"Junior Brother, save me!"
The final cry carried obvious urgency, even a tremor, as though the person outside the door was facing some sort of crisis.
But that was not what Yang An focused on. It was the other party's identity.
Sixth Senior Brother?
Since he knew nothing about the sect's disciples, Yang An naturally could not believe the other person's one-sided claim.
Who would pay an unexpected visit in the dead of night, only to start begging for help on the spot?
There were no normal people in the Fate Crane Sect. Even if this Sixth Senior Brother was real, he was definitely not normal.
So, without a second thought, Yang An said:
"Since Sixth Senior Brother has come, Junior Brother should naturally sweep the couch and welcome you. But it is already late at night. Why don't we talk again after dawn tomorrow?"
If the other party understood human speech, he would know Yang An was plainly refusing him. If he had any sense, he would leave.
If he did not, Yang An would have no choice but to call for help...
Yet upon hearing Yang An's words, the person outside suddenly became extremely agitated, both hands beginning to pound the door over and over.
"No! Junior Brother!"
"Only you can save me now! You have to save me! Master wants to kill me. Not a single fellow disciple can be trusted—they're all madmen, all of them Master's puppets!
Save me, Junior Brother! I'm begging you!"
The person outside seemed frantic, desperately wanting to enter the room, yet apparently unable to get in. He could only beg Yang An by pounding on the door.
The rapid string of knocks made Yang An feel somewhat irritated, but even more than that, his scalp tingled with terror.
Why did the things this fellow said sound so chilling?
Though he did not know whether the man was telling the truth, Yang An was certain he should remain suspicious first and foremost.
He could not even be sure the other party's identity was real, so how could he casually believe what he said?
"Senior Brother! I know you're in a hurry, but don't be hasty!
Junior Brother has only just entered Master's tutelage, and my cultivation is still shallow. Even if I wanted to help you, my heart is willing but my strength falls short. Senior Brother, you should try looking for someone else."
No matter what, before he figured out the other party's identity and confirmed whether his words could be sifted for truth from falsehood, Yang An did not want to involve himself in this matter. Nor did he have the ability to.
But even after Yang An said that, the fellow outside still refused to give up, continuing to knock anxiously on the door.
"Junior Brother, listen to me. You can definitely help me. It's very simple.
Master sealed me inside a coffin. As long as you come over and erase the curse seal on the coffin, you can save me!
Please, save me!"
"..."
You said you were sealed inside a coffin, so how did you come out to knock on my door? Wasn't that a confession without being pressed?
"Senior Brother, Junior Brother is unable to help. You should find someone else."
This time, Yang An refused outright without a moment's hesitation.
He had already made up his mind: if this fellow kept it up, he would call for help.
Never mind what the man said—his behavior alone already made Yang An feel threatened, so Yang An truly could not believe his words.
Yang An's firm refusal seemed to have worked.
After hearing Yang An, the person outside gradually weakened his knocking, and it soon became quiet outside the door.
Had he left?
Yang An waited quietly for a while. When no further movement came, it seemed that fellow had indeed left. Only then did he slowly let out a breath.
He had not been able to sleep in the first place, and after encountering something like this, he was even less able to sleep peacefully.
Now that he slowly calmed down and no longer felt that immediate sense of threat, he could finally think about what the person had said.
Was that person really Sixth Senior Brother?
Should he subtly sound out Second Senior Brother when he saw him tomorrow during the day?
He still needed to keep his guard up. This Fate Crane Sect was simply too strange.
With that in mind, Yang An decided to drag over something heavy to brace against the door, just in case.
To prevent that fellow from returning. Seeing how the door had swayed under the heavy pounding, he felt as though the person outside might force his way in at any moment.
Though it would not be much use if the other party truly burst in, at least it would give him a little peace of mind.
Yang An first moved close to the door and tilted his head to listen. Outside truly had fallen silent again. Only then did he relax and prepare to drag over a cabinet from the corner.
But just as he took two steps, a thud suddenly came from the door, as if someone had slammed a fist heavily against it.
Yang An's body instantly tensed. The firelight and Buddhist radiance that had dimmed around him flared up again in an instant.
This fellow hadn't left?!!
"Junior Brother! Are you really going to stand by and watch me die?"
The voice outside came again, but compared with before, its tone had instead turned cold.
The threat rushing straight at him made Yang An's heart skip a beat.
This fellow really was no good person!
No, he had to call someone!
Never mind whether anyone else could hear him. As long as he made enough noise, perhaps he could draw someone over.
But just as he was about to shout for help—
Bang!
The door suddenly suffered a powerful blow. The bolt snapped directly, and dust from the walls came raining down. The tightly shut door was thrown open from outside.
"Junior Brother, if you keep this up, Senior Brother is coming in!"
As the voice sounded again, in the pitch-black depths of night, a shadow whose features could not be seen stood just outside the opened door.
The next moment, the shadow lunged fiercely at Yang An!
Fuck!!
Yang An shot upright in bed, gasping for breath. He discovered he was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.
Instinctively, he looked toward the door first. Only then did he realize daylight was already bright outside, while the door remained tightly shut. There was no one there at all.
That just now... had been a dream?
When had I fallen asleep?
His heart hammered wildly, as though he had yet to pull himself free of the dream.
What he had seen in the dream had been far too real. That sense of danger had felt like a hand clamped tightly around his throat, and when the shadow pounced at him in the end, he had nearly felt suffocated.
Fortunately, it had only been a dream.
Yang An let out a long breath, rubbed his temples, and got out of bed, intending to open the door and air out the room.
No!
He suddenly remembered something and stopped in his tracks.
I've never even met Sixth Senior Brother, and I don't know who Sixth Senior Brother is. How could I dream about him for no reason?!
There was something strange about this dream!
Thinking back over every detail of the dream, the room's layout had been exactly the same as in reality, without the slightest difference.
But the Sixth Senior Brother's voice in the dream had been completely unfamiliar to him. Even at the very end, he had not seen what Sixth Senior Brother looked like.
No matter how absurd a dream was, it should still be based on things he had seen in reality. There should have been something to serve as a reference.
With that thought, Yang An immediately determined that this was definitely no ordinary dream.
No! He had to ask Second Senior Brother about it!
He pushed open the door. By the courtyard gate outside, several Corpse Slaves were still dutifully guarding it, their positions unchanged.
"Fu Gui, make a trip for me. Go invite Second Senior Brother over."
Upon receiving Yang An's order, the Corpse Slave he had named Fu Gui immediately obeyed and left.
Not long afterward, Second Senior Brother Fu Ming arrived at Yang An's residence, his face still pale and sickly as he coughed.
The moment he arrived, he saw that something was wrong with Yang An's expression.
"What's wrong with you? Did something happen?"
Before you continue