When they got back on the empty bus, Ning Qiushui and Liu Chengfeng finally let out a sigh of relief.
"We... we survived, right?"
Liu Chengfeng, with his bushy beard, panted heavily as he watched through the bus window as the terrifying, gaunt female ghost entered the villa. Only then did he realize his legs were as weak as jelly.
"Yes."
Ning Qiushui replied.
Then, neither of them spoke again.
Five days later, of the seven people originally on the bus, only two remained.
Liu Chengfeng felt an inexplicable sense of emptiness in his heart.
He hadn't had much of a connection with the others, but seeing them die so miserably before his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow.
Because he had once been so close to death himself.
Without Ning Qiushui, his fate would likely have been the same as the others.
Shortly after the two boarded the bus, the doors closed, and it began to move slowly.
Soon, they passed through the rain and into the mist once more.
The two drifted off to sleep on the bus.
When they woke up again, it was already the next morning.
Ning Qiushui stretched his stiff body and looked out the window.
They had already arrived at the black villa compound.
"Hey, Beard, wake up."
Ning Qiushui nudged Liu Chengfeng, who jolted awake and shouted:
"Ghost! A ghost is coming!"
"Run!"
Ning Qiushui looked at Liu Chengfeng, who was flailing his arms and legs, and thought to himself that this guy was really unlucky. Being chased by a ghost in the Blood Gate mission was bad enough, but now he had to "work overtime" in his dreams too.
After confirming that the person next to him was Ning Qiushui, Liu Chengfeng wiped the sweat off his face and panted,
"Brother, you scared me to death!"
Ning Qiushui pointed to the black courtyard outside and said:
"Get out of the car, we're here."
The two got out of the car one after the other and walked into the black villa.
When they entered the hall again, they saw that there was only one person left.
It was that exceptionally handsome young man.
He looked like a porcelain doll, with fair, rosy skin and a petite, delicate build. If he didn't speak, no one would have guessed he was a boy.
"Why are you alone?"
Liu Chengfeng furrowed his brows.
Seeing the two return alive from behind the Blood Gate, the teenager's attitude had clearly warmed up significantly compared to before.
"Uncle Yan had something to attend to and returned to the previous world. Sister Xiao Xiao went to guide the newcomers through the Blood Gate, and there's another person cooking in the kitchen."
Ning Qiushui's eyes flickered.
"Can we return to the previous world?"
The young man fiddled with the charcoal in the stove.
"Why not?"
"If we can come by bus, we can certainly return by bus."
"Sigh..."
As he spoke, he sighed and rubbed his long hair with his hand.
"I hate this part the most. Every time newcomers arrive, I have to explain so many things, talking until my mouth is dry... What's worse is that sometimes I just explained the rules to them today, and by next week they're already dead."
"But at least you two managed to survive the Blood Gate. If you have any questions, ask now."
The two exchanged glances, then after a moment of thought, Ning Qiushui asked:
"What's the deal with the Blood Gate and the mist?"
The youth replied:
"It's a curse."
"We are all cursed. The Mist is a separate world, isolated from the outside world. Only by riding the bus within the Mist world can one enter or leave."
"The villa compound we're in is called the Haunted House. There are many such Haunted Houses in this Mist world, and similarly, there are many Blood Gates."
"Every so often, we must enter the terrifying world behind the Blood Gate to complete the tasks on the Blood Gate, striving to survive while also collecting as many puzzle pieces as possible."
"When we gather all 12 puzzle pieces, we can take the complete puzzle and board the bus to the end of the mist world."
The youth spoke, pointing to a picture frame above the hall.
The two looked over, and the frame was already half-assembled.
The painting depicted what appeared to be a rotting human head.
On the forehead was a blood-filled hole resembling an eye, looking utterly grotesque!
"What's at the end of the mist-shrouded world?"
Ning Qiushui asked, and the young man shrugged.
"I have no idea."
"After all, none of us have been there."
"Also, don't blame us for being so cold earlier... After all, you know that death is commonplace in this world. If you really made a close friend and he died in the world behind the Blood Gate, you would feel very sad."
The young man's expression was somewhat subdued as he said this.
"Wasn't the Ghost House..."
Ning Qiushui seemed to have figured something out, but before he could finish his question, the young man nodded.
"About half a month before you arrived, Yan Shu's best friend, Meng Shu… died behind the Blood Gate."
"And Xiao Xiao's best friend, Zhi Zi… also followed him in death."
"So, to be honest, everyone's mood isn't very good."
The two recalled the heavy atmosphere in the hall when they first entered the Guishi, and suddenly understood.
"Alright, it's almost time to eat. After dinner, if you don't want to stay here, you can wait for the bus at the bus stop outside the villa."
"When it's time for you to enter the Blood Gate for your second mission in a week, the bus will come to pick you up early..."
At the dining table, the four sat in silence, eating voraciously.
"To be honest, your cooking skills aren't that great…"
Liu Chengfeng took a few bites and couldn't help but complain.
Meng Jun, who had been cooking, looked up and gave Liu Chengfeng a cold glance:
"If you don't like it, you can throw it away or cook it yourself."
Liu Chengfeng was usually a laid-back person with a bad temper, and he had wanted to retort, but when he locked eyes with Meng Jun, he shrunk back.
Meng Jun's gaze was too terrifying.
In that moment, Liu Chengfeng even felt as though a knife was pressed against his throat!
He was almost certain that this man named Meng Jun... had killed someone!
However, Liu Chengfeng wasn't the type to take a loss lying down. He stiffened his neck and said:
"If you want to make it yourself, then make it yourself!"
"I'm putting this out there: from today onward, I, Liu Chengfeng, am the head chef here. From now on, as long as I'm here, none of you are allowed in the kitchen. If you want to eat something, I'll make it for you!"
He spoke the most cowardly words in a firm tone.
Ning Qiushui couldn't help but smile.
During the meal, he learned that there were four elderly people left in this mysterious house. Liang Yan was the house leader and the first person to enter the mysterious house.
The young man was named Tian Xun, an orphan who relied on his sister for survival.
Meng Jun was Liang Yan's close friend from the outside world, a former soldier who had fought on the border.
The only mysterious beauty, Bai Xiaoxiao, was shrouded in mystery. No one knew her true identity, only that she was quite powerful in the outside world.
During the conversation, Ning Qiushui mentioned the red-clothed female ghost from their first blood gate. However, after hearing this, Meng Jun and Tian Xun remained silent.
"Wait… why aren't you saying anything?"
Seeing the two of them so silent, Liu Chengfeng couldn't help but blurt out.
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Jun picked up his plate and walked toward the kitchen.
"I'm full."
He said indifferently.
But both of them could sense the change in Meng Jun's attitude toward them.
This change was very abrupt...
It was as if the spring that had just begun to warm up had suddenly plunged back into winter.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)