He tried several more times, but Yang Xiao didn't respond at all. The people behind him couldn't sit still. After a moment of silence, footsteps echoed.
As the footsteps gradually moved away, Yang Xiao slowly straightened up and stood a little taller. The next second, the distant footsteps turned back, and a voice filled with excitement called out, "Chu Fuke, you finally figured it out! Come on, leave with me. Brother Kwong is waiting for us outside!"
But Yang Xiao didn't look back; he staggered down again, mimicking the paper figures around him, watching the unfolding scene intently.
This same routine played out three times, with the guy turning back each time. Eventually, he simply decided not to leave. Yang Xiao sensed that the other party must have found a seat and intended to endure the situation alongside him.
Yang Xiao, however, was not in the mood to play games. He realized a critical point: this guy's target tonight was the three participants in the ghost play. First was Kwong Hongyi, then him, and finally Su Tingting.
Based on the direction of the footsteps that had just left, it seemed the guy planned to circle around and hide behind the white cloth of the stage. Yang Xiao guessed that he would try to coax Su Tingting, who was singing, and disrupt the ghost play.
Although Su Tingting was haunted, she still had a role to play; otherwise, she would have been completely safe tonight. Most importantly, if the ghost play was interrupted, more than just Su Tingting could die. The ghosts under the stage would explode in an instant, leaving no escape for him and Kwong Hongyi.
At this moment, the importance of a reliable teammate became clear. If it were Kwong Hongyi or Shi Dali on stage, Yang Xiao wouldn't be so concerned.
Sure enough, shortly after the guy sat down, Yang Xiao noticed a change on stage. Su Tingting's expression shifted; fear gripped her face, but her posture and voice remained charming and elegant.
Was Su Tingting coming back? No, Xiyou still occupied her body. Su Tingting could feel everything happening, but she couldn't control it.
Yang Xiao realized it would have been dangerous if he had let the guy go earlier, allowing him to stir up trouble at such a critical moment.
Su Tingting's gaze flickered to the space beneath the stage, her face twisted in fear until she caught sight of Yang Xiao and shot him a desperate look for help.
Suddenly, a chill crept up Yang Xiao's spine, and he sensed a cold presence closing in from multiple directions behind him.
The paper figures began to take notice of Su Tingting's glance, and more ominous eyes focused on Yang Xiao's back.
"Chu Fuke, run with me quickly, or, hehehe..."
A hoarse voice echoed, and the guy hiding among the paper figures didn't bother to conceal himself, letting out a sinister laugh.
Yang Xiao stood still, shooting a fierce look at Su Tingting that warned her to be cautious. She quickly looked away, trembling.
Then, the chilling eyes behind Yang Xiao gradually faded, as if everything had been an illusion.
As the ghost play continued, the incense burner grew more vigorous. Yang Xiao noted that the third-ranked sacrifices needed to be replaced soon.
He discreetly lifted the red cloth covering the bamboo box and retrieved three apples, wrapping them in the shroud, ready to set off.
But then, an unexpected scene unfolded. The incense in the last burner suddenly blazed, burning so fiercely that flames flickered. Dozens of incense sticks burned out in an instant, nearly a third of them.
Yang Xiao: "!!!"
Stunned, he realized that the sacrifice for the last incense burner was candy. Up until now, the offerings had hardly been touched. Why the sudden frenzy? How many children were there?
Yang Xiao couldn't figure out the problem immediately, but he knew the sacrifice had to be replaced; otherwise, something terrible would happen!
He hastily grabbed a handful of candy from the last bamboo basket and stuffed it into the shroud. He set off in a hurry.
He took small, careful steps, his feet barely leaving the ground, almost rubbing his toes against his heels as he walked straight from the leftmost side of the first row to the right.
Rows of paper figures lined up beside him, as if inspecting him as he delivered the offerings. Yang Xiao kept the old man's advice in mind, avoiding looking down at the feet of the paper figures.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Yang Xiao lost his balance and fell forward.
In a critical moment, he clutched the shroud tightly and turned sideways as he hit the ground. The fall wasn't harsh; half his body felt numb, but the shroud remained intact, and the offerings stayed secure.
Quickly, he got up, grabbed the shroud, and continued walking as if nothing had happened, but a storm brewed inside him. Just now… someone had tripped him!
He had walked this path before and kept a distance from the paper figures; there was no way he had collided with one. The foot that had tripped him had appeared out of nowhere, just as a burst of laughter erupted behind him.
"Good, good." Yang Xiao recognized the laugh as that of the guy who had tripped him.
It was truly dangerous. Had he reacted any slower, and the offerings would have fallen, leading to disastrous consequences.
Time didn't allow him to dwell on it. Yang Xiao quickly switched the candy and prepared to place the apple on the No. 3 sacrifice plate.
Strangely, as he passed the No. 4 sacrifice platform on his way back, he suddenly felt a coldness wash over him, and a dizzying sensation struck. A gust of wind whipped around him, accompanied by an eerie sound.
Yang Xiao instinctively closed his left eye and opened his right to see what was happening at the No. 4 stage. But a harsh voice suddenly erupted on stage, discordant and disruptive, breaking the rhythm of Su Tingting's singing. He looked up to find Su Tingting staring at him, her eyes wide with terror, as if she had witnessed something horrific.
No longer hesitating, Yang Xiao took off. He understood that Su Tingting, possessed by Xiyou, could perceive threats he couldn't see. She must have glimpsed a dreadful presence near the No. 4 altar, something more terrifying than the paper figures beneath the stage.
Su Tingting risked losing control of the ghost play to warn him, proving just how dangerous the situation was. Yet, Yang Xiao couldn't fathom what she had seen. Was there anything more fearsome in the Fengfu than the drowning ghosts below?
Returning the way he came, Yang Xiao pushed all thoughts aside. After all, he still had to deal with the guy hiding among the paper figures. He could see with his left eye, but all he spotted was a group of eerie paper figures under the stage.
He moved carefully, turning his back to the No. 4 altar. Yang Xiao closed his left eye and quietly opened his right. The scene beneath the stage shifted completely. A mass of drowning ghosts crowded together, water dripping from their hair, staring blankly at the stage.
Then, just three meters in front of Yang Xiao, a ghost face emerged, fixing its gaze on him, extending a leg to block his path.
It was the same guy who had tripped him earlier!
If he continued forward, he'd undoubtedly be tripped again. In that moment, the old man's warning flashed through Yang Xiao's mind: "Seek wealth in danger."
Worried about being noticed by the drowning ghosts, Yang Xiao opened his left eye, pretending nothing was amiss as he carefully moved forward, step by step. Just as he was about to brush against the leg, he quickly closed his left eye and opened his right again. The dark blue, decayed leg hovered before him, and the ghost sitting there in an odd posture wore a grin that was nothing short of grotesque.
But in the next second, its smile vanished. Yang Xiao swiftly lifted his foot and stomped down hard on the leg.
"Click!"
The sound was crisp, catching Yang Xiao off guard. It felt like he had crushed a paper leg, and the bamboo support inside had shattered. A painful howl pierced his ears, but Yang Xiao was like an emotionless machine, ignoring it as he returned to his seat.
Slightly tilting his head to observe with the corner of his left eye, he saw half of a paper leg crumpled on the ground, the scene grim.
Meanwhile, the ghost play on stage grew increasingly lively. Su Tingting executed several complex movements, her singing becoming more melodious. With each rising note, the unease in Yang Xiao's heart surged.
Although he didn't know the play, he could still discern the tones and melodies. But why did the singing sound different from what he had heard by the lake?
Despite their superb technique and perfect pitches, it just didn't sound human.
This realization sent a chill down Yang Xiao's spine. After a moment of consideration, he decided to take the risk and open his right eye to see what was truly happening on stage.
Even with some mental preparation, the sight shocked him. Su Tingting had vanished, replaced by a bloated, rotting corpse.
The corpse wore a red costume and a phoenix crown adorned with gemstones and pearls, shifting through strange poses on stage. Milky yellow fluid dripped from its cuffs and trousers, and the face of the decayed figure wore an expression of grotesque satisfaction.
This should be how it was meant to be—wearing a costume, singing, and drowning!
Before Yang Xiao could process this, the rotten corpse suddenly paused, its eyes hidden within folds of flesh locking onto him.
Realizing he had been spotted, Yang Xiao quickly opened his left eye. When he returned to reality, everything appeared normal.
Su Tingting danced lightly and sang beautifully on stage, while the paper figures below sat quietly.
Taking a deep breath, Yang Xiao attempted to calm his racing heart. Since arriving in this world, he had remained vigilant, but not without hope. He had his new script, and these offerings were sure to please his fellow performers.
"Eee--, ah--!"
The sound from the stage startled Yang Xiao, causing him to look up. The voice was off-key, trembling, and Su Tingting stared at him in horror.
No, she was warning him to pay attention to his surroundings!
But… what was wrong?
Su Tingting looked as if she might cry. Without hesitation, Yang Xiao closed his left eye and opened his right once more. In an instant, he faced the most terrifying scene yet.
Just ten centimeters from his face, several rotting ghost faces surrounded him, more than a dozen ghosts squatting or standing nearby.
In that moment, Yang Xiao's heartbeat stopped. But with a gust of wind, he swayed, pretending nothing was amiss, his expression unchanged as he continued to watch the play.
By the lake, Shi Dali gazed up at the dark sky. Tonight was truly ominous; there were no stars or moon, the sky resembling an upside-down lake.
Shi Guanming, staring anxiously at the water beneath the boat, swallowed hard. "Shi... Brother Shi, are we really going in now? Isn't it too late?"
It had been a while since they had seen the rising red lantern, but Shi Dali had already ordered the boat to set out.
Although uneasy, Shi Dali explained patiently, "Brother Shi, you don't understand. Who knows if that red lantern is real? If it's a ghost's trick, we'd be in serious trouble once we step off the water lantern and it disappears."
Shi Dali had his own plan. He was waiting for the other team's ghost play to stabilize; that would be the right time to enter the water. If anything went wrong with the ghost play, they'd find themselves adrift on the lake, with nowhere to escape.
"Brother Shi, I'll trust your experience, but what do we do now?" Shi Guanming asked, now spotting the third young master of the Feng family floating face down in the dark water, swaying slightly with the waves.
"Let's go into the water first," Shi Dali replied.
They pulled the rope on the edge of the boat, slowly easing into the water. The icy lake took them by surprise, sending chills through Shi Guanming.
Shi Dali submerged his face in the water. Although murky and with low visibility, he noticed a faint dark red light beneath the surface.
"The shipwreck is under the corpse." Shi Dali looked up, wiping water from his face. "You have no experience, so stick close to me."
Relieved by Shi Dali's reassurance, Shi Guanming thought to himself that Brother Shi was genuinely kind. If they made it out alive, he would be sure to express his gratitude.
"Remember, be ready to dive down. Once we're in the water, don't surface for air, or we'll be targeted by ghosts. We need to find Xi's body together." Shi Dali's expression turned serious. "The underwater visibility is low. Don't panic if we lose sight of each other; our priority is to complete the task."
"Understood." Shi Guanming grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Taking a deep breath, Shi Dali led the way, diving underwater. A few seconds later, Shi Guanming followed suit.
As anticipated, visibility was poor beneath the surface. Reluctant to open his eyes, Shi Guanming noticed the faint red light acting as a guide. Shi Dali had already spotted it, so he swam toward the glow with determination.
Moments later, a burst of water erupted nearby. After wiping the water from his face, Shi Dali looked around, realizing he couldn't see Shi Guanming anymore. Without hesitation, he swam toward the boat anchored on the lake.