Chapter 15

Chapter 15

“Bro, save me! Bro-”

Lai Zhi’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees.

I ignored him and followed the voice forward.

This time, I didn’t have to go far before I saw the house.

It might have been the only house in the entire village with a different shape.

It was exactly like the one in my dream.

White walls, black tiles, and eight enclosing walls. Only, compared to the one in my dream, this one was taller and broader, like a sealed-off assembly hall.

Memories from more than twenty years ago surged back again. Last time, this was where I had found Tang Dong too.

I walked along the wall. There were many floor-to-ceiling windows here, but the inside was pitch-black. I couldn’t see a thing.

Suddenly, someone inside started pounding on the glass. Bang, bang, bang.

“Bro, bro…”

It was Tang Dong.

“I can’t find the door, bro!”

Back then, I had been just a kid. Anxious and terrified, I had circled this strange house with Tang Dong as he sobbed in fear. Everywhere we looked were sealed windows, but there was no door.

That year, we had gone around to the southeast side.

Then I suddenly noticed that the glass in that direction was very clear. Moonlight could spill into the dark, hollow house.

Behind Tang Dong, there was empty space. There were railings, but no wall. It seemed the interior was hollowed out downward.

I picked up a rock from the ground and smashed it hard against the glass on that side.

The glass there was thinner and more brittle than on the other sides. In the end, I managed to smash a hole through it.

This time, I went to the southeast side again.

I hadn’t noticed it when I was little, but this direction was actually the front of the building. There was even a plaque hanging from the roof.

“Kuitian Pavilion?”

Lai Zhi’s voice suddenly sounded behind me.

He hadn’t dared to run off on his own at all. He had been stumbling after me the whole time.

“You know it?” From Lai Zhi’s tone, he sounded a little surprised.

Lai Zhi’s expression was complicated, and he looked confused too. “That Master Zhou I hired… he’s from Kuitian Pavilion.”

This Kuitian Pavilion sounded like some kind of organization. “What do they do?”

“I don’t know the details. I just heard from a friend that they’re really impressive. They seem to specialize in serving rich people. Everyone in there is supposed to be highly capable. They say as long as you pay, they can do anything.”

“Then how did you manage to hire that Master Zhou?”

Lai Zhi smacked his lips twice. “…I didn’t hire him. He came to me on his own. He said I had a destined opportunity.”

“As soon as I heard he was from Kuitian Pavilion, my head got hot and I-”

Before Lai Zhi could finish, he abruptly backed up two steps.

I turned around, and Tang Dong was right in front of me!

The piece of glass I had smashed back then was gone now. The window was wide open, and Tang Dong stood there.

Behind him, inside that hollow house, came wave after wave of rumbling.

Tang Dong still looked ten years old.

I took out his clothes. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

Tang Dong stared blankly at me, then lowered his head, as if looking at his own feet.

I followed his gaze and saw a coil of hemp rope tied around his ankle!

Before I could react, the hemp rope suddenly snapped taut and yanked Tang Dong backward!

I had no time to think. I vaulted over the windowsill and jumped into that bizarre house, darted behind Tang Dong in a few strides, drew the Soul-Whip, and struck at the hemp rope-

The rope was brittle. It split apart with the blow.

By then, the rumbling was right beside my ear, and I was already at the edge of the railing.

The inside of this house was a huge pit, three or four meters deep.

And now, light was actually shining up from the bottom.

I glanced down and found myself staring into countless eyes.

The bottom of the pit was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, crammed so tightly there was no space left.

Every single one of them had their head tilted back, looking up at me.

And around all of their necks was a hemp rope.