Ending
Qi Mingxiu's back was pressed against the carved door of the ancestral hall, his palms covered in cold sweat.
Is this something a human can do?
He watched helplessly as the mistress of the Ye family's head slowly twisted, her neck making crackling sounds as bones dislocated, and finally stopped at a strange angle.
"S-Sorry to bother you!"
Qi Mingxiu had some thoughts of retreating, and his back bumped hard into Zhang Dazhui who was slowly approaching. The two of them staggered a few steps, and before Zhang Dazhui could stand firmly, he met the mistress's dark eyes.
"Bang!"
Zhang Dazhui turned around, closed the door, and bolted it at the fastest speed in his life. He did it in one go and locked Qi Mingxiu in the ancestral hall.
"Zhang Dazhu! You ***!"
Qi Mingxiu grumbled for a moment, then forced a flattering smile when he turned around, "Mom, please speak softly. You scared the child..."
What was unexpected was that the mistress actually obeyed obediently.
She slowly turned her head back to its normal position, folded her hands on her knees, straightened her back, and wore a standard smile on the corner of her mouth, like a puppet that had been manipulated, waiting obediently for him to continue speaking.
So just now you were... just teasing me?
Cold sweat broke out on Qi Mingxiu's forehead. This kind of "understanding" made him even more uneasy, like the calm before the storm, as if a more terrifying explosion would come in the next second.
He quietly looked around, looking for an escape route. The windows of the hall were nailed shut with wooden boards, and the only exit was the door locked by Zhang Dazhu.
"Li'er, don't you have questions for me?" The mistress's voice suddenly became fluent, but still filled with a sense of rigidity and dullness. "Why are you silent?"
Qi Mingxiu had a smile on his face, but his eyes were fixed on every change in his mistress's expression: "Mother, I was just thinking... You said Ye Qingwu died of an illness, but what was the illness?"
Mother's face suddenly froze, and the corners of her mouth twitched for a moment, as if something was struggling under her flesh. Her fingers suddenly dug into her knees, her knuckles turning white, and she squeezed out a sentence from her throat: "I got sick... I didn't make it, so why else could I do that?" Her voice was dry, as if it was squeezed out by someone holding a string.
Qi Mingxiu narrowed his eyes. She was lying.
He immediately changed the question, speaking in a frivolous tone, as if it were just a casual chat: "Then why did I marry Yao Niang?"
The mistress answered quickly this time: "Of course you like it."
"Why do I like her?"
"Of course, it's gentle and considerate enough."
"Then where did she come from? Why do I know her?"
…
Faced with a series of questions, the mistress fell silent. There was still a stiff smile on the corner of her mouth, but her eyes were motionless, staring straight at Qi Mingxiu.
The air stagnated for a moment.
Finally, she spoke slowly, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible: "Daylight...is about to begin."
Her head was slightly tilted, revealing a piece of skin on her neck. Qi Xiuming didn't know if it was his illusion, but he felt that the skin didn't seem very smooth, as if something was wriggling inside.
"If you don't go back to the bridal chamber..." Her mouth curled up little by little, and the smile grew wider and wider, almost reaching her ears. "The bride...will be angry."
Before he could finish his words, the candles in the ancestral hall went out with a puff.
In the darkness, Qi Mingxiu heard a burst of "giggle" laughter, which was very close to him, as if something was sticking to his back and blowing gently into his ear.
"Go back quickly."
This time it was no longer the calm and peaceful tone from before. It was awkward, heavy and mixed with a hint of sadness. Qi Xiuming didn't understand it, but he also knew that this game had finally come to an end.
"How do you feel, Master Qi?"
Ah Luo pushed the door open with a smile, lit the fire stick in her hand, and relit the candles in the ancestral hall. The warm yellow light dispelled the darkness and illuminated Qi Mingxiu's changeable face.
"so……"
Qi Mingxiu slowly raised his head. "I still don't know why the Ye family was wiped out until the end." He gave a sly smile, tapping his fingers on the table. "Is this considered a scam?"
Just as Ah Luo was about to explain, a light laugh suddenly came from deep within the ancestral hall.
"Don't be anxious, Mr. Qi~"
The clear and beautiful voice made Qi Mingxiu turn around abruptly.
In the flickering candlelight, a woman in red clothes came out from behind the ancestral tablet. Although she was wearing plain clothes, it could not hide her delicate and beautiful appearance.
"you……"
Qi Mingxiu's pupils suddenly shrank. He had just secretly observed every corner of the ancestral hall and found no place where people could hide. Where did this woman come from?
"So, you are the owner of this haunted house?"
Qi Mingxiu raised an eyebrow. Although his heart was filled with suspicion, he had no intention of losing. He stood straight, with an attitude that said, "This won't end until I give you a reasonable explanation."
"That's right."
Ruan Yunsheng admitted frankly, a smile on his lips, "I believe Mr. Qi has already read the rules of the haunted house. All questions about this plot can be found in this Ye Mansion. If you are interested, you can participate in the subsequent search activities."
"Even so, your plot doesn't explain the truth behind the Ye family's extermination!" Qi Mingxiu snorted coldly, "Isn't it still a scam?"
Ruan Yunsheng blinked in mock grievance. "How can that be counted? We clearly stated at the opening that the plot is divided into three acts. You've only experienced the first act, so the true answer will naturally be revealed at the end."
"Then I'll experience it now!" Qi Mingxiu proudly pulled out a gold ingot from his pocket and said, "Money, I'll take care of it!"
Ruan Yunsheng showed a professional smile: "But Master Qi, it's getting late, and the shop is about to close."
Qi Mingxiu was stunned and turned to look out the window. The sun had already set, the night was falling, and the stars were faintly visible.
He wanted to raise the price and argue, but suddenly he remembered something, his face changed drastically, and he ran out in a hurry.
"Hey! Your clothes haven't been returned yet!" Hua Rong shouted behind him.
Qi Mingxiu originally wanted to say that he would send someone to return it tomorrow, but when he looked down, he found that he was still wearing the wedding dress, so he had to bite the bullet and turn back, hurriedly changing back into his own clothes.
"Mr. Qi, don't forget to return to the shop to answer questions tomorrow!" Hua Rong looked at his flustered back and called out loudly from behind.
When he finally rushed out of the Ye Mansion's gate, it was already late at night and the streets were empty. Qi Mingxiu ran all the way home, his heart beating like a drum, his mind full of the thought, "It's all over."
When I rushed to the gate of the mansion and saw that it was open, my heart finally settled down. It seemed that the old man was in a good mood today and even left the door open for me.
He breathed a sigh of relief and walked into the mansion happily. The lights were on and the servants were busy in an orderly manner. It was a peaceful scene.
Seeing this, Qi Mingxiu completely relaxed and walked towards his yard with a swagger.
As soon as I stepped into the room——
"Bang!"
Someone kicked him hard in the knee pit from behind, his legs went limp and he fell to his knees with a thud.
“Who is it?!”
The spoiled young man was already frightened in the haunted house and was beaten when he came back. He instantly got furious and turned around to beat someone up.
However, when he saw the situation inside the house clearly, his whole body froze, and he knelt down again without hesitation, with a flattering smile, his voice trembling slightly: "Dad... you, you're back..."
He swore that nothing could be scarier than this, and that a haunted house wasn't even close to enough.
Inside the room, Old Master Qi sat upright on the armchair, holding two iron walnuts in his hands, his face as gloomy as ink.
"You had a great time. I heard..." The old man spoke slowly, his voice as cold as ice, "Did you go to the Ye Mansion today?"
Qi Mingxiu felt a chill on his back, and cold sweat instantly soaked his inner clothes.
It’s over!
Qi Mingxiu wailed in his heart. The old man was most averse to such evil things, especially after the incident at the Ye Mansion. He strictly forbade anyone in the mansion, especially his eldest brother, to get close to that place.
He swallowed hard and said in a trembling voice, "I heard there's a new store there, so my son just went there... to join in the fun."
"Join in the fun!"
Old Master Qi slammed the table in anger, making the teacups clink. "You two will go to that damn place today! Others avoid it, but you are the only one who can do that?!" Then he picked up the rosewood cane and hit him on the face.
"Dad! Dad! I was wrong!" Qi Mingxiu covered his head and ran away, but he didn't dare to hide. His knees were rubbed against the blue bricks and hurt.
Father Qi looked at his disappointing son, his hands shaking with anger. "Did I ever tell you that place is unlucky? You insisted on provoking it. Do you want to ruin the peace of our family?"
"No! Really not!"
Qi Mingxiu hugged his father's thighs, tears streaming down his face, "My son is possessed by a ghost. I won't dare to do it again!"
Father Qi sneered, clearly not believing the brat's nonsense. "From today on, your monthly salary will be reduced by half, and you will copy books for me in this room every day."
"ah?"
Qi Mingxiu was struck by lightning. He hated studying! He howled at the top of his lungs, trying to awaken the remaining kindness in his father.
Unexpectedly, Father Qi kicked the "dog-skin plaster" away and sternly ordered his servants: "He is not allowed to leave the yard until he has copied it a hundred times!"
Compared to the chaotic scene in Qi Mansion, there was laughter and joy in Ye Mansion.
"Come! Celebrate the successful opening of our haunted house!" Ruan Yunsheng raised his glass high, and the amber wine rippled in the candlelight.
Hua Rong smiled and held out a stack of account books. "Today, we received two guests, and the total income was 20 taels of silver. That's 10 taels more than expected. Not bad!"
"And by the way, the young master of the Qi family got a good beating!" A'Luo added, causing everyone to burst into laughter.
It's no wonder they were curious. They really wanted to know why Young Master Qi suddenly left in a hurry, so they asked Song Tinghe and the others to follow him and find out.
Song Tinghe was floating in the air, holding his chin with his hands and smiling, "When Mr. Qi ran away, he even lost one of his shoes."
"But the most exciting part has to be that guy!" Wan Niang slammed the table. "When Qing Wu chased him all over the yard, his face turned as white as snow."
Everyone burst into laughter, even An Yue, who was usually aloof, couldn't help but frown.
Ruan Yunsheng took a sip of wine and glanced at everyone present - the living, the dead, and the living. At this moment, they were all gathered together because of this "haunted" business, and there was an absurd sense of warmth.
"There may be more customers tomorrow." She shook her wine glass, a sly look in her eyes. "Everyone, have a good rest today and we'll fight again tomorrow. To prevent today's customers from leaking our story, we're going to adopt a second plan."
"Don't worry!" An Yue floated to the side of the crowd and put on a patient smile, "I will treat them well..."
The night wind blew, the candlelight flickered, and the smile on her lips became even deeper.
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