Translator: Cinder Translations
--------
The village head, helpless, not daring to offend Jiang Cheng, gave a signal to the dark-skinned man who had been holding the umbrella for him. The man reluctantly moved to hold the umbrella over Jiang Cheng. Once Jiang Cheng was shaded, he revealed a satisfied expression.
"Miss Yu!" Jiang Cheng warmly invited Yu Man to come under the umbrella, and the two of them walked side by side.
Perhaps because their professions were similar, the two seemed to have endless topics to discuss. Jiang Cheng occasionally whispered something in Yu Man's ear, causing her to blush and smile, covering her mouth.
Then, both of them turned their heads in unison, casting teasing looks at Chen Xiaomeng, followed by a round of wordless yet meaningful eye contact.
Chen Xiaomeng found Jiang Cheng's face irritating, so she simply turned her head and acted as though she hadn't seen anything.
The mountain path was even harder to navigate than expected. What was supposed to be a few hours' walk turned into a longer journey as the group stopped and started along the way. It wasn't until the evening that they finally caught sight of a village in the distance.
The village head, leaning on his cane, stood beside a rocky outcrop, gazing at the village with deep emotion.
The group stopped in place.
The mountain village under the setting sun had a unique charm. The afterglow cast a holy light, bathing the white houses and black roofs, which stood in sharp contrast.
From the rooftops, smoke from cooking fires rose like long, winding snakes, vanishing into the dense forest.
It looked like a traditional Chinese painting spreading across a piece of rice paper.
Even though they were on a mission, Pei Qian, who was a painter by profession, couldn't help but admire the scenery of the village. His words were sincere, and it was evident from his tone.
They crossed a clear stream that barely reached their ankles, stepping onto a path of blue stone. Ahead, a winding stone road led straight into the village.
The village wasn't large—only about a hundred households.
After dismissing the accompanying villagers, only Jiang Cheng, his group, and the dark-skinned man who had been holding the umbrella remained.
They first arrived at a courtyard, which was actually just a few low brick houses surrounded by a fence, giving the appearance of a yard.
As night approached, the village head went inside, seemingly to arrange accommodations for the night.
The group didn't rush in but waited outside. Jiang Cheng curiously looked around, his gaze eventually landing on several large baskets placed inside the courtyard.
The baskets, stacked near the fence, were filled with large sweet potatoes.
The sweet potatoes looked fresh, with dirt still clinging to them, as if they had just been dug up from the earth.
After a short while, a loud argument in a local dialect could be heard. Moments later, the village head came out, his face grim, and with a sigh, he said, "The man of this house isn't here, it's not convenient. We… we'll go to the next one."
The next house was no different, although the excuse was slightly changed.
In the end, the village head had to bring them to a more remote courtyard. This one was a proper courtyard, far better constructed than the previous two.
However, it was a bit dilapidated. When the wooden door was pushed open, the rusty hinges creaked loudly.
The courtyard had three rooms. A large, spacious room stood alone on the west side, its door tightly shut and locked with an old black copper latch.
The village head led them into one of the smaller rooms on the east side.
This room was relatively clean. Upon entering, there was a small hall about 20 square meters, with a stove made of some unknown material in the middle.
Looking inside the stove, they saw remnants of coal ash that had long since extinguished.
The village head seemed familiar with the place. He quickly rummaged through a bamboo basket by the wall and retrieved some charcoal. The dark-skinned man entered, carrying a bundle of firewood from outside.
With their cooperation, the fire quickly crackled to life.
The group sat around the stove, stretching their hands out to warm themselves. The heat gradually chased away the chill, and their fatigue from the journey started to dissipate.
The dark-skinned man said little, his eyes expressionless. Once the fire was steady, he took the firewood and charcoal to the next room and lit the stove there as well.
The village head, seeming apologetic, said, "You'll have to make do for the night." He pointed to either side of the room, "Both sides are sleeping areas. You can have four people sleep in this room, two on one side and two on the other. The other room will also hold four people."
"There's no need for trouble," Pei Qian, sitting with an air of authority, replied. Looking at the village head, he said, "We can all sleep in this room."
The village head seemed surprised at this response. He paused for a few seconds before awkwardly smiling, "It's fine, as long as it's what the esteemed ones prefer."
At this point, the village head seemed to remember something. He suddenly changed his expression and said, "I mean, as you all wish."
Jiang Cheng shot him a glance but didn't comment.
The village head nervously licked his lips, as though he had narrowly escaped some danger.
Yu Man, sitting by the stove, spoke up. Her long, delicate fingers twirled in the warmth, and the firelight made her face look even more captivating. With a teasing smile, she said, "So, bringing us all the way here wasn't just for sightseeing, was it?"
The group exchanged looks, all agreeing not to share the story the shopkeeper had told them. In the nightmare, no one could be trusted, not the NPCs, nor even their teammates.
Upon hearing Yu Man's words, the village head swallowed nervously. When the dark-skinned man returned, he stood up, closed the door, and locked it with a wooden rod.
After doing all this, the village head sat back down. It was then that everyone noticed his expression had changed—it was a mix of fear, helplessness, and regret.
He looked up at them with a strange tone, asking, "Do you believe in ghosts?"
Everyone felt frustrated, wanting to skip over the typical opening lines of a cheap horror novel. They were here for the real story! Real incidents that had happened!
But they couldn't rush the plot, afraid they might miss something important. So, Zhou Rong, in a perfunctory manner, nodded and said, "I believe, there are deities above us."
"But I'm talking about ghosts! Not deities," the village head said, swallowing hard. His voice dropped to a whisper as he described, "A terrifying ghost, one that can kill."
At that moment, whether it was due to the sudden drop in temperature or something else, everyone suddenly felt a chill.
The coldness came so abruptly and eerily that even the coal fire seemed to be affected, dimming considerably under their watch.
(End of the Chapter)
---
Want More of (NS)?
Read ahead on [Pa.treon](pa treon . com / CinderTL) – up to Chapter 206. (+4)
Early access starts at $1. Your support keeps this going!
🎁Use Code CINDER2025 to get 50% first month discount on TUR and TUP Tiers. Valid Till 15Jan2025.🎉
Subscribe to the $1 tier for this novel, or get two novels for just $5 by subscribing to any of my other two novels.
Translated 1.4K+ Chapters and 1.65M+ Words.