Chapter 4, Sets

"He is lying." A cold female voice came from beside Old Yang. Just now, feeling guilty, I could only force a smile and did not dare to look at Old Yang's expression

I feigned nonchalance as I glanced over there, only to see several middle-aged men emerging from the room, each with a robust build, clearly not of good character

I did not want to stir up more trouble, so when I saw those people walking towards the main door, I simply chose not to look any longer and left the old residence first

Thus, in the end, I abandoned this thought and instead set my sights on the main hall of this old residence

However, the initiative in this matter is completely out of our hands. Both of us are powerless and can only sit in the room, waiting for the so-called employer to arrive

If it were said that someone had passed away at Old Yang's house, then placing the deceased's coffin in the mourning hall for a few days could still be somewhat acceptable. However, within this grand residence, apart from this broken coffin, there are neither flower wreaths nor white strips of cloth, which does not resemble a situation of death at all. It is unclear what that strange old man means by setting up a coffin here.

Do you know me? I was taken aback and blurted out.

Zhao Sixuan, I know. I had originally planned to introduce myself, but before I could say anything, that woman seemed to know everything and revealed my name.

I wanted to find a restroom, but I didn't know where it was. I consider this reason to be quite reasonable; after all, everyone has their urgent needs. Even if that old man gets upset, he shouldn't hold it against me for needing to relieve myself

The eyes just now certainly appeared to be human eyes, but they were rather terrifying. The entire eye was filled with blood vessels; how many sleepless nights must one endure to reach such a state? Or perhaps the person inherently suffers from a condition like conjunctivitis, which is why they looked that way

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him." Shi Lan seems to be somewhat reticent, as he only speaks a few words each time. However, it is fortunate that what he says are all key points and essential terms, so I can still understand.

I watched the similar actions of the old man and the young girl, wondering whether they were father and daughter or grandfather and grandson. In any case, my confusion was not alleviated; instead, it only grew more profound.

Fortunately, Old Yang did not seem to care much about it; he neither questioned me about the reason nor blamed me for anything. Instead, he turned slightly and pointed to the woman behind him, introducing her in a calm tone: "This is Shi Lan, from Yunnan."

Damn it, what bad luck! I silently cursed in my heart, unable to understand how someone could place a coffin in the main hall

The young man responded with a smile, took out a yellowed map from his pocket, and began to explain it to the crowd

I see, so you noticed it too! Is my lie really that obvious? I feel a bit anxious inside, yet I can't quite figure out what exactly I'm anxious about

Cautiously approaching the window again, I leaned my head out once more, my eyes directly fixed on the window across from me

I quietly walked out of the room and glanced around. The courtyard was desolate and there was not a soul in sight. I had initially thought that apart from the old man, no one else lived in this old house. However, it now seems that at least one red-eyed creature resides here.

Old Yang glanced at me, then ignored me and turned to walk towards the courtyard. Shi Lan didn't even look at me again and followed Old Yang.

I exchanged a glance with those blood-red eyes, and an involuntary chill ran down my spine. I quickly averted my gaze, shifting my body to the side behind the window, retreating back into the room.

What is that thing? Doubts began to arise in my mind

I tugged at Xu Lei's sleeve, signaling him to come out with me. When we stepped outside, the gazes of the others briefly focused on me, including those few newcomers.

I noticed that the new arrivals are all quite young, with the oldest being about the same age as me, making it hard to imagine that these young individuals are the so-called owners, the ones who wrote that anonymous letter to me

I trembled all over, as if I were a thief caught in the act, feeling extremely guilty

Following behind Old Yang was a tall, young woman with a cool appearance, who seemed to be around my age. She was dressed in casual mountaineering attire, and the most striking feature was a string of large, silver-white round beads hanging around her neck, though it was too far away to discern the material.

With a helpless shake of my head, since Old Yang had already seen me, I lost the desire to continue exploring. After thinking for a long time, I decided to go out to address my hunger and, by the way, find Xu Lei to discuss how we should proceed in the evening

I was somewhat puzzled and asked, "The host? Who is that?"

I see that the hope of the sender still rests upon him; it would not be wise to offend him now

Xu Lei and I were so drowsy that we eventually fell asleep. It was not until we were startled awake by a considerable noise coming from the courtyard that we regained our senses

However, my capacity for thought is limited; it is already commendable that I could come up with one reason at this moment, let alone fabricate another one

Upon opening the door, I saw that there were about ten people standing in the courtyard, among them were the several middle-aged men I had seen during the day, as well as Old Yang and the woman named Shi Lan

Old Yang walked at the front, turned around to glance at everyone, probably counting heads. Once he confirmed the number of people, he finally spoke to us, saying: "Since the host has arrived, you can discuss matters here!"

I was also taken aback for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure. This old man has never asked for my name, so how could I possibly introduce myself now

Could it be that the person thought I was spying on him just now, which is why he closed the window

Following the path back to the storefront, I surveyed my surroundings and realized it was impossible to find Xu Lei. I had no choice but to find a small stall by myself and casually ate some food.

Humans are indeed a peculiar species; just a moment ago, I was startled by that guy's gaze, and now that I have regained my composure, I cannot help but feel curious to take another look.

Old Yang, upon seeing Xu Lei and me come out, was the first to speak as the host, inviting the several newcomers and others in the courtyard to enter the main hall together.

This old house is considerably larger than the other residential houses in the vicinity, with two small guest rooms on either side. I recalled that the room I opened was not the one where I had just seen the red-eyed creature; to my surprise, the other room was also occupied.

Before I could think of another reason, the stern-faced old Yang had already taken over the woman's words: "I know."

It was not until this moment that I realized that it was not just Old Yang who walked out from the small door on the side of the main hall.

Several other individuals stood at the entrance, each carrying a large package, appearing to have just arrived here. Considering what Old Yang mentioned about the host during the day, and observing the activity of the people in the courtyard, I surmised that these newcomers were likely the main characters.

I could not comprehend the situation and followed the crowd to the main hall, which was next to that broken coffin

Reluctantly returning to bed, I found myself pondering the events that had just transpired, growing increasingly curious with each thought. After tossing and turning in hesitation for quite some time, I ultimately made the same decision as Xu Lei, wanting to step out of the room and explore the surroundings.

I walked out of the main hall and headed directly towards the front door. Just as I was about to reach the entrance, I suddenly heard the sound of a door opening behind me. Instinctively, I turned to take a look and found that the door to a guest room on the right side was actually open.

The boy is somewhat conscientious, as he remembered to bring me dinner. During the meal, I recounted the people and events I encountered in the afternoon, and he also felt that things were becoming increasingly strange

I do not understand how these people live; they do not even light an oil lamp in the room, and it is pitch dark. Are they perhaps always sleeping?

I am not at all familiar with the owner of this voice, yet I can discern who it belongs to. Old Yang, this is truly a case of speaking of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arriving

After finishing my meal, I returned to my guest room and began to analyze the current situation alone. In the end, I was unable to draw any conclusions; I could only sense that the people here were all rather peculiar, likely harboring some hidden secrets.

Cough, um... I slowly turned around, and in those few limited seconds, I utilized all the brain cells I could muster, finally coming up with a reason that could barely be considered reasonable before facing that old man head-on

Speaking, Old Yang nodded towards the young man who was leading the group

The main hall's door was wide open, and I easily walked in without seeing anyone to stop me. The environment of the main hall was much better than that of the guest rooms; at least the space was not small, and there were electric chandeliers as well.

I glanced around the arrangement of the hall and ultimately focused my gaze on the central area of the hall, on the rectangular shape that appeared to be completely shrouded in darkness

It was only by evening that Xu Lei, that rascal, returned from outside, and I have no idea where he had been wandering for half the day

The first thing this woman said upon arriving was to expose my lie, which left me feeling embarrassed while also contemplating how to refute it. After all, wandering around someone else's home indiscriminately is quite impolite, especially towards a peculiar person like Old Yang; one can never be sure whether he might develop any prejudice against me because of it

Of course, my original intention is certainly different from that of Xu Lei. That fellow is purely bored and wants to go out to see the scenery, while my goal is the rather peculiar mansion I am standing in front of

"What are you doing here?" Just as I was maliciously speculating about the relationship between this coffin and Old Yang, an untimely voice suddenly appeared behind me

At this moment, Old Yang also came to his senses, completely unconcerned about his earlier lapse, and said in an unchanged tone: "Since I have seen you, I might as well inform you that from now on, do not run around everywhere. The host will be coming over tonight"

The eerie old house, the strange old man, the terrifying red-eyed figure, the dilapidated coffin, the cold woman, none of them are normal

After speaking, Old Yang pointed at me again, probably intending to introduce me to the woman named Shi Lan. However, the old man was momentarily taken aback and took a long time to make the introduction.

I remember that after Old Yang led us to the guest room, it seemed we entered this grand hall. At that moment, seeing the coffins here and recalling the old man's peculiar appearance, I couldn't help but maliciously speculate whether that old fellow usually sleeps in a coffin

As soon as these individuals emerged, they headed straight for the main entrance, and they immediately spotted me standing at the door. The expression on the face of the leading man seemed to change momentarily, but he did not show any other signs; he quickly returned to his normal demeanor

In the center of the grand hall, there rests a rather old coffin placed upon a massive brown base that is flush with the ground, which stands in stark contrast to the surrounding decor

Originally, according to my plan, I would definitely first go to the outside of that red-eyed monster's room to assess the situation, perhaps even catch a glimpse of what the monster looks like. However, upon further reflection, that person's mere gaze is so terrifying that if I were to go there alone, I might end up scared to death!

It is simply a case of things not going as planned; this time I was unable to see the person from earlier. I do not know when it happened, but the window of the opposite guest room, which was originally half-open, has unexpectedly been closed.

The old house at night is somewhat livelier than during the day; at least the two guest rooms directly opposite have their lights on, and one can vaguely see shadows moving on the windows