The three of us wandered around the mountainside all day waiting for nightfall. Our patience paid off - we discovered several corpses behind the nunnery. They had initially been buried, but Stein tripped over something while walking past, and this accident led us to the bones.
Antonio said, "It must be those nuns. If you enter that nunnery at night, no ordinary person comes out alive. This isn't a nunnery - it's fucking Dragon Gate Inn!"
Stein looked puzzled. "With so many deaths, hasn't anyone investigated? This isn't an era where you can just kill people and get away with it."
I replied, "I guess the authorities never expected such a large nunnery would do such things. And the evidence isn't easy to find. If not for our accident, we probably wouldn't have discovered these bones either."
Though said to be behind the nunnery, the burial site was so well hidden that if Stein hadn't been short enough to stumble into it, we likely wouldn't have noticed.
Knowing how vicious the nuns were, we became extremely cautious - this place was truly a dragon's den.
Time passed quickly, and before we knew it, darkness fell. Around eight o'clock, Stein gestured for Antonio to knock on the door again, but I quickly stopped him. "This time I'll do it," I said, instructing Antonio to hide in the back and keep his head down to avoid being seen by the nuns.
Since that nun QINGYIN had recognized Antonio, it was better he didn't show his face. I would handle this approach.
I went up and knocked several times. Soon someone opened the door - it was QINGYIN again, but her expression, demeanor, and eyes were completely different, as if an innocent girl had transformed into a seductive young woman.
"Well hello, master," she said, batting her eyelashes. "It's so late - why don't you stay at our nunnery tonight and descend the mountain tomorrow? The path is dark and slippery, quite dangerous at night. And Tsz Wan Shan has many wild beasts - it's not safe!"
Me: "......"
Holy shit, so forward? I hadn't even said anything yet! She's inviting me to stay overnight? What happened to the nunnery that doesn't allow male guests?
Since she'd taken the initiative and seemed quite interested in me, I decided to enter. Without a word, I walked straight in, with Antonio and Stein keeping their heads low behind me. In the darkness, QINGYIN shouldn't have recognized Antonio, nor would she expect him to dare return.
Once inside, QINGYIN led us through the front hall and along several corridors until we reached rows of rooms. She assigned each of us a separate room before leaving.
Stein and Antonio were both in adjacent rooms with mine in the center.
Stein knocked on the wall and asked what we should do next. Antonio did the same.
"Keep waiting," I replied through the wall. "It's not time yet. We'll find out late at night. For now... sleep!"
Antonio's voice came through the wall: "This place is evil. Everyone stay alert - especially you, Stein. Don't piss yourself in fear."
"Shut your damn mouth!" Stein retorted. "So loud. You want the whole nunnery to hear?"
Tired of their bickering, I lay down on the bed and fell asleep instantly. The mountain climb had exhausted me, and even the strange surroundings couldn't keep me awake.
In the middle of the night, I was abruptly awakened by knocking coming from beneath my bed.
Nothing's more unforgivable than disturbing someone's sleep. "What asshole's under the bed?" I growled. "The fuck's wrong with you? Get out!"
Then I remembered - I hadn't locked the door before bed.
A quick glance confirmed the lock remained untouched. So who - or what - was under my bed?
The thing beneath me didn't answer, but kept knocking - harder now, with earth-shaking thuds that vibrated through the floor.
Unable to take it anymore, I rolled off the bed and looked underneath. There crouched a woman in bridal attire, her mouth smeared with blood as she grinned at me unnaturally.
"Do you comb your hair?" She extended a bizarre black comb toward me.
"HOLY SHIT!" The sudden horror sent me scrambling backward.
Seeing me retreat, she began crawling out after me. In panic, I kicked at her face - my foot sinking sickeningly into her flesh, denting half her skull.
Her ice-cold hand seized my ankle instantly, the contact so frigid it felt like plunging into an ice cave. I shuddered violently.
"Come here... I'll comb your hair... hehehehe..." Though originally bald, strands of hair began sprouting from her scalp as she laughed, accompanied by a sudden chilling gust of wind.
"Fuck your hair comb! Get lost!" I shouted, kicking her other cheek and caving in the remaining side of her face.
Yet she clung tighter, her laughter growing shriller and more grotesque.
Desperate, I grabbed a nearby stool and smashed it down on her head with all my strength.
Just then I heard an "ouch" - Stein's voice. I opened my eyes and realized I'd been dreaming. Stein now had a fresh red mark on his head.
"Little Boss, why'd you hit me?" Stein said, rubbing his head indignantly.
So it had been a dream! Wiping cold sweat from my forehead, I asked how he'd gotten in.
Stein held up a piece of wire. "Give me a pack of instant noodles and I can pick every lock in the neighborhood."
"Bullshit," I said. "If you could open the door, why pick the lock? Showing off?"
Stein explained I might not have noticed, but all three of our rooms had been locked from the outside. He didn't know who'd done it.
Locked in? By QINGYIN? Or another nun?
Suddenly, a thumping sound came from under my bed - something was knocking beneath us. The noise grew louder, making the bed frame rattle unnaturally.
"Little Boss, who's hiding under your bed?" Stein asked, starting to kneel and look underneath.
Remembering my dream, my body shivered violently.
"Don't look! Run!" I yelled, grabbing Stein's arm and dragging him toward the door.
Sure enough, a large lock hung on our door - now picked open by Stein. I barely managed to slam and relock it behind us.
"Little Boss, what the hell? What was that?" Stein asked nervously.
"Ghost!" I nearly shouted. Though I hadn't seen it, my gut screamed it was supernatural.
Stein paled and backed away from the door, not daring to stand near it.
As if on cue, a shadowy figure emerged from beneath the bed. It slowly approached the door, then dragged long fingernails across the wood.
"Scrrrreeeeech..."
The nails produced an eerie, drawn-out scraping sound.
"Let...me...out..."
A horrible female voice whispered through the door, sending chills down our spines.