Chapter 402: That’s a Haunted Mansion

Chapter 402: Chapter 402: That’s a Haunted Mansion

Shen Ningning snapped, "What do you think you’re doing!"

The men turned to see an adorable little girl, accompanied by a well-bred young lady. The expressions on both their faces showed they were not to be trifled with.

A second glance revealed an enormous black wolf standing beside the little girl.

The Black Wolf King was a living calling card. Even if someone didn’t recognize Shen Ningning, the sight of him was enough to know that Princess Funing had arrived.

The Shopkeeper leading the group quickly wiped the anger from his face and ran over to Shen Ningning, offering both a respectful greeting and an apologetic smile.

"Princess, please don’t misunderstand. We weren’t bullying this family. It’s just that their Mr. Xu Sr. promised to work for me, but when it was time to start the job, he disappeared."

Shen Ningning furrowed her brow and took the signed contract the Shopkeeper was talking about, glancing over it.

It turned out this Shopkeeper was the owner of a carpentry business in the nearby Guangyang Town.

After Xu Jingxi injured his arm, the Xu Family was left without a source of income.

Grandpa Xu had deposited all the silver Lu Shaoyuan had given them into a silver bank, intending to save it for when Xu Jingxi got married and built a house.

As a result, the grandfather and grandson continued to live as frugally as they had before.

To provide for Xu Jingxi, Grandpa Xu had been introduced by a fellow villager to a carpentry job in Guangyang Town—a job no one else dared to accept.

The job involved going into a large residence to dismantle some unnecessary wooden beams.

None of the carpenters in town dared to take the job. Only Grandpa Xu, tempted by the high pay the Shopkeeper was offering, decided to accept it.

The carpentry Shopkeeper threw his hands up in exasperation as he complained to Shen Ningning, "Princess, this Mr. Xu Sr. went once, then came running back and said he absolutely would not go again."

"But my deadline is fast approaching! I’m waiting for the beams in that house to be dismantled so I can deliver the completed project to my client. Instead, Mr. Xu Sr. has been hiding from me for three days straight. Princess, you tell me, is it acceptable to just abandon the job like this?"

Shen Ningning had always been fair-minded, and hearing this, she felt that Grandpa Xu was not in the right.

’But Grandpa Xu isn’t an irresponsible person,’ she thought.

Ye Shangyi glanced at the address of the residence on the contract.

She gasped in surprise. "Ah! It’s the red-tiled mansion on She Liang Mountain?"

Shen Ningning looked at her. "You know of it?"

"I’ve heard of it. It’s a haunted house!"

With that, Ye Shangyi put her hands on her hips and glared at the carpentry Shopkeeper. "No wonder no one else would take the job! People die in a place like that! How dare you pressure Grandpa Xu into going?"

The carpentry Shopkeeper coughed lightly, a troubled look on his face. "They say a hefty reward will always find a brave man. I named my price, and Mr. Xu Sr. accepted. He can’t just back out now, can he?"

Just then, Xu Jingxi’s cool, detached voice came from the courtyard.

"My grandfather can’t go. The last time he came back, he was so frightened he developed a high fever. So, I will go in his place."

Shen Ningning watched as Xu Jingxi’s slender, handsome figure emerged from the house.

The carpentry Shopkeeper, terrified he would change his mind, said, "You said it yourself! I’ll settle the payment with you in advance, here’s the silver note. You can’t back out now!"

As he spoke, he hastily shoved the silver note into Xu Jingxi’s hand.

Then he and his men took off, not forgetting to shout back as they fled, "You have to go! You have three days! Dismantle the beams and then come back!"

Seeing them run so quickly, Ye Shangyi stomped her foot in anger.

"This is blatant bullying! What could they do if you just didn’t go?"

However, when she turned around, she saw Xu Jingxi already in the courtyard, gathering his tools.

It looked as if he was preparing to leave immediately.

Shen Ningning blinked her big eyes. "Are you really going?"

Ye Shangyi was also shocked. "Xu Jingxi, are you insane? So many people have died there! It used to be a mass grave. Then someone bought the land and built a house, but everyone in that family either died or was grievously injured."

"After they moved out, they hired lots of carpenters and craftsmen to start digging new foundations, but every single one of them died! You, of all people, should know what terrified your grandfather so badly."

Shen Ningning hadn’t realized. ’Is there really such a terrifying place in the world?’

’Are there really ghosts?’

’If there are, then why hasn’t Mother come to see me?’ The little girl didn’t believe it.

Xu Jingxi was packing his tools. "It’s fine," he said lightly. "I’m hard to kill."

The deadpan way he said it was almost comical.

Shen Ningning looked at him. "Hmm, then we’ll go with you! With more people, we can look out for each other. That way, you won’t be scared."

"We?!" Ye Shangyi’s voice shot up an octave as she pointed at herself. "You’re not including me in that ’we,’ are you?"

Shen Ningning blinked her large eyes at her. "You’re the one who said you loved spending time with me. Are you going to back out now?"

Ye Shangyi looked like she was about to cry. "But... but that’s the red-tiled mansion! I heard an eminent monk once went there to try and purify the place, but he came back scared out of his wits and driven completely mad!"

Shen Ningning patted the Black Wolf King’s head. "What’s there to be afraid of? We have Langlang! No evil spirits or monsters can harm us!"

The little girl’s face was brimming with innocent excitement, and the Black Wolf King sat up straighter, puffing out his chest slightly.

Ye Shangyi felt helpless. She sighed. "Fine, I’ll go with you. But I’m bringing ten guards! It was always better to be safe than sorry."

Xu Jingxi had wanted to persuade the two girls to stay behind, but seeing the curious look on Shen Ningning’s face, he decided against it.

Before leaving, Xu Jingxi asked his neighbors to look after Grandpa Xu for the night, promising he would be back by dawn the next day.

When the neighbors heard he was going to spend a night at the red-tiled mansion, they all shook their heads and lamented—

"That poor boy. He might perish there and never return. What desperation drives him to this."

「She Liang Mountain lay east of the Capital City.」

Long ago, it had been a mass grave. Later, the court flattened the burial ground to reclaim the land for farming.

But nothing would grow on that land; whatever was planted, died. Thus, it became a barren wasteland once more.

That is, until a few families pooled their money and built several large residences there together. They had hoped to live peaceful lives, but internal feuding broke out, leading to them slaughtering one another. The deaths and injuries were horrific.

After that incident, several craftsmen from the city went, planning to tear down the houses and rebuild, but they too died inside.

The few who managed to escape after venturing inside all went mad. Anyone who made it out alive claimed the place was haunted—not by one ghost, but by a horde of them!

Consequently, any craftsman who had heard of the red-tiled mansion would refuse to take on a job there.

Only Grandpa Xu, desperate to make a living, had accepted the commission.

By the time Shen Ningning and her companions reached the foot of She Liang Mountain, it was nearly evening.

Dusk was falling. The blood-red sunset spilled across the dark mountains and fields. An autumn wind swept through, and the mountain leaves rustled with an empty, whispering sound.

Ye Shangyi rubbed her arms, hiding behind Shen Ningning in fear.

"It’s almost completely dark. Are we sure we want to go up the mountain now? It’ll be too dark to work, won’t it? Why don’t we come back first thing tomorrow morning?"

Xu Jingxi shook his head and patted the bundle on his back. "I brought plenty of lanterns and candles. I’m fully prepared."

Ye Shangyi whined, "Then what are we supposed to eat?"

Shen Ningning decisively pointed to the food containers held by one of the guards.

"See! The food we brought will come in handy. It’s enough to last us until tomorrow, hehe!"

Looking at their shared composure, Ye Shangyi screamed internally.

’Xu Jingxi and Shen Ningning have the kind of rapport you’d expect from a real brother and sister! Aren’t either of them scared?’

The deeper they walked into the mountains, the further they left the colors of the sunset behind. Soon, the sky turned a hazy, dusky blue, and they could only make out shadowy silhouettes, unable to see anything clearly.

"We’re here," Xu Jingxi said, pointing to a large residence situated on a patch of flat ground not far ahead.

Shen Ningning and Ye Shangyi looked up.

The Red-Tiled Mansion. As its name suggested, it had red roof tiles and ghastly white walls.

The walls were mottled with marks, as if they had been scorched.

A closer look revealed them to be countless black handprints, as if many people had tried to flee, clinging to the walls, but had failed to take even a single step out of the Red-Tiled Mansion.

Ye Shangyi was already trembling with fear.

"Gh-ghosts... a haunted house. It’s definitely a haunted house."

The Black Wolf King sniffed the air, merely sensing a rather pungent odor.

While his sense of smell was sensitive, Shen Ningning simply spread her little arms and exclaimed with a happy sigh, "Wow, it’s so quiet here!"

Her shout startled large black birds in the surrounding woods, which took flight with a great flapping of wings.

They looked like black phantoms, shrieking sharply as they streaked across the sky above them.

Ye Shangyi shrieked in terror.

Just as she finally quieted down, the door to the Red-Tiled Mansion in front of them creaked open, leaving a narrow gap.

Ye Shangyi’s scalp instantly tingled with fear.

"Wait a minute... wasn’t that door closed when we got here? Did one of you open it?"

She whipped her head around and saw that everyone was still with her. No one had gone near the door.

Which meant...

Shen Ningning’s soft, sweet voice was full of innocence. "The door opened all by itself!"

Ye Shangyi let out a piercing scream, so frightened the whites of her eyes showed.