Chapter 96: Funeral
“Hard to say. Things related to the supernatural aren’t necessarily impressive. In fact, most supernatural items look very ordinary.”
Zhang Qian didn’t disdain the doll for its appearance. Instead, he took out a small gold storage bag and carefully put it inside to store it away.
“Like the ghost candle, it doesn’t look particularly special, but it can resist fierce ghost attacks. Maybe this cloth doll is something similar. Take it back to Wang Xiaoming and see if he can analyze anything from it.”
Something that seems to block supernatural attacks—if it could be replicated, it would be equivalent to gaining another life-saving method.
“Makes sense, but it feels like we’re a bit like scavengers.” Xu Zheng complained.
Rotten rope and rotten cloth doll are both treated as treasures. Thinking about it, they really are quite like scavengers.
No, scavengers shouldn’t be as desperate as they are.
The two searched the surrounding grass again, but unfortunately, apart from digging up more bones, there were no other gains.
“That person should have gone in this direction. Let’s continue following his tracks deeper inside.” Zhang Qian looked at the corridor and suggested.
They’ve already come this far; there’s no reason to turn back now.
Moreover, the rope already proves it’s not safe here. Having someone ahead to scout feels somewhat reassuring.
“If we can directly find the old house owner, that would be best. If not, finding that person who entered first and asking for information wouldn’t be bad either.”
“Okay, you call the shots.” Xu Zheng waved his hand, and the ghost shadow standing idly to the side returned to the front of the team, taking on the role of leading scout.
However, from here on, the remaining grass has no ready path to walk through.
Probably because after being attacked, they panicked and didn’t care about the dangers underfoot. The person who entered first earlier also ignored the safety of the ground.
The remaining grass wasn’t much. In just a moment, the two rushed out from the encirclement of green plants and stepped onto hard stone slabs.
To the left was the main entrance. The five-meter-high door eaves were grand and imposing. The internal design wasn’t as simple as the outside. The gray-white stones were carved with many complex patterns, but upon close inspection, it was impossible to see what they meant, only making one feel dizzy.
Not far to the right was the corridor spanning the small river, or perhaps covered bridge would be more appropriate.
“This door looks so new.”
Zhang Qian approached the main entrance and felt something strange.
Just now outside the old house, he had carefully observed this wooden main entrance and clearly remembered that it had many pits and dents, with the paint almost completely peeled off.
But this side looked completely different.
The vermilion paint still gleamed, as rich as if it had just been applied. The gold rivets on the door weren’t covered in dust; even in the dim light, they reflected the reflections of several people.
Xu Zheng also walked up to take a look and agreed: “Indeed a bit strange. This garden isn’t sealed off; both inside and outside are exposed to wind and sun. The difference shouldn’t be this big.”
Not just the door—now that he thought about it, even the walls inside looked much newer than the outside.
If not for most of the flowers and plants having died, it wouldn’t look like an abandoned mansion at all.
“It can only be due to supernatural power. After all, it’s an old house passed down from the Republic of China era. Some peculiarities are normal. Just don’t know if this power will affect us.” Zhang Qian said.
“Anyway, the bolt is right there inside. Why not open the door to test it? It would also leave us a retreat route, so if something happens later, we won’t have to climb over the wall to escape.” Xu Zheng looked at the bolt and suggested.
Behind him, the cloaked ghost shadow had already eagerly walked up to the main entrance and raised its hand to grab the thick horizontal beam.
But before the ghost shadow could act, Zhang Qian had already pressed down on Xu Zheng’s shoulder.
“Don’t rush. There’s movement behind.”
His sensitive hearing caught a faint footsteps.
That direction should be the other side of the corridor.
Something was stepping on the wooden floor, slowly heading toward them.
But the arched curve of the corridor prevented Zhang Qian from directly seeing whether it was man or ghost on the other side. He could only stay alert in secret, ready to strike back at any time.
The footsteps gradually approached, and Xu Zheng also heard the thumping sounds.
To avoid triggering the killing pattern, he didn’t speak, just silently controlled the fierce ghost to stand in front of the two.
The atmosphere gradually tensed. The mechanical footsteps almost revealed the identity of the comer.
Zhang Qian pressed his hand to his face, but his fingertips were a slight distance from his skin. A mask had appeared there, invisible; it only needed to manifest to launch an attack.
The cloaked fierce ghost also slightly crouched its body, posing ready to strike.
But at this moment, the person at the other end of the covered bridge suddenly spoke.
“Two friends, thank you for coming from afar to specially attend my father’s funeral.”
It can talk?
Zhang Qian was stunned but didn’t relax his vigilance. After all, he had encountered many ghost slaves that could talk before, but those ghost slaves were still opposed to humans.
The footsteps didn’t stop due to Zhang Qian’s doubts; instead, they got closer and closer.
“Father instructed me before he died that many friends would come to pay their respects after his death. I’ve been so busy these past few days that I even forgot to open the door to receive guests…”
Accompanied by a somewhat annoyed voice, a young man in a black Zhongshan suit appeared on the covered bridge.
He wore a round top hat on his head and a frameless monocle over his right eye. Though his appearance was ordinary, he had a unique temperament.
Seeming to notice the two’s hostility, the man smiled and spread his hands: “I’m Yue Linhai. Are you friends of my father? May I know how to address you?”
Zhang Qian and Xu Zheng exchanged a glance, neither responding.
No matter how normal this guy acted, they couldn’t confirm he wasn’t a ghost slave or something else.
Seeing the two not responding, Yue Linhai wasn’t angry. Instead, he explained: “Fair enough. I’m an unfilial son too—I’ve been studying abroad for so long. It’s normal that you two don’t know me.”
“But not knowing me isn’t really important. After all, you’re here for my father’s funeral, not mine, right?”
After saying that, Yue Linhai seemed amused by his own cold joke and laughed heartily without any poise.
They encountered a nutcase.
Zhang Qian and Xu Zheng saw the same thought in each other’s eyes. What kind of devoted son would joke about his recently deceased father?
However, the information revealed in this person’s words was interesting. The old house was actually holding a funeral, and there was no one else here besides this Yue Linhai.
Could it be that the old house owner died?
That would really be too coincidental. After all, the post office’s letters generally aren’t sent to living people.
