Chapter 296
Chapter 296
“It’s receding.”
Qin Nan’s voice suddenly rang out.
Qin Weiyi paused, then looked at the small stool beneath Lu Jing’s feet.
The saliva had already spread onto the stool, but now it was no longer advancing. Instead, it was slowly receding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Qin Weiyi looked up again, turning his gaze outside the window.
Dawn broke across the night sky.
A ray of sunlight pierced the darkness, casting the first light of day across the land.
That single ray seemed to act as a trigger.
The saliva receded, and every ghost in the courtyard vanished the moment the sunlight touched them.
Before long, the once-crowded courtyard stood empty again.
Although the ghosts had disappeared, no one moved for a while.
Only when sunlight flooded every corner and streamed through the doorway, falling across them and stretching their shadows behind them, did its warmth finally make everyone feel alive again.
“It’s finally over,” Yellow Hair said with a sigh, his whole body relaxing.
“Yeah. It’s finally over,” Lin Junruo echoed.
The ghosts would return once night fell, but that was a problem for after dark. Right now, Lin Junruo did not want to think about anything.
Lu Jing stepped down from the stool and coiled the whip around his waist. “What do we do next?”
“Let’s take a look around,” Jian Fan said.
No one objected.
They were exhausted after the harrowing brush with death they had just endured, but they could not afford to rest. If they did, they might miss crucial clues, and every clue they missed could mean greater danger when night came.
They quickly collected themselves and headed for the door.
Jian Fan walked in front, with Qin Nan moving up beside him.
The two of them were the first to step through the doorway. They crossed the courtyard and reached the front entrance of Brother Zhao’s house.
Jian Fan pushed the door open.
The street outside came into view.
Jian Fan froze at what he saw.
Qin Nan froze as well.
He stared at the scene before him in disbelief. His gaze slowly drifted downward until he spotted a familiar stone marker in the lower left, engraved with the words “Leqing Town.”
“Holy shit. What’s going on?” Yellow Hair had followed behind them. The moment he stepped outside and saw the view, he was dumbfounded too.
Brother Zhao’s house had clearly stood along the main street. Logically, they should have emerged onto that street, with other people’s homes directly across from them. Yet now, standing before them was an all-too-familiar ceremonial archway. In front of it stood the familiar stone marker bearing the words “Leqing Town.” Beyond the archway stretched a main street lined with houses on both sides, completely deserted.
The scene was eerily familiar.
The moment Jian Fan recovered, he spun around.
Qin Nan turned with him. Yellow Hair, Lin Junruo, and the others all followed suit as soon as they realized something was wrong.
Then, with their own eyes, they watched the small courtyard they had just occupied gradually twist and distort before transforming into a road.
It was the same scenery that had been behind them when they first got off the bus.
A grove of scholar trees. A stone bridge. And beyond that bridge, the place where they now stood: the entrance to Leqing Town.
“Did we… somehow end up back at the town entrance?” Yellow Hair felt an ever-deepening chill crawl through him.
Even though he knew this place was a den of ghosts, the sudden change of scenery still left him feeling uneasy.
Jian Fan lowered his gaze.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he said nothing more. “Let’s go.”
“Where?” Qin Nan asked.
Jian Fan looked up at the road before them. “Let’s check Brother Zhao’s house first.”
Fang Kang, who had kept to himself instead of joining the others, had already been eliminated. Xia Zeqin was not someone they included in their plans. As for Yang Zhen, despite proclaiming herself a lone wolf and refusing to team up with Yellow Hair and Lin Junruo, she had naturally fallen in with the pair once they set out.
Thus, no one objected after Jian Fan spoke.
The group immediately headed toward Brother Zhao’s house.
They had already been in and out several times, so it did not take them long to find it.
Jian Fan strode forward and pushed open the door.
The interior was exactly as they had left it. Of course, it was also exactly as it had been the first time they came.
Jian Fan did not linger. He walked straight past the wall and pushed open the door leading to the courtyard.
The scene in the courtyard came fully into view.
“How is that possible?”
Lin Junruo froze at what she saw.
Yang Zhen frowned as well. “This place can repair itself?”
When they had fought off the ghosts earlier, a few lashes of their whips had smashed the doors to what appeared to be the dining room. The two broken doors had still been lying on the ground when they left, and no one had touched them. Yet now, standing in the courtyard, they found the dining room doors firmly shut, without the slightest sign of damage.
Jian Fan did not seem surprised.
He walked straight toward them.
Jian Fan pushed the doors open once more, and the others followed him inside.
They had moved the furniture around yesterday, but now everything had been restored to its original position, exactly as it had been the first time they entered.
“Holy shit. It really can repair itself? Everything just resets to its original state?” Yellow Hair exclaimed in astonishment.
Jian Fan still offered no explanation. He merely turned around and said, “We’re going to the Xie Residence.”
Naturally, no one objected.
They had not visited the Xie Residence yesterday, but they were certain it contained plenty of clues. Now that daylight had come and the ghosts had vanished, they had to take a look no matter what.
Jian Fan once again led the way.
However, when they reached the Xie Residence, Jian Fan fell back from the lead.
Lu Jing took his place at the front, while Yang Zhen brought up the rear. Everyone else stayed in the middle.
Xia Zeqin was the exception.
Like Yang Zhen, Xia Zeqin walked at the very back.
Yang Zhen did not know much about Xia Zeqin, but the way Jian Fan and the others treated him had given her some idea of what to expect. Now, besides watching their surroundings, she kept part of her attention fixed on Xia Zeqin, guarding against any sudden moves from him.
Lu Jing had already reached the gates of the Xie Residence.
“Huh? What are these?” Just as Lu Jing was about to climb the steps, Yellow Hair let out a puzzled exclamation.
Qin Weiyi immediately turned to look.
Jian Fan had noticed the two stone statues by the entrance as soon as they arrived. They resembled stone lions, yet clearly were not.
Qin Weiyi stepped forward and studied the statues for a moment. “What are these things? Have you ever seen anything like them?”
Jian Fan shook his head.
Everyone gathered around and began examining the stone statues.