Chapter 29: Ghostly Secrets and the Hidden Room
Shi Mo's fever broke by morning, but the haze in her thoughts hadn't fully cleared.
The memory of Fu Yunshen sleeping beside her bed—blanket over his shoulders, head resting on his arms—played in her mind like a fragile, forbidden scene.
But today was not the time for romantic tension.
Not when ghosts were whispering again.
The spiritual box they had discovered under Fu Yunshen's bed still sat untouched in the center of the desk.
Zhou Zhi stared at it like it might sprout legs.
"I've had nightmares about that thing," he confessed.
"You have nightmares about spicy food," Fu Yunshen muttered.
"Ghost curry is a real fear!"
Shi Mo ignored their banter. Her fingers hovered over the box.
The red twine binding it was old but unbroken.
She pressed her palm lightly to the lid.
It was warm.
Unnaturally warm.
"The energy inside is dormant," she said softly. "But it's watching."
"Watching?" Zhou Zhi yelped. "I'm out."
Shi Mo turned to him. "Then don't touch anything. Not the box. Not me. Not even the floor."
Zhou Zhi raised his hands. "I'll hover."
With careful precision, Shi Mo cut the twine using a ritual blade and slowly opened the box.
Inside was a small leather-bound notebook, a key, and an envelope sealed with faded wax.
Fu Yunshen leaned closer. "What is it?"
Shi Mo picked up the key. "It looks like an old dormitory key."
Zhou Zhi gasped. "Wait. You don't think this opens—"
"The old utility room?" Shi Mo said. "Possibly."
Fu Yunshen frowned. "No one's used that room in years."
"Exactly why we're going."
Zhou Zhi groaned. "Of course we are."
That evening, under the cover of fading daylight, the trio snuck into the western wing of the dormitory—a place half the students didn't even know existed.
The door to the utility room was dusty, the hinges rusted with age.
Shi Mo inserted the key.
It clicked.
Inside, darkness.
The air was thick with mold and the scent of paper long abandoned.
They stepped inside, flashlights cutting through the gloom.
Dozens of old dorm records and confiscated belongings sat stacked in crates. Forgotten yearbooks. Broken projectors. Boxes labeled only with faded numbers.
Zhou Zhi whispered, "It's like a haunted thrift shop."
Shi Mo's flashlight landed on a wall covered in pictures.
Portraits of past students.
And beneath one photo was a name that made her heart skip:
Lu Feng.
Fu Yunshen stepped beside her. "That's the girl from the rooftop haunting."
Shi Mo nodded.
And then she noticed something even stranger.
A second photo, right beside Lu Feng's—this one labeled with a different name.
But the faces were nearly identical.
"Twins?" Zhou Zhi asked.
"No," Shi Mo whispered. "That's her mother."
The same sorrow in the eyes.
The same red shoes in the corner of the photo.
Suddenly, the Gu parasite inside her pulsed.
A soft wind stirred the air.
From the corner of the room, a whisper rose:
"She never got to say goodbye…"
Shi Mo's breath caught.
Fu Yunshen turned sharply, drawing his jade pendant. "It's here."
Zhou Zhi backed toward the door. "I didn't sign up for emotional ghosts!"
But the energy wasn't hostile.
It was gentle. Mourning.
Shi Mo stepped forward.
"Are you still here?" she whispered.
The shadows trembled.
Then, for the briefest second, they saw her.
Lu Feng.
Standing in the dark.
Smiling.
Peaceful.
"Thank you."
And then—she vanished.
[System Notification]Spiritual Trace Resolved: Lu Feng – Fully RedeemedItem Claimed: Utility Room Key (Artifact – Dorm Historical Record)Brotherhood Value +55 (Shared Resolution)Current Total: 865 / 1,000,000
As they exited the room, Zhou Zhi wiped sweat from his brow.
"Can we NOT go ghost-hunting tomorrow?"
Fu Yunshen chuckled. "That depends."
"On what?"
"If Shi Mo stops attracting spirits like she's handing out candy."
Shi Mo gave a tired smile.
This time, though, she didn't feel burdened.
She felt… lighter.
As if part of her had been seen.
And set free.