As dusk deepened, the shaded area became particularly grim.
There were no streetlights in the cemetery, and the deeper I went, the darker it became.
Looking around, all I could see were tombstones and rows of stone steps, creating a chilling atmosphere.
Occasionally, a gust of evening wind swept through, making it feel even colder.
The cemetery was vast, and I had no idea where the Rose Supermarket was located, so I had no choice but to press on.
I followed the stone path, first circling the foot of the mountain.
Aside from the gravestones, I saw nothing else.
Darkness had completely enveloped the area.
Except for the faint light from the security booth at the entrance of the cemetery.
The entire cemetery was shrouded in darkness.
Coupled with the absence of a moon that night, visibility was extremely poor.
It was pitch black, and the surroundings were eerily silent.
Aside from my footsteps and breathing, there wasn't even the sound of insects.
The temperature also dropped rapidly, and I felt increasingly cold.
Goosebumps rose on my arms.
Looking at the black and white photos of men, women, old, and young pasted on the tombstones sent shivers down my spine.
I felt a strong aversion to moving forward, desperately wanting to leave this place.
However, I had no other choice.
To survive, I had to pass Master Gu's test.
Otherwise, I would end up lying here tonight.
I turned on my phone's flashlight and hummed a song softly to bolster my courage.
Quickening my pace, I continued my search through the cemetery.
From the foot of the mountain, I climbed all the way to the top.
Forget finding a supermarket; this place was truly as the security guard and the cleaning lady had described.
Apart from gravestones and graves, there wasn't even a single superfluous building.
At this moment, I stood on the stone steps, anxiously continuing my search.
A thin layer of mist began to rise in the cemetery.
This made the already eerie environment even more unsettling.
The black and white photos around me seemed to be watching me, even smiling at me.
My back felt a constant chill, a sensation that was overwhelmingly oppressive and uncomfortable.
I instinctively hunched my neck, my humming becoming uneven.
My forehead broke out in a cold sweat from nervousness.
"Nothing here either. Did I really remember the address wrong?"
I frowned and muttered to myself.
Waving my light, I started to ascend further.
Focused entirely on finding the Rose Supermarket, I completely failed to watch my step.
I accidentally stepped on something, my foot slipped.
With a "clang," I fell directly onto the stone pathway.
The fall sent a shock through my entire body, and my phone screen shattered. Fortunately, it was still usable.
"Ouch!"
I sat up, feeling the pain, and touched my elbow with my hand.
Looking back, I saw several bright red apples on the ground.
It was one of these apples I had stepped on, causing me to fall.
Beside the apples lay an overturned fruit basket, its contents spilled out.
Using my phone's light, I saw that these fruits were offerings for a five-year-old child named "Li Lingling."
Although the photo was black and white, the child was plump and round.
With two cat-ear hair clips, she looked exceptionally beautiful and cute.
It was such a shame that she died so young and so adorable.
During this time, I had come to believe in the existence of souls after death.
The deceased should be respected, and I had even stepped on her apples.
So, enduring the pain in my arm, I hurriedly gathered the apples scattered on the path and placed them back into the fruit basket.
Then, I repositioned the basket and set it back in its original spot.
Clasping my hands together, I addressed the tombstone:
"I'm sorry, little sister. Brother didn't mean to step on your apples. I'm so sorry, so sorry."
After speaking, I bowed three times towards the child's gravestone.
However, as I looked up after bowing, I thought I saw the child's black and white photo pouting at me.
Although it was cute, this sight made me stumble backward.
I quickly retreated, my entire face frozen.
I hurriedly rubbed my eyes and found that the photo still showed a smile, with no change.
But my heart began to panic.
Not wanting to linger, I swallowed and stammered:
"I'm sorry, sorry to disturb you..."
With that, I retreated repeatedly and ran up the mountain.
After running more than ten meters, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the mountain was very flat. Aside from dozens of gravestones, I saw no supermarket at all.
At this point, I had searched the entire cemetery.
With no sign of the Rose Supermarket, I felt I had truly misheard or come to the wrong place.
A sense of despair washed over me, and I covered my forehead.
With great disappointment, I started to walk down the mountain...
But as I passed by little Li Lingling's grave again.
I felt a sudden chill on my back, and my clothes were tugged.
My nerves were already frayed, and this sudden sensation startled me so much that I flinched violently and whipped my head around to look back.
But as I turned, my blood ran cold.
I saw a pale-faced little girl standing behind me, wearing a white dress with two cat-ear hair clips, but her pupils were gray.
"Ah!"
I screamed in terror and my heart leaped into my throat.
I retreated backward repeatedly, creating distance between us.
In the middle of the night, a little girl suddenly appeared and tugged at my clothes.
And, at a glance, I recognized her.
This was the pitiful child, Li Lingling, who had died at the age of five...