The Mansion's Underground Cave

The night was deep and quiet, with only a faint glow remaining.

The Cheng mansion gradually dimmed as everyone fell asleep.

"Mister Lin, this is where the servants of the mansion live."

Cheng Yishi, leading the way with graceful steps, explained softly, "The twenty-one servants all live in these six courtyards, with complete furniture and no worries about their livelihood."

"The environment is quite good."

Lin Tianlu casually asked, "Have these people done anything strange recently?"

"Everyone in the household is normal," Cheng Yishi shook her head.

Hua Shuya, who had been following beside him, frowned and leaned close to Lin Tianlu's ear, whispering:

"Senior, do you need me to search?"

"Don't act rashly."

Lin Tianlu gasped and quickly warned, "If we truly encounter vengeful spirits or fierce ghosts, the worst thing to do is act alone... In any case, acting alone in a dangerous place is absolutely out of the question."

This thing is practically like a death flag.

In horror movies, it's a surefire way to die.

"I will remember Senior's words," Hua Shuya nodded solemnly.

Cheng Yishi clearly hadn't heard their hushed conversation. As she continued to lead, she said, "The two of you, pass through this corridor, and behind it are the main and secondary residences where my father and his wives and concubines live."

Lin Tianlu's gaze swept over, and a spacious and tidy courtyard came into view. The garden and pond were meticulously maintained, clean, and beautiful.

This Cheng family mansion is probably not small in scale. However, many of the houses had their lights out, making it a bit dim.

Lin Tianlu observed carefully but didn't detect much eerie energy. In comparison, Cheng Yishi herself had a more potent yin energy.

"Hmm?"

Hua Shuya's sharp eyes seemed to have discovered something, and she whispered, "Miss Cheng, who lives in that solitary thatched hut in the back?"

Cheng Yishi's expression froze at the question.

But soon, the gentle smile on her face faded slightly, and she said indifferently, "That's just a storeroom for piled firewood, and only the household servants usually go near it."

Her unusual reaction surprised Lin Tianlu.

But before he could ask further, Cheng Yishi had already moved on, "The two of you can go check out the backyard. If after checking the entire mansion there's still no abnormality, I believe there are no ghosts lurking in my Cheng family. I hope Mister Lin can inform the public tomorrow and clear the Cheng family's name."

"That goes without saying."

"--Hee hee hee~"

Suddenly, a faint giggle echoed in the desolate night wind, like a young girl's lighthearted, playful complaint.

The two were startled.

Immediately, Hua Shuya fiercely gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist, "Senior, has a demon truly appeared?!"

Lin Tianlu discerned the direction of the sound; it clearly came from the residential buildings in the backyard not far ahead.

"Wait, did you two discover something?"

Cheng Yishi quickly interjected, her pretty face filled with astonishment.

Lin Tianlu looked confused, "Miss Cheng, didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"That woman's laughter," Lin Tianlu said gravely. "It's consistent with what the neighbors reported. Hearing such laughter in the dead of night is indeed eerie."

Although the voice was pleasant, it still made him feel uneasy.

"R-really?" A hint of fear appeared on Cheng Yishi's face.

Hua Shuya deliberately emphasized her tone and questioned, "Miss Cheng, is there something you are deliberately hiding from us?"

"This..." Cheng Yishi's face turned slightly pale, and she hesitated for a moment.

Seeing her waver, Lin Tianlu knew something was wrong. He tried to soften his tone, "Miss Cheng, you don't need to worry. If there are indeed ghosts lurking in the mansion, we can resolve it as soon as possible. But if you continue to conceal it, it might lead to complications. You wouldn't want your family to get into trouble, would you?"

Cheng Yishi clasped her hands tightly, appearing hesitant.

But she finally took a deep breath and whispered, "I haven't heard of any ghosts lurking in the household. However... there is indeed a strange person in the family."

Lin Tianlu was surprised, "Miss Cheng, what do you know?"

"Mister should know by now that my father has five daughters and one son. Three daughters and one son were born to his three concubines," Cheng Yishi hesitated. "The remaining two daughters were born to my father's wife... that's my sister and me."

"Miss Cheng means--"

"My sister is a bit strange."

Cheng Yishi frowned, looking uneasy. "She's usually very quiet and unsociable, staying locked in her room all day. If she were just shy, it would be fine, but she barely steps out of her room all year... Sometimes, when passing by the corridor in front of her room, I can even see her standing inside through the window, expressionless and silent, which is very bizarre!"

Lin Tianlu's scalp tingled.

Is this really not a scene from a horror movie?

"If that's the case, why didn't you tell Steward Cheng about this?"

"My father knows about it."

Lin Tianlu looked surprised. "Steward Cheng knows?"

"My father has long known about my sister's strangeness," Cheng Yishi said in a low voice. "It's just that my sister looks very much like my mother, and she's the youngest and most pampered in the family. So he didn't take it too seriously... or perhaps, my father simply didn't want to expose this matter and attract gossip from outsiders."

"But these past few days, the strange laughter I've heard at night... it almost all comes from my sister's room."

Cheng Yishi bit her lower lip lightly and pointed to the house across the covered walkway. "Because my room and my sister's are directly connected, I can hear it very clearly."

Lin Tianlu asked, confused, "Why didn't you want to tell me before?"

Cheng Yishi's brows were etched with a bit of worry. "My father had already instructed me today, and I truly didn't want to tell outsiders about this family shame. I originally just wanted to send you two away and gloss over this matter."

Lin Tianlu's brow furrowed tightly.

"Please forgive me, Mister Lin. I didn't intend to hide anything. It's just that the strange laughter usually comes from my sister's room, and it's not some ghost haunting. Plus, my father repeatedly warned me, it's truly..."

"Let's not talk about that for now."

Lin Tianlu's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Miss Cheng, please lead the way quickly."

"Okay, okay."

Cheng Yishi hurried ahead, leading the two to the front of a house in the backyard.

After pushing the door open and entering, Hua Shuya quickly drew her sword and scanned the surroundings, her expression vigilant.

But after a sweep of the room, aside from the decorations of a young lady's boudoir, no one was found.

"What's going on? Why is no one inside..."

"Ah?!"

A short, sharp cry suddenly rang out.

Lin Tianlu looked in the direction of the sound and happened to see Cheng Yishi step on a hidden mechanism, suddenly falling into a hole in the corner of the wall.

The two rushed over and jumped into the hole together. Fortunately, the tunnel wasn't too deep, and they landed smoothly.

"Miss Cheng, are you alright?"

Lin Tianlu quickly bent down to help her up.

But Cheng Yishi shook her head with a pale face. "My foot is a bit sore and painful. I can't stand up."

"Perhaps you twisted your ankle. Please don't move around for now, Miss."

Lin Tianlu turned his head and was quite surprised to see a tunnel passage lit by many candles, their flames flickering dimly.

Under the Cheng manor, there was actually such a cellar?

"Miss Cheng, your family has this tunnel... do you know about it?"

"No, I didn't know!"

"Alright, Miss Cheng, wait here. Don't wander off."

His expression became slightly more serious.

At this moment, he finally felt a trace of cold, yin energy brush against his face.

Although the other party seemed to be trying their best to hide their presence, they were extremely close. To Lin Tianlu's eyes, they shone like a beacon.

He and Hua Shuya walked step by step along the tunnel.

The surrounding atmosphere was cold and damp, but there were no traps on the path. As they moved forward, they soon saw a stone door blocking their way.

Lin Tianlu narrowed his eyes, vaguely seeing a faint gray energy flowing on the stone door.

"Let me try to force the door open... huh?"

As soon as the thought arose, Lin Tianlu's hand went straight through the stone door, leaving him speechless.

This thing was as soft as a soap bubble.

He didn't bother to figure out what material the door was made of and simply haphazardly cleared the rest of the stone door, quickly rushing in with Hua Shuya. The surrounding environment suddenly opened up, revealing a specially dug underground secret room.

--As expected, two people were standing not far away.

Upon hearing the commotion, the two figures inside the stone-door cellar quickly turned around.

Their gazes met, and the familiar face of one of them was none other than Cheng Yanghua!

"This, how is this possible?!"

Cheng Yanghua's face was filled with shock, as if he hadn't expected Lin Tianlu and the other to arrive here.

Beside him stood a young woman in a skirt, whose face bore some resemblance to Cheng Yishi, but her expression was extremely grim, her eyes as red as blood.

Lin Tianlu's eyes narrowed. "Steward Cheng, perhaps you could explain the current situation?"

"..."

Cheng Yanghua was speechless for a moment.

But after a moment of silence, he shook his head and chuckled, "I didn't expect the rumors to be true. Mister Lin truly has some skill."

Even though we deliberately suppressed our yin energy for this moment and didn't make the slightest sound, you still managed to track us all the way here, Mister. You even forcibly broke through the stone door enchanted with yin arts. Truly extraordinary means."

Spiritual light flickered in Lin Tianlu's eyes, wisps of fleeting images weaving and swirling before him, constructing a profound and wondrous spectacle.

A large amount of gray, dark airflow coiled around the woman's entire body, with hints of blood-red appearing within, and faint sounds of wailing.

Although no gray energy lingered around Cheng Yanghua, as the yin energy beside him blew past, a brighter blood-red light suddenly erupted within his body—

It was as if his fingers were dripping blood!

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