The black shadow, spreading rapidly like mold, had submerged the God of Joy statue’s lower legs in an instant.
The mist around the statue began to churn violently, emitting continuous, high-pitched “oooo” cries like a kettle coming to a boil.
The statue carved from white marble seemed as though it were about to melt as well. A layer of wax-yellow grease gradually seeped from its gray-white surface. Its rigid body then began to soften and deform… as if it were transforming from a dead object into a living thing.
The hands that had originally been held horizontally in front of its body in a hand seal began moving frame by frame, like a movie that was stuttering.
With every movement, another layer of viscous grease seeped outward, producing wet, sticky sounds that made one uncomfortable.
The red cloth covering the statue gradually became soaked through with the grease, clinging to the statue like a shroud. Through the cloth, the outline of the statue’s face could clearly be seen—its mouth continually widening until it became a huge maw filled with saw-like teeth…
Seeing this, the black shadow surged forward even faster. In the blink of an eye, it had spread from the statue’s calves to its thighs.
But just as it was about to continue upward, the God of Joy statue’s stiff, clumsy arms suddenly became as soft and agile as human limbs.
Its slender fingers pressed together, and its sharp claws plunged straight into the middle of its thigh before slicing forcefully sideways—
The God of Joy statue, more than a meter tall, was cleanly severed at the middle of its thighs.
The upper half, which had not yet been corrupted by the black shadow, crashed to the ground with a loud thud, sending out a ring of gray-white shockwaves visible to the naked eye.
The entire basement immediately erupted with blaring alarm sirens.
“What happened?”
Xu Qingming and Xu Zhifei were awakened simultaneously by the sharp alarm. The husband and wife hurried downstairs in their robes, only to see Xu Wangchuan also emerging from his room.
The three met at the staircase, all of their faces pale with shock and their hearts pounding.
“Why did the alarm suddenly go off?”
Xu Qingming had a strong sense of responsibility as the wealthy magnate of Jiangcheng and took security very seriously. Although Oak Manor had first-rate security, he did not rely solely on the estate’s security personnel. When the villa was renovated, he had also installed an independent security system.
In particular, the third underground floor, where the God of Joy statue was enshrined, required an access card to enter or leave. Even Aunt Qiu, the housekeeper who had worked there for years, did not have authorization for the third basement level.
Xu Wangchuan swallowed and said, “I think I heard a huge thud. The ground even shook.”
Xu Qingming’s expression was grim. He took the lead.
“Let’s go down and take a look.”
The three went down to the third basement level. Xu Qingming first deactivated the alarm and discovered that the security glass door was properly closed, with no signs of forced entry.
Puzzled, he swiped his card and entered—
The moment the sensor lights automatically switched on, the three of them saw the condition of the basement and simultaneously let out a short cry of surprise.
“How did the statue fall over when it was perfectly fine?”
Xu Zhifei clutched her chest, her head repeatedly growing dizzy. For some reason, she had a very bad feeling.
Xu Qingming’s face was so dark it seemed as though water could drip from it. He saw that the red cloth was still properly covering the God of Joy statue, but the lower part appeared hollow and deflated.
Mustering his courage, he stepped forward. He first pressed his palms together and said, “Excuse me,” before reaching out and pressing down on it.
“The bottom is empty.”
Xu Wangchuan’s face was deathly pale.
“Did it break when it fell?”
Xu Qingming swept his gaze across the empty basement and said solemnly, “Where are the fragments?”
They did not dare lift the red cloth, but it was not particularly thick. The outline of the statue beneath it could still be faintly seen.
The entire upper portion of the God of Joy statue, from the thighs upward, was intact. The portion below the thighs, however, had been severed.
The broken section had vanished without a trace.
The matter was far too strange. The three of them could only light incense and worship, solemnly apologize for the offense, and then retreat.
Back in the living room, Xu Zhifei sat on the sofa clutching her chest. She spoke hopefully, “Could a thief have gotten in? Maybe the statue was knocked over by a thief?”
Xu Qingming did not believe something so bizarre could have been done by a thief. But seeing his wife’s face as pale as paper and her body swaying as though she might collapse, while his adopted son was also visibly frightened, he did not continue frightening them.
Instead, he said wearily, “You two go rest first. I’ll contact the master and ask him to come tomorrow to see what exactly happened.”
Xu Wangchuan answered absentmindedly.
Then he suddenly remembered something and turned toward Xu Muchan’s room.
“With that much noise, how come Muchan didn’t wake up?”
Only after he reminded them did the husband and wife realize that someone was missing.
Xu Zhifei hesitated.
“Muchan can’t see. Maybe he woke up but didn’t come out.”
Xu Wangchuan said, “I’ll go check on him.”
Xu Muchan had actually already awakened.
The commotion from the basement had been so loud that he had instantly jolted awake from his dream. But before he could fully regain consciousness, a pair of hands covered his eyes, while another pair covered his ears.
The shadow that had returned from the basement sat beside the bed. A low, soft, strange tone came from its throat, dragging Xu Muchan down into an even deeper dream.
After he fell soundly asleep, the four hands released him at the same time, then turned to pick up the sleeping young man and imprison him in their embrace.
The young man was still in the middle of growing, his body slender and delicate. Like a tender little sapling that had only just sprouted and had yet to unfold its branches and leaves, he was wrapped in the arms of the more-than-two-meter-tall shadow in the manner of someone holding a baby, making him appear exceptionally small and fragile.
The shadow contentedly rocked its arms. Its head lowered, and it laughed beside his ear.
“A-Chan is so good.”
The young man was deep in his dreams and completely unaware. His pale-pink lips were slightly parted, his breathing creating the faintest stream of air.
The shadow held him and watched him for a long time. The vague features on its face gradually took shape.
Only then did it lower its head and press its lips against those full, plump lips.
At first, it merely pressed against him, but afterward, it was no longer satisfied with that and began to taste him.
The excessively delicious scent awakened its primal appetite. Countless arms extended from the sides of the black shadow, each one scrambling to press against the young man’s body, tightly restraining him without leaving the slightest gap.
The young man seemed to sense something in his dream. His long brows furrowed slightly, and he let out a soft, uncomfortable hum.
The arms pressing against his body and limbs withdrew like a receding tide. Only two hands remained, gently supporting the back of his head, while another hand pinched his chin and forced his mouth open.
Then the black shadow pressed against his lips again.
Its long, slender tongue curled into a tube and slipped through his slightly parted lips. It passed through his mouth and esophagus, reaching directly into his stomach and continuously delivering nourishment inside.
Fresh nourishment was not easy to digest. Although it had been processed beforehand, the young man was still choked by it, his eyes rolling upward. His slender neck arched backward, and he uncontrollably let out distressed whimpers.
Fortunately, it was all over very quickly.
In just two or three minutes, the black shadow finished feeding. Reluctantly, it released its hands and placed the young man back onto the bed. It even awkwardly imitated the way humans comforted someone, patting him a few times.
Just as it arched its body and prepared to crawl beneath the covers, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
“Muchan, are you awake?”
Xu Wangchuan’s voice came from outside.
The black shadow slowly turned its head.
Two hands covered Xu Muchan’s ears, while a third hand continuously stretched longer until it reached the doorknob. It grasped the doorknob and gently twisted it open—
The bedroom door let out a soft creak.
Xu Wangchuan had just raised his hand when the door, despite there being no wind at all, automatically opened a crack wide enough for a person to pass through.
Behind the crack was pitch-black. Nothing could be seen.
Yet Xu Wangchuan inexplicably felt as though a pair of eyes were staring at him from deep within the darkness.
That realization made his scalp prickle.
But perhaps because something had suddenly gone wrong with the God of Joy statue, giving him a sense of urgency—he didn’t know why, but he always felt that whatever had happened in the basement had something to do with Xu Muchan.
With such a huge commotion, how could a normal person possibly continue sleeping without reacting at all?
Xu Muchan was blind, not deaf.
Thinking this, Xu Wangchuan swallowed nervously and mustered his courage to push open the door and walk inside.
He had originally intended to turn on the light, but for some reason, after feeling around the wall for quite some time, he couldn’t find the switch.
Left with no choice, he gave up and instead took out his phone and turned on the flashlight.
The flashlight’s beam was dim and hazy, as though covered by a layer of fog. Xu Wangchuan could only vaguely see a raised human-shaped lump on the bed.
It should be Xu Muchan.
Could he really be sleeping that deeply?
Xu Wangchuan was puzzled.
But some inexplicable impulse urged him to continue walking toward the bed.
He took one step, then two, then three…
Countless steps later, the bed that was clearly within reach still maintained the same neither-near-nor-far distance from him.
It was as though he could never reach it, no matter what.
Xu Wangchuan realized that something was wrong.
Fear spread from his tightly wound scalp all the way down to his tailbone. Cold sweat dripped down his body one drop after another.
He wanted to stop.
He wanted to call for help.
But he couldn’t do either.
His legs continued moving forward as though they were out of his control. His calves were already beginning to cramp from being stretched so tightly and subjected to excessive movement.
“Wangchuan? Is Muchan asleep?”
Just as Xu Wangchuan was about to despair, Xu Zhifei’s lowered voice came from outside the room.
The instant the bedroom door was pushed open, the force restraining Xu Wangchuan suddenly disappeared.
His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.
With a terrified expression, he looked toward the person on the bed.
This time, he finally saw clearly.
Half of Xu Muchan’s face was tucked beneath the blanket. His expression was peaceful, and he was sleeping soundly.
The strange scene from moments ago seemed almost as if it had been nothing more than an illusion.
But Xu Wangchuan was certain it had not been an illusion.
The lingering fear made him afraid to take another step forward. Holding his breath and keeping his body tense, he carefully backed away.
Xu Zhifei, who had just entered the room, was blocked by him as well.
Xu Wangchuan suppressed his trembling and said softly, “Muchan is still sleeping. Let’s go out first.”
The next morning, when Xu Muchan woke up, he felt refreshed and full of energy.
He attributed it to the saying that when someone encounters something joyful, their spirits naturally improve.
After washing up and leaving his room, however, he discovered that Xu Qingming and his wife, as well as Xu Wangchuan, were already awake.
The three of them were talking in the living room.
Strangely, besides Aunt Qiu, the housekeeper, there were several other people’s voices in the house as well, making the place noisy and bustling.
Xu Muchan tapped his way forward with his white cane. By chance, he overheard what they were talking about and asked in surprise, “Did someone break into the house last night?”
Xu Qingming and Xu Wangchuan had barely slept all night. Xu Zhifei had leaned against the sofa and managed to sleep for a little while, so her mental state wasn’t good either.
Standing right in the middle of them was Xu Muchan, whose cheeks were flushed with color and whose entire face was bright and energetic.
He looked completely out of place.
Xu Wangchuan gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Yeah. You slept too deeply. All that noise during the night didn’t wake you up at all.”
Xu Muchan became even more confused.
He genuinely hadn’t heard a single thing.
The confusion on his face was far too genuine. Xu Wangchuan couldn’t find the slightest trace of deception, so for the time being, he couldn’t figure out whether the strange incident he had encountered last night had anything to do with Xu Muchan.
“There was a break-in in the basement, but fortunately, we didn’t lose any valuables.”
Xu Zhifei pulled Xu Muchan down to sit beside her and said gently, “We were originally going to take you to the hospital for an examination this morning, but given the situation, we’ll have to postpone it for another day.”
Someone breaking into the house was indeed a serious matter.
Xu Muchan understood and said, “One day earlier or later doesn’t matter. I’ll still go to school today.”
Xu Zhifei nodded.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, she didn’t have the energy to say much more to him. She merely instructed him, “Aunt Qiu made breakfast. Eat before you go.”
Xu Muchan nodded.
Aunt Qiu led him to the dining table to eat breakfast.
While Xu Muchan was peeling an egg, Xu Wangchuan also came over and sat down.
Although he couldn’t see, Xu Muchan always felt that Xu Wangchuan was looking him over.
He tilted his head slightly toward him and asked, “Is something wrong?”
Xu Wangchuan met a pair of empty, sightless eyes but guiltily looked away.
He casually found something to say.
“The school uniforms take half a month to have made. Mom said you should wear mine for now. I have another spare set that I’ve never worn. After breakfast, come to my room with me and take it.”
Nanmings required students to wear school uniforms.
On Mondays, during flag-raising ceremonies and other formal occasions, students wore the dress-style uniforms. On ordinary days, they rotated between two sets of athletic-style uniforms according to the season.
Xu Muchan had transferred schools midway through the term, so naturally, he didn’t have a ready-made school uniform. He could only have one made separately, and even the fastest production time was half a month.
Thinking that transferring halfway through the school year had already made him conspicuous enough, and that wearing ordinary clothes among a crowd of students in uniforms would make him stand out even more, Xu Muchan simply nodded in agreement.
“Okay. Once mine is ready, I’ll return one set to you.”