Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Summoning Life

"We’ve invited a few more experts; with them in charge, as long as the Blessing Guests do as I say tonight, I can guarantee that nothing will go wrong."

"You three will pilot the boat ahead, clearing the path for the main ship—one in front, one to the left, and one to the right, heading toward the center of the lake. Shi Fukui’s task is much simpler, you only need to look after the Young Lady inside the cabin."

"The experts have calculated that tonight’s affair should take roughly the time of five incense sticks to conclude. To remind you of the time, we are preparing five sets of drums onshore."

"Upon hearing the first round of drumming, you’ll set off; the second drumming means you’ve reached your position and can stop the boat; the third is to mark the time and also to remind you to absolutely avoid approaching the main ship. If everything goes according to plan, Xi Yao will appear on the main ship at that time."

"No matter what happens then, remain calm until the fourth drum sounds, at which point you may return. But remember, you must reach the shore before the fifth drumming, or you’ll be trapped on the lake forever, never to return."

As soon as Steward Liu finished speaking, a disgruntled voice from Shi Dali rang out, "What about me? They each have a boat; am I supposed to take the Hebo Xi Ship back with the Young Lady?"

"Hehe, Shi Fukui, no need to be impatient, we’ve already made arrangements." Steward Liu calmed him with soothing words, "We’ve tied a small boat to the back of the main ship. Once it’s over, you can pilot the small boat and leave with the other three Blessing Guests."

"Oh, and we’ve prepared these for the four Blessing Guests." With a wave from Steward Liu, some servants brought over two boxes, which upon opening revealed several sets of paper clothing."

"What’s this, we’re supposed to dress up as paper effigies?" Kuang Hongyi’s eyes widened; his last experience with dressing as paper effigies had left a very unpleasant impression on him.

Steward Liu waved his hands, patiently explaining, "The four Blessing Guests need not be concerned. This paper clothing is for your safety. Our master spent a great deal of money to have experts rush the job. As long as you wear them, they can ward off evil spirits."

Yang Xiao took the paper clothing handed to him by a servant. The clothing was strange; he had never seen such a design. It felt soft on the inside, not at all like paper, and the outside had numerous strips of paper of varying sizes attached vertically, which from a distance looked like a series of talismans. However, there were no characters or Ghost Talismans or anything of the sort on them, just a strange white paper garment.

The paper clothing came in various sizes, each being taken out by servants and handed to Yang Xiao and the others. It appeared that each set was tailor-made."

Soon, with the help of the servants, Yang Xiao and the others donned the paper clothing. After some simple movements, it seemed fine—the clothing did not restrict their movement. It also spared them the make-up process from before. Recalling the yellow paper that had been sewn onto his face, Yang Xiao’s right eyebrow still throbbed painfully.

It was at this moment that a series of exclamations arose from the vicinity of the Hebo Xi Ship. Shortly after, a middle-aged man with a tattoo on his arm ran over and urged in broken speech, "Steward Liu, the master says we can start now."

"Look over there," Su Tingting pointed toward the lake. The previously pitch-black lake surface was now covered with a white mist. The two colors mixed together, eventually creating a gray, murky atmosphere as if from another world.

Clenching his fists and fixing his gaze on the lake, Steward Liu’s breathing became more rapid, "Quick, Blessing Guests, make haste and prepare, it’s about to start!"

"Wait! After the four drums, how can we be sure to find our way back to shore?" This was Yang Xiao’s biggest concern because the last time, they had been deceived by the big red lanterns—not once, but twice. It wouldn’t be surprising if some strange thing emerged in this ghostly fog.

"Don’t worry about that; we’re well prepared. As the fourth drum sounds, we’ll set up red barriers and build an altar to welcome you back," Steward Liu reassured.

Following Steward Liu’s gesture, they looked toward another busy area on the shore, where several people were squatting on the ground, tying something with ropes, with several long pieces of wood piled up beside them.

Besides that, there were red cloths, red lanterns, red lotus flowers, and the like hanging around. Of course, the most conspicuous object was a large red threshold, seemingly unearthed from somewhere, now positioned behind the workers.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

.....

The first drumming came. freёwebnovel.com

The muffled drum beats felt as if they were striking directly at one’s heart. Yang Xiao and his companions didn’t hesitate any longer and immediately boarded the boat, while Shi Dali ran alone towards the Hebo Xi Ship.

As the drumming ceased, Yang Xiao and two others sailed towards the middle of the lake, by which time the fog had already grown denser, and visibility on the lake surface was rapidly worsening.

"Don’t go too fast, wait for the larger ship behind us," Kuang Hongyi reminded aloud. He wasn’t so much concerned about Shi Dali, after all, the Young Lady on the big ship was the protagonist tonight.

At this moment, Yang Xiao also silently sighed inwardly, it’s true that those born under an unlucky star should not cross the gates of a large mansion. He didn’t know much about the Young Lady’s background, but he assumed she came from a good family. Unexpectedly, she had met such a fate, a beauty’s life so fragile. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Su Tingting shook the pole vigorously, looking back to see a large red boat closely following behind. Through the obscuring mists, its massive shadow loomed. The large red lantern hanging from its mast appeared like the eye of a monster, coldly observing everyone.

In the grey, suffocating fog, every second became torturous, and they lost all sense of direction; the only thing they knew was to keep moving forward.

The damp fog struck their hands and faces, cold and chilling. Su Tingting clenched her teeth tightly, yet she still shivered uncontrollably from the cold. She didn’t know why, but... but she had a very bad feeling, as if something had its gaze fixed on her, lurking in the nearby mist.

But on further thought, she felt that she might be too nervous. After all, it wasn’t her first time on the lake. She had only just arrived, and she hadn’t done anything strange. There was no reason for her to be the only one affected when everyone was together.

When Kuang Hongyi was explaining the rules and traps they had encountered in past missions to Yang Xiao, she had been listening carefully at the side, taking serious note. The experience she gained was to try to keep all her actions and behavior consistent with Yang Xiao and Kuang Hongyi, if possible.

The surroundings were extremely quiet, with only the cold sound of water remaining. Finally, the second round of drumming arrived, and they immediately stopped the boat.

The sound of the drumming came from a far distance, dull but heart-stirring. However, gradually, Kuang Hongyi’s brow furrowed as he heard some strange noises within the drumming, sharp noises.

Moments later, Kuang Hongyi discerned the sound: it was a faint gong sound, ethereal and elusive, rather bizarre. As the drumming faded, the gong sound became clearer and clearer.

Listening to the sound of the gong, the hairs on Yang Xiao’s back stood up. He didn’t know why, but he was sure that something had gone wrong.

"Ugh..."

As Yang Xiao and Kuang Hongyi turned their heads towards the sound, they saw Su Tingting clutching her stomach, kneeling on the boat in pain, with cold sweat covering her forehead.