Volume One, Chapter Three: He Wants to Open the Window! He's Got Issues!

Upon hearing this, Luo Bin’s heart leapt into his throat. Indeed, something about this village felt profoundly off. Just moments ago, he had narrowly escaped being stabbed by his original owner’s father, Luo Feng, feigning unconsciousness to get away. If Xu Kaiguo knew the village’s dark secrets, that was a great relief.

Turning around, Luo Bin searched the room and soon found a claw hammer in the desk. He carefully pried out the nails securing the wooden slats on the right side, pocketing each nail silently. Soon, all the nails were removed, and the wooden slat wobbled precariously.

Xu Kaiguo’s face was pressed almost against the window, eyes wide as he urged, “Break the middle wooden slat, and you’ll be able to open the window.”

Luo Bin followed his instructions, pulling the middle wooden slat aside. His hand reached the window latch, and just as he was about to exert force to open it—

“What are you doing!?”

A deafening shout shook the window.

Luo Bin barely had time to react before turning around. Luo Feng charged at him like a raging bull, grabbing his shoulders with both hands and violently throwing him toward the bed. Luo Bin’s feet left the ground instantly, crashing hard against the edge of the bed, pain forcing a groan from him.

Footsteps followed as Gu Ya burst into the room, shouting sharply, “Luo Feng, what are you doing!?”

Luo Feng dragged Gu Ya to the window, his face dark as he glared at Luo Bin, whispering under his breath.

Though Luo Bin couldn’t catch the words clearly, years of bedridden illness had taught him to read lips—to discern the truth behind the murmurs of doctors and family.

Luo Feng was saying, “He’s dangerous!”

“He’s opening the window! Everyone in the village knows not to open windows at night—evil spirits will slip in and kill. He wants to let the evil spirits in!”

“He can’t be Xiaoshan!”

Gu Ya silently argued back through lip movements, “You’re talking nonsense. Xiaoshan would never do such a thing…”

Luo Feng pointed to the window, saying, “Look for yourself.”

Gu Ya’s face turned pale.

Luo Bin’s heart pounded even faster.

Suddenly, flashes of memory surged before his eyes.

The village chief, with his broad face and thick beard, had warned them to firmly close doors and windows at night and to light oil lamps.

Gu Ya had said the evil spirits left no survivors once they entered.

Not opening windows at night was indeed a strict village rule!

A cold sweat broke out across Luo Bin’s skin. Beyond the lingering dread, a far graver problem stared him in the face.

He had made a mistake no normal person would ever make.

Gathering his resolve, Luo Bin forced himself to sit up despite the pain, his voice hoarse as he said, “Mom… why have you and Dad been standing by the window all this time? I noticed the wooden slats were loose and the nails were scattered on the floor. I was about to pick them up and fix them, but Dad rushed in and shoved me aside… it really hurts.”

He then pulled out a few nails and the claw hammer.

Gu Ya’s expression softened immediately as she hurried to the bedside, concern in her voice. “Are you hurt badly?”

Luo Bin shook his head cautiously. “I’m fine… but these nails need to be put back quickly.”

Luo Feng strode forward, taking the nails and hammer. He returned to the window and hammered the wooden slats back firmly into place.

Gu Ya pursed her lips, looking at Luo Feng with displeasure. “You’ve been overreacting all day, and now you’ve gone and hurt our son.”

Luo Feng frowned deeply.

“Mom, don’t blame Dad. I’m really okay. Maybe he was just afraid the evil spirits would open the window. Now that it’s fixed, I feel better,” Luo Bin said gently, tugging at Gu Ya’s sleeve. “You two should rest and not overexert yourselves.”

Gu Ya paused, tears welling in her eyes.

The next moment, she grabbed Luo Feng’s arm and pulled him outside without a word.

Luo Bin breathed a heartfelt sigh of relief.

But just as they reached the door, Luo Feng suddenly stopped, turning his head to look deeply at Luo Bin. “The evil spirits took the nail from your pinky. Normally, that would mean you’ve become one of them, but you’re still alive.”

“They’ll probably be watching you extra closely. You must be extremely careful! At night, outside the door and windows, there are no normal people—only murderous evil spirits! Don’t be fooled!”

“Enough. Last night’s events are behind us. Stop bringing it up; what if others hear? We’ll keep the oil lamps lit, and nothing will happen.” Gu Ya pinched Luo Feng’s waist before turning to Luo Bin with a gentle voice. “Xiaoshan, get some good sleep. I’ll stew some meat for you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” Luo Bin nodded. The door closed behind them, footsteps fading away.

Silence returned to the room.

His waist throbbed faintly.

Luo Bin, gritting his teeth, limped over to the window.

The newly hammered nail holes had nearly deformed the wood; the nail heads were almost invisible.

A cold breeze brushed against his face, chilling him.

How could there be wind inside the room?

He looked closely at the edge of the window and shivered violently.

There was a narrow crack open!

The window had indeed been opened earlier—neither Gu Ya nor Luo Feng had noticed this detail.

Luo Bin tried to reach his hand through the gap but couldn’t reach the window latch.

Panic surged through him. He quickly searched the room again, finally finding a coat hanger. Hooking it onto the latch, he shut the window tightly.

Afterward, sweat soaked his back completely.

According to the words of Gu Ya, Luo Feng, and the village chief, if doors and windows were not properly secured at night, evil spirits would rush in and kill.

Even though Luo Feng had caught him opening the window and stopped him, the window had actually been opened. Why then hadn’t the evil spirits come in and murdered them?

Could it be that the figure outside the window was not an evil spirit after all?

That was right… Xu Kaiguo was his attending physician. They had interacted for five or six years. If there was something wrong with him, wouldn’t Luo Bin have noticed?

Out of the corner of his eye, Luo Bin noticed a red plastic-framed dressing mirror on the bedside table—an item common in every household years ago.

The mirror reflected a face utterly unfamiliar to him: double-folded eyelids, slightly sunken eye sockets, darkened circles beneath the eyes, and thick, bushy eyebrows.

So this was the original Luo Shan?

Luo Bin traced his fingers over his cheek, goosebumps rising.

He didn’t even recognize this face himself—how could Xu Kaiguo possibly know it?

A sudden wave of contradiction and confusion overwhelmed him.

Scenes from earlier flashed rapidly through his mind.

During these years of paralysis, Luo Bin’s only useful organ had been his brain.

His memory was remarkably sharp—anything he saw, he never forgot, even able to “replay” it mentally.

Calming himself, Luo Bin recalled carefully.

The old-fashioned wall clock, whose ticking had been faint before, was now extraordinarily clear.

The hands, previously pointing at 8:31, suddenly jumped back to 8:22, and the stopwatch hand rested at the 27-second mark.

Everything before him shifted abruptly.

His vision returned to the window.

“Break the middle wooden slat, and you’ll be able to open the window,” Xu Kaiguo said, his face nearly pressed against the glass, eyes wide with urgency.

Luo Bin pulled the wooden slat aside, grasping the window latch.

The window did open a crack!

“What are you doing!?”

Luo Feng’s fierce roar echoed at that moment.

Luo Bin’s shoulders were grabbed, his legs lifted off the ground as he was thrown aside.

In that instant, his heart was gripped tightly.

Xu Kaiguo was slipping something into the window crack—a note.

Once inserted, it silently fell to the base of the wall.

Luo Bin was then thrown against the edge of the bed by Luo Feng.

—

Everything before him returned to calm.

Amid the ticking, the clock’s hands resumed normal movement.

Luo Bin fought his racing heart and lowered his gaze to the wall beneath the window where a paper note lay pressed against the baseboard.

Swallowing hard, Luo Bin picked up the note.

Unfolded, it revealed a simple sketch of a woman with a tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye, and beneath it were the words: “Save her in three days.”

His mind buzzed.

What exactly was Xu Kaiguo’s true nature? Luo Bin still had no clear understanding.

Yet he had asked Luo Bin to save someone.