Translator: CinderTL
Gao Yan seemed eager to follow Yuan Xiaoyi and Jiang Cheng into the grove, curious to overhear their conversation. But for some reason, Yuan Xiaoyi was fiercely resistant to his presence.
The moment she noticed him approaching, she fixed him with a piercing stare that made his skin crawl. Forced to halt, Gao Yan could only watch helplessly as Jiang Cheng and Yuan Xiaoyi entered the grove one after the other, their figures vanishing into the shadows.
"Xiaoyi," Jiang Cheng began, his voice strained, "I went to the Medical Building last night, just as you suggested. You were right all along—Xiaoting was really there. She's real, not some delusion like others claim." He paused, exhaled deeply, and continued, his tone laced with self-reproach: "But when we found her, she was already too weak to hold on. That place is teeming with danger, and I barely escaped with my life."
Upon hearing of Xiaoting's fate, Yuan Xiaoyi's body trembled. After a moment, her eyes reddened. "It's all my fault," she whispered, her voice choked with grief. "If it weren't for me, Xiaoting wouldn't have... wouldn't have..."
Jiang Cheng immediately steadied her, interrupting firmly, "Xiaoyi, you need to be strong. This isn't your fault. You mustn't blame yourself."
After a long period of comforting, Yuan Xiaoyi finally calmed down. "Senior," she said, her eyes red-rimmed as she looked at Jiang Cheng, "I came here today because I have something very important to tell you. Last night... last night I had another dream. I dreamt of Xiaolin!"
"No, it wasn't just a dream," she insisted, her body trembling violently, whether from fear or the fear that Jiang Cheng wouldn't believe her. "It was real. Xiaolin really came back to find me last night, just like Xiaoting did!"
Exactly as I suspected.
Jiang Cheng had guessed right: Yuan Xiaoyi was a key figure. As long as she was alive, they could continuously gather information about the missing girls from her.
Yesterday it had been Xiaoting; today it was Xiaolin.
If he remembered correctly, the urban legend surrounding the missing Xiaolin involved the abandoned sports field on the east side of the school.
Maintaining a calm demeanor, Jiang Cheng gave Yuan Xiaoyi an encouraging look and reassured her, "Xiaoyi, you're braver than any of us. I think that, beyond trust, that's one of the reasons Xiaoting and Xiaolin came to you for help."
At the same time, Jiang Cheng's ever-present anxiety eased slightly.
Judging by the current outcome, Xiaoting wasn't the person they were looking for. Otherwise, the mission would have ended immediately.
Jiang Cheng reached out and gently rubbed Yuan Xiaoyi's shoulder. "Xiaolin is trapped in an Urban Legend, just like Xiaoting, isn't she?"
"Senior, you're right," Yuan Xiaoyi said, her voice trembling. "Xiaolin came back last night and stood beside my bed, but I... I felt like I was being held down by a ghost, completely unable to move."
"I could only keep my eyes open and listen. Xiaolin said she was trapped in the abandoned sports field on the east side of campus. A thick fog had descended, and she was lost, unable to find her way out no matter which direction she went."
"She kept wandering in circles, but dawn never came. And there was this terrifying Red-Clad Woman lurking near the field."
As she mentioned the Red-Clad Woman, Jiang Cheng could clearly sense a sudden shift in Yuan Xiaoyi's tone. She seemed gripped by an inexplicable terror, her small body curling into a tight ball, her fingers clawing at her knees. "That Red-Clad Woman is horrifying! Xiaolin kept hiding from her, but she cried and told me she couldn't hold on much longer. The Red-Clad Woman was closing in!"
"If we don't go find her tonight, the Red-Clad Woman will capture her, and she'll die in some unspeakable way."
"I'll save her," Jiang Cheng declared, radiating righteous determination. "But Xiaoyi, I need you to tell me everything about the urban legend trapping Xiaolin. I don't want history to repeat itself." He pressed his lips together, his voice tinged with sorrow.
Yuan Xiaoyi watched this scene, her trust in Jiang Cheng deepening. She recalled, "Senior, the abandoned sports field is similar to the School of Medicine building—both are widely recognized as the most cursed places on campus."
"And students secretly whisper that the old field wasn't abandoned due to its inconvenient location, as the school claims, but because of a past incident."
Worried Jiang Cheng might not understand, Yuan Xiaoyi reorganized her thoughts and began to recount the entire story from the beginning.
"About a decade ago, the school was preparing a grand gala," Yuan Xiaoyi began. "One of the highlights was a freshman dance, assigned to five first-year girls who happened to be roommates."
"The dance featured a particularly striking solo performance, and the teachers chose the girl with the best overall talent to be the lead dancer."
"This sparked resentment among the other girls, who became uncooperative during rehearsals, severely hindering progress. In the final week, practices often dragged on until 10 or 11 at night."
"Finally, on the last night before the gala, the pent-up tensions exploded."
"Feeling frustrated before rehearsal, the other girls drank some alcohol. During an argument, they locked the lead dancer alone in the equipment shed next to the sports field."
"It was nearly midnight, and rain was pouring down. The sports field was already deserted, and the equipment shed, located on the far side of the abandoned sports field, was even more isolated."
"Back in the dormitory, as their drunkenness faded, the girls realized the gravity of their actions. They repeatedly called the lead dancer, but she didn't answer."
"Panic set in. The girls hurriedly threw on their clothes and rushed back to find her."
"But just as they were about to leave, the dormitory gate suddenly swung open. The lead dancer had returned—alone."
"She had no umbrella and was completely drenched, her long hair plastered to her face, obscuring her eyes."
The lead dancer had always been fair-skinned, but now she looked unnervingly pale, almost ghostly.
Feeling guilty, the other girls didn't overthink it. They rushed to give her towels and hot water, even offering medicine, reminding her about the performance the next day.
But the lead dancer didn't say a word. She walked straight to her bunk bed—a setup with a desk and wardrobe underneath, a bed on top—climbed up without even changing her wet clothes, and burrowed under the covers.
At first, the other girls apologized and urged her to change into dry clothes to avoid catching a cold. But seeing her silence, they assumed she was still angry and left her alone, turning off the lights and going to sleep.
The next morning, the lead dancer still hadn't woken up. Assuming she was unwell, the other girls told her to rest and left for class.
But halfway through the lesson, a teacher burst into the classroom in a panic and dragged the instructor outside.
Moments later, the original teacher hurried back in, calling out the names of several girls and asking them to come outside immediately.
In her haste, the teacher stumbled at the doorway, nearly falling.
(End of the Chapter)
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