Chapter Fifty: The Disappearance of Jane

Everything changed so swiftly that it caught one completely off guard.

Hua Sheng widened his eyes, staring at the wooden cabin. The surroundings had returned to a deathly silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

It was as though no one had ever been standing before that door!

A chill rose up from his back, shooting straight to the base of his skull, followed by a tingling sensation across his forehead.

How did Jian disappear from just outside the door?

No, he had seen the door close and heard the sound of it shutting. Jian must have stepped inside the cabin, and the door was closed from within!

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

If he guessed correctly, it must have been at the very moment Hua Sheng turned to ask Mie Ying about the time—the cabin door opened, and for some unknown reason, as Jian stepped inside, it was shut again.

The entire process was incredibly swift. There was no struggle, no cry for help.

Jian hadn’t even managed to make a sound!

Hua Sheng stomped his foot. Damn it! It was my negligence!

He shouted loudly toward the cabin, “Jian! Jian! Are you in there?”

The cabin, just like before, gave no response.

Hua Sheng called out again, “Jian!”

Still, no sound.

“Heavens! I shouldn’t have let her go! This time I was truly careless!”

Filled with regret, Hua Sheng turned and called out toward the car, “Mie—”

Before he could finish saying Mie Ying’s name, the figure of Mie Ying already stood outside the car, her face grave.

“You were shouting so loudly just now, I could tell something had happened. That barbarian girl was abducted?”

Hua Sheng hurriedly explained, “In the blink of an eye, Jian disappeared right in front of the cabin!”

“So… she went inside the cabin?”

“She must have been taken inside! No matter how we called, there was no response.”

Mie Ying tilted her head. “Do you think it could be the cabin’s soundproofing…?”

“Of course not! That’s nonsense!” Hua Sheng interrupted.

Mie Ying sighed. “If you ask me, we should just burn down this strange place.”

“Now’s definitely not the time to burn it. Jian is locked inside, and if we burn her alive, that would be a grave sin!”

“True. If she dies, no one can clear your name regarding the theft of the Jade Star Silk,” Mie Ying said, resting her chin on her hand. “So… we still have to knock on the door?”

Hua Sheng couldn’t think of any other solution.

---

After some thought, Mie Ying said, “But looking at it now, knocking has a high risk. Since we can’t burn it or knock, why not just tear the cabin down? That way, no more strange things can happen.”

“You’re a genius, Mie Ying!” Hua Sheng clapped enthusiastically. “From now on, if we encounter haunted houses, we’ll just tear them down. That’s a hundred times easier than ghost hunting—no, a thousand times easier!”

“Exactly!” Mie Ying said proudly. “But don’t use brute force to tear this cabin down. If it collapses all at once, we might crush that girl inside.”

“Indeed. So what method should we use?”

Mie Ying tapped her chest confidently, “Of course, the ‘Géwù’ Immortal Spell!”

“‘Géwù’? You mean dismantle it into pieces?”

“Only the upper half of the cabin. Without walls around, she won’t have anywhere to hide!”

Hua Sheng nodded repeatedly.

“I’ll dismantle it. You shine some light for me!”

Following Mie Ying’s suggestion, Hua Sheng shouted, “Urgent as the law commands!”

Several fireballs ignited around the cabin, casting faint light through the originally pitch-black forest. Though the mist still lingered, the eerie atmosphere had somewhat lifted.

Mie Ying glanced at the fireballs. “You could’ve saved energy by just pointing that old car’s headlights this way!”

“It’s the same! Besides, if something ghostly suddenly leaps out, my fireballs are ready for it first!”

“Surprisingly thoughtful,” Mie Ying said, stepping closer and extending her orchid-like fingers while muttering an incantation. Spinning around, she pointed at the cabin. “Urgent as the law commands! ‘Géwù’ Immortal Spell!”

The cabin’s pointed roof and the wooden beams immediately scattered like toppled building blocks. Before touching the ground, each wooden plank floated upward.

With the wooden walls gone, the cabin’s entire interior structure became visible.

Though the cabin was just one story, removing the surrounding boards revealed a surprisingly spacious interior with more than one room.

The cabin’s inside was dim, furnished with various pieces of furniture. Yet, the wooden partitions prevented the two from clearly seeing if anyone was hiding inside.

Mie Ying held her right hand midair and waved her left, dismantling the wooden panels separating the rooms.

More planks floated into the air above the cabin.

Hua Sheng moved the fireballs from the periphery to the center of the rooms, illuminating the space thoroughly.

But there was no sign of anyone.

On the cabin floor lay a dining table, stools, beds, a stove, and a gas burner, all suggesting a lived-in presence. Yet, no one was there!

Vanished!

Jian had disappeared into thin air from within the cabin!

“How can it be empty? She definitely went inside!”

Hua Sheng moved the fireballs back and forth, lighting every corner. Then he looked up at the floating wood and bricks above. Among these floating materials, of course, there was no one hiding.

---

Seeing this, Mie Ying grew puzzled.

“What’s going on? You saw Jian walk in yourself?”

“It happened too fast. I didn’t see the whole process clearly. But I’m certain the door opened—I saw it close. And Jian vanished at the same time.”

Mie Ying pointed toward the nearby woods. The dozens of wooden beams floating in midair clattered as they piled up to the side.

Chanting an incantation, she said, “Huh? The shadowless binding spell I placed on her seems to have been undone.”

Frowning, Hua Sheng asked, “So she can get away from us? When did this happen?”

Mie Ying shook her head. “I don’t know. Maybe… she’s already escaped us?”

“No way! Could that French girl really have such a deep trick up her sleeve? It doesn’t seem like it!”

Mie Ying looked displeased. “What? Just because she’s younger and prettier, you think she can’t be cunning?”

“But it doesn’t add up! If she could break the spell, she could have just run off while we were asleep. Why go through all this trouble to stage this?”

Hua Sheng walked directly to the center of the dismantled cabin. No need to open the door now, he stood on the cabin floor and looked around.

“You’re not a mind reader. How do you know she wouldn’t do that? Didn’t we use a little trick when we captured her too?” Mie Ying clearly had her own ideas.

“But I still feel if she really wanted to escape, this whole act seems unnecessary.”

“An act needs to be convincing, right?”

“Who would be so eager to perform? This isn’t the Kelin Drama Academy.”

“Hmph! That’s hard to say. You men get all dazzled seeing high noses and blue eyes.”

“That’s not true. She doesn’t fit my aesthetic at all. I have no inter—”

Before Hua Sheng could finish, Mie Ying suddenly leaned in, staring into his eyes.

Startled, Hua Sheng asked, “What are you doing?”

“Keep talking.”

“About what?”

“What you just said. Keep going.”

“I… I’m not… interested in… her…”

Mie Ying’s eyes narrowed. “But I clearly saw the word ‘insincere’ in your eyes!”

They stood so close that Hua Sheng’s heart began to race, stirred by her scent. He quickly stepped back, saying, “Don’t say nonsense!”

“You still dare deny it!”