Chapter 69: Register

Sheng Wen noticed Lin Kuo’s forced composure. It made his heart itch, but knowing how thin-skinned Lin Kuo was, he didn’t dare tease him. Instead, he sent Guan Miao a string of messages urging him to hurry.

Not long after, Guan Miao arrived. Following Sheng Wen’s instructions, he entered with his eyes covered, placed the clothes beside the bed, and left without a word.

Lin Kuo hurried to grab the clothes by the bed and get dressed. Only after pulling them on did he realize they were the same style as Sheng Wen’s—just in different sizes. They looked like couple’s outfits.

Lin Kuo choked for a second. When Sheng Wen was dressed as well, the two finally left the room. Guan Miao was waiting quietly outside and said nothing about delivering the clothes, only commenting, “It’s still raining.”

Lin Kuo thought of how the “Rain Woman” had possessed Zhang Yi. He wasn’t sure how Zhang Yi was doing now—if things had gone badly, that scream last night might’ve been his. With that thought, he didn’t dwell on the intimate memory from the night before and instead followed the other two toward where the scream had come from.

The scream hadn’t been far. Most participants of Hundred Ghosts Scroll were staying in rooms in the courtyard’s inner wing. By the time the three arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside the scene. Lin Kuo stopped at the edge of the crowd, their chatter drifting into his ears.

“Who died?”
“Wang Qing.”
“Shit, Wang Qing? One of the initiators, that Wang Qing?”
“Yeah.”
“How did he die?”
“Ran into a ghost. I just saw the body—looked awful as hell. I can’t even eat breakfast now.”
“…”

Hearing this, Lin Kuo furrowed his brows. If the one who’d died really was Wang Qing, things were worse than he’d imagined.

Wang Qing was one of the three initiators. The old man in green had mentioned before that if an initiator died, their entire team would be dissolved, and their score wouldn’t count. Most of Wang Qing’s team members were from the Upper City of Weicheng. Would they take this lying down?

Even Guan Miao grew serious. “Should we head back first?”

Since it wasn’t Zhang Yi who’d died, there was no reason for Lin Kuo to linger. Sheng Wen, however, said simply, “Wait here,” and squeezed through the crowd alone into Wang Qing’s room.

Lin Kuo stood quietly in the corridor, watching Sheng Wen disappear into the throng. While waiting, his sharp gaze swept over the crowd. Not only did he not see Zhang Yi, he couldn’t spot Duan Qiu or Guo Huai from Wang Qing’s team either.

After about five minutes, Sheng Wen returned. “Let’s talk back at the room.”

The three retraced their steps, and Guan Miao made sure no one had followed them before shutting the door. Once it was closed, Sheng Wen turned to Guan Miao with deliberate casualness. “Guess how Wang Qing died.”

Guan Miao said, “Since you’re asking like this, the answer can only be ‘Rain Woman.’” After a pause, he turned to Lin Kuo to apologize. He admitted he hadn’t known the Rain Woman would follow him out.

Before Lin Kuo could respond, Sheng Wen shook his head. “Wrong. He was stabbed to death.”

Both Lin Kuo and Guan Miao froze. Lin Kuo asked, “Not the Rain Woman?”

Sheng Wen said, “If the Rain Woman kills someone, their body dissolves into rainwater. There wasn’t the stink of a rainy day in Wang Qing’s room.”

Guan Miao thought for a moment. “Could it have been another ghost brought out?”

Sheng Wen was certain. “No.”

“Then it couldn’t have been a person—not someone deliberately killing, at least,” Guan Miao said.

Lin Kuo stayed silent, but inwardly he agreed. If that were the case, Wang Qing’s death was suspicious. He knew Sheng Wen had an answer, so he asked bluntly, “Then what happened?”

“The roster,” Sheng Wen replied.

Lin Kuo and Guan Miao weren’t stupid, but Sheng Wen’s explanation was vague. Lin Kuo stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate or at least drop a clue.

Because it was Lin Kuo, Sheng Wen was especially patient. “He was stabbed. Ghosts don’t use weapons to kill, and no participant would dare kill someone outright. Boyfriend, do you get it now?”

Lin Kuo did. The old man in green had mentioned that the deceased’s name had to be crossed off afterward. That action was equivalent to breaking the beads, and Lin Kuo had always suspected the roster was more than it seemed. Now it was clear.

Ghosts had their own ways of killing, and participants wouldn’t risk killing directly. So who killed Wang Qing? Someone who had already died in the scroll but whose name hadn’t been crossed off in the roster.

Lin Kuo followed that thought further. “The roster’s function is to make sure someone truly dies.” Assuming every dungeon contained a trap, he muttered, “Even if someone’s still alive, if their name is crossed off, they’ll die.”

Sheng Wen grinned. “Brilliant.”

“This makes things troublesome,” Guan Miao frowned.

With Wang Qing dead, his team was scattered. They’d been a top team from the start, with “heroes” among them. Would they tolerate this? If they were only Upper City level, maybe they wouldn’t guess the roster’s secret, but there were twelve people from Upper City in Wang Qing’s team, four of them from District A. A little thought would connect the dots.

Worse yet, Wu Tingting’s team wasn’t weak either. It was only a matter of time before they caught on too. This dungeon was about to get messy.

Both Lin Kuo and Guan Miao were frowning.

“Then why are you smiling like that?” Guan Miao asked.

“Because my boyfriend’s right here,” Sheng Wen teased. “I can’t help it.”

Lin Kuo flushed. “…Can’t we just take the roster?”

Before Sheng Wen could respond, Guan Miao said, “Not wise. With its power, keeping it for ourselves could backfire badly.”

Lin Kuo nodded at that. Still, the thought of everyone in danger filled him with unease. Sheng Wen pulled him close and said softly, “One thing at a time. No need to rush.”

And somehow, those simple words calmed Lin Kuo. The crushing pressure eased, as though even this thorny mess could be solved.

Sheng Wen finally stepped into the role of a planner. “Since this dungeon is dangerous, let’s finish it quickly. With Wang Qing’s team dissolved, fewer people will enter the scroll.”

Lin Kuo agreed. If he were in Wang Qing’s team, he’d choose not to enter either—what was the point? A single person’s score couldn’t compare to a team’s. Thinking more darkly, he might even consider stealing others’ eyes, but he wouldn’t waste time blocking others from entering. After all, the dungeon wouldn’t end until every ghost in the scroll closed their eyes.

“Anyway, we’re not here for first place,” Sheng Wen said. “Even if our eyes are stolen, we’ll be fine. Let’s just get in there and deal with these ghosts.”

Guan Miao nodded. “Alright. Lin Zhi and Zhang Mengnan should be fine splitting up to take on the ones at the bottom of the list.”

He looked to Lin Kuo for approval—after all, Lin Zhi was his sister.

“Okay,” Lin Kuo said. He trusted her.

“Jiang Sheng’s still young and doesn’t have much strength,” Guan Miao continued. “Let’s take him into the scroll with us. As for you two, decide whether to go in together or separately.”

“Separate, for now,” Sheng Wen decided before Lin Kuo could speak.

Seeing Lin Kuo’s slight hesitation, Sheng Wen explained, “The hall needs someone watching, and we need someone to collect the names of the dead.”

“Alright,” Lin Kuo said.

“But wait for me when it’s time to cross off names,” Sheng Wen added.

“Got it.”

When the plan was finalized, the sky outside was still dark despite it being morning. The rain hadn’t let up.

They stepped outside, bumping into Lin Zhi, Zhang Mengnan, and Jiang Sheng, who had just finished washing up. Guan Miao quickly explained the plan, which the two girls readily agreed to, but Jiang Sheng objected.

“I can go into the scroll on my own,” Jiang Sheng offered bravely.

Guan Miao wasn’t convinced.

Jiang Sheng’s eyes dimmed slightly at the lack of recognition.

At that moment, Sheng Wen ruffled his hair. “Not afraid of being alone?”

“I’m not afraid!” Jiang Sheng said excitedly.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah!”

“Good.”

Since Sheng Wen agreed, neither Guan Miao nor Lin Kuo objected further. Over breakfast, though, Guan Miao quietly raised his concern again. Jiang Sheng was just a kid. If something happened, it wouldn’t just be a tragedy—it would crush Lin Kuo, who had initiated this dungeon.

“I trust him,” Sheng Wen said, his words carrying a double meaning.

Guan Miao sighed. He understood. The city wouldn’t go easy on Jiang Sheng just because of his age. He needed training, and the scroll was the perfect place for that. Lin Kuo, too, needed to toughen up—life and death in the city were common. Clinging to grief would only hold him back.

After breakfast, the six of them headed to the outer wall of the courtyard. The last ghost on the scroll’s ranking, the “Wisteria Spirit,” had already closed its eyes. Next was the “Story Spirit.” Guan Miao explained:

“In life, the Story Spirit was a storyteller, but no one cared for his tales, and he died full of resentment. Now, he roams telling his stories to humans. If you listen, he won’t kill you—in fact, he’ll reward you. But if you refuse, he’ll strangle you and cradle your corpse, telling stories until you’re nothing but bones.”

The description didn’t sound particularly lethal. Lin Kuo let out a quiet breath.

“I’ll get the Story Spirit’s eyes,” Jiang Sheng promised after calling everyone by name.

Lin Zhi, though worried, smiled softly. “Little brat, I trust you.”

Jiang Sheng even refused Sheng Wen’s help with cutting his finger, choosing to bite it himself. Guan Miao held him up as he smeared blood over the Story Spirit’s eyes.

He entered the scroll.

Next were Lin Zhi and Zhang Mengnan. Their ghosts—“Nue” and “Human-Faced Tree”—were both ranked near the bottom as well.

Then Guan Miao chose the “Lantern Ghost.”

After watching them disappear into the scroll, Lin Kuo turned to Sheng Wen. Of all of them, he worried least about Sheng Wen.

Sheng Wen pressed his blood onto the “Mountain Boy,” ranked fourth. As he stepped through the rippling wall, he teased, “It’s still raining. We’re going to get soaked again. When I come back, let’s shower together.”

“…” Lin Kuo’s ears flushed red. “Just… go already.”

“Be careful, boyfriend,” Sheng Wen said with a smile.

Lin Kuo stiffly muttered, “I’ll… I’ll wait for you.”

With Sheng Wen gone, Lin Kuo turned to his own task. Guarding the roster and gathering the names of the dead wasn’t easy. Sheng Wen had trusted him with this responsibility.

That thought chased away his embarrassment. Without Sheng Wen there, Lin Kuo shed his shyness and became cold and focused. He turned to leave—only to see Zhang Yi, who held out his hand toward him.

Lin Kuo noticed Zhang Yi was standing on tiptoe. The Rain Woman was still inside him.

He’d been tricked once last night and wasn’t falling for it again. Lin Kuo avoided his gaze, ready to walk past him—

Then Zhang Yi’s broken voice rasped:

“Lin… Kuo… this is the Echo of the Gorge’s eye… Take it… Tell me… is Mu Mu still alive?”