The circle grew tighter, sealing off the entire entrance to the alley.
A thin, long hemp rope was tied to the weathered archway, its hanging end forming a perfect loop. Kong Da′s eyes bulged in surprise, his body suspended in mid-air, his toes barely brushing the ground.
Li Bai slowly retreated from the crowd, quietly disappearing into the distance.
Kong Da was dead, killed at the foot of the archway, though no one knew the cause of his death—not even Li Bai. However, Li Bai did know one thing: Kong Da must have seen everything that had happened st night. With this thought in mind, Li Bai smmed the dough onto the table with a heavy thud.
The glimmer of something white caught Li Bai′s eye at that moment. He frowned, hesitated for a moment, then bent down and picked up the object from the ground.
The silver was shiny; though slightly damaged, it was still a complete ingot. Li Bai's hands trembled, and his body wavered slightly. He swallowed hard, slowly flipping the silver over.
"冥."
Li Bai hadn′t read much, but he recognized this character, and he recognized it all too well.
"It′s impossible! Impossible!" Li Bai′s face turned pale, sweat dripping down his body. His fingertips trembled as they brushed over the silver, and with all his strength, he hurled the ingot forcefully out of the window.
When the silver fell to the ground, it should have made a crisp sound. At night, such a sound would be especially noticeable, but now... Li Bai heard nothing. It was as if the ingot had never been thrown at all.
Li Bai was taken aback. He stood up and walked to the broken window.
The wooden support for the window had already shed several yers of bark, but fortunately, it was still sturdy. Li Bai leaned his head out the window.
The wind was strong, and the tree branches swayed chaotically. Aside from that, everything else was eerily quiet. Li Bai looked down at the ground. Perhaps the silver had fallen onto something soft, which muffled the sound. But here, there was nothing but the hard, unyielding stone pavement—nothing else. Even the ingot was gone.
Li Bai froze.
"Bang!" With a sharp sound, the window smmed down suddenly, striking Li Bai on the back of his head. He didn′t even make a sound before he colpsed to the ground, unconscious.
When Li Bai opened his eyes again, the bell-ringer had just finished striking the final chime. Li Bai knew it was now the third watch of the night. He touched the back of his head—though there was no blood, the pain still lingered, making him uncomfortable. He struggled to sit up but then caught sight of something.
A rope, twisted into a thick braid, hung down. At its end, there was a neat knot, a complete loop. The upper end of the rope was tied to the ancient archway.
"Ah!" Li Bai screamed in panic, his body jerking backward in a desperate attempt to escape.
The rope swayed slightly in the breeze, a faint glow illuminating it from above, casting an eerie light over the entire archway.
"You forgot to deliver the steamed buns tonight," a voice echoed, distant and hollow.
Li Bai froze, his spine tingling with a cold shiver. He turned quickly, looking behind him.
The entrance to the alley was shrouded in darkness, with only the cold wind swirling through, bending the branches of the trees. There was no sign of anyone.
Maybe he had imagined it. Li Bai wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and braced himself, slowly standing up.
"You forgot to deliver the steamed buns tonight." It was that same voice again, and Li Bai was so scared he almost jumped up. He looked again towards the entrance of the alley—no one, nothing at all. But he clearly heard the voice coming from that direction. Could it be... a ghost? Li Bai's body froze there, and a hand traced down his back to his shoulder...
Li Bai hesitated and turned his head.
The woman's disheveled hair covered her face, and her clothes were stained with dried blood. Her pale, bloodless fingers rested on Li Bai's shoulder, her body hanging there with her head fitting perfectly into the noose made of hemp rope...
