Yes, Bai was gone.

　　Early that morning, Ning and Liu knocked on her door, but there was no response.

　　They found it strange, assuming she might have woken up early for breakfast.

　　But when they arrived at the canteen, there was no sign of her.

　　Ning inquired with the canteen staff, but the old man serving food hadn't seen her either.

　　A sense of unease crept into their hearts.

　　 They rushed back to the guesthouse and to Bai's door.

　　Ning gently tried the doorknob, and to his surprise, the door swung open.

　　The room was empty.

　　A faint trace of Bai's shampoo lingered in the air.

　　"This is bad…" Liu muttered.

　　"Could she have run into a ghost last night?"

　　Ning scanned the room, his expression grave.

　　"There are no signs of struggle, no signs of resistance. And she took her backpack. Judging from these details, she must have left on her own accord…"

　　Liu frowned. "Left on her own?"

　　"Yes," Ning confirmed.

　　"Bai is not impulsive. For her to make the risky decision to leave alone, she must have discovered something extremely important last night!"

　　Ning's heart sank.

　　He could tell from the state of the room that Bai had left voluntarily, but he couldn't be sure if she was still alive.

　　After all, this village was shrouded in an unsettling aura of dread.

　　Especially the back mountain behind the forest in front of the guesthouse.

　　They hadn't been there yet.

　　They had a hunch that the place was a forbidden zone within this Blood Gate, far more dangerous than the other attractions!

　　Venturing into that area could lead to unforeseen and perilous consequences!

　　"Bro, where do you think she could have gone?" Liu asked, his voice edged with worry.

　　Ning shook his head.

　　He couldn't fathom what Bai might have seen that would compel her, always cautious and level-headed, to take such a risk.

　　"Let's wait a little longer. We still have time. Don't panic."

　　"The most important thing now is to stay calm. If we panic, we're more likely to make mistakes!"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

　　Liu nodded in agreement.

　　However, they waited the entire day.

　　Even as night fell once more, Bai remained missing.

　　This time, it wasn't just Liu who was getting anxious.

　　The other three were starting to worry as well.

　　"What? Bai is missing too?" The bespectacled man was stunned.

　　That morning, they had also discovered that someone was missing from their team.

　　—Luo.

　　She had disappeared sometime during the night.

　　However, Ning and Liu had been preoccupied with Bai's disappearance and were unaware of Luo's absence.

　　There had been little interaction between the two teams.

　　It was only that evening that they realized two people had gone missing the previous night!

　　"In that case… could Bai have left with Luo last night?"

　　Ning nodded. "It's possible."

　　"So, are we doing anything tonight?" The bespectacled man asked, his voice tight with tension.

　　Time was running out.

　　A day seemed like a long time, but it could pass in the blink of an eye.

　　"We don't have any life-saving ghost artifacts. It's too dangerous to move around at night. Let's wait and see."

　　After a moment of deliberation, Ning decided against venturing out at night.

　　They had been forced to act at night in the previous Blood Gate due to the specific rules set in place.

　　Bai had warned them that unless absolutely necessary, it was best to avoid moving around at night, as the world behind the Blood Gate was usually fraught with danger!

　　Once again, everyone checked their rooms for the wooden tags and bolted their doors shut.

　　After everyone had retired to their rooms, Ning quietly slipped out of his room and returned to Bai's.

　　His earlier search had been rushed, and he might have missed something.

　　After careful consideration, Ning believed that with Bai's cautious nature, even if she had left on her own, she wouldn't have left them completely in the dark.

　　So, under the cover of night, he returned to her room.

　　This time, he found a cracked, bloodstained bronze mirror tucked under her pillow.

　　Ning recognized the mirror.

　　It was the same one Bai had used to save Liu from being dragged into the Inexhaustible Well!

　　"She deliberately left a ghost artifact for us. Does this mean... she knew something might happen to her?"

　　Holding the mirror, Ning stood in Bai's room, staring at the reflection.

　　He froze.

　　Although it was dark, the moon outside was bright.

　　Even without the lights on, Ning could see that the reflection in the cracked bronze mirror was not his own.

　　It was a woman with long, flowing hair, dressed in a red wedding gown.

　　The sight was unsettling, but Ning knew that the woman in the mirror wouldn't harm him.

　　"This mirror still possesses spiritual power. It hasn't been sealed, which means Bai is still alive!" A glimmer of hope flickered in Ning's eyes.

　　Aside from the second mysterious letter he had received, he genuinely didn't want Bai to die in this Blood Gate.

　　After all, she had entered this cursed place for him.

　　Logically, he should be the one facing the danger.

　　Ning hated being indebted to others.

　　"I'll wait for dawn… Even with the bronze mirror for protection, it's still too risky to go out at night."

　　He returned to his room and lay down, his mind racing.

　　He couldn't shake off the worry gnawing at his heart.

　　The second mysterious letter he had received outside his door stated that Bai couldn't die in his second Blood Gate.

　　What would happen if she did?

　　Although Ning had no idea who was sending him those letters, he sensed that the sender meant him no harm, at least not for now.

　　Otherwise, he wouldn't have made it out of the first Blood Gate alive!

　　He tossed and turned in bed, sleep eluding him.

　　As he drifted in and out of a restless slumber, dawn broke.

　　The first rays of sunlight pierced through the window and into his room.

　　Ning sat up, exhaustion clinging to him.

　　After a quick wash, he knocked on everyone's doors, waking them up.

　　"Bro, where are we going?" Liu asked, his trust in Ning absolute after their previous experience.

　　"I've given it some thought. There are only two places Bai could have gone."

　　"First, the back mountain behind the forest."

　　"Second, Granny Ruan's residence!"

　　"The back mountain is too dangerous. Let's try to find the shaman's residence first."

　　The bespectacled man frowned.

　　 "But that shaman is no pushover. If she discovers us, we'll be in deep trouble!"

　　Ning nodded in agreement.

　　"We can't just barge in. We need to find a way to lure her out!"