As they sat back on the empty bus, only then did Ning Qiushui and Liu Chengfeng truly breathe a sigh of relief.
"We... we survived, right?"
Big Beard Liu Chengfeng panted heavily, staring out the bus window at the terrifying, slender female ghost disappearing into the villa. Only then did he realize his legs had turned to jelly.
"Yes," Ning Qiushui replied.
After that, neither spoke again.
Five days had passed, and of the seven people originally on this bus, only two remained.
Liu Chengfeng felt an inexplicable emptiness inside. He hadn't been particularly close to the others, but seeing them die so tragically before his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shared fate.
After all, he had once been so close to death himself. If it weren't for Ning Qiushui, his fate would likely have been the same as the others.
Not long after they boarded, the bus closed its doors and slowly began to move.
Soon, they were once again traveling through the misty rain.
Drowsy, they fell asleep on the bus.
When they awoke again, it was already the next morning.
Ning Qiushui stretched his stiff body and looked outside.
They had arrived at the small courtyard of the black villa.
"Hey, Big Beard, wake up."
Ning Qiushui nudged Liu Chengfeng, who jolted awake and shouted:
"Ghost! The ghost is here!"
"Run!"
Ning Qiushui looked at the flailing Liu Chengfeng, speechless, thinking how pitiful this guy was. Being chased by ghosts in the Blood Door task was bad enough, but even in his dreams, he had to 'work overtime.'
After confirming that the person beside him was Ning Qiushui, Liu Chengfeng wiped the sweat from his face and gasped:
"Little brother, you scared me to death!"
Ning Qiushui pointed to the black courtyard outside and said:
"Let's get off. We're here."
The two got off the bus one after the other and walked into the black villa.
Upon entering the hall again, they saw only one person remaining.
It was the exceptionally beautiful young boy.
He looked like a porcelain doll, with skin as white as porcelain and a petite, frail figure. If he didn't speak, no one would think he was a boy.
"Why are you alone?"
Liu Chengfeng frowned.
Seeing the two return alive from behind the Blood Door, the boy's attitude was noticeably warmer than before.
"Uncle Yan had something to handle and returned to the previous world. Sister Xiaoxiao went to guide newcomers through the Blood Door, and another is cooking in the kitchen."
"We can still return to the previous world?"
The boy poked the coals in the stove.
"Why not?"
"If you can come by bus, you can naturally leave by bus."
"Sigh..."
As he spoke, he sighed and rubbed his long hair with his hand.
"I hate this part the most. Every time newcomers arrive, I have to explain a lot of things, talking until my mouth is dry... What's worse is that sometimes I tell them the rules today, and by next week, they're dead."
"But at least you came out alive from the Blood Door. If you have any questions, ask now."
The two exchanged glances, and after a moment of thought, Ning Qiushui asked:
"What are the Blood Door and the Mist?"
The boy replied:
"It's a curse."
"We are all cursed people. The Mist is a separate world, isolated from the outside world. Only by taking the bus in the Mist World can you enter and leave."
"The villa courtyard we are in is called Eerie House. There are many Eerie Houses like ours in this Mist World, and similarly, there are many Blood Doors."
"Every so often, we have to enter the terrifying world behind the Blood Door to complete the tasks on the Blood Door, trying our best to survive while collecting Puzzle Pieces."
"When we gather 12 Puzzle Pieces, we can take the complete puzzle and ride the bus to the end of the Mist World."
As the boy spoke, he pointed to a picture frame above the hall.
The two looked, and the frame was already half assembled.
The image seemed to be a decaying human head.
On the forehead was a blood-dripping hole resembling an eye, looking extremely gruesome!
"What's at the end of the Mist World?"
Ning Qiushui asked, and the boy shrugged.
"That I don't know."
"After all, none of us have been there."
"Also, don't blame us for being too cold before... You know, in this world, death is commonplace. If you truly make a close friend and they die in the world behind the Blood Door, you would be very sad."
The boy's expression was somewhat repressed as he spoke.
"Was the Eerie House before..."
Ning Qiushui seemed to understand something, but before he could fully ask, the boy nodded.
"Just before you came, about half a month ago, Uncle Yan's best friend, Uncle Mang... died behind the Blood Door."
"And Sister Xiaoxiao's best friend, Zhizi... followed him in death."
"So actually, everyone's mood hasn't been very good."
"Alright, it's almost time to eat. After the meal, if you don't want to stay here, you can wait for the bus at the stop outside the villa."
"A week later, when it's your turn to enter the Blood Door for the second task, the bus will come to pick you up in advance..."
At the dining table, the four sat in silence, eating voraciously.
"To be honest, your cooking skills aren't great..."
Liu Chengfeng couldn't help but complain after a few bites.
Meng Jun, who was cooking, looked up and gave Liu Chengfeng a cold glance:
"If you don't like it, you can throw it away or cook for yourself."
Liu Chengfeng was usually a straightforward person with a bad temper. He wanted to retort, but when he met Meng Jun's gaze, he shrank back.
Meng Jun's eyes were terrifying.
In that instant, Liu Chengfeng felt as if a knife was at his throat!
He was almost certain that this man named Meng Jun... had killed someone!
However, Liu Chengfeng wasn't one to take a loss quietly. He straightened his neck and said:
"I'll cook myself then!"
"I'm saying it now, from today on, I, Liu Chengfeng, am the head chef here. As long as I'm around, none of you are allowed in the kitchen. Whatever you want to eat, I'll make it for you!"
He used a firm tone to say the most cowardly words.
Ning Qiushui couldn't help but chuckle.
During the meal, he learned that there were still four old-timers left in this Eerie House. Liang Yan was the Lodge Master and the first to enter the Eerie House.
The boy was Tian Xun, an orphan who relied on his sister.
Meng Jun was Liang Yan's close friend from the outside world, a former soldier who had been on the battlefield at the border.
The only enchanting beauty, Bai Xiaoxiao, was very mysterious. No one knew much about her identity, only that she was... quite formidable in the outside world.
During the conversation, Ning Qiushui brought up the matter of the Red-Clad Female Ghost from their first Blood Door. To his surprise, Meng Jun and Tian Xun remained silent after hearing it.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Seeing the two so silent, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help but shout.
Just as he finished speaking, Meng Jun picked up his plate and headed to the kitchen.
"I'm full."
He said lightly.
But both could sense a change in Meng Jun's attitude towards them.
This change was abrupt...
As if the warmth of spring had suddenly plunged back into the cold of winter.