Chapter 13: Empty Bedroom

The light from the living room shone into the bedroom.

Leaving a long beam of light, Duya could clearly see through it that this was a double bed covered in dust.

A whole set of bedding was thrown across it haphazardly, including a quilt, pillows, and sheets.

This bedding was entirely red, making it look very festive.

More importantly, the quilt was flat, there was no one lying inside, and the bedroom was empty and very quiet.

The problem was that there seemed to be only two bedrooms in this house.

Duya did not believe that this bright red, festive bedroom could be Bulanni’s room.

Could it be that Bulanni slept with her grandfather?

Holding this doubt, Duya closed the bedroom door again and returned to the living room.

As time passed, he felt the smell of mushrooms becoming increasingly strong, even permeating the living room.

Where was this smell coming from?

Just then, the singing in the bathroom stopped, followed by the rustling sound of changing clothes.

“Big brother, sorry to keep you waiting.”

Bulanni had changed into a new outfit and walked out of the bathroom.

This cute girl wearing a red hoodie looked a little shy under Duya’s gaze.

She scratched her cheek and spoke bashfully.

“This outfit… is what my mother knit for me.”

Her slightly coy demeanor seemed to be waiting for Duya to praise her.

Duya naturally understood the little one’s intent, so he nodded and praised her.

“It looks great, it really suits you.”

“Hehe… thank you, big brother!!”

After receiving the compliment, the girl looked even happier.

“Oh, by the way, big brother, I made some mushroom soup. It should be ready, so I’ll go bring it to you.”

Before Duya could speak, the little one jogged out of the living room and brought a bowl of fresh mushroom soup from the kitchen.

“It’s fresh mushroom soup, drink it while it’s hot.”

Bulanni placed the bowl of mushroom soup on the table with a smile.

However, she might have been too nervous, or perhaps the bowl was too full.

As the ceramic bowl touched the table, a few drops of soup splashed onto the girl’s hand.

The scalding soup made the girl pull her hand back instantly, but fortunately, the bowl did not spill.

“Are you okay? Go get some cold water to rinse it off quickly, or it might blister.”

“Oh, oh, oh…”

Bulanni nodded as if she understood, but still followed Duya’s advice and ran into the bathroom.

In the living room, Duya was left alone once again.

He looked at the mushroom soup in front of him.

The savory aroma drifted into his nostrils, and the fragrance coming from the steaming soup made his mind wander.

Although Duya was not a native of Yunbei, he had to admit that these mushrooms tasted very fresh.

Just the smell alone made one’s mouth water, but he did not know the variety, nor did he know if eating them would lead to an early grave.

But fortunately, this was a game world, and he could take out his system to scan it.

“Beep~”

He tapped his phone gently on the soup and quickly obtained the identification results.

“Wood-eating fungus, non-toxic, safe for consumption.”

After receiving the identification, Duya picked up his spoon, about to taste the soup.

Just then, a playful and mocking voice flashed by his ear.

“Are you sure you want to eat mushrooms that grew on a dead person?”

“Pfft!!”

The sudden sound made Duya spit out the mushroom soup in his mouth.

What did it mean by mushrooms growing on a dead person?

And… who was the one speaking just now?

Duya immediately looked around, searching for the owner of the voice.

However, the living room was empty, and he was the only one there; he could not find a trace of a second person.

The living room fell into an eerie silence, and Duya looked at the mushroom soup in his hand, slowly setting it down.

Duya glanced at the bathroom; Bulanni did not seem to be out yet, so he picked up the bowl and poured all of the mushroom soup out onto the grass outside the window.

The voice had flashed by too quickly for him to hear who it was, but regardless, he was not hungry now, and the thought that it might actually be mushrooms grown on a dead person… to be honest, it was truly disgusting.

Even more disgusting than the organs and flesh sacrificed before.

“Big brother, are you finished?”

Bulanni looked at the empty ceramic bowl and couldn’t help asking, “How was the taste?”

“It was very good.”

Duya nodded.

“But I’m full and feeling a bit sleepy. Bulanni, hasn’t your grandfather come back yet?”

“No?” Bulanni said with some surprise, “My grandfather has always been at home.”

As she spoke, she reached out and pointed toward the back of the living room.

And the room she pointed to was the bedroom Duya had checked earlier…

There was clearly nothing in there.

“My grandfather is in there.”

Looking at Bulanni’s unguarded face, Duya fell into silence for a moment.

He did not think he had mistaken anything.

There was definitely something wrong with this place.

As for whether Bulanni was a monster…

Duya took out his phone and scanned her.

Bulanni’s information soon appeared on the phone screen.

“Name: Bulanni”

“Race: Human”

“No combat ability, naive and kind, has no defensive posture against anyone…”

The black text paused here, and then another line appeared.

“The perfect choice for a creepy old man to prey on.”

“?”

Duya looked at the last line of the system text, feeling like the system was secretly mocking him.

How was he a creepy old man?

However, this also proved that Bulanni was indeed an ordinary child.

So where did the problem lie?

“Bulanni, have you had any mushroom soup?”

Duya’s words made Bulanni think of something, so she leaned into Duya’s ear and whispered mysteriously.

“No, that pot of soup is for my grandfather to drink. My grandfather loves mushroom soup, he doesn’t even give me any. If I were to drink it secretly, I would get a stern scolding from him… so big brother, you must keep it a secret that you drank the mushroom soup.”

Bulanni’s words made Duya’s brow relax slightly, and he crouched down to look directly into her innocent eyes.

“Okay, this is a secret between us. But… brother has one thing I don’t understand, when does your grandfather usually come out?”

“This, well…”

Bulanni tilted her head and thought for a moment, “Usually, when I bring the mushrooms back, grandfather only comes out when it is time to sleep, so I rarely see him during the day. I only run into him at night.”

Hearing this, Duya narrowed his eyes and looked at the bedroom, seemingly understanding something.

Just then, Bulanni yawned and rubbed her eyes, looking a bit sleepy.

“Big brother, you should sleep in my room tonight. I’ll go sleep with grandfather for the night…”