Ah Xu knelt beside Xiao Ling, gently shaking her shoulder.
"Xiao Ling… hey, wake up…"
She didn't respond at first, her hand still clutching her phone tightly.
When Ah Xu pried it from her fingers, he noticed the screen — the livestream was still running.
Thousands of comments flooded the chat in real time.
Realizing what was happening, Ah Xu frowned, thumb hovering over the screen for a second before pressing "End Stream."
The feed cut off instantly, leaving the audience in complete suspense.
At that moment, Xiao Ling stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
She looked pale and disoriented. "Ah Xu… what happened?
My head… it hurts."
Seeing her awake, Ah Xu's tense expression softened.
He pulled her into a tight hug, his voice trembling.
"I'm so sorry, Xiao Ling.
This is all my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."
She blinked in confusion, still too weak to respond, sensing the deep guilt and fear in his voice.
Before she could say anything, a faint shout echoed through the dark halls—
"AH XU! XIAO LING! ARE YOU GUYS IN HERE?!"
It was Jia Le.
Ah Xu froze for a moment, recognizing the voice.
His heartbeat quickened—not just from relief, but from unease.
He looked toward the entrance of the mansion.
"That's… Jia Le."
Xiao Ling sat up slowly, still dizzy, her voice trembling.
"He came…? Why would he come here?"
Footsteps echoed closer from the doorway as Jia Le's voice called out again, louder this time, filled with panic.
"Answer me! Where are you guys?!"
The three were finally about to reunite — but the mansion was far from silent.
Somewhere deep within its walls, the air stirred once more…
A sudden chime echoed faintly in Ah Xu's mind.
[Warning: Multiple lesser entities detected nearby.]
He froze, glancing around in confusion.
"What… what is this voice?" he muttered under his breath.
The strange notifications, the cold data-like tone — none of it made sense.
But right now, that didn't matter.
Xiao Ling was still weak, and his priority was to get her out of the mansion as soon as possible.
Supporting her by the shoulder, Ah Xu guided her toward the front doors.
Outside, the fog had thickened, curling around the gates like white smoke.
As they stepped out into the courtyard, a familiar voice broke through the silence.
"AH XU! XIAO LING!"
Jia Le came running toward them, his flashlight beam trembling in his hand.
His face was pale, his breathing uneven.
"Are you both okay?! Are you hurt?!"
he shouted, eyes darting between them.
Ah Xu blinked, confused.
"We're fine, Jia Le. Why are you—"
Jia Le exhaled in relief, shaking his head.
"I thought… I thought something happened to you two.
That livestream—it didn't look fake, Ah Xu. It looked real."
Xiao Ling leaned against Ah Xu, still exhausted.
"It was real," she whispered faintly.
Jia Le swallowed hard, glancing nervously toward the looming mansion behind them.
"Let's not talk here.
This place… it gives me the creeps.
Come stay at my house tonight, we'll figure everything out there."
Ah Xu hesitated but nodded.
"Yeah. Let's go."
As the three turned to leave, a faint chill brushed against their necks.
The wind had gone still.
Unseen by them, in the upper windows of the mansion, shadowy figures had begun to stir.
Now that the strongest spirit had been devoured, the weaker ones — fragments of lost souls bound to the seal — were free to move.
Dozens of pale, translucent faces pressed against the cracked glass, watching the three figures walk away.
They couldn't leave the mansion, but their hollow eyes followed them relentlessly, their whispers trailing in the night air.
For a brief moment, all three of them stopped.
Jia Le frowned, rubbing his arms.
"Did you feel that?"
Ah Xu turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah… it feels like someone's watching us."
Xiao Ling shivered, clutching his arm. "Let's just go…"
Behind them, the Feng Mansion stood silent once more—
but its windows gleamed faintly, like a hundred unseen eyes in the dark.
Jia Le managed to hail a taxi, and the three of them climbed in, the night air still tinged with the chill from the Feng Mansion.
When they finally arrived at Jia Le's home, Ah Xu and Xiao Ling froze, taking in the grandeur of the estate.
The exterior gleamed under soft lighting, manicured gardens stretching out like a scene from a magazine.
Ah Xu raised an eyebrow.
"Wait… are you, like, really loaded or something?
This place looks… kind of expensive."
Jia Le shrugged casually, as if it were no big deal.
"I mean, my dad owns a few businesses overseas.
But yeah, come on inside—it's freezing out here."
As they made their way through the ornate front hall, Ah Xu and Xiao Ling couldn't help but marvel at the interior.
High ceilings, polished marble floors, intricate chandeliers — it was like stepping into another world.
Finally, they reached Jia Le's bedroom, a surprisingly spacious room with sleek furnishings and a large window overlooking the gardens.
Jia Le turned toward them.
"So… what do you guys want to drink?"
Before they could answer, he called out, his voice carrying lightly:
"Hey! Bring something for the guests—juice, water, whatever's available!"
Ah Xu and Xiao Ling exchanged glances, still stunned by the sheer luxury surrounding them.
Xiao Ling whispered to Ah Xu, half-amused, half-awed:
"I didn't know Jia le lived like… this. I felt out of place."
Ah Xu chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"Yeah… me too."
For the first time in hours, the three of them could breathe, the horrors of the Feng Mansion temporarily behind them.
Jia Le smiled, noticing Ah Xu and Xiao Ling still in their clothes that they have been wearing since morning , slightly dusty and rumpled from the night's chaos.
"Hey, you two," he said, "I have some spare clothes in the guest room.
You should change first—look a bit more comfortable."
Ah Xu and Xiao Ling exchanged glances, slightly embarrassed but grateful.
They followed him to the guest room and quickly changed into the fresh, casual clothes Jia Le had laid out.
The fabric was soft and warm, a stark contrast to the chill of the abandoned mansion.
Once they were settled, Jia Le led them back to his bedroom, where a tray of drinks and snacks awaited.
Juice, bottled water, and an assortment of small pastries and chips were neatly arranged.
"Here," Jia Le said, handing them each a drink.
"Relax for a bit. We'll talk about everything that happened once we've had a moment to breathe."
Ah Xu took a sip of his juice, still feeling the adrenaline of the night slowly fade.
Xiao Ling nibbled on a pastry, eyes wide as she looked around the luxurious room.
For the first time in hours, the three of them could finally exhale, the terror of Feng Mansion temporarily behind them.
The room was warm, safe, and bright — a stark contrast to the dark corridors they had just escaped.
As they settled in, Jia Le leaned back in his chair.
"Okay… now that we're all alive and fed, let's go over what just happened.
Because I don't think any of us are going to forget this night anytime soon."