Tears of the Cow

Is Lin Mo the perpetrator of violence?

Yes, violence is the fundamental logic of this world.

Without violence, power cannot be centralized, and without centralized power, rules cannot be established.

Lin Mo, who wields violence, can dictate the rules.

My rules are the rules.

Arriving at the school gate, Chu Ling was still kneeling, while Lin Mo walked past her.

"It's alright, Yu Ling has forgiven you. We’ll visit your house tonight."

Chu Ling froze for a moment. Her legs had gone numb, and she couldn’t stand up immediately, so she could only look up at Lin Mo. "Tonight?"

Lin Mo nodded with slight seriousness. "The 'Seventh Night' means the sixth day ends at Hai hour (9–11 PM), and the seventh day begins at Zi hour (11 PM–1 AM). You didn’t think it was tomorrow night, did you?"

Though Chu Ling didn’t fully understand, she nodded anyway. "What do I need to prepare?"

"A table of your father’s favorite dishes, a bowl of clear water, and a bowl of mixed grains."

"Is that all?"

"For now, yes. But I can’t guarantee whether your father will actually return."

Just like how, after Lin Mo captured the souls of those criminal killers, they could no longer return on the Seventh Night.

For example, that old woman wandering the streets—after becoming a lingering spirit of obsession, she couldn’t pass through the Seventh Night either.

And many others who died far from home could never return.

About the phenomenon of souls returning on the seventh day, Lin Mo had already learned some things last night through Tongyou (Communing with the Underworld).

Tongyou not only allowed him to command the Five Ghosts but also communicate with them, gaining knowledge about souls from them.

However, these so-called ghosts weren’t as powerful as depicted in folklore.

Or rather, very few ghosts could actually influence the living.

As the yellow-skinned weasel (a supernatural creature) had once said, this world belongs to humans.

No monsters, demons, or spirits are allowed to manifest.

Lin Mo had roughly guessed that this world was indeed the Nine Heavens Realm (Jiuxiao Realm) as the system had described.

But within the Nine Heavens Realm, the energy of humanity had suppressed all non-human entities.

Technology could even defeat the weakened supernatural.

And the ancestral methods had likely not been passed down.

That’s why Lin Mo hadn’t encountered a single cultivator—not even a trace of one.

Of course, all this was just speculation.

To verify it, he’d have to investigate personally.

For now, though, he needed to see whether the "Seventh Night Return" was real and how it worked.

Chu Ling struggled to stand, taking a while before she could finally walk away.

Before she left, Lin Mo took her address and contact details.

Returning upstairs, Xie Yuling was still waiting in the hallway.

"She’s gone?"

"Yeah, I let her leave. We’ll go check tonight. Did you talk to Auntie Zheng?"

"No, I was planning to wait until my mom’s asleep before we go."

Lin Mo shook his head. "That won’t work. How about you tell Auntie Zheng you’re sleeping over at Chu Miaomiao’s place?"

"That won’t work either. Mom would call Sister Chu—she has her number."

"I can ask Sister Chu to cover for you. Just actually go sleep there tonight."

Chu Lintian had recently replaced her washing machine with a washer-dryer combo, so there’d be no issue with changing clothes.

This plan could work.

But Xie Yuling couldn’t help asking, "But will Sister Chu really help?"

"She will. I helped her with something big before, and she knows some things."

Hearing this, Xie Yuling relaxed a little.

But then she thought—if Chu Lintian knew, didn’t that mean Chu Miaomiao knew too?

Heh, that means only that rich girl (Chu Miaomiao) is left in the dark.

Shared secrets deepen bonds between people.

And secrets kept from a rival? That made Xie Yuling even happier.

Lin Mo texted Chu Lintian about it.

Though Chu Lintian was curious, she cooperated fully—even calling Auntie Zheng herself to explain.

As for Lin Mo, he played the role of someone normally returning to his rented place.

After school, Lin Mo had Xie Yuling go home with Chu Miaomiao and the others.

Meanwhile, he headed back to his rented apartment alone.

He also stopped by Xie Yuling’s house on the way.

"Auntie Zheng, Yu Ling said she’s going to Chu Miaomiao’s place to play tonight."

Auntie Zheng waved her hand.

"I know. That girl only cares about having fun. Are you hungry? Want me to make you some noodles?"

Lin Mo shook his head. "No need. Fang Jun and the others invited me for late-night snacks. I just came back to let you know."

Auntie Zheng nodded approvingly. "You’re so considerate, unlike that brat who only knows how to annoy me."

After some small talk, Lin Mo went downstairs.

Of course, Fang Jun wasn’t waiting for him. But he had some preparations to make.

He vanished from the building, his figure darting toward the slaughterhouse in the suburbs.

This was the time when the slaughterhouse was gearing up for work—though operations hadn’t officially started yet.

Lin Mo entered the cattle pen, holding a small bottle to collect tears from the cows.

After gathering half a bottle, he left.

The Five Ghosts had told him that applying ox tears to a person’s eyelids would let them see things normally invisible.

However, the effect only lasted about ten minutes.

Still, the half-bottle he had would last a whole day.

Leaving the slaughterhouse, Lin Mo went straight to the Chu residence.

He knocked, and Chu Lintian opened the door after checking the camera.

The moment he stepped inside, Chu Lintian asked excitedly, like a little girl, "Can I come with you?"

Lin Mo replied calmly, "Many ghosts retain the appearance of their death. Chu Ling’s father died in a car crash—he might not look pleasant. Probably bloody and mangled."

Hearing this, Chu Lintian took a deep breath and finally sat back down.

"Then I won’t disturb you. I wouldn’t want to scream and scare everyone else."

"Shouldn’t it be you getting scared?"

"Because I’d scream, and that would scare others."

Fair enough.

With that, Chu Lintian walked to Chu Miaomiao’s door and knocked.

"Come in."

She opened the door. "Alright, Lin Mo’s here. They’re leaving."

Chu Miaomiao couldn’t help asking, "Mom, are you going too?"

Chu Lintian shook her head like a rattle-drum. "No, no."

Just hearing about it was terrifying enough. She’d rather wait for Xie Yuling to return and ask her later.

Once outside, Lin Mo asked, "Did you tell Chu Miaomiao about your ability to see ghosts?"

Xie Yuling nodded emphatically.

"She believes me. She really does."

Lin Mo thought to himself—Chu Miaomiao had seen some things, of course she’d believe it.

But he didn’t say it aloud.

Instead, he and Xie Yuling took a taxi to Chu Ling’s place.

He pulled out his phone. "Hey, Chu Ling? We’re on our way. Did you prepare everything?"

"It’s all ready. Let me know when you arrive, and I’ll come down to meet you."

Xie Yuling was nervous, her fists clenched tightly.

A hand covered hers.

"Relax. Nothing will go wrong with me here."

Lin Mo’s voice carried a soothing reassurance.