Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 417: Chapter 356: Mang Family Ancestral Hall

Standing behind the door, Yang Xiao listened to the gradually thinning sound of the rain outside. Just moments ago, a sudden downpour had struck, fierce and rapid, with large drops hitting the tiles with a crackling sound. Now the rain was lessening, and it seemed it wouldn’t be long before it stopped.

"After the rain scatters the clouds, all will go smoothly," Cheng Cha said, uttering an auspicious phrase, though it was unclear whether he was comforting others or himself.

The people chosen for tonight’s mission had already been decided: the first was Quan Doufeng, the second Lu Youcheng, the third Sui Chengguo.

Sui Chengguo had volunteered to take the last turn, based on their last mission experience where the last person played a crucial role; among them, he was the only one capable of it.

Eager to find a chance to end this mission, Sui Chengguo was concerned, given that Du Family Village was no ordinary place and feared that a long night might bring more dreams.

"I wonder how Mi Shu is doing. I hope she’s still alive," Lu Youcheng sighed as he stood by the window. It was getting late, and soon it would be their turn to embark on the mission, not knowing whether they would live or die, just like Mi Shu.

"Um... Cheng, let me ask one more time, as long as the incense doesn’t burn out, we won’t die, right?" Quan Doufeng approached ingratiatingly, staring at Cheng Cha.

"Theoretically, that’s the case," Cheng Cha answered.

"And... what about beyond theory?" Quan Doufeng persisted, after all, he was the first one to go on the mission tonight. Honestly, the thought of going to the Du Family Ancestral Hall, and imagining that nearby livestock shed, who knew if those ghostly creatures would suddenly rush out.

In his memory, livestock like chickens and cows wouldn’t prey on large animals, but... but those ghostly things could not be judged by normal logic, Quan Doufeng highly suspected they devoured humans.

Faced with Quan Doufeng’s question, Cheng Cha just shrugged, his gaze drifting towards Yang Xiao, "I was first last time, and don’t know the details very well. If I were you, I’d ask Chu Xi and Miss Tong for advice."

Cheng Cha maintained his polite demeanor, but Quan Doufeng also caught on that the other was not very willing to deal with him.

Not long ago, Yang Xiao had hit him with a punch, and if everyone hadn’t interfered, he might have suffered a worse beating. Tong Han had also slapped him, so there was a grudge, and Quan Doufeng regretted not just pushing a bit of medicated powder through the window gap earlier, which might have prevented his current predicament.

But to save his life, Quan Doufeng still braced himself and approached Yang Xiao with a forced smile, "Um... Chu, Miss Tong, may I interrupt you now?"

"What is it?" Turning around, Yang Xiao looked at him, his expression nothing special, much better than Quan Doufeng had anticipated.

"It’s nothing major, just wanted to ask about some details from your last mission," Quan Doufeng said cautiously. "As long as the Soul-Attracting Incense isn’t extinguished, we won’t be killed by ghosts, right? No matter what stage the mission is at."

Yang Xiao thought for a moment, then nodded, "That’s roughly correct, but I’d advise you to adapt as per the situation, things aren’t as simple as you think."

Yang Xiao and Tong Han then helped him with a few more questions. These seemed simple to them but were lifesaving for someone like Quan Doufeng.

After his queries were more or less answered, Quan Doufeng left, feeling deeply thankful. Cheng Cha came over with two cups of tea, one for Yang Xiao and the other for Tong Han, and said with a sigh, "You two really have hearts of gold. It’s Quan Doufeng’s good fortune to have met you." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Taking the tea, Yang Xiao sipped it habitually and sighed, "It’s nothing, after all, he’s part of the mission tonight. If we can help him avoid some detours, maybe he can bring back some more clues. That would give Sui a better chance."

Tong Han said nothing, just silently sipped her tea. Cheng Cha sensed her underlying anxiety and spoke up to comfort her, "Miss Tong, don’t worry, I believe Miss Mi Shu will be fine."

Tong Han slowly nodded, yet the slight furrow in her brow did not ease; she understood these were just words of comfort. In her view, Mi Shu was the one in the most danger tonight, given that previously targeted individuals like Liu Haiping and Hu Yanming had died.

That bedroom was said to be the most dangerous place, facing threats from the Du Family outside, while the unseen number of Fierce Ghosts behind the screen inside were also locked away—not to mention the red-clothed female ghost Cheng Cha had encountered last time. If any slight disturbances occurred, relying on Mi Shu’s abilities might not be adequate.

But there was nothing she could do now except hope for a miracle that would allow Mi Shu to survive.

Elsewhere, Quan Doufeng was deep in thought, pacing back and forth in the room, but before he managed a few steps, Lu Youcheng caught him. Seeing Lu Youcheng’s stern and warning-filled countenance, Quan Doufeng instantly cowered. "What... what are you going to do?"

"I’m warning you, don’t play any tricks with me. Everyone needs to pull their weight in this mission, and tonight you play a crucial role. You need to scout the path for those who follow, just like Mr. Cheng did last night. Bring back clues, understood?" Lu Youcheng grabbed Quan Doufeng, questioning him, the two men close enough for Lu Youcheng to make sure his words were heard clearly and for Quan Doufeng to understand what he needed to do tonight.

"Understood... understood." Quan Doufeng, being of the lowest status among the group, didn’t dare to resist Lu Youcheng’s questioning.

"Don’t blame me for not warning you, if you dare come back empty-handed, just wait for death!" Lu Youcheng forcefully pushed Quan Doufeng, making him stagger almost to the point of falling.

Sui Chengguo and the others acted as if they had seen nothing. Dealing with such a person required intimidation—they had to make him understand the consequences of unwillingness to cooperate. In fact, Sui Chengguo, Lu Youcheng, and others also had their own cunning plans. Choosing Quan Doufeng first was to let him explore the path and then Lu Youdao would refine the clues based on his findings. It would be best if they could directly solve the mystery, but even if they couldn’t, it would pave the way for the next person, Sui Chengguo.

Of course, even if Quan Doufeng were to die, it wouldn’t matter. As seasoned players, they could analyze quite a lot from his corpse and even guess some of the prohibitions in the task.

Reverse copying of Buddhist scriptures likely corresponds to the Buddhist precept against lying—who knows what troubles copying the scriptures might invoke.

"By the way, why is reverse copying the scriptures considered lying?" Quan Doufeng, having regained his senses, suddenly thought of this question. "It’s just copying the scriptures; there’s no speaking, right?"

"The Buddhist precept against lying is akin to the Confucian ’truthfulness’, which encompasses not deceiving others as well as not deceiving oneself. Any speech that does not reflect one’s true intentions is considered a lie," explained Cheng Cha. "Of course, this so-called speech is loosely defined—it includes speaking, writing, reading, thinking, or even just harboring such a thought in one’s heart." freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Quan Doufeng frowned deeply, clearly not understanding. If authors in his actual job jurisdiction dared to write such nonsense, he would immediately impose a forbidden technique, without wasting words.

"To put it simply, all thoughts arise from the heart. Tonight, we need to copy the scriptures in reverse, and we know that what we are copying is backwards, this itself violates the precept. In other words, if we originally did not know and erroneously copied the scriptures in reverse unwittingly, it would not arise from our heart, and thus it would not be considered a violation," Yang Xiao tried to explain in the simplest terms.

Quan Doufeng understood a bit now; he turned his head to look at Cheng Cha as if asking for his opinion, to which Cheng Cha smiled and said, "Pretty much."

Quan Doufeng’s mind began to work more actively, and he extrapolated, "Then by that logic, I can fully deceive myself into thinking that I didn’t know, that tonight I copied the scriptures in error, not intentionally; wouldn’t that mean I am not violating the precept?"

"Smack!" Before Quan Doufeng could fully grasp this idea, he felt a heavy slap on the back of his head. Lu Youcheng pulled him over and said sternly, "With that brain of yours, stop pondering these issues. Just make sure you clearly scout the path for us, and we’ll be grateful. Sui and I will handle the brainy stuff for you. Your line of thinking is incorrect; the more you think, the quicker you’ll die."

As soon as he finished speaking, suddenly a clanking sound arose from outside the courtyard, drawing everyone’s gaze simultaneously.

The Third Watch of the Night had arrived.

With everyone’s help, Quan Doufeng put on a dirty, foul-smelling hood and, holding a stick of Soul-Attracting Incense, set off on his mission.

They watched Quan Doufeng’s figure recede until it disappeared outside the courtyard gate.

This was Quan Doufeng’s first night-time mission. It had just rained, and the bluestone path was quite slippery. A breeze swept through, chilling him through his tattered clothes. He wrapped himself tightly and quickened his pace, soon reaching the main gate of the ancestral house.

Looking ahead, the world inside and outside the gate seemed entirely different. Outside, the air swirled with fog, which though expected after hearing Yang Xiao and the others discuss it, still instilled an inherent fear as it roiled, as if harboring some terrifying creature about to emerge.

Quan Doufeng swallowed hard and clenched the Soul-Attracting Incense tightly, quickening his pace towards the ancestral hall as he remembered it. He remained vigilant of his surroundings, knowing, as Yang Xiao and the others had said, that the fog might hide the numerous slaughtered villagers of Mangjia Village.

Quan Doufeng was very timid and trembled with fear all the way, fearing that some ghastly corpses with green faces and fangs would suddenly appear. Yet, despite walking for a long time, he encountered no anomalies; the Ghost Villagers seemed to have collectively vanished.

Before he could figure it out, he suddenly noticed that the fog in front of him thinned significantly, the visibility instantly improved, and it seemed as if a light was shining down overhead. Strangely, the light cast a bizarre red hue. He abruptly looked up to see a Blood Moon hanging in the night sky.

As the moonlight dispersed the fog, Quan Doufeng froze in place. A massive building slowly emerged before him, and he realized he had reached a point not far from the ancestral hall.

But the scene before him was nothing like his memory. The ancestral hall had undergone radical changes.

He remembered the ancestral hall being surrounded by a vast expanse of open land, but now a courtyard had appeared, with high walls enveloping the hall. The courtyard gate was grand and wide open, as if welcoming guests.

On either side of the gate hung a large White Lantern, swaying left and right with the night breeze, revealing the characters on their sides.

Quan Doufeng’s breath halted; the two red characters of "Mang" were glaringly bright. He immediately realized that this was not the current Mangjia Village, but... but the Mangjia Village of decades ago!

At the same time, he noticed fresh muddy footprints covering the steps outside the gate, densely packed, some with shoes and some barefooted, all pointing towards the inside of the gate.