Chapter 376: Chapter 340: The Ancient Mansion

Wu Cheng’s family inn is located in the middle of the village, not near the lakeside, and while it’s not in an ideal location, it benefits from tranquility.

There are seven rooms in total, but only four have guests. When Wu Cheng brought Sang Que over, those tourists were having dinner in the courtyard, with Wu Cheng’s father cooking.

After exchanging greetings, Sang Que said she wasn’t hungry but a bit tired, and asked Wu Cheng for the key to the guest room in the corner on the first floor to rest.

Entering the guest room, Sang Que rubbed her sore neck, took out her phone and sent a text message saying she had arrived, then took out bread and water from her backpack that she brought from home.

To be cautious, she wouldn’t eat anything from here, nor drink the water.

Meow~

Sang Que heard the sound of a cat and went to the window, seeing several cats under the windowsill, all looking up at her.

They were regular stray cats, wandering around the village, accepting food from tourists, though they indeed had quite a few stray cats here, most of which were tabby cats.

While eating, Sang Que carefully maintained the Ghost Realm within the room. After spreading it out, she was surprised to find that the edge of the Ghost Realm was fluttering like ash, drawn by a strange force towards Lishi Mountain.

The movement was really subtle, so if Sang Que hadn’t been constantly vigilant and highly focused, it would have been hard to notice.

Sang Que quickly stuffed the bread into her mouth, took a sip of water she brought herself, and hurriedly made some arrangements.

As soon as she finished, Wu Cheng’s voice came from outside.

“Village Chief, why are you here? I was planning to look for you tomorrow since it’s quite late today.”

It was clear that Wu Cheng intentionally raised his voice to give Sang Que a signal.

Sang Que checked the items on her body, retracted the Ghost Realm, and went out to see Wu Cheng approaching with an old man.

The old man stopped when he saw Sang Que, looking her up and down.

At this moment, Sang Que was still wearing her loose black sportswear, with her thick black hair hanging down casually, a baseball cap on her head, and no items on her body. He observed her for a while before nodding.

“Let’s go, since you’re back, I’ll take you for ancestral recognition first.”

The old village chief didn’t care whether Sang Que was willing or not, he just walked away after speaking.

Seeing this, Sang Que locked her room door without bringing her backpack or the painting, and told Wu Cheng, “All my things are in the room, don’t let anyone in or clean it.”

Wu Cheng widened his eyes, not quite understanding why Sang Que followed without asking anything?

Sang Que had already thought it through; she couldn’t choose her birth, since she existed as a witch heir in this world, the people of the Wu Family were obstacles she couldn’t avoid.

Escaping would only solve the issue temporarily, it wouldn’t guarantee her lifetime peace.

Since that’s the case, it’s better to face it early and solve the problem sooner, leaving this hidden danger unresolved would affect her peace in the Deceit Dynasty.

The old village chief, hands behind his back, led Sang Que through the village towards Lishi Mountain at the back.

The sky gradually darkened, and along the way, they encountered many villagers chatting outside their homes after dinner, all curiously watching the village chief and Sang Que behind him.

The main reason was that there were always stray cats appearing around Sang Que, in flowerbeds, on rooftops, they wouldn’t come close, just watching her, making a purring sound.

Passing through the village, they arrived at the mountain entrance. The old village chief stopped and handed Sang Que an old-fashioned flashlight.

“Since you’re willing to come back, you must have many questions about your background. There are no wild animals in the mountain, no need to be afraid. If you are indeed a descendant of the Wushi, you will find the ancient house inside, and the people inside will answer all your questions. That’s all I know.”

“Thank you!”

Sang Que took the flashlight, and the old village chief turned and left without pausing.

There were still many cats in the surrounding grass, and when Sang Que shone the flashlight on them, their eyes flashed.

Meow~

“I have nothing to eat on me; you all go back. It’s dangerous to follow me.”

Sang Que said, and the cats seemed to understand, scattering in all directions.

The flashlight’s beam wasn’t bright enough, illuminating only three to five meters around. Sang Que simply turned off the flashlight, relying on her night vision, which was clearer than the flashlight.

Walking along the mountain path for less than five minutes, the surroundings gradually filled with mist, making everything in the mountain become hazy and eerie, just like Evil Mist.

The sound of insects dwindled as the mist rose, until completely vanishing, leaving only the rustle of leaves swayed by the wind.

The grass and forest often stirred, but each time she looked, there was nothing. Sang Que’s right palm felt blistering, causing her discomfort.

She felt many emotions: resentment, sorrow, pain… The strongest among them was resentment, making her heart, which was already connected to the village resentment, beat violently.

Sang Que was inexplicably physically nauseous; she endured the urge to vomit and kept walking forward. The burning sensation in her palm rapidly weakened until she could no longer feel the Mountain Ghost Coin, nor the Yin Child and Deceitful Bride driven by the Mountain Ghost Coin.

This was something Sang Que had anticipated before coming.

If the Wu Family couldn’t suppress the witch’s power, they couldn’t fully control the witch.

After all, this is a heritage of thousands of years; there would definitely be rebellious witches who harbored murderous intent towards them.

The wind gently echoed an ethereal and eerie melody, which Sang Que subconsciously hummed along with.

“In the mountains, there’s one seeking shelter, dressed in creeping vines and wearing ivy; with smiles and longing, gazing upon others; charming and graceful…”

It was the poem “Mountain Ghost,” directly surfacing in her deepest memory.

Relying on intuition, Sang Que proceeded along the path, and after nearly an hour of walking through a forest, at mid-mountain, the mist lingered around a large ancient red-bricked house, faintly revealing a Republican-era ambiance.

Standing at the entrance of the house was a person entirely cloaked in a black cape, their head masked under a hood.

Sang Que paused, gathering her hair from in front to behind her shoulder, before approaching.

The person maintained a bowed posture, with unevenly level shoulders, and a strange protrusion on their back, unlike a normal physique.

Without looking at Sang Que or speaking, they stepped aside and made a gesture of invitation.

The ancient house has three layers, no electricity, with white lanterns hanging everywhere, with the courtyard piled with thick dead leaves stirring in the wind, resembling that of a haunted house. However, Sang Que could feel that it was ’clean,’ with no ’dirty things’ present.

Including the ghostly energy she emitted was being drawn underground by something.

Following the cloaked person through the front courtyard, into the main hall, was a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit leaning on a cane, waiting. His right leg seemed unsteady.

He turned to see Sang Que, and the middle-aged man’s face displayed a kind smile, “I thought it would take more effort before you were willing to come back.”

The cloaked man made his exit as Sang Que stood with her hands in her coat pockets, silently surveying the surroundings.

The hall was quite large, with a painting on the wall behind the main area. The candlelight flickered, and Sang Que squinted, realizing the painting depicted an ancient sacrificial scene.

A high altar was erected, banners fluttering, inscribed with the Oracle Bone Symbol for ’Chu,’ a character Sang Que had studied before.

Below the altar, witches dressed in colorful attire, wearing feathered crowns, their faces painted with exaggerated makeup, holding magic artifacts were singing and dancing.

Incense candles wafted, smoke curling, sacrificial offerings were arranged on tables, and people bowed in reverence at the altar’s base.

Just looking at this painting, Sang Que felt as though she was transported into the scene, as if she had lived through the experience long ago, able to hear resonant and solemn sounds of drums and bells, and the witches’ prayers filled the air.

In the furthest part of the mural lay a forest, beyond patterned clouds symbolizing mist, where a massive silhouette riding a Red Leopard was faintly discernible.

“This depicts the scene of sacrificing to the Mountain Ghost. Our family has been protecting the Mountain Ghost from ancient times, identifying ourselves as Mountain Ghost people.”

The middle-aged man beside Sang Que explained.

“Though you don’t resemble your mother much, your ability to reach here indicates we found the right person. Let me formally introduce myself, I’m Wu Liang, your mother’s brother, and your uncle.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep