"By the way, Lin Yang, who was that person just now, and what did they talk to you about?" Chen Nian suddenly recalled the scene he had witnessed earlier and couldn't help asking out of curiosity.
"That person is called Wu Yi. Everyone should keep an eye on him," Lin Yang paused. "Because this marriage is his idea."
According to Wu Yi, his younger brother was frail and sickly, and fearing he wouldn't live long, he hastily arranged the wedding. The conversation with Lin Yang just now was about selecting an auspicious date.
"So, this wedding isn't a ghost marriage, but a marriage with a living person?"
Hearing this, Fang Sitian felt a huge weight lift off her chest. Throughout the journey, her greatest fear was that the bride she was playing would have to "marry" a dead person in the mission. In a story where supernatural events were bound to occur, marrying a corpse meant dealing with ghosts. Now, suddenly learning that the "groom" was a living person, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Since it's a normal wedding..."
She had only just begun speaking when a voice interrupted her. "Precisely because it's a wedding with a living person, we can't let our guard down."
Fang Sitian's face instantly changed. "Li Chenyin, what do you mean by that?"
"If the groom were a corpse, at least we'd know where to focus our precautions. But with a normal wedding to a living person, we have no idea where the danger is hidden. Even the entire Wu family could be problematic."
After she finished speaking, everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Thinking it over carefully, it did make sense.
"Then... what should we do?" The most nervous among them was naturally Fang Sitian, since as the "bride" in the mission, she was the direct participant in the wedding ceremony and clearly in the most dangerous position.
"Fang Sitian, don't be too tense," Li Chenyin shook her head. "In this mission, you might actually be the safest one among us."
Fang Sitian was taken aback. "Why?"
"Although the mission instructions say we can return after completing the wedding ceremony, that doesn't mean danger only exists during the ceremony itself. Perhaps from the moment we entered Gulou Village, certain eerie restrictions have already been triggered. But one thing is certain: for the wedding to take place, both the 'groom' and 'bride' must be present. Even if a supernatural attack occurs, you're likely the last target the ghost will go after."
Guan Xian immediately chimed in, "I get it! It's like in horror movies where the protagonist always survives until the end!"
"But... doesn't that mean the rest of us are in danger right now?"
Chen Nian and Qian Zhengda immediately grew uneasy. Chen Nian seemed to suddenly remember something. "By the way, Lin Yang, you haven't told us the exact auspicious time for the wedding."
"That's what I was about to tell everyone. The wedding ceremony is set for 18:08 on December 2nd, which is two days from now."
"In other words, that's the time we have to act!"
After Lin Yang finished speaking, the room, lit only by a single oil lamp, fell into silence. Everyone's face showed a complex expression.
With two days left until the wedding ceremony began, no one could predict what would happen during that time.
Perhaps due to nervousness, Fang Sitian suddenly felt stifled and hot. Just as she stood up and walked toward the window to open it, she suddenly discovered...
Outside the pitch-black window, a wrinkled ghostly face had appeared out of nowhere, pressed tightly against the glass, staring at the seven people inside the room.
"Ah—!"
Fang Sitian let out a sharp scream and stumbled backward in terror. At the sound of her cry, Lin Yang and Li Chenyin both pushed aside tables and chairs and rushed over almost simultaneously.
"There's a ghost! A ghost outside the window!"
Fang Sitian, still shaken, immediately shouted. Lin Yang's heart tightened as he reached one hand into his pocket and shoved the window open with the other.
In his pocket was a severed hand—a bloody palm he had obtained as a prop from his last horror story. If anything abnormal happened outside the window, he would immediately use this special item to drive away the spirit.
With a bang, the wooden window frame swung open, but outside, there was nothing but darkness.
"Where's the ghost? Fang Sitian, don't be so jumpy!"
Though he said this, Chen Nian knew full well that Fang Sitian couldn't have mistaken what she saw at such close range. This seemingly peaceful mountain village, serving as the stage for this supernatural mission, definitely harbored "those things." He was only saying this to vent his own fear.
Fang Sitian, already badly frightened, retorted loudly, "I couldn't have been mistaken! There really is a ghost in this village! And just now, it was right outside the window!"
"No... it's not a ghost..."
Lin Yang picked up the kerosene lamp and carefully inspected the surroundings. His gaze suddenly fell on a pair of footprints beneath the window.
The footprints were clearly imprinted in the rain-soaked mud, forming a long trail that disappeared behind the house.
"Look..."
Lin Yang pointed at the footprints, signaling everyone to come and observe. Since there were footprints, it meant that what Fang Sitian had seen wasn't a ghost but a person hiding outside eavesdropping. The fact that this person could flee quickly after being spotted by Fang Sitian showed they were very familiar with the terrain, likely a villager from here.
But who was this person, and why were they hiding outside to eavesdrop? They had only been in Gulou Village for less than a night and had already encountered such a big mystery. Everyone's face showed a grave expression.
"Since it's not a ghost, there's no need to be too tense. Let's get some rest early tonight. Tomorrow..."
Tomorrow, even if they had to turn Gulou Village upside down, they would find a way to uncover the source of danger in this mission!
Ever since entering Gulou Village, they had no other choice!
Although the two-story courtyard had plenty of rooms, no one dared to sleep alone in such an ancient-style building. With exactly three men and three women, the six of them simply split into two groups. In each group, while two people slept, one kept watch. With the kerosene they had gathered from various places, they could manage for one night.
That night, though everyone remained on high alert, watching the windows, doors, and ceiling for any movement, nothing happened the entire night. As the sky began to lighten, they finally relaxed and closed their eyes.
Until a commotion woke everyone up.