Chapter 17: Night Whispers in the Graveyard

The process of renting the apartment went smoothly. Thanks to it being summer vacation, there were still plenty of listings available, and Cao Kun managed to secure one in less than an hour. It was a four-bedroom, two-living-room, two-bathroom unit just a ten-minute walk from Haicheng University, fully furnished with appliances and furniture, ready for immediate move-in.

With the housing issue settled, Cao Kun considered his affairs in Haicheng officially wrapped up. He then took a taxi to the high-speed train station.

...

It was half past eleven at night.

At the exit of the high-speed rail station in Xia County, Cao Kun emerged alone, carrying his backpack. As a small county, Xia County’s foot traffic could not compare to a first-tier city like Haicheng. Moreover, it was late at night, and few passengers chose to travel at this hour. As a result, Cao Kun was the only one who got off the train at this stop, as if the entire station had been built just for him.

Outside the station, only two or three taxis were parked. Cao Kun walked straight to one of them.

“Hey handsome, where to?” The driver, smoking outside, hurried to open the front passenger door for him.

“South City Cemetery.”

Seeing the driver smoking, Cao Kun felt a cigarette craving himself and lit one at the car door.

Upon hearing the destination, the driver immediately stopped smoking, looking uneasy.

South City Cemetery at this hour? Why did it feel so unsettling?

Noticing the driver’s hesitation, Cao Kun smiled. “I’m here to pay respects to my grandfather. What, you afraid to go?”

The driver snapped out of his daze and laughed. “Afraid? No, I just meant… it’s late at night. But sure, no problem. Hop in.”

Half an hour later, the taxi stopped in front of South City Cemetery.

“Do you need me to wait for you?”

Located on the southern outskirts of Xia County, this cemetery was isolated, surrounded by nothing but open land. Even during the day, few cars came here. At night, if the driver didn’t wait, Cao Kun would have no chance of catching another cab.

Grateful for the driver’s kindness, Cao Kun shook his head with a smile. “No need, sir. I haven’t talked to my grandfather in a long time. Might take a while. You go ahead.”

After saying this, Cao Kun got out of the car. The driver made no objection, turned on the spot, and headed back to the city.

Once the taxi disappeared into the distance, Cao Kun turned to look back at the cemetery.

Being a small county cemetery, it was quite simple, without even a caretaker on duty at night.

Facing the over two-meter-high cemetery gate, Cao Kun took a running start and leapt, pressing down on the top of the gate to flip effortlessly over it.

If anyone had seen this, they would surely think they were witnessing a ghost.

Cao Kun was surprised by his own agility. He had expected to make the jump but not with such ease. Clearly, his physical condition was far better than he had anticipated.

The thought of this brought a figure to mind: Yang Ping.

“Damn it, that bastard Yang Ping. If he had taught me the ‘Useless Seventy-Two Moves’ in the previous life, I wouldn’t have had to spend ten years in prison. I would have jumped out long ago.”

After muttering to himself, Cao Kun shook his head with a smile.

Forget it! This blame couldn’t fall on Yang Ping. It wasn’t that he refused to teach him, but that he himself didn’t know the full technique. Although the nameless book had been in his possession, he only learned the beginning part and never mastered it all.

A treasure trove he could never unlock—that must be fate.

With these thoughts, Cao Kun soon reached the northeast corner of the cemetery.

Looking at the small, modest grave before him, his eyes involuntarily moistened.

If anyone in this world had truly been good to him, it was only his late grandfather. He could think of no one else.

This old man, who had lived a life of thrift and simplicity, had only ever wished for his grandson to live safely and peacefully.

Yet, such a simple wish was never fulfilled.

Not only that, but his own grave was disturbed—someone had dug it up, scattered his ashes, leaving no trace of his remains.

Every time Cao Kun recalled this, he felt furious to the point of wanting to kill.

What right did they have to do this? The man was dead, reduced to ashes—why couldn’t they just leave him in peace?

Recalling scenes from his past life, Cao Kun clenched his teeth and fists tightly, then knelt with a thud before the grave.

After taking a deep breath, he took out some offerings—roast chicken, roast duck—from his backpack while speaking softly to himself.

“Grandpa, I’m sorry. In the last life, your grandson was a fool—not only locked away in prison but also had your grave desecrated and your ashes scattered.”

“But don’t worry. This life, your grandson won’t be a foolish do-gooder anymore.”

“And those who bullied us in the last life—I’ll make sure to settle the score with every single one of them. Don’t worry, I remember all of it. None of them will get away.”

Having said this, Cao Kun felt a surge of relief, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart.

Then he sat by the grave, smoking, drinking, eating the offerings, and recounting the stories of his previous life.

“Grandpa, it’s not that your grandson didn’t want to go to university. It’s just that I was framed and thrown into prison.”

“Remember Wang Shanshan? The girl you said was really beautiful, the one you said if I could marry her, it would mean I was virtuous in a past life? Screw that. Her whole family of three is a bunch of bastards.”

“When her mother was about to be raped, I stepped in to help. But her family turned against me, framing me for murder. Grandpa, tell me, is that something a human should do?”

“Not even animals behave that way!”

“You know your grandson’s good looks—sharp features, tall, handsome, fair-skinned. When I first got to prison, no joke, at least half the inmates wanted to… assault me.”

“So I clenched my fist hard and crushed two of their balls. Turned that guy into a woman. After that, no one tried to mess with me again.”

“You know about ‘super males,’ right? Those who have an extra… well, never mind. You wouldn’t understand. Just know they have stronger desires, more violent temperaments, and greater strength—like lunatics.”

“Not all super males are crazy, but those who end up in our maximum-security prison? Each one crazier than the last.”

“We had over a dozen super males in prison. It was wild—there wasn’t a day without fights, without blood.”

“I especially remember one named Wang Haoran, a real savage. He hung his own father up and made him watch as he raped his mother.”

“That bastard died a horrible death, killed by another super male. When they found him, his body was nearly cut in half lengthwise…”