Mystery of the Old House

Chapter 2

Ye Feng, who always loved to joke, couldn't resist adding a lighthearted remark.

"What are you saying? You're bullying Ling Bing because she's honest, aren't you? Just because she's not showing her teeth doesn't mean she's a pushover."

Yu Xue roared at Li Fan and Ye Feng.

"Ha ha……"

"You dare laugh? I'll teach you a lesson!" Just as Yu Xue was arguing with Li Fan and Ye Feng...

"Alright, stop arguing. Let's get ready to fix the car and hit the road. The sooner we get to Guhua Town, the more at ease we'll feel!"

Seeing that they were going a bit too far, Meng'er, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but speak up.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, we still need to get the car repaired," Ling Bing said embarrassedly.

"You stupid pighead!" Yu Xue secretly slapped Ling Bing.

Ye Feng, Ling Bing, and Li Fan went to get the car repaired. Zheng Qi was wandering around the car, seemingly looking for or looking at something.

Yu Xue got out of the car, stretched, and turned around to see Meng'er stretching her slender body and doing exercises. She couldn't help but say enviously, "Meng'er, you have a great figure! No wonder so many boys are pursuing you!"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Your figure isn't that great either. Besides, it's just a stinking shell!"

"You can't say that. Women with good figures tend to be more confident!"

"Hehe, body shape is secondary; inner qualities are more important!"

"Yeah, that's true!" Yu Xue replied haphazardly, thinking to herself, if I had a figure like yours, I would have said the same thing.

As the two were doing exercises and talking about the scenery in the mountains, a little white rabbit suddenly jumped into their eyes.

"Little rabbit! Meng'er, look!" Yu Xue said excitedly, tugging at Meng'er's sleeve.

"I see it! Quick, chase after it!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Meng'er and Yu Xue quickly ran towards the direction of the rabbit.

Strangely enough, the rabbit didn't run away when it saw them chasing it; it just lay there motionless. Meng'er and Yu Xue were puzzled and quietly approached to take a look. They saw a wound on its leg, as if it had been cut by something, and blood was seeping out. The two girls immediately felt the compassion and pity typical of girls. Meng'er carefully picked it up, gently cradling it in her arms, softly stroking its snow-white fur, and she and Yu Xue walked towards the car.

"What good stuff is it?" Ye Feng and the others were working on the car when they saw Meng'er walking towards them, seemingly holding something in her hands.

"Look, isn't it cute? A little injured rabbit!"

"Hey, not bad! We can have a treat for lunch!"

"You idiot, all you know is eating! I'm warning you, if you dare touch a single hair on its head, I'll fight you to the death!" Yu Xue scolded Ling Bing like a fearless woman. Ling Bing stuck out her tongue, made a face at Yu Xue, and remained silent.

Ye Feng and Li Fan, standing to the side, burst into laughter.

"What's making you so happy?" Zheng Qi walked over slowly.

"Meng'er and the others caught a little rabbit. Ling Bing was planning to kill it at noon to treat everyone, but she got a severe scolding from our workaholic Miss Yu!"

Zheng Qi smiled but didn't say anything, looking down at the rabbit.

"Meng'er, how did you catch her?" Zheng Qi asked, frowning.

"Look, its foot is injured, so we can get it without much effort!"

"Let it go!" Zheng Qi said slowly, looking at the little rabbit.

"No, I love animals the most, and besides, it's injured now. We can't just leave it to die!" Yu Xue quickly defended her when she heard that she should let go of the rabbit. Meng'er, who was holding the rabbit beside her, nodded repeatedly in agreement.

“Yes, Zheng Qi, the little rabbit is injured, it’s so pitiful. Let’s keep it, we can release it after it heals!” Ling Bing also spoke up for Yu Xue. Yu Xue looked at Ling Bing gratefully, thinking to herself, even this blockhead has his moments of wisdom!

"Sigh, alright then!" Zheng Qi looked at them helplessly, thinking that once a girl's affection overflows, she's truly beyond redemption.

At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness: Master, is this all fate? If so, then am I the only one to bear it? They are all innocent.

When Zheng Qi and his team finished repairing the car and arrived in Guhua Town, it was nearly noon.

Although they were sitting in the car, Yu Xue and Meng'er still felt extremely tired. They hadn't slept well the night before, and as soon as they entered the town, they kept saying they wanted to find a hotel to rest as soon as possible.

Although Guhua Town is called a small town, its actual size is only equivalent to that of a village, with only about a hundred households. Due to inconvenient transportation, most of the people here lead a simple, self-sufficient life. With the increasing frequency of information exchange with the outside world in recent years, a large portion of the young people have gone out to seek their fortunes, leaving behind only the elderly nearing seventy, infants still crying in their parents' arms, and some seven-year-old children just starting primary school. The few young people occasionally seen from the town are only visiting temporarily. However, the mysterious rumors surrounding the large mansion in Guhua Town have recently attracted the curiosity of some outsiders, resulting in a greater number of tourists than local residents.

Ling Bing and Li Fan went to find a parking spot, while Ye Feng and Meng'er went to find a hotel to settle in. Due to the increase in tourists, many residents had renovated their houses to operate as guesthouses, so finding a place to rest wasn't difficult for Ye Feng and his group. They soon found a reasonably sized but clean hotel to stay in.

The shop owner was an elderly man in his sixties with a granddaughter around eight years old. Meng'er and Yu Xue chatted with him about the place; the old man was quite talkative. However, when they asked about the large house, the old man fell silent, silently taking a few deep drags on his pipe before saying:

"The tourists who come here now are all here for this house. I don't really know when this house was passed down. There are rules passed down from generation to generation that we can't talk about this house. Whoever talks about it will be doomed. So my ancestors didn't want to say much, and by my generation, we don't know much either!"

After saying that, he looked at Ye Feng and the others, slowly exhaled a few puffs of smoke, then squinted at Zheng Qi for a while and said, "I see you are all young, still students, right? So I advise you not to go to the mansion, just look at the nearby mountains and rivers and come back!"

"We've come all this way, we have to see it before we go back. Besides, we're all young people, what's there to be afraid of? Are living people afraid of dead things?" As soon as he finished speaking, a young man came down from upstairs. He was about the same age as Ye Feng and the others, but he looked a little younger. He was wearing a cloth jacket and short coat, which were unique to Guhua Town. He had a youthful and arrogant expression on his face, as if he was fearless.

He walked up to Ye Feng and the others, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said loudly to Ye Feng and the others, "I am Cheng Jin, and I just arrived here the day before yesterday. I thought I would like to take a look around the house. I wonder if you gentlemen are fellow travelers?"

"Ha!" Yu Xue couldn't help but laugh first. Then Ye Feng and the others couldn't help but laugh when they saw Cheng Jin's chivalrous appearance. Since they were all young, they quickly bonded. Before long, they were all friends with Ye Feng and the others. From Cheng Jin's self-introduction, they learned that Cheng Jin loved to travel and explore. He always wanted to see what was interesting or novel, and he often did things that were considered chivalrous. This time, while passing through Yinan City, he overheard the strange tales about the mansion in Guhua Town while eating at a restaurant. Being curious and fond of trouble, he certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity for adventure. So, the night before last, he arrived in Guhua Town and stayed at Uncle Gu's place.

Originally, he planned to go in alone the next day, but he was delayed because he was collecting equipment, and the past two days had been gloomy and threatening rain, so he decided to wait until the weather was better. Later, he saw Ye Feng and the others inquiring about the mansion, and figured they, like him, wanted to go and see it. That way, having more people would be better, and if anything happened inside, they could help each other. However, he overheard Old Man Gu trying to stop Ye Feng and the others from going, so he couldn't help but interrupt.

"Brother Ye, are you still going to the mansion?" Cheng Jin asked tentatively, afraid that Uncle Gu's words would make Ye Feng and the others give up the idea of going to the mansion.

Ye Feng did not answer, but turned to look at Zheng Qi.

Zheng Qi stood a little distance away from Ye Feng and the others. He saw that Old Gu was looking down and fumbling with his old pipe. Then, he took out a few pieces of hard, blackened tobacco leaves from the pipe and put them into his old pipe. He closed his eyes and took a deep drag. After a while, several small red dots lit up and a few wisps of smoke drifted out of the old pipe.

"Zheng Qi, what do you think?" Ye Feng asked anxiously when he saw Zheng Qi intently watching the old man smoke and ignoring him.

Zheng Qi turned his gaze away from Old Man Gu's old pipe, and the wind lifted his head slightly. Suddenly, he saw Old Man Gu also looking up, squinting at him with his seemingly cloudy old eyes. Zheng Qi felt a dryness and a soreness in his throat and coughed a few times.

"Let's see what everyone thinks!"

Ye Feng sensed that Zheng Qi's words were somewhat weak and he seemed a little absent-minded. Just as he was about to speak, Meng'er said from the side:

"Since we've come all this way, we should at least put our minds at ease, go for a look, and then come back! Is that alright?"

“Yes, we came here for that mansion. It wouldn’t be right to leave without seeing it!” Li Fan chimed in from the side.

“I’ll listen to Meng’er. If Meng’er goes, I’ll go too!” Yu Xue moved closer to Meng’er, who gave her a grateful look.

“If Yu Xue goes, I’ll go too!” Ling Bing said in a muffled voice.

"Okay, let's go then!" Zheng Qi glanced at Ye Feng and said softly, then turned back to focus intently on Old Man Gu's old pipe.

"Alright then, since everyone has unanimously decided to go see the mansion, let's rest this afternoon and set off for the mansion early tomorrow morning!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Feng saw the barely suppressed excitement and joy in everyone's eyes. To be honest, Ye Feng also really wanted to see the mansion, but for some reason, ever since he set foot on the road to Guhua Town, he had been troubled by a sense of fear and trepidation. The reason he wanted to hear Zheng Qi's opinion was because he believed that only Zheng Qi was the pillar and backbone of the group of six. Although everyone liked to follow Ye Feng's arrangements, he himself knew that his organizational skills and the weight of his words were far less authoritative than Zheng Qi's. However, Zheng Qi was by nature a man of few words and preferred to be a behind-the-scenes planner. Therefore, Ye Feng still handled all matters, big and small, on his own.

If Zheng Qi said he didn't want to go to the mansion, then the five of them would definitely go, and Ye Feng really had no idea what to do. Adding to that, Uncle Gu's earlier dissuasion had only made Ye Feng more flustered and confused. Now that Zheng Qi was listening to everyone's opinion and going, Ye Feng felt a little more at ease, as if a pill had been swallowed. With Zheng Qi around, even if something terrible happened, he wouldn't be completely alone. Ling Bing's awkwardness, Li Fan's nonchalance, Meng'er's indecisiveness, and Yu Xue's carefree naiveté... if something unexpected happened, no one could guarantee that no unforeseen circumstances wouldn't occur. Therefore, he finally decided to go to the mansion first thing tomorrow morning.

Thinking of this, Ye Feng turned to look at Zheng Qi. He saw Zheng Qi and Old Man Gu staring at each other. Zheng Qi's face showed a look of confusion and bewilderment, while Old Man Gu's wrinkled face unexpectedly showed a strange smile.

Ye Feng found it strange and was about to ask Zheng Qi what he was thinking, but Cheng Jin, whom he had just met, kept grabbing him and asking him all sorts of questions. He had no choice but to deal with Cheng Jin first and planned to discuss the matter of moving into the mansion with Zheng Qi later.

Yu Xue and Meng'er were exhausted from their journey and were just waiting for Ye Feng's arrangements. Now that they heard Ye Feng had decided to enter the house early the next morning, they were relieved and planned to get a good night's sleep to recharge for their departure the next day.

Li Fan and Ling Bing, two energetic young men, couldn't contain their excitement and decided to take advantage of the afternoon to wander around and see if there was anything fun to do. After all, they had a rare opportunity to travel, so they had to make the most of it.

When Zheng Qi came to his senses and looked away from Old Man Gu's face, only he and Old Man Gu were left in the ground floor room.

"Young man, I've said everything I wanted to say! What happens next is up to you!" Old Man Gu said to Zheng Qi while leisurely puffing on his pipe.

Zheng Qi remained silent for a long while before softly saying, "Everything is predestined; no one can escape it!"

"Haha..." Old Man Gu suddenly burst into laughter. His laughter echoed throughout the ground floor hall for a long time!

Zheng Qi felt a sudden, inexplicable chill run down his spine. He had a feeling that all the evil was beginning to unfold! For Li Fan and Ling Bing, who were used to living in the city, every blade of grass, every tree, every mountain, and every stream in Guhua Town felt fresh and intriguing. The air was fresh, the water was clear, and the mountains were verdant. Everything made them feel the beauty and peace of nature. Just as the two were walking and chatting, a young man came down from a small path on the mountain road to the south. He was about twenty years old, with his hair shaved slightly, his face sharply defined, his eyes shrewd and piercing, his body a little thin, wearing a somewhat worn casual outfit, and on his feet were a pair of cloth-soled shoes commonly worn by people in the mountains.

Li Fan and Ling Bing watched him slowly walk down the mountain path, then walk past them expressionlessly. His eyes remained fixed ahead, and he didn't even glance at Ling Bing and the others beside him.

"Ling Bing, do you think this person is from this town?"

“I don’t think so. Look at his clothes and his attitude towards us. He doesn’t seem like it at all!” Ling Bing shook her head and said.

That makes sense. The people of Guhua Town are known for their hospitality. Whether they know each other or not, any native Guhua Town resident will greet any stranger politely. However, this person seemed to ignore Ling Bing and the others, so based on this alone, Ling Bing could conclude that this person was definitely not from Guhua Town.

“But don’t you think this is a bit…” Li Fan said, looking at the man’s departing figure with a puzzled expression.

Ling Bing lowered his head and frowned in thought. He knew what Li Fan was referring to, and he was also wondering about it.

On their way here, Ling Bing and Li Fan ran into some people from Guhua Town, so they asked them about the mansion.

This large mansion occupies nearly thirty acres and is completely surrounded by mountains. Apart from a path leading to the south mountain, there are no roads on the east, west, and north sides. Some people, not believing in the superstition, insisted on crossing those three mountains. As a result, they searched for three days in those mountains and finally had to return to the mansion. Since then, no one has ever tried to cross those three mountains again.

This mansion has been passed down from generation to generation, and there are many rumors about it, all kinds of rumors. However, the most powerful and mysterious rumor is that the feng shui master said that no one should approach within 50 meters of the mansion.

"But why are tourists allowed to visit the house now?" Li Fan asked curiously.

Logically speaking, according to the rumor from that feng shui master, this house should be avoided at all costs. Who would dare to treat their life so lightly? But the current actions of Guhua Town clearly contradict the feng shui master's advice. No wonder Li Fan and his group were puzzled.

The people of Guhua Town looked at Li Fanling and said with a smile, "Young man, that's a good question."

Back then, this legend, passed down through generations, was strictly observed by the people of Guhua Town. From the oldest to the youngest, no one dared to disobey this advice. Anyone who broke this rule would be subject to the most severe punishment from the elders in the ancestral hall.

This rumor persisted until a few years ago, when several special investigation teams from the city moved into the mansion to investigate its veracity. Although they only stayed for a week before leaving, nothing unexpected happened. It was only around that time that the people of Guhua Town began to have some doubts about the rumor.

Later, a few daring young men, after the group from the city left, took a walk around the mansion. They returned unscathed, so gradually the townspeople also dared to approach the mansion. A few curious individuals even wandered inside, returning to say they found nothing but dust and rats. Eventually, the mansion's mystery lost its novelty for the people of Guhua Town; however, for some reason, it became increasingly mysterious to outsiders.

When the mysterious rumors about the mansion were causing a stir in Yinan City, the clever people of Guhua Town immediately came up with a plan to let those who were curious about the mansion come and see it and experience its mystery in order to develop the economy of Guhua Town.

Regarding this idea, some people have raised another point of view: what if doing this suddenly comes true one day and causes some trouble, just as the feng shui master said? After all, those rumors and rules passed down from generation to generation are not without reason and have some practical significance. Although nothing has happened yet, it is hard to guarantee that some trouble will not happen in the future. Besides, just because the people of Guhua Town are fine when they live near their homes does not mean that outsiders will also be safe.

Everyone thought this made sense, so they looked to Uncle Wanggen, who had been the mayor of Guhua Town for over a decade, hoping he would make the decision. All the towns in Yinan City had moved up in poverty, except for Guhua Town, which was still labeled as impoverished. Uncle Wanggen, as the town's head, was anxious. Yesterday, the district leaders had spoken to him again, urging him to find ways to quickly boost the economy and stop dragging Yinan City down. They subtly suggested that the town's location near the mountains and houses could be a good opportunity to develop tourism. The leaders' implication seemed to be that he should focus on developing the town's economy. Thinking this, Uncle Wanggen spat a mouthful of cigarette ash on the ground and said, "Damn it, if anything happens, I'll take it all on!" The people of Guhua Town cheered.

However, despite agreeing, the old town mayor still issued three orders for the residents of Guhua Town and the tourists to follow:

First, anyone going to the mansion must be led by someone from Guhua Town, and the lead group must consist of at least three people from the town.

Secondly, once inside the mansion, one can only look around the outer perimeter and the seven rooms in the front hall at most; one must never go inside entirely.

Third, anyone who goes to the mansion must return on the same day they enter; no one is allowed to stay overnight in the mansion, including the people of Guhua Town.

Ling Bing was puzzled by these three regulations and asked: Why must visitors be led by at least three people from Guhua Town to enter the mansion? Why can we only see the seven rooms in the front hall instead of all the rooms? Because it is rumored that the mansion consists of forty-nine rooms, and the old mayor stipulates that outsiders can only see one-seventh of the mansion. Is there some other rumor behind this? Why are people not allowed to stay overnight in the mansion? Is there really some terrible rumor or thing in the mansion?

In response to Ling Bing's questions, the people from Guhua Town smiled and said:

"Hehe, I didn't realize this young man was such a thoughtful person! The reason three people from Guhua Town must lead the way is because the old town chief is worried about accidents on the way to the mansion. You've also seen some small wild animals running around in and out of these mountains. If anything unexpected happens, one person can be sent back to town to report, while two others stay to handle the emergency. That should be sufficient." The man from Guhua Town paused here, and Ling Bing thought, "This old town chief is really considerate!"

Then the people from Guhua Town added, "As for only being able to see the outer perimeter of the mansion and the seven rooms in the front hall, it's because the old mayor considered that the forty-nine rooms are all the same, so whether you see them or not, they're all the same. Therefore, he believed that seeing one-seventh of the entire mansion was enough to see its whole picture." Hearing this, Ling Bing thought, "That's a bit of a stretch. Everyone has a different perspective. Perhaps I can see forty-nine different styles in forty-nine identical rooms?" Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful. However, no matter what, she was just a tourist and had no right to break the rules they had set.

"So what's the last rule? What's it for?" Li Fan asked anxiously.

"Haha, the last rule is for the safety of the tourists. Just think, no matter what, it's a deserted house that's been abandoned for hundreds of years! Would you dare to stay there for one night, young man? Hehe, besides, it would take almost a whole day to visit all seven houses and travel back and forth!"

After listening to the people of Guhua Town describe the mansion, Ling Bing sensed that these three rules clearly carried a sense of respect and awe towards the rumors surrounding the feng shui master! Perhaps, regardless of development, the rules passed down from ancestors still possess a certain degree of authority and deterrent power! At this moment, Ling Bing thought about how that person dared to come down the path from Nanshan Mountain alone, which meant that he had gone to the mansion alone. Even if he hadn't entered the mansion, he had at least walked alone along the path leading to the mysterious residence! Thinking of this, Ling Bing and Li Fan couldn't help but feel strange. This person truly had a certain amount of courage, and his boldness made Ling Bing and Li Fan look at him with new respect.

Watching his departing figure, Ling Bing looked up at the sky. Seeing that it was getting late and worried that Ye Feng and the others were getting impatient, she and Li Fan hurried back to the inn. On the way back, the two of them were both deep in thought, neither of them speaking a word. "That idiot, where has he gone? I'm starving to death, why isn't he back yet?"