Translator: CinderTL
That woman had returned.
She came back to seek revenge on the doctor from the hospital who had feigned ignorance.
It sounded reasonable.
"And then?" Jiang Cheng asked.
He didn't believe that the female ghost would simply end things after driving a nurse insane.
Blind Zheng gave Jiang Cheng a look that said, "You're right," and then continued, "After that incident, the psychiatric department of the hospital was shut down, and the doctor directly responsible for the woman in Room 624 left the hospital."
"Officially, it was claimed that he went abroad for further studies using public funds."
It seemed even Blind Zheng didn't believe that explanation.
The truth was likely that the incident was too scandalous, and the hospital, fearing damage to its reputation, had sent away those who were in the know.
Then, Blind Zheng suddenly lowered his voice, leaned forward, and spoke mysteriously, "But it didn't end there."
"From that time on, many strange rumors began to circulate in the hospital."
"People working the night shift started reporting that they often heard footsteps in the corridors at night, but when they went out to check, there was no one there."
"The faucets in the restrooms would also turn on suddenly when no one was around."
"And the elevator," Blind Zheng's emotions became more intense as he mentioned the elevator. He swallowed hard and continued, "When taking the elevator at night, it would often inexplicably stop on the 6th floor."
"Specifically, on the side of the 6th-floor corridor," Blind Zheng emphasized.
"But when the elevator doors opened, there was clearly no one outside!"
"And then, when you tried to leave, something went wrong. The elevator doors kept closing, but before they could fully close, they would open again."
"It just kept repeating, like... like..." Blind Zheng's lips trembled, "it was waiting for someone."
"The nurse on duty at the time was terrified. She later recalled hearing the sound of a door opening."
"Then came the quick, sharp sound of high heels."
"It was coming from the direction of that corridor!"
As Blind Zheng narrated, cold sweat uncontrollably broke out on Cao Yang's forehead. There was no doubt—the thing that had emerged was a ghost.
A fierce ghost, born from the lingering resentment of the woman who had died.
"Later, the nurse was so frightened that she ran out of the elevator, screaming all the way, until the hospital's leadership got involved."
Jiang Cheng remained silent for a moment before asking, "Where is that nurse now?"
From Blind Zheng's account of the nurse's recollection, it was clear that the nurse hadn't died; otherwise, he wouldn't have known about the incident.
If they could find that nurse and ask her directly, things would be much clearer.
Unexpectedly, Blind Zheng shook his head, somewhat regretfully, "She's gone too. I heard she was later transferred to another hospital."
Cao Yang pressed on, unwilling to give up, "She never came back?"
"No."
The hope of getting information from that nurse was shattered, and Cao Yang's disappointment was evident.
"After that incident, the hospital sealed off the 6th-floor corridor, and all the rooms were locked."
"On special occasions, they would even arrange for people to burn some ghost money," Blind Zheng said. "But I haven't heard about that in recent years."
Ghost money. Jiang Cheng's expression changed. He remembered Zhao Ru had once told him that someone had burned ghost money in the 6th-floor corridor on the night of the Ghost Festival.
"Do you know who was assigned?" Jiang Cheng took a small sip of wine to mask his curiosity, his expression perfectly natural.
"This..." Blind Zheng scratched his head. He hadn't felt it earlier, but now that the alcohol was kicking in, he felt dizzy.
"Master Zhao, who used to work with me, and Little Li, the security guard back then." He patted his forehead and added, "I remember Qi Luo went there a few times too!"
As if recalling something, Blind Zheng shook his head, trying to shake off some of the alcohol's effects. "That's the current Director Qi. Back then, he was just an intern, and I got used to calling him by his name."
"You better not go around spreading this!" It seemed Blind Zheng was still somewhat afraid of Director Qi.
After all, a single word from him could make Blind Zheng pack up and leave.
"Did Director Qi have any contact with that woman back then?" Jiang Cheng asked with a frown.
"Not that I've heard," Blind Zheng replied. "He wasn't in the psychiatry department, but his office was either on the 6th or 7th floor."
"Ah, it's been too long. I can't remember clearly."
After a moment, Blind Zheng seemed to recall something else and added, "Oh, right! Not long after that incident, the hospital hired a monk."
"The monk went to the 6th floor and walked around, but he stopped at room 624 and refused to go in. I don't know what happened after that."
"A few days after the monk left, the hospital gave each of us a pillow, along with some rice, flour, and oil. They said it would help us sleep better and calm our nerves."
"Later, someone accidentally discovered that there was a sachet inside the pillow."
At this point, Blind Zheng chuckled. It was clearly a trick by the hospital, probably to ease their guilty conscience.
But Jiang Cheng, unusually intrigued, looked up and asked, "Is that pillow still around?"
Blind Zheng thought for a moment. "It should be. Let me go look for it."
With that, he wobbled out of the room. The room was stuffy and poorly ventilated, so on nice days, he usually took his naps next door.
The pillow had been tossed there as well.
After some rustling sounds, Blind Zheng returned, holding a pillow without its case. The filling seemed to be something like beans, making a soft rustling sound as he moved it.
"This is it."
There was already a tear in the pillow. Blind Zheng held a pale pink sachet in his hand, which looked quite delicate.
When Jiang Cheng took it, his first impression was that it was very light.
Extremely light.
It seemed like there was nothing inside.
But as he squeezed it, the texture told him there was something inside, and it was quite soft.
It didn't feel like paper—more like a piece of cloth.
Jiang Cheng didn't open it immediately. Instead, he sat down and continued chatting with Blind Zheng, occasionally urging him to drink more.
Cao Yang barely spoke during the latter half of the conversation, mostly listening to Jiang Cheng and Blind Zheng talk.
After a while, Cao Yang exchanged a few glances with Jiang Cheng, then stood up, clutching his stomach with a pained expression. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Out the door... turn right," Blind Zheng slurred. "Go straight, then turn at the end."
With that, Cao Yang left the room.
But as soon as the door closed behind him, Cao Yang, who had been hunched over as if suffering from a stomachache, immediately straightened up and became a different person.
He was fine; he just wanted to check out the other room that Blind Zheng had mentioned.
After a brief exchange of glances, Cao Yang realized that Jiang Cheng, like himself, didn't fully trust Blind Zheng.
The fake nurse, and Director Qi... It seemed like no one in this hospital was trustworthy.
(End of the Chapter)
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