Banquet of a Hundred Ghosts

Chapter 32

“You’re interested in this? This is a sacrifice!” a woman’s voice said to him from the side.

Chen Kai turned around and saw a woman in a red sweater standing behind him. She looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and was very beautiful.

"Are you here to eat too?" Chen Kai asked her.

"Yes, my surname is Sun, and my name is Ximan!" After saying that, I glanced at Chen Kai and asked, "Are you Chang Qing?"

“Yes, yes, I am Chang Qing!” Chen Kai hurriedly replied.

"Hey, how's your sister? I haven't seen her in ages. Is she still as beautiful as ever?"

This question left Chen Kai completely bewildered. How come Chang Qing had never mentioned having an older sister to him? He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, she's very good, and she's very beautiful!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Ximan's eyes, but it disappeared in an instant. Pointing at the terracotta figurine, she said, "Do you know what this means?"

Chen Kai shook his head, his face full of confusion.

"This terracotta figurine depicts a person being offered to a god. In the slave society, instead of cattle and sheep, living people were used to sacrifice to the gods. The person was tied up and killed alive, and the god would take away his soul. So he is still smiling to show his inner piety!"

Chen Kai felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. It was incredibly cruel. He was thankful he hadn't been born in ancient times. He smiled and said to Xi Man, "It's a good thing such things don't happen now, otherwise it would be too cruel!"

happy Man glanced at him thoughtfully, then said casually, "How do you know there isn't? You just don't know it!"

The two talked for a while longer, and then a few more people arrived one after another. It seemed that they were the youngest. There were men and women who came, all around thirty years old, and some of them knew each other. They sat around the table and started chatting about everyday things.

Chen Kai counted the number of people who came, and there were exactly seven people including himself. Moreover, all of these people had auspicious names, such as Changqing and Ximan, and some were named Yongsheng and Laifu. They were all pleasing but vulgar. This family's taste was really terrible.

As they talked, it got dark, but dinner still hadn't arrived. Chen Kai's stomach was growling loudly, and he was also worried about getting home; it seemed he wouldn't be able to go back that night.

Just as it was about eight o'clock, the little girl in the pink dress walked into the room. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Please take your seats!" she said, leading the seven guests to another room where a sumptuous feast had been prepared.

Chen Kai stared at the large amount of fish and meat on the table, and his mouth started watering uncontrollably again. It's true that people are made of iron, and food is essential. He couldn't wait to find a seat and sat down. Xi Man sat next to him.

When everyone else had sat down, Chen Kai noticed an empty seat. Weren't there supposed to be seven guests? How come there's an extra seat? Is there an eighth guest?

But he had no time to think about anything else; all he could see was the food. He kept looking around, but no one was touching their chopsticks. No one was touching their chopsticks. He should hurry up and eat so that someone could take the first bite and then he could eat too! But after a quarter of an hour, still no one touched their chopsticks, and there was no one to talk to. The other six guests looked serious, waiting for something.

Oh well, whatever, I'll just be number one myself. With that thought, he picked up his chopsticks and put a chicken leg into his bowl.

Chen Kai's mother was sitting in her living room watching the Spring Festival program. She had just been laughing heartily at a skit when the doorbell rang. She glanced at the wall clock; it was a quarter past seven. It was completely dark outside, so Chen Kai must have come home.

She opened the door, but instead of Chen Kai, stood a young man in a white down jacket. His long black hair was tied back, and his face seemed to glow faintly in the evening light. Chen Kai's mother had never seen anyone so beautiful in all her years of life.

"Who are you looking for?" This person has probably come to the wrong door.

"Chen Kai, where did Chen Kai go? I'm his friend, and I've lost contact with him!" the man asked her anxiously.

"He said he went to eat!" Chen Kai's mother replied. "But he didn't say where he was going. Oh, right, it seems to be in a nearby county! He'll probably be back in a bit. Why don't you wait for him?"

The man's face was full of worry. He gave a wry smile and said, "I don't think he'll be back tonight. Don't worry, I'll make sure Chen Kai is brought back safely!" After saying that, the man left.

Chen Kai's mother stood alone at the door, puzzled: "It's just a meal, what's with all the 'peaceful' stuff?"

Feixiao walked through the vast night, growing increasingly worried. This afternoon, the soul and spirit he had released to follow Chen Kai had inexplicably returned on their own, and the soul's memory only extended to a deep red door. It seemed Chen Kai had entered some kind of barrier, trapping his soul outside, and then disappeared. It seemed the house with that deep red door must have some problem, he thought, his heart burning with anxiety. Night was falling, a crescent moon hung in the sky—where could he possibly find that deep red door?

Chen Kai was wolfing down the chicken leg, while the people around him watched him enjoy his meal with astonished looks.

"What's wrong with you guys? Eat up!" Chen Kai said to the others, feeling a little embarrassed by so many people watching him eat.

"Changqing, didn't your sister say anything to you when you came?" Ximan whispered a reminder to him.

"No! Is there any explanation?" Chen Kai also sensed something was wrong, so he put down the chicken leg and cautiously inquired.

“This is a divine feast! Have you ever heard of it?” Xi Man said, his face full of worry.

"What is a divine banquet?" Chen Kai asked curiously, as it was the first time he had heard of such a banquet.

“It’s a feast with the gods!” Ximan continued, “This family used to assist the royal family in ancient times and has always studied metaphysics, but later they declined! It is said that when they were at their lowest point, someone in the family invited a god and made good offerings to it. After that, the family began to prosper, and this tradition of eating with the gods every year has been preserved!”

"Oh!" Chen Kai finally understood, but he didn't care about that; he just wanted to know when they could eat.

Xi Man looked at him with disbelief: "Your sister really didn't tell you anything? She knows so much about curses, how could she have a brother like you?"

"A curse?" Chen Kai's heart tightened upon hearing this. He thought of Chang Qing again, the calm and collected Chang Qing. He should know everything, right? But why did he send him to this banquet? He then asked Xi Man, "Then surely the gods won't bless you for no reason? Don't you have to give something in return?" Chang Qing's theory of cause and effect that night had indeed left some impression on his mind.

Xi Man smiled, but it was a bitter smile: "Being invited is an honor, because the wishes you make at this table today, especially those related to money, will come true!" She then sighed, "But there will be a price to pay!"

"What price?" Chen Kai asked her hastily. If he could ask God to give him some money, that would be nice, at least he and Fei Xiao would live more comfortably. But if the price was too high, then forget it.

Xi Man turned and looked at him: "Is your sister really alright?"

"She, she's fine!" Chen Kai nodded blankly. Why was this person's answer irrelevant?

Before the two could say anything more, the ceiling light in the room went out, leaving only the corner lamps emitting a soft, dim yellow light.

"God is coming, stop talking!" Ximan said, lowering his head and looking devoutly at the small square table in front of him.

Chen Kai looked around. The rest of the people all had devout expressions, heads bowed, their faces buried in the deep darkness. The dim light couldn't illuminate their faces, only framing their outlines with a gold border.

He looked at the people around him, and his heart tightened. Where had he seen such expressions before? They were just like those terracotta figurines, blank and lifeless, forcing a smile even in the face of death. These people were exactly like terracotta figurines sitting around him.

Chen Kai suddenly felt a surge of fear. This was too terrifying—the sacrifice of living people? That was all he could think of! No, he had to get out of here immediately! Before he could even stand up, he felt a draft blowing in from outside. The door was definitely closed! The window was definitely not open!

The breeze swept past Chen Kai, seemingly heading towards the empty eighth seat.

Chen Kai stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, at the empty seat, unable to utter a sound. Does God truly exist in this world? If so, what kind of God is He?

He pulled out a chair, wanting to leave the room. It was terrifying! What kind of banquet was this? But as soon as he moved, he found that his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he couldn't stand up at all. It seemed like he had experienced something like this before, the time when he was being stared at by Du Juan's eyes.

His consciousness gradually slipped out of his control, and then sweat began to pour down his face. He could see the people around him starting to eat mechanically, their movements resembling those of puppets on strings.

"Man, Ximan~" He barely managed to move his mouth, glancing sideways at Ximan beside him for help, but what he saw was a blurry face, a flat mouth, and a half-smile.

Was this a hallucination? Before he could figure it out, someone grabbed his hand. "Chen Kai, let's go!"

He was startled. In front of him was a scholar in a blue robe, who was holding him with one hand and lifting up the wide sleeves of his own robe with the other.

It's Wang Zijin!!

"What's wrong? Where are we going?" Chen Kai felt a sense of relief as he was pulled, but the surrounding scenery suddenly dimmed, as if the two of them had instantly traveled to another world, where there were no banquets or guests.

"A ghost! A ghost that eats souls is coming!" Wang Zijin said, pulling him forward as they ran. "Let's quickly hide in the depths of our consciousness, so it can't find us!"

"Isn't it a god? How can it be a ghost?" Chen Kai asked as he ran. Since he was a spirit, he didn't feel tired at all. He only felt that there was no road ahead, only endless darkness, a darkness that could devour and bury everything. It seemed to be the depths of consciousness.

"Is it a god? Is there such a terrifying god?" Wang Zijin grabbed Chen Kai, his face full of terror. "I was awakened by that murderous intent deep in your soul, that murderous intent that desires its prey, that thirst for living souls!"

"Is it that scary?" Chen Kai was frightened by his words and quickened his pace. "Where are we going? How can you be sure it will chase us?"

"Chen Kai, this is what's so bad about us!" Wang Zijin shook his head as he ran. "Everyone else has the soul of one person, but you have the soul of two people inside your body. If you want to eat chicken, do you have to pick the fattest one?"

Upon hearing his analogy, Chen Kai was speechless and could only focus on escaping for his life.

But he could feel that the world in his own consciousness was getting cold at a very fast speed, and that coldness was spreading rapidly under their feet.

"It's over, it's catching up!" Prince Jin looked back and wailed.

Chen Kai also quickly looked back and saw a beam of light following closely behind the two of them. The speed was extremely fast, far beyond what their footwork could match.

"What should we do?" Chen Kai exclaimed, and the ball of light was already in front of him, carrying the scent of incense from a temple.

The thing stared with its huge, blood-red eyes like cowbells, and opened its mouth wide to bite Chen Kai. Chen Kai was so frightened that he rolled on the ground and managed to dodge it, but the sticky saliva still covered him.

"It's a Pixiu! How could it be a Pixiu?" Prince Jin, standing nearby, pointed at the monster and shouted in fright.

Chen Kai finally had time to look at the monster. It really did look similar to the two stone carvings he had seen when he first entered. Could it be that the god worshipped here is the Pixiu?

"Whatever happens, what should we do?" Chen Kai was so frightened that he got up and kept running. Before he could take two steps, his collar was grabbed. When he turned around, there was a pair of eyes like cowbells behind him. He was about to be eaten.

"Wang Zijin, run! If you run, how can my body survive?" He looked at the frantic Wang Zijin below, tears streaming down his face. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have come to eat. He should have listened to Fei Xiao and stayed away from Chang Qing. Fei Xiao, Fei Xiao, you didn't even have time to say goodbye to him before you were about to be eaten.

Before he could finish thinking, he suddenly saw a flash of red light and felt a warm, comfortable sensation all over his body. He then fell to the ground.

"What happened? What happened?" It felt like they had escaped death.

Upon closer inspection, a person dressed in white stood before them, holding a long, blood-red sword. Even in the darkness, their black hair gleamed faintly.

"Feixiao, what brings you here?" Such a figure could not belong to anyone else.

"How did I get here? I searched for ages to find you. What are you doing in this godforsaken place?" Fei Xiao turned around and said to him, her features contorted with rage.

"I came here to eat, I didn't expect it to turn out like this!" Chen Kai finally felt relieved when he saw Fei Xiao.

"If the prince hadn't come and gone, I wouldn't have been able to find this place at all!" Fei Xiao said, raising her knife and slashing at the monster.

"Be careful, it's very powerful!" Chen Kai shouted, but he couldn't make a sound because the monster turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared as soon as it touched the scarlet knife.

Chen opened his mouth wide and stared at Fei Xiao: "What's going on?" Looking at that behemoth, it shouldn't be that easy to solve, right?

"What else could it be?" Fei Xiao turned around and smiled at him, "Haven't you noticed? The legendary Pixiu eats money, how could it come to eat people's souls?"

"I don't know what that is!" Chen Kai was still puzzled, feeling that something was very wrong, but he dared not think about it any further.

"Hehehe, these are all illusions!" Fei Xiao said, picking up a talisman. "This is a talisman that can track a person's soul!" Then she glanced at Chen Kai. "The one who wants to devour people's souls is someone else!"

"Could it be...?" Chen Kai was stunned with fright, "There are no gods at all?"

"A god?" Fei Xiao chuckled. "Is it that easy to invite one? Whether it's a human or a ghost is another matter!"

Having said that, he picked up the long sword in his hand and slashed through the darkness. Chen Kai felt that the light before his eyes came too suddenly, so bright that he couldn't open them. In his hazy state, a warm hand held his, and his soul seemed to be soothed in an instant.

When he opened his eyes again, he was still sitting at the same dining table. The other six guests seemed to be bewitched, their eyes completely lifeless. Chen Kai breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had finally returned to the real world. Before he could even relax, he heard Fei Xiao's voice beside him: "Let's go and find out what kind of god is here!"

"Okay, okay!" Chen Kai quickly replied.

Feixiao, who was ahead, had already opened the door and walked out, her expression showing excitement and impatience. Chen Kai watched her white figure leading the way and hurriedly followed. The two of them, one in front of the other, slowly disappeared into the darkness.

In the room behind, a pair of clear, bright eyes darted around in the blank face, appearing exceptionally sharp.

"Where are we going?" There were no lights in the hallway of the house, so the two of them walked aimlessly.

“Just come with me!” Fei Xiao strode through the darkness as if it were daytime. He looked back at Chen Kai and reached out a hand to grab him: “Can’t you smell the incense?”

"Really, there's a very strong incense smell!" Chen Kai stretched out his nose and sniffed around. The air around him was filled with a fragrance that was neither like orchids nor like musk.

"That monster just now smelled the same!" Fei Xiao said, following the smoke. "Someone has set up an altar and is using magic to steal people's souls! If we find that altar, everything will be revealed!"

Chen Kai swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He asked Fei Xiao in a trembling voice, "Is it a person or a ghost? Do you know?"

Feixiao shook her head: "It's hard to say right now!"

The two of them turned several more corners. The house seemed much bigger than they had imagined, and the winding corridor in front of them seemed to have no end.

"We're here!" Fei Xiao said, stopping in her tracks and pointing to a door. "This is it!"

"What should we do?" Chen Kai reached out and pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. The room was locked from the inside!

"Step back!" Fei Xiao said, stretching out one hand and drawing a circle in the air. Then, he pushed hard into the center of the circle with his other hand and shouted, "Break!" A wave of air rushed out from the center of the circle.