Translator: Cinder Translations
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It felt as if he were frozen. An irresistible chill spread up through his legs, rapidly enveloping his entire body. His blood vessels seemed to be filled with ice.
From left to right, Jiang Cheng slowly and laboriously moved his eyeballs, which was the maximum he could manage.
Through the reflection in the copper mirror, he saw a woman sitting at the vanity table.
Dressed in bright red theatrical clothing, she tilted her head, brushing her hair while humming opera lines. More terrifying than her eerie singing voice was the woman's eyes.
Her eye sockets were pitch-black, completely devoid of whites.
Her black hair hung loose and continued dripping water.
In her pale white hand, a broken comb scraped through her hair with an unsettling screech, enough to drive anyone insane.
But there was no one in front of the vanity table holding the copper mirror.
"Drip. Drip."
Water droplets appeared out of nowhere beside the chair, and a puddle of water began to form on the floor.
"Thud."
"Thud."
"Thud."
The wet sounds came, like someone stepping through the water. Jiang Cheng stared hard at the floor, where a series of footprints suddenly appeared.
They were approaching him, coming from the vanity table.
The footprints were small, sharp at the front and round at the back, very peculiar.
They were embroidered shoes.
Jiang Cheng had already seen through the copper mirror that the female ghost, who had originally been sitting at the vanity, had now stood up. She walked toward him, her steps small and eerie.
She was wearing a pair of red embroidered shoes.
On the side of the shoes, a pair of waterbirds were stitched in green and gold thread.
But at that moment, Jiang Cheng couldn't feel any beauty in it.
The footprints grew closer, and just as they were about to reach him, they stopped. In the next moment, a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
"Doctor," Fatty's voice sounded. "Let's go."
The cold sensation that had bound Jiang Cheng began to fade away. He was almost dragged away by Fatty, stumbling down the stairs. Once they reached the first floor, Jiang Cheng fully recovered.
Fatty was also panting heavily. He pulled the doctor with one hand while tightly clutching something wrapped in red cloth in the other hand.
It was quite large, appeared heavy, but seemed not too dense.
At that point, Jiang Cheng could roughly guess what was inside.
Noticing the doctor looking at him, Fatty lifted a corner of the red cloth. Inside was... a phoenix crown.
The phoenix crown from the bridal attire of ancient noble women.
Round pearls were embedded in it, gleaming softly under the light. Delicate small beads were sewn with silver threads, arranged side by side.
Thanks to the exquisite design, it appeared as if light was flowing across it, each part flawless.
On the right side of the phoenix crown, in a conspicuous spot, several large pearls were arranged side by side, with one in the middle missing.
It looked out of place.
Fatty pulled out the pearl from the little beggar's body and placed it next to the crown. It fit perfectly.
The next moment, the pearl seamlessly clicked back into place.
As expected.
This phoenix crown was what the little beggar had wanted to steal and give to Fatty, but it was discovered midway by Housekeeper Zhou and others.
In a hurry, only one pearl was taken as a clue.
Fatty's eyes gleamed with anger as he recalled the tragic end of the little beggar. Jiang Cheng glanced at the stairs, lowered his voice, and said, "Let's go."
The two of them climbed out of the window.
Seeing that Fatty had the item, the group immediately headed towards the lake. But after walking a few steps, An Xuan, who was in front, suddenly stopped.
In the next moment, Fatty felt the man's aura change, becoming different from before.
"Since you're here, come out and meet us," he said, facing the bushes.
Moments later, several torches lit up from the bushes, and a group of about ten people emerged, some holding wooden sticks and spears.
At the forefront was a middle-aged man with squinted eyes and a handlebar mustache.
It was Housekeeper Zhou.
To his left stood a middle-aged woman, her appearance now different, dressed in short gear and carrying a double-headed spear.
The spear's sharp tip reflected a cold light in the torchlight.
When Fatty saw the person to the right of Housekeeper Zhou, his eyes immediately widened, and his breathing became rapid.
It was the dark-faced man, holding a thick wooden club, glaring at them with fierce eyes.
Xia Meng, Jiang Cheng, and An Xuan showed no special reaction, but Chen Qiang's face turned pale as he looked at the approaching group.
Xia Meng grabbed the phoenix crown from Fatty and handed it to Chen Qiang. "Just protect the phoenix crown. Don't worry about the rest."
Chen Qiang nodded, understanding it wasn't the time to show off. "Don't worry."
Jiang Cheng turned his head and glared at Chen Qiang. "If you dare run off, I guarantee you'll die worse than You Qi."
"I won't."
An Xuan flicked his wrist, and a cold-glinting dagger appeared in his hand. It seemed that You Qi had died from this very dagger.
Xia Meng's weapon was unclear, but it seemed like wood, possibly a wooden hairpin. He had seen Xia Meng use a similar weapon in the previous nightmare at Xiao Shijian Village.
The fight erupted in an instant. Jiang Cheng dodged a sneak attack with a hidden gun, grabbed the gun barrel, and jerked it backward, driving the gun tip into the attacker's throat.
With a twist, blood sprayed out. After letting go, the attacker fell motionless.
"Third Brother!" Another man with a wooden stick shouted angrily and charged at Jiang Cheng. But before he could reach him, a blade shot out from his chest.
An Xuan pulled the blade out emotionlessly, continuing to reap lives.
Unlike An Xuan's near-slaughtering style, Xia Meng was more merciful, using her agility to only blind her opponents by stabbing their eyes.
One woman fell to her knees, clutching her eyes and wailing in agony, blood dripping through her fingers. Xia Meng, perhaps annoyed, frowned and kicked her sharply.
But the one who moved fastest was still Fatty. With bloodshot eyes, he bulldozed through anyone trying to stop him, roaring as he tackled the dark-faced man. The two of them crashed to the ground and began wrestling.
The middle-aged woman tried to help, but the next second, a rock struck her head, causing her to bleed.
She looked up, seeing Chen Qiang half-hidden behind a tree, his hand raised, preparing to throw another stone.
Once he realized he had been spotted, Chen Qiang awkwardly retracted his hand and gave a sheepish smile to the woman.
(End of the Chapter)
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