As soon as we realized it wasn’t safe to linger, we hurried out of Hong Ye Village. By the time we got back to the village, it was already 1:30 in the afternoon. At the entrance to the village, Tai Long was there punching away at an old quilt he’d somehow tied to a tree like a sandbag. Each punch landed with a solid thud, his fists echoing powerfully against the makeshift target.

Tai Long’s skin was tanned, and his upper body was bare, showcasing muscles packed tight from all his training. He was drenched in sweat, glistening under the sunlight. Seeing us approach, he paused and asked, “What were you two up to at noon? Sneaking off for some bromance?”

“Screw you!” I laughed and cursed at him. Tai Long was a total musclehead, constantly obsessed with either training or drinking. He was always talking big about chasing Xia Yumo but never actually did anything about it. Ignoring him, we continued walking into the village. After all, we still had that haunted soul bell to deal with.

As we entered the village, we spotted Little Fatty, Xi Que, Xia Yumo, and Liu Tianyi hanging out at a local auntie’s house to cool off. Villages like this didn’t have the luxury of air conditioning, but the way the houses were built made the rooms naturally cool in summer. The four of them were playing mahjong and called out for me and Brother Xiang to join, but we only chatted briefly before heading straight to Grandpa Jin’s house.

When we arrived, we found his door shut. I knocked a few times, and after a moment, Jin Xishan opened it. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying. Once inside, we learned that Grandpa Jin and Grandma Jin had reunited, which led to an emotional outpouring of tears. Satisfied after meeting him one last time, Grandma Jin fulfilled her wish and moved on to reincarnation.

“Did you manage to get anything about the bell?” Brother Xiang asked Han Sifan.

Han Sifan replied, “We asked, but honestly, what we found out is as good as nothing.”

It turned out that the bell had been gifted a year ago by one of Jin Xishan’s father’s former subordinates. At the time, the subordinate had said it was a lucky charm that would bring safety if hung by the window. Grandpa Jin hadn’t thought much of it, but when cleaning the house recently, he found it again and decided to hang it up.

“So, we just need to track that guy down, right?” I said.

But Jin Xishan cut in, “I know him. He used to be my dad’s assistant and would often visit our house. But… he passed away in a car accident last year.”

“It doesn’t add up,” Han Sifan said, frowning. “If he’s connected to that bell, there’s no way he’d have died so easily. And for it to happen right after he gave it to you? Sounds more like he faked his death to cover his tracks.”

Then, she added, “Maybe he was a yin-yang master who held a grudge against your father and used the bell for revenge.”

“That’s impossible!” Jin Xishan shook her head. “He and my dad got along really well. That’s why he came over so often.”

Han Sifan pondered this and said, “If you’re sure there was no grudge, and he still tried to harm your family, that’s even worse. It means someone else put him up to it. Either way, you should tell your dad to stay vigilant. If you need help, let us know.”

“Thank you, Sister Fan,” Jin Xishan said, clearly touched. She felt completely powerless in the face of these events. In fact, when she first saw her grandmother’s ghost, she’d nearly fainted from fear.

“What about us? No thanks for us?” Brother Xiang said, draping his arm over my shoulders with a mock aggrieved look. “We just lugged around a corpse for crying out loud! Talk about bad luck.”

“Get lost! Quit whining, or I’ll smack you,” Han Sifan snapped, glaring at him. But Brother Xiang didn’t mind. After all, we’d just pocketed 100,000 yuan from our earlier trip—50,000 each. For a college student like me, that was a fortune that could last quite a while. As for the strange creature we encountered in the cave, neither of us mentioned it. In fact, we both wanted to erase it from our memories entirely.

Thankfully, despite the eerie incidents at the start of our trip, everything turned out fine. Afterward, we spent three days having fun in the mountains. There were plenty of places to explore. Eventually, when the school term was about to begin, Jin Xishan said her goodbyes to her grandpa, and our group of nine wrapped up our adventure at Mei Mountain.

When we arrived back in Chongqing, we got off the bus and said goodbye to Liu Tianyi. He didn’t stick around and left on his own. To be honest, Liu Tianyi always looked down on us, but once we learned more about him from Jin Xishan, it made sense.

Apparently, Liu Tianyi’s father was the district chief of one of Chongqing’s main urban areas—a man with significant power. Liu himself had stellar grades and had already been accepted to Tsinghua University. He was just taking a gap year before enrolling. He wasn’t bad-looking either. Thinking about it, he really fit the image of a “tall, rich, and handsome” guy.

People always say the rich look down on us ordinary folks, but honestly, I get it. If my dad were a district chief and I had money, status, and a bunch of girls chasing after me, would I hang out with nobodies? Uh… actually, maybe I would. But still, it’s not his fault. It’s just different perspectives.

After Liu Tianyi left, Han Sifan and the other three girls went off to find a place to eat, leaving us guys to fend for ourselves. As we were figuring out what to eat, a shifty-looking middle-aged man approached us.

He smiled slyly and asked, “Hey, boys. Looking for a place to stay?”

I declined immediately, but the man leaned in closer and said suggestively, “We’ve got girls. Pretty ones.”

I sweatdropped. “Not interested.”

The man didn’t give up. “Older women, then? Cheaper.”

Sweating more, I said, “Still no.”

Finally, he whispered, “Young lads are available too.”

“Dude, look at the four of us. We already make two perfect pairs! Why would we need anyone else?” Brother Xiang snapped, glaring at him. I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Of course, this was just a silly little episode on our way back. I don’t travel much, but I’m pretty sure this kind of thing happens at most bus or train stations across the country. There’s always some sketchy uncle or aunt trying to sell you on cheap accommodations, promising hot water, air conditioning, and internet. But when you get there, the “hot water” is boiling, and there’s no cold water to mix with. The air conditioning is just for show, and the internet? It’s so slow that logging into QQ might crash the computer.

By the time we got back to school, it was already 5 PM. After a whole day of travel, we were exhausted and immediately collapsed into bed. I didn’t wake up until the next afternoon—nearly 20 hours later.

Little Fatty and Tai Long brought me a lunchbox with my favorite—twice-cooked pork fried rice. As I dug in, I asked, “Why were you guys up so early? Where’s Brother Xiang? Don’t tell me he woke up before me. That doesn’t add up.”

“Save it,” Little Fatty said, snickering. “Your Brother Xiang found true love. He went to the internet café this morning—the one we usually go to. There’s a new cashier there, and she’s pretty cute. You know his taste. Even Sis Feng wouldn’t faze him. The moment he saw her, he was smitten and insisted on getting her number and QQ. He’s probably still there trying to chat her up.”

I felt a little defensive for Brother Xiang. I wanted to say something in his favor, but then I hesitated. Honestly, what could I say? I once saw him trying to date a girl who weighed 180 pounds. The sight of her made me lose my appetite for twice-cooked pork for weeks. That says everything about his taste.

Throwing on a pair of black shorts, a white T-shirt, and some slippers, I waved goodbye to Little Fatty and Tai Long and decided to take a stroll to clear my head. Our university was in a district with a bunch of other schools, so I just wandered aimlessly through the area.