Tang Si knew Shi Ran was timid and afraid of the dark, but he was genuinely surprised by her extreme reaction since arriving at the Hidden Clan, finding it truly baffling.
"I... I..."
Shi Ran bit her lip, her mind replaying past events, still causing her to nervously glance around.
Sensing her poor state, Tang Si's heart ached as if it were breaking.
"It's a long story..."
Shi Ran sighed and continued, "Over ten years ago, I encountered something supernatural. During that period, whether it was day or night, I could see my deceased grandfather lingering around me. Then... my health wasn't good at the time. I was normal during the day, but at night I would develop a high fever. My parents took me to the hospital, and the doctor said it was a fever-induced delirium and gave me an IV drip to reduce the fever."
"After half a month of continuous treatment, there was no effect at all. Switching to another hospital yielded the same results. Later, my parents heard from someone that I had encountered something supernatural and found a well-known local sorceress. The sorceress said my Yin energy was too low and I had encountered an evil spirit. She gave me a bowl of ash-infused water to drink and told me to place a cleaver under my pillow when I slept at night."
"Indeed, after that day, I no longer saw my deceased grandfather, the fever subsided, and life returned to normal."
Shi Ran paused here, "My family lived in a remote village. Back then, every household had similar wooden houses, much like the ones here. So, after coming here, I became especially scared."
Because of their poverty in childhood, people in Shi Ran's hometown lived in wooden or bamboo houses. With the passage of time, these wooden or bamboo houses were replaced by modern buildings.
Therefore, Shi Ran had almost forgotten that terrifying childhood memory until she arrived at the Hidden Clan and saw the clothing and the wooden houses, which made everything feel like a return to the past.
Coupled with the frightening yet real stories she heard as a child, Shi Ran began to feel scared again in this unfamiliar environment.
"No wonder."
Tang Si secretly breathed a sigh of relief, continuously comforting Shi Ran, "It's all in the past now, it's okay, it's okay."
Listening to Shi Ran recount her past experiences, Tang Si didn't find it far-fetched at all.
He had a friend who had encountered a similar situation years ago, suffering from a high fever during a period of intense fright. Hospital visits were ineffective, and it was only after consulting several sorceresses that the issue was resolved.
However, whether it was simply hallucinations caused by excessive fright or if there truly were spirits, Tang Si couldn't say for sure.
He only felt self-reproach for bringing Shi Ran to the Hidden Clan.
Especially seeing her pale face from fear, trembling as she hid in the closet, his heart ached with waves of pain.
"Tomorrow, we can go out for a stroll, okay?"
He planned to take Shi Ran to a temple the next day to pray for a peace charm, hoping it would bring her comfort and perhaps some courage.
"Mhm," Shi Ran replied.
Tang Si shifted his position, sitting next to Shi Ran and leaning against the headboard.
Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled, saying, "Oh, right, I suddenly remembered a funny anecdote from my childhood. When I was young, my parents were busy with work and didn't have time to accompany me. I would throw tantrums and act mischievously, trying to get their attention and make them spend more time with me, but nothing worked. They even promised to spend my birthday with me, but before the birthday even began, they received a call from the company and rushed off."
"I was particularly wronged that day and hid in my room, crying for a long time. So, I made a decision: I decided to run away from home."