I was led into the spa where Sister Fang died by two female ghosts.
Beyond the automatic doors lay a sea - blue carpet. Stepping on it felt as comfortable as treading on a cloud.
However, a musty, dusty odor assailed my nostrils.
On the ceiling above, human heads were floating and swaying like balloons. From time to time, they bumped into each other, turned their heads, and opened their eyes to stare at me.
"What a rare guest... What a rare guest..."
"It's been ages since a living person came here."
"Hehe, will we get to eat something fresh?"
...
The whispers were like the sound of someone walking on shattered glass shards, making one's heart race.
I didn't look up at them.
These ghosts, imprisoned by some means, harbored great malice towards the living. If they realized I'd spotted them, they'd surely swarm me.
I hadn't yet figured out what was going on inside, so I couldn't tip my hand!
"My cousin Wang Fang used to come here a lot. She should be a member, right?"
As I observed the spa's surroundings, I casually asked, "Can I use her membership?"
"Wang Fang?"
The two receptionists exchanged a look and shook their heads in unison. "We don't have a customer with that name!"
...
I frowned. A strange feeling welled up inside me, growing stronger.
It seemed like some secret was hovering on the edge of my mind, about to surface.
Although the place looked clean and tidy, my nose was filled with the stench of dust and decay.
I knew this was an illusion that even yin - yang eyes couldn't penetrate.
I was lucky. On my first try, I'd arrived at a place that might be hiding my grandfather's soul.
"Excuse me, where's the changing room?"
I found that this long corridor seemed to have no end. On both sides were translucent glass sliding doors with bizarre patterns that made me dizzy. It felt like I was walking in an endless loop, like on a Möbius strip.
"You don't need to change for our trial service."
The receptionist girl wasn't walking very fast. "It's just a deep facial cleansing and skin care treatment. Look... We're here."
As she spoke, she pointed forward. A glass door in front opened, and a beautician in a light - blue uniform and a matching mask bowed to me with a smile.
"... I'd like to take a look around your spa first."
I'd already glimpsed the equipment in the room over the beautician's shoulder. In the middle of the room was a beauty massage bed. On the rack beside it were not only some bottles and jars but also some things with a cold metallic sheen. This gave me a bad feeling about their so - called "deep cleansing."
"That's fine."
The two receptionists had gentle voices and excellent service attitudes. If it weren't for their blood - red mouths that seemed to split almost to their ears, I'd have felt right at home.
As we were talking, the row of human heads near the entrance started chattering noisily again.
"It seems another guest has arrived."
One of the receptionists looked towards the entrance and smiled. "We're really busy today..."
She and her colleague bowed to me apologetically. "Please take your time looking around. We'll go and greet the new guest."
After saying that, the two of them floated back the way they'd come.
I immediately took out the compass I'd been hiding in my sleeve.
It was only when I met those two ghost receptionists that I realized how useful the compass Lu Dayong had given me was!
It was not only delicate and accurate but also easy to carry. I was wearing a suit and skirt today, and the palm - sized compass fit perfectly into my cuff.
The pointer in the compass's celestial pool was spinning wildly. The golden scale lines were illuminated by a faint blue light, suddenly reflecting bright golden rays.
In an instant, the luxurious carpets, exquisite decorations, and even the neon lights outside the glass curtain wall all "whooshed" and dimmed.
It was like a brightly - colored oil painting being splashed with a basin of thick ink.
In the depths of the corridor where I stood, the glass doors were all broken, looking like jagged teeth. There was at least an inch of filth on the ground. Stepping on it felt sticky and soft, making me extremely uncomfortable.
I used my grandfather's birth details to set the position on the compass.
Sure enough, the wildly spinning pointer suddenly stopped and pointed straight at a corner of the corridor.
My heart was filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement. After so long, I'd finally found my grandfather's trace so clearly!
I reached into my backpack behind me and took out the yellow porcelain soul bottle I'd brought specifically for this purpose. With a "pop," I tore off the yellow talisman on it.
A bone - chilling coldness spread around me, and Wang Yingxiu, with her hair disheveled, appeared beside me.
"Xiaohe..."
She was a red - clothed fierce ghost. This ghostly place was like home to her.
"XiuXiu, help me save my grandfather!"
I didn't dare to be overconfident. How could I manage in this environment without a helper?
Wang Yingxiu floated in front of me and headed in the direction the compass was pointing.
After turning the corner of the corridor, a room with shattered glass appeared in front of us.
The fallen sign on the ground still faintly showed the words "Changing Room"... So this was the place where Wang Fang had told me she'd lost consciousness!
I followed Wang Yingxiu in cautiously.
A huge glass mirror on the wall stood there eerily, looking out of place among the broken and dilapidated surroundings.
I remembered Wang Fang saying that she'd lost consciousness while looking at this mirror!
Now, the compass in my hand was also shaking constantly, pointing inside the mirror.
I reached out a hand and touched the cold, smooth mirror surface... Suddenly, many small black hands emerged from the darkness inside the mirror, their five fingers outstretched menacingly, reaching for me.
"XiuXiu!!"
I shouted. Wang Yingxiu was quicker than my voice. She'd already positioned herself between me and the mirror. All those small hands plunged into her hazy red light and, like dead trees melting in magma, broke into pieces and turned to dust, merging into her red light.
Wang Yingxiu, being a soul, didn't hesitate and dived into the mirror.
"Don't go in!!"
Afraid that it might be a ghost - trapping formation inside, I quickly took out a cleansing mantra talisman and tried to stick it on the mirror.
Suddenly, I saw a dark shadow in the mirror behind me sneaking up on me silently.
I quickly dodged to the side. The shadow had intended to grab my neck, but I'd moved. It rushed too hard and hit the glass mirror with a "boom." However, the mirror only vibrated; not a single crack appeared.
"Yang Fan, it's really you!"
I quickly snatched a piece of cotton cloth from the shadow's hand.
The cotton cloth was wet, and a faint sweet smell wafted from it.
"Ugh..."
The shadow had hit hard. It groaned and took a long time to get up from the ground.
In the dim light, it was indeed Yang Fan's face.
"How did you know it was me?"
Yang Fan stood up, grimacing as he held his head, and stared at me menacingly.
"You wanted to drown me just like you did Sister Fang... So you didn't even bother to cover your face!"
Seeing Yang Fan's fearless look, I immediately understood his murderous intent.
Sister Fang and I had both stood in his way of making a fortune. So, we both deserved to die!