I Return From Hell

Chapter 149: Chapter 142: Room 404

Peace Inn, fourth floor.

Room 404.

The number was considered taboo, but for some reason, the room remained.

Inside the room, on the wall facing the hallway, hung a woman’s memorial portrait.

An altar was set up before the portrait, laden with offerings of fruit, pastries, incense, and candles.

”Xiao Xuan, these are your favorite fruits and pastries. I hope you can be happy over there and not be bullied anymore,” he sobbed.

”Amitabha Buddha. Mr. Xie, she has passed on. Please accept my condolences.”

”Thank you, Master.”

”The hour has come. I must begin the salvation ritual. Please settle the remaining balance and then step back about thirty feet.”

”Okay.”

The sound of chanting filled the air.

Like a phantom, Xia Yu silently appeared on the room’s balcony.

Before nightfall, she had gotten a room for Xia Hongwei. By a stroke of luck, the guest in Room 204 had just checked out, so Xia Hongwei moved in there.

Afterward, she had slipped out of the room, used the cover of darkness to destroy the surveillance cameras one by one, and then climbed up to the inn’s fourth floor.

A careful search eventually led her here.

Xia Yu looked at the three people inside.

One of them, a heavyset man who looked rather greasy, was moving with his head bowed. This must be Xie Chengyong.

His face was a mask of grief and sorrow. As he took out a handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes and the cold sweat from his brow, he fumbled with his phone.

There was also a tall, thin Monk in new robes, with long eyebrows. He was engrossed in his chanting, carrying the air of an enlightened master.

Beside him, a little monk sat cross-legged, striking a wooden fish and murmuring his own quiet chant.

Xia Yu’s gaze swept past them to the memorial portrait on the wall.

It was a black-and-white photograph.

The woman in the photo was quite pretty, with a quiet demeanor. She wore a cute hair clip and smiled faintly, giving off an impression of purity and sweetness.

Perhaps because the room was so dim, the girl in the photograph appeared somewhat blurry. So blurry that...

Her face was impossible to make out.

”Hmm?”

Xia Yu frowned, feeling increasingly certain that something was amiss.

A thought suddenly struck her, and she sent out a mental command.

CREAK.

Down on the second floor, Little Flower pushed open his door, went up to the third floor, and quickly came to a stop.

He was now standing in the exact spot where he had previously sensed resentment from above—a position very, very close to the memorial portrait on the fourth floor.

’Could it be...’

’That the resentment is coming from the portrait?’

’The resentment is getting stronger?!’

The next moment, the message from Little Flower sent a jolt of alarm through Xia Yu.

Soon after, without any further warning from Little Flower, Xia Yu felt herself growing agitated and unable to focus. The feeling was identical to the one she’d had when she encountered Nai’er’s husband at the Jinlan International Hotel.

It was just much, much fainter this time.

’Of course, that’s not the important part.’

’The important thing is, why is there resentment coming from the portrait?’

Xia Yu’s brow tightened. She remained where she was, hoping to uncover more hidden clues. There was still some time before the Mist Event was scheduled to erupt, anyway.

’It’s a good thing I knew the danger in this Mist Event would come from the Ghost Clan, so I came to investigate well in advance.’

’Otherwise, how would I have ever discovered this anomaly?’

She felt a surge of relief.

However, the ritual went on for three full hours. As the night grew deeper, she failed to gather any more information, only noticing that the resentment from the portrait was growing weaker and weaker.

Then, all at once...

The ritual was over.

A message came from Little Flower: the resentment was completely gone.

Of course, this wasn’t because the old Monk actually possessed the ability to dispel resentment; it was because Little Flower had absorbed it all.

”Thank you for your hard work, Master,” Xie Chengyong said.

”The balance has been settled, but... please, do me the honor of letting me treat you to a meal.”

”Amitabha Buddha.”

The Master shook his head. ”I am weary. I must decline your offer of a meal.”

”I see... Very well, as you wish, Master.”

Xie Chengyong didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said, ”Allow me to see you out.”

The three of them departed.

The door locked behind them.

Xia Yu was the only one left in the room.

She stepped in from the balcony and slowly approached the portrait. After examining it, she still found nothing out of the ordinary, and her frown deepened.

’Am I just being paranoid?’

’The Mist Event is about to start.’

’I should head back to my room first.’

Xia Yu glanced out the window. A thin mist was beginning to spread. After weighing her options, she turned to leave.

When the source of danger was unclear, the best course of action was to get away from it.

’A card?’

As she entered through the inn’s main entrance and headed upstairs to her room, she inadvertently glanced at a small card on the floor. It featured a scantily clad woman and a phone number. A line of bold text was especially eye-catching: A Tryst of Roses, A Night of Romance.

A hand appeared in her line of sight and snatched the card up.

It was the guy with the backpack!

He wasn’t wearing his large backpack now. Chewing on a piece of gum, he said with a hint of sarcasm, ”The cards from the first taboo on the flyer... couldn’t be talking about this, could it?”

”Honey, put it down! Don’t break the taboos here.”

Seeing this, the female streamer walking behind him hurriedly gave him a push.

She wasn’t streaming at the moment, so she didn’t hold back.

”What the hell is there to be scared of? Nothing’s going to happen.”

The backpacker paid her no mind. When he caught a glimpse of Xia Yu out of the corner of his eye, his face brightened. He instinctively puffed out his chest, his voice growing a little louder. ”These so-called taboos are just meant to scare people.”

”It’s all a gimmick to get more views. You actually believe it?”

The female streamer retorted, ”Better safe than sorry!”

”There is no ’sorry’.”

”I just don’t buy it.”

Feeling bold, the backpacker shoved the card directly into his pocket. ”I’d like to see what could possibly happen.”

”You’re a streamer. You have to know how to create some drama for the show. If you don’t break any taboos, how are you going to get the audience interested?”

”You... Are you really going to do this?”

”What are you afraid of? I’m here!”

”O-Okay...”

Although the female streamer was scared, she also thought he had a point and finally agreed. ”Let’s go. Back to the room to start the stream.”

The backpacker shot one last, lingering glance at Xia Yu before leaving.

Xia Yu also felt that the so-called taboos were unbelievable, but she had meticulously inspected this part of the inn earlier and was certain there hadn’t been a card here before!

’So...’

’Who left it?’

’An employee of the inn?’

’Wait a minute.’

She suddenly recalled something. Since she’d arrived, she had only encountered two members of the inn’s staff: the front desk clerk and a cleaning lady!

If you included the owner, Xie Chengyong, that was only three people!

’For an inn this big, why is the staff so small?’

Xia Yu didn’t have time to dwell on it. The mist was growing thicker, and the event was about to begin. She quickened her pace toward her own room, 206.

She noticed a few more of the same cards scattered along the way.

CLICK.

The door closed.

The Mist Event began...