Haunted House Expedition

The three-day deadline had arrived.

The sky was dark and overcast, black clouds hanging so low they seemed ready to collapse at any moment. A suffocating heat filled the air, a sign that a torrential downpour was on its way.

At the entrance of the Black Tiger Gang.

Ten figures stood scattered about.

These were the ten "Pathfinders" chosen for this mission. Aside from Yan Kui, most of them were ashen-faced, their bodies trembling uncontrollably with fear. Some wept quietly, while others prayed to every god and Buddha in the heavens.

Yan Kui stood at the very edge, head lowered, doing his best to blend in. He had deliberately smeared some ash over his face and loosened the clothes that had become tight from his larger build, concealing his solid muscles.

"Stand properly, you bastards!"

A fierce shout rang out.

Li Bapi emerged with several disciples from the Enforcement Hall. He wore a brand-new silk robe today, two iron walnuts rolling in his hand, his face full of impatience.

"This mission was personally assigned by the Gang Leader, and it is also a test of your loyalty!"

Li Bapi swept his gaze over the crowd with a smile that did not reach his eyes. "As long as you come back alive after scouting out the situation inside, each of you will be rewarded fifty taels of silver and promoted directly to an Inner Court Disciple!"

Normally, upon hearing such a reward, these cannon fodder would have long since fallen to their knees in gratitude.

But now, no one spoke.

Everyone knew this was blood money.

"Enough dawdling. Move out!"

With a wave of Li Bapi's hand, several Enforcement Hall disciples stepped forward and drove the group toward the west side of the city as though escorting prisoners.

The Old Lin Family Manor stood in the most remote corner of the western city, backed against a barren mountain, with no sign of human habitation for miles around.

Before they even reached the place, everyone felt a bone-piercing chill.

The weather, originally sweltering, had turned cold and gloomy here. The wild grass by the roadside was withered, yellowed, and blackened, while most of the trees were crooked-necked things that looked like ghostly silhouettes baring their fangs and claws.

At last, the legendary Haunted House appeared before them.

It was an enormous manor, its Vermilion Red gates tightly shut, the bronze rings upon them already rusted. Dark-red moss covered the towering walls, like dried bloodstains.

Even in broad daylight, the entire manor was shrouded in a thin layer of gray mist, impossible to see clearly.

"We're here."

Li Bapi stopped walking. Even from fifty paces away, he refused to come any closer to the gates.

He pulled out a Yellow Talisman from his robes and pressed it against his chest, then pointed at the gate and shouted, "Get in there! Search every courtyard, especially the well in the rear courtyard! If anyone dares to slack off or tries to run..."

"Clang!"

The Enforcement Hall disciples beside him drew their long sabers in unison, cold light flashing.

The group exchanged despairing glances and could only grit their teeth as they shuffled, step by step, toward the Vermilion Red gates.

"Creeeak—"

The gates were not locked. With only a gentle push, they gave off a teeth-grinding scrape and slowly opened.

A stale, decaying stench rushed at them, mixed with a heavy smell of mold.

Yan Kui walked at the very back of the group.

The moment he crossed the threshold, his brows furrowed slightly.

That feeling had returned.

Every hair on his skin stood on end, and his chest felt tight. This was a sign of Yin Energy entering his body, several times denser than the Yin Energy at the Graveyard!

But the Blood Qi within him merely circulated once on its own, and the chill was dispersed.

As dangerous as expected.

Yan Kui narrowed his eyes and quietly examined the courtyard.

This was a large manor with three successive courtyards. Several Sophora Trees stood in the front courtyard, their leaves long since fallen, leaving only bare branches. The ground was covered in fallen leaves and dust, with none of the corpses or bloodstains they had imagined.

Everything looked perfectly normal. In fact, it was almost too quiet.

"Th-there's nothing here..."

One of the slightly braver cannon fodder let out a breath and whispered.

"Don't talk!"

Another person covered his mouth in terror and pointed toward the main hall ahead.

Everyone followed his finger, and their scalps instantly went numb.

The doors to the main hall stood open, revealing nothing but darkness within. Hanging from one of the beams was a strip of white silk.

The white silk swayed gently despite the lack of wind.

Just then.

"Eee—yaa—"

A faint yet clear opera tune drifted abruptly from the direction of the rear courtyard.

The voice was mournful and grief-stricken, like a woman softly crying out her woes, yet also like she was singing.

Within this deathly silent manor, the sound was more terrifying than a thunderclap.

"Ah! Ghosts! There are ghosts!"

One cannon fodder whose mind had completely snapped screamed and turned to run for the gates.

"Bang!"

The gates slammed shut on their own the instant he touched them!

The man desperately pounded on the door, crying, "Open the door! Let me out! I quit!"

Yet the seemingly dilapidated wooden gates did not budge in the slightest. They had become a Bronze Wall Iron Barrier.

"Don't waste your strength."

Yan Kui, who had remained silent all along, suddenly spoke.

Everyone turned back to look at him in shock.

Yan Kui was no longer pretending to be sickly and weak. He straightened up, his previously hunched back becoming ramrod straight, his gaze frighteningly calm.

"Now that we're inside, we either kill every ghost here, or the ghosts kill us. There is no third path."

His words were cruel, but they were the truth.

"Y-you..."

The man who had been crying and shouting just moments ago froze.

At that moment, the opera tune suddenly became shrill, as if it had exploded right beside their ears.

Immediately afterward, a gust of sinister wind rose from the ground.

The branches of the Sophora Trees in the front courtyard began to shake wildly, rustling loudly.

"Hee hee hee..."

A strange laugh came from all directions.

The crowd discovered in terror that the gray mist around them was growing thicker, visibility dropping rapidly. Shadowy figures began to emerge from the fog.

Those were... Paper Figures!

Paper Figures with rouged cheeks and gaudy funeral clothes had somehow appeared in the corners of the courtyard.

Rigid, eerie smiles covered their faces, while pairs of painted eyes stared fixedly at the crowd.

"Th-they're alive!"

Someone screamed.

The Paper Figures suddenly moved. Their movements were stiff yet swift, and they carried mourning staffs or paper sabers as they closed in on the group.

"Is this the appetizer?"

Yan Kui snorted coldly.

He could sense that these Paper Figures did not possess much Origin Power. They were likely not even as strong as the Wandering Soul from the Graveyard. Their only advantages were their numbers and their frightening appearance.

"Stay close to me. If you don't want to die, don't run around."

Yan Kui shouted lowly, no longer hiding his strength.

He stepped forward, and the bluestone slab beneath his feet shattered instantly.

Like a fierce tiger bursting from its cage, he charged straight toward the nearest Paper Figure.

"Die!"

He threw a punch.

His fist, carrying surging Blood Qi, smashed brutally into the Paper Figure's chest.

It was like punching through a sheet of thin paper. The Paper Figure did not even have time to scream before that fierce force tore it apart, reducing it to scraps that filled the sky.

[Killed Vengeful Spirit Paper Puppet, plundered Soul Essence.]

[Origin Power: +0.1]

Just as expected. Cannon fodder.

Yan Kui's heart settled.

Though the Origin Power was little, there were at least dozens of Paper Figures in this courtyard. Small streams made great rivers—it was still no small gain!

"Kill!"

He roared, not only to intimidate the ghosts, but also to rouse the companions who had been frightened senseless.

After all, these cannon fodder might be weak, but they could at least serve as meat shields and draw some fire, making it easier for him to kill.

Seeing Yan Kui's divine might, slaughtering one "ghost" with each punch, the despairing crowd felt a flicker of hope for survival.

"Fight with him!"

"We're dead either way!"

Though most of them still did not dare to attack, at least they no longer ran about like headless flies. Instead, they instinctively gathered around Yan Kui, treating him as their pillar.

At this moment, Yan Kui had killed until his eyes turned red.

He did not need any techniques at all. Relying on the Copper Skin defense granted by Iron Cloth Shirt, he ignored the attacks of the Paper Figures' weapons.

The paper sabers could only cut through his clothes, unable to even leave a pale mark on his skin.

Every punch he threw took away one Paper Figure and gained him 0.1 Origin Power.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

This was no exploration—it was practically a one-sided slaughter.

In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Yan Kui had cleared out more than half of the dozens of Paper Figures in the front courtyard.

The ground was blanketed in shattered paper scraps.

Origin Power: 2.5 (0.1 x 25)

Just as Yan Kui was preparing to wipe out the remaining Paper Figures in one sweep.

The eerie opera tune abruptly stopped.

Then, an even colder, more venomous voice drifted out from the main hall:

"What wild man is this... breaking this servant's toys..."

Whoosh—

A tide of red Sha Qi surged out from the main hall doors, instantly scattering the gray mist in the courtyard.

That dazzling streak of red made every heart skip a beat.

The true master had emerged.