Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 380: Chapter 327: Beware of Peach Blossoms

The housekeeper, an old woman, did not go directly back to Yang Xiao and the others’ room but took Tong Han Mishu back to the Buddha hall, where two women were kneeling.

The Clan Leader’s Wife and the young girl they had seen before had not waited for the housekeeper to report the situation before the young girl sprang up from her cushion and stumbled forward, snatching the torn garment from the housekeeper’s hand—the one that Liu Haiping had changed out of.

Clutching the torn clothing against herself, the clan leader’s daughter smiled a fool’s grin, her mouth agape in an exaggerated smile that revealed a mouthful of ghostly white teeth.

However, the Clan Leader’s Wife knew propriety, approached Tong Han Mishu with polite words, expressing her gratitude and then asked the housekeeper to take them back to rest.

"Madam, does the young miss need to hide tonight?" Tong Han asked.

This question seemed to touch a sore spot for the Clan Leader’s Wife, who only after a long pause sighed and said, "As long as that monster has its sights set on her, hiding anywhere is useless. Tonight, I will have Ning’er stay here in the Buddha hall to meditate and pray. I hope... I hope Buddha will look kindly upon our Du Family Village’s kindness and grant my daughter a way to live." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

As soon as she finished speaking, the Clan Leader’s Wife seemed to remember something urgently and immediately added, "Of course, this is also to pray for Miss Liu’s wellbeing. We at Du Family Village will not forget your great kindness!"

It was already halfway through the night when Tong Han Mishu left. Upon returning to Yang Xiao and the others’ room, they recounted what they had witnessed, which indeed aroused suspicion about the wardrobe behind the screen.

After hearing about the peach blossoms on the painting of the four seasons on the screen, Cheng Cha frowned slightly, "Peach blossoms? Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?"

"No," Tong Han was confident in his eyesight.

"That’s strange then." Cheng Cha mused, "How could a virginal girl’s room have an abundance of peach blossoms? The ancients placed great value on honor and chastity, especially in noble households, where reputation was considered more important than life itself. Peach blossoms symbolize romantic abundance, for a single branch can bear many flowers, which contradicts the ancient ideal of staying loyal to one partner. It is unlikely to find such a thing in a maiden’s room."

"Your claim is a bit too absolute," Lu Youcheng suddenly interjected, looking at Cheng Cha skeptically, "My boss once dealt in antiques, and it’s common for objects with peach blossoms or screens depicting them to appear in the bedrooms of noble families’ daughters."

"You’re right, but you’re only considering one aspect and ignoring the other," Cheng Cha replied. "There are two types of women—those who are married and those who are not. For unmarried girls, peach blossoms are taboo. However, once a woman is married, it’s the opposite. Peach blossoms also symbolize fertility, and after a daughter marries and leaves her family, they will decorate her former room with peach blossoms or ornaments with such motifs, hoping she will bear children soon. After all, to secure a place in her husband’s family, she must bear offspring."

The atmosphere turned strange after Cheng Cha finished speaking. Yang Xiao pondered for a moment before suddenly saying, "That means, if the screen was not placed there haphazardly, it implies that the Du Family Patriarch’s daughter was once married."

Quan Doufeng was taken aback and blurted out, "Then where is her husband?"

Yang Xiao, Tong Han Cheng, and the others looked at him as if he were an idiot. The next second, Quan Doufeng shuddered violently, realizing, "In... in the wardrobe! Her husband is dead, and his body is hidden there!"

Sui Chengguo suggested that the monster the Du Family Patriarch referred to might be his son-in-law, the husband of the patriarch’s daughter, who was wronged by the Du Family Village and, as an unappeased spirit, returned as a Fierce Ghost for vengeance.

The theory seemed plausible, but Yang Xiao felt something was amiss. First, he couldn’t understand why the Du Family Patriarch would dare to keep a body in his daughter’s room. Furthermore, he found it difficult to explain openly, as he was the only one who had seen the Ghost Envoy. To him, that creature did not feel human.

"Where is the gold bar you mentioned?" Yang Xiao asked, "Bring it out and let me have a look."

He took the gold bar from Tong Han. It wasn’t particularly large but carried significant weight, and he naturally noticed the peculiar raised circle on it.

However, after looking for a while, he couldn’t discern anything; the inside of the circle bore traces of having been polished. He guessed it might be some kind of mark, similar to the seals used in ancient times to distinguish identity and ownership, now rubbed away by someone.

That was all there was for clues. Discussing it further would lead nowhere. Yang Xiao told Tong Han Mishu to go have their meal. Not long ago, someone had brought them food, but when Tong Han Mishu saw what was on the table, they didn’t feel like eating at all.

"What is this?" Tong Han asked as he prodded at a clump of dark, mushy leaves with his chopsticks, "The people of Du Family Village really aren’t taking us seriously. A rushed breakfast is one thing, but how can there be not a single drop of oil even in the evening meal?"

It’s no wonder everyone was discontent; the food was indeed terrible. Throughout their many missions, this had to be the worst meal, without even a sliver of meat to be seen. It would be another matter if it were a famine-stricken poor village, but the village clearly had chickens and cows.

Wuma Haoming, already looking pale, leaned back in his chair and cursed under his breath about how stingy the Du Family Village people were. This was a life-risking job, and it might be their last meal; skimping even on this bit of food-money, they deserved to be haunted by ghosts.

Sui Chengguo’s eyebrows shot up as he swore at Wuma Haoming, "The hell, if this is your last meal!"

No one tried to stop the argument; after all, everyone was looking for good luck to survive in the Nightmare World. Skills and means were naturally important, but a bit of luck was not to be overlooked either.

"Eat a little, it’s better than being hungry," Yang Xiao said as he brought over a bowl of barely swallowable gruel to Tong Han and Mishu.

Those sitting around the table were filled with concern and their own thoughts, while Hu Yanming, sitting alone in the corner, quietly raised his hand, "I... I have something to say."

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Hu Yanming appeared visibly nervous. He swallowed, turned to Tong Han and Mishu, and asked, "The Du Family’s people say that chickens crow at dawn and cows moo at dusk, is... is that so?"

"That’s right," Tong Han nodded.

"But that’s not right. When I was a child, my family raised cows. Cows are incredibly patient creatures and rarely make noise. Even if they do, it should be in the morning... in the early hours, around 4 or 5 a.m., because they’re hungry and want to eat," Hu Yanming explained.

"They only moo in the morning?" Cheng Cha was clearly not familiar with these matters.

"No, I can’t say absolutely, but from my experience, other than when they are in heat, cows make noise generally in two situations. The first is when they are hungry, and the second..."

Yang Xiao, irritated by those who beat around the bush, interjected, "What’s the second?"

"They are startled," Hu Yanming said.