Chapter 173: I Have a Wish.

Chapter 173: I Have a Wish.

After the sound of the siren faded, an eerie silence descended once again.

While this place couldn't be considered remote, it was some distance from the bustling city center. On a winter night like this, not many people passed by. There wasn’t even a lively street nearby, making it exceptionally quiet.

In such a hushed atmosphere, even the ticking of the clock inside the house seemed especially clear.

Yet, these faint noises within the silence only added to the rising anxiety.

Ghost Face began to anxiously pace back and forth on the sofa, sliding from one end to the other, then quickly back again. Each time, he'd glance at Chi Shen's expression.

"Knock, knock, knock."

At that moment, a knocking sound emerged. Startled, Ghost Face quickly climbed off the sofa, taking refuge behind Chi Shen while eyeing the door warily.

With a creak, the door slowly swung open. No footsteps were heard outside; it remained eerily silent. From the dimly lit room, all that could be seen through the open door was pitch darkness.

The faint sound of rustling paper came from outside, making Ghost Face tremble and shrink further behind Chi Shen.

First to become visible, illuminated by the faint light from within, were the words: [Master Chi Shen, I've brought your tea.]

Then, a cart laden with tea sets slowly wheeled in. The last thing to be lit up by the indoor lighting was a pair of paper hands; it was a paper figure pushing the cart. But this one was different from the one that had led them earlier.

The paper figure didn't enter. Instead, it pushed the cart slightly forward, bowed its head in a respectful manner, and retreated, closing the door behind it.

The cart, seemingly under invisible guidance, glided perfectly to stop before Chi Shen.

Only after the door shut did Ghost Face relax a bit, eying the tea sets skeptically, "What if there's something suspicious in this?"

On this cold winter night, steam leisurely rose from the teapot, and even from a distance, a faint scent of tea wafted through the air.

However, Chi Shen seemed unbothered. He picked up the tea and poured himself a cup.

"Wait!" Ghost Face couldn't hold back his anxiety, "You're just going to drink it? It could be dangerous!"

Taking a serene sip, Chi Shen remarked, "In all of my previous twenty years, I've never tasted tea this exquisite."

"Huh?" Ghost Face was taken aback by this sudden appreciation, dumbfounded for a moment.

Chi Shen continued unperturbed, "It's clearly meant for guests, so we shouldn't waste the host's good intentions."

Ghost Face slid off Chi Shen's shoulder, his face peering intently at the tea for a long while. As a water spirit, water had a peculiar allure for him. Though he saw no apparent issue with the tea, he refrained from taking any, choosing instead to pace around the coffee table, as if he still had legs.

"What exactly do they intend by trapping us here? All the other rooms are haunted by fierce ghosts, yet only this room has a curse preventing exit. What do they gain by confining us here...?"

As Ghost Face paced, muttering to himself and elongating the corners of his face, he soon noticed Chi Shen still nonchalantly sipping tea, and finally blurted out, "How can you remain so calm?!"

With an elderly tone, Chi Shen leisurely replied, "If we are meant to wait, then wait we shall."

Ghost Face: "..."

Chi Shen: "Ah, truly exquisite tea."

The clock in the drawing room ticked on, and soon, the hour, minute, and second hands all jumped to the same mark.

It was now midnight.

Simultaneously, the wall of the room, adorned with various ritual implements, emitted a slight noise.

The sound resembled someone shifting something; it was subtle but, in the near-silence of the room, it was unmistakably clear.

Ghost Face immediately directed his gaze towards that wall, while Chi Shen slowly set down his teacup.

With a faint creak, a cabinet in the corner of the wall shifted, revealing first, the sound of Buddhist hymns.

The hymns were soft and not entirely discernible, with fragmented chanting. The cabinet then moved aside just enough for a person to pass through, unveiling a dark passage. A young man with glasses emerged from it, adjusting his frames before beckoning, "This way."

Ghost Face eyed the young man warily, while Chi Shen rose from his seat.

"I am Bai Zhi," the young man began, noting Ghost Face's guarded expression. "You may not remember me, but I was present that night at the old mansion when Grandfather was performing the ritual. I know you saved us, and I want to help you escape."

"But this room—"

"Thank you." Ghost Face was about to interject when Chi Shen interrupted him, standing and nodding at Bai Zhi, "I remember you."

"Uncle... or rather, Bai Xi Ming, seeks to exchange lives. You cannot stay here." Bai Zhi gestured for them to follow, "This way leads out. The main exit is impassable, guarded by the Bai family members outside."

Upon seeing Chi Shen about to depart, Gui Lian immediately leapt onto him. Just moments ago, Chi Shen had interrupted him. Now, he hurriedly scrambled to Chi Shen's shoulder and whispered, “Can we escape the curse by leaving through there?”

“No,” Chi Shen replied.

“Then why…”

“Someone came to my rescue. I shouldn’t let their efforts go to waste,” Chi Shen responded. Unexpectedly, he produced a fragment of paper about the width of two fingers from somewhere and quickly fashioned it into a tiny human figure.

From his vantage point, Gui Lian could clearly see the paper. He paused for a moment, then recognized the color of the fragment – it was from the paper figure that had ushered them in earlier.

Apparently, Chi Shen had taken a piece from the paper figure when he had patted its shoulder earlier.

Gui Lian instantly grasped Chi Shen's intentions. Noticing that there was only one paper figure and that Chi Shen was about to step out of the room, he anxiously inquired, “What about me?!”

Chi Shen tilted his head, replying, “This place is relatively safe. Just wait for me here.”

With that, he stepped into the passageway opened by Bai Shi. As his body crossed the threshold, inky black hands, like rapidly growing vines, reached out to grasp him. It seemed they were desperate to keep him, even willing to tear him apart to prevent his departure.

The feeling of impending spiritual rupture compelled Gui Lian to jump off Chi Shen's shoulder. The further he distanced himself from the passage, the less pronounced the feeling became. An instinct for self-preservation made him float upwards, retreating quickly. Yet his concern for Chi Shen kept him watching, wishing he had hands to possibly assist, but he was powerless.

The black hands landed on Chi Shen, who seemed unaffected and continued to move forward.

Gui Lian blinked, realizing that though he couldn't see, he sensed the cursed black hands. Instead of latching onto Chi Shen, they clung to the paper figure in his hand. As Chi Shen entered the passage, the paper effigy disintegrated into a cloud of dust that gently descended.

At the main entrance on the ground floor, a lantern-bearing paper figure suddenly quivered, its papery face contorting in agony. The next moment, it burst apart, scattering paper fragments throughout the lobby.

Back in the guest room where Chi Shen was, Bai Shi peered in. Feeling a sneeze coming on, he quickly covered his nose, his face turning beet-red as he closed the cabinet door.

Witnessing the door shutting, Gui Lian, in a sudden realization, dashed towards it, pleading, “Wait—hold on! Don't leave me here alone!”

The cabinet clicked shut, returning to its original position.

Gui Lian looked around the now empty room, shivered, and then promptly stuck himself onto the sofa, reasoning, “Chi Shen sat here earlier; it must be safe. How could he leave me behind? I should've stayed at home and watched people drown...”

“Ah, wait, that's not my home either.”

“Right, I'm just a ghost. How could I have a home?”

Gui Lian's initial fear gradually subsided, replaced by a melancholic realization, “Even the silly Xiao Hong has a place to belong. Where is mine…”

"I had thought..." The ghastly figure's eyes roved about before settling on a cabinet. It sighed deeply and slowly crawled into a teacup. The cup was filled with tea that Chi Shen had poured before leaving but hadn't drunk.

"Forget it, the living can't be trusted, the living can't be trusted..."

Meanwhile, in a passage behind a bookcase, Bai Shi handed Chi Shen a Bluetooth earpiece.

As Chi Shen took it, he could hear the intermittent sounds of Buddhist chants that he had heard earlier.

Bai Shi then handed him a phone, saying, "There are many things in this building that can disturb one's mind. The playlist on this phone contains scriptures that can help you focus and ward off malevolent spirits. Take it."

"Thanks," Chi Shen replied without ceremony, accepting the phone.

"Is your ghostly companion alright?" Bai Shi inquired further, "I remember him being powerful. Aren't you taking him along for assistance?"

Chi Shen glanced at Bai Shi and, noting his genuine ignorance of the curse in that room, chose not to mention it. Instead, he replied, "He's a ghost, after all. The place you're taking me to isn't one that ghosts would favor."

Bai Shi nodded in agreement, "Indeed, they wouldn't. To prevent the spirits from the old mansion from entering, we've filled the place with things they detest."

"You all?"

"Yes, us." Bai Shi led Chi Shen down a narrow staircase, descending deeper. "After the old mansion incident, my siblings and I discussed things. Oh, they're all from the Bai family too, which makes me your distant cousin. We believe Bai Xi Ming isn't fit to lead the Bai family. Our lineage has always been about exorcising evil, and from the ancient texts we've read, our earliest ancestors were all upright exorcists. We're not sure why things have changed."

"We want to make a change."

"So we've decided to dethrone Bai Xi Ming."

"And choose you as the new head of the family."