Chapter 836: Chapter 618: Lonely Tomb
"Mr. Nalan, you..." Nalan Shuo volunteering to step forward was something Lou Huixiang had never expected.
"You all draw lots then. No matter who gets the first lot, I will be in front of him." Nalan Shuo’s voice was calm and convincing, "Although Xiang Fengchen is not a very good person, his arrangement for this matter is correct. If there is a way to survive tonight, this is the best solution."
"However, I have a condition." Nalan Shuo’s tone shifted, "I can be in the first position, but Yang Xiao must be at the very end."
As the only senior in the team who could arm-wrestle with Xiang Fengchen, Nalan Shuo’s stance served as a stabilizer. Lou Huixiang and Chang Chuchu might not believe Xiang Fengchen, but they did not doubt that Nalan Shuo was willing to sacrifice himself for this plan.
"Senior Nalan is noble. Let’s do as you say!" Lou Huixiang gave Nalan Shuo a solemn bow, then immediately went to prepare for drawing lots.
The so-called drawing of lots meant tearing a useless page from a book, tearing it into pieces of equal size, marking them, and then rolling them back up.
Because Nalan Shuo had already voluntarily taken on the responsibility of leading the charge, and since Xiang Fengchen and Yang Xiao were not participating, only 4 people were actually involved in drawing the lots.
All of this was done under the supervision of seven pairs of eyes, with no chance of foul play, and the four rolled paper pieces were thrown into a wooden box on the table, "Who’ll go first?" Yang Xiao held the wooden box, looking at the others inquiringly.
"I’ll go first!" Lou Huixiang’s face looked fierce. As Yang Xiao opened a small gap in the wooden box, Lou Huixiang quickly reached in, fumbled around for a bit, and then pulled out a roll of paper.
The second was Jiang Qingluan, followed by Chang Chuchu, Fang Zhou, with Yang Xiao not participating; he was in charge of holding the box, acting as a witness to this game.
As everyone one by one opened their paper rolls, the order was thus determined. Some were happy, some were sad. Apart from the pre-determined Nalan Shuo and Yang Xiao, the loudest complainer, Lou Huixiang, ended up second. After seeing the marking on the paper, Lou Huixiang’s face turned pale in an instant.
His fingers gripping the paper turned white at the knuckles, blue veins stood out on his hand back. It was clear that he was very reluctant to accept the result, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Fang Zhou was third in line, Chang Chuchu fourth, Jiang Qingluan fifth, and Yang Xiao naturally ended up last.
Apart from these six, the last one was Xiang Fengchen.
If any of the first six found the Ancestor, it would naturally be best. Xiang Fengchen could come and finish up, burn incense and divine the whereabouts of the elusive Feng Shui Master. If, unfortunately, all six of them fell, then Xiang Fengchen would be the last chance to turn the tables. He would shoulder the dual responsibility of finding the Ancestor and divining the person.
From any perspective, Xiang Fengchen was the best candidate for the final act. Yang Xiao was also not worried about this man reneging on his promise not to let them out after breaking the Ancestor’s Evil Technique.
Xiang Fengchen was only wicked, not stupid. The task was far from over, and significantly decreasing the number of teammates was tantamount to seeking death.
Each life was precious, a rare chance to try and err.
The order for tonight was set. Next up was confirming the details. Xiang Fengchen picked up the book from the table and walked outside. He held the book level with one hand and took out the Divine Turtle Fragment from his bosom with the other. The moonlight tonight was clear and bright, making the Divine Turtle Shell even more translucent. The reflected light spots covered the map on the book pages.
After changing positions several times, everyone quietly waited inside the room, and not a single person stood up to disturb him. About a few minutes later, Xiang Fengchen took a long breath, walked back into the room, closed the door, picked up a candle, and began marking on the map of the other mansions and pavilions that Yang Xiao had drawn.
First, he circled a spot in each of the four corners of the courtyard. The positions were not very standard, only vaguely identifiable as southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. According to the proportion of the courtyard’s area, each marked range was about a hundred square meters.
"These four positions are where the Yin energy is the heaviest inside the mansion, and also where the Ancestor is most likely to hide," Xiang Fengchen said as he lightly touched the spot with the candle and looked up, "Look here, what does the overall layout of this mansion resemble?"
"A tomb," Nalan Shuo cut to the chase.
"Right, a tomb!" Xiang Fengchen nodded, "Because the Ancestor should have been long dead. It’s the Earl Mansion that is using Evil Techniques to keep it alive forcibly. But even so, to evade the heavenly tribulation, it must dwell in such a place."
"Are you saying... This mansion, including the Sleeping Gold Pavilion, is the residence of the Earl Mansion’s Ancestor?" Lou Huixiang couldn’t help but get chills down his spine upon hearing this. On their first night in the mansion, they had even bathed in this pavilion.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiao also thought of something. On the night they first arrived, after Yuan Ruoci died, the door lock of a room opposite the second floor of the pavilion was opened.
At that time, he thought it was the Ghost who killed Yuan Ruoci hiding Yuan Ruoci’s body inside. Now thinking about it, it could very well be that the Ancestor was hidden there.
Of course, the Ancestor was not human, but an even more terrifying existence than a Ghost. According to Xiang Fengchen’s speculation, this Ancestor was likely to become a malignant entity.
"Tonight is the rare night of a full moon. Evil Spirits need to devour the essence of heaven and earth, especially a being like the Ancestor, it is definitely out. If it’s not inside the pavilion, then it’s in the courtyard."
"Your task is to explore the places inside the courtyard that I have marked, one by one. It would be best if you found the Ancestor. If not, you still have to drive it away." Xiang Fengchen’s voice was firm, displaying the demeanor of a master beyond doubt.
