By the pond, two servants were using long bamboo poles to drag Feng Zhenghao’s corpse to the shore. After soaking in the water overnight, the body was already bloated, the oversized coat puffing up, floating up and down with the movement of the water.
One of the players from the same room couldn’t help but cry, “How could this happen? How did he drown here?”
“You’re asking me?” Butler Chen sneered as if amused, then stared at them with doubt on his face.
“Aren’t you disciples of a skilled master? How could you fail to deal with her and end up being dragged into the pond and drowned?”
Li Zhi turned her gaze away from Feng Zhenghao’s corpse and looked at Butler Chen. “Are you saying he was killed by the former madam?”
A flicker of fear flashed across Butler Chen’s face. He clenched his teeth and, as if afraid someone might overhear, lowered his voice. “She drowned herself in this very pond. After her death, three servants drowned one after another. We all know it’s her causing trouble.”
One of the players couldn’t hold back. “Why didn’t you tell us such an important thing earlier?!”
Butler Chen coldly replied, “I didn’t expect you all to be so useless. It seems the master invited the wrong people this time.”
However, with the first madam about to give birth, it was clearly too late to replace anyone. His expression was complex as he glanced over the group and resigned himself.
“Forget it, follow me.”
The servants had already fished Feng Zhenghao’s body out of the water. Butler Chen sighed. “Take it away and give it a proper burial.”
The players followed Butler Chen in silence, moving through the deep corridors of the mansion. Li Zhi slowed his pace and walked up to the two players who had shared the room with Feng Zhenghao.
She asked in a low voice, “Did you hear anything last night?”
How could a man over 100 pounds be dragged out of a room without making any noise? Besides, Feng Zhenghao had protective charms on him. Although no one knew exactly what they were, even Chi Yi’s ghost-banishing knife could scare off a female ghost. So how could the players sharing the room not notice anything? And why did Feng Zhenghao himself offer no resistance?
The players from the same room looked frustrated and terrified. “We slept too soundly. When we opened our eyes, it was already morning.”
Zhao Luan, who was walking beside them, let out a cold laugh. “You’ve got some nerve, sleeping that deeply in an instance.”
Both of them looked embarrassed.
Li Zhi asked again, “There was only one bed in the room. Where did Feng Zhenghao sleep?”
“We all slept on the bed. He was lying on the outermost side.”
Li Zhi frowned, deep in thought.
Comedian Tian Mingjie leaned over. “Sister Zhi, did you figure something out?”
The others also perked up their ears, including those following Zhao Luan. Li Zhi didn’t hold back and said, “I’m wondering if the ghost that drowned Feng Zhenghao and the one that used hair to invade my and Chi Yi’s room last night are really the same.”
There were clearly easier ways to kill them, so why go through the trouble of dragging someone out of a room and then dragging them all the way to the pond to drown them? The distance from the guest room to the pond wasn’t short.
“If they aren’t the same, then it makes sense that after I heard the crashing sound, there was a long delay before the hair started squeezing into our room.”
She looked at Tian Mingjie, whose face had gone pale. “The female ghost wasn’t admiring our sleeping faces; it was because two ghosts came to our courtyard last night, one after the other.”
The first ghost knocked over the water jug in the yard when it dragged Feng Zhenghao out. After it left, the second, the water ghost with hair, arrived.
Knowing there were two vengeful ghosts in the mansion made the players feel chilled. “The one that drowned Feng Zhenghao was the former madam, so what about the other water ghost?”
They had seen the hair that Li Zhi chopped off last night. It was still tangled with water plants, clearly something that had crawled out of the lake.
Li Zhi shook her head.
She had a faint suspicion, but without evidence, no one would believe her. There were still too few clues.
After winding through the corridors, the players arrived at the same hall they had visited yesterday. A row of half-human-height candle stands lined both sides of the room, the flickering flames reflecting the solemn face of the Jin family’s master. His scrutinizing gaze swept across the group, causing several players to lower their heads guiltily.
Though it was just a part of the game’s plot, the fact that the family had gone to such lengths to bring them here to protect the pregnant madam—and yet they were unable to do anything—was difficult to justify.
Fortunately, the Jin family master didn’t say much. He waved his hand, and a young servant standing behind him carried a tray over to the players. On the tray were a dozen or so yellow talisman pouches, tied with red string. Their shapes were odd, and something inside them made them bulge slightly.
The Jin family master spoke in a deep voice, “Please wear these. This way, she won’t be able to approach you. I underestimated the intensity of her resentment.”
The players exchanged uneasy glances. The talisman pouches looked far from auspicious, and no one dared to take one.
Zhao Luan frowned and asked, “Master, what exactly are these? By ‘she,’ do you mean the former madam?”
The Jin family master’s face was tense. “After she drowned herself in the lake, three servants, all of whom were maids serving in her quarters, drowned in quick succession. We knew her resentment hadn’t dissipated. We brought in several masters to perform rituals, but as you can see, the problem remains. Her vengeful spirit still roams the mansion. To avoid further harm, under the guidance of a master, we created these talisman pouches. As long as you keep them on you, she won’t be able to approach.”
He took out an old talisman pouch from the sachet hanging at his waist. “Everyone in the Jin family has one. Only then did the mansion regain some peace.”
Butler Chen also pulled a talisman pouch from his chest to show the players. He wore his on a red string around his neck, clearly taking it very seriously.
Tian Mingjie couldn’t help but blurt out, “If you had this life-saving item, why didn’t you give it to us yesterday?”
Butler Chen shot him a cold look, as if to say, ‘You still have the nerve to ask?’
The Jin family master, however, was more diplomatic. “I didn’t expect any of you to be harmed by her. After all, you’re disciples of skilled masters, and you have the advantage of numbers. Even if you couldn’t send her spirit away, I figured you’d at least be able to protect yourselves. If I had given you this right away, wouldn’t it seem like I was insulting you? Who knew…”
Players: “………”
Enough, please stop talking. It was embarrassing enough that they’d brought this upon themselves.
One by one, the players reached out and took a talisman pouch, immediately feeling much more at ease.
Li Zhi gently squeezed the pouch in her hand. As expected, something was inside it, soft to the touch. She asked Butler Chen, “What is this made of? Why can it keep the former madam away?”
Butler Chen’s expression was somewhat evasive, and he vaguely replied, “It was made under the guidance of a master. You just need to carry it with you.”
Li Zhi smiled and didn’t press further.
Once the players had secured their pouches, Zhao Luan asked the Jin family master, “Aside from the former madam who drowned herself and the three drowned maids, have there been any other mysterious deaths in the mansion?”
The Jin family master shook his head in bewilderment.
It seemed that no further clues could be obtained from this NPC. After leaving the hall, the players following Zhao Luan decided to explore the nearby town. Li Zhi, however, chose to visit the pregnant madam.
When Li Zhi made the request to Butler Chen, he looked troubled. “With the madam due any day now, and with the history of stillbirths, her mood is not good. It’s not convenient for her to see visitors.”
Li Zhi gave him a sincere look. “That’s exactly why she should see us. We are the most outstanding disciples of our master, skilled in exorcism and banishing evil spirits. Seeing us will surely help ease her worries.”
Butler Chen, recalling how this group had performed since entering the mansion, seemed doubtful. “Really?”
Chi Yi patted her chest confidently. “Of course! Not to boast, but the ones who just left for town are the incompetent ones. We’re the real deal, the ones with actual skill!”
Having thrown some shade at Zhao Luan’s group, Butler Chen, though still skeptical, didn’t refuse. He led them to the madam’s courtyard and solemnly instructed them, “Do not disturb the madam’s rest. Her mood is unstable, so be careful not to say anything that could upset her.”
Everyone nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The madam’s courtyard was elegantly arranged. With her due date approaching, two midwives were stationed there day and night. Besides the four maids outside, two personal maids were attending to her inside the room.
Since it wasn’t convenient for all six or seven players to enter, Li Zhi and Chi Yi took the lead, following one of the maids into the room.
The room was richly decorated with an antique flair, but the strong scent of medicine lingered in the air. Behind a beaded curtain, a pale, listless woman was half-reclining on the bed. A thin quilt covered her, and her belly was prominently swollen. A maid was seated by the bed, massaging her legs.
One would expect the madam of a large and wealthy household to be dignified and graceful, but the woman before them was pale, expressionless, and seemed to exude an air of fearfulness. She had no reaction to their greeting. Her lips moved constantly, as if she were mumbling something under her breath.
Li Zhi leaned in closer to listen for a while. Among the incoherent, delirious murmurs, she caught a few key phrases.
“I must have a son.”
“I must give birth to a son.”
Li Zhi narrowed her eyes and asked one of the maids beside her, “How long has she been like this?”
The maid lowered her head. “Ever since the madam gave birth to her first stillborn, she’s been like this.”
Even though they knew this was just a game scenario, and that both the maid and the madam were merely NPCs in the plot, at this moment the players couldn’t help but see them as real, living people—with blood, emotions, and thoughts. It was hard to just think of them as part of the game.
Chi Yi, with a look of pity in her eyes, said to the maid, “You should open the windows to let some fresh air in. Take her outside for a walk in the courtyard; she shouldn’t be lying in bed all the time. Some light exercise is good for a pregnant woman.”
Perhaps the sound of a stranger’s voice roused her, for the madam finally lifted her dull eyes to look at them. After a moment, she hoarsely asked, “Who are you?”
Li Zhi leaned down and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind the madam’s ear. “We’re here to help you,” she said softly.
The madam stared at her for a moment, and then suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Save me! Save my child!”
Li Zhi gently patted the back of her hand, her voice calm and reassuring. “What do you want us to do?”
The madam’s pale lips parted, but before she could speak, one of the midwives came in from outside and harshly scolded them. “What are you doing?! The madam must not be agitated. Get these outsiders out, now!”
It was as if the madam had truly been triggered; she began to scream wildly, her voice shrill with panic.
The maids hurried to restrain her, and as expected, Li Zhi and Chi Yi were promptly ushered out.
Butler Chen’s face was stormy, glaring at them fiercely before whispering something to the young servant waiting outside. Judging by his expression, the players could tell he was likely instructing the servants to ban them from entering the madam’s courtyard again.
Li Zhi gave a calm glance in his direction. “Let’s go.”