Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 381: Chapter 328: Open the Door

Hu Yanming’s words served as a reminder to them: cows don’t cry out for no reason. If they started mooing as night fell, it was very likely they sensed something terrifying entering the village. Animals, driven more by instinct than humans, know when to seek benefits and avoid harm.

And that terrifying thing was naturally the Ghost.

Before the people could even think further, suddenly, a bizarre cry came from a distance, "Moo—, Moo—"

The cries, one after another, were coarse and a bit hoarse. Judging by the robust underlying power, it was a large animal, undoubtedly a cow.

"The cows are crying, it’s nightfall," Cheng Cha whispered, reminding those who were sitting closer to the doors and windows to spontaneously disperse and check whether they were properly closed.

The cows’ cries, one louder than the next, suggested that there were at least seven or eight cows in the village. The cries were very urgent, like a bell tolling repeatedly in everyone’s hearts. Indeed, Hu Yanming wasn’t making it up; these cows seemed to be frightened, as could be felt from their cries.

Something had entered the village...

But when Yang Xiao turned his head to look at Hu Yanming, he found Hu Yanming with his ears perked up, a frown creasing his brow into a character for "river," a look of disbelief on his face.

Yang Xiao suddenly had a bad premonition, "Hu Yanming, what’s wrong?"

The next second, as if snapping out of his confusion, Hu Yanming shocked everyone with his first words, "This... This doesn’t seem to be a cow’s cry."

Tong Han was stunned for a moment, "Then what is it?"

"I... I don’t know, I’ve been in the countryside for over ten years, and I’ve never heard such a cry, but... but it must be something big."

...

On the other side, Liu Haiping, who was alone in the bridal chamber, immediately got up upon hearing the cries and used the fire starter left by the housekeeper to light the two candles on the dressing table. In an instant, the dim room brightened significantly. Through the Pear Blossom Mirror in front of her, Liu Haiping looked at her reflected self, adorned and momentarily felt a stranger to herself, more ghost-like than human at that moment.

After one last glance at the screen in the corner, Liu Haiping, without hesitation, picked up the dingy Red Bridal Veil and draped it over her head.

As the veil settled on her head, it seemed as if the whole world quieted down. At the same time, with her vision obstructed, Liu Haiping could no longer look around. Left here alone, she even felt as if the whole world had abandoned her.

She sniffed, noticing not only that the veil was dirty, but it also had a stench.

The smell wasn’t strong, but it was a distinct foul odor, as if it had been used by many people, or left somewhere, picking up that stink.

As time ticked by, initially, Liu Haiping still could convince herself to endure, but soon, fear gradually filled her heart, imagining countless horrific scenes in her mind.

She was now sitting in front of the dressing table, facing the mirror, but was the reflected figure really her? Maintaining the same movements as her?

Could it be... could it be that at this very moment, two ghostly hands were reaching out from the mirror, slowly grasping towards her neck?

And all the noises outside, the rustling of the wind-blown leaves or the noises made by the wind sweeping through the gaps in the doors and windows, everything scared Liu Haiping.

The more she thought, the more afraid she became, the more afraid, the more she thought. Several times, Liu Haiping wanted to tear off the veil, perhaps due to psychological effects, she even felt the veil growing tighter, making it hard to breathe. She started to worry that she might be smothered to death by the veil covering her nose and mouth.

But she endured all of these, remembering the words of the old housekeeper. Finally, reason overcame fear, and she began to count seconds in her mind, like lying awake in bed unable to sleep in the real world; she had to make it safely through the night.

Liu Haiping didn’t consider herself smart, but she wasn’t foolish either. She reasoned that those villagers were killed only after having several bizarre dreams, whereas she was different; she had just arrived, had not experienced any bizarre dreams, and she wasn’t from Du Family Village.

As long as she didn’t make a big mistake tonight, she likely wouldn’t be killed on the spot; the worst outcome would be being haunted by the Ghost and starting to have the bizarre pre-disappearance dreams.

Although it was risky, at least she had bought some time. Among the people on this mission, some seemed very capable; maybe before she was killed by the Ghost in her dreams, they could uncover the secrets of Du Family Village and escape from the Ghost’s pursuit.

Liu Haiping continuously encouraged herself, always thinking positively; one must have hope to keep going.

As she pondered, Liu Haiping’s mindset gradually stabilized, but suddenly, she couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows; she heard a strange noise.

It sounded like the rustling of leaves in the wind, but slower. She couldn’t hear it clearly, yet it seemed to be very close to her.

Holding her breath, Liu Haiping waited, not daring to make a sound.

"Crack—"

Half a minute later, the sound occurred again, and this time Liu Haiping heard it clearly, and the next second, her whole body began to tremble because the sound was not outside the window, it was inside the room.

The noise was coming from behind her on the right side of her body, a spot she remembered well, right where the screen was placed.

According to Tong Han, hidden behind that screen was a large black wardrobe, resembling a coffin. Tong Han had specifically warned her about it before he left.

She was someone who heeded advice, and to be cautious, she never even dared to get close.

Her breathing became rapid. Liu Haiping closed her eyes tightly, trying hard not to let her mind wander, pretending it was all a hallucination.

"Crack— "

Again a sound, this time Liu Haiping heard it even more clearly. It was definitely coming from behind the screen, slow, with a slight dragging undertone, like the friction of something sharp scraping across an old cabinet door.

Considering what Tong Han had said, that there might be a body hidden in the wardrobe, this image instantly materialized in her mind. A bloated, decaying corpse was now standing in the wardrobe, mechanically lifting its hand, using sharp nails to scrape down the door of the wardrobe.

"Crack—"

"Crack—" frёewebηovel.cѳm

This was no longer a matter of whether Liu Haiping wanted to think about it or not; the scraping sound grew quicker and ended with a "creak—"

Liu Haiping’s heart "thumped" as the face under the bridal veil distorted in fright. She heard it, heard it very clearly, it was the sound of an old wooden door being pushed open.

The wardrobe door behind the screen... had been opened.

"Thud."

A foot hit the ground.

A moment later—

"Thud."

Another foot hit the ground.

The body in the wardrobe walked out.

Liu Haiping was almost insane, her fists clenched, nails already digging into her flesh, yet even so, she did not lift the veil to flee.

"It’s all an illusion, all an illusion..." Liu Haiping closed her eyes, continually comforting herself. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

From the sound of the footsteps, the figure was barefoot. Liu Haiping could imagine, it must be a pair of dingy, discolored feet of a corpse.

"Thud."

"Thud."

"Thud."

Liu Haiping was startled as the pair of corpse feet from behind the screen began to walk stiffly.