Chapter 92

Perhaps it was a habit from his previous life, but Zhou Chong was always highly alert when he slept, and any unusual movement would wake him up. Therefore, when the "bang bang" sounds came from outside, it made him jump out of bed, his face full of uncertainty.

"Bang~ bang~ bang..." The sounds outside did not stop with his awakening, still coming in a regular rhythm, one after another, as if someone was knocking on something. Zhou Chong carefully identified the source of the sound and found it was coming from the east side of his courtyard, which was the direction of the garden.

"Could it really be a ghost, as Zuo'er said?" Zhou Chong wondered, somewhat startled. The entire back courtyard was only occupied by him and the women, and no one lived in the garden. However, he then thought it might be a thief, but quickly dismissed the idea. Even if it were a thief, they would likely be very cautious not to be discovered. How could they be making such a racket in the middle of the night?

Although Zhou Chong was startled, he was not at all afraid. In his previous life, he firmly believed there were no ghosts in the world, but since he had crossed over, he was no longer so sure. After all, if there were no ghosts, how did he become Zhou Chong? But even if there were ghosts, Zhou Chong was not afraid. The most terrifying thing in the world was people, not ghosts. If it were a male ghost, he would show it the power of his fists. If it were a female ghost, well, the consequences would be unpredictable.

With this thought, Zhou Chong got out of bed and dressed in the dark, then felt behind the door for a thick stick and went out. The weather was quite nice that night, with no clouds in the sky. A half-moon hung high, casting a silver glow over the world.

Zhou Chong left the courtyard and heard the knocking sound more clearly. When he followed the sound to the garden gate, he indeed found that it was coming from inside. This made Zhou Chong furious. He had only been away from home for a short time, and already these ghostly things dared to cause trouble. Earlier, they had even frightened Zuo'er. It seemed that today he would have to teach them a lesson to show them what it means to have three eyes.

Thinking that this was his home and his family was inside, Zhou Chong's courage grew. He quietly entered the garden and soon reached the source of the sound. The Zhou family's garden was large, with artificial hills, pavilions, long corridors, and ponds. The sound was coming from the center of the pond.

Zhou Chong quietly approached a large rock by the pond and peered in. When he saw what was happening, he was startled. The pond, the size of two basketball courts, was completely frozen, and under the moonlight, it was a white expanse. In the center of the ice, a female ghost with disheveled hair was knocking on the ice, and ice fragments were flying in all directions, like a scene from a horror movie.

Although Zhou Chong was not afraid of ghosts, the sudden sight of such a terrifying scene made him feel a chill run down his back, his tailbone tingling, and his skin tingling as if all his hair stood on end. However, having died once and killed many people with his own hands, Zhou Chong had a much greater courage. He quickly calmed down and quietly approached from behind the large rock, ready to see if the figure was human or ghost.

But just then, he heard a cracking sound from the ice, followed by a low cheer from the woman. Hearing this, Zhou Chong was also puzzled. If he remembered correctly, ghosts could not make sounds.

However, Zhou Chong did not dwell on these details and quietly slid down the sloping bank of the pond. The female ghost had stopped knocking and was now using something to dig in the ice hole she had created.

Zhou Chong approached from behind the woman, and she did not notice him at all. He was now only a few steps away. At this moment, Zhou Chong noticed that the woman had a graceful figure, and although he could not see her face, she must have been a beautiful woman in life.

Unfortunately, the paths of humans and ghosts were different, and Zhou Chong had no thoughts of pity. He raised the stick in his hand high, gathered all his strength, and prepared to deliver a fatal blow to the figure, whether human or ghost.

However, Zhou Chong had overlooked one thing: the bright moonlight. He was standing with his back to the moon, and when he raised the stick, his shadow was cast on the ice in front of him. No matter how focused the female ghost was on her task, she finally noticed the shadow behind her.

The female ghost suddenly turned around and saw a tall figure with a stick standing behind her, causing her to scream, "Ah~"

Zhou Chong did not expect her to turn and scream, which made him jump. Moreover, misfortune never comes alone. He slipped on a piece of ice, causing one of his feet to slide out. His attention was focused on his arms, and he did not have time to react. He fell hard, his feet off the ground, and his back hit the ice with a thud.

This was not the end. As Zhou Chong landed, he heard a "crack" from the ice, and his body sank into the icy, bone-chilling water. It turned out that Zhou Chong had broken the ice, and not only did he fall into the water, but the screaming "female ghost" also fell in, and her scream stopped.

In fact, the ice was strong enough that Zhou Chong's fall should not have broken it, but the female ghost had already created a hole in the ice, and the surrounding ice had cracks. When Zhou Chong fell, the ice naturally cracked.

The entire process seemed long, but from the female ghost's scream to both of them falling into the water, it did not take more than two seconds. The garden was in a remote location, so no one in the house was disturbed.

In the moment Zhou Chong fell into the water, he finally realized that the figure was not a female ghost but a woman with disheveled hair. However, even though he understood this, he still cursed her in his heart. He was a poor swimmer in both his past and present life, and now he was in the icy water on a cold winter night. He would either drown or freeze to death.

Thinking about being lured to the garden by a woman pretending to be a ghost and then both of them drowning in the pond, Zhou Chong felt incredibly frustrated. He had just won the hearts of the people in the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce and opened up some opportunities. He was preparing to make a big move after the New Year, but now he was about to die in a small pond due to an accident. This would be unbearable for anyone.

Perhaps the heavens did not want Zhou Chong, who had lived two lives, to die in such a way. As he was choking on water, he suddenly felt someone grab his arms and pull him up. This made Zhou Chong very happy, and with the help of the other person, he finally managed to breathe in the cold air and was pulled onto the ice.

Only then did Zhou Chong realize that the person who saved him was the woman he had mistaken for a female ghost. She was also drenched, her long, black hair wet and plastered to her body, revealing a pale, delicate face that looked dreamlike in the moonlight.

However, the dreamlike beauty began to shiver uncontrollably after saving Zhou Chong. It was a winter night, and the temperature was below zero. Both of them had just climbed out of the ice hole, and their clothes were about to freeze. If they did not find a warm place to change, they would surely turn into ice sculptures.

Zhou Chong also got up from the ice, feeling the cold penetrate his entire body, even his internal organs. He was shivering uncontrollably and found it difficult to speak.

"Quick... quick... follow... follow me!" Zhou Chong's mind was no longer able to think clearly. His entire nervous system was telling him one word: "cold." He felt that the woman in front of him was not a bad person, as she had saved him, so he specifically asked her to follow him. Staying there would mean certain death.

Zhou Chong immediately climbed ashore, shivering, and the "female ghost" knew her situation and had no choice but to follow him, shivering. They moved as quickly as possible, but when they left the garden, their clothes were almost frozen solid, and with each step, they could hear the "crack" of ice.

They finally reached the courtyard where Zhou Chong lived. By then, they were both shivering uncontrollably, especially the woman behind Zhou Chong, who could barely move. Fortunately, Zhou Chong was a man, and his body was more robust. When he saw that the woman could not move, he immediately turned around, picked her up, and, gritting his teeth, used his last bit of strength to rush into the house.

In Zhou Chong's bedroom, a stove was burning. He carried the woman into the bedroom and leaned against the stove, shivering uncontrollably. Fortunately, he soon felt the warmth from the stove, and his numb body began to regain sensation, and he also recovered some strength. However, the woman in his arms was losing consciousness and instinctively clung to him tighter, making it impossible to let her go.