Meanwhile, Niu Gu and his group were still wandering around.
Old Li was completely captivated by the place, looking at the architecture filling the street and exclaiming that it was impossible.
“This is Han Dynasty architecture. The imitation is too realistic. If I didn’t know this was a haunted house, I would think I traveled back to the Han Dynasty.” Old Li walked into a shop, looking back and forth, sighing in amazement repeatedly.
We came to the right place.
Niu Gu looked at Old Li, who was hugging a pillar and refusing to let go, feeling very speechless. “We’ve been looking at this shop for almost half an hour. There’s a whole street ahead. If you look at every shop like this, we won’t get out even by dark.”
“It’s already dark,” Old Guan stood by the window, pointing to the setting sun outside.
What? Dark already?
Niu Gu walked over in surprise and looked out the window.
Sure enough, the sun had set, and at the same time, a bright moon was slowly rising.
The entire sky dimmed.
Holy crap!
It’s done so realistically; there’s actually day and night.
Since arriving here, Niu Gu didn’t know how many times he had said “holy crap.” He was truly astounded.
Old Guan lay on the windowsill, looking up at the sky, studying how the moonrise and sunset were achieved. It was too realistic; there wasn’t a trace of mechanisms.
Just then, a man in brown coarse clothes suddenly walked into the shop.
The man looked at the four of them in astonishment. “Why are you still here? The Wang Manor is taking a wife today. Everyone on the street has gone to watch the ceremony.”
“Wang Manor taking a wife?” Niu Gu looked at Wang Jian and poked him. “Is this the plot starting? Was it the same process when you came last time?”
Thinking of the scene last time, Wang Jian’s face paled, and he shook his head instinctively. “No, last time there was a fortune teller.”
Niu Gu nodded. This Painted Skin dungeon was quite interesting; the plot actually changed.
He looked at the man in brown clothes and asked, “What’s this about the Wang Manor taking a wife? Where is the Wang Manor? Which direction?”
The man pointed outside. “See that big mansion? The grandest one. That’s the Wang family home. Go quickly; if you’re late, you’ll miss the banquet.”
At this point, the man licked his lips, looking incredibly greedy. “The food at the Wang family wedding banquet is excellent. All rare dishes. Hurry up, or you’ll miss it.”
“Let’s go.” Niu Gu nodded, calling the other three to attend the wedding banquet.
“You guys go.” Old Li didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to leave here for a single minute or second.
If he could, he even wanted to live here.
These buildings, this layout, were exactly like the Han Dynasty described in books. Even many details were things not found in books.
Old Li was too curious; he wanted to stay and observe carefully.
“No.” It wasn’t Niu Gu or the others who spoke, but the man in brown clothes.
The man looked at Old Li with dissatisfaction. “If you don’t go to the wedding, I still have to go. Leave quickly; I’m closing the shop.”
After speaking, the man muttered softly, “Coming into the shop and buying nothing, yet wanting to loiter here. Keep dreaming.”
This man is actually the shopkeeper!
The four exchanged glances, eyes full of surprise.
Old Guan couldn’t help laughing and said to Old Li, “Let’s go. The plot is starting. Can’t you see the NPC is kicking people out?”
Old Guan thought the man was an NPC in the Painted Skin dungeon, but Niu Gu noticed the sneakers on the man’s feet and the hat on his head.
The hat was worn a bit crookedly, revealing the NPC’s short hair underneath.
Niu Gu frowned. This NPC isn’t good. Flaws everywhere. He should be wearing ancient shoes and have his hair styled in an ancient manner.
Hearing Niu Gu mutter, Old Guan laughed at him. “Come on. It’s not filming a movie; it’s just a haunted house. Why be so precise? If they did it your way, the boss would have to hire a stylist.”
Niu Gu frowned, still feeling something was off.
This haunted house had such great attention to detail—even the door knocker was Zhong Kui, and the Painted Skin dungeon even had a sun and moon.
How could they leave such huge flaws in the NPCs?
They spent the big money; do they care about the small change for a stylist?
The group planned to walk to the Wang residence.
Old Li was reluctant to leave the shop.
Old Guan pulled him. “Hurry up. Look at it when we come back. If you really like it, let’s speed through the plot.”
Old Li nodded. “Alright, let’s hurry then.”
Like Niu Gu, he was brave and not afraid of ghosts; he was immune to horror.
Instead, the ancient architecture attracted him more. He had already decided that if he encountered an NPC playing a ghost later, he would make a funny face to scare them back and chase them away.
Honestly, Old Li couldn’t understand what was so scary about haunted houses. It was all fake—just employees wearing ugly makeup and smearing ketchup on their faces.
It wasn’t scary at all.
Boring!
The four walked to the Wang residence. When they arrived, there were already quite a few people inside, all there for the wedding banquet.
These people were dressed similarly to the shopkeeper—full of flaws—but they carried a gloomy aura, not looking like real people.
Niu Gu nodded. The makeup on these NPCs was good. Although the shoes and hairstyles were lacking, the ghost makeup was incredibly atmospheric, looking just like real ghosts.
Their faces were very white, but not the powdery white of makeup—it was the pallor of the dead.
The texture looked like they had been dead for days, with blue-purple veins showing through.
As if they would turn into zombies at any second!
And their fingernails were sharp, looking like they would rush over and pierce their skin in the next moment.
Niu Gu, a big shot who had seen plenty of horror special effects makeup, couldn’t help getting goosebumps facing this group of “dead” people.
For the NPC’s appearance, Niu Gu would give an 8 out of 10. Two points deducted for shoes and hairstyles.
None of these NPCs wore ancient shoes or had ancient hairstyles. They all wore sneakers, and one female NPC was even wearing high heels.
Niu Gu was speechless.
Later, the NPCs have to chase the players. Can she run in high heels?
No, deduct another point. Only 7 points.
Niu Gu was examining the NPCs’ attire, unaware that beside him, Wang Jian’s face was ashen, and he was nearly scared witless.
So strange. I’ve been here once, but I’m still terrified.
His lips trembled. “So many ghosts.”
Boohoo, I regret it. I shouldn’t have come.
Niu Gu turned around and looked at Wang Jian in surprise. “When did your guts get so small? A group of NPCs scared you? Didn’t you see they’re all wearing sneakers? Obviously, humans.”
Wang Jian was about to cry. He shakily extended a finger, pointing at the group opposite. “They… they walk without their heels touching the ground.”
Niu Gu’s face went white instantly. He took a step forward, wanting to see clearly, but found himself face-to-face with a pale visage.
“Hello.”
The pale-faced NPC greeted him, revealing a mouth full of bloody teeth.
Niu Gu’s brain went blank. He felt his hair stand on end, and a chill spread through his entire body.
Just as his body stiffened and his feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move, a gong suddenly sounded.
—Clang.
The wedding ceremony began!