Chapter 1

Outside the window, a torrential rain poured down, the wind howling fiercely, while inside the room, the flickering light cast shadows that creaked and groaned.

Lin Yu, bent over a desk, his silhouette cast by the dim candlelight onto the wall behind him, resembled a monstrous ghost with its fangs bared.

[Case File One: The Old Corpse of Xiaohewan Village]

"In Xiaohewan Village, there was a fifty-three-year-old woman who was greedy and often extorted petty gains by exploiting others' weaknesses. The villagers disliked her and avoided her. One day, she suddenly changed her demeanor, going door-to-door to apologize, but no one was willing to reconcile with her. The woman became increasingly desperate, and by the seventh day, she was wailing all night, disturbing the entire village's sleep."

"On the eighth day, the villagers found the woman dead in her home, her face like a withered tree, her body shriveled. The coroner's examination revealed that all the blood and water had been drained from her body, her internal organs were hollowed out, leaving only a skin and a skeleton, like a mummy that had been dead for thousands of years."

Lin Yu closed the case file and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

From this single file, it was impossible to discern the key points of such incidents.

With this in mind, Lin Yu opened the second case file.

[Case File Two: The Thousand-Tongued Woman of Heshang Village]

"In Heshang Village, there was a twenty-year-old farmer's wife who was aggressive and had a foul mouth, often gossiping about others. The villagers tried to avoid her at all costs. One day, she suddenly declared that she would kill everyone who had avoided her. The villagers thought she was just angry and did not take her seriously. The woman became increasingly irritable, and by the seventh day, she was wielding a kitchen knife, banging on doors, terrifying the entire village, who dared not open their doors that night."

"On the eighth day, the villagers found the woman dead beside a dry well, her tongue protruding from her mouth, forked into two smaller tongues, which in turn forked again, creating a carpet-like mass of tongues covering her body, a sight both terrifying and revolting. The coroner's examination revealed that her tongue had forked into over a thousand smaller tongues."

Lin Yu closed the case file again, resting his forehead in his hand, deep in thought.

From these two case files, the deceased shared three common points: first, they were all women; second, they were all detested by others; and third, they all died seven days after their behavior changed.

However, there were no commonalities in their manner of death.

Sweat began to bead on Lin Yu's forehead. If he couldn't find the key points, it might be too late...

Wiping the sweat away, he opened the third case file.

[Case File Three: The Giant-Hearted Man of Huangsha Village]

"In Huangsha Village, there was a thirty-one-year-old river worker who was generous and righteous, always ready to help others, and well-respected in the village. However, one day, he suddenly demanded that those he had helped come to thank him, each bringing a hundred pounds of rice and flour and ten pounds of meat. Although the villagers visited him as he requested, none could meet his demands."

"Unexpectedly, the river worker did not stop there but became even more demanding, raising his demands each day. By the seventh day, he demanded that every villager give him all their possessions, causing the entire village to detest him."

"On the eighth day, the villagers found the river worker dead on the riverbank, his upper body swollen like a ball, his head and limbs hanging like fleshy tendrils. The coroner's examination revealed that this was due to his heart mysteriously enlarging, deforming his body."

Lin Yu's hand holding the case file began to tremble.

From this third case file, two of the previously identified common points were refuted: the river worker was not a woman, nor was he detested by others. Only the third point remained the same.

However, knowing that the death occurred on the seventh day was meaningless and explained nothing.

Lin Yu did not believe this was the key point.

But if he couldn't find the key point, then...

"No, no, that's not right." Lin Yu swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he muttered to himself, "The second point is still the same; they were all detested by others. Although the river worker was initially kind and helpful, he eventually became detested."

Realizing this, Lin Yu felt as if he had grasped a lifeline, but his breathing soon became rapid.

"Good, good, why is the back of the chair so cold?"

A pair of hands, trembling like a sieve, reached back, only to discover that his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

Lin Yu dared not turn around, fearing what he might see.

He trembled as he opened the fourth case file, trying to calm himself.

[Case File Four: The Multi-Eyed Woman of Xiamen Village]

He quickly flipped through it and opened the fifth case file.

[Case File Five: The Skinless Man of Xiaohu Village]

The sixth...

The seventh...

Soon, he had read all seven case files.

The more he read, the more confused Lin Yu became. He could not find the key points common to all the cases. The only thing that was the same was that all the victims died on the seventh day.

"Seven-day death? Seven-day death! Today is the seventh day, I..."

Drip—

Drip—

For some reason, a dripping sound occasionally came from behind him, as if some liquid was dripping onto the floor.

"Is the roof leaking, leaking water?"

"No, the roof can't be leaking. The roof of the Lin family's house will never leak!"

Lin Yu dared not turn around to look, not only that, he tightly closed his eyes.

"What is the key point of these cases? What is it?"

"Finding the key point will save my life, just finding the key point will save my life—"

The dripping sound grew closer.

Suddenly...

The air behind him became unbearably cold, as if he had entered a freezer.

In that instant, Lin Yu understood. He finally knew where the key point lay.

The victims in these case files were of different ages and genders, with varied personalities and preferences, and their deaths were all unique.

But the common point was not just "seven-day death." There was another crucial common point.

"Too late, too late!"

"Hehehe, too late. If I had realized it earlier, it wouldn't have come to this."

"Think of me, the young master of the Lin family, who usually enjoys caged birds and a carefree life. Why would I care about these trivial matters?"

"But now, hahaha, too late, everything is too late..."

Lin Yu knew what the key to survival was.

It was to mind one's own business.

In the seven case files, each victim was someone who meddled in others' affairs, which is why they were targeted by evil spirits.

He, a person who had grown up in luxury, had always only known how to enjoy life and had no reason to care about the lives of poor villagers, but...

Thud.

Lin Yu's body slid无力地从椅子上滑落，跌在地上。

气息全无，死得不能再死。

紧接着，他的脸上突然多出一只眼睛，一个呼吸后又多出一只。

一只接一只，脸上长不开就往身上长。

不过突然间，这些眼睛又先后消退下去，重新变回皮肤本来的模样。

而他本来已经失去血色的白净脸庞，竟又慢慢地红润起来。

“少爷，您没事吧？”

外屋传来一道脆生生的询问声，显然是被屋里的动静惊动了。

“少爷？少爷？”

那人又喊了两声后，吱呀一声把门推开。

“少爷……”

一名漂亮的小丫鬟从门外走了进来，她一进门就看到了躺在地上无声无息的林宇。

“不好了，大少爷出事了，大少爷出事了……”

---

Translation:

Thud.

Lin Yu's body slid helplessly from the chair and fell to the ground.

His breath was gone, dead as could be.

Suddenly, an extra eye appeared on his face, and another appeared with each breath.

One after another, they grew on his face and then spread to his body.

But suddenly, these eyes began to fade, returning to the skin's original appearance.

His pale, bloodless face slowly regained its rosy hue.

"Master, are you alright?"

A crisp voice called from the outer room, clearly alarmed by the commotion inside.

"Master? Master?"

The person called out twice more, then the door creaked open.

"Master..."

A pretty young maid walked in and immediately saw Lin Yu lying motionless on the ground.

"Oh no, something's happened to the young master, something's happened to the young master..."