Chapter 18: She Is Like a Humanoid Machine

“Hello, my name is Rong Leying.”

“Hello, my name is Wu Yan.”

After a simple greeting, the three of them got into the car and headed toward Chenjia Village.

Wu Yan joked with Rong Leying, “Little sister, you must still be in school, right? You’re quite brave, daring to get into a stranger's car. Aren't you afraid we'll kidnap and sell you?”

Rong Leying: “I’m not afraid. You guys can't beat me.”

She had checked Chenjia Village last night; it was a relatively remote village. Since she had dared to travel such a long distance to deliver something, she had come fully prepared.

This morning, she had spent twenty thousand yuan to buy a Great Strength Pill. It provided strength like an ox and lasted for forty-eight hours—enough for this trip.

Wu Yan laughed loudly, “Little sister, you are certainly confident.”

“Mm.”

Wu Yan: “...”

Through the rearview mirror, Guan Xiangyu glanced at Rong Leying sitting in the back seat. Her face held no significant expression, looking almost like a human machine.

Midway through the trip, Rong Leying received a message from a caregiver, learning that Rong Mingda and the others had rushed to the hospital to see the Old Master and had even upset him.

Rong Leying's mood instantly soured. She immediately called Old Master Rong to inquire about his condition. Only after learning that it wasn't anything serious did she feel relieved, though she secretly made a mental note to settle the score with Rong Mingda and the others later.

Once Grandpa was discharged from the hospital, she would definitely get her revenge!

In the front seat, Guan Xiangyu and Wu Yan heard her making the call. The two exchanged a glance; so far, there seemed to be nothing wrong with this young girl.

However, they couldn't let their guard down. They had to stay vigilant; this phone call might just be a smokescreen.

Guan Xiangyu’s mind raced through various scenes of scammers sending coded messages to their accomplices in criminal investigation dramas.

If Rong Leying knew what was going through his head, she would definitely stuff a bag of Liuliu plums into his mouth.

*Are you okay?*

...

It took an hour and a half of driving before they reached Chenjia Village. Chenjia Village was a remote and economically backward mountain village, and the road leading into it was full of potholes.

The houses on both sides were low-slung single-story dwellings or wooden huts, with only a few scattered two-story buildings.

Every household kept their doors tightly shut, and occasionally, people could be seen in the roadside fields.

“Little sister, we’ve arrived at Chenjia Village. Which house does Grandma Shen live in specifically?” Wu Yan asked.

“Wait a moment, let me check the navigation.”

That app had a navigation function. She clicked into the unfinished orders on the Huangquan Delivery app, tapped the words "Chenjia Village" twice, and started the navigation.

“Continue straight, then at the second fork in the road ahead, turn left...”

Following her guidance, Wu Yan drove into the village, passing through the densely packed residential area and onto a road surrounded by cornfields.

“...Turn right here.”

“Turn right?” Wu Yan looked at the road ahead, which only went straight, and pulled the car to a stop. “Little sister, there is no right turn here.”

Guan Xiangyu turned around to question her, “Do you even know how to use navigation?”

“I know how to use it.” Rong Leying glanced outside. The surroundings were nothing but dense cornfields, and this was the only road in sight.

Yet, the navigation showed a right turn.

Guan Xiangyu: “If you know how to use it, then tell me how to go. How do we turn right? Turn into the cornfield?”

“The car can't turn, but a person can.” Rong Leying gave him a look as if he were an idiot, then opened the car door and stepped out.

Guan Xiangyu: *Hey, what kind of look is that...*

“Xiao Yu, get out and take a look,” Wu Yan said.

The village roads weren't just made of paved paths like this; there were many small paths through the fields that cars couldn't access, and some villagers' houses were located right inside those paths.

The two men got out one after the other, following Rong Leying into the adjacent cornfield.

“I’ve been to Chenjia Village several times. Aside from those houses up ahead, there are absolutely no houses around here. Do you actually know where Grandma Shen lives?”

The tall, thick corn leaves accidentally brushed against his hands, feeling both painful and itchy. Even though Guan Xiangyu tried to dodge them carefully, he still got scratched.

He grew increasingly impatient. He no longer suspected Rong Leying of being a fraudster; instead, he suspected she was a plant sent by their rival, the Guan family, to mess with them.

“Little sister, there really are no houses around here.” Wu Yan, lacking the height advantage to see the distant scenery, saw no sign of any houses.

He remained constantly alert to his surroundings. Cornfields were like thick green curtains; such places were prone to violent crimes.

Where exactly was this little girl leading them?

Rong Leying followed the navigation steadily. “Almost there, we’re nearly there.”

She led them zig-zagging through the cornfield until they reached a small hill, where there was a dense grove of bamboo.

Rong Leying stopped in front of the thickest and largest bamboo stalk. “We’re here.”

“Here?”

Guan Xiangyu and Wu Yan looked around in confusion. There was nothing here except the bamboo grove.

“Little sister, are you sure Grandma Shen is here?”

Wu Yan began to suspect that this girl's mental state was not quite right.

Guan Xiangyu was getting angry. “Are you playing with us?”

“I'm not playing with you. The address shows it's right here.”

Guan Xiangyu and the others couldn't see it, but she could. Sitting beneath this bamboo stalk was a young female ghost, appearing to be around twenty years old, wearing clothes from the 1960s or 70s and sporting braided hair.

She sat on the ground, observing them with curiosity.

Rong Leying looked at her and asked, “Excuse me, are you Shen Honglian?”

Shen Honglian froze, then pointed at herself in disbelief. “You can see me?”

“I can see you. Are you Shen Honglian?” Rong Leying asked again.

“I am! I am! I am Shen Honglian!”

Shen Honglian stood up excitedly. After so many years, someone could finally see her!

“...Who are you talking to?” Seeing Rong Leying talking to thin air, Guan Xiangyu took two fearful steps back.

A gust of eerie wind blew from somewhere, making the back of his neck feel cold.

Wu Yan looked at Rong Leying with an indescribable expression. He was certain now: this girl was mentally unstable.

Old Master Guan had been fooled by her.

Rong Leying turned to look at the two of them. “Oh, I almost forgot you can't see. Hold on a sec...”

She took out her phone, placed an order for two Intermediate Ghost-Seeing Talismans, and then handed the talismans to them.

“If you hold these, you'll be able to see. Shen Honglian is right here.”

“...”

Wu Yan and Guan Xiangyu exchanged a look. The latter cleared his throat. “Little sister, we shouldn't indulge in feudal superstitions.”

*So much nonsense.*

Rong Leying took a step forward and shoved the talisman directly into Wu Yan's hand. “Look!”

The moment the talisman was forced into his hand, countless cases of drugging and human trafficking flashed through Wu Yan's mind.

In the next second, a person suddenly appeared in his vision—a woman.

“!!! Holy crap!”

Wu Yan instinctively scrambled backward several steps.

Guan Xiangyu followed him back in a panic. “What happened? What happened?”

Wu Yan’s expression went blank. “...There really is someone here.”

No, that should be a ghost...

So ghosts really do exist in this world... Wu Yan's entire perception of the world was instantly overturned.

(End of Chapter)