Chapter Forty-Seven: Ghost City

As dusk had already fallen, few households had their lights on. Wanqing, alert and cautious, swept her gaze around and noticed a few wild rats scurrying through the weeds nearby—likely what had frightened Jiang Xinyue.

Jiang Xinyue, trembling, hid behind Wanqing and pointed ahead with a quavering voice, "There's a ghost!"

Wanqing tried to reassure her, explaining that it was just a few rats and nothing else, urging her not to scare herself.

But Jiang Xinyue insisted she had just seen a woman dressed in ancient clothing, hair disheveled, drifting past from that direction.

Still shaken, Jiang Xinyue pointed to a small clearing behind a few trees. In the center of the clearing was a mound of earth, and as they approached, they saw a wooden plank stuck at its front—blank, with no inscription. Looking closer, they realized it was a grave.

Standing before the wooden marker, they were suddenly struck by the illusion that countless graves, large and small, surrounded them.

The terrifying sight overwhelmed her—she had never experienced anything like this. Fear and panic left her mind blank; instinctively, she began to retreat. "Wan... Wanqing, this place is too scary. Let's get out of here!"

Wanqing, momentarily stunned, turned at Jiang Xinyue's words. But as she did, Jiang Xinyue shrieked in terror and bolted, screaming as she ran, "Ah... Don't come near... Don't come near..."

Wanqing chased after her down another village path. There were no lights along the way, and in the darkness, Jiang Xinyue's figure vanished almost instantly.

There were few residents in this village, but plenty of empty houses. Wanqing knocked on several doors, but no one answered. She searched around the deserted homes, but after a long while, still found no one.

As she reached the edge of the village, Wanqing encountered an elderly woman and hurried forward to ask if she had seen a pretty young girl.

The old woman replied that she hadn't and warned Wanqing to leave at once—if she stayed any longer, trouble would find her.

Wanqing, half believing, half doubting, replied, "Alright, I'll leave right away."

Because of what had happened with Wu Cheng'an's grandmother, she had begun to wonder if such supernatural things might really exist.

She watched the old woman shuffle away, but in the blink of an eye, the woman vanished. When Wanqing turned around, the old woman was just a few steps ahead, moving slowly. Her clouded eyes stared straight ahead as she passed by Wanqing, and after she had gone some distance, she disappeared once again.

Wanqing, who had never believed in ghosts or spirits, now felt the village was truly strange. She hurried to leave, only to find she couldn't locate the spot where they had parked, nor could she see the car or the road at the village's edge.

She stopped, carefully retracing every road she had taken through the village, and realized she might have fallen into a ghostly maze.

Though Wanqing herself didn't quite believe it, she truly couldn't find a way out, and kept encountering the same old woman. Each time, the old woman said nearly the same thing. She couldn't recall how many times she had circled the village before, exhausted, she slumped against a wall and dozed off for a while.

When she awoke, it was already morning. A shaft of light stung her eyes, and she opened them to find herself leaning against a large tree, not far from the village. She had no idea how she had finally gotten out.

When she re-entered the village, she discovered it looked vastly different than the night before; there were far fewer houses, and a few villagers were leaving. Wanqing approached and inquired about the village.

It turned out the place was called Ghost Town. Outsiders or non-residents rarely set foot there.

The village was almost abandoned—year after year, haunted by ghosts, most people had already moved away. Those who knew of Ghost Town avoided it, fearing to bring trouble and misfortune upon themselves.

Before coming to Gourd Village, she had visited this village again, only to get lost in its labyrinth once more. If she hadn't been prepared this time and brought Xun along, who knew how long she would have remained trapped.

"Is this Ghost Town really so bewitched? Wanqing, do you know where Xinyue is now?" Cheng Che asked anxiously from the back seat.

Wanqing stared ahead, hands on the wheel. "I'm certain she's in Ghost Town!"

"What makes you so sure?" Wu Cheng'an, who had been silent until now, asked.

Wanqing was startled. She hadn't expected the usually dull-witted giant in the back to speak so normally. No wonder she had felt something different about him earlier.

"Women's intuition," Wanqing replied.

"..."

"So, are we heading to Ghost Town now?" Zhang Qinglin asked.

"Yes, it's just ahead," Wanqing said, her gaze fixed on the approaching row of houses.

The car came to a stop. Wanqing got out and exchanged a few words with Li Qingpeng at the rear.

"This Ghost Town doesn't seem that special..." Cheng Che remarked, glancing toward it from beside the car.

"Yueyue's likely lost inside as well," Zhang Qinglin added, looking over.

Wanqing walked up to them. "Are you staying here to wait, or coming with me to search?"

"Is that even a question? Of course we're going in together!" Cheng Che stepped forward earnestly.

Zhang Qinglin turned to glance at Wu Cheng'an. "I'll go with Cheng Che. You stay here."

"If we're going, we all go. Maybe I can help," Wu Cheng'an said as he walked over.

"Just don't make things worse," Cheng Che muttered.

Wanqing glanced at him but said nothing. She saw Xun get out of the car behind them and called, "Let's go!"

Zhang Qinglin fixed his gaze on Xun, then nodded and followed. Xun was dressed in a Taoist robe, carrying a coarse cloth satchel slung across his body. No one knew what was inside, but judging by his outfit, it was probably something a Taoist priest would use. He looked familiar, as though Zhang Qinglin had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn't recall exactly where.

As they approached the village outskirts, the last rays of sunset faded, leaving the sky dim and shadowed. A few houses in the village lit their lamps. Wanqing took out several flashlights and tossed them to Zhang Qinglin and the others. Xun led the way, stepping into the village.

No sooner had they entered than an elderly woman appeared, slowly making her way toward them...