Free Web NovelChapter 761: Chapter 576: Ghost Face
"The birthday is near, so I urge all the filial guests to step on the auspicious time, follow the auspicious path, enter through the auspicious gate, and come into the manor to celebrate for the birthday star!" The leading steward stepped back, slightly bowed, his legs one in front of the other, resembling a bowing stance, his left hand gesturing towards the door in an inviting manner.
It seemed this was the arrangement for their task, and no one had other options. Led by Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo, everyone gathered together and stepped out of the temple. Outside, the birthday procession holding red lanterns just stood there in the dense fog, eerily quiet.
The procession lined up, remote figures indistinct, only the fire-red lanterns held in hands visible, hiding behind the mist like eyes refusing to close in death.
As soon as Yang Xiao and the others stepped across the temple’s threshold, the steward straightened up and shouted into the fog, "Begin—the birthday celebration—"
The next second, four strapping men in black quickly stepped forward and lifted the Taishi Chair facing the temple like they were carrying a palanquin, then the whole procession turned around,
the rear becoming the front, making their way back along the path they had come.
Yang Xiao and his group were arranged to follow behind the Taishi Chair. What terrified them was that the direction of the Taishi Chair did not turn; it was still facing them, as if an invisible "birthday star" was sitting on it, gazing down imperiously, watching them closely.
After walking a dozen meters, Yang Xiao suddenly heard a "slap" behind him. Curious, he turned his head and saw Fang Zhou, beside him, looking terrible with a red cheek, marked with a not very clear handprint.
At the moment their gazes intersected, Yang Xiao shockingly noticed the bonfire inside the dilapidated temple eerily extinguished.
That was not all; when he looked attentively again, a more terrifying scene unfolded—the statues that had originally turned their backs were now turned around, each leaning slightly, their unclear faces watching the direction they were leaving from.
With a "thud" in his heart and his mind in disarray, Yang Xiao felt as if his soul had been hooked; he could not tear his gaze away. He saw in a daze these statues coming to life, their stiff and patchy bodies gradually twisting and colors becoming vibrant, among them were men and women, all dressed impressively, some even clad in armor, obviously either rich or noble.
Just as Yang Xiao was drawn to take a closer look, suddenly, his cheek pained, and the next second, those "living" statues, along with the dilapidated temple, all disappeared, and a girl stood between Yang Xiao and the temple, slowly lowering her hand.
"Don’t look around." The girl who had slapped Yang Xiao warned in a low voice. It was Jiang Qingluan, whom Yang Xiao had helped to dry clothes earlier.
Knowing the girl had helped him, without a word, Yang Xiao gave Jiang Qingluan a grateful look, then immediately turned around and continued walking. As he turned his head, he glanced through the corner of his eye and saw the dilapidated temple had already been obscured by the dense fog, completely vanished from sight.
Now he knew what had just happened; Fang Zhou had also been slapped for looking around. This Jiang Qingluan had some tricks, and she seemed quite good for the time being.
The procession advanced in this eerie atmosphere, with Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo leading silently, and everyone else dared not speak. Fortunately, about half an hour later, the ground under their feet became firm, indicating a man-made dirt road.
Following this road, they quickly saw a pavilion emerging in the mist, with a large red lantern hanging on each side. The night wind blew,
the lanterns gently swaying, appearing increasingly eerie in the fog.
A carved stone tablet hung on the pavilion, bearing three big characters: Fushou Manor.
Seeing these characters, Yang Xiao took a deep breath. It seemed there was no mistake; this was the location of their task. Such a manor, though not very large in scale, had annihilated several teams, including two seniors from the Patrol Defense Office, indicating the level of danger. freewebnøvel.coɱ
It was now deep into the night, and the manor was eerily quiet. Yang Xiao and his group followed the birthday procession along the manor’s entrance road. On either side of the road were simple civilian houses, and at this moment, each dilapidated courtyard door had a red lantern hanging, each bearing a big "Shou" character.
It seemed the family inviting them to "bless" the birthday was a major household within the manor, possibly having official positions, giving them extraordinary influence within Fushou Manor.
Before long, the birthday procession stopped in front of a mansion gate. Without any indication, the two tightly shut mansion gates suddenly opened. As the gates opened, Yang Xiao and the others could see the arrangement inside the mansion. Hanging many red lanterns was not all; there were also paintings
and colored garments arranged, hanging on the walls or from trees.
These paintings and garments without exception followed the "longevity" theme. It appeared that this family had also spared no expense for the birthday celebration.
Despite the festive decorations, there was a deathly stillness everywhere, making the entire mansion seem like a pool of stagnant water. Yang Xiao felt as if they, the people, were stones about to be thrown into this deep pool; once they entered the mansion gate, they might never come out again.
"Birthday—arrived—"
"Receive—the birthday—"
With these two shouts, the birthday procession filed into the mansion, but Yang Xiao and his group were stopped from following behind the Taishi Chair by an old-looking middle-aged woman, her hand holding a piece of red silk.
