“Oh! That tone of yours sounds like I cheated on you or something!” Yu Sen’s laughter was tinged with gloating.

Si Xuanyang held his breath in his throat, nearly choking.

“Cough, cough, cough…”

“Oh dear, got scared?” Yu Sen slowly patted his back to help him breathe. “I was just joking around; why take it so seriously?”

Si Xuanyang turned his head, choosing an angle where Si Nan couldn’t see, and mouthed fiercely, “Get your hand off me, damn it!”

He realized that it didn’t matter how he scolded or was fierce with this in-law because he wouldn’t care at all! And he wouldn’t reflect on it! All the past sadness and reflection were probably just pretenses!

As expected, Yu Sen withdrew his hand quietly and mumbled, “We were just holding hands a moment ago, and now you’re acting like a stranger. So heartless…”

Si Xuanyang: “…”

He was about to lose his mind. He didn’t feel his foot hurting now; all he felt was a headache!

He was about to burst!

“There aren’t any bandages here,” Si Nan came running over, holding a piece of cloth. “Let’s use this to wrap it up for now. I tore it off from my T-shirt.”

Yu Sen, feeling theatrical, quietly sat next to Luo Yu and spoke in a pretentious, drawling, and cold tone, like someone with a gloomy demeanor, “Only a real brother is good. Family is family, after all. Outsiders can’t compare.”

Si Xuanyang’s mouth twitched: Has this man completely lost it?

The reason Yu Sen’s act could continue so far was largely because he had a teammate who was as naive as an angel—dumb like a blank slate.

Si Nan, hearing his words, immediately put on a serious expression. “What are you saying? We’re so close, how can you say you’re an outsider, Yu Ge?”

He thought for a few seconds and felt that, as his best friend, he had to do his best to comfort his friend’s fragile mind that felt “rejected.” After a while, he blurted out:

“You’re my… insider!”

…

Yu Sen kept smiling: Well done, friend! Could it be that Si Xuanyang was now fully convinced of his fake identity?

“Si Si, you truly are enlightened.”

Whenever he felt his act was about to fall apart or be exposed, his understanding teammates would always fill in the gaps with their wild imaginations. If this wasn’t fate, what was it?

Fate decided that Yang Yang would continue to be fooled by him.

After hearing this, Si Xuanyang’s bandaging paused for a moment. His eyes darkened slightly, feeling irritated. He quickly tied a knot with the cloth around his ankle and finished the job hastily.

“By the way, did you find any clues when you went out tonight?” Luo Yu asked.

“Yes,” Yu Sen nodded. “As we suspected, all the people in this Li household were beheaded. Perhaps because their heads were locked away by the manager, they haven’t been able to reincarnate and are stuck repeating their days in this mansion.”

“What about the salt merchant’s daughter?” Si Nan was most concerned about the mission.

Yu Sen and Si Xuanyang exchanged a glance and said, “We initially suspected that the salt merchant’s daughter was the bride. But we just overheard that the bride married Mr. Li under a false identity. Perhaps the salt merchant’s daughter is someone else.”

Si Nan rubbed his chin, a sudden thought struck him: “Could it be the manager?”

“Probably,” Yu Sen nodded. “Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a way to connect the ancient and modern grudges.”

“But that Zhao Yue, who impersonated the salt merchant’s daughter, took her place and shielded her from disaster when the entire Li household was executed,” Si Xuanyang said. “So why does the salt merchant’s daughter seem so full of resentment? And our mission is to dispel her grudge.”

“That’s something we’ll have to ask Miss Song herself,” Yu Sen said with a smile.

He glanced at the candle on the table. Judging by its burning speed, they should be able to last through the night. Otherwise, once the candle burns out, the backyard might turn into a sea of severed heads.

---

The next morning, as soon as they opened their eyes, they were greeted by the hotel’s simple furnishings.

They had barely slept for a few hours last night. Upon getting up, Yu Sen felt as if his own resentment had reached a level that also needed dispelling.

He looked at Si Nan, feeling angry. “Si Nan, what the hell! You kept squishing me last night. Isn’t this bed big enough for you? Do you have to roll around? Are you a ball or something?”

“What does it matter,” Si Nan yawned nonchalantly. “It’s not like we haven’t squeezed together before. How many times have we done this in the past?”

“……”

Si Xuanyang put on his shoes with a blank expression and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

The iron door creaked a few times, sounding so fragile you could see the screws on it wobbling on the verge of coming loose.

Si Nan, startled awake by the noise, clutched his chest and sat up straight, looking at Yu Sen in confusion: “What’s with him? Why is he so angry early in the morning? Did I squish him too last night?”

“Maybe,” Yu Sen replied lazily. “At this rate, if one day you get assassinated by him, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“Huh?” Si Nan was incredulous and found it hard to believe. “Is it that serious? It’s just a bit of squeezing, so what? We used to squeeze together on camp beds during military training all the time.”

Yu Sen let out a weird, dry laugh. “You should’ve said that when your brother was still in the room; it would’ve been more effective. As for now… he won’t listen.”

After saying that, he also opened the door and walked out, leaving Si Nan full of confusion: “Why do I understand less and less of what these two are saying? Is it my problem?”

…

Yu Sen slept deeply and was sluggish getting up. By the time they arrived at the dining hall, most people had already eaten and left.

But Lin Jianchuan was still there.

As Yu Sen approached, Si Xuanyang was talking to him. Seeing him arrive, he didn’t greet him but only gave him a light, cold look before turning back to Lin Jianchuan.

“Tch, what kind of look is that? So effeminate.” Yu Sen sneered as he sat down.

Si Xuanyang: “……”

Shortly after, once Si Nan and Luo Yu had settled, he also returned to the table.

“What were you chatting about with Lin Jianchuan?” Si Nan asked.

“He was asking about the noise last night,” Si Xuanyang replied, “and we exchanged information. I told him the clues about the salt merchant’s daughter, and he gave us the location of the mass grave in the back hills.”

“Oh… there’s even a mass grave!”

“Yes, the people who died in this area and weren’t buried with a tombstone were likely all thrown there.” Si Xuanyang paused. “It’s quite an important piece of information. He also said he’d come with us later to question the manager.”

“Not a bad idea,” Si Nan said. “He knows if he goes alone and there’s danger, he’ll have no backup. That’s why he’s clinging to us now. In a place like this, having a thick skin is one of the essentials for survival.”

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and quickly turned to Luo Yu, “I didn’t mean you, Luo Yu… that’s not what I meant! I was just saying… Oh, I mean, I don’t think of you that way! Damn, why does this sound like a tongue twister…”

Luo Yu forced a smile. “Mm-hmm, I know. Actually, I came to find you guys because I was scared…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid, I’m here,” Si Nan comforted him with a bit of guilt, silently sighing at his own tactlessness.

“Tsk!” Si Xuanyang impatiently threw the metal spoon onto the plate, making a loud clatter. “Are you done talking? If you’re done, let’s go.”

Si Nan jumped again, just about to reason with his brother and tell him that this kind of impatience was impolite. But he suddenly met Si Xuanyang’s cold gaze, and instantly chickened out, obediently picking up his bowl.

“Wait a moment, I still have half a bowl of porridge. Just give me one minute, one minute is enough.”

“…”

Yu Sen slowly chewed on a steamed bun, unmoved.

Si Xuanyang exhaled irritably, looking up helplessly: Why was he the only one angry?

---

After eating, they called Lin Jianchuan, and the five of them decided to go to the storage room on the second floor to find someone.

Yu Sen remembered that last time, she appeared in that room.

Coming to the storage room for the second time, seeing all these densely packed cabinets and knowing what’s inside, the feeling was a bit different, even making the room seem colder.

“Let’s go inside and take a look,” Yu Sen said.

Si Xuanyang walked in front, cautiously observing each cabinet as he took every step, just in case any of them weren’t properly locked and something like a head suddenly fell on him. That would certainly cause a commotion at night.

As they approached the wall of keys on the far side, they suddenly heard a ‘click’ sound.

Si Xuanyang squinted his eyes, somewhat annoyed that he hadn’t brought any weapons. But considering the strength of these vengeful spirits, as an ordinary person with some martial skills, he’d probably still be no match for it.

That thought made him feel somewhat relieved.

The hotel manager appeared expressionless at the exit of another row of head cabinets, her pale blue face turning towards them.

“What are you looking for?”

“We’re looking for you, Miss Song,” Si Xuanyang said calmly.

The hotel manager’s eyes moved slightly. “How do you know my surname is Song?”

Yu Sen grinned. “In fact, we only know that the daughter of a salt merchant’s family was surnamed Song.”

He watched the hotel manager’s expression and slowly added, “…and that she married a certain Mr. Li.”

The hotel manager’s face instantly turned violent, as if she wanted to tear Yu Sen and the others apart, her voice shrill.

“I hate him! He killed me! He had my throat cut! I hate them all!”

Yu Sen took two steps back, fearing she might decapitate him in her rage and use his head as a ball.

He was somewhat puzzled. “You say Mr. Li killed you? But it was clear he wanted to marry you, not Zhao Yue. I thought he loved you. Why would he kill you?”

“What did you say!?”