Chapter 97: Under the Ghostly Rain

No one noticed the man with the severed arm crouched atop the strange tree they passed.

Or perhaps, he wasn’t waiting for them at all.

Yu Guo and Tao Xiaoyi were the closest to the coffin, and Yu Guo’s sharp observation had already detected something unusual inside.

There was an object within, definitely a physical item, and as the coffin swayed, it occasionally struck the lid, producing a dull, thudding sound.

Again, he wanted to draw his knife and pry it open, but he feared being wrong—if he acted prematurely, Chen Fu might strike first.

The destination was still some distance away, so Yu Guo reluctantly set aside the thought and trudged forward silently.

At that moment, a sudden chill swept through the sky, and a single raindrop fell sharply, landing on the jet-black coffin and shattering into fragments.

From that point, raindrops pelted down like broken strings of beads, striking the coffin and every face in the funeral procession.

The rain came abruptly. Just last night, the weather had been clear and calm, but now it had turned suddenly dark, as if some long-brewing force was finally ready to erupt.

Tongguan lifted his head slightly, raindrops mixing with his eyes, bringing an unusual gleam of anticipation.

What is meant to come, will come.

When the heavens send rain, and the ghosts send death, the signal has already appeared.

In the remaining stretch before reaching their destination, it was unlikely these twenty or so people would remain safe.

But for Tongguan, who had long intended to stir the waters, this weather could be turned to his advantage.

The store staff kept their composure, but the funeral personnel froze. Even the coffin bearers stopped moving forward.

The horses struggled through the muddy mountain path, refusing to advance, throwing even Chen Fu off balance.

Chen Fu’s white garments were stained with dirt from the fall, and the horse, unrestrained, bolted.

In the torrential rain, Chen Fu whipped his head back to the funeral procession, then looked skyward.

The continuous expanse of gloomy clouds cast his pale face in a mix of panic and ferocity.

A flash of lightning cut through the sky, and he suddenly shouted, raising his whip to strike a stunned laborer beside him.

“Keep moving! Do not stop!”

His hysteria was sudden, but the fear etched on his face could no longer be concealed.

Tongguan frowned. Chen Fu’s reaction seemed exaggerated—after all, it was just a rainstorm…

Then he noticed something odd about the rain itself.

Chang Nian moved beside him, no longer constrained by formation. “The rain… it smells foul…”

“This rain…”

Tongguan was puzzled. It seemed like a signal, perhaps indicating something, yet he could not fathom how the rain related to the mission.

Until now, he had only guessed that water in the Li Mansion might trigger the ghost attacks.

But one fundamental question remained unresolved: how could the water be connected to the painting, which was obviously supernatural?

“No! This can’t be right!”

Tongguan suddenly realized they might have misanalyzed the mission from the very start.

Too many clues didn’t align. The information they held seemed complete, but it was only the tip of the iceberg.

There was no time to ponder the discrepancies now. He could only analyze the situation with all his focus.

“The water in the Li Mansion… and this sudden torrential rain…”

A peculiar hypothesis formed in Tongguan’s mind. Xiao Lan’s warning was accurate: anyone connected to the Li Mansion’s water would become a target of the ghost.

Could this rain itself have been conjured by the ghost?

This pouring rain—all of it—was Li Mansion’s water.

This spirit had waited a long, long time for this moment, intending to wipe everyone out in a single instant.

But…

Tongguan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The mission wasn’t even halfway complete, yet the ghost was acting so prematurely, making such a dramatic move that Tongguan could hardly believe it.

Then what happened next left him no choice but to believe.

“Ah!!!!”

“Let me go! I’m done!”

The men in white robes were local townsfolk, here to earn quick money.

But now, as the rain pelted their faces, a few of them screamed in sheer agony.

Tongguan looked over and saw three of them already soaked through. Their skin began to melt, gradually turning to mud!

It was as if sulfuric acid had been poured over them, rapidly burning away their life force until nothing remained.

The survivors panicked. The coffin was thrown to the ground, and the laborers scattered in chaos.

One by one, they abandoned everything and fled.

In previous funerals, deaths occurred too, but among twenty or so people, at most one or two would die—enough for most to risk showing up.

But from the moment they left this morning, ill omens had already appeared.

Now, with three dead instantly, the ordinary townsfolk were terrified and scattered.

“Whoever dares to run, dies!”

Chen Fu’s eyes were bloodshot. Though it hadn’t reached him yet, he knew it was imminent.

In less than a minute, three had died, and reaching the destination would take at least twenty more minutes!

To resist that thing, the sacrifice had to be completed.

He no longer insisted on using the store staff—five lives would suffice to reach the goal.

If these townsfolk fled, today’s plan would fail no matter what.

Chen Fu tore open the scented pouch on his back, pulling out a cluster of silver bells.

The delicate, clear ringing sounded ethereal amid the wind and rain, yet it seemed unaffected by the storm.

Every shake of the bells awakened the toxins in their bodies, whether they could hear it or not.

“Hide!”

Tongguan shouted and grabbed Chang Nian’s arm, rushing to the nearest tree for cover.

This rain could be understood as supernatural acid rain, but its lethality required full exposure—partial contact wouldn’t kill.

Tongguan only felt mild burning and soreness, still manageable.

Yu Guo and Tao Xiaoyi, nearest to the trees, reached shelter in a single turn.

When the first victim fell, Fang Shenyan had already taken cover behind a tree, observing the others.

At that moment, Chen Fu’s bell rang. Everyone froze. Those in white who hadn’t yet reached cover collapsed instantly, their bodies convulsing.

Tongguan’s heart raced—every life was critical now.

The ghost’s purpose was clear: it was preventing the sacrifice.

This meant the rain spirit was not the bride from the painting.

This mission involved two ghosts.