Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

"So, what is the nursery rhyme?"

Inside the hotel.

Du Wei asked the question he most wanted to know, feeling that the nursery rhyme was very likely related to the Evil Spirit.

Of course, that presupposed the Evil Spirit was the deceased Mary Shaw.

But Mrs. Mary Shaw, leaning forward on the counter, said, "I am not some old granny who specializes in telling ghost stories. If you want to know more, I suggest you pay the rent first. That will make you seem more sincere."

Her somewhat mercenary tone diluted the oppressive feeling her words carried.

Truth be told, Du Wei didn't find her story scary at all; rather, he found it quite boring.

However, having decided to stay, the rent indeed needed to be paid first.

So he took out his wallet and deftly paid both the rent and the deposit.

It was then that Mrs. Mary Shaw said with satisfaction, "Seeing how promptly you pay, I will tell you the horror nursery rhyme."

With that, she recited in a sing-song manner:

"Beware of Mary Shaw behind you, she has many children"

"Should you encounter her in the dead of night, make sure to scream aloud"

"Only screams can drive her away, silence breeds fear"

"Nightmares will linger by your side, staring as your soul bleeds dry"

"Tearing mouths, pulling out tongues, she'll take you home with her"

...

With the recitation over.

Mrs. Mary Shaw seemed to feel a bit of dryness in her throat and coughed a few times, "This is roughly what the horror nursery rhyme means, my memory is still not bad, even though I'm old."

Du Wei looked at her calmly and suddenly smiled, extending his hand and saying, "Your singing is very beautiful."

Mrs. Mary Shaw shook her head, "You young people, always telling lies to amuse the elderly."

While speaking, she glanced at Du Wei's extended Right Hand, appearing hesitant.

However, Du Wei did not withdraw his hand.

The atmosphere began to grow awkward.

But Du Wei remained expressionless, as if he hadn't noticed the awkwardness at all, looking every bit the very polite gentleman.

Mrs. Mary Shaw coughed once and slowly extended a wrinkled hand to shake with Du Wei's.

"Go back and rest in your room early. It's getting late, and it's better not to go out at night."

"Alright, thank you very much for the advice. By the way, I don't like being disturbed when I sleep at night."

"Don't worry, Mr. Du Wei, the hotel is very quiet."

Du Wei released the hand, a hint of indifference flashing in his eyes.

Afterward, he took the key tag from Mrs. Mary Shaw's hand and, with his backpack on his shoulders, walked step by step into the depths of the hotel.

...

On the second floor of the hotel.

With his backpack on and Black Umbrella in his left hand, Du Wei scanned the surroundings.

As he had more encounters with Evil Spirits, he had developed the habit of identifying the most convenient escape route wherever he went.

This had become second nature to him.

On the second floor of the hotel, there was a corridor, and the southern side had a transparent glass window. Looking out, there was an old asphalt road and the hazy outline of Tulip Community in the rain.

Outside, a downpour was raging, and the sky was very dark.

Every now and then, lightning streaked across.

Further inside were the rooms for occupants.

This also meant that, in case of danger, one could escape just by breaking through the windows.

Du Wei watched the storm outside the window and slowly withdrew his gaze, heading towards his room...

When he had shaken hands with Mrs. Mary Shaw just earlier, he felt the warmth that should be present in a living body.

But...

This old woman had lied to him.

Even though Du Wei only began studying psychology in his junior year of college and mostly delved into fringe areas like psychological suggestion and criminal psychology, he still possessed a keen ability to discern abnormal behaviors in people while they spoke.

Take, for example, the way their gaze seemed to drift, or how their eyelids would droop subconsciously.

There were also involuntary shoulder shrugs and other subtle movements.

Together with what she said, it was clear to him that she was lying.

Especially about that nursery rhyme.

"I'm looking forward to what will happen tonight. I hope it shows up soon, don't make me wait too long," he said, his tone slightly menacing and very cold.

Upon realizing that Mary Shaw was lying, Du Wei immediately tagged the elderly woman as a person of significant interest.

Or, to be precise, a suspect.

Normally, this would be the time to notify Officer Allen or to start an investigation into Mrs. Mary Shaw.

But she wasn't the Evil Spirit, and considering her age and physical condition, it was unlikely that she was the murderer.

This made her motive for lying all the more bizarre.

Nevertheless, Du Wei didn't care whether she had issues or not.

What he intended to do now was to deal with the Evil Spirit incident. Whether Mrs. Mary Shaw was the murderer or the Evil Spirit, it didn't concern him.

If it was the former, she would meet a very grim fate.

If it was the latter, Du Wei would begin to take care of it, hoping to return to New York sooner.

Everything was under control...

...

Arriving at the door of his own room,

Du Wei looked around and noticed a room across from his, but the door was closed. Through the peephole, it seemed empty.

The other rooms appeared to be the same.

The hotel was relatively simple overall, with only two floors.

The first floor served as a reception and dining area, while the second floor was for accommodations.

"It seems she was right about one thing, the hotel is indeed quiet," Du Wei muttered to himself, a faint smile on his face as he took out his keycard and opened the door to enter.

With a bang, the door shut behind him.

And at that moment, through the peephole of the room opposite him, suddenly appeared a pair of dark yellow eyes, pupils dilated, devoid of any spark of life, revealing a hollow and deadly stillness.

It looked as if it belonged to a dead person...

Yet, the entire hotel remained quiet, without any oppressive darkness that suffocated one's breath, nor any sense of overwhelming malice. Stay connected with My Virtual Library Empire

Everything was as usual.

Meanwhile, in Du Wei's room,

he was checking the wardrobe and the bathroom.

In some cheap establishments, it was all too common to find prying cameras infringing on privacy.

Of course...

Du Wei's checks weren't limited to just these; he was also intent on ensuring there were no other odd things in the room.

"The room is suspiciously clean..."

Du Wei walked out of the bathroom with a furrowed brow. The hotel was giving him an increasingly strange feeling.

Mrs. Mary Shaw was elderly and likely had limited mobility.

Yet, the inside of the hotel was incredibly clean, as if someone was meticulously cleaning it every few hours.

But apart from Mrs. Mary Shaw, Du Wei hadn't seen anyone else.

He thought for a moment and then let out a low, cold chuckle.

"Come on, let's see just how interesting this place can be..."

As he spoke, he took off his backpack, unzipped it, and pulled out a red balloon...

Inside the balloon, there appeared to be a faint but distinctly grotesque Clown face.