After My Cross-dressing Cover Was Blown, the Movie Star Became My Accomplice - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

◎ You all can go to hell! ◎

The young girl in the white dress stepped out from the group of ghost children and came before the two men.

Mu Yao and the Rakshasa did not relax their vigilance just because of her words. Both held their dharma tools in hand, looking at her with a guarded expression.

“It’s you. I remember you said the river water was cold and you couldn’t breathe last time.”

As the girl drew closer, Mu Yao recognized her as the one who had grabbed his leg in the Mountain God Temple.

“Brother has a very good memory. It was indeed me who grabbed Brother.”

The girl in the white dress tilted her head, a smile appearing on her deathly pale face. Her voice was still sweet and soft, yet it made one’s heart feel chilled.

“You are special. Why is it that only you can move and speak?”

The Rakshasa remained alert, staring intently at the girl. He knew that where things were abnormal, there was bound to be a demon. The other ghost children remained motionless; only this girl in the white dress could act, which was enough to demonstrate her uniqueness.

“Hehe, of course I can move and speak. This is a privilege Sister gave me~”

The girl continued to smile—a sweet, innocent smile that, paired with her pale face and pitch-black pupils, created a strange sensation of both innocence and horror. It made one’s spine crawl involuntarily.

“Sister? The red-clothed female ghost. You were likely killed by her; why are you so close to her?”

Mu Yao could hear the girl’s dependence on the ghost through her form of address. He was curious: did this girl not hate the red-clothed ghost?

“Mm, although I was killed by Sister, it wasn’t her original intention!”

The girl in the white dress thought for a moment before speaking slowly.

“I remember that at the time, Sister cried. She cried very sadly. I… I felt quite bad at first, the river water was so cold and I was choking, but soon I couldn’t feel anything… When I became conscious again, I saw an uncle in a white shirt talking to Sister. He praised Sister for doing a good job, but I saw that Sister wasn’t very happy. That uncle must be very bad!”

“Very bad!”

“Must be very bad!”

Just as the girl said the uncle in the white shirt was very bad, the group of lifeless ghost children standing behind her spoke simultaneously.

Their voices were perfectly unified, saying in unison that the uncle was very bad, must be very bad.

“They see the truth; they just cannot escape his control.”

The eyes of the ghost children behind her were still devoid of emotion, but Mu Yao could feel the indignation and resentment in their words.

Their lives had just begun when they were silently ended by the mastermind. Even after death, they found no peace, driven by their enemy to continue committing evil and harming others.

“Is that man him?”

The Rakshasa picked up a photo from the cabinet nearby to confirm. It was a solo shot of the Village Chief, standing by the Ancestral Peach Tree and smiling brilliantly.

“I… I won’t tell you. Your mask is so scary! I like Brother!”

The girl in the white dress glanced at the photo, then at the Rakshasa’s mask. She took a step toward Mu Yao and pouted.

“Pfft, hahaha! Has this Group Leader sir been rejected? If you’re so easily disliked by ghosts, can you really obtain any clues?”

Mu Yao was in a great mood, laughing and teasing the Rakshasa.

“I don’t mind using a slightly more violent method.”

The Rakshasa pulled out a string of prayer beads, making a move as if to take them apart and strike out just as he had done at the Mountain God Temple.

Seeing his stance, Mu Yao knew this man’s methods were tough. In past missions, when he encountered ghosts, he likely beat clues out of them whenever possible. Of course, providing clues voluntarily would save one from a beating.

Truly simple and direct.

“Alright, don’t scare her. Since you like Brother, why don’t you tell me, okay?”

The moment the girl saw the Rakshasa take out his dharma tool, she quickly retreated to hide behind the first row of ghost children. The other ghost children also became restless and agitated due to the appearance of the tool.

To keep the ghost children from scattering and fleeing, Mu Yao stepped forward to block the Rakshasa, pressing down on the prayer beads.

The Rakshasa’s movement to disassemble the beads paused. He felt the slight coolness of the person’s body temperature in front of him. This was the second time he had felt the other’s warmth.

“You do it.”

“Okay.”

Seeing the Rakshasa put the beads away, Mu Yao breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the girl in the white dress.

“You can tell Brother! It is this uncle; he’s so bad. He always tells Sister to go catch people and doesn’t care about Sister’s feelings at all.”

“Then where is this bad uncle now?”

Mu Yao walked over to the girl and squatted down, asking in a soft, gentle voice.

“He… he is inside there right now. Sister is inside too. Brother, are you going to save Sister?”

The girl pointed her hand toward the secret passage Mu Yao and the Rakshasa had intended to enter. There was no change inside the passage, but neither man dared to drop his guard.

“Yes, we are going to catch this bad uncle and rescue your sister. Can you do me a favor?”

“Yay! Finally, someone can save Sister! What does Brother want me to do?”

The girl clapped her hands happily. She had finally found someone to save her sister; her plea for help had finally been heard.

“Can you and your other friends stay right here and not go anywhere? Even if you receive a summons, do not leave. Can you do that?”

Mu Yao knew the Village Chief could control these ghost children. If he were threatened, he would certainly summon them. If they could reach an agreement with the ghost children so they wouldn’t help the Village Chief, his and the Rakshasa’s actions would be much smoother.

“This…”

The girl in the white dress hesitated, showing a troubled expression.

“You are asking too much of her. She cannot resist the incantations that control her unless she wishes to have her soul dissipated or perish along with him.”

The Rakshasa stood at a distance. He also knew it would be best if the ghost children didn’t go over, but he had known for a long time that it was impossible.

“True. I have made it difficult for you.”

Seeing the girl’s expression, Mu Yao knew her answer. He sighed at his own naivety and couldn’t help but look at the Rakshasa, feeling that there really was a difference between an amateur and a professional.

“Let’s go. We can’t waste any more time. It’s okay if you can’t help; we will save your sister.”

Mu Yao gave a phantom pat to the girl’s head and turned to leave.

“Brother, since I can’t help you, let’s exchange for a question.”

The girl stood up quickly and said, a mysterious smile on her face.

“What question?”

Mu Yao didn’t think the girl had any useful information, but he patiently lowered his head to ask.

“Brother must want to know why I like you, right? Hehe, because Brother is very good-looking! I’ve seen Brother without the blur!”

The girl’s small hand wiped her own face. After saying this, she skipped back into the group of ghost children.

“Oh? It turns out this Little Impermanence is actually very good-looking. I’m a bit curious.”

The Rakshasa stood before the secret passage, watching Mu Yao at his leisure, his eyes behind the mask filled with deep interest.

“Curious or not, I’m not showing you. When you take off your mask and show me your face, then I’ll show you mine.”

Mu Yao gave the Rakshasa a silent glare through his magic. He knew in his heart that the Rakshasa was just a passerby in his life; their meeting here was a mere coincidence. They wouldn’t meet again in the future, nor could they.

Since it was impossible to meet again, there was no need to reveal their true faces to each other.

Although Mu Yao wasn’t famous, he was still a public figure. Not revealing his true appearance was for the best; that way, no troublesome people or matters would seek him out.

“Heh, you want to take off my mask? You aren’t qualified yet.”

The Rakshasa chuckled, turned, and entered the secret passage, wasting no more time.

“Hmph, so confident in yourself!”

Mu Yao muttered, gave a nod to the girl in the white dress, and followed him inside.

The secret passage was pitch black, with faint red threads floating within, guiding the way for the two.

Even in total darkness, both could see the things inside the passage. They walked along; the narrow passage was very quiet, with only the sound of their slight footsteps audible.

Hearing his own footsteps, Mu Yao instinctively lightened his pace even further. The situation in the passage was unknown; he had to stay alert.

The entrance to the passage began with a set of downward stairs. The two silently followed the red threads down for an unknown distance until they finally reached the bottom.

Leaving the stairs led to a steady red-brick corridor. Red candlesticks were installed along both sides of the long walkway, the flames swaying slightly in the draft.

Despite the light, the place felt even more oppressive. Mu Yao rarely operated in such cramped environments. Walking behind the Rakshasa, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

He felt his eardrums drumming slightly, as if he could hear the heartbeat in his chest. Each step the Rakshasa took in front of him felt like a drumstick, lightly tapping against his heart.

Suddenly, the Rakshasa’s footsteps paused. Mu Yao immediately stopped, his breath hitching.

“What is it?”

“Look here. There are scratch marks.”

The Rakshasa squatted down and pointed to a lower position. Mu Yao leaned over and saw rows of bloody scratch marks left on the red brick wall under the faint candlelight.

“The height is about the same as those in the room. Perhaps they were left by one person, or perhaps by people in the same situation.”

Mu Yao’s heart was heavy as he speculated. The ghost children in the room were all victims; these scratch marks might have come from the red-clothed ghost or from several of them.

“Mm. At least some of them were alive when they were brought into the secret passage. The Village Chief might be using living people for sacrifices.”

The Rakshasa nodded. He already had a faint suspicion about what the Village Chief was doing.

“Living sacrifices? That’s too inhumane. His background shouldn’t…”

Mu Yao was astonished. He had dealt with ghosts for a few years but had never encountered something as insane as living sacrifices. In his view, only a madman lost to insanity would do such a thing; clearly, the Village Chief’s experiences shouldn’t have driven him that mad.

Yet the facts before him reminded him that the Village Chief had indeed done this crazy thing. His voice trailed off, leaving him speechless.

“You cannot judge someone who can do such a thing by common logic. Little Impermanence, you have still experienced too little.”

The Rakshasa glanced at Mu Yao, his eyes filled with a touch of sarcasm.

Mu Yao saw the look in the other’s eyes behind the mask but couldn’t refute it. For this Bureau Group Leader, he had indeed experienced too little.

The two continued to explore forward in the passage in silence. When they reached the end of the red-brick corridor, their vision suddenly opened up.

A massive cave appeared before them. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the cave was very damp. Moisture condensed into water at the top, dripping down the stalactites with a drip-drop sound.

The faint red threads floated within the cave, gradually drifting toward the center.

“My Lord, the plan is proceeding normally. The living sacrifice will be completed soon. The ceremony will definitely succeed. Can I really… really achieve my wish?”

The Village Chief’s voice rang out abruptly in the cave. Mu Yao and the Rakshasa exchanged a look, both of their eyes filled with shock.

The Rakshasa lightly raised his hand in a “hush” gesture, pulling Mu Yao behind a stone pillar in the cave to look toward the center.

In the center of the cave was a square platform with a person lying on it. The Village Chief stood beside the platform, and in front of him stood a person wearing a black robe and a mask.

“If you can complete the ceremony, you can achieve your wish and reverse time. But can you still complete the ceremony?”

The black-robed person’s voice was distorted and low, like an un-tuned instrument, making one instinctively want to cover their ears.

“I can! I can definitely complete the ceremony! It will be done soon, very soon!”

The Village Chief spoke urgently, his voice carrying a noticeable tremor.

“If those two people hadn’t appeared, there definitely wouldn’t have been any problems with the ceremony. But… but those two came out of nowhere, chasing people like dogs! They… they must have found me already!”

Hearing the Village Chief’s description, Mu Yao immediately clenched his fists. If it weren’t for the setting, he would have rushed out to beat the man up.

Hey! Who’s a dog?! It’s fine if you say the Rakshasa is a dog, but why include me?!

The Village Chief suddenly knelt down. He grabbed the hem of the black-robed person’s robe, his voice becoming hysterical.

“Please help me. I know you can definitely deal with them. You said that as long as the ceremony is successful, you would help me clean up the mess. Please help me!”

“Heh. You said it yourself: I will only help you if the ceremony is successful. But how is your ceremony right now? Is it successful?”

The black-robed person kicked away the Village Chief’s hand and slowly walked around the platform.

“Originally, sacrificing just one person would have been enough. It just so happens that you are so stupid. The ceremony is half-finished and half-failed. An amateur is an amateur; your work is amateur too.”

“You… you’re unwilling to help me?”

The Village Chief’s voice suddenly rose as he shouted in shock.

“I did all of this because of you! If you hadn’t told me that completing the ceremony could reverse time and let me go back to the best time to save Xiao Meng—if it weren’t for you, how could I have done these things… Yes, it’s you. Everything is because of you. We are grasshoppers on the same string. You must help me!”

The Village Chief suddenly stood up, his voice filled with ruthlessness.

“Mm. It was indeed I who told you the method for the ceremony. But did I force you to do it? Doing these things was your own choice. What does it have to do with me?”

The black-robed person was not threatened. He stood by the platform at his leisure, showing no fear of being threatened at all.

“Instead of threatening me, you should think more about yourself. One must learn to save themselves. Since you are so afraid of them finding you, you should know their movements perfectly, shouldn’t you? What? Have you not monitored them yet?”

The Village Chief stared blankly at the black-robed person, then suddenly began to look left and right.

“You are still too stupid to respond. That’s why you were discovered by them and targeted. You have been exposed. Remember, it’s you, not me. Only by dealing with those two can you truly rest easy. Otherwise… look at how many ghost children are under your hand. Is your life enough to pay the debt?”

“No… it won’t happen. I won’t pay with my life!”

The Village Chief stood up abruptly and shouted while trembling all over.

“I just need to kill them. Dead people are the most honest!”

“If you want to kill them, you have to know where they are. Do you guess they are still circling the village, or have they… already arrived here?”

The black-robed person stood calmly by the platform, watching the Village Chief shout hysterically. Hearing his words, Mu Yao and the Rakshasa realized simultaneously that their movements had been detected.

Not by the Village Chief, but by this black-robed person.

The two struck at the same time. Mu Yao pulled out a charm and flicked it quickly toward the Village Chief, while the Rakshasa’s prayer beads struck toward the black-robed person.

“Ah!”

The Village Chief cried out in shock, summoning the red-clothed ghost to block the attack. The ghost was injured by the charm and let out a piercing scream.

On the other side, the black-robed person did not dodge. The prayer beads passed through his body without causing him any damage.

“Hehe. The Supernatural Investigation Bureau and a living Impermanence. Good luck to you.”

Before the black-robed person finished speaking, his figure had vanished without a trace. The Rakshasa knew this was an illusion—the black-robed person had already fled. He didn’t continue to linger on it and shifted his gaze to the Village Chief.

“Master! D*mn it! It’s all your fault! You all can go to hell!”