Chapter 762: Chapter 576: Ghost Face_2
This person stood straight behind the mansion gate, resembling a Gate God, staring with dead fish eyes, coldly watching Yang Xiao and his group, his face covered in thick makeup, dressed in luxurious clothes embroidered with Copper Coins, paired with the red lanterns hanging overhead, he looked even more terrifying than a Ghost.
The old maid’s gaze swept over everyone present, from head to toe, her eyes icy cold without any emotion, giving Yang Xiao a very strange feeling, as if they were not people but chickens and ducks to be chosen from in a market.
After roughly one minute, the old maid squeezed her voice out and asked, "Do you know why I have called for you?"
Xiang Fengchen smiled and respectfully cupped his hands, "We are here to serve as filial guests, to wish the Shou family blessings and longevity."
"Correct." The old maid’s taut lips relaxed, her heavy eyelids lifted slightly as she glanced at Xiang Fengchen, "A person who understands the rules, so I will not waste more words. You all may go and wash up and change clothes now, do not miss the auspicious hour of the Ancestor."
"Yes." Everyone mimicked Xiang Fengchen and respectfully cupped their hands towards the old maid.
A pale-faced, frail maid carrying a lantern came and led Yang Xiao and his group to wash and rest. The maid walked ahead; Yang Xiao saw clearly, her skirt padded with tiny steps, walking soundlessly as if floating.
Throughout the journey, the mansion lacked the festive atmosphere expected of a birthday celebration. Walking in the middle of the group, Yang Zerun murmured his complaints, saying this scene looked more like a funeral procession than a birthday celebration.
"Whose funeral?" Funeral Master Chang Chuchu sneered, not sure if she was asking Yang Zerun or herself.
Soon, under the maid’s guidance, they passed through numerous corridors and arrived at a two-story loft in the backyard. The loft was not small, and the thin moonlight cast upon the eaves tiles reflected eerie phosphorescent glimmers, resembling water surfaces, exuding a certain charm.
The leading maid turned around, bowed to everyone, "Honored guests, please bathe and change here. Gentlemen on the lower floor, ladies go upstairs. The clothes needed for temporary change are all ready, as well as the bathing necessities. Soon, the auspicious clothes for the birthday celebration will be sent over."
"This place has been unvisited for a long time, some rooms haven’t been cleaned, and if you see a locked room, please do not be curious."
After saying this, the maid turned to leave. Lou Huixiang quickly walked a few steps and called her back, "We are the only ones bathing here, right?"
The maid turned around, bowed to Lou Huixiang, her voice faint, "If the guests need assistance, this lowly maid can help with the bathing."
This statement made Lou Huixiang frown and he repeatedly waved his hands, "No need, no need, I mean... it’s just us here, right?"
"Yes." The maid nodded, "Steward Wu specifically instructed that honorable guests have important matters tonight, and bathing is of the utmost importance, and should not be disturbed."
"When will the people delivering the auspicious clothes arrive?" Nalan Shuo asked, pinpointing the key.
"In half an hour."
After the maid was sent away, Xiang Fengchen walked up the stone steps, pushed open the loft’s slightly ajar door, revealing a spacious hall to everyone, but strangely, the hall was empty, with traces on the floor where heavy objects had been dragged. It seemed this place was once fully furnished, but for some reason, it had been emptied.
To the left and right of the hall, each side had a door, the left door was partially open, through the crack, one could see steam filling the air inside, also emitting a faint red light.
Nalan Shuo approached, slowly pushed the door open completely, and saw several large wooden barrels aligned against the wall inside, separated by tall, thick wooden boards with a small curtain hanging in front of each barrel, forming a somewhat private space.
The thick steam was emanating from the barrels; Nalan Shuo walked up, pulled back the curtain, and inside, besides the wooden barrel filled with water, there was a set of clothes and a pair of shoes for changing, neatly laid out in front of the barrel, clothes below, shoes above.
Reaching out, Nalan Shuo touched the water; it was still warm, the comfortable temperature slightly dispelling the chill felt along the way.
"There are a total of seven wooden barrels," the bald man Zhang Songde patted a barrel with his hand, turned his head, and looked at the crowd, "We have exactly seven men."
According to what the maid said earlier, men would bathe below while women went above, so it seemed that the upper layer was equipped with four barrels. In other words, before their arrival, the people at Fushou Manor had some understanding of them.
As everyone hesitated, it was Xiang Fengchen who stepped forward first, "Stop dawdling, hurry up and bathe and change, but not all together. Leave a few people on lookout."
"We’ll go upstairs and check," Funeral Master Chang Chuchu left those words and was the first to turn towards the door, intending to check upstairs.
"Wait a minute!" It was Yuan Ruoci, the voluptuously figured woman, who spoke up; she stopped Chang Chuchu while turning her head to cast a flirtatious look at the few men present, "Any handsome guy here interested in mixed-gender bathing?"
"Too bad, I’m a decent person, otherwise I’d join you for fun," Zhang Songde shrugged, and as he grinned, the scars on his scalp twitched as well, making him look like a tough character to mess with.
Suddenly, Yang Xiao noticed Yuan Ruoci staring at him with a mischievous grin, which immediately gave him a bad feeling.
"You, and you, haven’t you forgotten what happened earlier too soon?" Yuan Ruoci pointed directly at Yang Xiao and Fang Zhou, "You two owe Miss Jiang a favor, consider yourselves lucky."
Seeing no objections and without interference from their own director, Yang Xiao immediately put on an amiable smile, "I’m in. Guarding the door for a few beauties is a cushy job."
Fang Zhou looked like he wanted to excuse himself, but seeing that Yang Xiao had already compromised, he felt it inappropriate to insist. He nodded, too, "Miss Jiang’s favor, we should repay."
With that settled, Xiang Fengchen and four others stayed downstairs while Yang Xiao, Fang Zhou, and four women went upstairs. They agreed that the women would bath together while Yang Xiao and Fang Zhou watched. After the women finished bathing and changed clothes, they would come down together, then it would be Yang Xiao and his group’s turn to bathe.
A wooden staircase hidden in a corner behind the main hall had been there for a long time. Stepping on it, a piercing "creak" sounded.
The layout upstairs was completely different from downstairs. A vast space was divided into three rooms. The largest room with its door open contained four barrels along with replacement clothes and shoes. The other two doors, however, were locked.
"We’ll keep watch outside. Be quick," Yang Xiao, looking at the tightly shut doors, felt an increasing unease. He turned his head and whispered lowly, "Don’t close the door, safety first."
"Then you better keep yourself in check, no peeping," Yuan Ruoci stretched her body and said with a laugh.
"I wouldn’t look at you even if I wanted to." Yang Xiao sized her up then averted his gaze. It was better to keep a respectful distance from this woman.
Everyone present was an experienced player and didn’t have many reservations. Yang Xiao and his companion turned slightly aside as the women checked the room and barrels, finding no issues. They quickly changed and jumped into the barrels filled with water. For safety, they didn’t even pull down the curtains around the barrels, allowing swift aid from either side should any problems arise. In the face of survival, pride was worthless.
Yuan Ruoci sighed deeply as her body was submerged. The water temperature was just right, neither too high nor low, and fresh petals floated around her, offering a moment of comfort that made her feel, misleadingly, as if she wasn’t on a mission, but in her own home’s bathtub.
A bathing stool was placed in the barrel. She sat down on it and slowly leaned back. Unintentionally, she knocked a hairpin, used to tie her hair after washing, into the water.
Bending over, Yuan Ruoci touched the bottom of the barrel bit by bit with her hand. Suddenly, she felt something icy—a hand.
The next second, before she could even scream, her wrist was grabbed, and a tremendous force pulled her down. She was completely submerged underwater. As she struggled, she kept sinking. The barrel, which was only half a person’s height, now seemed like a bottomless pit, darkness stretching below.
A severe asphyxia hit her. Yuan Ruoci struggled but to no avail. The hand holding her was like a vise. During her struggle, by the faintest bioluminescence, she barely discerned a humanoid silhouette underwater. In the last second before losing consciousness, she saw a terrifying, hollowed-out ghost face carved by a blade.
