The candles inside the empty funeral hall flickered unsteadily, and the eerie sight sent chills down everyone’s spine.
“Father is dead~” Jiang Luoyou shuddered and tightly grabbed Jiang Kun’s arm.
“You silly girl, watch your mouth! Your father is perfectly fine—how does he look dead?” Sun Yuluo immediately glared at her.
“Mother, that’s not what I mea—”
“Enough. Do not offend the dead,” Jiang Kun sternly interrupted the mother and daughter.
“Boss, since we’re already here, go in and offer a stick of incense before we leave.”
“Understood.”
Jiang Fengyu handed the reins to Jiang Chengyu before striding into the hall and respectfully lighting incense for the memorial tablets.
“It seems the owners here are unable to receive guests. Let’s go,” Jiang Kun said as he led the family away.
However, as they walked deeper into the village, something even stranger happened.
Every house now had two white lanterns hanging at the entrance.
They clearly remembered that the lanterns hadn’t been there when they entered the village, meaning they must have been hung up just now.
Jiang Fengyu frowned suspiciously.
“It’s not unusual for one family to be holding a funeral. But for every household in the village to be doing so… that’s rather…”
“Second Brother, go check whether anyone’s inside,” Jiang Kun instructed Jiang Yifeng, pointing toward one of the houses with white lanterns.
“Alright.”
Jiang Yifeng stepped forward and knocked on the door. Unexpectedly, it wasn’t locked at all. With a light push, it slowly creaked open.
As the gap widened, another candlelit funeral hall came into view inside the house.
The women behind them all recoiled in fright upon seeing it.
“Father, this place is terrifying. Maybe it’s a village of the dead! Let’s hurry and leave!” Jiang Luoyou peeked nervously from between her father and brother, cold sweat covering her forehead.
Jiang Kun had spent years on battlefields. What scene had he not witnessed before? If ghosts truly existed in this world, how could he possibly have never encountered one?
“It’s too late to continue traveling tonight. Let’s find an empty hut and stay for the night.”
“B-But every house here is empty!”
Arms crossed and spear in hand, Jiang Chengyu scoffed.
“In my opinion, it’s not that no one’s here—they’re simply hiding and pretending to be ghosts.”
“I’ll go look around for a suitable place,” Jiang Yifeng said before leaping into the air and disappearing ahead.
“Let’s keep moving…”
Jiang Kun and his wife led the way. The women and children followed closely behind, while Jiang Fengyu and Jiang Chengyu guarded the rear.
The family walked through the entire village without seeing a single person. Only the white lanterns swayed eerily in the wind before each house.
Not long after, Jiang Yifeng found an abandoned courtyard near the edge of the village, and the family decided to spend the night there.
The courtyard stood beside a large tree. The old gate and mud walls had mostly collapsed from years of neglect.
Large holes had rotted through the white thatched roof, so that even from inside the house, they could see the moon overhead.
Fortunately, because it had never rained, the interior wasn’t damp.
After a full day of traveling, everyone was exhausted. They ate some dry rations, drank water, and then spread out blankets to sleep.
After finishing its milk, the little tiger Zhanshen circled around Linbao, trying to get him to play.
After spending so much time together, the child and tiger cub had already formed a deep bond.
Watching the two of them play happily, Jiang Qingshu couldn’t help but smile.
At that moment, Jiang Luoyou came over and whispered into her ear.
“Big Sister, my stomach hurts. Can you come outside with me?”
Jiang Qingshu knew she needed to relieve herself. Since she asked, of course she would accompany her.
Just as the sisters stood up, Jiang Chengyu reminded them,
“Just use the bushes nearby. Don’t wander too far.”
“Third Brother, you’re so annoying!”
Blushing red, Jiang Luoyou grabbed the amused Jiang Qingshu and hurried outside.
“It’s just going to the toilet. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Jiang Chengyu muttered dismissively.
“How would a bachelor like you understand a girl’s thoughts?” Jiang Fengyu teased.
The sisters arrived beside a dark patch of bushes. The desolate cold wind rustled through the dead grass.
Under the crimson moonlight, the strange mountains glowed with a sinister red hue.
Within the silent village, the white lanterns looked like clusters of ghostly flames wavering in the darkness.
“Big Sister, what if there really are ghosts?” Jiang Luoyou clung tightly to Jiang Qingshu.
Having received a modern education, Jiang Qingshu had always been a firm materialist and looked down on superstitions about ghosts and spirits.
“If we’re lucky enough to actually meet a ghost, I’d definitely capture it. Something that rare would make a great attraction. Charging ten copper coins per viewing wouldn’t be unreasonable, right?”
“Big Sister, you really do love money—even ghosts aren’t safe from you. But honestly… that makes sense…”
Whoosh—
Just as the two girls joked about ghosts, a sudden gust swept behind them.
Jiang Luoyou instantly panicked.
Could a ghost really have appeared?
Jiang Qingshu also sensed something strange. Just as she was about to warn Jiang Luoyou, a white figure suddenly floated past her face.
No way…
Could ghosts actually exist?
“Ahhh! A ghost—!”
The moment Jiang Luoyou saw it, she jumped in terror. She turned to run back, only for another ghostly figure to drift in front of her. In panic, she grabbed Jiang Qingshu and dashed wildly in another direction.
“Xiao Wu, calm down…” Jiang Qingshu was dragged along helplessly, trying to stop her. But Jiang Luoyou was already completely consumed by fear.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Chengyu and Jiang Yifeng rushed outside at the same time, but by then the sisters had already disappeared.
“Quick—split up and search!”
Jiang Luoyou ran out of the bushes in one breath and unknowingly arrived beside a well.
“B-Big Sister… where are we?”
Jiang Qingshu looked at the well and then toward the village below, guessing that they had run halfway up the mountain.
“Let’s head back,” Jiang Qingshu said helplessly.
Thunk—
Just as they turned around, a sound suddenly echoed from inside the well, as if a stone had fallen into water.
“There’s water in the well?” Both girls were surprised.
Along their journey, every river they had seen had dried into muddy pits. The trees were nearly withered to death, and not a blade of grass grew on the plains.
Finding a well with water here was as rare as discovering treasure.
But before they could approach, a woman’s eerie sobbing suddenly drifted up from inside the well.
“Wuuu… wuuu…”
The sudden fright instantly killed any desire they had to go near the well, and they immediately turned to flee.
At that moment, Jiang Chengyu arrived.
Seeing that the two girls were unharmed but muttering nonstop about a ghost in the well, he went over alone to inspect it.
In the end, apart from a small amount of water, there was absolutely nothing inside.
Only then did the three siblings return to reunite with the family, while Jiang Luoyou received a thorough scolding from Jiang Kun and his wife for running around recklessly.
Late into the night, aside from Jiang Fengyu standing guard atop the tree outside, everyone gradually fell asleep.
No one knew how much time had passed before Jiang Chengyu suddenly felt something tickling his nose.
The moment he opened his eyes—good heavens!
A ghostly face streaked with bloody tears was staring directly at him, its tangled hair brushing across his face.
Yet instead of recoiling in fear, he flipped upright and delivered a powerful kick, sending the ghostly figure flying backward.
“Pretending to be ghosts? You’re courting death!”
Before the figure could even get back up after crashing to the ground, a cold spear shot through the air and embedded itself into the mud wall right beside its ear.
The “ghost” immediately went limp with terror and hurriedly knelt down to beg for mercy.
“Hero, spare my life~”