One step, two steps... Li Bai's muscles tensed all over. She lowered her head, doing her best not to think about those horrifying scenes, but she simply couldn't. The sound of old hemp rope being pulled kept ringing in her ears like a death knell.
Li Bai struggled to swallow. Her throat hurt terribly, as if an invisible noose had been slipped around her neck and was slowly tightening.
Cold, oppressive, suffocating... Every kind of negative emotion surged toward her at once, binding her tightly like a vast, sticky spiderweb.
But Li Bai didn't waver. She knew perfectly well that if she wanted to survive the night, she had to leave this room and step over the threshold in front of her.
Fortunately, she finally managed it. The instant she crossed the threshold, she felt like someone who had been drowning and was on the verge of death, finally breathing in air. The cold aura disappeared, and she was free of its grip at last.
Daring not to hesitate, Li Bai immediately used the flame in the candlestick to ignite the oilcloth. The next moment, as the flames surged upward, the surrounding firewood caught quickly. The blazing light tore through the darkness and drove the fear from Li Bai's heart.
Listening to the firewood crackle, Li Bai could finally take deep breaths. The old house in front of her was soon engulfed in flames.
By the light of the fire, Li Bai finally saw them: nearly three meters above the ground, bloated corpses hung beneath the rafters.
They were all dressed in bright red bridal gowns and white shoes embroidered with red mandarin ducks. Their outfits were festive from head to toe, as if they were about to attend some joyous ceremony.
What truly frightened Li Bai, though, were the