A Manual for Surviving a Weird World

Chapter 376 The Order of Longing
Fenwu turned around without saying a word. His calm gaze slowly swept over Xia Yubing's body from top to bottom, from the top of her head wearing a baseball cap to her toes. His eyes, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, gave Xia Yubing goosebumps all over.

Xia Yubing had seen that look in someone else's eyes before, a senior or best friend of hers who was studying medicine. When the senior was in graduate school, she bought a human skeleton online from some strange overseas website and asked Xia Yubing, who was traveling abroad at the time, to bring it back for her. Xia Yubing readily agreed and, without knowing anything about it, brought back an Indian skeleton to China.

The skeleton was in perfect condition, without any disease or damage, and without any deformity or lesion. The preservation and bleaching were done very well, the teeth had excellent occlusion, and many of the fixation pins were hidden. It was clear that the person was in their prime when the skeleton was made into a specimen, at the peak of their physical condition, as perfect as a work of art.

Xia Yubing still remembers the look in the eyes of the medical student when she opened the package. It was calm yet fiery, and her focused gaze was full of admiration. That adoring look reminded Xia Yubing of how her senior would often praise her figure, say that she had a regular lifestyle and healthy habits, and sometimes even pinch her muscles to comment on how well she had worked out.

With such a healthy body, if you removed her internal organs and shaved off all her flesh, the resulting skeleton specimen would probably be even more perfect than the one in front of us.
Xia Yubing was startled by her own delusions, and gradually lost contact with her senior. She was genuinely afraid. No wonder they say that advising someone to study medicine is like being struck by lightning; look how twisted the child has become.

Now, Xia Yubing saw the same look in Fenwu's eyes. He quietly examined her body, just like that medical student who was obsessed with admiring the human skeleton.

“An interesting woman,” Fenwu said softly. “You’ve successfully caught my attention.”

This is quite a domineering CEO-like statement; it would have been even better if the person saying this wasn't wearing a maid outfit.

Fenwu was wearing a black and white floral tutu with a white apron, leg rings and stockings that clung to her thighs, and a fluffy cat ear headband. She had delicate and pretty features and wore appropriate light makeup. She was the maid Xiao Tao who had just asked Xia Yubing downstairs if she would be home for dinner today.

Xiao Tao is of Filipino descent. Both her parents were maids in the Xia family. She had lived there since birth and was practically like a younger sister to Xia Yubing, who was an only child. Xia Yubing was very familiar with every feature of Xiao Tao's face, but the expression on that familiar face at this moment was so strange, so strange that it was unsettling.

Behind her, Xia Chan remained motionless on the desk. This usually decisive and efficient elder was now a cold corpse. The once quiet and gentle maid, Xiao Tao, also looked like a complete stranger. Xia Yubing took another step back, her resentful eyes still cold, and a feeling called fear filled her chest.

Seeing is believing. The little sister she had watched grow up had silently become a different person, bringing death into their once warm home like a ghost. Xia Yubing finally experienced firsthand the terror of the upgraded beings.

Xia Yubing took a step back without making a sound, her eyes secretly glancing at the notebook on the table, which was her only way to contact Ning Zhe right now.

Fenwu saw through her thoughts, but made no attempt to stop her. Instead, he picked up the notebook and handed it to Xia Yubing: "Do you want to tell him what happened here?"

“You can certainly give it a try,” Fenwu said with a smile, “provided you can convince him that the person writing in the notebook is really you.”

What is this guy talking about...? Xia Yubing frowned as she watched Fenwu's deliberately mysterious manner. She hated riddle-makers the most. Although Ning Zhe could be a riddle-maker sometimes, Ning Zhe was Ning Zhe, and Fenwu was Fenwu. How could they be the same?

"Pfft—" Fenwu suddenly nodded and chuckled.

"Huh?" Xia Yubing was taken aback: "What are you laughing at?"

Fenwu smiled but remained silent.

Looking at Xiao Tao's beautiful smiling face, Xia Yubing felt a chill run down her spine. She suddenly had a bad feeling: "Can you hear what I'm thinking!?"

“…You’re quite clever.” Fenwu’s smile vanished instantly, his expression turning cold again. Fenwu took two steps back, distancing himself from Xia Yubing, and continued, “I know you want to tip him off, and I also know that the hand you’re hiding in your clothes is currently holding a tongue.”

Xia Yubing's pupils contracted. She was now certain that Fenwu possessed the ability to read minds, because she had been right.

Xia Yubing's left hand, hidden inside her clothes, was indeed pinching a tongue.

The tongue of the "Blowout Ghost".

"The ghost will hide behind a living person and call out their real name in the voice of a relative or friend. The person whose name is called will subconsciously want to turn around and respond—once they turn around, the ghost will blow out their life lamp and they will die on the spot."

Fenwu raised her slender hand and gently stroked her chin, thoughtfully saying, "This strange creature that you call the 'Blowout Ghost' has a very rare [instant death] rule, but, interestingly, the reason you tried to summon the Blowout Ghost was not to kill me, but for... my name?"

Xia Yubing's face turned ugly because she had guessed correctly again.

The ghost that blows out the lamp will follow behind a person and call out their real name. Xia Yubing wants to use this rule to determine the identity of the person in front of her: Is she Fenwu? Or is she Xiao Tao, the maid who has been brainwashed by Fenwu's implanted false memories and thinks she is Fenwu?

But before this idea could be put into practice, it was exposed in a single sentence.

“That guy found a smart woman.” Fenwu took two steps back, put his hands behind his back, and gripped the doorknob of the study. “But you’re not smart enough to play tricks on me.”

Xia Yubing bit her lip tightly, her left hand gripping the tongue in her pocket. She was extremely nervous as she watched Fenwu about to open the door and leave the study.

Are we going to release the Lamp-Blowing Ghost?
The Ghost of Blowing Out the Lamp bullies the weak and fears the strong. Once it appears, it will prioritize blowing out the life lamps of the people with the weakest yang energy in the area. Xia Yubing is very confident in her physical fitness. Her blood and qi are more vigorous than those of an average adult male. Not to mention that the 'Fenwu' in front of her is using the body of the maid Xiao Tao. Now, as long as she lets go, Fenwu will immediately be possessed by the vengeful ghost.

but……

“But Fenwu has the ability to read minds. My thoughts are completely transparent to her. She can know in advance what I want to do.” Xia Yubing’s left hand trembled slightly. Her heart had never been beating so fast.

Fenwu already knows what she's going to do, so how could she be unprepared?
If Fenwu releases the Blowing Lamp Ghost rashly when Fenwu is already prepared, will it cause the situation to tilt in Fenwu's favor?

A flurry of thoughts raced through Xia Yubing's mind, her heart in turmoil. If Ning Zhe were here, he would surely see through Fenwu's tricks. If it were Ning Zhe, he would surely make the right choice. Ning Zhe would never be so hesitant and timid as he is now...

click-

Fenwu turned the doorknob.

(End of this chapter)