Chapter 030: Ancient House Phantom (2)
The other people also arrived. The old housekeeper was not allowed to enter according to the rules, so he helped Tao Xing carry the wheelchair over the threshold and waited outside.
As soon as he entered the door, 080 received a prompt: "Host, the mission target is here."
Sure enough, here, Tao Xing became excited and turned the wheel to look around.
The house was filled with a damp and decaying smell. With the door closed, the sunlight could not get in and it was a little dim. I didn't know if it was because the air was too humid or there was fog today, but when the door was opened, the dim house was slowly filled with mist, lingering around.
The front yard where I was currently standing seemed very empty because there was not much furniture. It was about the height of a three-story building, with a hole in the middle that led to the top. The wooden beams were rotten and blackened, and there were spider webs everywhere. There was layer upon layer of dust.
There are railing corridors on the second and third floors on all sides. There are many rooms, some of which have locked doors and some of which are open.
There is a door at the back of the courtyard, leading to the backyard. Unexpectedly, there are not many weeds in the backyard. Looking from inside, the land is bare.
The target is in this house, so where is it hiding?
There was no specific location, so he had to find it himself. Tao Xing turned his wheelchair and saw his three nephews discussing countermeasures.
"The plaque will definitely not be placed in the hall." Tao Sansi said, "Check the second and third floors. There is no signal in this house. Even the mobile phone can't make an emergency call. If you have any problem, just shout directly."
"Okay, let's go and take a look." They moved up the stairs together, completely ignoring the person in the wheelchair.
080 had just dozed off on the road and was a little confused: "It's just a wooden plaque, isn't it? What's so special about it?"
Tao Xing got these words out of him the first time he heard them on the road.
This plaque of the Tao family is not simple. It is said that a thousand years ago, the ancestor of the Tao family resigned from his official position and returned to his hometown to establish the Tao family, build a house and erect a plaque. This plaque was inscribed by the emperor himself at that time, and the ancestor knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to ask a master to consecrate it. Then, on an auspicious day, a monk chanted scriptures and hung it on the door of the house.
It’s no wonder that the ancestor’s business became a hit on the day the ornament was hung. Since then, the business has been getting better and better, and his fame has been growing. The Tao family’s brand has also been established. This ancestor once became the richest man in the world and enjoyed endless wealth and glory throughout his life.
The ancestors believed that this plaque brought them good luck, so they regarded it as a treasure and told their descendants to treat it with reverence.
The later generations were indeed in awe. In fact, there had been ups and downs over the hundreds of years, and the business had its ups and downs. Fortunately, the foundation had not been shaken, and the Dow brand had been passed down in this way.
However, in the eighth generation, there was a rebellious head of the family. He believed that the business depended on his own ability and had nothing to do with the plaque. He removed the plaque in public. In order to stop his family from having any thoughts of his own, he also asked a master to perform a series of rituals to seal the plaque. He said that no matter whether it had a spirit or not, it was sealed and no one could get it, and there was no hope of getting it.
He then moved his family out of the house and set up a new household. Since then, the house has been abandoned, the door has been locked for many years, and few people have renovated it.
After that, the Tao family's business really got better, and many people began to believe that the plaque was really useless, and gradually, people forgot about it.
However, by the previous generation, the tenth generation, which was the later period when the original owner's father was the head of the family, the business began to decline and the foundation was unstable. The old man tried every possible way to remedy the situation, but it didn't work. Later, he became ill due to anxiety and thought of the plaque as a last resort.
The old house is no longer habitable, but if I take out the plaque and hang it in my current residence, it might be useful.
He only had one son left, and he had decided early on that the position of head of the family would be passed to the original owner. Later, when the business was not doing well, he remembered the plaque and made a rule that whoever could get the plaque would be the head of the family.
Maybe he went to look for it himself but didn't get it, or maybe his health was not good enough to go there. We don't know.
Lao Qu said: "I think the rebellious owner is right. The plaque is just a psychological comfort and has no use for business. But when people are hopeless, entrusting their trust to the gods is also a comfort. The old man made this rule to preserve the last hope."
I don’t know if it is useful or not, but after entering the door, the system reminded me that the mission target is here. Tao Xing believes that the plaque is somewhat meaningful.
When the news that the Tao family could become the head of the family by holding the plaque was announced, the direct descendants still had some concerns. The ancestors said that they should be respectful, and the eighth-generation ancestor took it down. Now the current head of the family said that it should be taken out. What is going on? Who is right?
They did not take any action, and the two side branches had already run away. Then Tao Xing found out that they went crazy after they came out and died soon after. Their deaths were very tragic.
Regarding the seal, after the news was announced, the Great Elder found the descendants of the masters who had set up the sealing formation before. After much research, they developed a method to break it and taught it to everyone who met the qualifications to compete. However, whether it can be broken depends on personal comprehension and ability. Obviously, these two people failed to break it.
Not only did they fail to crack the puzzle, they also saw hallucinations, became mentally ill and committed suicide by jumping into the furnace. They were not sure that the two of them went crazy because they had been to the house, but no one dared to act rashly. They dragged it on and on until the great elder made the final decision. Then, as the old man had decided, the third young master would inherit the title of head of the family. At this time, several nephews were unhappy and finally decided to find out what was going on.
A lean camel is bigger than a horse. There is still competition for the position of head of the family.
080 listened to Tao Xing's narration and said, "So that's how it is. Is there a seal? Do you know how to break it, host?"
Tao Xing: "Without the original owner's memory, I don't know, not even the evil-repelling spell."
"What should we do then? Host, will you be in danger?"
Tao Xing shrugged and said, let's take it one step at a time.
The three people had already gone upstairs, but he couldn't go up in his wheelchair, so he could only wander around on the first floor.
The wind blew in from the open door in the backyard. Next to the round table against the wall, a rocking chair that was about to fall apart rocked gently twice, making a slight creaking sound.
Tao Xing looked back and saw the mist spreading like a veil slowly receding, and the scene in front of her eyes gradually became clearer.
The afternoon light and shadow shine in, tiny dust particles float in the air, and the years leave marks on the mottled walls and broken tables and chairs, but are then covered by the dust.
The wooden floor creaked as people ran upstairs. Tao Xing looked around the dim room and turned to look towards the backyard.
Suddenly there was a scream.
It was Tao Sansi's voice. Tao Xing retracted his gaze and the wheelchair quickly moved back a few times. When he looked up, the screaming had stopped and he saw Tao Sansi standing by the railing on the third floor.
Tao Xing patted his chest: "What's wrong?"
The people upstairs looked down and said, "I saw a mouse."
Tao Xing: “…”
Just now, he was still immersed in the feeling of how time flies, but he was brought back to reality by this call. He was the only one on the first floor, which was a bit creepy. He said, "Come down and keep me company."
Tao Sansi did not respond. It was dark upstairs, and I don't know if he rolled his eyes. He turned and walked into an open door behind him.
Tao Xing shook his head and scolded: "This Tao Sansi!"
There was a clattering sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets coming from the room, but the people inside were probably busy looking for something and paid no attention.
Tao Xing turned his wheelchair and moved forward a few steps. When he looked up, he saw Tao Erxian standing by the railing on the second floor. He might have been startled by the scream and was looking up.
There was no one up there, so his gaze slowly dropped down and fixed on Tao Xing.
Tao Xing stopped and said, "What are you looking at? Then come and accompany me?"
Tao Erxian didn't say anything.
Tao Xing was frightened by being stared at, and looked back to make sure there was no one behind him: "Tao Erxian, come down and give me a hand, I want to go up and take a look too."
Tao Erxian seemed to have just come back to his senses and said, "You wish." Then he turned and went into a room.
"One by one..." Tao Xing was speechless and turned the wheelchair to the wall.
080 looked at the host, confused and puzzled. It felt that the host was a little excited today. Although he was not a silent person usually, he talked a lot today. It’s not that he was nagging, but the main reason was that the host usually would not take the initiative to greet people who ignored him.
"Host, don't get excited or nervous." 080 guessed that the host might be a little excited knowing that the target of the mission was here, but he didn't know what he looked like, so he might be very scary. The host was timid to begin with, so he was even more afraid and nervous in such an environment.
"It's okay, I'm not nervous." Tao Xing was left alone again. He looked around, turned around from under the stairs and was moving forward when he saw Tao Yiming standing at the corner of the stairs.
The room was dark, and the staircase was even darker. The figure stood in the darkness, and it was almost invisible if you didn't look carefully.
Tao Xing said to him unhappily: "How about you come and accompany me?"
Tao Yiming was silent for a moment, then moved. As he moved, light from the small blocked window came in, and a bunch of dust floated in the dark corridor.
"Hey, you're better." Tao Xing smiled and stretched out his hand, "Come and help me."
Tao Yiming walked down slowly and shattered the light.
Tao Xing smiled even more, propped herself up, put her arm in his hand, and used the force to stand up: "Did you find anything?"
"Can't find it." Tao Yiming replied, holding his arm with one hand.
"What about them? Have you asked?" Tao Xing parked the wheelchair against the wall and walked forward with him.
“They can’t find it either.”
"Ah?" Tao Xing paused, "Then there's no need for me to go up." He turned from the staircase, "Maybe it's on the first floor. Let's go over there and take a look."
He leaned on Tao Yiming and staggered to the wall in front of him. There were a few old cabinets there. He opened the cabinets and saw a layer of dust in front of him. He blew it and looked up and down. "Nothing."
Then he leaned against him and walked to the other wall. There were a few brooms and mops piled on the ground. They should have been left by the previous cleaner. He flipped over the brooms and picked at the mops: "No."
He went to the third wall and looked up and down a desk with a broken leg: "No."
Tao Yiming held him all the time, without expressing any opinions or helping him turn the pages.
"Maybe I didn't look carefully just now? Let's go back and take another look." Tao Xing walked to the first wall again.
Tao Yiming helped him to the cabinet.
"Still nothing. Let's go and look again on the second side."
"No, no. Look on the third side."
"No, let's look for it at the first wall..."
Tao Yiming stopped and looked over with a slightly gloomy expression.
Tao Xing met his gaze and smiled: "Okay, I won't go. Why do I keep circling these three walls? Isn't there another place?"
The only wall left was the one with the octagonal table and rocking chair, so Tao Xing walked in that direction.
But the people around him didn't catch up.
Tao Xing was stunned for a moment: "Let's go."
Tao Yiming didn't move: "Don't look for it anymore."
"Why not?" Tao Xing narrowed his eyes, "I came here today to find it." No one was there to help him, so he had to move forward and put his weight on the Eight Immortals Table. After standing firmly, he looked at the table, turned back and smiled, "Tao Yiming, are you scared?"
Tao Yiming looked up in surprise: "I'll go up and take a look." Without waiting for a response, he quickly walked towards the stairs.
Tao Xing watched the figure disappear at the stairs. Suddenly, a series of screams came from upstairs.
It wasn't just one person's voice, but two or three, one here and one there, accompanied by the sound of running and banging. After a while, Tao Sansi rolled down and shouted, "Ghost, there's a ghost, Uncle San, there's a ghost..."
When I’m scared, I know to call him uncle.
He tried desperately to crawl towards the exit, but his limbs were so weak that he could only crawl a few steps. After struggling for several times, he just reached in front of Tao Xing. He shouted in shock: "A legless man is crawling in that room. The ground is covered with bloodstains and his body is also covered in blood. He stretched out his hands towards me and wanted to grab me. Ghost, ah..."
"Ah..." Another louder voice drowned out his voice. Another person climbed down the stairs. It was Tao Erxian. He rolled in front of Tao Xing, skipping the process of climbing a few steps. He fell and couldn't get up: "Hanged ghost, long tongue, long hair, bulging eyes, head broken on the chest..."
Tao Xing: "You guys are seeing hallucinations, but the ghosts you see are different, right?"
After all, he didn't see it with his own eyes, so he wasn't as frightened as they were: "Let's go together, where's the boss?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Yiming rolled down the second-floor stairs with a "thump": "The female ghost in red, her eyes are bleeding, her neck is covered in blood, she is here to take my life..."
"Another different ghost?" Tao Xing's eyes widened. "Your great elder said it was an illusion, caused by the seal distorting the space. You recite the formula to break the seal."
The three nephews were terrified. They stood up and ran out desperately: "I've read it many times, but it's useless. It's useless. I can't crack it at all. It's too real. No, it must be true, it's true..."
They were terrified. They didn't know whether the hallucination was real or not. How could they stay calm and tell? They just wanted to run.
However, no matter how fast they ran, they could not move a few steps. Their bodies felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds and their legs felt like they were filled with lead. No matter how hard they struggled, they could not reach the door. The more they struggled, the heavier they felt. In the end, they could not stand anymore and fell to the ground one after another.
"Is it the power of the seal?" Tao Sansi said in horror, "The two dead people can at least run out, but we can't get out. We will die here directly."
The other two people's faces changed color, and they shouted in fear: "Someone come, Lao Qu, come quickly, someone come..."
The red door was tightly closed, there was no sound at all, and their voices could not be heard at all.
"Uncle San, Uncle San, can you still move?" Several people cried, "Can you move? Hurry up and save people, there are ghosts, let us out..."
Tao Xing raised his finger. Maybe he didn't go upstairs and didn't run into a ghost. He could still move.
"That's great, Uncle San, pull us out, please..." the three shouted.
"Ah, me?" Tao Xing frowned. "No, don't you know the condition of my body? How could I possibly pull you?"
"This..." Several people were startled. This was indeed the truth. They looked at each other in horror. Tao Sansi reacted quickly, "Uncle San, go call for help. Find someone to save us. Go quickly..."
"Yes, yes, yes, let's go out and find someone..." the other two echoed.
"Oh." Tao Xing responded, holding onto the table and moving his feet a little bit.
"Uncle San!" Tao Sansi reminded, "The door is over there, you moved in the wrong direction."
"No." Tao Xing said, "My wheelchair is over there."
"Uncle San, please don't worry about the wheelchair at this time. Go out and call for help first..."
"I can't walk without a wheelchair." Tao Xing said.
The three were speechless.
This is also true. The stairs are only a few steps away from the table, but the door is far away. He definitely can't get there without a wheelchair.
The three of them watched him move in horror, looking up at the building from time to time, fearing that the ghost would chase them.
I don’t know how much time passed.
Tao Sansi couldn't help it and spoke again: "Uncle, you haven't left the table for a long time, please hurry up, please."
"I want to go faster, but this is the only way." Tao Xing said, "How about one of you help me push the wheelchair over?"
"If we can move, do we still need you?" The wheelchair stopped at the stairs. They were all still afraid of stairs. They cried in shock. "Uncle San, why did you put the wheelchair there?"
"I just wanted to go upstairs to take a look, but how can I get there sitting on a chair?" Tao Xing said in a long tone, "No one is watching me, so I can only go up by myself."
The three of them were startled and looked at each other guiltily. For a moment, they did not dare to urge him again: "Uncle San, you didn't call us. You are our uncle. If there is anything, just call us and we will definitely come."
Tao Xing smiled faintly and didn't reply.
080 feels a little strange, this isn’t right. The host clearly called everyone just now, but only Tao Yiming came down. He became impatient after helping him for a while. Why are they all saying they didn’t call him now? Have they all lost their memory?
It wanted to ask the host, but the host was struggling to move forward.
The three brothers didn't dare to say a word and could only close their eyes and pray silently that the ghost would not come down.
Just as they closed their eyes, they heard a "click" and quickly opened their eyes to look over.
But the table that Tao Xing was supporting was broken into pieces, with broken wood scattered all over the floor and sawdust carrying a rotten smell flying everywhere.
Tao Xing lost his support and fell forward. He didn't fall down until he pressed his hand against the wall. He was obviously surprised and stared at the table in disbelief.
Tao Sansi became anxious again: "Uncle San, please don't worry about it. Please go over first."
Tao Xing didn't move, but looked up at the wall he was pressing against.
"Uncle San, Uncle San, what are you thinking about..." Several people shouted anxiously.
"Stop making noise." The shout startled the three people. The tone was stern, completely different from before, and carried an inexplicable sense of oppression. They really didn't dare to say anything more and watched Tao Xing's actions tremblingly.
Tao Xing knocked on the wall, and there was a hollow sound.
He picked up a chair leg and poked it hard, creating a hole in the damp wall.
He pulled along the opening, and the wall fell down, soon revealing a large hole. Inside the hole, a dusty plaque was placed.
"Found it!" The three nephews' faces changed drastically.
Maybe it was destined, and in the end, he found it.
Tao Xing slowly reached inside and took the plaque.
The three of them had no time to argue about anything now. Saving their lives was the most important thing. When they saw that he was about to touch the plaque, they shouted in surprise: "Uncle San, there is a seal, don't touch it." They have already realized the power of the seal. Who knows if they messed with the sealed objects, there will be some disaster.
Tao Xing's hand paused for a moment, then moved forward and pressed the plaque.
A gust of wind blew in from outside the door, ruffling the hair on his forehead. Tao Xing lowered his eyes and saw that the rocking chair was shaking slightly again, making a slight creaking sound.
He exerted force and pulled the plaque out with a "bang".
"Uncle San, don't..." The three nephews were so scared that they wanted to huddle together but they couldn't move. They could only lower their heads, lie on the ground, close their eyes and dare not look.
I kept silent for a long time but didn't hear any sound.
They opened their eyes cautiously, only to see that the breeze had died down, the rocking chair was no longer rocking, and only a few pieces of the wall had fallen off.
Tao Xing was holding the plaque in his hand. It was a grayish red color and about an arm's length. The words on it seemed to be gold, but the dust was too thick to make them out clearly.
Tao Xing took the plaque and turned around.
The three of them were startled again, holding their heads in alarm: "Uncle San, can we just take this out? The seal won't..."
Having said this, they were suddenly stunned and looked at their hands in shock.
They can move.
The seal was broken?
I moved my hands and feet again and I could really move them.
A few people climbed up tremblingly, and finally remembered a little conscience. They did not abandon Tao Xing and run away. They supported each other and still stood here, but they looked at the stairs with lingering fear.
It was quiet there, with only a faint light, as if the terrifying scene just now was an illusion.
The seal must have been broken. When did Uncle San recite the mantra so quickly?
When the plaque was taken out, the ghosts disappeared. Only then did they come to their senses and realize that it was really an illusion.
Their voices were still trembling: "Uncle San, you are so awesome."
"Yes, we recited the formula many times, but it was useless. It seems that we are just like those two people and cannot crack it, but you, Uncle San, cracked it."
This has little to do with physical health. Some people say that people with weak bodies are more likely to come into contact with strange things. Their family is in this business, and they respect people who are proficient in the mysterious ways. In short, their sickly third uncle really broke the seal easily and got the plaque.
It was equivalent to saving them. The seal was really something, otherwise it wouldn't have scared the two of them crazy. If it wasn't solved today, the three of them might also go crazy.
At this point, who would have the heart and courage to compete for the position of head of the family? Third Uncle was originally chosen by the old man, and he also received the plaque, so it was destined to be his.
With eyes of astonishment and admiration, they pushed the wheelchair over and helped Tao Xing sit down: "Uncle San, Uncle San, we got the things, shall we go?"
Tao Xing coughed secretly amid all the compliments: What seal? There is nothing.
He didn't do anything.
You guys were so scared that your hands and feet went limp, but now you've recovered, right?
He didn't explain, calmly placed the plaque on his lap, and nodded: "Let's go."
The mahogany door creaked open. It was already evening and the fiery sunset shone in.
Old Qu turned around to push the wheelchair, and when he saw the plaque, he was surprised: "Master, you got it."
Tao Xing raised his eyebrows and smiled.
Old Qu glanced at the three nephews and pushed the wheelchair with secret joy: "Let's go, let's go back."
The mahogany door closed slowly and locked with a click.
The three nephews were not angry either. They just followed him obediently.
The golden afterglow fell from the high walls, brushed past the wooden door, and landed on the ruts.
Tao Xing brushed the plaque, and a large cloud of dust floated up. He coughed twice, twisted the inscription with his fingers, and wiped away the dust. The three words "Xian Yue Ting" gradually became clear under his fingertips, and the golden handwriting reflected the setting sun, shimmering with a faint light.
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