Free Web NovelChapter 1257: Chapter 834: The Unexpected
"Success or failure hinges on this moment. If we don’t survive, we’ll make sure they don’t either!" Datou’s death deeply affected Sopa, who, despite her delicate appearance, showed remarkable tenacity.
"Mr. Musa, you must be careful tonight. Maria serves as a precedent," Yang Xiao kindly warned Musa to be wary of Adila.
Musa, who had already prepared for this, nodded, indicating to the two that they need not worry about him, he would be cautious.
However, that was all. Musa didn’t disclose anything about the box of hidden weapons. Although he trusted Yang Xiao and Sopa more, trust always has its limits; this was a matter of life or death.
Moreover, the situation was already very clear. If everyone survived, the final chance to obtain the Resentful Eye would be among the four veteran players; he also had to guard against someone making a move against him at the last moment.
Just as the three were planning to continue their discussion, a familiar figure approached from afar; it was Adila, who informed everyone to bathe and change clothes, claiming it was arranged by Pato Abbot.
The group followed Adila to a nearby house with a square wooden building in the yard, which featured two brick chimneys.
The chimneys had long been blackened by smoke, and still emitted smoke constantly.
Upon opening the door, they first felt the steamy atmosphere, and at that moment they saw Hafeez.
He was squatting on the ground, picking up firewood and stuffing it into the stove in the corner of the wall; inexperienced, his face was smeared black with soot.
Above the stove was a large pot of boiling hot water, and within the room were several small partitions made of wooden boards, each containing a large wooden tub.
Hafeez constantly ladled boiling water from the large pot into each bathing tub to maintain the water temperature.
"What’s this for? To send us off clean?" Sopa snorted with a quip, inappropriate for the occasion.
"Pato Abbot said we’ve to cleanse ourselves, and when the coffin arrives in the evening, we need to use black lacquer to seal the coffin according to the ritual in the book," Adila explained, "The book emphasizes this too."
After explaining, Adila didn’t shy away and began undressing directly, catching Sopa off guard. She turned around, quickly walked into the corner partition, and drew the curtain, creating a more private space.
The remaining men had no qualms; Yang Xiao also followed suit, removing his clothes and entering a partition, immersing his body in water.
Truth be told, Hafeez truly had a knack for this job; the water temperature was just right. Yang Xiao squatted in the tub, closed his eyes, and couldn’t help but let out a sound of comfort.
Next door was Adila, and Yang Xiao could hear the sound of splashing water; it seemed Adila was pouring water over his body.
"Hafeez, remember to distribute the incense river candles brought by the monks." Adila reminded while washing his body.
Poor Hafeez had become a laborer, not only responsible for boiling water but also for distributing candles and incense, keeping himself extremely busy.
Hafeez even added more hot water in the meantime, but hit a dead-end at Sopa’s door.
After Yang Xiao had washed up, as he came out, he discovered that Musa’s clothes were not outside; he had gone into the partition without undressing.
This was similar to Sopa; but since she was a girl, it was understandable she didn’t change publicly. However, for Musa, this seemed very odd.
Remembering Musa had been out alone for quite a long time, Yang Xiao speculated he might have hidden something on his body, inconvenient for others to notice.
Yet, he wasn’t worried about Musa making a move against him since Musa wasn’t foolish; it seemed like precautions for guarding against Adila tonight.
As everyone walked out one by one, Hafeez also went into a partition to wash, with incense and candles arranged on the ground, thanks to Hafeez’s efforts, placing them in front of each respective partition door for everyone to collect and keep.
After Hafeez finished bathing, the group went outside the courtyard to regroup and discuss the plan for tonight.
According to the mission, they needed to go to the Inner Buddha Hall tonight to perform a ritual, sealing the ghost statue within the coffin, and afterward carry the ghost coffin and Maria’s corpse to the lakeside.
Musa Adila was responsible for using Maria’s corpse to summon the Ghost Ship, while Yang Xiao and the others took the opportunity to board the ship with the ghost coffin and head towards "River Immortal Village."
Tonight’s task could be seen as a repeat of last night’s but would inevitably be more perilous, as this time they had to carry the ghost coffin to the cave in the back mountain, all while dealing with many Ghost Village People.
It’s worth noting that they had already lost two teammates last night, Datou and Maria both died untimely deaths. freewebnσvel.cѳm
Tonight, who knows how many will perish; however, Yang Xiao understood this was their last chance.
As time ticked away, the sunset gradually sank; finally, a group of monks hurried over, informing Yang Xiao’s group to head to the Inner Buddha Hall immediately.
Upon reaching the main hall, the door closed behind them. At this moment, there was only Pato inside, kneeling with a devout yet lonely posture in front of the gilded Buddha Statue, appearing like a solitary individual.
Hafeez kept making faces. Though he was new, he wasn’t foolish; he knew the monks in this temple meant no good, tonight was the night they’d deal with them.
Perhaps hearing footsteps behind him, after a while, Pato Abbot slowly stood up. Yang Xiao’s group of five followed and quickly arrived behind the Buddha Statue, where lay a giant coffin.
