Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Going

Bai Zhengliu continued to think things over in his mind.

At this point, there were only three people who could be considered as combatants. The other three—Fu Ming could barely protect himself, and then there was Wang Shi, who had never practiced martial arts, and the mentally confused butcher Hu...

If only they could hide Wang Shi and Hu the butcher before things became chaotic.

The knife-wielding guest replayed the places they had visited in Chang Manor these past two days in his mind, while also calling for An Bo to ask questions.

An Bo’s face showed a hint of joy. "Heroes, are you planning to gather all the items the Daoist priests brought over?"

Bai Zhengliu looked at him, "Prepare them first," then as if casually adding, "Although your master was frightened last night, we had originally agreed that he would come to meet us today. But now, it’s still you who has come..."

An Bo immediately sighed, "Hero, my master is willing but unable."

Bai Zhengliu stared at An Bo, then asked, "So, should we go see your master? There are many unclear parts in this 'Star Picking Record,' and it would be better if he, who has seen the Daoist priests perform their rituals, could explain them."

An Bo insisted, "I have also seen the Daoist priests perform the rituals. If the hero has any doubts, I can explain."

Fu Ming impatiently said, "Your master is truly something. As soon as it's daylight, he disappears without a trace."

Bai Zhengliu: "…"

He was momentarily moved and subconsciously glanced at Mei Yinghan.

Mei Yinghan had been frowning because of the earlier conversation. When he met Bai Zhengliu’s gaze, in just a moment, he had figured out what the other was thinking.

The knife-wielding guest was suspicious: "Could it be that there’s really something strange about Master Chang?"

Mei Yinghan pondered: "It’s worth checking out. But what’s the difference between day and night?"

They were starting to doubt, but their tone remained unchanged. They continued to confirm with An Bo, asking again if they really couldn’t go see Master Chang.

Gradually, a thin layer of sweat appeared on An Bo’s forehead. He was clearly in a difficult situation, but he still didn’t relent. By now, even Fu Ming, who was more inclined to remove Liu Shi as soon as possible, gradually fell silent and just looked at An Bo with a thoughtful gaze.

Finally, An Bo closed his eyes, "Our master was supposed to rest until evening, but since you heroes insist... sigh! Fine, I’ll take you to see him!"

Before Bai Zhengliu and the others could react, An Bo immediately added, "But, Master’s health is really bad. Even if you go, you must remain quiet and not make any loud noises. Also, when the doctor came earlier, they specifically instructed that with Master’s current condition, he should avoid wind and cold..."He rambled on, growing more and more anxious as he spoke. By the end, Bai Zhengliu and the others began to question if they were truly being too harsh, insisting that a sickly Master Chang personally receive them.

Bai Zhengliu let out a sigh and said, "Enough, we’ll talk on the way. Let’s go."

An Bo, his expression complex, stopped his speech. "Heroes, this way."

It was noon, the hottest time of the day. The group stepped out of the accounting room, but none of them had the energy to feel the intensity of the sunlight around them.

Whether it was the knife-wielding guest, the swordsman, or Prince Fu Ming, as well as Wang Shi on the side—none of them were at ease. Their expressions were serious, and the weight of the situation hung heavy on their hearts.

Only Hu the butcher, in this moment, continued to grin foolishly and thoughtlessly.

Fu Ming, irritated by his laughter, suddenly turned around and shouted, "Keep quiet!"

Hu the butcher seemed startled by the shout, his body jerking in surprise.

Wang Shi couldn’t bear to see this, protecting Hu the butcher and saying, "Why are you arguing with him?"

Fu Ming, his anger only growing, was about to continue scolding Hu the butcher, ignoring the attempts of Gu Miao to stop him, when both the knife-wielding guest and the swordsman spoke up at the same time, "Something’s wrong..."

Were they targeting him again!?

Fu Ming lifted his head in frustration. But at that moment, Gu Miao also let out a soft "Eh?"

Unlike Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, who were still trying to discern the surroundings, Gu Miao, having grown up in a family setting similar to that of Chang Manor in Jiangnan, noticed something faster. "That! The strange stone ahead, didn’t we just walk past it?!"

Fu Ming froze and followed the direction Gu Miao pointed to.

The moment his eyes fell on the strange stone, his mood instantly sank, and his heart seemed to drop into ice-cold water. He thought, "Miao Miao is right."

Gu Miao continued to analyze, "And that flower! That tree! What’s going on? Are we walking in circles?!"

At this point, he didn’t care about stopping the quarrel anymore. The young man directly strode toward where the housekeeper was, his brows furrowed, questioning, "You want us to meet the head of the Chang family, but can’t think of a way to refuse, so now you’re doing strange things along the way?"

Not just Gu Miao, but everyone else present had the same thought. Without needing any signal, they quickly surrounded An Bo, trapping him in the middle.To their surprise, under the watchful gaze of five pairs of eyes, An Bo was even more flustered than they were. "Heroes, what are you saying?"

Gu Miao: "You—"

An Bo's face turned bitter. "When Lord Huang was here, he bought some strange stones to decorate the courtyard. But those high-end ornaments, how could we appreciate them? Hero, please don't scare me! Was that really the strange stone and flowers we just passed by?"

Gu Miao, hearing this, clenched his fist, ready to strike An Bo.

At that moment, Bai Zhengliu said, "Keep walking. No matter what happens, we must not be concerned. Just keep moving forward."

The group paused, processing his words.

Thinking carefully, they realized that the first signs something was wrong had been when everyone’s attention had shifted to Fu Ming and Hu the butcher.

Upon this thought, Fu Ming’s earlier anger turned to frustration. But having made a mistake, and with his former lover right in front of him, he would never admit his fault. Even though deep down he knew Bai Zhengliu was right, Fu Ming simply thought to himself, "Alright, fine," but didn’t show it on his face.

Bai Zhengliu didn’t need him to show it. As they continued their journey, they indeed, as the knife-wielding guest had said, made no more unnecessary sounds, keeping their focus forward.

But still, something went wrong.

The paths within Chang Manor were not all straight and even. On the contrary, to get from the accounting room to the main courtyard, they would have to pass many twists and turns.

After turning a corner in a corridor, the scene before them made everyone’s expression stiffen.

This time, the strange house didn’t even try to hide what it was doing. It had directly led them back to the accounting room.

Looking at the familiar door ahead, Fu Ming could no longer control himself. He turned around, intending to demand an explanation from the housekeeper. "You old—" but he stopped midway.

The anger turned to fear in the blink of an eye. Fu Ming silently lowered his hand, his throat tightening, his mind racing with thoughts of "If everyone in Chang Manor really isn’t human, have my words and actions earlier angered them?"

His heart raced uneasily, but luckily, An Bo didn’t seem to have any intention of reacting. On the contrary, the fear on his face was even more genuine than Fu Ming’s. He was now trembling all over, muttering, "How can this be! How can this be!"

Bai Zhengliu placed his hand on An Bo’s shoulder, calling, "Calm down."

An Bo still looked at him with fear in his eyes.

Mei Yinghan furrowed his brow and instructed, "Breathe in, breathe out..." What he spoke was a breathing technique from the internal methods of Tianshan sect.Gu Miao discerned the situation, furrowing his brow. He wanted to say that this should be a secret, something not meant to be exposed so easily. But, considering An Bo's position, he ultimately refrained from speaking up.

With Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan supporting him on either side, An Bo's emotions gradually returned to stability, though his face still looked grim.

Bai Zhengliu watched him for a moment before giving an order: "Let’s go."

An Bo hesitated, "Do we really need to go now?"

Bai Zhengliu nodded, then turned his face and asked the others, "Do you want to come along?"

The others were taken aback. Mei Yinghan took a deep breath and asked, "Brother Bai, are you suggesting we go from above?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Miao’s eyes lit up.

Yes! His lightness skill was quite good. If they could go from above, they wouldn’t have to worry about the winding corridor.

Gu Miao was about to nod in agreement, but Bai Zhengliu wasn’t asking him. He was actually asking Wang Shi and Hu the butcher—mainly Wang Shi.

Wang Shi hesitated, "Above?"

To be fair, she didn’t want to separate from the others. But under the current circumstances, bringing her along would undoubtedly be a burden.

Wang Shi was torn. At that moment, everyone noticed something different.

Just a moment ago, it had been a sunny day, but now, heavy clouds slowly gathered in the sky.

The clouds covered the sunlight, and in an instant, the entire courtyard became dim. A sinister wind blew through, and with a "whoosh," it sent chills through everyone’s hearts.

Bai Zhengliu glanced up at the clouds, and a strong, ominous premonition surged within him.

Without waiting for Wang Shi to respond, he immediately gave orders: "I’ll take Hu the butcher. Mei Brother, you take An Bo. Gu Young Master, you take Wang Sister."

Though An Bo’s background was more unclear, based on his behavior earlier, Bai Zhengliu guessed that even if his identity was unusual, he wouldn’t cause trouble, at least not until after they had set up the ghost-slaying formation according to Lord Chang’s instructions.

On the other hand, Hu the butcher, though mentally unhinged, was a tall and strong man. If there was any trouble or resistance, it could cause serious problems.

By making this arrangement, Bai Zhengliu essentially left the most uncontrollable person to himself.Mei Yinghan gave him a deep glance, knowing this wasn’t the time for an argument, so he didn’t say more. Instead, he silently made up his mind to stay by Bai Zhengliu’s side. If Hu the butcher caused any trouble, he would step in to help at the first opportunity.

Bai Zhengliu then said, “Fu Ming, you go on your own—hope you make it in time.”

Make it in time? What does he mean by that?

As everyone was wondering, they suddenly heard the sound of water.

With a “plop,” raindrops fell from the heavy clouds above, landing on the stone bricks beside them.

Without Bai Zhengliu saying another word, everyone felt the looming danger.

Under normal circumstances, Liu Shi couldn’t appear during the day, but there was one exception.

Water! No matter day or night, Liu Shi could move through water!

Seeing the rain suddenly start, the downpour began with a “pitter-patter.” Everyone’s hearts grew heavy. Even Fu Ming shut his mouth and quickly followed Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan onto the roof.

All the martial practitioners ran fast, and the rainwater rushed down their collars.

Bai Zhengliu’s hair was soaked, his clothes drenched, and the scene in front of him was blurred by the rain.

He didn’t pay attention to it. He locked onto a direction and moved straight ahead, thinking, “Faster, faster!”

He then muttered, “But the timing of this rain is too perfect. As soon as I said we were going up to the roof, the thick clouds blocked the sun…”

Before the swordsman could make sense of it…

At the edge of the rain curtain, a figure he recognized appeared.