Translator: Cinder Translations
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Three drumbeats sounded quickly, accompanied by an eerie operatic singing.
Mist swirled over the lake, and a red figure emerged as if standing upon the clouds.
The figure's posture was graceful, the waist slender, adorned with a phoenix crown and draped in a red shawl.
Several large red lanterns floated on either side, casting a crimson glow upon the lake.
They resembled pairs of bloodshot, glaring eyes.
The opera singing wavered unpredictably, and with the strange movements of the performer, it created an unsettling, chilling atmosphere.
Young Master Huang... was indeed a ghost.
Qin Jian, wearing a paper effigy mask, felt his legs tremble uncontrollably.
He was one of the first group of sedan bearers. With his trembling, the entire sedan chair wobbled.
Inside the sedan, Tang Shirou clasped her hands tightly together, gripping the hem of her garment. Her face was bloodless.
At a glance, she looked no different from a ghost.
Fortunately, the curtains surrounding the sedan were drawn down. She could hear the sounds, but she couldn't see what was happening on the lake.
No one dared to make a sound.
Shortly after the third drumbeat, Qin Jian, An Xuan, Chen Qiang, and You Qi—four bearers—lifted the sedan chair in unison and ran toward the designated location.
It was an old wooden opera stage.
Built along the water's edge, it was clearly long abandoned. Surrounding it were waist-high reeds and various aquatic plants, which they hadn't noticed during the day when viewing from afar.
Now, the stage was shrouded in mist, its surroundings flickering with uncertain shapes, hiding unknown horrors.
As they stepped onto the wooden platform, the planks beneath their feet creaked, rotten with age. The sharp "creak" sounds suggested they could break at any moment, sending them into the water below.
Following their rehearsed movements, they took deep breaths and, swaying slightly, carried the sedan chair around the stage twice in a slow jog.
According to An Xuan, this scene symbolized escorting the bride from her home to the groom's residence.
After another round of swaying with the sedan, finally, the fourth drumbeat sounded.
An Xuan and the others immediately turned their eyes toward a specific direction.
According to the sequence, the second group should soon arrive from that direction.
Once the exchange was complete, they could leave.
But this was also the moment An Xuan feared most.
He was afraid… the second group wouldn't show up.
Something could go wrong at any moment.
Time passed second by second.
It had been a while since the fourth drumbeat, yet the designated direction remained cloaked in mist.
The second group had not appeared.
Had something happened?
Just as An Xuan was considering how to react, a blood-red sedan chair suddenly burst from the mist, zigzagging toward the stage.
An Xuan immediately felt the tension in his own frame. No doubt, the others were just as anxious, fearing the second group wouldn't come.
Seeing the sedan finally arrive, they let out a collective sigh of relief.
They quickly moved forward with their sedan to meet the newcomers.
The two identical red sedan chairs began their exchange.
Although it was called an "exchange scene," the movements were simple—none of them were trained actors, and complex choreography would be troublesome.
The sedan from Jiang Cheng and An Xuan's sedan circled each other twice. The eerie opera singing drifted around them, shifting from left to right, heightening the strangeness.
Thick mist enveloped the surroundings, limiting their vision.
They could only see a small area nearby—anything beyond that, they dared not look at.
All they wanted now was to finish this performance as soon as possible.
Hopefully, nothing else would go wrong.
The fifth drumbeat sounded.
The two teams exchanged glances and, in perfect coordination, halted their actions. They gently set down their sedans and, following the instructions from the script, moved rhythmically in time with the opera's eerie melody.
They hopped and stepped mechanically, leaving their own sedan and moving toward the opposite one, taking each other's place.
The two teams passed each other, effectively switching bearers while the sedans remained in place.
The scene was bizarrely silent.
Qin Jian, still wearing the paper effigy mask, felt a deep discomfort, as though his clothes were crawling with maggots.
They were waiting—everyone was waiting.
Both teams stood by their sedans, solemn and unmoving.
Inside the sedans, not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
They were waiting for the sixth drumbeat.
Once it sounded, they could split up and return to the abandoned mansion.
This lake, trapped within the mansion grounds, carried an ominous presence—cold and eerie, as if the water teemed with restless souls.
They couldn't help but wonder—if they rushed to the shore and shone a lantern into the water, would the reflection be their own?
Or would it be a blue-faced, sharp-fanged ghost staring back?
As the opera singing reached its sorrowful climax, they finally heard the sixth drumbeat.
The sedan trembled.
An Xuan knew—everyone had just let out a long breath.
The opposing team reacted even faster. Zuo Jing, Jiang Cheng, and the others immediately hoisted their sedan and ran in the other direction.
As the second group, they had an extra lap to complete before they could return after An Xuan's team had already made it back to the mansion.
An Xuan and his group gripped the poles and lifted their sedan onto their shoulders, retreating along the planned route.
Their return journey was noticeably faster.
Behind them, the opera singing gradually faded.
If one were to remove Qin Jian's paper mask at that moment, they would see his expression had improved significantly compared to when the singing first started.
He had thought tonight would end in disaster.
Glancing sideways at An Xuan, Qin Jian narrowed his eyes slightly.
This An Xuan certainly had some skill—his suggestion had, surprisingly, saved his life.
Though it was too early to say for sure, he could clearly feel that once the singing stopped, the eerie presence lingering by the lake had also dissipated.
Tonight, at least, should be uneventful.
Tomorrow, however… would depend on whether someone made an even graver mistake.
Moreover, Qin Jian understood An Xuan's intention—he still had Tang Shirou as a potential offering.
Although he hadn't spent much time with An Xuan, the latter's cunning and methods were impressive—even to someone decades his senior.
Qin Jian cast a casual glance at An Xuan, his eyes filled with speculation.
It seemed the key to the mystery lay with him.
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Faster.
Faster!
You Qi was running, drenched in sweat, eyes locked on the mansion ahead.
As long as they made it inside, and the second team followed shortly after, the task would be completed—
"Creak—"
A sharp, grating sound interrupted his thoughts.
The next second, the courtyard gate suddenly swung open.
A red sedan, identical to theirs, shot out from within, heading straight toward them.
(End of the Chapter)
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