My Partner Always Wants to Dig My Grave - Chapter 6

The bluestone tombstone, weathered by centuries of frost and wind, bore mottled marks that partially obscured the carved characters, making the inscription difficult to decipher.

Without even consulting ancient texts, Si Wan had instantly recognized the handwriting and the name engraved upon it, the name of the tomb’s occupant.

To her surprise, the deceased shared the same name as her.

Si Wan didn’t dwell on it, attributing it to mere coincidence, as her name was fairly common.

Song Yan had followed her down, though her legs felt momentarily numb. She couldn’t help but marvel at Si Wan’s physical fitness, a result of her daily exercise and Tai Chi practice.

Seeing Si Wan standing motionless before the tombstone, Song Yan grew concerned and hurried over, only to find Si Wan fixated on two characters on the stone.

Song Yan, being Si Wan’s star pupil with a photographic memory, quickly recalled ancient scripts she had studied and identified the two characters.

In an instant, Song Yan’s pupils contracted. Hesitantly, she observed Si Wan’s reaction and, finding her merely staring intently, spoke in an uncertain tone.

“Professor, the owner of this tombstone…”

Her voice snapped Si Wan out of her thoughts. Regaining her composure, Si Wan brushed away most of the remaining dirt from the tombstone with her hand, unconcerned about soiling herself.

After staring at the tombstone for a moment, a sudden gust of wind carrying sand and dust made her eyes sting. She had no choice but to raise her arm to shield herself slightly.

A mournful, sobbing voice, seemingly both distant and near, ethereal and illusory, drifted through the air.

The owner of the voice was clearly not skilled at crying, as the sobs sounded forced, almost deliberate.

“It’s been so many years. How could you, heartless one, only now come to see me?”

The voice, mingled with sobs, sounded even more eerie and terrifying.

Hearing it, Si Wan stiffened abruptly, her face paling for a moment. She glanced at the person beside her.

Realizing that no one else seemed to have heard the voice, she concluded it was directed solely at her.

With this thought, Si Wan’s expression remained largely unchanged. She gritted her teeth subtly, forcing herself to stay calm and pretending not to have heard anything.

“Professor Si, is this… your ancestor?”

Song Yan, still unaware of Si Wan’s unease, grew worried by her prolonged silence and wondered if her speculation was correct.

The idea of a descendant digging up their ancestor’s grave didn’t sit well morally, no matter how one looked at it.

“No.”

Si Wan replied softly, her eyes discreetly scanning the surroundings. Only after finding nothing unusual did she relax slightly, as if the voice she’d heard had been an illusion.

Song Yan nodded, took out her phone to photograph the tombstone’s inscription, and said to Si Wan, “I’ll take a picture now and send it to you later for further study.”

Si Wan gave a noncommittal “Mm” but remained distracted. Recalling the voice, she hesitated for a moment before asking Song Yan, who had already finished taking photos, “Did you… hear someone crying just now?”

That person had even called her heartless…

Si Wan pressed her lips together, lost in thought.

Liu Yaoyao, who had just managed to climb down, overheard Si Wan’s question and immediately tugged at Song Yan’s sleeve, whispering in her ear, “Does Professor Si usually enjoy telling ghost stories?”

Looking at Si Wan’s cool and detached face, coupled with the refined aura brought by her gold-rimmed glasses, she didn’t seem at all like someone who could tell ghost stories.

Song Yan chuckled and asked,
“What are you thinking about?”

As she spoke, she turned to Si Wan with a hint of concern.
“Professor Si, it’s probably a lingering effect from the shock of nearly being struck by lightning a few days ago.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yaoyao, who was standing nearby, looked surprised and momentarily forgot to control her volume.

“Professor Si, you were struck by lightning?”

Startled, Song Yan pinched Liu Yaoyao’s hand as a reminder, then glanced at Si Wan and explained apologetically, “Professor, she didn’t mean anything by it.”

Only then did Liu Yaoyao realize her rudeness and hurriedly waved her hands, saying,

“Professor Si, I didn’t mean it that way.”

Si Wan didn’t seem to mind the matter and replied, “It’s fine. It was a close call, but nothing happened.”

Compared to that, she was more concerned about the fact that she could hear sounds others couldn’t.

Upstairs, Nian Nian had questioned the police officer who had inexplicably fainted but hadn’t found any answers. For now, no other cause could be identified.

When Nian Nian came back down, she laughed and joked,
“Well, it seems your Professor Si must enjoy watching tomb-raiding movies. Maybe she just felt like making up a ghost story to scare you all.”

Before Si Wan could respond, Song Yan shook her head and said,
“Officer Nian, you might not know this, but the professor is the last person to believe in ghosts or gods.”

Si Wan also furrowed her brows. Distracted by the unsettling voice she had heard, she turned her attention to Nian Nian and spoke seriously, her tone carrying an undeniable sternness.
“Officer Nian, please be careful with your words. Tomb raiding involves stealing national property. Our profession is dedicated to protecting and excavating the history buried underground…”

She paused briefly before continuing calmly,
“Moreover, I don’t believe in ghosts, and I wasn’t telling a ghost story.”

Nian Nian glanced around but found nothing unusual. Hearing Si Wan’s words, she chuckled again and said,
“That’s strange, then. There are only a few of us here. Could it be the person who’s still unconscious crying and whimpering? But he’s too old for that, isn’t he?”

At Nian Nian’s remark, the others finally remembered the forgotten Liu Er’gou.

Immediately, they all turned to look. Liu Yaoyao exclaimed in surprise,
“Uncle, you’re awake! The police are looking for you.”

They saw Liu Er’gou staggering to his feet, struggling to climb out. Upon hearing Liu Yaoyao’s voice, his body jolted violently, his grip slipped, and he immediately fell back down.

Liu Er’gou grimaced in pain, his face contorting. But instead of crying out in pain, he shouted,
“Ghost! There really is a ghost! A woman in red… Save me…”

His words were slurred and stuttered, and it took them a moment to understand what he was muttering.

“What ghost? Uncle, you still haven’t told us how you got in here.”

Liu Yaoyao started to step forward but was stopped by Song Yan, who shook her head at her.
“Your uncle isn’t acting right.”

Only after Song Yan’s reminder did Liu Yaoyao notice Liu Er’gou’s condition. He was trembling, his eyes rolled back, and foam was dribbling from his mouth, as if he were about to die right there.

“Don’t go near him just yet,” Si Wan said calmly, though she couldn’t help but dwell on the ghost he had mentioned.

“I’ll have to trouble Officer Nian to take a look.”

Nian Nian signaled the officers waiting above to come down before approaching Liu Er’gou.

The officer checked Liu Er’gou’s pulse and reported to Nian Nian, “Captain, it seems he’s suffering from extreme shock.”

“In broad daylight, those who do no evil fear no ghosts. He probably sneaked here last night and happened to see some clothes or sheets blown by the wind, which frightened him. You all take him to the hospital first, then notify his family.” Nian Nian said with a furrowed brow, speaking methodically.

“Understood, Captain.”

Nian Nian then turned to Si Wan. “My apologies, Professor Si. We didn’t handle this well. It’s getting late, so let’s call it a day for now. We’ll continue our investigation.”

Si Wan lifted her gaze to the distant horizon, where the setting sun dyed the mountains and forests a blood-red hue. Standing there, the wind in her ears seemed to carry the sounds of battle and clashing swords, causing her to momentarily lose her bearings. She stumbled, and in that instant, her vision cleared, the mountains of corpses and seas of blood vanished, leaving only the fiery sunset in the sky.

“Professor, are you all right?” Song Yan asked.

Si Wan closed her eyes briefly, and when she reopened them, confirming she was no longer hallucinating, she replied, “I’m fine. Let’s go rest.”

Since no temporary camp had been set up at the site of the discovered ancient tomb and the equipment wouldn’t arrive until the next day, Si Wan and the others had to stay in a village guesthouse.

After dinner, Si Wan returned to her room and sat on the bed. She felt her phone vibrate, a message from Song Yan containing the content of the tombstone inscription. However, before she could open it to read, a chilling wind blew through the unclosed window, sending a shiver down her spine. Her body involuntarily tipped backward, but since she was on the bed, she felt no pain as she fell.

After Si Wan fell into a deep sleep, a pale, ghastly hand appeared outside the window. Its fingers were slender, with sharp nails painted a vibrant red, making the skin appear even more bloodless and pale.

Si Wan’s room was on the third floor, and a determined person could still climb up using the pipes. However, this did not seem like the work of an ordinary individual.

The owner of the hand gradually revealed herself outside the window. Her long, ink-black hair cascaded down, obscuring her face, with only a glimpse of her strikingly red lips visible. She was tall and slender, dressed in tattered red robes that dragged behind her, making it unclear whether she was standing on the ground.

Her eyes reflected the figure on the bed, and a faint smile curled her red lips. A cold aura enveloped the entire room, turning the space, which lacked air conditioning in the midst of summer, as frigid as winter.

The woman sat on the windowsill, lightly covering her lips with her hand as she let out a strange, eerie chuckle. Yet, her laughter did not wake the person on the bed; instead, it only caused the sleeper to turn over impatiently, facing away from her.

Seeing this, the woman stopped laughing. She descended from the windowsill and paced leisurely around the room, as if thoughtfully examining the surroundings with curiosity. Yet, an innate elegance prevented her from lingering too long on these novelties.

Her gaze finally settled on the lit lamp. As if recalling something, the curve of her lips softened with a hint of warmth.

“So insecure, I knew you were afraid of ghosts.”

She spoke as she climbed onto Si Wan’s bed, lying down facing her, deliberately putting on a crying expression.

“This humble one died so unjustly…”

As soon as the woman finished speaking, Si Wan, lying beside her, furrowed her brow and muttered something. When the woman leaned closer, she received a solid slap.

The crisp sound made even the ghostly woman widen her eyes in disbelief. Unable to contain her anger, she sat on top of the other, tugging at her face indignantly.

“After all these years, you’re hitting me in bed again!”

Si Wan’s brow furrowed even deeper, but she only shifted uncomfortably, showing no signs of waking. She merely whispered softly,

“Stop making noise.”

…