Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 27

The two of them argued all the way to the Upside Down Grocery Shop, only to find a crowd gathered outside.

What happened?

Approaching the scene, they saw Lin Xiu lying at the store entrance, covered in blood. The ground beneath him was drenched in red, creating a horrifying sight. Onlookers whispered amongst themselves, unsure of what had transpired.

Su Ran knelt down and held Lin Xiu. “Lin Xiu, Lin Xiu!”

Lin Xiu was already incredibly weak, unconscious, and it was unclear if he could be roused.

“Xiao Tong, call an ambulance!”

“Alright!”

Su Ran had his ways of healing Lin Xiu’s injuries, but with so many people around, sending him to a hospital was the more reasonable choice.

Fortunately, Lin Xiu regained consciousness. Upon seeing Su Ran, he clutched his shirt with all his remaining strength and gasped, “Su Ran… the sword spirit has gone mad.” Then, he passed out completely.

Li Xiaotong glanced at Lin Xiu, his body and face marked with deep, bloody cuts. It was a horrifying sight.

“Su Ran, what do we do now?”

The repeated incidents had completely shaken this 18-year-old girl. Her nerves were frazzled to the point where she didn’t even know which foot to move first.

“We can’t wait any longer. Let’s go—flag a cab!” Su Ran shouted, lifting Lin Xiu and charging through the crowd.

Li Xiaotong stumbled behind him, unsure of what else she could do.

But instead of heading to a hospital, they looped around and returned to the Upside Down Grocery Shop without anyone noticing.

“What about the ambulance?”

“I didn’t actually call one. You know how unique Lin Xiu’s identity is—taking him to a hospital could cause unforeseen problems.”

Su Ran chuckled lightly. “Looks like you’ve finally had a smart moment.”

Looking at the blood-drenched Lin Xiu, Li Xiaotong asked, “Su Ran, can he be saved?”

“Don’t worry. As long as he’s not dead, I can save him,” Su Ran said confidently.

Li Xiaotong slumped onto a small stool, the accumulation of bizarre events over the past few days weighing heavily on her. Everything that had happened felt far beyond the realm of normalcy. Her usually peaceful life had been turned completely upside down, and she felt like she couldn’t handle it anymore.

“If you’re tired, just take a nap here.”

“No way—who knows what might happen next.”

“Can’t you think of something positive for once?”

Su Ran glanced at the exhausted Li Xiaotong, acknowledging her resilience.

“Su Ran, when Lin Xiu said the sword spirit had gone mad, does that mean it was the sword spirit that killed Qianqian?”

“There’s no evidence—it’s just your assumption,” Su Ran replied while cleaning Lin Xiu’s wounds. “But it’s a valid suspicion. The flying sword Qianqian last saw, the weapon that killed the big guy, and Lin Xiu’s injuries… they’re all tied to a flying sword. This sword spirit isn’t easy to deal with.”

“I must catch that sword spirit and make it pay!”

“You’d better worry about yourself first. Lin Xiu barely survived, and you think you can handle it? Ha!”

“Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“I’m just a shopkeeper—I don’t meddle in these matters.”

“No, you’re not.”

“And you’re me? How would you know?”

Li Xiaotong was quiet for a moment, leaning against the wall. “When we met Qianqian, I overheard what you said to those two people. I know you’re not just some indifferent, uncaring person—it’s all an act.”

“Heh, what would a little kid like you understand?”

Li Xiaotong watched Su Ran continue his work without responding, smiling faintly.

After a flurry of activity, Su Ran managed to save Lin Xiu’s life. However, Lin Xiu was still critically weak and unconscious, making it impossible to glean any useful information from him for now.

“Su Ran, don’t you have mind-reading abilities? Why don’t you read him?”

“Read your head! He’s barely clinging to life—how am I supposed to read a nearly-dead person? Do you think I’m a forensic doctor?”

With Lin Xiu unresponsive and no further leads, they could only sit around idly.

“Don’t you have school?”

“I skipped class.”

“You’re so young, and already playing truant?”

“Hey, it’s a special situation, okay? Someone died!”

“And what does that have to do with you? That’s for the police to handle.”

“Does Qianqian’s death have nothing to do with me either?”

Su Ran fell silent, staring at Lin Xiu in a daze. He hadn’t expected this young girl to be so sharp-tongued at times.

Realizing she couldn’t help much here, Li Xiaotong said, “I’ll head back to school. If anything happens, let me know.”

Su Ran didn’t reply, his usual aloofness unchanged.

Li Xiaotong was used to it by now and didn’t mind, leaving without another word.

Back at the hostel, she found it eerily empty, with only her own bed still occupied. The rest were deserted. Looking at Qianqian’s former bed, she recalled the cheerful girl who used to play around there. Now, only a cold, lifeless wooden board remained.

The others had likely moved out because of Qianqian’s death. Staying in the same hostel would indeed take a lot of courage.

But Li Xiaotong wasn’t afraid—she’d even seen Qianqian’s ghost, so what else was there to fear?

The dormitory supervisor came in, noticing Li Xiaotong sitting alone. Concerned, she asked, “Do you want to switch rooms, dear?”

“Auntie, I don’t want to move.”

“I can arrange for you to share a dorm with your previous roommates.”

“Thank you, Auntie, but I’m fine staying here.”

“Listen, darling, I know losing Qianqian has been hard on you, but you must take care of yourself. You’ve got a long life ahead of you.”

“Thank you, Auntie. I’ll be okay.”

The dormitory auntie sighed deeply. “I’ve seen this before—a boy said the same thing, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ But then he couldn’t take it and jumped into the river.”

A river? His phone!

“Auntie, that boy’s phone—does he still have it?”

“No, the police took it.”

Alright, that lead was gone.

“Are you sure you don’t want to switch hostel?”

“Tomorrow, Auntie. It’s already getting dark today.”

“Fine, tomorrow then.”

Li Xiaotong looked at Qianqian’s bed. Even if she didn’t want to leave, the dormitory would likely be sealed off soon.

“I’m sorry, Qianqian. I can’t stay with you any longer.”

Lying on her bed, she reflected on how she used to find the dorm too noisy. Even on weekends, she couldn’t sleep in because someone would always wake up early, or study late into the night.

But now, with only silence surrounding her, she missed the noise terribly.

Not a single sound—quiet as death.

As the sky darkened outside, she thought, Forget it, I’ll just sleep without eating.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a new message.

Come to 108. I’ve found something new. —Su Ran

Strange. Why was Su Ran texting her to go to 108?

That was the place where Qianqian had died.

Never mind—Su Ran said he’d made a new discovery. Maybe it was a clue about Qianqian’s death.

Hurrying over, she arrived at the location and looked around, but there wasn’t a single soul in sight.

No sign of Su Ran anywhere.

Fear crept in. Qianqian and her boyfriend had both met with strange accidents, and now she was alone at the very place where it all began.

She panicked and decided to leave—but it was too late.

A flying sword blocked her path.

The sword was small, only about a foot long, but its gleaming, chilling light made it impossible to ignore.

The terror in Li Xiaotong’s heart was suffocating. She thought of Qianqian, her boyfriend, the big man, and Su Ran.

Su Ran, save me!

The sword seemed alive, forcing her step by step toward a sharp turn in the road.

The corner was poorly lit, a perfect spot for an “accident.”

Li Xiaotong stared at the sword and shouted, “Who are you?!”

The sword didn’t answer, continuing to drive her toward the bend.

“Was it you who killed Qianqian? Was it?!”

No response. Step by step, she was backed into a corner.

She couldn’t retreat any further. Any more, and she’d end up like Qianqian. But standing her ground would make her like the big man—with a sword piercing her forehead.

Li Xiaotong broke down in tears, her fear overwhelming her.

“Su Ran!” she cried out, hoping against hope that Su Ran would appear like a hero in a novel.

But there was no sign of Su Ran.

“Su Ran, where are you? Why aren’t you coming to save me? I’m about to die, do you even know that?”

Li Xiaotong stopped in her tracks, staring at the flying sword, standing right in the middle of the road.

At this moment, what crossed her mind was whether, after her death, Su Ran would also use candles to come and see her.