The players walked quite a distance, and it seemed they could still hear the mad shrieks of the Madam.
Chi Yi thought of that frail, skeletal Madam. She looked about the same age as herself, yet it was as if the deep recesses of the mansion had drained her spirit, leaving her a lifeless walking corpse.
“She wants us to save her,” Chi Yi said, her heart heavy. She asked Li Zhi, “How can we save her?”
Li Zhi didn’t answer. Instead, she examined the charm pouch that the head of the Jin family had given them for protection. She brought it to her nose and sniffed, catching only a faint scent of sandalwood.
The nearby players, noticing her action, grew tense. “Is there something wrong with the charm pouch?” one of them asked nervously.
Li Zhi mused, “What exactly is inside this pouch that would keep even the vengeful ghost of the former madam at bay?”
If even a malicious ghost was afraid to come near, the object inside must be something even more terrifying than a ghost, right? The players were chilled by the thought, and Tian Mingjie nervously chuckled, “Whatever it is, as long as it can protect us, I don’t care. Right now, we just need to figure out how to deal with the other water ghost.”
“Do you think the water ghost that tried to kill Li Zhi and Chi Yi last night might be those three drowned maids? The head of the family said they were the personal maids of the former madam. Maybe after their deaths, they still follow her orders. Four ghosts, master and servants, working together.”
The group was at a loss. “Even if we know it’s them, so what? We don’t even understand the conditions of death, let alone how to avoid it. Feng Zhenghao died so quietly, there’s nothing we can learn from him.”
Li Zhi pocketed the charm pouch. “Let’s go take a look around town.”
No one objected, and they headed out together. It had rained the previous night, so the streets of Qingyu Town were still damp. Although the rain had stopped, the sun had yet to break through. Since they had entered the town, it had remained overcast, giving off a cold and desolate feeling, just like its name—Qingyu (Clear Rain)—with an eerie, damp chill.
There weren’t many people in the town, and even those few were in a hurry. The players tried to strike up conversations, but the locals were extremely wary and wouldn’t say a word, quickly walking away. The butler, Chen, had mentioned yesterday that the residents here were not welcoming of outsiders.
Chi Yi muttered under her breath, “This isn’t some international metropolis. Why act so xenophobic?”
Tian Mingjie glanced at her with admiration. “You’re bold. Almost like you’ve decided not to stay in the entertainment industry once you leave the game.”
Chi Yi shrugged indifferently, “Please, we’re being haunted by ghosts. Who cares about anything else? If someone wants to criticize me, let them. If it gets me out of showbiz, then I won’t have to be a celebrity stuck in these games anymore.”
The others couldn’t help but laugh. In a game like this, having someone lighten the mood was essential. Staying tense the whole time could lead to bad outcomes. They were still joking around when, as they passed a narrow alley, the door of a courtyard suddenly swung open, and an old lady burst out wielding a broom, swinging it wildly at them.
The attack happened so fast. Before the old woman even fully appeared, her broom was already coming down on them. Two of the players couldn’t dodge in time and were struck hard across the face, immediately feeling a sharp, stinging pain.
“What the heck? What’s wrong with this NPC?”
“Just because you’re old doesn’t mean I won’t fight back!”
The alley was narrow, and the group dodged left and right, shouting in confusion. The old woman’s eyes were full of malice as she glared at them, dragging her broom behind her as she continued to chase them, muttering hoarsely, “A swarm of flies! Get out! Get out of this town!”
Tian Mingjie had been hit by the broom twice and was furious. He grabbed the broom from her hands and pointed at the bitter-looking old woman, “Do you believe I won’t hit you?”
The old woman glared viciously at them, then spat at the ground. “It’s because of you people that my daughter-in-law can’t give birth to a son! I’ll beat you out of Qingyu Town!”
Tian Mingjie shouted in frustration, “Hey, don’t throw baseless accusations at us! How is it our fault that your daughter-in-law can’t have a son? We don’t even know who she is! And seriously, it’s the modern age. If you’re worried about having a son, maybe you should look at your son’s side of things, Grandma! The Qing Dynasty is long gone!”
“You people can’t stand to see poor folk like us living a good life! Having a worthless daughter, who will take care of my son when he’s old?” The old lady cursed, and without her broom, she began picking up rocks from the ground and hurling them at the players with surprising agility, completely unlike an elderly person.
Two young men soon rushed out of the courtyard, pulling the shouting and sobbing old lady back inside. As the door slammed shut, her hysterical cries could still be heard, “Don’t let them destroy the Infant Tower! If it gets out, everything will be ruined!”
The alley quickly returned to its eerie quiet.
Everyone exchanged glances, confused. After a long pause, Tian Mingjie quietly asked, “Uh, what’s this Infant Tower she was talking about? Does it have anything to do with our mission? Why does she think we’re going to destroy it?”
They hadn’t expected to stumble upon a new storyline while simply walking around, but this plot twist seemed unrelated to their main mission of helping the Madam give birth safely.
“It’s not us specifically, it’s people like us,” Li Zhi said, glancing around at the tightly shut doors and windows. Who knew how many pairs of eyes were secretly watching them?
“Our identities are those of disciples of an enlightened master. When she said ‘you people,’ she probably meant cultivators. There must have been other cultivators who came here before and tried to destroy the Infant Tower, but they failed.”
Li Zhi continued walking, and the others quickly followed. Chi Yi shuddered, “Just the name Infant Tower sounds sinister, and that old lady kept muttering about having a son.” She clapped her hands as if struck by a sudden realization, “Could this Infant Tower be a place where they bury baby girls?”
“The Infant Tower was originally a place to dispose of stillborn infants,” Li Zhi suddenly spoke, her voice as calm as ever, though Chi Yi, having spent enough time around her, detected a slight shift in her tone.
Chi Yi glanced at Li Zhi from the corner of her eye.
Li Zhi’s face remained expressionless, her beautiful eyes tranquil. Her long lashes, perhaps stirred by the wind, fluttered slightly. “Over time, it became a place to dispose of baby girls. Whenever a girl was born, she would either be killed and thrown into the tower, or sometimes thrown in alive. That’s why the Infant Tower is also called the Bone Accumulation Tower. The remains of countless baby girls are inside.”
The air went still and cold.
Just the thought of such a tower existing in this town sent chills through the players.
The Infant Tower in Qingyu Town, the Jin family’s eldest daughter-in-law’s three stillbirths, and the madam who was about to give birth—all these clues revolved around children. But what did they have to do with the players’ mission?
Li Zhi said, “Let’s go find the Infant Tower.”
A tower like that would never be built inside the town itself. It was more likely located in the outskirts. So, the group started walking toward the edge of town. After about an hour of walking, they came upon a bamboo grove. On the other side, they saw Zhao Luan’s group approaching, their expressions gloomy.
When Zhao Luan saw them, his face remained indifferent. As they got closer, he said, “There’s no need to go further. There are guards over there; they won’t let us near.”
Li Zhi asked, “Is there a tower?”
Zhao Luan shook his head. “We didn’t see it. We were stopped at the entrance. The townspeople have hunting rifles. We didn’t dare force our way through.”
Recalling the old lady’s earlier reaction, Li Zhi began to put the pieces together.
It wasn’t just the old lady. It seemed that the entire town was afraid that the cultivators would destroy the Infant Tower. As soon as the players arrived, they sent people to guard the tower, making sure no one could get close.
Who knows what the cultivator from before had tried to do that made the townspeople so wary of them? Yet, despite that, the Jin family still had the nerve to invite them here, which indicated two things.
First, the Jin family truly needed their help. The madam’s labor must be a serious matter. Second, the Jin family must hold the most power in Qingyu Town. Even if others weren’t happy about their presence, no one dared openly oppose them. They could only secretly guard the Infant Tower and take out their frustrations on the players.
The Infant Tower was filled with the remains of baby girls. Were they so afraid of the tower being destroyed because of the resentment of the dead girls? Or was there something else they feared?
As they walked back, Li Zhi shared the clues they’d gathered and her thoughts with Zhao Luan’s group. At first, Zhao Luan seemed surprised by her openness, but as the conversation went on, his expression darkened again, as if he had made some unfounded assumptions.
Chi Yi, who had spent years navigating the entertainment industry and had become an expert in reading people, sidled up to Li Zhi and whispered, “He probably thinks you’re sharing the clues so openly just to hog the spotlight. He’s such a petty guy, always assuming the worst of people!”
When they returned to the Jin residence, they found Butler Chen standing on the steps outside, directing the servants as they moved firewood inside. He no longer had the respectful and patient attitude from the day before. He gave the players a cold glance before turning away.
But Li Zhi, seemingly oblivious, smiled and approached him. “Butler Chen, have you found the black dog’s blood and the century-old sandalwood we need?”
Butler Chen replied in a cold tone, “It will arrive tomorrow.”
Li Zhi nodded. “Thank you for your trouble, Butler Chen. Oh, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.” Her tone was as casual as if she were asking him whether he’d had dinner, “The two stillborns that the first madam had—were they girls or boys?”
“They were…” Butler Chen almost got distracted by her conversational tone, but quickly regained his composure, his expression darkening.
“This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with your task of ensuring the madam’s safe delivery, does it? I hope you all focus on your duties and don’t overstep!”
Li Zhi watched his figure as he walked away, then whispered to her companions who had gathered around, “It seems they were girls.”
Chi Yi’s voice trembled as she spoke, “So, did the first madam really have two stillborns, or were they two baby girls that they…?”
The implication of her question darkened everyone’s expressions. Zhao Luan frowned, shaking his head. “In poor families, they might kill a baby girl because they can’t afford to raise her. But for a family as wealthy as the Jin family, there’s no reason for that. They can just raise the girls and keep trying until they have a boy. Why would they go so far as to commit murder and force the first madam to her death? It doesn’t make sense.”
The players nodded in sudden understanding, their tense expressions easing. “That makes sense.”
With the key items arriving tomorrow, everyone felt a sense of anticipation. The system had given them three days to complete the mission. As long as they survived two more days and made it to the madam’s delivery, the exorcism array from the manuscript or the items they had gathered would significantly increase their chances of success.
The only problem was that night was falling again.
Feng Zhenghao’s death remained a mystery. They still didn’t know what death condition he had triggered that caused him to be silently dragged away. Would the same fate befall one of them next?
Could they survive the night?
—
Footnotes:
There were real structures similar to the concept of an Infant Tower in certain parts of history, although they might not have been called that specifically.
In some societies, there were places where unwanted, stillborn, or abandoned infants were left, often due to social pressures or the inability of families to care for them. One notable example is the foundling wheel or baby hatch, a practice found in medieval Europe, where infants could be left anonymously. In some parts of Asia, historical evidence suggests that similar practices existed for unwanted infants, often due to gender preference (especially for male heirs) or other economic and social pressures.