Free Web NovelChapter 821: Chapter 610: Slaying Evil
"Thud, thud, thud" Within a few steps, he reached the bed. Lou Huixiang raised his hand to smack the wily lad awake, but as the hand was lifted midair, it hesitated to fall. It wasn’t a moment of compassion; rather, he also harbored some wariness towards the youngster.
Without delving too far back, it was just recently that this young man had shielded him from blame, acting quite honorably in the matter with Zhang Songde. Should he become this young man’s enemy, there was no guarantee that upon daybreak, he wouldn’t spill the entirety of the previous night’s events. Judging by Xiang Fengchen’s temperamental nature, Lou Huixiang might find himself in an unbearable predicament.
Moreover, it was Fang Zhou who had first looked outside tonight, yet why was it Zhang Songde who ended up entangled by the ghost?
Was it simply Zhang Songde’s fate to encounter such a disaster, or was this youngster also no common folk, playing the pig to eat the tiger here?
Lou Huixiang gazed down at Fang Zhou’s sleeping face, his mouth agape with streams of drool visibly trickling down.
In his view, Fang Zhou was a true greenhorn, riddled with weaknesses throughout. Yet, the more this seemed to be the case, the warier Lou Huixiang felt.
Eventually, the hand suspended in air gently descended, resting on Fang Zhou’s back. He grabbed the blanket and pulled it upwards with force until it covered Fang Zhou’s shoulders, "Young man, take good care of your body. What would you do if you catch a cold?"
He raised his voice intentionally, hoping to make clear to Fang Zhou—who was either really asleep or feigning it—before Lou Huixiang tiptoed away with great kindness, returning to continue the night watch.
Uncertain of the young man’s true abilities, it was best not to make an enemy of him.
The next morning, Yang Xiao awoke from his sleep. The last watch had been taken by Nalan Shuo, and Yang Xiao had slept peacefully, the only downside being that he had a dream just before waking, likely due to Xiang Fengchen’s intimidation. He dreamt of his dear sister.
The funeral procession for his dear sister had changed costumes, transforming into a wedding procession. The Big Red Blood Coffin also turned into a red wedding sedan chair carried by eight ghosts. Yang Xiao ran ahead, with the wedding procession in hot pursuit, and eventually, after being caught and tightly bound, Yang Xiao was stuffed inside the sedan. The details after that were hazy in his mind, but it was undeniably a frightening experience.
The three of them sat at the table, discussing the day’s plans. Yang Xiao proposed that they should still go out and have a look around, an idea to which Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo also nodded. After all, they needed to investigate the origins of those characters and seize the opportunity to locate the Magician whom the Earl Mansion had yet to apprehend. frёeωebɳovel.com
Simultaneously, Nalan Shuo mentioned an incident: at the faint break of dawn, people had come to the courtyard. Judging by the footsteps, there were likely seven or eight individuals, who had circled each of the three rooms, probably taking down and removing the Gate Gods posted outside.
"Evil deeds will eventually lead to self-destruction," Xiang Fengchen put down his tea cup and proclaimed righteously, "The people of the Earl Mansion who dare to use Evil Techniques, such acts against nature will surely backfire on them."
Suddenly, Xiang Fengchen caught out of the corner of his eye Yang Xiao staring at him, a gaze that made him feel uncomfortable, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing much, just that it feels somewhat inappropriate for these words to come out of the mouth of Xiang, the great Evil Mage," Yang Xiao said sarcastically.
"Heh," Xiang Fengchen was not annoyed by the remark. Glancing at Nalan Shuo sitting opposite him, he snorted coldly, "My methods are unclean, you say? Are the methods of your Patrol Defense Office any cleaner? Why don’t you ask your Director Nolan how he clawed his way up to his position?"
"And you, little one, can you honestly say with your hand on your heart that you’ve never done anything dishonorable?" Xiang Fengchen challenged.
"I can," Yang Xiao stood up straight, patting his chest, declaring with righteousness, "I, Yang Xiao, am entirely devoted to justice, despise personal gain, and share no common cause with Evil Cultivators!"
Taking oaths about vile deeds was child’s play to Yang Xiao. The misdeeds were committed by Dongfang Bai of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect and Ye Xiao of the Yu Yuan Sect. What did they have to do with me, Yang Xiao of the Patrol Defense Office?
The next second, unable to suffer it any longer, Xiang Fengchen rose to his feet and shifted Yang Xiao’s hand from his upper abdomen to his left chest as he spoke earnestly, "This is where the heart is. Could it be that your conscience is in your stomach, or did a dog eat it?"
Before long, a series of thudding footsteps neared from outside, heading straight for their room. As they stopped outside the door, a knock echoed, "Gentlemen, Steward Wu has a message for you."
"Creak—"
Xiang Fengchen opened the door to find a servant whose face he did not recognize standing outside. Far from the muscular strength of a martial master Protector, this person was extremely lean, with a pale complexion, high cheekbones, and eyes that lacked any sign of vitality, instead filled with an icy chill and dead stillness.
Stranger still, the day had already brightened, yet this person still carried a paper lantern that had long been extinguished, with a wonky and crooked character for "longevity" on it that was quite jarring to the eye.
Upon seeing this person, Yang Xiao immediately suspected he was either a ghost or someone whose life force had been drained by a ghost.
"Did you not rest well last night?" Nalan Shuo was the first to speak up.
A pair of eyeballs slowly turned, devoid of any emotion, until they fixed upon Nalan Shuo’s face. The man spoke stiffly, "Last night, the mansion was not at peace."
"What happened?" Xiang Fengchen inquired.
"The ancestor had his body assaulted by an evil spirit and nearly lost it."
"Hasn’t the evil spirit already been executed?" Yang Xiao recalled the exorcism ceremony from the previous night, where according to the arrangements of the Earl Mansion, the magician they had killed was the representative of the evil spirit.
"The ancestor’s fortune is profound and his longevity immense; the evil spirits attracted by the birthday feast certainly aren’t limited to just one. Steward Wu mentioned that in the future, we will need to trouble everyone to be more attentive," the man recited as if reading from a textbook, his tone devoid of any fluctuation.
"Of course, it is also our fortune to be able to serve the Earl Mansion," Nalan Shuo said politely with a cupped fist salute to the man.
Then Nalan Shuo quickly changed the subject, "We would like to leave the estate today to purchase some incense candles and paper money, may we do so?"
"Of course, you can. However, Steward Wu has instructed that, just like yesterday, no more than four people can leave, and the rest must be on call at any time," the man answered mechanically.
After the death of Zhang Songde yesterday, there were only seven of them left. Considering that there was almost no danger during the day, Xiang Fengchen decided that all three of them would go out, and they would also take Jiang Qingluan with them since the young woman could be of help.
For the task of assigning responsibilities, there was no need to ask for everyone’s opinion. Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo could decide, and the others only needed to obey. freewebnovel.cσ๓
They agreed to meet behind the person who would come to escort them out of the mansion after thirty minutes. The emotionless and wooden man then departed, but just as he neared the well, he suddenly turned around, and this unexpected move gave Yang Xiao a bad premonition.
The area around the well was chaotic, with broken incense sticks and porcelain bowl shards left from the night before, surrounded by many messy footprints.
"Did something happen in the courtyard last night?" the man asked in an icy tone.
"What incident are you referring to?" Yang Xiao countered, which was also a kind of probe; a slip in the man’s response could lead them to more clues.
However, unexpectedly, the man just picked up his lantern, turned, and walked away without another word. His slightly stiff steps crossed the threshold, and he vanished from sight.
As the intermittent footsteps faded and finally disappeared, Yang Xiao and his two companions stepped out of their room. Indeed, as Director Nalan had said, the Gate Gods on their three rooms’ doors had all gone missing. Upon reaching the courtyard gate, the two Human Skin Door Gods that were pasted there were also nowhere to be found.
Turning to look at the other two rooms, Yang Xiao called out, "Everyone come out, it’s safe now!"
His shout was followed by the consecutive opening of two room doors, and Jiang Qingluan, Fang Zhou, and two others emerged; evidently, they had also been startled by the events of the previous night and wouldn’t dare to open their doors without ensuring there were no issues outside.
Jiang Qingluan’s expression was as indifferent as ever. What surprised Yang Xiao were Lou Huixiang and Fang Zhou. The former had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept all night; on the other hand, Fang Zhou looked in good spirits, his skin fair and rosy.
"I have discussed with Director Nalan, and we four—Director Nalan, Yang Xiao, Jiang Qingluan, and myself—will go out to search for clues during the day, while the rest will stay behind," Xiang Fengchen said, his gaze sweeping over everyone’s faces as he asked indifferently, "Any objections?"
Lou Huixiang was about to raise his head when a brief look from Nalan Shuo suppressed him. The next second, he shrank his neck and didn’t dare to speak any further.
He had objections, and quite significant ones at that. Considering that Yang Xiao, Fang Zhou, Jiang Qingluan, and Chang Chuchu had gone out during the day yesterday and adding today’s arrangement, among those still alive, he was the only one who had not ventured out. This was unfair.
But he also knew all too well that the Nightmare World was never a place that was fair. Power, connections, experience—those who had these held the right to speak. Compared to veteran characters like Nalan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen, his own abilities truly paled in comparison.
Even Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan might not be inferior to him.
Reflecting on Fang Zhou, who might very well be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Lou Huixiang’s last shred of courage evaporated. He couldn’t afford to offend anyone here and decided to follow the others obediently and cooperate, hoping to leave alive without being betrayed.
"Brother Lou, among those remaining, you are the eldest. Please take extra care," Yang Xiao said with a smile, placing Lou Huixiang in high regard.
"Don’t worry, Brother Fang Zhou and Sister Chuchu are not outsiders. We will definitely take good care of the home, without causing any trouble for our seniors," Lou Huixiang replied politely.
Before long, a maid arrived at the courtyard gate, followed by several burly martial masters, carrying packages in their hands.
Just like yesterday, within the packages were change of clothes and shoes for disguises. The maid carried a finely crafted wooden box in her hands, and upon opening the lid, it revealed neatly arranged Silver Taels, "Sirs, these are specially arranged by Steward Wu, please accept them."
"Steward Wu is too kind," Yang Xiao said, extending his hand to take the box filled with Silver Taels. With the incident from the previous night in mind, he planned to stock up lavishly today on incense candles and paper money, as well as to purchase some medicines for emergencies.
After changing clothes back in their rooms, the four, led by the maid, headed out. But as they walked, Yang Xiao suddenly felt something was amiss—this direction...was not the way out of the estate.
Simultaneously, a chilling sensation crept up Yang Xiao’s spine. He heard a slow but distinct scraping sound, his instincts telling him it was the sound of a blade being unsheathed, and it was coming from behind them, from the silent martial masters following close behind.
