Free Web NovelChapter 801: Chapter 599: Gate God
"When did it happen?" Xiang Fengchen withdrew his gaze and pretended to continue treating Gong Banlan’s wounds, his voice extremely low.
"Just before the lights went out, it was very chaotic, I was knocked down, and from my angle, I could only see many legs, I saw a pair of legs bleeding, and later I found out it was Zhang Songde, but on the way back I discovered..." Gong Banlan suddenly stopped talking, her face visibly scared.
"Who else have you told about this?"
"No one, I... I’ve only told you, I only trust you." Gong Banlan was very cautious.
Xiang Fengchen closed her clothes for her, then covered her with the quilt, "Good, remember, don’t talk about this matter with anyone for now."
"I understand."
After all this, Xiang Fengchen stood up, left the room, and the time passed even faster than he had imagined, that stick of incense was about to burn out. Now everyone suspected there were ambushes in the yard, a ghost probably hiding there, so no one wanted to go back first.
But what everyone did not expect was that Xiang Fengchen actually volunteered to be the one to draw the shortest straw, but he had one condition, he needed someone to go with him.
"My friends, who is willing to go with me?" Xiang Fengchen’s gaze swept over everyone, but unfortunately, no one responded.
"I have this, it might exorcise evil and ward off misfortune." Xiang Fengchen took out the Divine Turtle Shell from his chest, under the dim light, the turtle shell’s surface showed a strange pattern, and for a moment, this broken turtle shell seemed to come alive, extremely mystical.
"I’ll go." Yang Xiao volunteered.
"Good, courageous." Xiang Fengchen smiled, his gaze full of appreciation for Yang Xiao, "Then let the two of us clear a path for everyone."
"Mr. Xiang, you must be very careful!" Zhang Songde looked at Xiang Fengchen with a face full of concern.
After the last bit of incense burned out and broke off with a snap—a not very auspicious sign—they had no choice but to go, as time had passed. After bidding farewell to everyone, the two men, one after the other, left the room, and after leaving the yard, they proceeded in the direction the man pointed.
The road was eerily quiet, and after passing through three doors in succession, they turned a corner under a crooked-neck tree, and then they saw the courtyard they had been staying at from a distance—not because their eyes recognized it, but because there was a lantern hanging outside the courtyard gate.
It was a green lantern that swayed in the night breeze, very conspicuous in the night, very much like the one the man was holding.
That was the marker.
Xiang Fengchen paused, turned to look at Yang Xiao, and there was a new earnestness in his eyes, "You are very smart. The first time I asked, you did not agree because you were worried about me having an issue, possibly the ghost, until I took out the Divine Turtle Shell, only then did you confirm my identity."
"Do you know why I sought you out?" Xiang Fengchen asked again.
"Because you were behind me, the rule of one watching the other was set by you, so you could ensure there was no problem with me, that I hadn’t been switched out by the ghost." Yang Xiao answered calmly.
"Correct, I suspect there is something dirty that has melded into our group." Xiang Fengchen recounted exactly what Gong Banlan had said to Yang Xiao earlier.
"I thought of that too, tonight’s exorcism seemed very dangerous, yet, in reality, not a single person died, which is very odd." Yang Xiao said, "Also, have you noticed that the rules are strange? Earl Mansion set several rules: one drum to start the exorcism, two drums when the Evil Spirits appear, three drums, ’robbers’ appear, four drums, indicating the success of the exorcism, and five drums to signify the complete end of the exorcism ceremony. I don’t understand, what’s the difference represented by the four and five drums?" freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Pausing, Yang Xiao raised his head and looked straight into Xiang Fengchen’s eyes, "Moreover... we didn’t hear the fifth drum at all!"
"Well said!" There was appreciation in Xiang Fengchen’s eyes as he looked at Yang Xiao, "That is the crux of the problem, without the fifth drum, it means that the task of tonight hasn’t ended!"
"No, the real crisis is just beginning!" Xiang Fengchen’s breathing became hurried.
"What do you think the real crisis is?" Yang Xiao asked in a low voice.
"Are you referring to the ghost’s location?" Xiang Fengchen asked.
"Of course!"
"I don’t know." Xiang Fengchen was forthright, looking sideways at the courtyard as silent as death, "It might have already mixed in, or could be hiding somewhere in our yard, waiting to strike us, or... it could be both."
"Both?" Yang Xiao frowned.
"Haven’t you figured it out yet? There’s more than one ghost this time. The people of Earl Mansion are doing everything backward, which brought the seniors from the Feng Shui lineage here. Unfortunately, this senior also fell into their hands, and the person who was killed today as the ’Green Ghost’ is presumably one of the Demons, and also a disciple of this senior. What worries me most now is that there are masters of the Feng Shui lineage in this mansion." Xiang Fengchen slowly exhaled, his face turning extremely solemn, "Honestly, my skills are not enough compared to these people."
"If the ghost is really hiding in the courtyard, then without going in, there is nothing we can do. It’s a matter of life or death, good luck to live, bad luck to die. But if the ghost has already mixed in, who do you think is most likely to have been replaced?" Yang Xiao asked.
"If someone has indeed been replaced, then it would either be Zhang Songde, Gong Banlan, Lou Huixiang, and also..."
"And who else?" Yang Xiao pressed.
"You." Xiang Fengchen said, looking at him suddenly.
Startled, Yang Xiao quickly understood what Xiang Fengchen meant, "This kind of major Nuoyi bloodshed within the palace is inauspicious, among these people, only a few of us got hurt and saw blood, so we are also the most likely to be entangled by the ghost, is that what you meant?"
"Exactly." Xiang Fengchen nodded, "As for Zhang Songde, that’s what Gong Banlan said, I haven’t yet seen anything wrong with him."
"So, at least one of Zhang Songde or Gong Banlan has an issue, and the rest are currently unclear. Can I understand it like this?" Yang Xiao asked.
Xiang Fengchen nodded, "Yes."
That was all the information they had for now, and thinking further would be of no use. In the end, Xiang Fengchen and Yang Xiao decided to enter the courtyard first and take a look. Both of them had thought of something urgent, that is, the next person to arrive could very well be the ghost.
If they encountered it on the way, they would be very passive. Only by entering the courtyard would they have a chance, even if it involved some risks.
The two gradually approached the courtyard, and when they were not far away, they suddenly realized that the courtyard door seemed different from when they had left. It was only when they got closer that they discovered something had been pasted on the left and right doors—it looked like images of the Gate Gods.
The two gradually approached the courtyard, and when they were not far away, they suddenly realized that the courtyard door seemed different from when they had left. It was only when they got closer that they discovered something had been pasted on the left and right doors—it looked like images of the Gate Gods.
