Chapter 788: Chapter 591: The Old Beggar
Chang Chuchu had never been foolish, and with Yang Xiao’s reminder, she gained a new understanding of the "Land Temple", "That threshold is just like the high threshold in front of the Emperor Hall. Last night, standing outside the second threshold was for those whose status was insufficient."
"It’s not our own status, but the status represented by the clothes we wear," Chang Chuchu continued.
"That’s right," Yang Xiao glanced at the foremost sculpture on the side of the civil servants, which was Nalan Shuo’s position last night, "Inside the Longevity Hall last night, only Nalan Shuo and I on the left row were qualified to enter the hall; on the right were Zhang Songde and Xiang Fengchen, and Tang Zerun just because he entered the Emperor Hall by mistake and committed the crime of presumption, hence his fate. Remember, the people from Earl Mansion have reminded us more than once to follow the rules."
"Nalan Shuo and I are civil servants, Zhang Songde is a general, and Xiang Fengchen is also a military officer. As for those who could not enter the hall, it’s easy to understand for women; ancient societies favored men over women, and female officials, regardless of their rank, in most dynasties did not have the right to participate in court deliberations."
"Lou Huixiang’s status is that of an eunuch, eunuchs do not involve themselves in politics, which is a rule passed down by our ancestors, and he is not qualified either."
"Tang Zerun looked like a palace guard, the kind that guards the gates; as for Fang Zhou..." Yang Xiao suddenly paused, "He... he seems to be a medical officer, who are not real court-appointed officials, do not partake in political decisions or court affairs, therefore, they are not listed in the court."
"This Earl Mansion brought together such a group of people to celebrate its old ancestor’s birthday, even emulating the Emperor’s grandeur; what is he trying to do? Has he had enough of being Marquis and Earl, is he trying to rebel?" Chang Chuchu also got confused by the Earl Mansion’s maneuvers.
"Aging without dying is a sign of a thief, this old fellow must be removed. We have already entered the game and, no matter the outcome, the Earl Mansion will not let us leave alive." The consecutive misfortunes of their teammates also pressured Yang Xiao. They had been in this world for less than 24 hours and had already lost three teammates. At this rate, they might even struggle to last until the fourth day.
Jiang Qingluan raised her head and stared straight at the faceless Bodhisattva statue in the central position, now realizing that these figures enshrined in the Land Temple were indeed the ancestors of the Earl Mansion, "Could it be some kind of imperial rite, the old ancestor using this grand ceremony to ’celebrate’ longevity?"
However, moments later, Jiang Qingluan overturned her own guess, shaking her head, "That’s not right, such an imperial ceremony is something ordinary people can hardly afford; using it once is already the limit, yet according to Ji Gen, this is already the ninth time."
The three of them sensed that the secret of the Earl Mansion was definitely related to that ’demon poem’, that is, those so-called rebels.
Now, the urgency was to stabilize the Earl Mansion and take the opportunity to investigate the secrets behind the "Land Temple", ideally finding the wanted Demon before the Earl Mansion does.
But Fushou Manor was vast and bustling; where should they look for this so-called rebel party demon? Moreover, this person was being actively sought, and once the Earl Mansion noticed their movements, it would undoubtedly lead to peril.
"Cre—"
"Cre—"
Just as the three were about to leave, suddenly, faint footsteps came from outside the temple. Although the fog had thinned quite a bit, it had not yet completely dissipated; they couldn’t imagine who would come at this moment.
The three moved behind the temple door, hiding themselves. It was already too late to close the door; the noise from the hinges could likely attract the attention of this entity, and it also seemed a bit suspicious, like decidedly revealing their position.
After listening for a while, Yang Xiao became restless with the steps; the sound was too strange, not like that of a living person, but rather cold and numb, as if each step took a great effort, making Yang Xiao think of those corpses instinctively.
But he only heard one set of footsteps approaching, and these steps were not direct but kept circling around them, as if searching for something or aimlessly wandering.
Yet, the pressure on Yang Xiao and his team was unprecedented. They were almost certain that the ghost in the mist outside had discovered them. As to why it had not burst in directly, it was probably because the temple itself was unusual.
Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan, hiding opposite each other, briefly exchanged glances. Both understood the other’s worries—if there were more terrifying entities hidden in this temple than the ghost outside, the ghost might be waiting for them to come out.
The next second, Jiang Qingluan gave Yang Xiao a look, tilting her head slightly with a meaningful glance at the position of a protective deity statue on the right side of the temple. Yang Xiao hesitated for a moment and then subtly nodded in agreement.
That was where Chang Chuchu was hiding; this woman was hidden deep in the dilapidated temple, nearly behind Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan, a place good for both advance and retreat, an excellent hiding spot. But she certainly hadn’t anticipated someone was already targeting her.
Although Jiang Qingluan was a woman, her decisiveness in killing made even Yang Xiao feel inferior. To survive, she orchestrated the death of Fang Zhou, and now, she had set her sights on Chang Chuchu. Yang Xiao had no doubt that should danger arise, this woman would not hesitate to throw him under the bus.
With a ghost outside and the temple not safe either, if it came to the last moment, Yang Xiao would join forces with Jiang Qingluan and use Chang Chuchu as a sacrificial piece, using her to draw away the roaming ghost outside and creating a chance for them to escape.
