Corpse Retriever

As Tan Wenbin spoke, he sneaked a glance at Runsheng. Runsheng ignored him.

When the group exited the clinic, Tan Wenbin deliberately lagged behind and nudged Runsheng with his elbow, clicking his tongue.

“See how smart I am?”

Runsheng finally responded, glancing at him with a calm retort.

“Too afraid to make a mistake?”

Tan Wenbin: “…”

With no leads, the four returned to campus.

“Binbin, go find out more about those two girls. Usually, when a malevolent spirit targets someone, it prefers to haunt people it’s already familiar with.”

Just like Little Oriole had done with him back then.

“Got it,” Tan Wenbin nodded. “I’ll grab the tape from the store and go back to the clinic. Once the two seniors come around, I’ll try to get some info from them.”“Runsheng, go with him. That little girl vanished—which means Binbin’s reaction spooked her. She might come back.”

“Okay.”

Li Zhuiyuan added, “Once Lin Shuyou can take care of himself again, just leave him be. If he dies, he dies.”

…

The four returned to the shop. Tan Wenbin grabbed the tape and headed back to the clinic with Runsheng.

Li Zhuiyuan, meanwhile, went down to the basement to check on Xiaohei.

Upon seeing him, Xiaohei trotted out of his cage and rubbed his head against Zhuiyuan’s pant leg. Then, as if having completed a task, it returned to its cage.

The dog was always healthy—and utterly uninterested in the outside world.

Yin Meng brought over a fresh bowl of nourishing elixir. Li Zhuiyuan poured it into Xiaohei’s bowl, and the dog began drinking.

After finishing, Xiaohei lay on his side in the cage and stretched out one paw through the bars in an inviting pose.

Li Zhuiyuan drew a syringe of fresh black dog’s blood and patted Xiaohei’s head.

The dog retracted its paw, sprawled out, and resumed napping. Its tail gave a gentle wag, like it was bidding him farewell.

Despite being a dog, it gave off an air of transcendence, detached from the world.

Zhuiyuan couldn’t help but suspect that once he set it free, no matter how far away, it would find its way back and climb into its cage voluntarily.

It genuinely enjoyed the pampered life—elixirs, good food, no responsibilities. And the price? A small sample of blood drawn now and then.

Compared to other dogs—flattering pets, working guard dogs, battling strays—Xiaohei had it far better and bled far less.

As Li Zhuiyuan was leaving the shop to head back to the dorm, a car pulled up.

The window rolled down. Xue Liangliang waved. “Little Yuan, hop in.”

Zhuiyuan opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

In the back sat Luo Gong, reviewing documents. He looked up and smiled. “Little Yuan, how’ve you been lately?”

“I’m doing well, teacher.”

“Good. There’s been some trouble at school, but I’ve already taken care of things for you. If you ever need anything, just go to the department head.”

“Thank you, teacher.”

“How’s that classmate of yours doing?”

“Tan Wenbin has been diligently studying professional texts.”

“Good.”

Luo Gong returned to his documents.

Xue Liangliang, driving, said, “Teacher and I just got back from Xuzhou. Tonight we’re heading to Huangshan for a conference tomorrow. We made time today just to visit home and have dinner. Then it’s back on the road.”

“That’s tough.”

Zhuiyuan fastened his seatbelt, saying nothing more about picking up Tan Wenbin—Luo Gong had already made his stance clear.

“Teacher used to live on campus, but recently we got reassigned a new apartment.”

“I heard someone from another university liked the setting around our faculty housing so much that they donated a bunch of lab equipment to get in.”

“Heh, people these days… what won’t they do.”

“It’s a pity. The old courtyard wasn’t big, but its layout and decor were all hand-picked by teacher himself. You never got to see it.”

Zhuiyuan didn’t think it was a pity. Odds were, he’d be visiting daily from now on.

The new home was in a bustling, older neighborhood. Once inside the complex, they got out of the car. Luo Gong went ahead after giving Xue Liangliang the apartment number, and Liangliang took Zhuiyuan outside to buy dinner.

“There’s been some trouble at home. Shimu probably isn’t in the mood to cook.”

“What happened?”

“Her younger sister and brother-in-law were killed in a car crash not long ago. They left behind a four- or five-year-old daughter. Shimu’s been taking care of her—with teacher’s consent.”

“Their daughter’s in college down in Shenzhen. Teacher’s busy with work. Having a child around gives Shimu some comfort.”

“But the child’s been sick lately. She collapsed suddenly. That’s why teacher made time to come home today.”

“Little Yuan, brace yourself. I used to wonder why Yu the Great didn’t go home while taming the floods. Now I get it.”

“It’s not easy.”

“Let’s hope infrastructure keeps improving—more airports, more flights. Then when you go back to Nantong, a day off will be enough for a round trip.”

“By then, Liangliang, you’ll be getting on in years.”

“What drink do you want? No alcohol tonight.”

“Soy milk.”

Liangliang and Zhuiyuan returned with the food. A kind-looking middle-aged woman opened the door. Her exhaustion was written all over her face.

“Liangliang, come in. This must be Little Yuan, our provincial top scorer.”

She handed him a red envelope.

“Thank you, Shimu.”

Zhuiyuan accepted it. First visit, teacher-student relationship—it was appropriate.

“What a handsome boy. Old Luo sure found a treasure.” She glanced at the takeout bags. “Oh, I already cooked. Why buy food? Nothing beats home cooking.”

“We didn’t want to tire you out, Shimu.”

“This is too much. We won’t finish it.”

“No problem. We’ll take the leftovers on the road tonight. Nothing wasted.”

Inside, Zhuiyuan saw Luo Gong on the couch with a little girl in his arms.

“Come, Jingjing. Say hello. This is Brother Liangliang and Brother Little Yuan.”

“Hello, Brother Liangliang. Hello, Brother Little Yuan.”

Jingjing’s voice was sweet and clear. She was adorable.

But as soon as she spoke, Li Zhuiyuan’s gaze sharpened.

Because in this world, no one was more of an expert at pretending to be a child than him.

“Well now, what a pretty little lady!”

Liangliang crouched down and gave her a big hug.

She giggled as she hugged him, though her nose wrinkled slightly.

A smile formed on Zhuiyuan’s face too.

Ah. Smelled something unpleasant, didn’t you? The Bai Family Matron’s scent, perhaps?

After the hug, Liangliang stepped aside.

Jingjing trotted over to hug Zhuiyuan next—of course she would, someone closer to her age felt more approachable.

But Zhuiyuan didn’t move. He asked:

“Who are you really?”

Same question Liangliang had asked earlier, but it carried a very different weight.

Especially with the way the boy’s smile slowly shifted into something more amused—like he was watching a show.

Confusion flickered in Jingjing’s eyes. But seeing this was her home, surrounded by people, her doubt dissolved. Her smile grew even brighter.

Yet as she ran up to him, Li Zhuiyuan suddenly kicked her.

Bang!

She flew to the floor, stunned.

He… dared?

Li Zhuiyuan pulled a small blood-red pouch from his pocket—freshly collected black dog’s blood, still warm.

Whap!

He hurled the bag at her. It burst open, soaking her in black dog’s blood.

“Ahhh!!!”

Jingjing screamed in agony.

Zhuiyuan turned calmly to Liangliang and Luo Gong.

“She’s been possessed by something unclean.”

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