"Really!" Lingxi exclaimed anxiously. "It's not just the master; I checked on them myself. The servants in the backyard were like they were dead, completely still all night. But just a short while ago, a rooster crowed, and they all woke up at the same time, jumping around like crazy. It was terrifying!"
"Is that so?" Yan Qing suddenly remembered that she had disappeared without any warning. She remembered that she was serving people in the garden just moments before!
No, I must have overlooked something.
So Yan Qing quickly asked Lingxi, "Lingxi, think carefully, before those people woke up, was there anything unusual about the Zhang family's old house?" She certainly didn't come back for no reason.
Lingxi frowned. "But it was very quiet all night, and nothing strange happened—oh, right, I heard three rooster crows before you came back."
"A rooster crowed—?" Yan Qing recalled that she had vaguely heard it when she returned. Could it be that the rooster's crow was the reason they came back?
To verify this guess, Yan Qing tried it again that night.
This time, they appeared in that abandoned courtyard again, but the house was no longer as lively as it had been the day before.
As she passed by the small building where the distinguished guests were staying, she noticed that almost all the guards were gone, and the noise inside the building was noticeably less, as if there were hardly any people there.
Yan Qing was puzzled. What was going on?
Upon arriving in the garden, she noticed several maids in white robes busily cleaning. She then took the opportunity to join them.
The garden was a mess, littered with scraps of food from yesterday, and long drag marks on the ground. Yan Qing worked with her head down while eavesdropping on the maids chatting nearby.
"Sigh—another day of cleaning. I heard another group of people is coming in a couple of days, then we'll have even more work to do." One of the maids was clearly a little resentful.
The person next to her bluntly exposed her, "I think you're just hoping they come. With so much blood and gore, everyone in our house could have a good meal. How dare you say that!"
"That's right!"
"Look how red your face is! You must have gotten quite a bit of a treat yesterday!"
"Ha ha--"
The group started joking with each other, and one of the maids noticed Yan Qing.
"Huh? I've never seen you before?"
Yan Qing lowered her head. "I serve the Second Miss. It's understandable that you haven't seen me before."
"Oh, so it's her—" Everyone began to show her sympathy.
"The second young lady and the other three young ladies are a taboo in our household; everyone avoids them like the plague! You're really unlucky!"
Yan Qing continued to lower her head, perfectly portraying a pitiful figure. This made the others feel embarrassed, and after a brief discussion, they all took out a red pill from their pockets.
Here, take it!
Four or five red pills were slipped into her hand, and the head maid said with a concerned expression,
"You serve the Second Miss, so you probably haven't received your red pills for quite some time. Last night, we all received our new red pills, which were collected by the sisters for you. Remember, you must not let the Second Miss find out."
Yan Qing was so moved that tears almost welled up in her eyes. "Thank you, sisters! You're all so kind to me."
The lead maid in white patted her shoulder. "Compared to you, we are much luckier. The Second Miss is alive and well, and she has only been back for a short time. It is much more difficult for you to serve her."
“That’s right!” The white-clad maid who had spoken first chimed in, “Luckily, we dealt with all those outsiders yesterday, so we can finally have a good meal.”
Yan Qing's heart was in turmoil, but her expression remained extremely humble.
"Thank you, sisters."
"Hurry up, let's stop talking and get to work!" someone urged, glancing at the sky.
"Ladies, I have to deliver something to the young lady, so I'll be leaving now."
After saying goodbye to the several maids in white, Yan Qing hurriedly left the garden.
Her mind was in complete disarray. All those adventurers in the garden yesterday were dead!
She is now completely convinced that this so-called "Zhang Family Old Residence in Cangyun Mountain" is nothing but a complete scam.
Those strange creatures that can only hide during the day and come out at night must have somehow gotten to this place using that magical ice bed.
Once anyone enters this place, there is only one fate—to die and become their prey.
Yan Qing suddenly felt a little regretful. She should have given the "Zhang Family Old House Rules" she had to the adventurers here yesterday!
However, there was one thing she couldn't understand. These adventurers hadn't even entered the dungeon, so how could they suddenly die? It didn't make sense!
Just to be on the safe side, she secretly checked the entrances and exits near the old house again, and unexpectedly made a discovery.
As she passed by the small building where the adventurers lived once again, she saw a handsome man leading a new group of adventurers into the building.
How come she's never seen this person before?
Yan Qing recalled the round-faced girl she met yesterday. She remembered that the girl had said that a person named "Chu Jiang" had brought them in.
She looked at the unfamiliar, handsome man again, and was absolutely certain that this person was not Chu Jiang at all.
Yan Qing subconsciously glanced at the time; the so-called "Holy Fire Festival" they mentioned was only a few days away. Adventurers should be arriving gradually, and she needed to think of a way to avoid too many casualties.
Yan Qing noticed that the place where Chu Jiang had appeared earlier seemed to be where he came out of a cave.
But when she followed the road to what appeared to be the exit of the cave, she found it was just a wall covered in moss.
She was not giving up. Could it be that none of the many adventurers before her had survived?
Surely there must be some clues at all?
Oh, and the geomantic map!
Yan Qing's eyes lit up; sure enough, the geomantic map contained the solution to the problem here.
Following the instructions, she went directly to a spot about fifty meters from the cave and, where her toes were pointing, she found a small protrusion.
Yan Qing pressed down hard without hesitation.
To her left, the vines suddenly parted to the sides, revealing a passage just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Upon entering the underground cave, Yan Qing's mouth involuntarily gaped open. There were so many tunnels here; without proper guidance, an outsider would surely be trapped and die!
She had walked a short distance when she suddenly felt as if she had stepped on someone's foot.
"who!"
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