No one would ever expect that a YaoGuai might actually possess a child’s body—a child who should be pure and innocent by nature. But precisely because children are so pure, they’re also the easiest targets for a YaoGuai to inhabit without raising suspicion.
“Better to guard against others than not, and never mean harm, but never lower your guard,” Lin Xiao said seriously. “In this house, everyone is a suspect. We have to watch carefully—and a child is the best hiding place. Who would think to look for a YaoGuai in a child? A child’s mind is easy to take over.”
Zhang Nu had to admit Lin Xiao’s reasoning was compelling. The more Lin Xiao explained, the more likely it seemed this really could be happening just as he described. But if the patron’s son was possessed, how were they supposed to deal with him?
“Then how do we test it?” Zhang Nu asked. “We have to find a way to test each person, to rule them out one by one. Otherwise, we’ll never find the real YaoGuai.”
Lin Xiao agreed, but he also looked troubled. “You’re right, but finding a way to test them all is going to be difficult.” He paused, brows furrowed. “I can’t think of a good plan yet.”
Zhang Nu could only nod helplessly. If even Lin Xiao couldn’t come up with something, then it wasn’t likely any of them could. After all, this whole suspicion had come from Lin Xiao in the first place—it made sense that he should be the one to find a method.
“Lin Xiao, you thought of this, so you’ll need to think of a solution too,” Zhang Nu said. “Or maybe tonight, when we gather again, we can talk it through properly. No matter what, we have to figure out how to expose this YaoGuai—whether it’s good or bad, we need an answer—a closure.”
Lin Xiao nodded in agreement. At that moment, his eyes drifted toward Ling Xi, who, unsurprisingly, was already restless again. She couldn’t sit still for even a moment. Before he knew it, Ling Xi had skipped over to the other side of the courtyard and was playing with the patron’s son as if they were already best friends.
Lin Xiao found himself secretly impressed by Ling Xi’s gift for getting along with anyone. She could make friends with anyone, anywhere—a talent he himself did not have. Even with Zhang Nu and Liu Hai, he always felt a bit stiff and awkward. Only with Ling Xi did he truly relax, and yet he still enjoyed teasing her.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yang and Liu Hai, noticing Zhang Nu and Lin Xiao whispering, quietly sneaked up behind them.
“What are you two talking about now?” Liu Hai asked. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Zhang Nu jumped. He hadn’t expected Liu Hai to appear out of nowhere. Liu Hai was getting sneakier by the day. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N()velFire.net
“Don’t do that again, Liu Hai. You nearly scared us to death,” Zhang Nu muttered. “We’re just talking about the YaoGuai—who it might be possessing.”
Hearing that, Zhao Yang and Liu Hai both perked up. If they could find the YaoGuai quickly, they’d be thrilled—only by finding it could they earn their reward and finally move on. There were still so many places they hadn’t seen yet; they couldn’t stay stuck here forever.
“Then, do you have any leads? Any suspects?” Zhao Yang asked eagerly. “As long as we watch them carefully, we’ll spot the YaoGuai’s slip eventually.”
Zhang Nu could only shake his head. “No real suspect yet,” he said honestly.
But Lin Xiao did have one: the patron’s son. Even so, he didn’t share it. He still felt it was unlikely, and there was no point worrying Zhao Yang and Liu Hai without proof.
Seeing Zhang Nu’s answer, Zhao Yang and Liu Hai both slumped a little in disappointment. If they didn’t even have a single suspect, then this was going to be harder than they’d thought.
“Well,” Liu Hai sighed dramatically, putting on an air of wisdom he didn’t really have. “This is getting interesting. Whoever’s behind this is really good at hiding—good enough to fool even you lot.”
In truth, he didn’t understand any of it. He didn’t even know for certain whether there really was a YaoGuai in the patron’s house.