The door to the building was dilapidated, heavy, and difficult to open.
Even someone as strong as Wang Jian had to use both hands and push hard.
“Come in quick, I’ll hold the door.”
They hurried in one by one. Once inside, they found the interior was even more run-down than the exterior.
The floor wasn’t even tiled; it was bare concrete.
Old, dark curtains blocked the view, and the chandelier overhead was dim and creaky, looking like it might fall at any moment.
The lobby was empty, without a single soul.
“This place is scary,” the youngest girl was about to cry, clutching the third girl’s arm tightly.
“It’s fine, don’t be afraid,” Wang Jian said loudly. “This is all designed deliberately just to scare you.”
After comforting the youngest, he shouted into the room, “Is anyone here?”
“I’m here.” A raspy female voice sounded from behind them.
They turned around and saw a pale mask with a smiling face drawn on it. The mouth was grinning exaggeratedly wide and was blood-red, looking like it wanted to eat someone.
“Ah!” The youngest girl screamed in terror.
The others also went weak in the knees.
Only Wang Jian frowned, looking unhappy. “Why scare people right off the bat?”
Li Miao really hadn’t meant to scare them.
She hadn’t seen a soul all day and didn’t know when this group would arrive, so she had gone to the lounge to rest. She only came out when she heard the noise.
As for the mask, it was purely to cover her scar and birthmark.
But she couldn’t say that, so she smiled and explained, “We offer an immersive experience. We create the atmosphere from the moment you walk in.”
Wang Jian nodded. “You guys did build the atmosphere well. It’s chilly; I actually feel cold.”
He rubbed the goosebumps on his arm.
Li Miao took out her phone to verify their tickets. After verification, she led them to the changing room to change clothes.
Once everyone was changed, she took them up the elevator to the second floor.
Arriving on the second floor, Li Miao pointed ahead. “You can go in by yourselves. The Painted Skin theme lasts about an hour and a half. Have fun.”
With that, she left in the other direction.
After Li Miao left, the group curiously observed the scene before them.
From their perspective, a straight ancient street lay ahead, lined with various shops.
The ancient atmosphere was very thick.
Since it was “night,” the shops were closed, giving it a somewhat desolate feel.
Qin Dan walked up to a shop on the street and examined it closely. “It’s so realistic. Come look, these buildings are real.”
Everyone gathered at the window, poked a hole in the paper covering it, and looked inside.
It was an inn—a completely authentic ancient inn.
“It’s exactly like on TV,” the second girl marveled. “This street set is almost on par with a film studio. It must have cost a fortune.”
The third girl nodded in agreement. “Just this set alone makes the ticket price worth it.”
While everyone was curiously examining the architecture, a voice suddenly came from behind them: “Fortune telling! Telling fortunes for heaven, earth, and life! Guaranteed satisfaction! If it’s not accurate, you don’t pay!”
They turned around curiously and saw the haunted house owner wearing that creepy smiling mask and an ancient robe, holding a banner commonly used by fortune tellers.
Seeing this, everyone exchanged glances. So the NPC is online?
But this haunted house was too understaffed; the owner had to cameo as the NPC.
Wang Jian was disdainful. He stepped forward impatiently. “Hey, fortune teller, give me a reading.”
Li Miao, playing the fortune teller, looked Wang Jian up and down, pinched her fingers, and said, “Go east. There is a noble person in the east.”
“Is this part of the plot?” Qin Dan squeezed Zhao Dapeng’s hand excitedly. It was her first time playing this kind of horror escape room, and it was all very novel.
“Probably triggers a plotline in the east,” Zhao Dapeng nodded. “Let’s go east.”
“No,” Wang Jian stopped everyone. “Let’s go west. This theme is obviously boring today. We might as well play differently—find their loopholes and do the opposite of what the NPC says.”
Of the eight, Wang Jian had played the most haunted houses and was the expert.
Everyone looked to him as the leader and did what he said.
They didn’t go east as the fortune teller said, but went west instead. After walking for a few minutes, a dilapidated temple appeared in front of them.
The temple had no door, and a figure could be vaguely seen inside.
An NPC!
They ran in excitedly to see what the NPC was doing. But when they entered and saw the NPC’s face, everyone froze.
Holy crap! So beautiful!
This ancient costume lady is too beautiful!
She was beautiful enough to be a star. Why was she wasting her talent playing an NPC in a haunted house?
The lady in the ancient costume was wiping the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, seeming to cry.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” the group asked.
The Painted Skin demon wiped away “her” tears and looked dejected. “My parents love money. For money, they want to arrange a ghost marriage for me and make me marry a dead man. I escaped from home but have nowhere to go, so I can only weep in this ruined temple.”
“That’s too much! what kind of parents are they? Selling their daughter!”
“Exactly. Making their daughter marry a dead person.”
While everyone was filled with righteous indignation for the Painted Skin demon, Wang Jian suddenly spoke up: “Since the young lady has nowhere to go, why not come home with me? My home is the Wang Manor in the east of the city. My surname is Wang; you can just call me Wang Sheng.”
What’s wrong with Wang Jian?
Everyone was confused by his words. Since when did he become Wang Sheng?
“Thank you, my lord.” The Painted Skin demon was pleasantly surprised and stepped forward to hold Wang Jian’s arm. “I have no way to repay you, so I am willing to offer myself in marriage.”
Saying this, the two walked hand in hand toward the east of the city.
Leaving the others stunned in place.
The third guy with glasses reacted first, chasing after them to stop Wang Jian. “Wang Jian, what’s wrong with you?”
“Third Brother.” Wang Jian seemed like a different person, speaking formally. “I am going to marry Hua Niang. I invite you to attend my wedding.”
“Hua Niang?” The third guy couldn’t process this at all. He pointed at the Painted Skin demon. “She is Hua Niang?”
Wang Jian nodded, looking obsessively at the Painted Skin demon. “This is Hua Niang, my most beloved woman. We are getting married.”
As he spoke, the expression on Wang Jian’s face was incredibly eerie, as if he were a puppet that had lost its soul.
The third guy was scared into taking a few steps back.
Zhao Dapeng walked over and tried to pull Wang Jian back, but Wang Jian shoved him away, his expression cold. “Get lost. No one can separate me from Hua Niang.”
The youngest girl was scared to tears. She couldn’t understand how Wang Jian, who was normal just moments ago, suddenly seemed possessed.
“What’s wrong with him? Is he acting?” she asked weakly.
The second guy shook his head with a grave expression. “I don’t know. Let’s follow them and see.”
The group arrived at the Wang Manor in the east of the city.
The manor was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, looking very festive.
Wang Sheng and the Painted Skin demon changed into wedding attire and performed the bowing ceremony.
There was no one else around, only the seven of them as guests.
After the ceremony, Wang Sheng brought Hua Niang over to propose a toast.
“Good friends, thank you for coming to my and Hua Niang’s wedding banquet. Let me propose a toast to everyone.” Saying this, he took out a wine bottle and poured wine for everyone.
They watched as bright red blood poured into the cups.