Chapter 23: The Topic Avoided

"Did they just leave like that?"

In the courtyard, Tanya watched as the orange glow faded from view, her emotions churning like stormy seas, unable to settle. She truly had left behind her familiar world—she truly was dead.

Noticing Tanya's troubled state, Chu Ning's mood darkened; he sighed softly, gazing at the ink-black liquid on the ground, staring at his shadow in the darkness.

From the trunk of the locust tree, the black liquid surged forth, tracing a deliberate path across the ground, outlining a pair of withered, black hands. The sinister hands slithered like snakes along the grooves of the earth, creeping behind Tanya, the liquid rising eerily from the ground.

An intense sense of despair robbed Tanya of her usual caution—she needed to compare herself to others. Her hunger for power grew ever stronger, especially after witnessing the "battle" between Chu Ning and Liu Lingling.

Even though Tanya knew she hadn't been a ghost for long and would likely gain formidable strength in time, she couldn't quell the desire within her. A voice echoed relentlessly in her mind.

You're too weak! You're worthless! Look at Chu Ning's abilities—aren't you ashamed? Abandon your delusions and embrace the darkness inside you completely...

"Even knowing it's the devil's whisper, it's still far too tempting!"

Just as Tanya was drowning in self-pity, an aged, raspy voice sounded from behind her, "Would you mind moving aside a bit? Thank you."

The request was devoid of emotion—more a command than a plea, the tone cold and forceful, with an undertone of anger barely concealed.

"Oh!"

Tanya instinctively shifted closer to Chu Ning, who was lost in thought ahead, then suddenly snapped out of her daze and turned to look behind her.

Yet she found no one there, nor any place where someone could hide. Just as she was about to check whether Chu Ning was playing a trick, her eyes caught a detail.

The black liquid that had previously flowed aimlessly now gathered with purpose, forming a pair of pitch-black hands. On the fallen trunk, two black handprints appeared, as the liquid wrapped itself around the timber lying on the ground.

If Tanya remembered correctly, the fallen trunk was not in its original place—it was closer to the locust tree. Someone had moved it.

Her gaze locked onto the broken trunk for over ten seconds, as she edged nearer to Chu Ning, but nothing changed in the scene before her.

When Tanya turned to alert Chu Ning, the sound of rustling reached her ears. Turning back, she found the broken trunk even closer to the tree.

The scene before her was not the one she had first witnessed—the black liquid now flowed back into the locust tree's body. If Tanya interpreted it correctly, the tree seemed to be trying to reattach the broken trunk.

She did not think her idea too wild—after all, black liquid flowing from a locust tree was strange enough. And she had witnessed even more outlandish things, like that bizarre soccer match.

"Chu Ning, what's going on with the locust tree up ahead?" Tanya believed the man before her could provide an explanation, even if it sounded like pure fabrication.

"Ah? What is it?" Chu Ning heard his name called in a haze and looked up, confused.

He saw Tanya, bristling like an angry cat, warily watching the restored locust tree.

"That locust tree..."

Tanya swallowed the words she had meant to say—the tree now looked completely normal. She began to doubt what she had just seen.

Seeing this, Chu Ning pinched Tanya's pale cheek. Apparently dissatisfied with the force, he stretched her face again.

Noticing Tanya's right eye twitch, she swatted his hand away. Chu Ning nodded with satisfaction. "No need to thank me. You're not dreaming!"

Tanya rolled her eyes in frustration, realizing Chu Ning always managed to ruin the mood. She retorted sarcastically, "Why not pinch yourself to verify whether this is a dream?"

"It hurts! Besides, it's your doubt—making you experience pain to verify the truth is exactly what you wanted, isn't it?" Chu Ning replied matter-of-factly, unwilling to let himself become anyone's experiment.

"You..." Tanya was at a loss for words. She kept reminding herself to break out of her habitual way of thinking—the world she saw had changed dramatically; her old experiences no longer applied.

"What exactly is wrong with that locust tree?" Tanya pointed at the now pristine tree, demanding a reasonable explanation.

"Which part do you want to know?"

Unhurriedly, Tanya said, "First, explain why the locust tree is oozing black liquid."

She felt perfectly secure about her own safety. Having witnessed how terrifying Chu Ning's abilities were, she believed that even if the tree became a monster, it could not stir up any trouble as long as she stayed close to him.

Chu Ning rubbed his head thoughtfully. "If you water a tree too often, or if water accumulates around the roots for a long time, it can cause root rot from lack of oxygen, which leads to black liquid seeping from the trunk."

This explanation was far from what Tanya had imagined. But she also knew Chu Ning would never tell her the real answer—he always dodged her questions with some excuse.

From her long acquaintance with him, Tanya knew Chu Ning was especially evasive when it came to matters of ghosts and monsters. The secrets lurking here beckoned one to investigate.

Still, Tanya did not intend to ask directly for the real reason. She knew it must be some dreadful taboo. If she triggered Chu Ning's nerves, she was sure she wouldn't survive the day.

She understood all too well that in horror films, monsters always had fatal rules. Without any guarantee of her own safety, she would not act recklessly.

Secrets are dangerous—the more you know, the closer you are to death.

"Can you explain why the broken trunk restored itself?" Tanya pressed on, feeling she had no choice. She suspected secrets lay within the tree's body as well—if she wasn't careful, she might be devoured without warning.

To avoid triggering the taboos of the villa, Tanya chose to ask its master. Trying to unravel the killing mechanisms of these ghosts alone was simply impossible!