In the small dormitory, the candlelight was dim and yellow.
Jing Jian checked the time, worrying deeply.
"It's been two hours already, why hasn't Lu Fei returned yet?"
The entire factory was shrouded in darkness.
Before dawn, it was the darkest time of the day, with the surroundings as silent as death, causing a sense of unease.
"Don't worry, with that cunning merchant's brain, what could go wrong?"
Jing Jian rubbed his face, hugged the Seven Star Magic Sword tightly, and turned his gaze back to the candlelight.
The little black dog, which had been obediently lying by Lu Fei's side, suddenly stood up, its two ears perked up high, and its jet-black, shining eyes fixed intently on the door.
"Xiaohei, what's up?"
Huzi was startled.
He knew that although this little guy was usually mischievous, he would absolutely not cause trouble at a critical moment.
Woof!
The small black dog let out a low bark and dashed towards the door.
"Xiaohei..."
Before anyone could react, a sharp, cold wind whooshed into the dormitory.
The Five Elements talisman rustled loudly.
The dim candlelight flickered.
"There's a wind, be careful with the candles!"
Hu Zi's complexion changed drastically, and he hurriedly used his back to block the wind, protecting the flickering candle flame with both hands.
Zhang Molin quickly stabilized the Five Elements Talisman.
Jing Jian and Tie Shenglan tightened their grip on their magical instruments and looked towards the door.
But the wind was quite malevolent, swirling around and coming right in front of Lu Fei.
The red line trembled uneasily, and the candle flame was instantly pressed to its lowest point.
Hu Zi hastily bent down and encircled the candle with his entire body.
"Help me!"
Tie Shenglan carefully swung her double mace, dispelling the evil wind.
Woof woof woof!
At the same time, the urgent barking of Xiao Hei came from outside the door.
"There's a problem outside!"
Jing Jian hurriedly grabbed his Seven Stars magic sword and rushed out. Just as his feet crossed the threshold, a long mass of white hair descended from the sky and wrapped around him.
"As expected!"
Jing Jian remained calm, immediately channeling his magical power. The stars on the Seven Stars Sword flickered, and with one strike, he severed the icy white hair.
As his feet touched the ground, he quickly looked up behind him.
To his shock, he found a disheveled woman crawling on the roof.
The woman's face was indistinct, and her long white hair hung down from the roof, making the scene particularly eerie.
"There's actually a ghost! Is it this that blocked Lu Fei's way back?"
Jing Jian glanced at the small black dog beside him.
The small black dog no longer barked wildly. Instead, after looking behind, it took steps toward the dormitory door, as if leading the way for someone.
"If it weren't for Lu Fei being in a soul state, how could you dare to act so rashly?"
Jing Jian snorted coldly, waved the Seven Stars magical sword, and protected Xiao Hei as they moved forward.
Then, Tie Shenglan also ran out with her twin maces, joining Jing Jian in protecting Xiao Hei.
The long-haired female ghost gave them a venomous look, quickly retreated, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Hei walked into the dormitory and glanced back over his shoulder.
The yin wind disappeared.
Hu Zi cautiously straightened up; the candle flame, though small, had not gone out.
The red thread trembled slightly.
Everyone's anxious and tense gazes fell on Lu Fei's physical body.
One second.
Two seconds.
The red line suddenly slackened.
The candle flame went out in an instant.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats, staring intently at Lu Fei's ashen face.
A moment later.
Lu Fei's eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes slowly opened, a touch of color returning to his face.
As if a dead man had come back to life.
"I'm fine."
A soft voice came from his mouth.
He's back!
Everyone's tense bodies relaxed, and they all showed expressions of joy.
"The candle almost went out just now, it scared me to death!"
Huzi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his heart still thumping.
"I didn't expect that a small factory would have so many ghosts; they almost blocked Lu Fei's way back! Thankfully, this dog wasn't raised in vain; he's quite clever!"
Jing Jian put away his magic sword, also feeling a chill at the thought.
Woof woof!
The little black dog jumped into Lu Fei's arms, rubbing its fluffy head against him with pride in its eyes.
"Yes, we have to thank our little black for that."
Lu Fei gave a weak smile and patted the little black dog's head.
His soul had just returned to his body, and he felt exceptionally heavy and exhausted, with a bit of dizziness in his mind.
Zhang Molin's magical energy was also almost depleted, and he was panting heavily, too exhausted to speak.
"This little guy is really adorable."
Tie Shenglan squatted down, looking at Xiao Hei with starry eyes, a hint of envy in her gaze.
"I want to keep a small pet too, but my family disagrees."
Xiao Hei barked a few times, then put on a show of cuteness for Tie Shenglan, making her giggle nonstop.
Then, it jumped into Tie Shenglan's arms, burying its head in her soft chest, and winked smugly at the others.
Tie Shenglan, completely oblivious, planted a few kisses on the little creature.
The four men were left speechless, staring in amazement.
At that moment.
Old Man Zhu carefully got out of bed, looking at Lu Fei with nervous anticipation.
"Little Sir, have you found my Big Zhu and Little Zhu...?"
"Uncle Zhu, I saw two people, not sure if they are your Big Zhu and Little Zhu." As Lu Fei extended his hand, Hu Zi immediately helped him up.
His head was still a bit dizzy, but he remembered all the clues he discovered when his soul was out of his body.
"Where?"
The old eyes of Elder Zhu suddenly sparkled with light.
"In the wasteland outside the factory, inside a grave."
"What? A grave?"
Elder Zhu was stunned, completely unable to understand.
"I will explain the reason later! Hu Zi, you and Brother Jing go find tools. We need to dig up the grave right away." Lu Fei knew that Elder Zhu was very anxious.
"Okay!"
Old Man Zhu hurriedly led them to find the tools, and without resting, everyone rushed towards the wasteland outside.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Everything around was vaguely visible.
The wild grass swayed in the wind.
As Lu Fei walked, he looked around and found the grave he had seen during his out-of-body experience.
"It's this one."
He pointed with his hand.
Hu Zi and Jing Jian immediately ran over with shovels and started digging.
Old Man Zhu also wanted to help, but didn't know where to start.
The two of them worked quickly, and in no time, they had dug up the already dilapidated grave.
The bones in the grave had long since rotted away, but there was actually a large hole beneath the tomb.
Lying in the hole were two young men, both wearing security uniforms.
"Dazhu! Xiaozhu!"
Old Man Zhu shouted tremblingly and was about to jump into the hole.
"Sir, wait a moment! There might be danger!" Jing Jian reached out to hold him back.
After waiting for half a minute and seeing that there was only a scattering of white hair inside with no other dangers, they went down to call for help.
"Dazhu!"
"Xiaozhu!"
"Wake up!"
Jing Jian and Hu Zi jumped into the hole and pushed the two of them.
But one of them didn't feel right.
The body was unusually light, as if it had no weight at all.
"What's going on?"
Huzi's heart skipped a beat as he turned the person over, and his face instantly paled with shock.
The person's face was contorted, completely unrecognizable from its original appearance.
The body seemed to have no moisture at all, with shriveled skin clinging to the bones, resembling a mummy that had been dried for many years.