Chapter 117: Urban Legend·The Non-Existent Tombstone

Chapter 117: Urban Legends · The Tombstone That Wasn't There

"Thank you," the old man coughed a few times, pointing with a skeletal finger toward a corner of the cemetery. "I need to go there."

Chu Fu, playing the role of a helpful citizen, slightly bent down and proactively supported the old man by his elbow and shoulder, guiding him step by step toward the lonely corner of the graveyard.

As they walked, the old man's hand on Chu Fu grew colder, and their footsteps became heavier, as though countless frozen hands were reaching out from the graves, dragging Chu Fu forward.

The old man's pupils eerily shifted to the corners of his eyes, hungrily watching Chu Fu's face, hoping to see fear on the unsuspecting young man's expression. Yet, to his disappointment, Chu Fu remained calm, even maintaining polite smiles as if completely oblivious to the strangeness.

As they neared the end of the path, a pair of red high heels appeared not far away, pacing anxiously and producing quick, insistent taps.

*Tap tap!... Tap, tap, tap tap tap...*

The high heels moved faster and faster, their toes occasionally turning toward the old man, as if desperately trying to warn him.

At the same time, the sound of a child crying echoed through the night.

Unlike the usual cries meant to frighten, this wail carried genuine sorrow and fear, like a child startled awake by a nightmare.

Chu Fu glanced toward the source of the crying, and the sound abruptly ceased, as if someone had strangled it into silence.

"What was that noise?" Chu Fu pretended puzzlement. "Is it always this lively around here?"

The old man chuckled dryly, afraid Chu Fu might flee from these "neighbors." "What noise? I didn’t hear anything. Don’t overthink it..."

In truth, he found it odd—why were all these beings suddenly appearing now?

And those red shoes, tapping so frantically as if they might wear through their soles—what were they trying to signal?

After a moment of thought, the old man grew wary: Were they all trying to poach his prey?

Ignoring the urban legends' warnings, he imperceptibly quickened his pace, leading Chu Fu to his own grave.

Chu Fu studied the tombstone before him. Its edges bore fine cracks, and a thin layer of green moss covered its base, making it appear aged.

In the center of the tombstone hung a black-and-white portrait—showing none other than the old man himself standing beside him.

At the foot of the grave, two paper effigies were placed as offerings.

The left effigy was completely ruined, its head half-caved in, its features indistinguishable. The right effigy, however, had two round buns atop its head, a pale face painted with rosy cheeks, crescent-shaped eyes, and a wide, smiling red mouth—a cheerful girl.

Chu Fu paused, noticing the old man’s silence. Figuring the old man wanted to frighten him, he decided to play along. "Old sir, is this where you wanted to go? Aren’t you heading home for the night?"

A sinister light gleamed in the old man’s clouded eyes as he chuckled darkly. "This *is* my home."

"I’ve lived here for over a decade. My only wish is to have two clever, lovely children by my side. But heaven was unkind—a storm ruined one paper boy, leaving only this lonely girl."

"Young man, since you’ve been so kind as to escort me back... why not stay here with me? You’d make a fine replacement for my lost boy..."

The old man scrutinized Chu Fu, then frowned slightly, disappointed that the young man was somewhat too old for his taste.

Still, he’d have to settle for now.

He eagerly awaited Chu Fu’s terrified screams, but instead, the young man smiled warmly and began chatting amiably. "Oh, so you live here? What a coincidence—my grave is just over there, only three rows away."

"That makes us neighbors! We should visit each other often. If you ever feel lonely, you can come visit me."

Chu Fu helpfully took out his phone and showed the old man the photo he’d taken earlier. "See? This is my grave. Be sure to remember it so you don’t get lost later."

The old man squinted at the screen, studying the image of the tombstone.

In the portrait on the grave, a familiar young man gazed directly from the photo, his lips curled in a gentle smile...

The old man froze, a coldness creeping up from his feet and spreading through his entire body.

As a ghost himself, the old man wasn’t afraid of his own kind—but he feared things beyond his understanding, things that defied logic.

In his idle hours, he often wandered the cemetery, committing every name on every tombstone to memory, new or old.

So he was certain—he had *never* seen this young man’s grave before!

Yet the photo was clearly taken tonight, perhaps even within the past half-hour, with a background he recognized...

How was this possible?

How could a tombstone he’d never noticed suddenly appear?

Dread of the unknown spurred the old man into action. He lunged toward the direction Chu Fu had pointed, forgetting to walk like a human as his legs drifted unsteadily through the air.

Soon, he reached "Chu Fu’s" grave.

"It’s this one... It’s really here. Why have I never seen it before?"

The old man murmured in disbelief, then suddenly recalled something. He began counting the tombstones in each row, his hoarse voice quivering in the wind:

"One, two, three... twenty!"

"One, two, three... twenty!"

"One, two... eighteen, nineteen?"

After counting, he uncovered a terrifying truth—every row in the cemetery had exactly twenty tombstones. No more, no less.

Yet before this, all beings—ghosts and urban legends included—had unconsciously ignored "Chu Fu’s" tombstone, not only failing to see it but also assuming without question that this particular row had only nineteen graves...

Just who was this young man?

Or more precisely... *what* was he?

Why was there suddenly... a tombstone that shouldn’t exist?

The uncanny feeling of reality shifting filled the old man with dread.

Standing before "Chu Fu’s" grave, though he lacked both breath and warmth, he felt a frozen dread seep through him, his throat tightening as if his long-still heart had begun pounding anew.

Now he understood what those anxious red shoes had been trying to warn him:

*Stay away from that thing wearing human skin...*

"Old sir, what are you looking at?"

Just then, Chu Fu’s voice came from behind him.

The old man’s neck cracked as he turned, facing the young man’s stare—his smile mirroring the one in the portrait, his uncanny blue eyes shining like will-o'-wisps in the pale moonlight, exceptionally eerie.

"AAAAHHHH—"

Even ghosts get scared by ghosts!!

The old man forced out a scream from his withered throat before his figure swiftly sank into the ground, vanishing without a trace.

The cemetery returned to its graveyard silence once more.

Having successfully frightened a ghost, Chu Fu turned away with satisfaction, hearing the system prompt:

"Congratulations, player, for creating the nascent urban legend 'The Non-Existent Tombstone.' Current reach: 13 people. Keep up the good work and help it grow into a fully influential urban legend!"

Chu Fu asked, "How many people need to hear about it for it to become a complete urban legend?"

The system replied, "The benchmark is 200. However, if the targets are of higher quality, the requirement may be lowered."

Chu Fu nodded in understanding.

Undoubtedly, what the system considered "high-quality" were likely individuals with more energy than regular folks—such as Ability users, divine beings, or even other urban legends...

No wonder he'd picked this "stage." This scenario was pretty interesting!

Feeling pleased as he walked toward the cemetery gate, Chu Fu suddenly remembered something. "Wait, that taxi earlier—did I forget to pay?"

......

An hour and a half later, the hardworking cabbie had completed a few more late-night rides.

How he missed the bright lights of home, a hot midnight snack, and a warm bed...

But the money he'd earned today still wasn't enough. With a family to feed, he had no choice but to continue cruising the city streets.

The scare from the "ghost passenger" incident had left him cautious. From then on, he would crack the window in advance and carefully ask each passenger their destination, only letting them in if everything checked out.

The earlier scare, combined with the non-stop work afterward, was wearing him out.

Eventually, he pulled to the curb under a streetlamp, locked all the doors and windows, dropped his head onto his arms against the steering wheel, and closed his eyes for a quick nap.

When he came to groggily again, a hand reached from the backseat, handing him a few bills. "You're still out working so late, sir—must be tough. Sorry about forgetting to pay earlier."

"Thanks, thanks... It's no trouble..."

Still half-asleep, the driver automatically took the cash and glanced at it, seeing it was way more than the usual fare. "Huh? Boss, this is too much—"

Mid-sentence, his eyes widened in shock as he realized something was off—hadn't he been alone in the car? He'd just woken up from a nap—where did this passenger come from?!

And that voice... why did it sound so familiar...?

His neck rigid, the driver slowly turned his head until he met those smiling deep-blue eyes. Chu Fu grinned at him. "You've earned the extra—both as thanks and an apology for scaring you earlier."

"So, could you take me back to the school gate now?"