Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 776: Chapter 585: Man-made Disaster

Arguing was futile, especially on someone else’s turf. Nalan Shuo used a look to dissuade the still unconvinced Chang Chuchu, then cupped his hands towards Steward Wu, "Since it’s for the Ancestor’s evil exorcism, please make arrangements. We need to meet the Ancestor."

"I will make arrangements, but I must remind you all, the Ancestor is ailing. Be very careful," Steward Wu said coldly, preaching.

"Of course," Nalan Shuo stepped forward, unintentionally blocking Steward Wu’s line of sight, "Longevity Hall is full of vigor, please lead the way so we can try to find some clues and probe the roots of this Evil Spirit."

"Very well," Steward Wu nodded and turned to walk in the other direction.

Nalan Shuo turned around, looking at the others, while raising his voice, "A few of you, come with me, and the rest hurry up and clean up this corpse. The master has brought us here to work, not to enjoy ourselves. Move quickly and do not delay the master’s fortune."

In the moment their eyes met, Yang Xiao understood the Director’s intention and immediately stepped forward, pretending to lend a hand, handling the corpse together with Xiang Fengchen, while Zhang Songde and Lou Huixiang, being astute men, stepped forward to encircle and protect Xiang Fengchen with their bodies near Steward Wu.

Observing the corpse up close, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but feel a chill, as the corpse was torn apart, and the wounds were strange—not like those from a weapon, but as if bitten to death by some animal. The desperate struggles before death caused the wounds to have a horrific tear, and from the mangled flesh, stark white bones could be seen.

Analyzing the scene, Yang Xiao deduced that this second-tier maid named Qing Zui was attacked suddenly while walking alone at night. The whole attack lasted a while, and the poor maid was dragged forward while struggling, leaving behind a trail of blood and flesh.

Seeing that Steward Wu and Nalan Shuo’s group had walked far away, Xiang Fengchen’s actions grew bolder. He took out the copper mirror fragments hidden in his robe, used the reflection of the mirror to carefully inspect the corpse, while Yang Xiao crouched in front of the bloody body, staring at a piece of flesh linked to a cartilage.

Suddenly, he seemed to discover something, pinching up the flesh, and then shockingly pulled a tooth out from the broken cartilage.

It was a human tooth, yellowed on the surface, the root blackened and decayed. This was certainly not from a living person; Yang Xiao’s first thought was of a rotten corpse.

"Not..." Xiang Fengchen, examining the corpse, put down the mirror fragments, a strange expression crossing his face.

"Not what?" Chang Chuchu asked.

"Not done by the Evil Spirit."

Just this one sentence caused an uproar. Chang Chuchu’s eyebrows furrowed tightly, her face suddenly changed, "If not by the Evil Spirit, then what?"

Yang Xiao opened his palm, showing the decayed tooth, "Found on the body, stuck in a piece of cartilage."

Xiang Fengchen picked up the tooth, lightly pinched the blackened root with his fingertips, and it broke off. The next second, he took a deep breath, turned his head to look at the corpse, and commanded urgently, "Keep looking, look for bite marks, on the bones."

"Look for... what?" Fang Zhou, bewildered by the sight of the corpse, didn’t catch Xiang Fengchen’s words.

"Bite marks, the tooth marks," Yang Xiao turned his head towards him, also roughly guessing, "You don’t need to stay here; watch the surroundings and tell us if someone comes."

"Okay," Fang Zhou responded obediently.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to thoroughly check the corpse. Their efforts bore fruit, and they discovered a row of teeth marks on a broken leg bone.

"A Living Corpse?" Yang Xiao took a deep breath.

Stowing away the tooth, Xiang Fengchen nodded slightly at Yang Xiao, his face unusually pale, whispering, "Most likely, I never expected such a ghostly thing to be hidden in the manor."

"Is the Ancestor a Living Corpse?" Chang Chuchu also couldn’t help but take a sharp breath, the events of last night in Longevity Hall flashing through her mind, sending a chill down her spine.

"They are coming back," just at that moment, Fang Zhou’s warning voice came, and the three immediately pretended to be tidying up the corpse. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

But as Nalan Shuo spoke, he brought back some unsettling news, "Steward Wu said to come now, to pay respects to the Ancestor."

"Now?"

"Yes, right now," Nalan Shuo nodded.

Following Nalan Shuo, two sturdy Protectors also returned, with bushy sideburns and piercing eyes, not ones to be trifled with.

"Gentlemen, it’s better to leave this place to the servants, you should head over now, and not make the Ancestor wait too long," one of the Protectors spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

Helplessly, the group, escorted by the two Protectors, one before and one behind, arrived at a back door in the yard and made their way through, stopping at last by a waterside pavilion. Steward Wu, expressionless, had long been waiting there.

"The Ancestor is upstairs. Be gentle with your movements and do not disturb his serene slumber. It’s noisy with too many people; three of you go up. Who will go?" Steward Wu scanned the group, his voice grating like a drake.

By etiquette, one representative from each house should go, but in this situation, the oldest and most experienced, Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo, did not hesitate, taking two spots. Having previously suspected that the Ancestor was a Living Corpse, Chang Chuchu subtly signaled Jiang Qingluan, and neither of them spoke up. Zhang Songde and Lou Yanghui, not oblivious, saw that others remained quiet, so they too held back, and thus the situation stalled for a time.