The four of them approached the edge of the “pond” and discovered that the surface was actually a special mirror effect created with lighting, not real water.
The “shoes” were also just a projection.
Cao Fanzhen looked bewildered: “How are we supposed to fish them out?”
With a “plop” sound effect, the “water surface” rippled as if a small stone had been dropped into it.
Immediately after, a long figure “floated” down from the dome above.
The figure was dressed in a white linen dress, wearing a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat draped over its shoulders.
Its face was obscured, revealing only a sharp chin and long, straight black hair.
The sudden appearance of this figure on the “water surface” startled Yan Jing and Cao Fanzhen.
However, after their experience with the village guardian, both of them had become more composed, at least not hiding behind others this time.
Cao Fanzhen swallowed hard: “What… what is this?”
Shi Pengpeng took a look and explained: “If I remember correctly, this figure should be the White Straw Raincoat.”
The White Straw Raincoat, also known as the White Demon or White Ghost, is a type of water ghost native to bodies of water, usually with a long, slender tail.
Water ghosts are trapped in the water, luring passersby to drown them, accumulating resentment to strengthen their power.
Those who drown must find a replacement to escape their bondage, becoming the water ghost’s accomplices, helping it deceive new innocent victims.
In this vicious cycle, the water ghost’s tail grows shorter, and it begins to take on the appearance of a straw raincoat and hat, officially becoming a demon.
The White Straw Raincoat is an extremely fierce and malevolent ghost, difficult even for river gods or local deities to subdue.
“Giggle giggle”
A thin, eerie laughter echoed across the dark, expansive water surface, distant and haunting, sending chills down their spines.
Xiao Lingshu quipped: “Sis, you’ve got a nice voice. Did you graduate from a music academy?”
The White Straw Raincoat:”…..”
Thanks, I’m not laughing anymore.
“People on the shore are so annoying, always dropping their shoes into my pond, polluting my waters—”
The White Straw Raincoat took a deep breath, pulled out a bag, and opened it, revealing a dozen shoes of various colors and sizes.
It said in a haunting voice, “Tell me, which one are you looking for? I can help you fish it out…”
Xiao Lingshu cleverly interjected: “Only children make choices. I’ll take them all.”
The White Straw Raincoat’s mouth twitched slightly, but it remained professional, licking its lips: “Wrong answer. It seems you’ll have to stay in my water a little longer…”
Cao Fanzhen, who worked in the fashion industry, had a keen eye for clothing and quickly noticed something.
She pointed at a reddish- brown cloth shoe and said, “Hey, this shoe is made of the same fabric as Liang Yu’s clothes.”
The other three looked at the shoe and then at Liang Yu’s jacket, confirming that the materials were indeed the same.
“Great!” Xiao Lingshu slapped her thigh.
“Let’s go with this one.”
“Wait,” Shi Pengpeng hesitated. “I don’t think that’s right.”
Shi Pengpeng pointed at Liang Yu: “Look at him. He’s dressed in a complete mess, with no matching colors. In this case, it doesn’t make sense for the shoes to match the jacket, does it?”
“Oh, right,” Xiao Lingshu realized, “the village guardian probably wouldn’t have the means to be so particular.”
“If it’s not that, then what could it be?” Cao Fanzhen frowned.
“We’ve looked at these shoes more than once, but we haven’t found any other clues…”
She said it casually, but Shi Pengpeng was suddenly struck by a thought-what if the clue wasn’t on the shoes at all?
Recalling the earlier introduction about Liang Yu, she suddenly thought of something, “Could it be that one?”
The others looked over and saw a shoe no larger than half a palm, exquisitely crafted from satin in a bright red color, with a charming tiger head embroidered on the surface.
It was a child’s shoe.
Shi Pengpeng explained that the village guardian’s clothes were usually pieced together from scraps, often incomplete, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to go barefoot.
The earlier voice prompt had also said, “He found a shoe in the pond,” not “his shoe was in the pond.”
It was likely that this shoe didn’t belong to Liang Yu at all.
Earlier, it was mentioned that because of his terrifying appearance, the villagers avoided Liang Yu, and only children were willing to play with him.
Children are also more likely to lose things while playing.
So it was very possible that the shoe belonged to a child who had accidentally lost it, and Liang Yu was just trying to help retrieve it.
“Congratulations, you’ve discovered the clue and found the correct shoe,”
Bai Suoyi finally nodded, picking up the small child’s shoe and handing it to Yan Jing, the only one present who “knew” Liang Yu.
“Please give it to the village guardian.”
Yan Jing: “……”
This dad has to endure too much!
If he could do it over, he’d choose to be the aunt.
Although he was very reluctant to interact with Bai Suoyi, he still coldly reached out his hand.
However, as soon as his fingertips touched the shoe, a chill ran through them.
A sinister, ominous energy suddenly poured out of the shoe, piercing his pulse like a needle.
Yan Jing’s heart skipped a beat, and he immediately let go of the shoe.
Shi Pengpeng noticed the anomaly and immediately grabbed his wrist, pulling him behind her: “Be careful!”
The cold, eerie energy continued to pour out, flooding the entire secret room in an instant.
Xiao Lingshu’s eyes widened: “Shijie, shijie, shijie—”
Shi Pengpeng: “Shutup.”
“Ugh “Cao Fanzhen shivered violently beside them.
“The air conditioning is way too strong! How can it be set so low?”
The other three: “……”
Shi Pengpeng gave Xiao Lingshu a look, and Xiao Lingshu understood, silently standing in front of Cao Fanzhen.
Yan Jing’s expression darkened as he said, “That shoe is a magical artifact.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Suoyi’s face twisted into a strange smile, and she lunged forward, reaching out to grab him: “Reverse, reverse yin and yang—”
But Shi Pengpeng quickly locked her throat, stopping her in her tracks.
Bai Suoyi’s throat tightened, and she choked, her eyes rolling back: “Cough, cough, cough…..”
Seizing the opportunity, Shi Pengpeng pulled out a talisman and stuffed it into her mouth.
Soon, Bai Suoyi’s eyes glazed over, and she passed out.
“So weak,” Xiao Lingshu sneered.
“With such little skill, she dares to scare people!”
“It hasn’t come out yet,” Shi Pengpeng frowned, her gaze shifting to the child’s shoe.
She hadn’t paid much attention earlier, but now, upon closer inspection, she noticed that the shoe’s fabric was very old, slightly deformed, and faded, clearly having been around for many years.
The room itself was themed around horror, filled with aged props, among which the shoes usually blended in without drawing much attention.
However, Yan Jing’s unique constitution instantly “activated” the artifact upon contact, also catching the attention of the “entity” behind it.
Yet, the entity did not reveal itself; instead, it confused the mind of the NPC dressed as Bai Suoyi, using her to attack Yan Jing.
No, it was more than that…
Shi Pengpeng focused her mind and lit a tracking incense, but the smoke merely lingered in the room, refusing to move.
Xiao Lingshu perked up: “Senior sister, we’re trapped!”
“Eee-eee-“
This time, it was Liang Yu who made the sound, his face twisted in the same manner as Bai Suoyi’s earlier, giving them a sinister smile.
“Again?” Xiao Lingshu was furious, pulling out two copper coins, “Senior sister, let me handle this.”
But Liang Yu did not attack as expected.
Instead, he picked up the tiger-headed children’s shoe, walked to the archway, took out a key from his pocket, and unlocked the tightly sealed door.
Background narration-
“We helped Liang Yu find the correct shoe, and he was so pleased that he decided to take us into the village…”
“Eee ” Liang Yu made a gesture of invitation.
Xiao Lingshu was puzzled: “What does this mean?”
Shi Pengpeng pondered: ” ‘It ‘ seems to want us to continue the game.”
Xiao Lingshu: “What’s the purpose?”
Shi Pengpeng shook her head, indicating she wasn’t sure.
The mystery of the room was still present, faintly carrying an ominous aura.
The entity behind it clearly had no intention of letting them leave.
But she couldn’t discern the origin of the entity and had no way to act.
In a moment, she made a decision: “Then let’s continue.”
Beside them, Cao Fanzhen finally made up her mind, timidly raising her hand, “Um, I don’t understand what you’re talking about?”
Shi Pengpeng patted her shoulder: “Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing will happen.”
Cao Fanzhen: “??”
Wait, what does that even mean?
After the four of them crossed the gate of the archway, Cao Fanzhen shuddered again.
What appeared before them was a ghostly mourning hall.
The hall was grand, about the size of an exhibition room, but all the windows were boarded up, leaving it in complete darkness.
A row of niches was carved into the walls, each holding a white candle.
The candlelight was dim, barely illuminating the scene inside.
The sides of the hall were filled with yellow and white wreaths and black and white elegiac couplets.
In the center was a black lacquered coffin, intricately carved from a single piece of wood.
In front of the coffin was an altar table, on which stood a large black and white portrait.
The photo was somewhat blurry, with yellowed edges, clearly an old photograph.
The deceased was a spirited old man with a thin, elongated face, white hair and beard, and a kind smile.
Only his eagle-like eyes were intimidating, even in the blurry photo, they still shone with a piercing light.
On both sides of the coffin stood two pairs of spirit banners, and four pairs of paper-made boy and girl figures, red for boys and green for girls, standing on the left and right respectively.
Behind them, the gate to the village creaked and slammed shut.
A middle-aged man and woman dressed in mourning clothes emerged from behind the coffin.
Their steps were nimble, but their eyes were vacant.
It seemed that the NPCs in this secret room had all been captivated by something.
The man walked up to Yan Jing and greeted him warmly, “Brother, you’ve finally arrived. We’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
The woman glanced at Shi Pengpeng and Xiao Lingshu, “So this must be your wife and the little one, right? Oh my, it’s been years since you last came back. The little one has grown so much!”
Xiao Lingshu, with her top-notch composure, shamelessly grinned, “Uncle, Auntie, hello.”
“Good, good,” the man smiled kindly, “The little one is so polite.”
The other three:”…..”
As they spoke, the group noticed a black mourning band on the man’s arm, embroidered with the character for “filial piety” and a name Liang Renxin.
Clearly, this man was Liang Renxin, a cousin of “my” husband, responsible for handling the funeral arrangements for Master Yi.
The woman was his wife.
“Please follow me to pay your respects before Master Yi’s spirit,” Liang Renxin said, leading the four to the altar and arranging them in a row before beginning the chant, “First bow-“
The four exchanged glances, naturally not intending to actually bow.
But just as they hesitated, a loud “bang” echoed through the room as the coffin lid suddenly flew open.
Cao Fanzhen was startled, “Ah—”
Yan Jing’s brow also twitched.
“Good, your hearts are not sincere, and you’ve angered Master Yi,” Liang Renxin exclaimed loudly, immediately stepping forward to escort them to the coffin.
Inside the coffin lay a “corpse,” covered with a yellow shroud inscribed with talismanic symbols.
Under the dim candlelight, it looked utterly terrifying.
Cao Fanzhen couldn’t bear to look and turned her head away.
“Master Yi is being too formal. At least let everyone have a look at his remains,” Shi Pengpeng said, reaching out to pull the yellow shroud.
“What are you doing!” Liang Renxin hadn’t expected her to be so bold and, caught off guard, was too late to stop her.
The shroud was lifted, and the “corpse” was suddenly exposed.
It turned out to be just a cotton doll shaped like a human, with crudely drawn, almost abstract features in ink on its head.
Cao Fanzhen:”….”
Thanks, not scared anymore.
Even a bit comical.