Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Cheng pressed his lips together, his voice tinged with sadness. After a long sigh, he said, "I don't want this tragedy to repeat itself."
Yuan Xiaoyi, witnessing this, felt a flicker of hope rekindle within her. The pallor on her face flushed with a hint of color as she recalled, "Senior, the university library, the abandoned sports field, and the Medical Building are all widely recognized as the most haunted locations on campus."
"Xiaohui, because she often went to the library to study, knew more about it than the rest of us. She'd privately tell us stories about the place."
"Compared to other libraries, Jiangtan University's library has many strange features," Yuan Xiaoyi hesitated before continuing. "For example, it closes at 9 p.m. every night, and all faculty and students must leave."
"After everyone leaves, the library remains unlit and unguarded throughout the night. I've heard that even the School Security Department patrols avoid the area at night."
The mention of night patrols suddenly reminded Jiang Cheng of the two security guards he had encountered outside the abandoned sports field the previous night.
While the security guards dared to glance at the abandoned sports field, they completely avoided the library at night.
This stark contrast gave Jiang Cheng a new understanding of the library's terrifying reputation.
After all, this was the origin of the Heart-Corroding Demon.
Yuan Xiaoyi didn't seem to be thinking too deeply about it. She continued, "Of course, these things are just strange. But... the fact that the fourth floor of the library is empty is really odd."
As if worried Jiang Cheng wouldn't understand, Yuan Xiaoyi rephrased her explanation. "Senior, you might not know this, but our university library, though it looks large, has a very illogical spatial layout. It can't accommodate many students."
"Normally, it's fine. But during exam weeks or other important periods, there are never enough seats."
"Students and some teachers have complained to the university many times, but they always make excuses."
"They say the building is too old, the waterproofing on the fourth floor is poor, and it needs repairs before it can be used. They claim they already have a plan and ask us to wait patiently for further arrangements."
"But..." Yuan Xiaoyi looked up, her eyes filled with confusion. "A teacher once told us privately that ever since she started working at this university, the administration has been saying they'll renovate the fourth floor. But it's been years, and nothing has happened."
"Oh, right," Yuan Xiaoyi lowered her voice. "This teacher graduated from our university over a decade ago."
Jiang Cheng had been to the school library before. The layout was indeed peculiar. According to Curator Zhou's story, it had been arranged that way by the Night Watcher.
Jiang Cheng believed Curator Zhou was telling the truth.
The purpose of this arrangement was naturally related to the Heart-Corroding Demon.
Jiang Cheng had already pieced together the entire story in his mind, but he showed no emotion on his face. He simply nodded and said, "Xiaoyi, from what you're saying, is there something wrong with this library?"
His question was perfectly timed, avoiding any deep probing into details that might expose Yuan Xiaoyi's deception.
"Yes, Senior. If it were just a simple leak, why would it take so long to fix? After all, completing the fourth floor would benefit the school."
"Then one day, Xiaohui came back from the library and found us. She told us mysteriously that she finally knew why the fourth floor had been abandoned for so long."
"It wasn't because of the school's claims of old buildings and leaks. It was because of a case that happened many years ago."
The moment he heard the word "case," Jiang Cheng instinctively straightened his posture. The long-awaited climax had finally arrived.
After so much back-and-forth with Yuan Xiaoyi, his sense of foreboding had grown stronger. If this dragged on any longer, he feared something disastrous might happen.
"What case?" Jiang Cheng asked, turning his head naturally.
"It happened a long time ago, decades ago, when Jiangtan University was first established," Yuan Xiaoyi recalled. "This building already existed before the university was built, but it wasn't a library then. Xiaohui said she didn't know what it was used for."
"Anyway, the building was later assigned to the university, which renovated and converted it into the library we have today. Oh, and Xiaohui also mentioned that the library used to have a fourth floor."
"I mean, the fourth floor was actually usable," Yuan Xiaoyi emphasized. "But because it was inconveniently located and poorly lit, it housed only obscure books, and few people came here to borrow them."
The word "obscure" seemed to spark something in Jiang Cheng. He feigned confusion and turned to Yuan Xiaoyi, asking casually, "Do you know what kind of books they were?"
"Yes," Yuan Xiaoyi replied, recalling. "There were some history books, but according to Xiaohui, they weren't official histories. They were more like unverified wild tales and rumors. There were also foreign language books with black covers—thick, heavy ones."
Frowning, Yuan Xiaoyi seemed to be searching her memory. "Xiaohui mentioned something about it, but I can't quite recall."
As she spoke, Jiang Cheng suddenly shivered, as if a cold steel blade had scraped across his skin.
The next moment, following the direction of that chilling sensation, Jiang Cheng noticed Yuan Xiaoyi's peripheral gaze!
She was secretly observing him.
No.
She was testing him!
Damn.
A wave of cold dread washed over him, and Jiang Cheng instantly realized where he had slipped up.
The book.
She had casually mentioned that the fourth floor of the library housed obscure books, yet he had reacted like a cat catching the scent of fish.
Unless he already knew something related to the book, he wouldn't have reacted that way.
With things having come to this point, Jiang Cheng was too smart to try explaining or covering up his mistake. After a moment, he gave his answer.
He turned to Yuan Xiaoyi, his eyes filled with feigned confusion, a hint of barely suppressed anxiety flickering across his face. "Xiaoyi, this isn't the time to play coy. Think carefully. What kind of books were on the fourth floor of the library?"
"Anything Xiaohui mentioned, you have to tell me everything, in complete detail. Maybe just one sentence could save our lives."
After saying this, Jiang Cheng seemed to grow despondent, his voice weakening and tinged with regret. "Xiaolin, Xiaoting... they're gone, and a large part of it was because we didn't prepare properly. If... if I had asked more questions back then, maybe they wouldn't have died."
"Senior," Yuan Xiaoyi said suddenly, as if remembering something. "I just recalled Xiaohui mentioning a sign hanging on the bookshelf holding foreign-language books on the fourth floor. It was written in a foreign language too."
"When translated, it seemed to be..." she paused, "...occultism."
(End of the Chapter)
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