The mask was dark and seemed to have been cast in one piece.
Pei Ling studied it for a moment, then thought it over and put it on.
A bone-deep chill instantly enveloped him.
In his current condition, Pei Ling couldn't help shuddering before he managed to endure it.
Right after that, his vision was quickly obstructed. It wasn't pitch-black, though; everything looked blurry and hazy, as if seen through layers of gauze. Surprisingly, he didn't feel the least bit stifled.
Once he had made these preparations, he sat on the stool and rested for another incense stick's time. Only then did he struggle to his feet and head past the screen toward the door.
This was the fortune left behind by Zhou. It might let him ascend in a single step, but it might also doom him beyond redemption!
He had to make the most of his time and figure out his current situation as quickly as possible.
"Where are Crimson Powder Bride, 'Yue,' and Tan Nu now?"
"I'll leave them aside for the moment."
"Zhou's fortune is far more perilous than anything the three of them pose!"
"Besides, that maid wants to kill me. I have to find a way to deal with her first!"
As these thoughts turned over in his mind, Pei Ling reached the door. He didn't open it at once. Instead, he poked a small hole in the mulberry paper stretched across the lattice above the door panels, then pressed his eye to it and carefully examined the surroundings.
Outside was a modest, orderly courtyard.
A lantern hung every few steps beneath the covered walkway, casting light over the courtyard.
A ring of flowerbeds lined the walkway, planted with a variety of low shrubs and plants.
The courtyard in the middle was fairly spacious,