xiao Bai speak: "That tree must be problematic. Otherwise, the story wouldn't keep reminding us about it over and over. I think we need to investigate it more thoroughly!"
"Th-then, tomorrow during the day..."
Ye Xiaomei had barely started when Xiao Bai coldly cut her off: "No. Since the story keeps hinting at the tree clue, I think it's best not to delay. Otherwise, once the safe period ends, the story's supernatural forces will obstruct us again, and it'll be even harder."
Ye Xiaomei's face changed color, and she instinctively glanced at the pouring rain outside the window. With such terrible weather and it being nighttime, leaving the warm, dry room to go out in the wet and cold to investigate under that tree—even setting aside her fear of supernatural forces—she was extremely reluctant.
"Can't we really wait until tomorrow..."
"Xiaomei, it's better to listen to Xiao Bai." At this point, Ke Shufan also hated the cold, damp rainy night, but since it was a matter of life and death, there was nothing more to say. Besides, she had considerable trust in Xiao Bai's judgment.
"Or we could do this: if you really don't want to go, Shufan and I can handle the investigation. You can wait for us in the room."
Seeing Ye Xiaomei's unwilling expression, Xiao Bai didn't want to force her. After all, in the story, more people didn't necessarily mean more strength. But just as she stood up, Ye Xiaomei suddenly spoke: "I... I'll go with you."
If Xiao Bai and Ke Shufan left, she'd be alone in that mysterious, eerie house, facing the strange doll next door and the butler downstairs. Thinking it over, it was better to stick together with the other two, looking out for each other.
She'd also heard from Ke Shufan that Xiao Bai, having survived two horror stories, carried special items obtained from those stories. These items were even more powerful at warding off ghosts and spirits than the talismans sold in the shop. So if something really happened, she believed Xiao Bai wouldn't leave her to die.
In comparison, braving the cold, heavy rain outside was uncomfortable, but the safety factor was higher than staying alone in the house.
Seeing Ye Xiaomei suddenly change her mind, Xiao Bai didn't say much. The three of them quietly made their way to the first floor. As they passed the hallway, Ye Xiaomei instinctively glanced at the butler's room. Seeing the door still tightly shut, she breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Having already investigated the estate multiple times over the past two days, they easily found the tool shed behind the house. It was mostly filled with gardener's tools, but the three quickly located raincoats, gloves, and shovels.
To avoid alerting anyone in the main house, they didn't touch the lanterns hanging on the wall. The cold, heavy rain was unpleasant, but the vast curtain of water and the noisy downpour provided excellent cover.
Soon, braving the torrential rain, they arrived once again at the big tree from earlier that day!
Most of the trees in the estate were well-maintained, but this one looked as if something heavy had crushed it. Its thick trunk bent to the side, its branches were bare of leaves—a dead tree.
A dead tree left standing, not removed and replanted, was itself a strange thing in this well-kept estate.
The bent trunk marked the spot where Ke Shufan had seen the rope loop earlier...
Xiao Bai's gaze swept over the dead tree before finally settling on the ground. The soil around the tree was just like the tree itself—almost no living things grew there, only muddy, barren earth.
Maybe the secret was buried beneath?
He lifted the shovel and drove it into the ground. Xiao Bai wasn't very strong, but the shovel slid into the soil with ease.
The soil here was very loose, meaning it had been dug up before!
Seeing Xiao Bai's action, Ke Shufan and Ye Xiaomei exchanged glances, both feeling a bit surprised. But when they tried it themselves, they also found the soil much easier to dig than expected.
As for what they might unearth beneath the soil, their feelings were now deeply conflicted. They both hoped for new clues and feared digging up something horrifying.
Could it be that Tongtong's real body was buried under this tree?
As soon as this thought surfaced in her mind, Ye Xiaomei couldn't help but shiver. She quickly forced herself to suppress the wild thoughts racing through her head.
Splash!
Splash!
Splash!
In the heavy rain, the three fell silent, leaving only the sound of shovels turning the soil. Suddenly, Xiao Bai stopped.
Just now, beneath the loose soil, the shovel had hit something that felt different.
She motioned for the other two to stop, then crouched down, carefully digging the soil away to the sides.
One scoop, then another. Finally, a white object emerged from the dirt.
A pale human hand.
Ye Xiaomei and Ke Shufan both turned pale, nearly collapsing to the ground. But the hand didn't make any terrifying moves.
It belonged to a corpse.
Beneath the tree, there was indeed a terrible secret hidden!
"St-stop! Stop digging!"
Seeing that pale arm exposed from the soil, Ye Xiaomei's whole body trembled violently with fear, and a strong wave of nausea surged up.
But Xiao Bai acted as if she hadn't heard, continuing to dig away the surrounding dirt. Perhaps because the corpse had been buried not long ago, the soil came away easily. Soon, the true form of that pale little hand was revealed to the three participants.
"This..."
Even Xiao Bai's expression changed sharply.
Because she clearly recognized this corpse...
Especially those wide, unseeing eyes.
And that face, twisted beyond recognition by pain and unwillingness.
Because this corpse.
Was none other than the missing Chen Cailing.
--- PS, second chapter delivered. Newbie author seeking support. Book club group welcomes you~~~