We groped our way forward along the narrow, dilapidated passage, the ground beneath our feet uneven and puddled in some places.
"Speaking of this botanical garden, wasn't it a cemetery before? How come there are still these old-fashioned buildings here?"
I couldn't help but look at Professor Tan with a puzzled expression. He was the oldest person there and the most likely to know.
"It's probably where the grave caretakers used to live in the cemetery. This botanical garden has incorporated it directly into the complex and made it part of the architecture. I wonder what kind of crazy idea they're up to."
Professor Tan looked solemn.
Is that so?
Lost in thought, I walked for about several dozen steps until the passage came to a fork in the road. One path continued forward, becoming even deeper and darker.
On the other side, it turns to the right, and you can vaguely see the hazy moonlight at the end, which should lead to the courtyard outside.
"Go to the right."
I made a decision immediately.
Our goal now is to find a way out. Wandering around the building like headless flies will only lead to more danger.
I couldn't help but smile wryly. The timing of this salon was just too clever. It was around three or four in the afternoon, and it was easy to drag it out into the evening!
Our initial idea was to find a way to sneak out once it got dark, which we thought wouldn't be too difficult. However, in practice, we found that they had far too many ways to trap us here!
We simply can't defend against it!
All I can say is that the damn richest man Zeng is really too insidious, and there's that sorcerer behind him with all sorts of evil spells. He's really not to be underestimated.
As I was thinking, I turned to the right-hand passage.
The passage was short, ending at a half-open wooden gate; pushing open the gate led to the courtyard.
We went outside and found ourselves in a small backyard.
Or rather, it's an extremely remote corner enclosed by high walls.
Luo Tianhe's eyes lit up. Could it be that this is the edge of the manor, and perhaps he can get out by climbing over a wall?
But reality gave him a harsh dose of reality.
Because the wall was a full two zhang high, and made of blue bricks, covered with slippery moss, it was impossible to climb.
I walked up to the wall and looked at it.
Although the layout of this manor is strange, its size is fixed. According to our guess, if we haven't been misled and have been walking in a straight line, we should be close to the edge by now!
"Check if there's a back door or a dog hole or something."
As Professor Tan spoke, he disregarded his esteemed status and began to carefully examine the base of the wall, even climbing through the dog hole.
It seems he is also terrified of this place and wants to escape as soon as possible.
The corner wasn't big; apart from the wooden fence gate we came out of, it was surrounded by high walls on three sides, and there was garbage piled up in the corner.
Suddenly, Professor Tan, who was walking at the front, stopped and exclaimed softly.
There's a door here!
We quickly went over, and sure enough, hidden in the shadow of the high wall, behind a pile of withered branches and leaves, was a small wooden door in the ground!
This thing is probably very old; the wood lacquer has long since peeled off, revealing the dark brown wood grain. Several crooked planks are nailed to it with rusty iron nails, making it look rickety. The door is unlocked, only secured from the inside by an old-fashioned iron gate.
"We can go out now!"
Li Huai's face lit up with joy.
I reached out and tried the gate, but it was rusted shut and wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pulled.
"You step back, I'll take over."
Luo Tianhe took a deep breath, and seeing that I had moved aside, he raised his foot and kicked the wooden board hard.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the door shook violently, dust falling in clumps, but it didn't open; it was much sturdier than it looked.
"Damn this broken door, I don't believe it, let's try again!"
Luo Tianhe kicked him hard twice more.
A cracking sound came from the gate, and the entire small door suddenly swung open, revealing a dark space behind it, the destination of which was unknown.
A stronger, more stale smell wafted over me, like a warehouse that hadn't been set foot in for years. I sniffed and seemed to smell a familiar scent, like incense ash!
"It's open!"
Luo Tianhe took a breath, somewhat surprised, and took the lead to crawl inside.
I followed closely behind, and Li Huai and Professor Tan also came over.
Behind the door was an extremely narrow and low passage, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and you had to bend over to walk through.
"Damn it, is this a road or a dog hole?!"
Luo Tianhe cursed under his breath.
"Alright, let's go. Maybe they'll keep this passage open by making it look like a dog hole."
I replied to him.
We held our breath and groped our way forward in the darkness.
After about ten steps, a faint light appeared ahead, but unfortunately, it was not the moonlight we had been hoping for.
I was immediately disappointed. It seemed that the path led not to the outside, but to some unknown room.
Sure enough, at the end of the passage was a very small room, square in shape, without even windows, like a coffin.
There was only a dilapidated altar against the wall, with two half-burnt white candles on it.
The candlelight burned dimly, casting a half-light, half-shadow over the room. Above the altar, on the wall, hung a faded, yellowed portrait with curled edges. It depicted an elderly man in Qing Dynasty official robes, his face blurred.
In front of the portrait was a small, dusty incense burner with three burnt-out incense sticks inserted inside.
Scattered on the ground beneath the table were remnants of offerings that looked like fruits and pastries. Was this a hidden ancestral hall or mourning hall?
But who would set up an ancestral hall in such a remote and dark room?
They were still burning candles.
I was a little confused.
"Is this old man an ancestor of the former richest man? Or was he an official? No wonder he's so rich; he was probably a big corrupt official back then!"
Li Huai spoke first.
"It doesn't seem like it. If it really was his ancestor, how could the ancestral hall be so shabby? He was a very wealthy man, surely he could afford to decorate a decent mourning hall."
I said, "It doesn't feel like this is his ancestral shrine at all."
“Someone must have been here recently; the candles are still lit, so it shouldn’t have been long ago.”
Luo Tianhe stared at the flickering flames, his hand resting on his baton.
I squinted, carefully examining the portraits and antique furnishings on the wall, my expression growing increasingly solemn.
"No, the way the offering table is set up and the portraits are definitely not from an ancestral hall!"
I shouted sternly.
Everyone immediately looked at me. I paused for a moment, then continued, "Look at the position of that incense burner, it's too far to the left! And the candles are of different lengths, one longer on the left and one shorter on the right. The offerings are scattered on the ground, and no one has cleaned them up. This is a layout indicating that the ancestral grave is uneasy and the vengeful spirits have not yet rested!"
Luo Tianhe and Li Huai were immediately startled, and Professor Tan's expression also turned ugly.
My heart skipped a beat, and my gaze swept across the small space again, finally settling on the corner of the wall to the right of the altar.
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