Nightmare Apostle

Chapter 824: Chapter 613: People in the Play

The noise here inevitably attracted the attention of Yang Xiao and his companion, the storyteller being an unfamiliar face, whom Yang Xiao did not recall seeing before.

The old man was of whole limb, tall and thin, with prominent cheekbones—it was certain he wasn’t disguised as an old beggar from the Land Temple. His voice was also different.

The so-called Loyal Twelve Generals unintentionally reminded Yang Xiao of the protectors in the Land Temple, who had died for their masters in the former dynasty. However, the numbers didn’t match; there were 11 protectors, but here there were twelve generals.

The duo found a spot neither too close nor too far from the stage and sat down, with the restaurant’s main door right behind them, so that if any mishap occurred, both staying and leaving would be convenient.

They casually ordered some wine and dishes. Perhaps due to the few customers, the food was served quickly, and soon after, a waiter brought a freshly boiled pot of wine. freёwebnovel.com

After waiting a while and seeing Yang Xiao showing no intention of eating or drinking, without even touching the chopsticks, Xiang Fengchen smiled and asked, "Why aren’t you eating?"

"Why aren’t you eating?" Yang Xiao replied.

Both understood the situation clearly: the fact that this man had chosen this place meant that he might have something planned, and the food and drinks might be compromised.

It might not be poisoned, but it was impossible to rule out the possibility of knockout drugs. After all, in a restaurant, it wouldn’t be odd for someone to pass out drunk on the table.

"I should have bought some snacks on the road," Yang Xiao said, looking at the dishes on the table and pushing his chopsticks around to mimic the action of eating, lest they arouse suspicion.

Meanwhile, the old storyteller’s tale continued, his voice now fervent and spirited, now mournful and low, completely capturing Yang Xiao’s thoughts; the so-called novel play became increasingly alarming and strangely familiar to him, bearing a striking similarity of about 70 or 80 percent to what the old beggar in the Mountain God Temple had told.

The story went that a hundred years prior, there was a wealthy household in the village, headed by Old Master He, who was wealthy and benevolent. He had moved his family to the village not long before, and thus few knew of his past until one deep night when a large group of bandits with torches and gleaming weapons surrounded the village so tightly that not even water could escape, especially Old Master He’s residence which was heavily guarded. Led by several armored bandits, they stormed into He Mansion.

In the chaos, it was discovered that Old Master He was personally guiding these bandits. Perhaps to hide his identity, Old Master He had changed his clothes and wrapped his face with black cloth. Soon, the mansion echoed with the clash of weapons, angry shouting, and killing sounds.

Soon after, as villagers hidden inside their homes dared not step out, they saw the sky over the village light up in orange-red hues. Curious villagers peeking through cracks in the windows saw that it was Old Master He’s residence that had caught a fierce fire, terribly frightening to behold.

Shortly thereafter, the sounds of fighting and shouting gradually ceased, replaced by bone-chilling screams of agony from both men and women as if they were undergoing extreme torment.

It wasn’t until dawn was about to break that the large group of bandits withdrew, and the villagers’ tense hearts were finally relieved.

Only later did the villagers gradually come to understand what had transpired that night inside He Mansion and learned the true character of Old Master He.

It turned out that on that night, there were outsiders in He Mansion—another group of bandits who were hiding out there and were acquaintances of Old Master He. In fact, Old Master He owed his wealth and status to this group of bandits who had helped him in the past; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call them his benefactors.

The two groups of bandits were mortal enemies fighting over territory and prominence. When one group fell out of favor, their leader was killed, and the remaining members, escorting the leader’s son who was only four or five years old, fled for their lives and sought refuge in Old Master He’s home, hoping for a brief respite and planning to make a comeback.

Unexpectedly, before they had even settled in, Old Master He had secretly sent word to the rival bandit group, leading to the night’s disaster.

Caught off guard in the dead of night, the entire group was wiped out without a single survivor escaping.

Among them, the sole remaining descendant, that four or five-year-old child, unable to endure the indignity, chose to kick over a candle and set the entire house on fire, perishing in the flames a moment before the bandits burst in.

The protective retainers mostly died in battle, and a small number who exhausted their strength were captured, but their fates were equally tragic, all tortured to death.

Disembowelment, heart extraction, slow slicing—these were horrific sights. Compared to them, those who died in battle or committed suicide at the last moment were relatively fortunate as they didn’t suffer such inhumane torture.

Aside from that child descendant, a total of eleven retainers died protecting their master, and that group of bandits thus faded into the dust of history.

Suddenly, the storyteller’s tone took a weird turn, "But from that day on, whenever the night was deep and silent, sobs of a woman could be heard coming from inside He Mansion, heart-wrenching and bone-chilling cries. Those who listened carefully recognized that the cries belonged to Mrs. He."

Just as Yang Xiao was engrossed in the story, a loud "snap" made him shudder. He saw the old storyteller slap the wooden block sharply, straighten his body, and with a mysterious smile, he cried out in his unique tone, "If you want to know what happened next, listen to the continuation next time!"

"Who encouraged him to always leave his stories unfinished!" Yang Xiao was baffled, and it suddenly dawned on him that he had a similar habit when writing scripts. Could it be a common trait in their line of work? Who would have thought that the boomerang he threw years ago would finally come back to hit him.

The old storyteller was in no rush to leave the stage. He sat steadily on a long wooden bench, occasionally pinching his goatee, listening to the murmurs and urging from below. The old man’s grin barely concealed his pride as his slightly graying hair and beard bore the marks of the years he had weathered.

"Is it him?" Yang Xiao whispered, keeping an eye on the storyteller’s movements the entire time.

"It’s not." Xiang Fengchen shook his head with certainty, his voice hoarse, "He’s not from the Feng Shui lineage, just a go-between. That person asked us to come here just to make us listen to this play."

"There’s still a second act to come, and that’s the crux." Yang Xiao took a deep breath, decided to patiently continue waiting.

A few minutes later, a hunchbacked man dressed as a shop assistant came on stage carrying a charred large teapot. The hunchback seemed to be of some age, his hair graying and face so dark as if smeared with the bottom of a pot, leaving only the white circles around his eyes, seemingly intentionally made up ugly, mumbling something indecipherable.

After struggling to get on stage, the hunchback first poured a bowl of water for the storyteller, who unsuspectingly picked it up. The next second, Yang Xiao’s eyes narrowed, "Not good, is it to silence him?"

But before he could stand up, Xiang Fengchen held him down, and warned him in a hushed, cold voice, "Keep calm, don’t startle the snake!"

"But..."

"Relax, that water isn’t poisoned. I don’t believe someone who could get his hands on the Divine Turtle Shell would be so malicious as to not even spare a miserable storyteller," Xiang Fengchen turned his head, paying close attention to every movement of the storyteller.

A few seconds later, Xiang Fengchen suddenly smiled, a smile that made Yang Xiao very uncomfortable. Following his gaze, Yang Xiao caught on, "That hunched assistant is the suspicious one?"

"Exactly, the person we are looking for...is him." Xiang Fengchen leaned forward slightly, pointing it out to Yang Xiao, "Look at his steps, occasionally dipping one foot, it’s the Heavenly Gang Eight Diagrams, smoothly balanced."

Yang Xiao watched for a few seconds, "I can’t see it, and each of his steps seems...awkward."

"You are not from this line of business, naturally you can’t tell. He is intentionally disguising it, but how can many years of habit be changed so easily? However..." Xiang Fengchen seemed to have more to say, his expression becoming strange, his gaze lingering on the hunchback’s back.

"A magician lineage isn’t one of ominous origins, it doesn’t need a life chart marked by the Evil Star, and usually doesn’t want someone with major defects, but this guy... seems not quite right," Yang Xiao pointedly said.

"You’re right, there is something odd about this," Xiang Fengchen nodded in agreement.

"Aren’t you skilled in physiognomy? Can you see anything?"

Hearing this, Xiang Fengchen darkened in face, with a tone of dissatisfaction, "From this distance, with him disguised as a Ghost, what can I tell? Even if a deity came, they would be at a loss."

"Do you think his disguise is meant to guard against us?" Yang Xiao voiced his suspicions, "But it’s unnecessary. Could such a disguise really fool us? That’s hardly taking us seriously, or..."

"Or what?" Xiang Fengchen asked in a low voice.

"Or this is a trap, he’s a decoy, the real contact is someone else, using him just to divert our attention." Yang Xiao blurted out. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Silence ensued for a long while, Xiang Fengchen dared not confirm whether this was true or false, but they had to try regardless.

Seeing the hunchback finish cleaning up and heading back with the large teapot, Xiang Fengchen also got up, "You stay and keep an eye on the storyteller, I’ll follow him."

Yang Xiao nodded, staying put.

To Xiang Fengchen and Yang Xiao’s surprise, the hunchback placed his items behind the counter and then abruptly turned, heading straight for the restaurant’s main door. By the time Xiang Fengchen arrived, he saw Nolan Shuo already standing not far outside the entrance, blocking the hunchback’s path of escape.

But the hunchback didn’t seem at all surprised; he simply stood outside for a moment, then turned around and re-entered the restaurant, languidly heading towards the backyard restricted to staff only. By then, Nolan Shuo had entered through the door, exchanging a meaningful glance with Yang Xiao, who nodded in response. It seemed Director Nolan also realized something was off with the hunchback, and now both Nolan Shuo and Xiang Fengchen followed closely behind, entering the backyard together.

Yang Xiao’s task became more significant as he not only had to closely watch the storyteller on stage but also pay attention to the movement at the door.

With Jiang Qingluan guarding the back alley, if nothing unexpected happened, the hunchback should not be able to escape.

Despite clearly being closely watched, the hunchback walking upfront appeared not the least bit panicked, putting considerable pressure on both Xiang Fengchen and Nolan Shuo.

Failure to act decisively leads to more chaos; in the backyard, seeing no one around, Xiang Fengchen swiftly moved ahead of the hunchback, with Nolan Shuo following close behind. They simultaneously acted, capturing the hunchback in a moment. But before they could question him, they saw the face daubed in black, missing several front teeth, as the old assistant twisted his head, and with a grotesque, foolish smile, he giggled, "Heh! Heh!! Tricked you, tricked you, give... give Silver, five copper coins each!"

Seeing the drastic change in the expressions on both Xiang Fengchen and Nolan Shuo, the assistant’s laugh grew wilder, drool dripping out, "Hehe, we... we had agreed, I’d play along with you, you... you give Silver, you can’t backtrack now!"