Chapter 866: Chapter 632: Dead End
Feet together, directly facing himself. Despite being prepared, this sudden scene still startled him, causing him to instinctively step back.
"Little Yang, it’s me." A sharp female voice came from in front, sounding like it was speaking in a squeezed tone, "Don’t be scared."
"Dir... Director?"
After clearly seeing the person in front of him, Yang Xiao was struck with an indescribable shock. It was clear that Nalan Shuo’s body was in good shape, but now it wasn’t just the face—it was half an arm, most of the head, part of the torso, including two lower legs and feet, all replaced with the ghost maid’s body. The replaced parts were nearly half of the total.
Seeing the multi-colored clothing fragments stitched onto the Director’s body was like witnessing a rotting disease festering on a once healthy body, creating an instinctual discomfort.
Just by glancing a few more times, those filthy things seemed as though they’d start growing on his own body. After shivering, Yang Xiao shifted his gaze towards Nalan Shuo’s face.
Still the dead face of the ghost maid, twisted and grim, wet, sticky hair scattered and sticking to the face, with an expression unchanged from before.
Suddenly, the corners of the dead face twitched oddly, squirming as if with a grotesque smile. A twisted, sharp voice emerged: "Little Yang, I am Nalan Shuo, don’t... don’t be afraid. I’ve been affected, but... I’m still me. I can control myself and know what I’m doing, I won’t hurt you."
Yang Xiao’s slight retreat seemed to hurt him. At this moment, Nalan Shuo appeared even more nervous than Yang Xiao, his mismatched hands lifted then lowered in a restless manner, seemingly worried about scaring Yang Xiao again.
"Director, how did you end up like this?"
Although it was previously suspected, seeing the Director turned into this ghastly state was undoubtedly heartbreaking. Yang Xiao’s eyes instantly reddened, knowing this meant it would be difficult for the Director to leave again.
Now was not the time for reminiscing. Nalan Shuo quickly explained what had happened to him. He had awoken earlier than Yang Xiao and had realized the abnormalities in the room sooner. The transition into this ghostly form occurred when a ghost unexpectedly scratched his face.
What he hadn’t anticipated was that the wound would rot at an alarming rate, the rotten parts replaced by ghostly body parts. By the time Yang Xiao awoke, Nalan Shuo’s face had completely transformed.
He had thought of looking for clues nearby, but he couldn’t move since Yang Xiao was still asleep nearby and there was a ghost lurking around.
The reason he chose not to wake Yang Xiao was that Nalan Shuo discovered that ghosts do not attack people who are deep asleep; in fact, they don’t even notice them. Theoretically, as long as Yang Xiao slept long enough, maybe once he woke up, the nightmare would be over, and he wouldn’t even know what dangers had occurred during the night.
But Yang Xiao had awoken and was noticed by the ghost. Nalan Shuo had no choice but to take action first, hoping to rescue him, but misunderstandings arose because his body and voice had changed, giving the ghost an opportunity.
With his current physical condition, even if Nalan Shuo wanted to explain, Yang Xiao wouldn’t listen or believe, leaving him no choice but to take a risky gamble.
"Director, where is Xiang Fengchen?" Yang Xiao remembered this Feng Shui Master. Finding him could significantly increase their chances of escape, and perhaps he might have a way to save the Director.
"The ghost deceiving you disguised itself as Xiang Fengchen, which means it has seen Xiang Fengchen. This old guy’s situation is likely to be worse than ours," Nalan Shuo analyzed calmly, "We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary tonight. The problem lies with him. This place is the Sleeping Gold Pavilion, the most dangerous entity here is the Ancestor; he must have been entangled by the Ancestor."
"We need to save him; we need him for the tasks below." Yang Xiao recalled the ghost substitute disguised as Xiang Fengchen emphasizing to him not to go near the second floor bedroom and study, warning him keenly about the strangeness there.
After discussing, they decided to first go back to the second floor. It was now clear that leaving through the main door of the Sleeping Gold Pavilion was a dead end.
Moreover, this place was not the real Sleeping Gold Pavilion but rather a bizarre space resembling the structure of the Sleeping Gold Pavilion; similar to the Ghost Dream triggered by Yang Xiao’s Drama Robe abilities, only this was a Ghost Dream space created by the Ancestor.
On their way back, Yang Xiao noticed a very strange phenomenon. Unlike him, the Director leading the way in front didn’t need the aid of the Ghost’s eyeball to dodge the wandering substitute ghosts and could discern directions amidst the mist.
Having been deceived once already, Yang Xiao grew cautious and secretly took out a small remaining piece of the Life Burning Incense from his chest pocket, attempting to light it with the Fire Starter. After two attempts, he couldn’t get it to light, which emitted a faint, eerie smoke.
Seeing this, Yang Xiao felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. This scene felt familiar—Nalan Shuo had once used it in the abandoned garden of another courtyard, using it to discern whether Chang Chuchu was human or ghost.
Nalan Shuo later mentioned that once the incense went out, it was very difficult to relight unless a ghost was nearby.
"Director, can you see these ghostly things?" Yang Xiao asked curiously.
"Yes, it requires intense concentration, and the cost is that it erodes my body more rapidly," Nalan Shuo stated bluntly, his movements becoming increasingly awkward and odd as more parts of his body were replaced, walking with distorted, twisted steps.
