Chapter 16 Night of Sacrifice (12)
The appearance of the crumpled paper ball stunned the surviving participants.
The paper was identical to the three pages they had found earlier, the edges perforated, the indentations matching. This was the real clue, hidden by the housekeeper.
“There are nine of us. The invitation clearly stated that. There can’t be a ghost among us,” Xiao Cheng said.
“This paper is meaningless,” Miss Zhao declared. “If the ritual was a trap, then this clue must be fake too.”
Xiao Xue disagreed. “Maybe it’s not entirely fake. Perhaps it means one of us is acting as a traitor. After all… we don’t know who hung the cleaning sign on Old Xu’s door.”
Perhaps because Zhu Ming had played a key role in uncovering the clues, everyone looked at her.
Zhu Ming suddenly turned and ran, beckoning Yun Zouchuan to follow.
Xiao Cheng was confused. “You’re right. It could be a traitor, or it could be a trick to sow discord. I’ll search the storage room again for more clues.”
Xiao Xue, ignoring him, watched Zhu Ming search the kitchen, dining room, and game room, a small smile playing on her lips. Then, Zhu Ming’s brow furrowed, and she ran outside.
She knew what the problem was.
The villa seemed small, easy to survey, but there were still places Zhu Ming hadn’t personally checked.
The second-floor terrace, the roof terrace, the garden, and the area beneath the pool.
It was only the third day. She still had time.
Zhu Ming ran to the second-floor terrace.
The second floor had seven rooms and a large terrace. Due to the layout, it wasn’t perfectly symmetrical. There was a corner between rooms 2002 and 2003, and the two rooms on the far left were set back. Similarly, there was a corner between 2007 and 2006, and room 2007 and the terrace were also angled.
And to partially obscure the terrace from view, the section of hallway in front of 2007 and the terrace had a solid wall instead of a railing.
This could easily lead to overlooking certain details.
Zhu Ming stepped onto the terrace, the heat of the sun beating down on her. She had been running around last night, woken up abruptly this morning, and hadn’t had a chance to shower. The heat and the lingering sweat made her feel grimy.
She found the staircase hidden behind the plants, the one Xiao Xue had mentioned, and climbed to the roof.
The roof terrace was also filled with plants, offering a panoramic view of the distant mountains. If the weather weren’t so oppressive, it would be a pleasant place to relax.
In the center of the terrace was a large urn filled with water lilies. Mud lined the bottom, but the water above was clear. Nearby, a round table with three wicker chairs sat beneath a closed parasol, offering a small patch of shade.
Zhu Ming approached the table, her brow furrowing.
A teacup sat on the table, filled with lukewarm tea and two lotus petals. Beside the teacup was a lighter.
Zhu Ming hissed softly.
Three minutes later, everyone knew there was a tenth person hidden somewhere in the villa.
All eyes turned to Xiao Song.
There is a ghost among you! There were supposed to be nine participants. If there was a tenth person…
Xiao Song was on the verge of tears. “Don’t look at me like that! I’m not a ghost! My girlfriend is here with me!”
True, he had an alibi. His suspicion level wasn’t that high.
But most of them had alibis. Only Xiao Xue had entered the instance alone. She shrugged. “Perhaps the tenth person is the ghost. Why else would they hide? This is a trick to divide us.”
Xiao Song nodded eagerly. “Exactly! I think it’s the one who took over my room. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you all share rooms tonight? Then we’ll see who can’t get back into their room tomorrow.”
Xiao Cheng stroked his chin. “That’s a simple test. The ghost can’t be that stupid, can it?”
Zhu Ming looked down thoughtfully. Room 2007 was directly below them. “Who knows? Maybe the ghost is even more stupid than you think. I was observing everyone last night when it got dark. Xiao Song, I don’t think I saw you go into Miss Zhao’s room.”
She had seen him turned away the night before last, and she suspected the same had happened last night. She hadn’t waited until the last minute to go to her room; she had been bluffing.
Xiao Song explained defensively, “That’s because I thought we would be leaving after breaking the barrier. I was afraid of being left behind, so I went to 1004 just before you all went to the basement. Miss Zhao let me in because she thought the instance was almost over and it would be safe.”
Humiliated by the questioning, Xiao Song looked around wildly, then grabbed the teacup and smashed it on the floor.
Everyone stared at him. He picked up a shard of porcelain and handed it to Miss Zhao, turning to the others with a dramatic flourish. “Since you all think I’m suspicious, let’s see if I’m human or ghost!”
Miss Zhao reluctantly made a small cut on his hand. A drop of blood welled up, and Xiao Song let out a theatrical scream.
Miss Zhao, embarrassed by her boyfriend’s display, mumbled, “He’s bleeding. That proves he’s human, right?”
Everyone cringed. He was a grown man, and for such a small cut…
Xiao Cheng was speechless. With Teng Ge and Lao Gao dead, Xiao Song was the only other man his age left, but he didn’t like him at all. “I suddenly think… whoever the ghost is, it can’t be Xiao Song.”
Any ghost that pathetic should just go home and sell sweet potatoes.
“Can’t we just knock on the door of 2007?” Yun Zouchuan asked, always the most direct.
“What if it’s another trap?” Xiao Xue explained. “Even if it’s a person and not a ghost in 2007, they’re hiding from us for a reason. Simply knocking won’t accomplish anything. I’m not going to knock. I don’t want to risk it.”
Old Xu, who had been studying the notebook, interrupted. “Aren’t we missing the point? Our goal isn’t to identify the ghost, but to break the barrier and leave. This note might be a distraction, a way to stall us. Actually, I think I know how to break the barrier.”
That piqued everyone’s interest far more than Xiao Song’s dramatics.
“How?” Xiao Cheng asked eagerly.
Old Xu stroked his chin, a smug look on his face. “The barrier is indeed connected to the figurine and the formation, but completing the ritual isn’t the only way to break it. We can also destroy the figurine!”
It was like a bolt of lightning. Of course! If the figurine and the formation created the barrier, then destroying them would break it.
“Of course, we can’t just smash it,” Old Xu continued. “We need to replace the red candles with white ones, replace the offerings with items of yang energy or opposing attributes, burn three incense sticks upside down at noon, and then destroy the figurine. This is the safest method. Simply breaking it might be dangerous.”
Yun Zouchuan looked at the sky. “We still have time today.”
“Yes!” Xiao Cheng exclaimed. “Let’s gather the items and try it in one go!”
Things were suddenly progressing smoothly. They found white candles in the storage room, and the garden provided the necessary offerings.
Zhu Ming, taking advantage of their busyness, went back to her room to shower. She was curious about the occupant of 2007, but since they couldn’t force the door open, there was nothing she could do.
She suspected it was a participant, not a ghost, and that they were the one who had shone the flashlight on her last night. And the lighter… that person had been observing them, perhaps even realizing the ritual was a trap before she did, and had taken the lighter.
They had managed to remain undetected all this time. Someone that clever and observant wouldn’t make careless mistakes. The teacup and lighter on the roof terrace had been a deliberate message, a sign of goodwill, telling them not to waste time suspecting them.
So whether it was a traitor or a ghost, the target was clear. She just lacked concrete evidence.
The thought of that person relaxing on the roof terrace, sipping lotus tea, while everyone else was busy below… it irked her slightly. She had to admire their composure.
When Zhu Ming emerged from the shower, the others had gathered all the items.
Xiao Song, still sulking about the small cut on his hand, was slacking off.
They used the same incense sticks as before. The white candles were from the storage room. The offerings were dried grass, poppies, azaleas, peach branches, and cypress branches.
They returned to the basement. This time, Old Xu performed the ritual himself. He lit the white candles, placed the offerings, burned the incense sticks upside down, and carefully lifted the figurine from the water.
Everyone held their breath, watching intently, hoping nothing would go wrong.
Old Xu took a deep breath and smashed the figurine on the floor.
Crack!
The figurine broke in two. Nothing happened.
Xiao Cheng ran outside to check the barrier. He returned a moment later. “The barrier is still there!”
Old Xu was stunned. “How? It should be broken!”
“Let’s all check,” Xiao Cheng said, panting. “There’s no change at all.”
A wave of disappointment and confusion washed over them. They had been so close.
They had done everything right. Why had it failed?
Perhaps because she had experienced the even more disastrous first ritual attempt, Yun Zouchuan wasn’t as discouraged. She picked up half of the broken figurine and examined it closely. “It’s made of plastic.”
Zhu Ming had suspected it wouldn’t be that easy. There were still too many unanswered questions.
And if they couldn’t complete the mission today, they would have to wait another day. And if they had to wait another day, she wanted to test something.
That afternoon, they continued searching the storage room and basement for new clues. Someone even dared to knock on the door of 2007, but there was no response.
They found nothing. Night fell early once again, and they returned to their rooms, bracing themselves for another long night.
At 2 a.m., the housekeeper made its rounds, knocking insistently on Zhu Ming’s door. She slept soundly.
At 3 a.m., a sudden wave of alertness jolted her awake.
Here we go again. The illusions in this instance weren’t nearly as immersive as the one she had experienced at Li Xiuya’s house. Couldn’t they just let her sleep in peace?
Zhu Ming sighed, turning over and closing her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.
Then she heard a voice from outside.
A voice that often echoed in her dreams, a voice that kept the flame of desire burning in her heart.
A gentle, seductive female voice said, “Mingming, where are we? It’s so dark. Can you open the door and let me in?”
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