Professor Tan pushed up his glasses, his tone calm, but it made me feel a little uneasy.

"Of course, those things are all the imaginations of the ancients. In the eyes of modern science, they are all nonsense and feudal superstition."

As soon as he finished speaking, a polite and restrained chuckle rippled through the audience.

Most people thought it was just a joke by Professor Tan, but I knew that what he said was true.

I also noticed a man in the front row, wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, who looked to be in his forties. He didn't smile; instead, he frowned slightly and whispered something to a fat man in a gray suit next to him. The fat man nodded and bowed respectfully.

I secretly made a mental note of the two men. The man in the Zhongshan suit had a calm demeanor and sharp eyes, exuding an aura that was neither that of a scholar nor a businessman. As for what exactly that aura was, I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

In short, he looks like a ruthless character!

The fat man, on the other hand, seemed to be a high-ranking executive of the Zeng Group, with a fawning and sleazy demeanor.

After Professor Tan, a young female psychotherapist talked about some cases of plant-based therapy for anxiety and depression. The content was quite conventional, and I was getting sleepy listening to her.

Next came a middle-aged man surnamed Wu who claimed to be a practitioner of traditional culture. He was wearing a Tang suit and spoke in a somewhat mystical manner, talking at length about plant feng shui and energy harmony.

They also displayed several potted plant arrangements that are said to ward off evil and bring good fortune, attracting a lot of interested attention.

Even Luo Tianhe listened to this; after all, he was also in business, and his bar had quite a few potted plants, so he wanted to learn from them.

I yawned. There is indeed such a thing as plant feng shui and energy harmony, but most of what this guy surnamed Wu said was wrong. He's just a peddler who sells his wares.

The man in the Zhongshan suit listened, a faint hint of sarcasm appearing on his lips.

Several more people came up and gave speeches, but none of them had any real substance.

There was even a senior executive who started lecturing on management.

After waiting for half a day, the free time for conversation began, and the crowd gradually dispersed, chatting in twos and threes. We took the opportunity to walk around and observe.

This place is quite large. In addition to the main hall, there are several connected side tea tasting rooms, as well as a porch leading to the back garden courtyard.

"How are you feeling? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Luo Tianhe asked me in a low voice.

"They look glamorous on the surface, but there's a faint, lingering sense of unease beneath. Be careful with those waiters; they might not be alive."

I answered in a low voice.

Luo Tianhe nodded silently, while Li Huai looked shocked.

"Could those pretty waitresses not even be alive?"

Li Huai couldn't help but ask.

"Keep your voice down!"

I glared at Li Huai, whose loud voice still drew the attention of several people nearby, so I quickly lowered my voice.

"It just feels a bit off. They have too much of a living presence about them, and their movements are stiff. Don't stare at them for too long, just be natural."

Now that he was already inside, Luo Tianhe stopped pretending to be a cultured person and resumed his usual demeanor, walking casually with his hands behind his back as he strolled through the staff quarters.

He reverted to his true nature and seemed much more normal than Li Huai and I.

"Brother Yan, you're still talking about me! I was just saying it, but look at me, Brother Luo actually touched that girl's hand!"

Li Huai winked at me, licked his lips, and seemed eager to make a move.

"Hey buddy, I already told you they might not even be alive. You still want to take advantage of me?"

I was speechless; I really didn't understand what Li Huai was thinking.

"Hehe, even Brother Luo is involved, how could they not be alive? You must have seen wrong."

Li Huai didn't take it seriously.

Just then, Luo Tianhe walked back to our side, his voice very low: "Chen Yan, you're right, those waiters are indeed acting strangely. Just now, I deliberately touched the hand of a girl who was carrying a tray, and it was as cold as ice, without a trace of warmth. She smiled at me, and I chatted with her for a few words, and she didn't blink the whole time!"

I glanced at Li Huai out of the corner of my eye. He gave an awkward laugh, looking genuinely scared this time. He shrank back, no longer daring to look around.

Just then, we saw the man in the dark blue Zhongshan suit and the fat man walking hurriedly towards the backyard porch.

"There's a problem, are we going to follow up or not?"

Li Huai gave a signal with his eyes.

Be careful.

Luo Tianhe and I nodded, and we pretended to stroll around casually, following at a distance. We passed through Meilan, which led to a more private Jiangnan-style garden courtyard.

The artificial hill and pond, along with the winding corridors, made it even more secluded than the front yard, and there were hardly any other guests to be seen.

We found a spot near the artificial hill and hid there, watching them from a distance.

The two of them entered a room with a plaque that read "Listening to Bamboo Pavilion". Ten minutes later, the door opened, and the fat man came out first, bowing and scraping as he left.

A few minutes later, the man in the Zhongshan suit slowly walked out.

He didn't leave immediately, but stood by the pond with his back to us, as if admiring the fish, or as if waiting for something.

"Brother Yan, has he discovered us?"

Li Huai asked in a low voice, sounding somewhat guilty.

"No way, we've been hiding perfectly well."

I'm a little unsure.

"They're probably watching the fish, keep your voice down."

Luo Tianhe didn't believe that he had discovered us.

Suddenly, without turning his head, he spoke, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching our hiding place.

"You three friends, you've been following me all this way, why don't we come out and have a chat?"

We were startled, exchanged a glance, and realized we'd been discovered.

If he hadn't directly mentioned his three friends, we might have thought he was bluffing us.

However, the number of people is exactly the same as he said, so we can rule out that possibility!

The three of us walked out from behind the artificial hill and came to the pond.

The man in the Zhongshan suit slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over us before finally landing on my face. He was expressionless, but his eyes were like hooks, making me feel uncomfortable.

"You three are in high spirits. This backyard is rather quiet and not a suitable place to entertain guests."

He spoke first, his tone sarcastic.

"Hehe, it was stuffy up ahead, so we came out for some fresh air. This garden is so winding and confusing, we got completely lost."

I laughed it off, but I was on guard.

"Breathable?"

The man in the Zhongshan suit twitched the corner of his mouth, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"This place is not very breathable. The water is stagnant, filled with years of resentment. The mountains are artificial, piled with nameless bones and corpses. Even the bamboo, having heard things it shouldn't have heard, has grown for so many years, and its stalks are hollow."

As he spoke, he tapped the bamboo beside him, producing a hollow sound.

His words became increasingly bizarre, and Luo Tianhe narrowed his eyes, his hands seemingly hanging casually at his sides.

But I know he can pull out the baton clipped to his lower back at any time.

Li Huai turned pale upon hearing this and shrank behind me.