Courtyard Terror

"Senior Sister Chen, how much is this Spirit Wine per jar?" Pei Ling asked Chen Mei, his mind racing.

"Don't worry, brother," Chen Mei said with a slight smile, trying to comfort him. "I just think our cultivation is too low. It would be a waste to drink both jars now, so let's just keep one for later. I promise you'll get your share."

Hearing this, Pei Ling couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He suspected that Chen Huan had taken on this delivery task mainly for the Spirit Wine. Now that he had the benefits, why would he share them with others? However, Chen Huan was at the sixth level of Qi Cultivation, and he couldn't fall out with him over a jar of wine...

"It's fine, I was just asking," Pei Ling replied. While speaking, he took the opportunity to drink a few more cups. Such Spirit Wine, which could slightly enhance one's cultivation, shouldn't be wasted.

After finishing the Spirit Wine, Pei Ling said no more and lowered his head to eat.

That evening, after the banquet, Pei Ling and Chen Huan, along with others, were arranged to rest in the guest courtyard by the butler. The guest courtyard of the City Lord's mansion occupied a separate garden in the southeast corner, with the so-called guest rooms being pavilions scattered among rockeries and ponds.

The butler clearly arranged their accommodations according to their cultivation levels. However, when it came to assigning Pei Ling's room, Huang Xian suddenly spoke up, "Junior Brother Pei has only recently joined the sect and doesn't understand many things. It would be best if he stayed with me and Senior Brother Chen, so we can guide him."

The butler looked surprised but said nothing. "In that case, Young Master Pei Ling, please stay in the small building situated between the residences of the two gentlemen."

Pei Ling found Huang Xian's words a bit strange. After all, throughout their journey, Huang Xian hadn't exactly ignored him, but he hadn't been particularly warm either. Chen Mei, on the other hand, had been very enthusiastic, with endless things to say every day. If Chen Huan had suggested Pei Ling stay with him, it would have made sense, but why would Huang Xian speak up?

Then again, perhaps it was because Chen Mei had been too friendly towards him, and Huang Xian didn't want him to be placed near her? His mind was currently focused on earning Spirit Stones, and he was happy to have some peace, so he didn't say anything.

Since he hadn't been able to rest properly on the Yin Corpse Cloud these past few days, upon entering the room, he dismissed the maid who had offered herself and fell into a deep sleep.

However, he hadn't slept for long before a chilling aura woke him from his slumber!

Pei Ling suddenly sat up in bed. Before his eyes were fully open, he had already grabbed the Aversion to Life Saber from his bedside. He scanned his surroundings vigilantly. All he saw were shadowy furnishings, with nothing out of the ordinary, except that the chilling aura was growing stronger.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. The small building was nestled among lush vegetation, and at night, insects would chirp incessantly. But now, all was silent. He could even clearly hear his own heartbeat.

Pei Ling's heart leaped, and the last vestiges of sleepiness vanished instantly. Without a second thought, he suddenly pushed off the bed and lunged towards the nearby window, shouting for help at the same time, "Senior Brother Chen! Senior Brother Huang!"

His voice echoed in the empty courtyard like a mournful whimper. Pei Ling flipped and landed in the courtyard in front of the small building, only to be shocked to find that it was silent all around, as if he were the only one there. What met his eyes was not the vibrant garden he had entered, but a desolate and ruined landscape. The ground looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in years, with thick layers of dust accumulated. The once lush flowerbeds were now overgrown with menacing black vines that looked sinister, making one instinctively want to walk around them. The rippling pond was now dark and murky, and the koi within had transformed into unknown creatures whose dorsal fins swiftly cut through the water, swimming with an eerie and savage speed.

Pei Ling's heart grew solemn. He slowly drew the Aversion to Life Saber and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Just then, he heard the sound of faint footsteps approaching him at a leisurely pace. He looked up but saw no one. While he was still wondering, his gaze lowered, and he gasped in shock: on the bluestone ground covered in thick dust, there was a line of footprints winding towards him! The footprints were small and delicate, like those of a child. At first glance, they were quite endearing. However, Pei Ling felt no pity; instead, a chill ran down his spine. He gripped the Aversion to Life Saber tightly and, as the footprints reached his vicinity, he suddenly slashed down with his saber.

"Ah!!!!"

A child's scream, indistinguishable by gender, echoed through the courtyard! The sound was high-pitched and piercing. It should have alerted Chen Huan and Huang Xian, who were staying in the nearby buildings, and even Chen Mei and the others further away. But the surrounding rooms remained silent, as if no one had ever lived there.

Pei Ling's heart was filled with unease. He hadn't actually felt his saber strike anything, but the unseen entity had clearly suffered. In the next moment, faint footsteps could be heard from all directions. What followed, making Pei Ling's scalp tingle, was a scene that appeared before him: dense child-sized footprints covered the ground in the courtyard. There were even traces of an infant crawling, surging towards him like a tide.

"Wraiths? Strange creatures?" Pei Ling was terrified. He unleashed the Blood Fiend Saber Technique, his blood churning. In the dusty courtyard, a bloody light seemed to rise. The Aversion to Life Saber, centered on his body, swung in a large arc. A veil-like blood mist enveloped the saber, faintly illuminating the scene within a small radius. This time, he still felt nothing, but he could see. Where the blood mist passed with the saber, countless transparent children, large and small, all appearing to be under ten years old, emerged. However, their faces lacked the innocence of children their age, instead exuding an indescribable malevolence. Their eyes fixed on Pei Ling, with only the whites visible, no pupils, their pale gazes filled with extreme hatred. It was as if Pei Ling were the enemy who had harmed them. Even when the blood mist passed over them, they vanished like ice and snow meeting heat, without any resistance, yet their hateful emotions intensified rather than diminished.

"Senior Brother Chen! Senior Brother Huang!" Pei Ling slashed around him while shouting, "Senior Brother Zhang! Senior Sister Xiao! Senior Sister Chen! There's something strange about this City Lord's mansion!"

The surrounding buildings remained deathly silent. Only in the courtyard where he was staying, amidst continuous screams, the approaching children only increased in number, rushing forward fearlessly, as if they would never stop. What in the world was going on?!

After repeatedly calling for help without success, Pei Ling stopped pinning his hopes on others and began to consider how to escape on his own. Why was there such danger in the guest courtyard where the Chongming Sect disciples were being hosted by the City Lord's mansion? As for Chen Huan and the others, it was one thing, but he had met City Lord Duanmu for the first time today, and he had no enmity with the City Lord. Could it be that the families of Li Siguan and the other two had bribed City Lord Duanmu?! No, that shouldn't be it! Pei Ling quickly dismissed his guess, because City Lord Duanmu was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator. If he wanted to harm Pei Ling, he wouldn't need such tricks; he could have just made a direct move. But if City Lord Duanmu was not the problem, who would dare to cause trouble in the mansion of this Foundation Establishment stage cultivator?!