Ulong City's old district was a corner forgotten by time, its buildings mottled like last century's television signals, its alleys winding more intricately than Zhang Xiaowai's life plan. Zhang Xiaowai stood at a dilapidated alley entrance, tightly clutching the torn page of the Ulong Tome he'd just snatched back from the library basement. His heart pounded like the charcoal fire at a night market barbecue stall—crackling, as if a beef skewer might pop out any second.
"The symbol on the torn page points to a certain ancestral hall in the old district." Liu Piaopiao held up her flashlight, a serious expression of detective-mode activated. Her deer-antler hat swayed in the wind, like a plush signal tower that seemed ready to receive cosmic radio waves at any moment. "It must be the last piece of the Ulong Tome!"
Tang Xiaotang followed closely behind, her phone already in night-shot mode. She walked along, excitedly muttering, "Ancestral hall exploration! If this video doesn't break ten million views, I'll live-stream myself eating a keyboard!"
Wang Dazhuang, meanwhile, grandly carried his "demon-vanquishing police baton," grinning at Zhang Xiaowai. "When a person of destiny leads the way, what's an ancestral hall? I'll smash out the treasure with one swing!"
"Can you guys stop always thinking about smashing things?" Zhang Xiaowai rolled a textbook eye-roll. "Last time, the library almost turned into ruins, and the administrator is still chasing me!"
But his protest, as always, was ignored. Liu Piaopiao had already grabbed his sleeve, stating firmly, "Zhang Xiaowai, your Ulong Halo is a case-solving artifact. Don't hide it, activate it quickly! Tonight, we'll piece together the Tome!"
"Go, Xiaowai bro!" Tang Xiaotang excitedly flashed a peace sign at the camera. "Give us some big scenes, all the traffic depends on you!"
In the night, the old city's alleys resembled a crumpled Bagua map, twisting and turning. Strange symbols were carved into the walls, some even identical to the patterns on the torn page of the Tome. Zhang Xiaowai felt like he had stumbled into a live-action escape room show, where history and reality were thoroughly mixed. The air was damp, and the ground was paved with ancient bluestone bricks that creaked "creak-creak" underfoot, as if recounting some reluctant memory.
Liu Piaopiao finally stopped at the end of a particularly gloomy alley. Her flashlight illuminated a dilapidated ancestral hall. A rusty lock hung on its door, and the corners of the walls were piled with weeds. A faint lingering scent of burnt incense, mixed with the moldy smell of decaying leaves, was strangely peculiar.
"This is it!" She excitedly knocked on the door. "The torn page depicts this very ancestral hall! The last piece of the Tome must be inside!"
Zhang Xiaowai immediately shrank behind Wang Dazhuang, his legs trembling with nervousness. "Are you sure this place isn't haunted? We agreed on detective reasoning, why does it always turn into a paranormal adventure?"
Before he could finish, the Ulong Halo arrived uninvited. His foot struck a loose stone slab, and from underneath, a bronze antique key rolled out. Its surface was carved with the same Bagua symbol as the torn page of the Tome, glowing with a faint, cold light under the moonlight.
Liu Piaopiao's eyes lit up. "Xiaowai! Your halo is practically a lock-picking artifact!"
"This scene needs special effects!" Tang Xiaotang laughed as she filmed. "Xiaowai bro, you should start an online course: 'How to Use Your Constitution to Ignite Supernatural Clues!'"
Wang Dazhuang was already impatiently stepping forward. "Let me do it! I'm good at opening doors!" With that, he inserted the key in a couple of swift motions. With a "click," the lock actually opened.
Inside the ancestral hall, it was pitch black. Only a few almost-burnt incense sticks on the altar emitted a faint red glow. The walls were mottled, and the air was thick with the accumulated scent of decades of incense and dust. Liu Piaopiao waved her flashlight around, then suddenly discovered a stone slab embedded in the wall—on it was half a map, which perfectly aligned with the torn page in their hands!
"The Tome is complete!" she exclaimed, jumping with excitement. "This is the last piece of the Ulong Tome!"
But before they could rejoice, a loud "bang!" echoed from behind the door, as if a force had violently slammed it shut. Then came a flurry of hurried footsteps and a low, cold chuckle:
"Zhang Xiaowai… your Ulong Halo certainly knows how to stir up trouble. Hand over the Tome."
"Shadows!" Liu Piaopiao reacted swiftly, raising her magnifying glass toward the door, her detective stance instantly activated. Wang Dazhuang also brandished his police baton. "Person of destiny, vanquishing demons and devils! Come on!"
Zhang Xiaowai, meanwhile, dove under the altar, trembling with his head in his hands. "I told you this place was cursed! Can the halo take a break?"
In the darkness, three men in black burst through the door, agile and quick, holding steel pipes and stun batons. The masked leader sneered, closing in. "You bunch of Ulong noobs, trying to piece together the Tome?"
"A detective never gives up!" Liu Piaopiao decisively threw her magnifying glass, accurately striking the forehead of one of the men in black. Another seized the opportunity to pounce, snatching the torn page from her hand and fleeing.
"Watch out!" Tang Xiaotang shrieked, preparing to rush forward, but then saw Zhang Xiaowai's halo activate again—in his panic, he knocked over the altar. The incense burner flew out, spinning like a top, and hit the fleeing man in black on the back of his head.
"Ouch!" The man staggered and fell, and the torn page slipped from his hand. Tang Xiaotang immediately pounced, snatching it back, her eyes shining with the glow of potential viral content. "Xiaowai bro! Your halo needs to be patented!"
Just then, a familiar "drag—drag—" sound came from outside the ancestral hall door, and a leisurely figure ambled in, holding a mop and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"You little brats, causing trouble again?" It was Old Zhou—the legendary sweeping grandpa.
He unhurriedly smacked the leading man in black on the back with his mop, making a crisp "smack" sound. The man immediately crumpled to the ground, yelping, "Boss Zhou! Have mercy!"
"Grandpa Zhou?" Zhang Xiaowai peered out from behind the altar, his mouth slightly agape. "How are you… aren't you the cleaner?"
Liu Piaopiao was also stunned. Tang Xiaotang was already excitedly holding up her phone. "Grandpa is so strong! I'm going to edit this for trending topics!"
Wang Dazhuang burst into laughter. "Hahaha, here's a cold joke to liven things up—Why are Shadows afraid of mops? Because it can sweep the floor with them!"
Old Zhou exhaled a smoke ring, glancing at them. "These people are just the Shadow's subordinates; they know limited information. The real 'Shadow' is still hidden in the dark, watching you Ulong Squad."
He walked to the altar and tapped the floor. "The secret of the Tome isn't here on the surface; it's below. There's a secret room beneath the ancestral hall. You'd best not touch it, unless… you're not afraid of death."
"Secret room?" Liu Piaopiao's eyes lit up. "Detective-exclusive terrain!"
"Grandpa! This plot is too lit!" Tang Xiaotang said, filming. "I'm going to edit a 'Strongest Cleaner' special when I get back!"
Zhang Xiaowai slumped to the ground, his face full of despair. The joy of completing the Ulong Tome had barely surfaced before it was pushed back down by the threat of the secret room and the Shadows. He felt his halo humming, like a popcorn pot on fire, ready for the next wave of chaos to erupt at any moment.
And behind the ancestral hall's secret door leading underground, a cold gust of wind quietly blew out—as if a pair of eyes were silently watching this group of reckless Ulong youths. The mystery was far from solved; the trap had only just bared its fangs.