Chapter 163
Chapter 163: Haunted
“Shadow Raven, where are you?”
Baili Chang Feng’s fierce shout echoed suddenly through the hall, shaking the entire chamber.
A chilling wind swept through the hall, and a man in a black robe materialized from the shadows.
“Investigate immediately!
Find anyone involved in the murder of Que’er. Do not miss a single one. I swear to scatter their bones into dust!”
At this moment, Baili Chang Feng’s eyes blazed with an uncontainable rage and sorrow. An overwhelming killing intent poured from him, heavy enough to be felt physically.
The man in the black robe bowed his head in silent agreement. Without another word, he transformed into a dark wind and vanished completely.
The hall fell into a deep silence, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
Near the eight-sided table, Zhu Wu and Cen Luohua’s expressions changed sharply. They both sensed a frightening martial aura radiating from Baili Chang Feng, powerful enough to fill them with a deep sense of dread.
The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock reflected clearly in the other’s eyes.
Suddenly, Baili Chang Feng turned sharply toward them, his voice icy as he declared, “From this day forward, my Baili Clan swears an undying feud against the Murong Family. Since your families have chosen to stand with us, you should understand clearly what must be done.”
The fierce martial aura around Baili Chang Feng dissipated slowly, replaced by sorrow. “I have other matters to handle today. Forgive me for not entertaining you further. Please, see yourselves out.”
In the next instant, Baili Chang Feng seized the armored guard before him and commanded sternly, “Take me to Que’er’s remains!”
Immediately, the two disappeared from Zhu Wu and Cen Luohua’s view.
“Baili Chang Feng’s martial cultivation has grown again. He may now be nearly equal to Murong Hong.”
Zhu Wu pulled the smoking pipe from his belt, watching Baili Chang Feng’s departing figure. His fingers twisted lightly, igniting a scarlet ember in the tobacco filament.
Cen Luohua narrowed his eyes slightly, wrinkles gathering around their corners. “We are all grasshoppers tied to the same string. Ever since we chose General Han’s side, there’s been no turning back.”
“Besides,” he continued, “the Murong Family has weakened with each generation, far from its former glory. Now, at their weakest point, they still dream of holding the title of the top martial family. Such an easy thing does not exist in this world.”
Hearing this, Zhu Wu pressed his lips firmly around the pipe, inhaling deeply several times. “Yet, even a dying camel is larger than a horse. The first bird to take flight gets shot first. Baili Clan has suffered now; we must remain cautious against Murong Family.”
Cen Luohua glanced over silently, nodding slowly without argument.
…
Sheng Province Heavenly Brocade Guard Branch Office.
Hu Rui An led Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong to the office gate, but the massive doors were tightly shut. Even the usual guards were nowhere to be seen.
“This is the Heavenly Brocade Guard Branch Office of a province. How can it be so deserted?”
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong both showed puzzled expressions, while Hu Rui An frowned slightly and motioned for Wu Shang to knock.
Wu Shang nodded hurriedly and knocked on the bronze-ringed doors, but no matter how long he knocked, no one answered.
“What is happening? It’s not closing time yet. Someone should still be here.” Wu Shang turned back to Hu Rui An. Twilight was settling, but the sun had not completely set. Yet, the office seemed utterly empty, which was undeniably strange.
Scanning their surroundings, Hu Rui An spotted an elderly man pushing a handcart loaded with sacks of tea down the street. He quickly approached and stopped him.
“Old man, do you know what happened to the Heavenly Brocade Guard office here? Why does no one answer?”
Hearing this, the old man halted his cart and eyed the three strangers cautiously, then glanced nervously toward the imposing but deserted office behind them.
“You are outsiders, aren’t you?” he asked quietly, his voice lowered.
Hu Rui An narrowed his eyes slightly. “We’re traders who have been traveling for over half a year. Today we came back to visit a friend at Heavenly Brocade Guard but found this strange situation. Please, sir, help us understand.”
He took out a small piece of silver and pressed it into the old man’s hand.
Seeing the silver, the old man’s cloudy eyes brightened instantly. He quickly hid the coin in his sleeve and leaned closer, whispering:
“For over a month, hardly anyone has come or gone from this place.”
Hu Rui An frowned deeper. “Do you know why?”
“What else could it be?” The old man sighed, shrinking his shoulders nervously. “Because this place is haunted. You might not know, but a month ago, ghosts began appearing at night, taking lives. It is truly terrifying.”
He quickly recounted what had happened at the Sheng Province Heavenly Brocade Guard office.
As he spoke, the old man grew visibly frightened. Finally, he hurriedly whispered, “Don’t get too close,” before quickly pushing his cart away in panic.
Watching him go, Hu Rui An, Wu Shang, and Cheng Zhong exchanged troubled glances.
According to the old man’s story, strange ghostly events had begun occurring a month and a half ago at this Heavenly Brocade Guard office.
Initially, a night guard claimed to have seen ghostly shadows and heard eerie laughter. No one paid it much attention at first, dismissing it as imagination.
However, the next morning, the guard was found hanging dead in his room.
Even then, no one was overly concerned until a second night came, bringing with it the same ghostly visions and haunting laughter. The next morning revealed two more guards dead, both hanged exactly as the first.
Once might have been an accident, but a second time was difficult to dismiss as mere coincidence.
Three deaths in two consecutive days, all related to ghost sightings and strange phenomena, made everyone uneasy. The Heavenly Brocade Guard quickly reported the situation to their superiors.
The Commanding Commissioner took this matter seriously, immediately dispatching the most skilled investigators from Heavenly Brocade Guard to unravel the mystery.
Yet before the investigation could find anything, tragedy struck again on the third night. This time, four guards died after reportedly seeing the ghosts. Unlike previous nights, the Heavenly Brocade Guard had anticipated trouble and had assigned people to guard and closely watch those on duty overnight.
Yet despite every precaution, under the watchful eyes of numerous Heavenly Brocade Guard masters, those four individuals still managed to end their own lives by hanging.
Furthermore, according to the coroner’s examination, these four shared the exact same fate as the previous three. Astonishingly, each had unmistakably died by suicide, with no trace of poison or evidence of murder.
Yet clearly, none of these seven had shown any inclination to end their own lives prior to these events.
When news spread, fear and unease gripped the entire Sheng Province branch of the Heavenly Brocade Guard. Seven deaths in merely three days—and under circumstances as bizarre as these—were truly incomprehensible. Even those closely watched by skilled guards could not escape death if they encountered that mysterious ghostly apparition at midnight.
Eventually, this terrifying matter caught the attention of Deputy Commander Mei Yan of the Heavenly Brocade Guard’s local branch. Mei Yan gave strict orders for everyone to leave the headquarters empty that very night. Only a handful of martial dao masters, including the Commanding Commissioner himself, would remain behind, preparing to lay a trap for whatever ghostly presence haunted their halls.
Yet the outcome dealt a harsh blow to the Heavenly Brocade Guard. On that fateful night, six remained behind in the headquarters. All reportedly witnessed the ghostly apparition and heard its chilling laughter. Yet despite their best efforts, pursuing the ghostly figure and desperately tracing the eerie laughter, they ultimately found nothing at all.
And even more frightening events followed. The very next day, all six martial dao masters—including the Commanding Commissioner—were discovered dead, each one having ended their lives by hanging, exactly like the previous seven. Again, there was no sign of poison or external foul play. Even their rooms bore no unusual evidence of anyone else’s presence.
When word spread, it didn’t just shock the Heavenly Brocade Guard. The entire Sheng Province Prefecture City was thrown into chaos. For a time, panic gripped the city, and the streets buzzed with fear-filled whispers.
Since that incident, as evening approached, every person working in the Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters would leave an hour early. No one dared remain in the building after dark. After implementing this rule, indeed, no more deaths occurred.
Still, some fearless martial artists in Sheng Province scoffed at the notion of ghosts, believing it to be nothing more than wild superstition. A group soon formed, determined to prove the tales false. Several days later, seventeen martial artists stealthily entered the deserted Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters, ready to dispel the rumors once and for all.
Yet, predictably, not one of the seventeen returned. Every last one followed the fate of the Commanding Commissioner and his men, hanging themselves that very night.
From that moment forward, the Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters became a forbidden zone after sunset. No martial artist dared risk their lives, and even city residents stopped discussing the matter openly.
“Could a ghost truly cause so many deaths? And all victims were martial dao practitioners, including even a Commanding Commissioner. If that old man wasn’t lying, this whole thing sounds incredibly strange!”
Cheng Zhong spoke, his brows knitted tightly as he glanced toward Wu Shang and Hu Rui An.
At his words, the three instinctively turned to gaze back at the Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters looming behind them.
Neither Cheng Zhong nor Wu Shang believed in spirits and ghosts, yet every detail here was disturbingly strange. Knowing their martial dao skills paled compared to the Commanding Commissioner’s, a wave of unease passed over them as they looked upon the dark, forbidding headquarters.
Hu Rui An’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. After a moment, he finally spoke. “Rumors of ghosts usually spring from exaggerated gossip or from cunning individuals causing mischief. If these events are truly as described, then the secret lies within this Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters. It might indeed hide a crucial secret.”
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong exchanged wary glances, then turned to Hu Rui An with apprehension. “Lord, surely you’re not thinking of going inside?”
Hu Rui An cast them a cold glance and snorted lightly. “And why not?”
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong shared another uneasy look. After all, what the old man described was terrifying. Since the haunting began, not a single person who entered the headquarters after nightfall had emerged alive. Yet Hu Rui An was still willing to risk it, and this baffled them.
Seeing their hesitation, Hu Rui An shook his head gently and explained: “I have little choice. His Highness will remain in the Prefecture City only two days. To handle Provincial Governor Zhu Zi Ming and Deputy Commander Mei Yan in such a short span is almost impossible through normal means.”
“To succeed, conventional methods won’t do. We must find a different path. This ghostly matter is peculiar and deeply connected to the Heavenly Brocade Guard. I sense it could be a key to unraveling the troubles in Sheng Province.”
He sighed softly, adding, “Of course, we might discover nothing at all. But since we’ve stumbled upon this chance, we must seize it.”
Hearing this, Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong raised their fists respectfully. “We’ll follow your orders, Lord.”
As they turned toward the headquarters, Hu Rui An quickly raised a hand to halt them. “No rush yet. First, verify that the old man’s story holds true among the locals.”
Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong immediately understood and paused. One could never be too careful; if the old man had lied to trick them, they’d be nothing but fools—the very “clowns” His Highness so often mocked.
Acknowledging Hu Rui An’s command, the two swiftly vanished into the evening shadows, hurrying toward nearby streets and alleys.
Night had fully fallen when Wu Shang and Cheng Zhong returned.
“What did you find?”
“My lord, the locals’ accounts match closely with the old man’s. This haunting does seem genuine,” Wu Shang reported, nodding firmly. But then he added, brows furrowed, “However, the villagers know fewer details than that old man provided. Perhaps he’s hiding something.”
Hu Rui An’s gaze flickered briefly, but he dismissed their suspicions with a wave. “For now, I only need to know if the ghostly occurrences are real.”
Saying this, he turned again toward the looming darkness of the Heavenly Brocade Guard headquarters, his eyes narrowing slightly. Though he prided himself on his martial dao skills and did not believe in spirits, even his heart stirred uneasily.
“You two wait here. I’ll enter alone.”
With this final command, Hu Rui An stepped forward, disappearing into the shadowed entrance of the cursed headquarters.