Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Wei Xilou's expression turned even more peculiar. He folded the handkerchief and tucked it into his robes, saying with a smile, "Wasn't it you who summoned me here? Why do you look at me as if you don't recognize me?"

"I didn't call—" Xu Muchan was about to retort that he hadn't summoned him, but his words trailed off, hesitating mid-sentence.

He had called upon the mountain god earlier.

Could the summoning have brought him here?

Xu Muchan frowned in silence, trying to make sense of what was happening.

The person before him didn't recognize him at all, looking at him as if he were a total stranger, yet he had the exact same appearance and aura as his brother—even his tone and mannerisms were almost identical... Could it be that this ghost domain had affected his brother, causing him to lose his memory and forget who he was?

But what kind of ghost domain was so powerful that even his brother had been affected without knowing it?

Xu Muchan mulled it over quickly and reasoned that his brother was probably affected because this ghost domain was tied to the Wei family.

And before they entered the tomb, his brother had also said that this trip would be dangerous.

With this in mind, Xu Muchan ventured cautiously: "My brother's name is Wei Xilou."

Then he asked, "What's your name?"

Wei Xilou's smile spread wide, his whole face lighting up with amusement: "What a coincidence—I'm also called Wei Xilou. And since my brothers are all insufferable, why don't you become my younger brother instead?"

Xu Muchan didn't answer, instead tilting his head, staring at his smile, a little dazed.

In the past, his brother rarely smiled so openly. His expression was mostly guarded and distant, as if perpetually shrouded in an invisible gloom—like an overcast day, cold and damp.

But now, the way he smiled was like a spring breeze brushing against your face, causing Xu Muchan to relax without even realizing it.

Seeing the young man merely staring at him in a daze without speaking, Wei Xilou didn't seem annoyed. He leaned down, his fingertip tracing along Xu Muchan's neck, hooking a thin red string. At its end dangled a swaying Mountain God Amulet.

"A yin-collecting charm?"

After examining it briefly, Wei Xilou let go of the string and looked at Xu Muchan: "This yin-collecting trinket isn't very effective. You'd be better off following me—I could use someone to wait on me."

Since he recognized the Mountain God Amulet, Xu Muchan became even more convinced this was his brother. After a moment's thought, he agreed.

He needed to quickly get to the bottom of what this ghost domain was all about, and preferably help his brother get his memory back.

With that settled, the immediate crisis was averted for now. Only then did Xu Muchan remember that he'd come in with a task to do. He glanced back at the overturned red lacquered food box on the ground and said, feeling unusually awkward, "Someone asked me to bring some osmanthus cakes earlier, but..."

But earlier he had been so focused on finding the person that he'd just tossed the food box aside...

Wei Xilou, who had lost his memory, seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. He smiled and pinched Xu Muchan's cheek, saying casually, "Just a box of osmanthus cakes. If you're craving them, just have the kitchen send another one over—say it's for me."

Xu Muchan didn't particularly want osmanthus cakes, but this was a good opportunity to wander around and check out the estate's layout. So he nodded and said, "Then I'll go get another box."

With that, he paid no further attention to Wei Xilou, turned around, picked up the overturned food box, and walked out, light on his feet.

Behind him, Wei Xilou stood in the pavilion, his features hidden in shadow, gazing at his retreating figure for a long time.

Xu Muchan had an excellent memory. Though the estate was sprawling, with winding paths and twisting corridors, he managed to find his way back from memory. That's when he realized that the place where he had first encountered the blue-clad girl was actually the kitchen courtyard.

The blue-clad girl, likely a servant of the Wei household, looked as if she'd seen a ghost when she saw Xu Muchan return with the food box. "You... why are you back again?"

Xu Muchan handed the food box back to her and came up with an excuse: "The young master said the osmanthus cakes weren't made right and wants them redone."

Those words made everyone in the kitchen freeze. All heads turned in unison to stare at Xu Muchan, their pitch-black eyes wide, as if they'd heard something utterly terrifying.

The blue-clad girl's expression was even more terrifying. She stared at Xu Muchan with a dark look and asked, "You saw the young master?"

Xu Muchan didn't understand what was wrong, and his heart started pounding nervously. But thinking that Wei Xilou must hold a high position in this ghost domain, he puffed out his chest and bluffed: "Of course I saw him—didn't you send me to bring him the osmanthus cakes? The young master's temper isn't as bad as you said. He even cracked a smile at me. It's just that the osmanthus cakes weren't good enough, and he wasn't satisfied, so he wants them remade. You'd better get a move on, or the young master will really get angry."

At those words, the blue-clad girl's menacing demeanor deflated like a popped balloon. She shot Xu Muchan a glare and said, "Fine, wait right there! It'll be done in a jiffy!"

With that, she scurried into the kitchen to get to work.

As Xu Muchan wandered around the kitchen courtyard, he noticed red silk draped over the trees and asked curiously, "Is there a wedding coming up? Why is red silk hanging everywhere?"

A middle-aged woman who was picking vegetables nearby looked up, her eyes fixed on Xu Muchan: "You don't know?"

Xu Muchan felt that her demeanor and tone carried an indescribable eeriness, giving off a ghostly, sinister vibe.

But honestly, these people actually seemed more like living, breathing humans than the ghosts and spirits he had encountered before.

There were indeed many strange things in this ghost domain.

"I'm new here," Xu Muchan said, enduring the woman's cold, piercing stare.

"Ah, new..." The woman averted her gaze and resumed her nimble vegetable-picking, adding a warning: "Don't go prying into things you shouldn't. Matters of ascension to immortality aren't for you to inquire about. Just do whatever your master tells you to do."

"Ascension to immortality?"

Xu Muchan latched onto the key phrase, pondering whether it was meant literally or carried some hidden meaning.

"I told you not to go snooping!" The blue-clad girl emerged with a fresh food box, shoved it into Xu Muchan's hands, and glared at him fiercely.

Xu Muchan knew he probably wouldn't get any answers, so he tucked his doubts away, thanked her, and left with the food box.

After getting the osmanthus cakes, he didn't immediately return. Instead, he pretended not to know the way and wandered around for a while.

The estate was unimaginably large—likely a five-courtyard compound with four gardens of varying sizes and styles. Many areas seemed deserted, but when Xu Muchan accidentally stepped into them, someone hidden somewhere would jump out to block his path, saying the area was off-limits, and grimly ask which courtyard he worked for.

Xu Muchan had no choice but to invoke the young master as his get-out-of-jail-free card to make a safe retreat.

Another peculiar thing was that the more Xu Muchan wandered through the grand estate, the more familiar it felt. It wasn't until he saw the tightly shut vermilion gate that he finally confirmed it—this ancient, elegant residence was the very same Wei mansion he had seen in the main tomb chamber.

Except the Wei mansion he had seen in the tomb chamber was steeped in an air of decay and ruin, like a faded painting drained of its former color.

But the Wei mansion before him was clearly in its prime, with bright red silk everywhere and smiles on the faces of everyone coming and going, as if a great celebration was imminent.

After roughly mapping out the estate's layout, Xu Muchan slowly made his way back to Wei Xilou's courtyard.

As he entered, Xu Muchan noticed something odd: this courtyard had no plaque hanging above its gate, even though all the other courtyards in the estate had plaques with elegant names.

Carrying his questions, he stepped through the gate and found Wei Xilou still in the pavilion, though now there was a painting board before him, brush in hand as he painted.

Xu Muchan curiously leaned in and saw that the rice paper depicted several deformed, twisted creatures.

In the center of the painting were two snakes, their bodies writhing and tangled together in a knot, with two serpent heads emerging from the tangle as if fused together, their faces twisted in human-like expressions of agony and ferocity.

But Xu Muchan's gaze fell on the creature to the right of the snakes—a being with a rooster's head on a human body, identical to Zhou Yi as he had seen through the camera.

Except in this painting, the rooster-headed figure sat cross-legged on a lotus flower like a Buddha, yet its small eyes, dotted with cinnabar, radiated unmistakable malice.

Above and to the left of the rooster-headed figure was a dog, its posture equally bizarre—it stood upright like a human, and though its face was turned to the side, its eyes were slanted, seeming to peer out from the painting at the viewer.

Across from the dog was a horse, but this horse seemed to have only a layer of skin, and something that looked like a monkey yet also like a human was burrowing up into the horse's belly from below. The horse's head drooped, unsupported, and its sinister gaze, almost as if by coincidence, was also fixed on the person outside the painting.

Perhaps because both dogs and horses are usually gentle animals that are close to humans, seeing them twisted into something so bizarre and sinister made it especially unsettling.

Xu Muchan frowned, moving his gaze away from the painting, and let out a soft sigh to push down the strong wave of unease. He asked Wei Xilou, "What are these things?"

Wei Xilou didn't turn around, focused on finishing the last stroke before setting his brush down. He said in a low voice, "They're man-eating monsters. If you see them at home, remember to pretend you didn't see them. If they happen to catch you..."

He deliberately lowered his voice and drew out the words to create a sense of tension. Xu Muchan instinctively widened his eyes and held his breath, waiting for him to continue.

But Wei Xilou suddenly laughed out loud, reached over and ruffled his hair, and finished his sentence: "If you get caught, just wait for your big brother to come save you."

Xu Muchan was speechless.

Maybe the look of utter disbelief on his face was too obvious, Wei Xilou said, "You're still young and growing. Hit the hay early tonight."

Xu Muchan glanced at the sky, thinking it had only just gotten dark—no way he was going to bed this early.

But Wei Xilou's mind was clearly made up. He grabbed Xu Muchan's wrist and dragged him into the bedroom, saying it like it was no big deal, "There's only one livable room in this courtyard. From now on, you're sleeping with me."

With that, he dumped Xu Muchan in front of the bed and went to the bathhouse to bathe.

Xu Muchan tried to reassure himself that this place was full of mysteries. Sure, his brother seemed different now, but staying by his side was still safer than anywhere else.

Once he'd calmed himself down, Xu Muchan went to wash up in silence when Wei Xilou came out of the bath.

After washing up, he realized he didn't have any clean clothes to change into, so he had to head back out in his dirty clothes.

When he came out, Wei Xilou had already changed into loose sleepwear and was on the bed. Seeing him come out in dirty clothes, Wei Xilou said, his tone dripping with undisguised disdain, "There's sleepwear in the cabinet. Go change into something clean."

Xu Muchan was a bit grossed out by himself too, so he obediently went to grab clean sleepwear and changed behind the screen.

Wei Xilou was a size bigger, so his clothes hung loose on Xu Muchan. He rolled up the sleeves and pant legs, then came out from behind the screen and silently climbed onto the bed.

Wei Xilou had claimed the outer spot, so Xu Muchan had to sleep on the inside.

Wei Xilou watched the young man climb over him to the inside, then expertly burrow under the blanket and lie still. He turned onto his side, twirling the hair spread across the pillow with his fingers, a strange look in his eyes. "Do you and your brother sleep together often?"

Xu Muchan gave a half-hearted "Mm" and didn't bother to explain.

Wei Xilou didn't say anything else, just kept lying on his side, staring at him.

One second he was twirling Xu Muchan's hair, the next he was tugging at the blanket covering his mouth and nose. What was worse, he'd reach over and pinch Xu Muchan's face, his fingertips pinching a bit of skin and rolling it between his fingers... Xu Muchan, fed up, opened his eyes and glared at him, his gaze still hazy, asking, "Weren't we supposed to be sleeping?"

Wei Xilou pulled his hand back, propping his head on his palm, as if he couldn't tell the young man was annoyed, still smiling all easygoing. "This is my first time sharing a bed with someone. I'm just a little curious. Bear with me."

Xu Muchan met his eyes, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat. He turned his back to Wei Xilou, yanked the blanket over his head again, and burrowed all the way in, his voice muffled as he said, "Then I'm going to sleep first."

Wei Xilou stared at his back, waited patiently until he was asleep, then turned him over to face him and watched him contentedly all night.

And so, Xu Muchan inexplicably ended up staying, becoming part of the young master's courtyard.

Wei Xilou said he was keeping him around to serve, but really, there was only him in the whole courtyard—nothing for Xu Muchan to do.

Three meals a day were delivered from the kitchen, someone else did the cleaning, and even tea was brewed and sent over. But Xu Muchan noticed these people were inexplicably terrified of Wei Xilou, going out of their way to avoid him and never crossing his path.

Even if they occasionally ran into him, they would bow so low their heads seemed to want to burrow into the ground, and even their voices trembled when speaking.

Xu Muchan couldn't figure it out. Wei Xilou hadn't said anything, and even had a smile on his face, yet those people feared him like a flood or beast.

"Why are they so afraid of you?" Xu Muchan asked directly what he was thinking.

Wei Xilou was leaning by the study window reading a book. He looked up from the book, stared at Xu Muchan for a long while, then asked with a smile, "It's normal for them to fear me. But you, why aren't you afraid of me?"

Xu Muchan thought to himself, of course it's because you're my brother.

And a brother who has lost his memory wouldn't be so moody and unpredictable, giving off a spring-like feeling. Xu Muchan couldn't possibly fear him.

Actually, he had been a bit afraid before. His brother's temperament was too unpredictable, unable to communicate like a normal person, and his understanding of non-human things made Xu Muchan always worry about accidentally angering him, so he was very careful.

But since his brother had gained a body, Xu Muchan seemed to have not felt that way for a long time.

He attributed it to the fact that his brother now had a body, making him more human rather than one of those non-human things.

Seeing Xu Muchan not answering, his eyes lowered as he seemed lost in thought again, Wei Xilou didn't urge him. He just reached out and ruffled his hair with good humor, then turned back to continue reading.

This was a new bad habit he had developed. Xu Muchan felt he probably treated him like some little cat or dog, needing to pet him whether in a good or bad mood.

Xu Muchan dared not speak out, only secretly glared at him, then stood up and said, "I'm going out for a walk."

Wei Xilou instructed, "Don't run around. Be careful."

Xu Muchan casually responded and hurried out.

He had been in the Wei residence for several days now. During this time, he often wandered around the estate under the young master's name and had already memorized the layout and guards of the entire mansion.

In the Wei family's grand estate, four generations lived together.

The highest in seniority was Old Master Wei. According to what Xu Muchan had learned, the old master was over ninety years old, with limited mobility, and usually rested in Tai'an Courtyard. Ordinary family matters wouldn't disturb him. The old man disliked noise, so no one could casually enter Tai'an Courtyard to avoid disturbing him.

Below the old master were the head of the family, Master Wei and Madam Wei, who lived in the largest and most impressive main courtyard.

Master Wei was the father of the young master, Wei Xilou. Besides the young master, Master Wei had two other sons and one daughter. However, neither the parents nor these siblings were close to Wei Xilou. During these days, Xu Muchan hadn't seen Wei Xilou leave his courtyard, nor had he seen any other members of the Wei family come to visit him.

Additionally, Master Wei had three younger brothers, being the second, third, and fourth branches of the Wei family.

These three branches had each married and had children, with many members. They each occupied a large courtyard on the east side of the estate. Xu Muchan hadn't yet had the chance to investigate them thoroughly.

The entire Wei residence was roughly divided into four parts: one was Old Master Wei's Tai'an Courtyard, located in the north; one was the main courtyard where Master Wei, Madam Wei, and their other children lived, in the center; one was the remaining three branches of the Wei family, in the east; and the remaining western courtyard belonged entirely to the young master, Wei Xilou.

The western courtyard had few visitors and was quieter than the other courtyards. During these days of exploration, Xu Muchan unexpectedly discovered that besides the young master's courtyard in the west, there was actually another courtyard hidden behind a bamboo grove.

That courtyard had guards outside, and ordinary people couldn't come and go freely. Xu Muchan could only hide nearby and observe. He found that people were carrying things in and out every day, as if preparing for some ceremony.

Xu Muchan speculated that the Wei family's unusually festive atmosphere was likely related to what was about to happen in this courtyard.

Having been trapped in this ghost realm for several days, with his brother still not recovering his memory, Xu Muchan planned to find an opportunity today to explore this hidden courtyard, hoping to find some clues.

Over the past few days, he had figured out the frequency of deliveries to this courtyard. Taking advantage of another large box being carried in while the guards were busy checking, Xu Muchan crouched low and slipped in through the bamboo grove beside it.

The bamboo grove was dense, almost completely concealing Xu Muchan's figure.

He smoothly avoided the guards on the outer path and arrived near the courtyard. Sneaking a peek at the main gate, he found guards there too, so he decisively climbed over the surrounding wall.

After climbing in, he didn't act immediately but patiently waited until all the people delivering things had left before stepping out from his hiding spot in the corner.

In this courtyard stood a three-story wooden tower.

Judging by the height of the wooden tower, it was clearly much taller than the surrounding buildings. Logically, one should have been able to see it from outside, but strangely, Xu Muchan had never noticed it before.

It was as if the tower could only be seen once one stepped into this courtyard.

By now, the items carried in from outside were all arranged around the tower. Xu Muchan, on high alert, cautiously approached for a closer look and found that the heavy wooden crates were filled entirely with incense, candles, and thick stacks of spirit money.

There were also some strange objects whose purpose he couldn't discern, but his intuition told him they were likely for sacrificial rites as well.

Frowning, Xu Muchan walked to the tower's entrance and peered inside, wondering what was enshrined within.

But oddly enough, the Lotus Throne inside the tower was completely empty—nothing at all.

This took Xu Muchan completely by surprise. He stepped inside with a frown and circled around, discovering that aside from the exquisitely ornate caisson ceiling at the top, from which numerous yellow prayer banners hung down, the tower contained nothing else.

Could it be that the enshrined deity statue hadn't been brought back yet?

Xu Muchan stared at the empty Lotus Throne, lost in thought. Just as he was zoning out, a burning sensation like needles pricking his back suddenly arose from behind. He snapped awake, pulling his thoughts back and warily scanning his surroundings.

But in the entire courtyard, there was no one else besides himself.

Yet the prickling sensation of being watched was no illusion. Xu Muchan took a tentative step or two and found that the unseen gaze followed his movements, as if something invisible was staring straight at him.

And not just one—many.

There was something in this wooden tower.

The hairs on Xu Muchan's body stood on end. Without hesitation, he made the snap decision to leave the tower and climb over the wall to escape. But strangely, though he was clearly walking toward the wall, he somehow ended up turning back and stopping in front of the tower.

From the empty tower came a gaze so tangible it seemed to prick his skin, making it ache faintly.

Cold sweat broke out on Xu Muchan's back. He took a few steps back, turned, and bolted for the courtyard gate—there were guards there.

This courtyard wasn't large, and this time there was no inexplicable ghost-maze to turn him back. Xu Muchan, enduring the probing gaze at his back, finally reached the gate and saw the guard standing with his back to him.

He was about to call out to the guard when he abruptly silenced himself, pressing his body sideways into a recess in the wall, his sweat-soaked back pressed tightly against it.

The guard at the gate seemed to sense something and turned around—but what looked back were two dog faces. Their red eyes swiveled, nostrils twitching, as they walked toward where Xu Muchan was hiding.

He held his breath and carefully climbed over the wall.

Just as he landed, the two dog-faced men reached the spot where he had been hiding.

Xu Muchan listened to the sounds from the other side of the wall, not daring to pause, and quietly slipped into the bamboo grove, running outward.

Even after exiting the bamboo grove, his heart was still pounding.

He brushed off the bamboo leaves clinging to him, calmed his breathing, and walked nonchalantly back toward Wei Xilou's courtyard. But today, this residence seemed unusually busy. Xu Muchan encountered several groups of people along the way, but as he walked, one by one, they all ended up trailing behind him.

His heart, which had just settled, began racing again. He pursed his lips tightly and quickened his pace toward Wei Xilou's courtyard.

But just as he was only a dozen meters from the gate, another group emerged from a side path, cutting him off.

The two groups boxed him in from front and back.

Xu Muchan's throat tightened. He wanted to struggle with words, but went silent the moment he met their eyes—

The faces before him were paper-white, with jet-black eyes, but what was creepier was that everyone wore the exact same eerie expression. They stared straight at Xu Muchan, opened their mouths, and chanted in unison: "Those who trespass into the ancestral hall shall die."

"Those who trespass into the ancestral hall shall die."

"Die," "die," "die," "die"...

The dense, overlapping voices flooded over Xu Muchan like a tide, bringing a suffocating, dizzying feeling like drowning. He was frozen in place, his body swaying precariously...

The voices, perfectly in sync, grew faster and more venomous, like a song building to its climax, yet just before the peak, they were cut off by the sudden creak of a door opening.

Sudden silence fell all around. Wei Xilou pushed open the tightly shut courtyard gate, unhurriedly stepping into the middle of the crowd, and pulled the unsteady youth into his arms.

He let out a resigned sigh: "Didn't I tell you not to run around? Such a troublemaker."