Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 508: Chapter 441: Revisiting the Old Place

After confirming multiple times that Director Nalan believed him, Yang Xiao finally put away his Ghost Duster, and at that moment, the heart that Nalan Shuo had raised was also put back inside him.

"Director, my loyalty to you is absolute!" Yang Xiao continued to pledge allegiance.

Nalan Shuo waved his hand and let out a long sigh, then reminded him, "In the future, don’t easily bring out such dangerous things. Once discovered by outsiders, you would be in huge trouble!"

"But Director, you are not an outsider," Yang Xiao asserted confidently.

"Even if I’m not an outsider, it’s still not allowed. Next time you come, just come; do not bring such things into my office," Nalan Shuo left no room for discussion.

"Understood!"

"Moreover, according to this document, Huang Guozhao has already dismissed his suspicions about you, which is good news," Nalan Shuo reminded. "Your strategy of diverting disaster has worked well. Now the entire City Center Official Residence has been stirred up. They are everywhere looking for traces of the Resentment Sect and especially the Injury Gate Evil Cultivators, definitely aiming to drag out this Ming Emperor Ye Xiao."

"By the way, what did you write in Old Monster Huang’s office?" Nalan Shuo asked curiously.

"It was nothing much, just an impromptu poem," Yang Xiao humbly spoke of his own writing.

But before he could finish, Nalan Shuo couldn’t suppress a smile at the corner of his mouth. Yang Xiao immediately caught on and, posing pretentiously, commented on Huang Guozhao’s calligraphy and painting skills, ultimately concluding that they were no match for their own Director Nalan, whose calligraphy bore the grace of a deputy director-level official.

Nalan Shuo lightly sipped his tea and waved his hand, saying, "Such things are fine if spoken among ourselves but don’t let them out. You know I don’t like that."

"Understood," Yang Xiao responded, very humbly. fгeewebnovёl.com

"Alright, you may go back. You’ve been busy with a lot lately; I’ll give you a few days off to rest well. However, one thing: keep your communication lines open. If something happens, I need to know where you are," Nalan Shuo emphasized.

These days had indeed been busy, and Yang Xiao felt he needed a break. After work, he first treated himself to a hearty meal at a restaurant, then bought some egg tarts and other sweets for breakfast the next day.

Actually, as he passed by the cake shop, he really wanted to buy a cream cake, but the shock from the incident of finding the script box in the cake last time was still too much for him; he still had a shadow from it.

Back at his apartment, Yang Xiao took off his clothes intending to take a shower, but the next second, he looked at himself in the mirror, his pupils involuntarily contracting.

There on his left shoulder, a piece of the Drama Robe had grown, its color startlingly red.

Instantly, Yang Xiao thought of the injury Qu Muzhi once inflicted there; that blow could have disabled his left arm, but it was suddenly offset by a strange force erupting from the Drama Robe, allowing him to escape.

This was not the first time such a thing had happened; last time it was his back. Yang Xiao understood, this was the price of the Drama Robe protecting him.

Touching the red fragment of the Drama Robe with his hand, the bizarre texture was chilling, and the piece of robe was even gently wriggling, like some kind of living thing.

Yang Xiao was not worried about being noticed due to his exposed body because it wouldn’t be long before the red Drama Robe would disappear, not in the literal sense, but it would turn the same color as his skin. Unless touched by hand, it was virtually undetectable.

But this feeling of having his body gradually devoured was extremely uncomfortable for him. However, he had no real grievances, after all, the Drama Robe had saved his life more than once.

Now Yang Xiao no longer felt as lost as before; he had come to realize that the origin of the Drama Robe might be connected to a Nine-Story Demon Tower.

Heavenly Water Pavilion.

During the night, Yang Xiao drifted off into a hazy sleep and once again returned to the Feng Family Mansion. Now, the Feng Residence had already fallen into disrepair. The doors and windows were shattered, devoid of life, the courtyard overgrown with weeds. Only months had passed since he left, yet it seemed like decades.

In the courtyard, he wandered aimlessly like a lost soul. Inside the mansion, a dense ghostly aura pervaded. He saw many familiar figures one after another—the girl with the jumping zombie ponytail carrying a lantern, a row of soaking wet Drowned Ghosts, and faintly in the back courtyard came the sound of opera singing, the melody sorrowful, mixed with an indescribable pain.

What puzzled Yang Xiao even more was that these ghosts were exceedingly hostile and even fearful of his arrival. As soon as he approached, they all vanished. Yang Xiao tried to chase the ponytail girl, but she ran faster and jumped higher, eventually leaping over the courtyard wall in one bound.

Yang Xiao, still undeterred, went to look for the Water Ghosts. But the few female ghosts trapped by the well, unable to run upon seeing Yang Xiao, became so agitated that they actually jumped into the well.

There were also a few Hanged Ghosts under the big locust tree. Yang Xiao hadn’t even gotten close when these creatures climbed up the Hanging Rope to the higher parts of the trunk, huddling together, shivering, their expressions towards Yang Xiao as if he were the ghost.

Yang Xiao then burst open the door and ran to the backyard, which had been their residence within the Feng Family Mansion. The backyard bordered a lake. At this moment, there was a woman singing opera on the lake, dressed in elaborate attire on a wooden boat painted bright red that was slowly sinking. The woman’s left foot was tied with a rope, the other end fixed to a wooden stake on the bow.

Knowing she was about to sink with the boat, the woman sang with all her might, the singing mournful and prolonged, filled with boundless pain.

As a critical element of the Feng Family Mansion, the significance of this opera-singing ghost went without saying. Yang Xiao thought that perhaps he could find the reasons why these ghosts feared him from her, so he followed the lakeshore and eventually found a small wooden boat by the reeds.

Without hesitation, Yang Xiao hopped onto the wooden boat, rowed with his hands towards the big boat and the female ghost in the middle of the lake. The female ghost looked his way, but the next second, she suddenly stopped singing and dancing. From beneath her elaborate makeup, Yang Xiao clearly saw fear on her face.

Yang Xiao waved enthusiastically at the female ghost, "Don’t be afraid, I am human, just wait for me, I have something to ask..." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

He hadn’t finished his sentence when the next second, with a loud "plop," the female ghost turned around and decisively threw herself into the lake.

This scene utterly dumbfounded Yang Xiao on the boat.

What sort of virtue or power did he have to drive these ghosts to such extents? If he really had such ability, it wouldn’t be bad; next time he entered the Nightmare World, wouldn’t he just wreak havoc?

But at the same time, he knew this was just a fantasy.

Looking up at the bright full moon overhead and the dark lake water under his feet, Yang Xiao suddenly felt somewhat at a loss.

But in the next second, as his gaze lowered, he suddenly froze; his pupils dilated sharply. In the reflection on the lake, right there on his small boat, there was someone standing behind him.

It was a woman in red.

Practically clinging to his back.