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nTranslator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

nClaire’s lips moved and her voice was hoarse. “If… if the other person is an old man, terminally ill, or encounters any fatal danger…”

nGallon nodded, affirming her guess. “It’s like your life is hanging on a string. It’s in danger at all times.”

nHer life was controlled by someone else.

nAnd she also controlled that person’s life.

nClaire slowly closed her eyes, her face grey. Her heart seemed to be clutched by a big hand, making her feel breathless.

nIt was like a nightmare.

nShe opened her eyes suddenly, and Gallon was still sitting opposite her, looking at her worriedly.

nSo it was not a dream.

n“When did this mark on your body appear?” Gallon asked.

n“After I disappeared, I found this mark on my body when I came back. It’s neither painful nor itchy, so I didn’t take it seriously.”

nGallon mused. “According to what you said, it can be certain that this bug was put into your body when you were missing.”

nUnfortunately, she had no memory of that period of time, so it was unclear why she had a bewitching bug in her body.

n“What are you going to do next?”

nClaire didn’t speak.

nSuddenly, as if something occurred to her, she frowned. She pulled up her collar, grabbed her schoolbag, and walked to the door quickly. “I’m leaving.”

nGu Jingqing hurriedly stood up. “Huh? Where are you going?”

nWith a bang, the door was slammed shut.

nClaire followed the navigation to a dilapidated residential building.

nGray walls, rusty iron doors.

nThe stairway was narrow and damp, and choking dust was permeating in the air.

nOn the fourth floor, Claire knocked on the security door.

nThe door was opened by a woman, who was wearing a linen dress. Her hair was pulled behind her head in a bun, her body smelled of oily smoke, and she looked like an ordinary housewife.

nStrangely, her eyes were blindfolded with a white cloth too.

nClaire said politely, “Hello, I am Mia’s classmate.”

nThe woman smiled gently and wiped her wet hand on her apron twice. “Oh, welcome. Please come in.”

nShe led Claire into the room, took her outside a bedroom, and knocked on the door.

n“Mia, your classmate came to visit you.”

nSoon, the door opened.

nMia stood at the door. Seeing Claire, she looked a bit surprised but didn’t speak.

n“OK, I’m going to cook.” The woman turned and walked to the kitchen.

nMia said, “Come in.”

nClaire walked into the bedroom and looked around.

nThe room was small but clean and tidy. On a single bed, the quilt was neatly folded, and the lamp was turned on, illuminating the workbook on the desk.

n“The place is small. Just sit where you like.” Mia pointed to her bed and asked curiously. “How did you find my home?”

nClaire sat down by the bed. “It’s not difficult for me to find out anything I’d like to know.”

nWhat an arrogant tone.

n“What do you want to see me about?”

nComing straight to the point, Claire pulled open her collar, pointed to the bulging mark on her skin, and said straightforwardly, “Help me get this thing out.”

nMia shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t.”

nClaire narrowed her eyes, obviously not convinced. “You are a member of the Menglai Clan. You are good at raising and manipulating bewitching bugs, but you are claiming that you couldn’t take this bug out of my body?”

nMia looked sincere and didn’t seem to be lying. “Manipulating a Death-Sharing Bewitching Bug is a forbidden skill in our clan. At my current level, I’m not qualified yet to learn it. Only the four elders of our clan can take it out of your body.”

n“Where to find them?” Claire asked.

nMia shook her head again. “Since two years ago, no one knows where they are.”

nClaire’s heart sank bit by bit. “So… there is no hope for me?”

n“You still have hope if you can find them.”

nBut how to find a needle in a haystack?

nEven her last hope had failed.

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