Mystery of the Old House

"No way, it broke down at this time? xxx!" The car stopped for no apparent reason. Ling Bing cursed as she tried to start it several times, but it still wouldn't start.

"Seriously, Ling Bing, what's wrong with you? Didn't you say you'd already been checked and everything was OK?" Yu Xue pouted, frowned, and yelled at Ling Bing with a dissatisfied expression.

"My dear aunt, please stop stirring things up. How was I supposed to know this would happen?" Ling Bing said, feeling a little aggrieved.

"Forget it, Yu Xue, now is not the time to blame anyone. Let's wait until Ling Bing and the others get the car fixed first!" Meng'er was also a little anxious, but she still put her arm around Yu Xue's shoulder to comfort her.

"Meng'er, you know, this place is in the middle of nowhere, where can't we go anywhere else to cause trouble? But this wretched place is the best!"

As she spoke, Yu Xue looked around in panic. It was no wonder she complained that Ling Bing had only given the car a cursory check before setting off. They were traveling on a muddy farm road, with tall weeds on one side and eerie graves on the other. Several damaged graves, exposed after the rain, revealed gray bones. Yu Xue was so frightened she didn't dare lift her head.

"Hehe, my dear Miss Yu, you've got really high standards! Even if the car breaks down, you have to find a good place! How about we break it down in the city square? Then you can get out and strike a nice pose?" Ye Feng, who was helping with the car, teased with a laugh. This made everyone burst into laughter.

After Ye Feng said that, Yu Xue was too embarrassed to blame Ling Bing anymore, so she blushed and remained silent!

As darkness fell, Meng'er grew anxious and quietly asked Ye Feng how the car repairs were going. Ye Feng frowned and said, "Looks like we'll have to spend the night here!"

Meng'er looked up at the sky. The moon was already hanging on the horizon, and several stars were also mischievously watching Meng'er and her friends.

Meng'er and Ye Feng discussed, "I think we should do it tomorrow and just spend the night in the car!"

Ye Feng nodded noncommittally, and after a while muttered to himself, "This is really... a ghost!"

Meng'er listened from the side and felt a sense of foreboding rise in her heart, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where this feeling came from. Was it because of the increasingly gloomy and terrifying scenery around her, or was it a vague feeling that something strange would happen tonight? She was a little lost and at a loss, and now she was starting to regret the idea she had given!

Guhua Town is a small town located five kilometers outside Yinan City. Nestled among mountains and surrounded by water, the town has a simple and rustic atmosphere. It was originally one of the more underdeveloped towns in Yinan City. However, in recent years, a legend has originated in this town. As the legend has become more and more mysterious, Guhua Town has gradually become famous.

In Guhua Town, there stands a grand mansion. No one knows exactly when or by which nobleman it was built. Once, a feng shui master passed by and, after examining the mansion, declared, "This mansion is extremely yin. No one should approach within fifty meters of its perimeter. Violation of this rule will bring immense disaster!" A curious person asked what kind of disaster awaited him. The feng shui master shook his head and said, "Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed," before disappearing without a trace.

From then on, the people of the town passed down this rule from generation to generation. No one dared to approach the house. Even when they were playing, they would always stop at least fifty meters away. Once, a few naughty children tried to get close, but a gust of cold wind suddenly blew up, and the children were so frightened that they cried loudly. So the people of Guhua Town said that an extremely fierce spirit was suppressing the house. The story spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred. With the embellishment of busybodies, the story in Guhua Town became more and more mysterious.

Later, in an effort to promote spiritual civilization and eradicate feudal superstition, the city sent several investigation teams to the town to investigate the large house. The teams moved into the house that very night. However, a week later, without explanation, they all left. The city made no comment on the investigation's findings. Later, someone revealed that the results were highly confidential and had been sealed and archived.

Regardless of the city leaders' decision, Guhua Town began to bustle with activity from then on. The feng shui master's classic words spread more and more widely, becoming increasingly mysterious. As a result, people from within the city, outside the city, and even from other provinces and cities, who had heard of this legend, all wanted to come and see for themselves. Although some were too timid to approach within fifty meters, just feeling the mysterious aura around this house was not bad. After all, they could go back and tell their tales, making themselves feel like heroes.

Meng'er heard this story from a few friends, so she urged Ye Feng to invite Yu Xue and a few others to come and see the mansion. Ye Feng was an atheist and didn't believe in or care about such things, but his girlfriend Meng'er was so curious and insisted on coming. So, he gathered a few close friends: Li Fan, Zheng Qi, Ling Bing, and Ling Bing's girlfriend Yu Xue. The six of them agreed to come to Guhua Town to take a look. They had planned to arrive in Guhua Town before dark, stay overnight, and return to the city the next day. Now, it was dark, but their car had broken down on the way. They were stranded in this desolate mountain forest, and everyone felt uneasy. A cold mountain wind blew, and it was pitch black all around, with a few faint flickering lights.

Ye Feng and his six companions huddled in the van. Fortunately, Meng'er and the others had brought plenty of food, so they managed to eat a meal. Afterward, no one spoke, except for the distant roars of wild animals.

"Meng'er, you and Yu Xue go to sleep first! The four of us will take turns sleeping and keeping an eye on things!" Ye Feng said.

“We should be fine in the car, what’s there to be afraid of? Everyone, go to sleep!” Yu Xue said quickly.

Ye Feng and Zheng Qi exchanged a glance, and Zheng Qi said in a low voice, "You two go to sleep, I'll take a look first!"

When Zheng Qi spoke, everyone fell silent. Zheng Qi was the youngest of the six, but his character and conduct were the most respected among the four of them. Now, seeing Zheng Qi's solemn expression and low voice, they knew that something unsettling was about to happen tonight, so they all stared at him without moving.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Zheng Qi smiled sheepishly and said:

"What's wrong? I'm afraid of wolves, or tigers, that might swallow all six of us and the car whole!" He then burst into laughter.

Inspired by him, Yu Xue was the first to laugh and say, "Zheng Qi, when did you start learning Ye Feng's glib tongue?"

"Oh my, Miss Yu, when have I ever been glib? Even if I were, I wouldn't dare to talk to you like that!"

"Meng'er, look at your husband! You need to discipline him! Be careful he doesn't take advantage of you later!"

"Hey, I'm telling you, Ling Bing, your wife is a real down-on-her-luck woman, not much worse than that Sister Feng!" Seeing Li Fan and Zheng Qimeng grinning beside him, Ling Bing scratched his head and said embarrassedly, "I can't help it, I'm just afraid of this little miss!"

Everyone burst into laughter. They all knew that Ling Bing was the most kind-hearted person and always listened to Xue's every word.

Meng'er laughed along with everyone, but for some reason, she always felt uncomfortable. It was as if a kind of unease was stirring in her heart, and this unease grew heavier and heavier as the night grew darker and the wind picked up.

"Alright, Ye Feng, stop fooling around. It's getting late, everyone should get some rest. We need to get the car repaired and get going tomorrow morning!"

Ye Feng nodded and said, "You guys go to sleep first. Ling Bing, you and Li Fan go to sleep too. Zheng Qi and I will check again and then sleep later." Ling Bing and the others nodded and lay down on the back seat.

Meng'er didn't sleep; she snuggled up to Ye Feng. Ye Feng

……