Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Abandoned Haunted House
Manager Xu introduced Hanyu to an old man of similar age. The old man's surname was Zhong, and he was known as Old Zhong. He was an old servant in the general's mansion.
Back when Prince Yin Jinglong hadn't yet established his own residence, Steward Xu and Elder Zhong were both veteran servants at Prince Xian's residence. After Prince Yin and the General came of age, they both moved on from Prince Xian's residence. Steward Xu followed Yin Jinglong to Prince Yin's residence, while Elder Zhong followed Yin Jingheng to his General's residence, managing its miscellaneous affairs.
Ever since Yin Jingheng went on an expedition to the Snow Mountains three years ago and never returned, this old man Zhong has been guarding the general's mansion without his master day and night, looking forward to the stars, the sunset, and the return of his master. Although he is the same age as Manager Xu, he has aged a lot in the past few years and looks like he is four or five years older than Manager Xu.
After hearing from Manager Xu that General Heng was still alive and even married, his eyes, which hadn't shone for a long time, suddenly lit up. He grabbed Manager Xu's arm and begged, "Old Xu, take me to see the girl."
The first time Mr. Zhong saw Hanyu, he affectionately called her "Madam General." This title of general's wife really made her uncomfortable.
She asked Mr. Zhong and Manager Xu to call her "Miss Hanyu" as they did.
Old Zhong nodded with sobs, looking at her with tears in his eyes. Although it was their first meeting, he looked at her as if she were a relative he hadn't seen for many years.
"I heard that Miss Hanyu met our General Heng on the snowy mountain? Is he... is he okay? Is he injured? Why didn't he go home?"
"Mr. Zhong, I understand you're worried about him. If I had known his identity earlier, I would have let him return to the Central Plains. It's a pity he lost his memory and forgot his identity. It's not that he didn't want to go home, but he didn't know how to get home."
Hanyu felt guilty towards Mr. Zhong. Whether in her past life or this life, she failed to protect Ajiang, and she lost Ajiang again.
Steward Xu interrupted their conversation: "Now is not the time to commemorate General Heng. After all, he is not dead yet! Now we should think about how to find General Heng and rescue our prince!"
"That's right, it's important to find the general!" Old Zhong wiped away his tears.
The three of them sat down together and planned the next move in detail. They finally decided that Old Zhong would send a small team from the General's Mansion to search for Yin Jingheng along the road to southern Xinjiang.
In addition, Hanyu and Manager Xu took Xin Da and the other two to the Bai family's old house in Shaoxiang, Jiangnan to look for Bai's relics.
When Xin Da, who was guarding the dungeon of the palace, learned about this, his first reaction was to refuse. After all, he had barely escaped from General Heng and avoided being harmed by Princess Chao Yang. He no longer wanted to take the risk and get involved in this mess.
Hanyu had no choice but to bring up the goddess to scare him.
"Don't forget that you were able to escape the bloody disaster this time because I pleaded with the goddess on your behalf. I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. If the goddess wants to punish you again in the future, I will no longer care whether you live or die."
Xin Da believed her words again, and begged her with tears and pity not to say bad things about him in front of the goddess. He still wanted to live to be seventy years old, and he had not become a grandfather yet, and there were still many wishes that had not been fulfilled!
Helpless Xin Da was taken on the road by her as a personal bodyguard to protect her and Manager Xu.
In order to hide their identities, the three disguised themselves as merchants from Jiangnan and entered Shaoxiang, where they found Xinglin Village where the Bai family lived.
The Jiangnan water towns, located on fertile plains, have unique geographical advantages for the development of various businesses. Many merchants in the capital came from this area. They controlled the economic lifeline of the Great Yin Dynasty, such as silk, rice, porcelain, ironware, etc.
Decades ago, the ancestors of the Bai family made their fortune from silk fabrics, and grew bigger and stronger, becoming one of the four richest families in Jiangnan. They prospered for more than ten years until the generation of Yin Jinglong's grandfather Bai Che, when the family declined.
As the saying goes, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. Even if the Bai family's ancestors' foundation was destroyed in Bai Che's generation, the family property they left behind was enough for Bai Che to live a life of idleness and waiting for death. Unfortunately, a wrong decision he made destroyed the Bai family's foundation for many years.
This wrong decision was to send his only daughter Bai Runen to the Prince Xian's mansion, where they were cruel and ruthless.
Hanyu and his group disguised themselves as merchants from the north who came to the Jiangnan area to make purchases. They asked all the way to Xinglin Village and found their local manager to inquire about the location of the Bai family's old house.
The man looked at the three strange people in front of him with suspicion and asked, "The Bai family's old house was sealed by the court more than ten years ago. What are you doing there? Even if you go there, it's a deserted house. There is neither the person you are looking for nor the things you want. Don't waste your energy."
Manager Xu immediately guessed that the manager was one of the Xinglin Village chief's subordinates, so he secretly took out a few silver ingots from his pocket and forced them into his hands, saying in a friendly manner, "Little brother, you don't know, but we are entrusted by the descendants of the Bai family. We can't bear to see the house left by our ancestors abandoned, so we want to renovate the old house. Please show me the way. We won't get you into trouble."
The young man's attitude softened after receiving the silver. He pointed the three of them in the direction and reminded them, "In the past, people from the capital came to inspect the house. They haven't been here for a while, but you still have to be careful. Don't stay around during the day. Be careful of being targeted by people with ulterior motives. Go at night. However... I've also heard from people nearby that the house is haunted at night! So... it's up to you whether you want to go in or not! I can only help you up to this point."
After saying that, he put the white silver into his purse and left without looking back.
When he heard that the place was haunted, the strong man Xin Da was the first to get scared. He backed out before he even went.
"I just saved my life from the King of Hell, but if anyone else goes to that place with so much negative energy, their life span will be shortened!"
"If you don't go, I'll go to the Goddess Temple tomorrow and file a complaint against you. I'll make you lose another twenty years of your life!"
Faced with Hanyu's threat, Xin Da was in a dilemma. Even though he was extremely unwilling, he dared not disobey. After all, he was a man who valued his life.
Manager Xu couldn't help but tease him, "You're a strong man, but you're as timid as a mouse. You're not even as good as an old man like me and a weak woman like Miss Hanyu! If you don't behave yourself, I'll definitely report you to the prince when he returns!"
"Oh my! My dear ancestors and aunts! I, Xin Da, can't stand being frightened by you! Can't I just go with you obediently?"
"That's more like it~"
The three of them found an inn in Xinglin Village and waited until dusk fell and the streets were deserted before making their move. Following the direction the young man pointed, they found the Bai family's old house, just southeast of Xinglin Village, by the stream.
As dusk fell, the setting sun splattered like blood on the outlines of the overlapping distant mountains, and also reflected the forgotten house by the stream.
The high walls had long since collapsed, their broken remains stabbing menacingly at the gray sky like the broken ribs of a giant beast. The plaster had peeled away, exposing the rough blue bricks beneath, etched with holes like honeycombs from years of wind and rain.
Of the once vermilion-painted gate, only half remained, hanging askew on rotten hinges, as if ready to collapse at any moment. The plaque that once hung above the door lintel had long since vanished, leaving only a few rusty copper nails stubbornly embedded in the rotten wood, a hollow reminder of the name that once held this place.
Once you step over the threshold, weeds unscrupulously overrun all paths, knee-deep. Newly sprouted wormwood rustles among the withered grass stems, rustling in the evening breeze and making whispering noises.
In the center of the courtyard, there is a dead old locust tree with twisted branches that are like ghost claws, pointing straight to the sky. A few pieces of broken kite debris that have long been dried by the wind are still hanging on the branches, floating weakly in the wind.
There is a dry well under the tree, the edge of the well is covered with thick dark green moss, as deep as a bottomless pupil.
When passing by the dry well, the three of them couldn't help but feel their hair stand on end. They felt that this place was extremely gloomy and they didn't dare to move their eyes towards the well, for fear of encountering something unclean.
The outline of the main house still stood, but the eaves and corners had mostly collapsed, the black tiles had fallen away, revealing the rotten rafters beneath. Most of the carved window frames were broken and scattered, and the few that remained were covered with tattered window paper, which whimpered in the wind like the sighs of a dying person.
Looking inside through the hole, the room was filled with thick, impenetrable darkness. The outlines of overturned tables and chairs could be vaguely seen, covered with thick dust and cobwebs, as if draped in a layer of gray shroud.
A thick smell of decay, a mixture of moldy wood, dust and some indescribable smell, wafted faintly from the doorway and window cracks, choking the lungs.
The east and west wings were in even greater disrepair, their roofs sagging and their walls tilting, their original appearance barely recognizable. Only a clump of wild white camellias bloomed in an unusually lush spot in the corner. The pale blossoms swayed slightly in the twilight, forming an eerie contrast with the desolate surroundings, emitting a sweet yet cold aura that added a touch of foreboding.
There were a few crows standing on the eaves, occasionally making a few short and hoarse "quack" sounds in the twilight, and then returned to dead silence.
The wind blew through the empty halls, broken windows, and collapsed moon-shaped doors, making whimpers that sometimes sounded high and sometimes low, sometimes like sobbing and complaining, sometimes like the roar of a ghost, echoing in the empty ruins and stirring the silent air.
As dusk deepened, the last ray of light faded. The deserted house sank completely into shadow, like a dormant beast. Only endless silence and the pervasive, chilling feeling of being watched remained, silently devouring any living being that approached.
"The main house is in front of us. Which of us three will go in first?"
The tall and strong Xin Da was like a hiding mouse at this moment, hiding at the back and hesitating to move forward.
"Of course it's you!" Manager Xu pushed him to the front.
Xin Da had a lot of grievances, so he had to bite the bullet and push the door open. The dilapidated wooden door creaked like an old man's groan, adding to the eerie atmosphere in the darkness.
After the door of the main house was opened, what came into view was a shabby wardrobe with the door half-open. A gust of cold wind blew, and the half door suddenly moved.
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