073. Did You Prepare Dinner?

The Hai Family Mansion.

Lu Ban found it hard to describe how a building could give off such a gloomy feeling.

The two eternally burning red lanterns at the gate emitted a faint glow, giving the gate a slightly bloody hue. Lu Ban and Trist followed behind the servant, who walked very lightly and silently, which was why he had been able to appear silently behind them earlier.

Under the lantern's light, Lu Ban could only see the other person's thin shadow, like the afterimage left by light passing through a piece of paper.

Such residences typically have a small door on one side of the main gate.

They entered the Hai Family Mansion through the small door.

"The master has instructed that you two are important guests and he would like to invite you to rest at his home tonight."

The servant's voice was also somewhat ethereal, as if it were coming from a jar.

Upon entering the mansion, the first thing that catches the eye is a series of decorative trees.

However, these trees did not resemble welcoming pines or auspicious trees; instead, they were crooked and sparsely leafed, as if no one had taken care of them for a long time.

There are still traces of rope wrapped around the branches, which have injured the bark, as if someone had hanged themselves there.

The road was a bit damp, and it felt like soft sand underfoot. Lu Ban lifted his foot to look at it. It hadn't rained, but the ground was wet and covered with watermarks.

Did you clean the house today?

Lu Ban then asked.

"The wedding is just around the corner, and the whole family is very busy."

The servant replied with a single sentence, without offering any explanation.

Contrary to his account, Lu Ban and Trist did not see any other servants.

As dusk fell, only scattered red lanterns illuminated the road within the mansion; otherwise, it was deserted and did not appear to be inhabited.

Lu Ban looked towards the roadside, searching for traces of the seal that the Black Mother had mentioned.

Soon, almost effortlessly, Lu Ban saw the thing.

It's so conspicuous.

In the center of the mansion, in the center of a pond, stands a tower.

It was a tower whose architectural style Lu Ban couldn't quite describe. It had six stories from bottom to top, each no more than a meter high. It was entirely black, with some characters carved on its surface. Chains wrapped around the tower, connecting it to the surrounding trees. It looked very ominous.

What is that tower?

Trist clearly had the same idea as Lu Ban, and he asked.

"The mansion is very large, be careful not to get lost."

The servants avoided the topic altogether.

Just as Trist turned his gaze back to the front, he suddenly saw what appeared to be a woman in a red wedding dress standing next to the tower in the middle of the lake.

In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared again, leaving only the lonely tower standing in the desolate courtyard.

The servants carried the two men to a secluded courtyard.

From afar, they could see the dim yellow light shining from the courtyard. Lu Ban and Trist entered the courtyard and saw two people sitting in the house, which was laid out in a Chinese style.

A painting hangs on the wall facing the gate; it is not a traditional landscape of mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds, but a painting of the sea.

However, the sea was turbulent, and in the waves, some kind of creature never before Lu Ban hid. They capsized ships, attacked humans, and surrounded the two twisting figures in the center of the scene, creating an indescribable sense of strangeness.

The two people sitting in the chairs were even stranger.

The man on the left is an elderly man. His face is Pale than paper, but his lips are very red. He has an unnatural, sickly appearance and looks more like a dead person than a servant.

On the right is a middle-aged woman whose makeup is almost identical to the man's, except for her eyes. The man's pupils are pitch black, while the woman's eyes have a Amber color.

The two people gave off the feeling that the paper figures used in worship had come to life, and just looking at them gave people a very uncomfortable feeling.

It was as if some kind of monster had forcibly disguised itself as a human.

"You two have come all this way, thank you for your hard work."

The man spoke, his voice weak and feeble, like that of a dying patient.

"I am Hai Wei, and this is my wife."

He gave a brief introduction.

Lu Ban and Trist introduced themselves, and before Hai Wei could continue speaking, Lu Ban suddenly raised his hand.

"Mr. Hai, look, my friend and I went to the beach during the day, and we haven't had dinner yet. Have you prepared dinner?"

"?"

Trist reacted a beat too late.

Hai Wei and Madam Hai's movements also froze.

The two hesitated for a moment before exchanging a glance and summoning a servant.

"Prepare the meal."

"Very good!"

Lu Ban smiled brightly, as if Stone had finally been lifted from his heart.

The servant brought over a table and chairs, and the four of them sat down at the table. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the servant brought out the dishes.

Steamed fish, vegetables, meat, rice, and crab—it wasn't a particularly lavish meal, but it looked quite exquisite.

"I'm starving."

Lu Ban picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat the fish.

Trist picked up the bowl and chopsticks, but hesitated to move them.

The two members of the Hai family sitting opposite them didn't even bother to pick up their chopsticks; they were just staring intently at Lu Ban and Trist.

"It tastes great! Fish from the sea is definitely fresh."

Lu Ban heartily, completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere around him.

"I heard that A Yu came looking for you today?"

Hai Wei looked at Lu Ban as he ate and asked in a flat voice.

"Yes, that's right. He took us to the beach. He's a very nice person."

Lu Ban lied without batting an eye.

"I know that A Yu is not very happy with this marriage. He loves his younger sister the most, which is normal. So please don't take it to heart if he says anything."

Although Madam Hai spoke politely, her tone lacked emotion, like a heartless repeating machine.

"We understand. We came here to witness the couple's union and we certainly won't do anything to harm the wedding."

Lu Ban ate another piece of meat. The meat was very unique, unlike pork, beef, or mutton, but it was extremely delicious.

"That's good. Our biggest wish is to see our son get married."

Hai Wei said in a slow voice.

"We were not very hospitable yesterday. Please stay at the mansion tonight. The wedding will begin early tomorrow morning."

"No problem, this house is so grand, I'd really like to take a look around."

Lu Ban continued.

Trist, standing to the side, watched the three of them conversing harmoniously with a livid face. The conversation at the dinner table was inexplicably strange, but it seemed that only he noticed the unease.

In the end, Trist didn't touch his chopsticks.

After the two finished their meal, the servants led them to a secluded courtyard, saying it would be their lodging for the night.

Trist inspected the room; the furniture was exquisitely crafted, and the bedding looked brand new.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lu Ban saw the servant off, and only returned to the courtyard silently after the servant disappeared around the corner.

"This situation is a bit strange, just now..."

Just as Trist was about to talk to Lu Ban, he saw Lu Ban come to a corner of the courtyard and bend down.

vomit--

He pushed his stomach open and vomited up everything he had eaten that evening.

Are you alright?

Trist patted Lu Ban on the shoulder.

"Fine."

Lu Ban glanced at his vomit and then said a few words.

"Hai Wei and Madam Hai are not human."

"Dinner tonight was awful."

*

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