Chapter 257: Chapter 225: Reunion

Before leaving the alley, Sang Que avoided the ghosts clinking bowls, maximizing her alertness; any slight movement on the way to Cui Liu Lane would make her immediately retreat.

The night seemed to be stained with blood, the crimson light shining on the melting snow everywhere, resembling a blood-pool hell.

From time to time, screams and urgent footsteps echoed around, it was unclear who had encountered what.

“Lord Ye You, Lord Ye You save me—”

Someone called for help behind Sang Que; she paused, bit her lip, and did not turn back, continuing to walk briskly.

Whether it’s evil spirits or living people behind her, she couldn’t afford to waste time; the sooner she reached Cui Liu Lane, the sooner she could break Granny Zhuang’s nightmare and save more people.

Suddenly, a red oil paper umbrella appeared on the street ahead, seemingly held by someone, just stranded there in the middle of the road, yet there was no one under the umbrella.

When Sang Que noticed the umbrella, its edge lifted slightly; Sang Que suddenly felt an icy gaze fix on her, and the umbrella rushed towards her quickly, a trail of bloody footprints appearing below it.

Sang Que took two steps back, turned around, and fled, quickly darting into a nearby alley; once inside, she climbed up the walls, avoiding straight paths and adding as many obstacles on the way as possible.

She didn’t dare look back, only focused on climbing over walls and running.

Entering a large courtyard, seeing its setup almost made Sang Que fall off the wall.

The courtyard seemed to be hosting a funeral banquet, white paper streamers fluttering while tables filled the yard. Guests reclined motionlessly in their chairs with eerie smiles on their faces.

On the tables facing the courtyard wall, people’s eyes moved to Sang Que, tears of sorrow flowing, yet their smiles remained unchanged.

The sound of gulping and tearing at food came; Sang Que quietly glanced over, seeing an elderly man with sparse graying hair, dressed in funeral clothes, squatting before an offering table, gnawing on a roast chicken.

Sensing Sang Que on the wall, he swiftly twisted his head and scampered over like a beast, hand and foot moving at an incredible speed.

Cold wind also swept in from behind, urging Sang Que to jump down from the wall quickly.

Under normal circumstances, handling a resurrected corpse is easier than dealing with evil spirits because it has a physical form.

Sang Que took out an Exorcism Talisman from her bag—the only item she had in it, presuming the dream existed because of Granny Zhuang, and only things and established rules within her knowledge work in the dream.

Sticking the Exorcism Talisman on the knife and igniting it, Sang Que slashed at the oncoming elderly man in funeral clothes; the Exorcism Talisman instantly burned away, and the elderly man retreated in pain.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a hint of red behind her, and Sang Que hurriedly ducked.

The red paper umbrella spun in, and as the elderly man in funeral clothes leaped, the umbrella directly sliced his head off.

With the elderly man killed, the guests sitting at the table one by one toppled over, their fate unknown.

Sang Que didn’t bother to check their status; she immediately ran out through a side door. After killing the elderly man in funeral clothes, the red paper umbrella didn’t chase her, remaining where it was.

Sang Que ran out of the courtyard, only to have her ankle seized by an icy hand just as she reached the street.

“Please, let us out…”

A child’s mournful cry sounded next to her ear, sending chills across Sang Que’s scalp. She slowly turned her head, noticing a small hand had appeared out of nowhere beneath her, gripping her ankle.

The stone lions at the courtyard gate had cracked open, revealing decomposed bluish faces inside—a boy, and a girl.

Sang Que’s pupils contracted slightly; she had only heard Yu Da mention it before, saying some people believe children born at special times are Golden Boys and Jade Girls under the Ghost God’s command, capable of guarding against ghosts.

Had someone actually done such a thing and used living children as stone lions to guard their home?

Sang Que glanced back at the plaque of the mansion behind her, Household Department? The seventh-rank official in charge of household registers and agriculture in Qinzhou.

Are Xuan Dynasty officials all like this?

The incessant ticking sound in her ears suddenly filled Sang Que with anger; she swung her knife twice on the stone lions at both sides, shattering their shells. Two children’s corpses fell to the ground, bound with ropes and bearing talisman papers.

“Thank you…”

The hand holding her ankle disappeared, and the two corpses gradually turned to ash, blown away by the wind, leaving only the tattered talisman papers flying in the night.

Sang Que kept a grim face, found her direction, and continued towards Cui Liu Lane.

Weird things appeared along the roadside: some burning paper, some begging for food.

A group of headless children kicked a human head like a ball, Sang Que watched as the severed head hit a fleeing person on the road, their head falling off the next moment, becoming a new ball for the children.

A group of people lined up outside a restaurant, wailing for help, yet unable to leave.

As Sang Que passed by, the restaurant’s soup barrel was overturned, filled with indescribable horror ingredients.

The restaurant’s menu only offered offal sorts of food; whatever was ordered, the cook would gouge something out from the patron’s body. If nothing was ordered, they’d take it all.

Besides, Sang Que also encountered an acquaintance, Xue Er, whom she had once mutilated after his nonsense—a Silver Traveler under Wei Wu, with a hole in his face.

He was trapped in a gloomy and terrifying brothel, surrounded by women—all painted skulls.

Xue Er saw Sang Que from upstairs and tried to ask for help, but Sang Que ignored him.

With her cautious and agile movements, and using the few remaining Exorcism Talismans from her bag, Sang Que avoided most places with previous bizarre incidents and finally made it outside Cui Liu Lane safely.

A century-old willow tree stood at the entrance of Cui Liu Lane, giving the alley its name. The lane was a straight strip no more than three meters wide, lined with identical small courtyards on both sides.

The alley was a dead end with no other exit; the largest courtyard at the end was Granny Zhuang’s residence.

Sang Que did not rush in but cautiously observed from outside for a while; the alley emitted a bloody smell, accompanied by a tap-tapping footstep sound.

“Sang Er!”

Suddenly hearing Yu Da’s voice, Sang Que turned with surprise to see Yu Da hiding behind an old tree across the street, beckoning her over.

Sang Que didn’t go over but lifted her knife, “Say something you know, that Granny Zhuang doesn’t know, about me.”

Yu Da was momentarily stunned but then realized Sang Que was indeed clever, thought for a moment, and said, “You like two and a half spoonfuls of chili in tofu pudding and don’t like ginger.”

Hearing this, Sang Que put down her knife and walked towards him.

“How long have you been here?” Sang Que asked Yu Da. As long as there were no other influencing factors, it was no surprise Yu Da figured out Granny Zhuang was the nightmare source.

“A while now. I thought it’d be safer if more people went in together,” Yu Da whispered, scratching his belly as though feeling uncomfortable.

Even though Sang Que knew she had to find the nightmare source to escape it, she wasn’t entirely sure how to do so. Meeting Yu Da here reassured her considerably.

However, she maintained the necessary vigilance; after all, in the dream, she had only one life and no way out.

Speaking of which, Yu Da’s eyes darkened a bit, “There’s only one way: completely eliminate Granny Zhuang in the dream, preventing her soul from being possessed by the Dream Ghost, and the dream will break.”

Even though Sang Que was mentally prepared, hearing Yu Da say this still made her feel stifled.

After a while, footsteps approached again, and Sang Que quickly hid with Yu Da behind the tree.

Seeing the people who came, Yu Da’s eyes lit up—it was Cui Cheng and Lu Da.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep