Chapter 46: The Qixi Calamity (Part Two)

Soon after, a new quest appeared in the task bar: Escape from the Cursed Mansion.

After everyone read the quest, the atmosphere became rather subdued. Luo Hanya, known for his ability to liven up any scene, felt that someone should speak up. Just as he was about to break the silence, someone else spoke first.

“Hanya Luo, did you discover anything?” Ye Liangchen looked at Luo Hanya with an arrogant air, as if he expected Luo Hanya to embarrass himself.

“Uh, not yet, but—” Luo Hanya hesitated, about to continue when Ye Liangchen cut him off.

Ye Liangchen, full of disdain, deliberately raised his voice and declared loudly, “Ha! I knew it. See, this guy didn’t find anything. Let me tell you, I’m the protagonist of this scenario, alright? Follow me, and you can’t go wrong!”

Menghen had clearly reached his limit with Ye Liangchen’s absurd behavior. Without a word, he turned and strode toward the door, vanishing into the darkness outside in an instant.

Luo Hanya simmered with anger. Though he was known for his good temper, even the most patient person would be infuriated by such relentless ridicule.

He decided not to waste any more energy on this fool, treating him as if he were invisible. Turning to Qingming and Hetu, he said, “I’m going to look for clues elsewhere. Would you like to come with me?”

Qingming didn’t hesitate. From their titles and levels, it was obvious who was the better companion: Luo Hanya was currently the highest-level among them, bearing the title “Game Explorer,” while Ye Liangchen looked every bit the part of a middle-aged man lost in his own delusions, with the title “Foolish Boxer.” Faced with such a choice, who would pick Ye Liangchen?

“Brother Han, let’s go together. It’s better to look out for each other,” Qingming said.

Surveying the surrounding architecture, Luo Hanya quickly pieced together an understanding of the mansion’s layout. This was a traditional Chinese three-courtyard residence. What did that mean? In traditional layouts, the number of rows of houses defines the courtyards; one row is one courtyard, and here there were three, hence a three-courtyard mansion.

Such residences typically had an inner and outer courtyard, entered through the main gate. The outer courtyard housed servants, while the inner courtyard was divided into the main house and east and west wings. The main house was for elders, the eldest son lived in the east wing, and the second son in the west wing. Beyond the main house was the third courtyard, reserved as private quarters for the women of the household, off-limits to outsiders.

The place they had just been was the main hall, used for receiving guests. If they wanted to escape the mansion—

“Ah!” A sudden scream beside Luo Hanya pulled him back to reality.

“There—there’s a shadow over there!” Hetu, still shaken, pointed to Luo Hanya’s right.

Luo Hanya quickly turned to look where Hetu was pointing, but saw nothing.

“There’s nothing there,” Luo Hanya murmured, deep in thought, recalling the shadow he had glimpsed earlier in the main house.

“There’s nothing, you must have seen wrong,” Qingming said, staring for a long time but finding nothing.

“I didn’t see wrong. That shadow ran straight into those rooms over there.” Hetu stubbornly pointed toward the houses ahead.

Luo Hanya furrowed his brow. They were now walking along the passageway between the east and west wings, surrounded by thick mulberry trees. Hetu was pointing toward the west wing.

“The west wing,” Luo Hanya mused internally, “Are the clues in the west wing? Could this be the legendary West Wing from the tale of Cui Yingying? I wonder if Zhang Sheng is here.”

The three approached the west wing cautiously. Seeing the three rooms ahead and the trembling Qingming and Hetu, Luo Hanya remembered his own first time playing this game. “Well then, shall we go in and search together?” he suggested.

“Ah? I’m afraid of ghosts; I’d rather not,” Hetu replied, clearly unwilling and faltering in his speech.

“Ha, ha… My girlfriend’s afraid of ghosts, so I’d better not go either. I’ll stay here with her. Take care, Brother Han,” Qingming said.

Luo Hanya looked speechlessly at the timid couple, waved them off, and entered the first room alone.

They say the more you encounter something, the less it frightens you. After meeting ghosts several times, Luo Hanya found his courage growing. He boldly searched the room from top to bottom—table, under the bed, inside the wardrobe, every possible hiding place. Finding nothing, he moved to the second room.

Again, nothing. Luo Hanya left the second room feeling frustrated, only to see Qingming and Hetu cuddling together, admiring the nighttime scenery, chatting and laughing.

He sighed helplessly and walked into the third room.

Luo Hanya pushed open the door and entered, ready to continue his search. A sudden breeze seemed to pick up, and with a creak, the door slowly swung shut behind him. He paid it no mind, rummaging through the cabinet, but soon noticed something odd about the clothes inside.

“Wait, the cabinet in the last room didn’t have any clothes… Could it be—” Luo Hanya felt a surge of tension, cold sweat breaking out on his body. He stopped moving, standing quietly and sensing the spiritual energy around him.

“What are you thinking about, my lord?” A voice drifted from behind him, accompanied by the sensation of someone breathing on his neck.

Luo Hanya spun around sharply, but found nothing. Yet he felt arms wrapped around his neck, and a gentle breeze at his ear. “What are you afraid of, my lord?” the voice whispered, as if right beside him.

“Who are you?” Recognizing the danger, Luo Hanya calmed himself and spoke with composure.

“Who am I? I’m your lover,” the voice replied, sounding aggrieved.

“I don’t have a lover. Who are you, really?” Luo Hanya insisted.

“Have you forgotten me? That night, on the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month, you confessed to me right here,” the voice grew ever more mournful, like a woman abandoned.

“Miss, you must have mistaken me for someone else. This is my first time here, and I don’t even know your name,” Luo Hanya said earnestly.

“You don’t want me anymore? Is it because I did something wrong?” The breathing behind him became more hurried, the emotion approaching collapse.

“What did I do wrong? Tell me! What did I do wrong? Why did you abandon me?” The voice, filled with resentment, screamed in his ear.