Chapter 48: The Mysterious Village

"What's going on?" Wang Hu scratched his head.

"This place is so strange," Su Qianqian said.

"Let's just go to the sixth house," Zhang Xiaofan sighed and walked over.

Li Ting's home was in a state of extreme decay; it was nothing more than a small, dilapidated shack that seemed as if it hadn't been visited in ages. After a knock on the door, an old woman opened it with trembling hands.

"Grandma, we’ve come to ask some questions about Li Ting," Su Qianqian said.

The old woman smiled and asked, "You're from her school, aren't you?"

"Yes," the group nodded.

"Good, good. Come on in." As the door opened, the old woman stooped to let them inside. It was only then that they noticed a black-and-white portrait of Li Ting hanging on the wall.

Gazing at the photo, the old woman sighed, "In the blink of an eye, my Tingting has been gone for so many years. This is the first time anyone has come to visit her. Thank you all for your trouble."

As the old woman spoke, Zhang Xiaofan scanned the room. It was thick with cobwebs, the furniture was decrepit, and tea bowls sat on the table. There was also a picture frame sitting neatly on the table, though it was covered by a piece of black cloth.

The old woman turned toward them and asked, "What is it you wanted to ask about Tingting?"

Zhang Xiaofan asked, "Why did all the students in the dormitory where Tingting lived die? And how did she die in the boiler room?"

The old woman shook her head, then suddenly looked terrified. "They died so miserably... they all died."

"Yes, they all died. Grandma, can you tell us exactly what happened?" Su Qianqian asked.

*Whoosh...*

The candlelight in the room flickered suddenly, nearly extinguishing. Zhang Xiaofan felt something was wrong; the place was too eerie.

"They're all dead. It's best if you don't ask about any of this, or you'll find yourselves in great trouble," the old woman said in a grim, low voice.

Zhang Xiaofan frowned. At that moment, he noticed the picture frame on the table and wondered why anyone would cover a frame with black cloth. With that thought in mind, he walked over and lifted the cloth. His pupils contracted sharply.

The person in the photo was none other than the old woman herself.

She was a dead woman!

***

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofan felt a chill run down his spine. Immediately, the last of the candlelight in the room went out completely.

"I told you not to ask! Since you insisted, you can all go and be buried with Tingting!"

The old woman let out a piercing shriek so shrill it felt as if their eardrums would burst. Zhang Xiaofan grabbed the two girls and bolted from the room, followed closely by Wang Hu and Hu Xiaotian. They looked back at the house with lingering fear, only to realize it was nothing like it had appeared before; it was so ruinous it was impossible for anyone to live there.

"We were caught in a 'Ghost's Blindfold,' and the spirit is very powerful," Zhang Xiaofan said angrily. Even with his "Ghost Eye," he hadn't been able to see through the illusion, which meant the entities here were far more formidable than him.

"Ah..."

Suddenly, screams erupted from around the village, and several figures came sprinting toward them.

"It's Zhang Hua and the others," Wang Hu said, his eyes sharp.

Zhang Hua was dragging Zhou Liping and several other girls along as they ran in terror. Wang Hu cursed, "What are you doing? Didn't we tell you to wait outside?"

"What's going on?" Zhang Xiaofan also asked.

"It's no good, we couldn't stay," Zhang Hua explained, still trembling with fear. "Suddenly, a lot of corpses appeared on the path we took, and several people were killed. Many students got scared and just ran off. I was going to fight alongside Murong Feng, but two spirits in red were too strong. We lost several classmates just to escape here."

"What? Corpses?" Zhang Xiaofan's heart sank.

"Maybe... we should run," Zhou Liping stammered. He had only survived because of Zhang Hua's strength; otherwise, he would have been dead long ago.

This time, Zhang Hua didn't scold him. She nodded and said, "Yes, let's retreat for now and come back during the day."

"Ah... help..." The screams of students echoed again from the distance.

Zhang Xiaofan cursed under his breath. "We can't just leave like this. Follow me!"

He led the way, charging out. As they moved, the screams continued to rise and fall around them. They were completely disoriented in this place.

Suddenly, a figure holding a sickle emerged from a dark corner. He moved with a slow, staggering gait. Hu Xiaotian pointed at him and said, "Someone's there."

Wang Hu walked over and barked, "Hey, don't go around scaring people in the middle of the night!"

His response was a slash from the sickle.

*Swish...*

***

"Damn it!" Wang Hu leaped back, narrowly avoiding the attack. His expression turned ugly as he shouted, "What the hell is this thing?"

"Wuu... uhhh..."

The figure let out a hideous sound. Zhang Xiaofan unleashed a torrent of fire that instantly engulfed the creature. Wang Hu swung his broadsword, decapitating the attacker in one stroke.

When the flames died down and they saw the creature's face, their expressions turned somber.

"Its body is completely rotten. It's a corpse," Zhang Xiaofan said.

"Everyone, be careful. There are a lot of these things nearby," Zhang Hua said, swallowing hard. Although she was brave, she hadn't seen much of this kind of horror.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded. "Wang Hu, Xiaotian, guard the flanks. Zhang Hua, keep the others behind us. Everyone, stay alert."

Zhang Xiaofan arranged the group quickly. He realized now that this village was far more troublesome than he had imagined. The group began to walk cautiously, heading toward the loudest screams. But every time they arrived, they found nothing but pools of blood.

What worried Zhang Xiaofan even more was that no matter which direction they chose, they always ended up back where they had started. The village was like a giant labyrinth; they were clearly moving in different directions, yet they kept returning to the same spot.

"It's over, we're lost! We've walked in a huge circle and ended up back at the start. This is definitely a 'Ghost Wall'!" Zhou Liping said, shivering.

*Smack!* Zhang Hua slapped him and cursed, "Brother Xiaofan hasn't said a word, so why are you whining? If you keep complaining, I'll throw you into a pile of corpses!"

Zhou Liping clutched his face, looking miserable. "I was wrong, okay?"

Zhang Hua snorted, then whispered to Zhang Xiaofan, "Brother Xiaofan, you're the smartest one here. You have to lead us out."

The girls beside her nodded hopefully, pleading with Zhang Xiaofan to save them.

Zhang Xiaofan shook his head helplessly. "Just stay close to me."

Even he was feeling extremely tense. An hour had passed, and other than Zhang Hua’s group, they hadn't seen a single soul.

"Oh no, people are dying, people are dying..." A figure came jogging toward them from the distance.

Seeing this, Zhang Hua was overjoyed. "It's Xiaofang! We got separated earlier; I didn't think she was still alive!"