The Truth About the Rear Courtyard

Shen Yu saw her stunned, so he pressed on, continuing to ask, “So, you’re not my student, are you?”

The little girl probably hadn’t expected Shen Yu to ask her that. She shook her head blankly. Shen Yu then lowered his hand from her forehead, and before she could react, he suddenly raised his hand and patted her head, saying, “Then go ask your teacher, don’t bother me.”

The little girl clutched her head where Shen Yu had knocked it, whimpering and stammering as she crawled off the bed. Shen Yu watched her retreat to the foot of the bed, then transform into an indistinct mist and dissipate.

He quietly let out a sigh of relief. She must have left.

Outside, the leaves rustled for a moment, then the night once again returned to silence.

—

The next morning, as soon as it was light, Shen Yu had another restless night. He dragged his tired feet out of bed, facing Yu Cheng Yi’s radiant face.

Yu Cheng Yi was surprised by Shen Yu’s state and quickly followed him, asking, “Oh my god, what did you do last night? You, you, you, you’re in this state, are you trying to suddenly die?!”

Shen Yu covered his mouth and yawned, a hint of tears in the corner of his eyes. He recounted the entire story of what happened last night to Yu Cheng Yi.

Yu Cheng Yi’s entire attention was focused on Shen Yu saying he had slapped the monster.

“You slapped it? You really slapped it?” Yu Cheng Yi asked Shen Yu, still somewhat disbelieving.

Shen Yu nodded, giving a faint, uncomprehending hum.

“Oh my god, how cool are you?! That’s just too awesome! Can I slap it next time too?” Yu Cheng Yi looked at Shen Yu with eyes full of admiration.

Shen Yu slightly curved his lips, nodding. “You can try?”

His voice was light.

Yu Cheng Yi was a bit timid, after all, not everyone could be as calm as Shen Yu after seeing a monster.

“Never mind then.” Yu Cheng Yi waved his hand again.

Shen Yu yawned once more, slowly following Yu Cheng Yi towards the door.

Yu Cheng Yi opened the door, and his eyes immediately met Wang Jia Xin, who was about to knock. A living person suddenly standing tall in front of him startled Yu Cheng Yi, making him stammer, “Wang, Wang, Wang, Wang…”

Shen Yu: ?

“What are you barking about?” He asked Yu Cheng Yi, his face full of confusion.

Yu Cheng Yi swallowed, “Wang Jia Xin!”

Wang Jia Xin, realizing she had startled him, smiled awkwardly at Yu Cheng Yi, “Brother Yu, good morning.”

“You’re already here this early, that’s really early.” Yu Cheng Yi patted his small chest to soothe his wounded little heart, then said.

Wang Jia Xin smiled shyly, then said to Shen Yu, “Shen Yu, good morning.”

Shen Yu politely nodded to her. “What’s the matter?”

He asked softly.

Wang Jia Xin then remembered why she had come. Her hands unconsciously clasped together, then she said with a worried and frightened expression, “Again, someone else died.”

Shen Yu slightly frowned. Hadn’t that monster come for him last night? Could it be that it didn’t just seek out one person?

“Who?” A sharper look appeared on Shen Yu’s face, and his previous weariness dissipated by more than half.

Wang Jia Xin swallowed, “Yang Cheng Jie from room 120! He’s that newcomer.”

Shen Yu knew him; he seemed to be a newcomer who looked down on everyone, and he had come here on the same bus as Shen Yu.

“I’ll go check first. Have you called the others yet?” Shen Yu gestured for Yu Cheng Yi to go outside.

Wang Jia Xin shook her head. “I haven’t had time yet. Do I need to call them now?”

Shen Yu stopped her. “Wait, I’ll go check first, then you can go call them.”

Shen Yu didn’t want to run into some of them.

Wang Jia Xin nodded doubtfully, then led them towards room 120. Yu Cheng Yi followed, asking, “Oh, right, how did you find out someone died?”

“I’m a light sleeper. Last night, I heard a loud noise outside while I was sleeping. This morning, I woke up early and went out to check, and then I heard unusual noises coming from room 120. I knocked on the door and called the person inside. Xiao Wei was so scared he almost fainted, but he still crawled out to open the door for me.”

“At that time, I was also extremely scared and couldn’t think of anything, only thought of finding you.” She was afraid Shen Yu would overthink, so she couldn’t help but add two more sentences of explanation.

Shen Yu hummed in acknowledgment and followed her to room 120. Li Yuan was standing at the door, looking at Xiao Wei, whose face was pale with fear.

Xiao Wei only looked slightly startled, not to the extent of Hu Sen, who had been scared into a mental breakdown.

Li Yuan saw Wang Jia Xin leading Shen Yu over and quickly stepped in front of Shen Yu, saying, “I’ve seen the body. The cause of death is different from Hu Sen and the others.”

“Okay, I’ll go in and see.” Shen Yu nodded, slipped past Li Yuan, and entered room 120. Yu Cheng Yi hastily followed Shen Yu.

Shen Yu pushed open the half-closed door, and his eyes immediately fell upon a pile of white bones, about two meters from the door. The posture remained as if he had wanted to open the door and flee.

However, it was now an unrecognizable skeleton, with a few scraps of flesh and blood still clinging to it.

Nevertheless, Yang Cheng Jie’s skeleton was still relatively easy to distinguish; after all, he was quite tall, so his skeleton must not have been small.

Yu Cheng Yi’s reaction this time wasn’t as strong as before; after all, the state of death wasn’t as horrifying as Xu Yi Ning’s.

Shen Yu raised his hand and waved it, dispelling the strong smell of blood from his nostrils.

He looked at the messy bed, stepped over the skeleton, and walked to the edge of the bed. Then he stepped on the iron bed frame, holding onto the iron ladder. Shen Yu saw some scattered scraps of flesh on the bed.

It seemed it had made its move here. Yang Cheng Jie had gone from this spot to the door; he had intended to resist, but it was clearly ineffective.

Shen Yu saw that the ankle joint of his right foot was severely dislocated, thinking that the loud noise he and Wang Jia Xin heard last night must have been Yang Cheng Jie jumping off the bed.

But such a loud noise, even he and Wang Jia Xin heard it, did Xiao Wei hear it?

Judging by his reaction, he must have only found out about the death this morning.

Shen Yu patted away the non-existent dust from his hands, walked out of room 120, then looked at Xiao Wei and asked, “Didn’t you hear anything last night?”

Xiao Wei tried to calm his terrified heart, shaking his head. “No, I didn’t hear anything.”

Shen Yu could confirm he wasn’t lying. It was still the same point: if Xiao Wei had witnessed Yang Cheng Jie’s death last night, then the news of Yang Cheng Jie’s death wouldn’t have waited until now to be known.

It seemed the entity last night had sought out two people, Yang Cheng Jie and himself, and perhaps more. He looked up at Wang Jia Xin, who was standing close to Li Yuan, his expression profound and unreadable.

Wang Jia Xin noticed Shen Yu observing her and, somewhat scared, moved slightly behind Li Yuan.

Shen Yu moved a little closer. “Wang Jia Xin, can we talk for a moment?”

Wang Jia Xin sniffled, a little awkwardly stepping out from behind Li Yuan. At Shen Yu’s request, she nodded weakly.

Shen Yu told Yu Cheng Yi to wait there, then the two walked to a slightly more distant spot. Wang Jia Xin seemed prepared to be questioned, and she solemnly asked, “What do you want to ask?”

Shen Yu didn’t beat around the bush; he went straight to the point and asked, “Did you wake up last night?”

Wang Jia Xin’s first reaction was to shake her head, but then, as if recalling what she had said earlier, she quickly nodded. “Yes, I just heard a loud noise, and then I woke up.”

Shen Yu smiled faintly at her. Wang Jia Xin didn’t understand the deeper meaning of this smile. She avoided Shen Yu’s gaze, looking a little flustered.

“It’s true, I didn’t lie to you!” Wang Jia Xin explained.

Shen Yu was silent for a moment. “After you woke up, did you discover anything?”

“No, I just woke up, then I was too tired, so I fell back asleep.” Wang Jia Xin didn’t know if it was because she was too scared or for some other reason, but she spoke incoherently.

“Don’t be scared, I’m just asking casually.” Shen Yu didn’t expect Wang Jia Xin to truly reveal anything to him.

“Okay, okay.” Wang Jia Xin said ‘okay’ twice in a row.

Shen Yu lightly coughed. “Let’s go.”

He walked in front, his shirt clinging to his waist and abdomen, making him look very fragile, as if a gust of wind could tear Shen Yu apart.

Wang Jia Xin pursed her lips, quickly catching up to Shen Yu.

The group chatted casually for a few moments, then Shen Yu made an excuse to lead Yu Cheng Yi away. Just as they left, the players in the adjacent dorm rooms also came out one after another.

The news quickly spread.

Everyone speculated whether Yang Cheng Jie had violated some hidden rule again.

Shen Yu wasn’t sure if the entity Yang Cheng Jie encountered last night was the same monster he had met, nor did he dare to jump to conclusions, especially since Yang Cheng Jie’s cause of death was different from Xu Yi Ning and the others.

The crowd dispersed. While the cleaning staff went to clean room 120, he distracted Yu Cheng Yi and went to find the cleaning staff alone.

He stood at the door without entering, watching the cleaning staff skillfully handle the bones. She expressionlessly put the bones into a large trash can, then used her withered, branch-like hand to retrieve a rag from a bucket of water and began to wipe the blood-stained floor.

Shen Yu watched for a moment, then, seeing her finish changing the bedsheets, he stepped in.

“We meet again.” He smiled and waved at the cleaning staff.

The cleaning staff didn’t waver, continuing to change the bedsheets.

“I have a question I’d like to ask you, Auntie.” Shen Yu’s tone was very gentle, somewhat like a well-behaved boy next door.

The cleaning staff’s hand paused for a moment, then she turned her head and glanced at him, tacitly agreeing to his question.

Shen Yu didn’t beat around the bush, asking directly, “I want to ask, can one enter the rear courtyard?”

“……” The silence stretched for a long time.

Shen Yu was very patient, willing to wait for her answer.

“You can.” Finally, the cleaning staff stiffly nodded.

“Good, thank you, Auntie.” Shen Yu smiled, his face full of mirth.

The cleaning staff sighed. “You can go, but you shouldn’t.”

She could only say this much. After speaking, she pushed her cleaning cart and left the room.

Shen Yu leaned aside to make way for her. After she was out the door, he replied, “Yes, thank you for the reminder.”

Thank you or not, Shen Yu was never one to be obedient. It was enough for him to know that the rear courtyard was accessible; next, he just needed to distract Yu Cheng Yi and go alone.

——

Yang Cheng Jie’s death made them more vigilant. Looking back at Yang Cheng Jie’s day, they didn’t know what unusual things he had done, so this death condition left them confused.

However, Lu Wei thought of something and reminded everyone to pay attention to the rules in the staff handbook, perhaps he had violated a rule there.

Xiao Wei was still quite mentally strong; after all, he wasn’t a newcomer and had seen several people die, but for his roommate to die so inexplicably was still too great a shock for him.

Today, everyone’s mood was at rock bottom.

Among the crowd, it seemed some had already broken down.

It was another evening.

——

Because Shen Yu had gotten the information he wanted during the day, his mood was inexplicably good, so he slept more soundly than usual tonight.

Tonight seemed to be a peaceful night.

However, danger always appears when people think they are safe.

The stone statue in the front courtyard raised and then lowered its eyelids…

—

At 8:30 AM, because the first class was morning self-study, and the person in charge was Administrator Xie Tu, they were fortunate enough to wake up a little later—

Perhaps due to being made nervous by Xie Tu and Wang Jia Xin, Yu Cheng Yi decided to open the door first thing in the morning to prevent anyone from knocking again.

Then—

“Tang, Tang, Tang, Tang…” Yu Cheng Yi was once again startled by the person standing outside the door, his features distorted, stammering.

Inside the room, Shen Yu, who had just finished washing his face, walked out: ?

“What Tang?” He called Yu Cheng Yi.

“Tang Gao!” Yu Cheng Yi finally managed to get the name out of his throat.

“You guys are awake?” Tang Gao didn’t feel awkward at all about having startled Yu Cheng Yi.

Yu Cheng Yi glared at him. “Do you only know how to blink with those two holes?”

The implied meaning was: don’t you see this living person standing at the door?

Tang Gao snorted, then looked at Shen Yu walking out, his eyes brightening a few shades.

Shen Yu had just finished washing his face; his usually tightly buttoned shirt collar was slightly open, revealing his fair neck. His bangs were still damp with water droplets, and even his long eyelashes had tiny drops of water clinging to them, making him look like a beautiful white porcelain doll.

Such a person would be the center of attention anywhere.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Yu felt his gaze was strange.

Tang Gao reined in his almost infatuated gaze, trying to soften his voice a little. “Someone went missing. I haven’t seen you come out for a long time, and I was afraid you…”

He stopped speaking there.

“Someone went missing?” Shen Yu asked, frowning.

His skin was pale, and his lips were a light pink. A frown, a pursed lip, all made it hard for people to look away.

“Yes, his roommate woke up this morning and said he hadn’t seen him since early morning, and he still hasn’t been found.” Tang Gao explained, “So I was afraid something might have happened to you too, which is why I took the liberty to disturb you.”

His voice carried a hint of apology, seemingly full of sincerity.

However, Shen Yu didn’t accept this kindness. “Have you searched everywhere?”

“Yes, we’ve looked everywhere.” Tang Gao nodded.

Shen Yu turned his head and said to Yu Cheng Yi, “Let’s go take a look too.”

“Okay.” Yu Cheng Yi waited for Shen Yu to go ahead before closing the door.

The three then walked towards the dining hall.

Everyone had already gathered. Shen Yu glanced around; indeed, one person was missing.

“The missing person is Xiao Qing, and his roommate is Xiao Nie.” Tang Gao patiently explained the situation to him.

Getting a little closer, Shen Yu heard Lu Wei questioning Xiao Nie about something. He only heard Xiao Nie say, “If you want to talk about anything unusual, I didn’t pay much attention. I just felt he seemed sometimes panicked, sometimes shouting; any noise could scare him. But then again, who among us isn’t like that? I’m scared too.”

“Could it be running away…?” Shen Yu murmured.

These words were overheard by Tang Gao, who then explained to Shen Yu, “This possibility is relatively small, because here, if you don’t meet the conditions to leave, meaning the bus hasn’t come to pick you up, then no one can leave.”

“Is that so?” Shen Yu nodded thoughtfully.

“Could it be that he was…” A voice in the crowd paused, “eaten?”

The place he paused must have referred to the monsters in this world.

“That’s probably not possible.” Lu Wei shook his head.

He analyzed, “I’ve been through a few instances, and there’s never been a situation where a body completely disappeared, at least not without a trace.”

After hearing him, Shen Yu said, “So we still have to search. The body can’t just disappear; that person must still be in this Nursing Home!”

Shen Yu’s voice was relatively soft, but perhaps because the dining hall was too spacious, his voice somehow reached everyone’s ears.

Shen Yu felt a little embarrassed, so he moved a little closer to Yu Cheng Yi.

“Shen Yu is right, we still have to find the body.” Lu Wei agreed.

“But we’ve searched everywhere, and we haven’t seen any sign of him. Could he have really escaped?!” Someone asked curiously.

“He couldn’t have escaped. I’ve said it many times, no one can escape this place!” Lu Wei’s voice rose slightly.

For some reason, Shen Yu immediately thought of the rear courtyard, but in a situation where the rear courtyard’s situation was unclear, he wouldn’t herd everyone into it. So he still decided to go alone in secret.

Thus, he followed them, fumbling around the Nursing Home for a while. It just so happened to be Yu Cheng Yi’s turn to teach the children, so Shen Yu found an excellent opportunity to go to the rear courtyard.

He avoided Tang Gao, who was always close by, and steered clear of the others, sneaking to the small path leading to the rear courtyard.

Entering through this door was probably not very feasible; after all, the cleaning staff certainly wouldn’t open the door for him.

So Shen Yu left the Nursing Home, walked around the outer wall to the side of the rear courtyard wall, then laboriously carried the broken three-legged stool over, stepped on it, and climbed over the wall into the rear courtyard.

When he jumped down from the courtyard wall, he lost his footing and stumbled half a step forward. His hand instinctively reached out to grab something nearby, finally clutching a vine growing down from the courtyard wall to steady himself.

In that instant, a coldness enveloped his body.

Shen Yu shivered.

He looked up to assess the rear courtyard.

The rear courtyard was empty, its layout identical to the front courtyard: the same position, the same corner of the yard, and the same large pagoda tree that three people couldn’t embrace. The three-legged stool in the corner of the yard still lay quietly there, only the spot where the stone statue had been was now a dry well.

Around the dry well, ivy grew profusely, reaching out from within, like tens of thousands of arms, all trying to crawl out of the dry well.

Shen Yu’s heart beat faster, but his breathing remained very steady.

He remembered the rulebook had said not to approach the well, otherwise, one would bear the consequences.

So that… was the rear courtyard? The well was this dry well, then…

Shen Yu temporarily didn’t dare to approach the dry well, but the most valuable and attractive research subject in the entire rear courtyard was this dry well.

Hesitating for a moment, Shen Yu walked towards the pagoda tree.

This pagoda tree was also identical to the one in the front courtyard, even the grain of the wood. From Shen Yu’s limited memory, this tree had the most obvious characteristics similar to the tree in the front courtyard.

Why was it identical to the front courtyard? One could say the layout was the same, but this tree shouldn’t be the same. Moreover, the stone statue turning into a dry well, could it have some deeper meaning?

Shen Yu hesitated for a long time in his heart, ultimately not approaching the dry well. For no other reason than wanting to preserve his life.

Separating the front and rear courtyards were those dormitory buildings. The only path connecting to the rear courtyard was locked. Shen Yu had no choice but to return the way he came. But just as he leaned on the three-legged stool at his feet, preparing to climb over the courtyard wall—

A conversation drifted from behind him.

???: “I don’t agree! Is what you’re doing something a normal person should do?”

??: “This is the only way. I’ll take you out to live.”

Both voices were very familiar, very familiar. Shen Yu felt he had heard them somewhere before.

???: “No, you don’t have the right to decide.”

??: “I don’t, but I hope you live…”

Shen Yu realized. Weren’t these his and Xie Tu’s voices?

He almost didn’t hesitate to turn around, looking towards the source of the sound.