Story

Vivian had been right. Although the Yuefu'erde haunting had attracted quite a few paranormal enthusiasts from out of town, the crowds had not yet reached their peak. This little inn still had three vacant rooms—and only three.

Ideally, there would have been four rooms, so Hao Ren, Nangong, and the third person in their group could each have one without disturbing one another. But judging by the situation, Vivian and Lily would have to make do with sharing a room for one night. The Vampire Girl was filled with resentment over this. She had noticed Lily snoring while standing, so she was absolutely certain that the Werewolf girl would wake up in the latter half of the night and start running around the room just like she had the night before. There was no hope of getting a good night's sleep with someone who had no trouble adjusting to the time difference.

After getting the room keys, Nangong noticed that no one was at the front desk, so he leaned against the counter and struck up a conversation with the portly owner. "Hello. I saw you on TV. You're Mr. Angus, right? I heard there's a haunted castle somewhere around here?"

"Oh, your English is pretty good—much better than that Indian monk upstairs," the portly owner said with a beaming smile. As an innkeeper, he had the easygoing nature suited to his profession and could chat with people from all over the world. "You're here for the castle too? It's the biggest news around here lately. Hey, people had practically forgotten that castle existed. If it weren't for the haunting, they probably wouldn't even remember the old name Yuefu'erde. But it's quite a large ruin. After this incident, it'll probably become a popular tourist attraction."

"I'm an expert in this field," Nangong said solemnly as he straightened his collar. "I'm from China, and I'm a professional Demon Hunter. I came here to eliminate the evil spirit in the castle."

Hao Ren couldn't help whispering to Vivian, "Is he really this high-profile with everyone? He tells anyone who'll listen."

The Vampire Girl let out a noncommittal snort. Then she propped up Lily, who was swaying beside her and looked ready to drop to all fours and crawl away, and called out to Hao Ren, "I'll take this girl upstairs first. Come up soon after you're done talking. We need to discuss something."

Vivian dragged Lily upstairs, while the portly owner stared at Nangong in amazement. "Oh, so you really are from mysterious China. But I thought your ghost-catching experts were called... What was it again? Daoists?"

The portly owner turned out to know a little about China. He pronounced those two Chinese words, "Daoist," with remarkable clarity.

This time, Nangong didn't bother explaining what a Demon Hunter was. He merely smiled and shook his head. "I'm not a Daoist, although I do know Daoist exorcism techniques. By the way, if you have the time, could you tell me the story of Yuefu'erde Castle? We're very interested."

The portly owner immediately brightened. His chubby body wriggled nimbly out from behind the counter, and he pulled Nangong and Hao Ren over to a long table nearby where guests could rest. "Of course, of course. Come, sit down and we'll talk. I've been telling people about this nonstop these past two days. Where would you like me to begin?"

"Uh, just start from the beginning. Tell us the story of the castle back then," Hao Ren said. The owner's enthusiasm amused him a little. The man looked like a tour guide who hadn't had any business in half a year and had suddenly found a couple of suckers. "I don't know anything about that castle. Before coming here, I didn't even know exactly where it was."

The portly owner was surprised first. "Good heavens! Your English is even better than mine..."

Hao Ren said, "...Ahem. Let's get to the point. The point."

Only then did the portly owner begin recounting the castle's history in detail. He spoke with great emotion and described every detail, beginning with a British nobleman establishing his domain there several hundred years ago. He spent more than ten minutes just telling them about the noble family's history, with all its twists and turns of love, hatred, and intrigue, making a country lord sound like a Knight of the Round Table. According to the portly owner, the nobleman and his family lived in old Yuefu'erde for less than two hundred years. During that time, they experienced the rise and fall of their family, open and covert struggles with the royal court, rebellions within their domain, and wars from outside. In the end, the entire family fell apart when the three heirs turned against one another. The eldest of the final generation of heirs died on the castle throne, the second son died in battle during the rebellion, and the youngest son disappeared without a trace, leaving behind countless legends and tales. Then Yuefu'erde Castle, once at the height of its glory, became the largest demolition project in the area.

"The Yuefu'erde domain was once extremely prosperous, but it was finally abandoned after an internal rebellion. Many knights and soldiers died inside and outside the castle. Some of their bodies were buried by later generations, but supposedly many of their bones were never found. Those soldiers were trapped in the secret passages and cellars beneath the castle. After the lord's entire family died, no one knew exactly how many hidden rooms were still down there, so the soldiers who died in the cellars and passageways were never buried." Angus smacked his lips, his tone growing eerie. "They say those unburied soldiers became Vengeful spirits. The rebels trapped them underground, leaving them to listen as their lord was murdered above them. So they were filled with hatred..."

Looking at Angus's expressive, chubby face, Hao Ren felt that the man must have been a tour guide with broken wings in his previous life.

"There are secret passages and cellars beneath the castle? Large ones?" Hao Ren asked curiously. Before Angus could answer, Nangong explained from beside him, "That's normal. In that era, castles weren't merely residences for nobles. They were also the final fortresses against war. There were usually huge underground storerooms and secret passages leading in every direction. Some castles even had tunnels dug beneath them that could cross the entire domain, allowing the lord to escape far enough away in an emergency."

Angus nodded, clearly agreeing that Nangong made sense. Then he added, "Most of the tunnels have collapsed. Besides, Yuefu'erde Castle has been forgotten for so many years that no one has ever properly explored it. So no one knows how many secrets are hidden underground."

"You've really seen a ghost?" Hao Ren asked, unable to contain his curiosity as he looked at the portly owner's rosy face. The man looked nothing like someone who had encountered ghosts. Who could be this cheerful after running into one?

"Of course I have!" The portly owner's voice immediately rose. "You're not the first person to doubt me, but I swear on the Bible with my hand pressed against it that I saw the ghost of a knight and mysterious firelight near the castle... Oh, it was a terrifying night. But it brought me all these guests, so I can't say it was entirely a bad thing."

Seeing how excited the portly owner was, Hao Ren could only hurry to assure him that he believed him. He then chatted with the man a little longer about the castle's recent situation. When he noticed that it was getting late, he said goodbye and left.

The room he had booked was at the western end of the third floor. Vivian and Lily's room was directly opposite his, while Nangong's was far away at the other end of the corridor. As soon as Hao Ren reached his door, he saw Vivian waiting outside.

"Let's talk in your room," Vivian said. Then she pointed toward her own room. "Big Dog is sleepwalking. He's chewing on someone's table leg inside right now. Be prepared—you'll have to pay for it tomorrow."

Hao Ren said, "...Why didn't you stop her?"

Vivian raised her arm and indicated a row of bite marks on it. "Heh."

Hao Ren said, "..."

Naturally, the conditions at this rural inn couldn't compare to a star-rated hotel in central London. Each room had only a bed, table, chairs, and a few other necessities. Yet the simplicity made Hao Ren feel strangely relaxed. Sitting with Vivian at the head of the bed, he gave her a rough account of what he had heard downstairs, then said with some concern, "I heard there are already quite a few people at the castle. A lot of crazy ones even drove RVs or brought tents. They're not staying in town; they've set up camp right outside the castle and are waiting to see a ghost. If we want to sneak over there and find 'the person,' I'm afraid it won't be realistic."

"So you're saying there's no difference between going tonight and going tomorrow night?" Vivian blinked. "As it happens, I just investigated the situation over there using my own methods, and I really did find something interesting."

Hao Ren said, "?"