Chapter 63 Fengdu Ghost Banquet 8

"Have you been to the imperial kitchen?"

Looking at Concubine Ou's nervous demeanor, Xia Qi asked in return.

Not only did Concubine Ou bear a striking resemblance to a teammate he had once known, but she also shared the same timid and fearful aura.

Through Concubine Ou's face, Xia Qi saw that person.

"Uh, although I haven't been there, I have heard about it..." Concubine Ou said hesitantly, just as she was about to mention something crucial, she inadvertently caught sight of a willowy green figure approaching from afar.

Upon seeing this person, Concubine Ou's expression changed.

She quickly raised her hand, extending her delicate finger to lightly poke Xia Qi's shoulder, then called out loudly, "What are you two doing blocking my path? How dare you ignore me like this!"

"Oh, Sister Ou, this is the first time I've seen you reprimanding someone." Concubine Wu slowly approached, wearing an expression that relished the drama.

Concubine Ou lifted her chin and said angrily, "They weren't watching where they were going and almost knocked me over."

Concubine Wu couldn't wait for everyone to dislike Xia Qi and his sister. She clicked her tongue and said sarcastically, "If anything happened to you, Concubine Ou, these two would deserve no mercy."

Concubine Ou shook her head and pretended to cry, "They rely on their position in Shouju Palace and act so arrogantly... alas, my current status is too low, even the palace maids can bully me."

Xia Qi rarely saw men cry, and today, witnessing Concubine Ou, a grown man, fake crying more dramatically than any woman, shattered his sense of propriety.

"Sister Ou." Unexpectedly, Concubine Ou was still so useless. Concubine Wu smiled and patted Concubine Ou's shoulder, acting like a caring older sister, and said kindly, "Sister Ou, don't be sad. You're still a concubine; what do they matter?"

Though she offered these consoling words, Concubine Wu showed no intention of standing up for Concubine Ou, revealing the superficial nature of their relationship.

Concubine Ou wiped her tears while pulling Concubine Wu's sleeve, leading her back. "Sister, please don't comfort me anymore, sniff sniff."

Concubine Ou's display of being bullied clearly gave Concubine Wu immense satisfaction. The more she cried, the happier Concubine Wu became, walking with a spring in her step.

While sobbing and complaining, Concubine Ou led Concubine Wu into Lengxiang Palace. Suddenly, she turned around and gave Xia Qi and his sister a meaningful look, signaling them to leave quickly. They cautiously retreated, and as soon as they crossed the palace gate, Xia Qi paused and asked, "I forgot to ask Concubine Ou, which way is the imperial kitchen?"

It was all because of Concubine Wu's sudden appearance that Xia Qi and his sister lost their chance to ask directions.

The two wandered aimlessly around the palace, noticing not a single palace servant in sight.

"Don't you find it strange that there's almost no one in the palace during the day?" Xia Qi remarked with a puzzled expression.

Apart from the players chatting in Shouju Palace and those who looked like players serving the ladies, all other servants had vanished.

For such a vast Fengdu Imperial Palace, it was impossible for it to function solely with players.

"So, where could they all be?" his sister asked, puzzled.

Considering the different settings of previous scenarios, Xia Qi strongly suspected that the palace servants transformed during the day, hiding somewhere within the palace.

He vividly remembered that in the Nightless City scenario, the Night Emperor never appeared during the day, always avoiding him.

So, where did the palace servants hide during the day?

Xia Qi thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "Where in the palace would there be the most buried bodies?"

"Haha, Brother Xia, you've stumped me. I haven't watched many palace dramas," his sister laughed nervously. "But if I think about it, wouldn't bodies usually be found in water rather than suffocating in the ground?"

"Riverside, pond edges... or wells?" As Xia Qi spoke, he noticed a well nearby.

The well stood in a corner, its rim covered with moss, looking very old. As they approached, they felt a chill. A stone tablet near the well caught Xia Qi's attention. He brushed away the dust and saw the words "Corpse Dog" carved on it.

In survival games, the more unsettling the atmosphere, the higher the likelihood of encountering ghosts.

Xia Qi cautiously pulled out his trident and slowly approached the well, while his sister took out the revolver with infinite bullets given by Margaret.

Upon reaching the well, Xia Qi, being taller, leaned down to look inside.

Just a glance was enough to shock even the usually calm Xia Qi, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Hisss—" After a quick glance, Xia Qi raised his head and stepped back.

"What's inside?" Seeing that Xia Qi wasn't dragged in by some strange entity, his sister peered into the well. Upon seeing what was inside, she let out a small scream, "Ah!"

At the bottom of the dark water, a woman's face slowly emerged. Her flesh was mutilated, leaving only a thin layer of muscle. Due to being submerged for a long time, her skin resembled soggy tofu, wrinkled and discolored.

Her eyes had been gouged out, leaving empty sockets.

Seeing his sister staring at her, the woman's blood-red lips suddenly curled into a grin.

When she opened her mouth, his sister could see the rotting teeth filled with black debris and the moss and moldy blood in her throat.

"Eww..." His sister quickly withdrew her head, holding onto the well's edge, and retched uncontrollably.

"Is this really a palace servant?" After vomiting for a while, she asked, trying to suppress her nausea.

This must be a disgusting ghost, right?

"Little girl." A hoarse female voice echoed from the well. "Don't underestimate me."

Hearing this, Xia Qi paused. They had indeed found someone... or rather, something that could speak.

"Who are you?" Taking advantage of the fact that the woman in the well was willing to talk, Xia Qi quickly asked.

"I can't remember." The woman hummed, then laughed happily, "I just remember feeling very happy, hehehe..."

"Where did you serve?" Xia Qi asked again.

"I can't remember, hehehe..." The woman ignored his question and laughed again. Her voice was so raspy that it sounded like a brush scraping against leather, making the hair on their arms stand on end.

"Excuse me, do you know how to get to the Imperial Kitchen?" Xia Qi had lost his patience from being asked repeatedly.

"Head east, and you'll find the Imperial Kitchen." The woman in the well suddenly answered his question.

Xia Qi and his sister exchanged a glance; it seemed that this ghost was indeed a palace maid.

"Can you climb up a bit so we can see your face clearly? Oh, and remember to close your mouth." Xia Qi, trying to suppress his disgust, spoke to the woman in the well.

"Sure, hehe." The woman in the well readily agreed.

With the earlier scene as a backdrop, they didn't vomit again when they saw her disgusting face.

After memorizing the ghost's face, Xia Qi and his sister left the well.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the entrance of the Imperial Kitchen, the sky began to darken.

Unlike other instances, there was no sun in the sky in Fengdu, nor was there a moon at night.

Therefore, when night fell, the sky above them turned pitch black as if ink had been spilled, and dark clouds seeped out from the center, gradually turning the entire pale canvas black.

"What's going on? It's only noon, right?" His sister lifted her Hello Kitty watch, looking puzzled.

This watch had been modified by the old man before; it could display the current time based on the length and operation rules of the instance.

Staring at "12:00:00" on his sister's watch, Xia Qi said, "Could it be that after noon, it turns dark in this instance?"

"Oh... right." His sister furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped her head, "Ah, that maid must have deliberately tricked us."

After the morning sunflower seed meeting ended at 9 a.m., the maid made them sweep for another two hours, delaying their call to fetch lunch until nearly 11 a.m.

In reality, given the time it took to walk here, it would definitely take about an hour. For newcomers who couldn't even figure out the way, it was impossible to return to Shouju Palace before it got dark at noon.

As they hesitated whether to enter the Imperial Kitchen, Xia Qi suddenly heard a strange splashing sound, as if something was stirring the water.

"Let's climb over the wall." Xia Qi grabbed his sister's sleeve and pulled her into a corner.

Now that night had fallen, Xia Qi decided to be more cautious and explore by climbing over the wall.

"Plop, plop, plop."

They cautiously peeked over the wall, finding the courtyard of the Imperial Kitchen empty.

Following the sound, Xia Qi discovered that the water noise came from a well within the Imperial Kitchen.

Similar to the well with the female ghost they had passed earlier, this well also had a stone tablet next to it. Squinting his eyes, Xia Qi could barely make out the words "Qu Yin" written on the tablet under the faint light.

Since the well was too far away and nothing strange had emerged yet, they shifted their attention to the kitchen.

The kitchen consisted of several connected single-story houses, lit by dim kerosene lamps. The light was very dim, casting a faint blood-red hue through the windows. However, the only fortunate thing was that the kitchen windows were open. Oddly enough, there were neither a chef nor any maids inside, only steaming baskets piled on the stove, emitting white smoke, suggesting something was being steamed.

At that moment, a cold wind blew, and even though Xia Qi and his sister were far away, they could smell a sweet, meaty aroma.

Just as they were looking around in confusion, a "splash" came from the well in the courtyard, indicating something emerging from the water.

Xia Qi focused his gaze and noticed a snow-white hand on the edge of the well.

"Hmm." His sister was startled by the sudden hand, but fortunately, Xia Qi held her back, preventing her from falling off the wall.

The snow-white hand gently pushed against the well's edge, and a man's head covered in green moss appeared. His face was still very pale, almost devoid of color. Unlike the female ghost in the well, this male ghost's head was intact without any damage.

However, the male ghost's expression was peculiar; his mouth was stretched almost to his chin, looking particularly sorrowful and even somewhat anguished.

Supporting himself with both hands, the male ghost slowly climbed out of the well. As he emerged, his skin returned to its original state, transforming into a normal-looking middle-aged man in his thirties.

Upon stepping onto the ground, clothes and an apron grew on him, and finally, a greasy hat was placed on his head, making him look like a palace chef. After regaining his human form, the chef no longer showed a sad expression.

After the male ghost emerged, another arm extended from the well. When the grim-faced female ghost landed, she also transformed into a quiet palace maid.

One by one, different people emerged from the well, forming two rows in the courtyard. Then, the male ghost chef brought out a tray with steaming white buns.

Seeing the tray of large white buns, the palace servants' eyes couldn't move away. They openly coveted the buns, swallowing their saliva.

For a moment, the sound of gulping saliva echoed throughout the courtyard.

The chef grinned, picked up a bun, and took a big bite, creating a hole in it.

Inside the bun, half of a black-and-white ball was revealed. Xia Qi shuddered upon seeing it.

After finishing the bun, the chef cleared his throat and addressed the palace servants, "Thank the Noble Consort for her kindness. Today, the kitchen has prepared buns, and each of you will receive one."

"Thank the Noble Consort!"

"The Noble Consort is truly kind!"

The palace servants immediately looked delighted and exclaimed excitedly.

"However, after eating the buns, remember to deliver lunch to the palaces. Don't keep the ladies waiting." The chef waved his hand and ordered, "Go inside and pack the food boxes. Distribute the buns according to rank. Anyone caught stealing will face consequences..."

He stopped mid-sentence, showing his white teeth, and swallowed the remaining bun, crunching audibly.

After witnessing everything in the Imperial Kitchen, Xia Qi and his sister fell silent.

It turned out they didn't need to come here for food at all. The maid had sent them here to be steamed into buns.

Watching the palace servants roll up their sleeves to pack the buns, his sister felt nauseous and turned to Xia Qi.

She lowered her voice and spoke with disappointment, "Brother Xia, do you think Concubine Ou might have eaten these buns too?"

The author has something to say: Someone: I just steamed a batch of buns.

Author: Let me see... Hey, why does your bun have two petals at the bottom? It looks like a peach.

Someone: My apologies. Last night's dough was too good, and I accidentally messed up the shape of the buns this morning.

Xia Qi: Come here. I promise I won't beat you to death.