Nightmare Apostle

"My birthday is approaching, so I would like to invite all of you as filial guests to step on the auspicious road, climb the auspicious gate, and enter the house to congratulate the birthday star!" The leading man in charge took a step back, bowed slightly, and moved his legs forward and backward in the shape of a bow. Horse, swing your left hand toward the door in a "please" gesture.

It seems that this is the mission arrangement, and everyone has no other choice. Under the leadership of Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo, they gather together and walk out of the temple gate. The birthday party holding red lanterns outside is standing in the thick fog. The scene is It was eerily quiet.

The teams lined up, and no one could see the figures in the distance. They could only see the red lanterns in their hands, hidden behind the mist, like blind eyes.

After seeing Yang Xiao and others crossing the threshold of the temple, the man in charge straightened his body and shouted loudly into the mist: "Wish you a long life!"

The next second, four strong men in black quickly walked up and lifted the Taishi chair facing the temple door like a sedan. Then the entire team turned around at the same time, and the rear team changed to the front team. Walk the road.

Yang Xiao and his party were arranged to follow the Taishi's chair, but what frightened them was that the direction of the Taishi's chair had not been turned. It was still facing them head-on, as if an invisible "birthday boy" was sitting on it, looking down from a high position. , staring at them.

After walking more than ten meters, Yang Xiao suddenly heard a "pop" sound coming from behind him, as if someone had been slapped. He turned around curiously and saw that Fang Zhou's complexion at the side and behind him was extremely poor, his cheeks were still red, and there was a scar on the left side of his face. There is a slap mark that is not very clear.

The moment their eyes met, Yang Xiao was surprised to find that the bonfire in the ruined temple behind him had strangely gone out.

That's not all. When he looked carefully, an even more terrifying scene appeared. The statues that had originally turned their backs turned around again. At this moment, they were leaning towards each other with blurred faces. The direction they left.

There was a "glare" in his heart, and his mind was in chaos. Yang Xiao seemed to be possessed and could no longer look away. In a trance, he saw these statues come to life one by one, and their stiff and mottled bodies became distorted little by little. , became colorful, among them there were men and women, all dressed in extraordinary clothes, and there were even people wearing armor, who were obviously either rich or noble.

Just when Yang Xiao was attracted to take a closer look, suddenly, his cheek hurt, and the next second, those "alive" statues,

Together with the ruined temple, they all disappeared, and a girl stood between Yang Xiao and the ruined temple, slowly lowering her hand at this moment.

"Don't look around." The girl who slapped Yang Xiao warned in a low voice. It was Jiang Qingluan who had helped Yang Xiao bake clothes before.

Knowing that the girl had helped him, Yang Xiao said nothing, gave Jiang Qingwan a look of thanks, immediately turned around and continued walking.

The moment he turned his head, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the ruined temple had long been covered by the thick fog and had completely disappeared.

Now he knew what had just happened. It was Fang Zhou who was slapped for looking around. This Jiang Qingluan had some skills and seemed to be a good person for the time being.

The team moved forward in this strange atmosphere. The leaders Xiang Fengchen and Nalan Shuo did not speak, and the others did not dare to speak. Fortunately, after about half an hour, the ground under their feet became solid. This was a man-made road. dirt road.

Walking along this road, they soon saw an archway emerging from the fog. There were two big red lanterns hanging on both sides of the archway. The night wind blew, and the lanterns swayed slowly, making them look even brighter against the thick fog. Weird.

There is a carved stone plaque hanging on the archway, with three characters written on it: Fushou Village.

Seeing these three words, Yang Xiao couldn't help but take a deep breath. It seemed that it was right, this was the mission location, and such a small Zhuangzi, which did not seem to be very big, actually killed two seniors from the patrol department. The danger level of several teams included is evident.

It was already late at night, and the village was surprisingly quiet. Yang Xiao and his party followed the birthday party and entered the village along the road at the entrance of the village. There were simple houses on both sides of the road. At this moment, there was a shabby hanging on each dilapidated courtyard door. A red lantern with a big word "longevity" written on it.

The family who wanted to invite them to "grow" longevity was a big family in the village. Maybe a member of the clan still had an official position and had an extraordinary influence in the Fushou Village.

Not long after, the birthday party stopped in front of a mansion door. No movement was seen. Suddenly, two closed doors opened without warning. As the doors opened, Yang Xiao and others also saw clearly the inside of the mansion. Not only were there hanging red lanterns, there were also some calligraphy and paintings, colorful clothes and the like, which were hung on the walls or hung under the trees.

All these paintings, calligraphy and colorful clothes are all with themes related to "longevity". It seems that this restaurant has spent a lot of money to "promote" longevity. Although the decoration is good, with lights and colors everywhere, it gives people a lifeless feeling. , the whole mansion was like a pool of unbreakable stagnant water. Yang Xiao felt that they were like stones that were about to be thrown into the deep pool. Once they entered the mansion, they might never get out again.

"The birthdays are coming one by one——

"One by one, with two shouts, the birthday party filed into the house, but Yang Xiao and his party who were following the Taishi's chair were stopped. The person who stopped them was an old lady dressed in an old-fashioned way, holding a piece of red silk in her hand. Silk.

This person stood upright behind the door of the mansion, like a door god, staring coldly at Yang Xiao and his group with his dead fish eyes. His face was heavily smeared with powder, and he was wearing gorgeous clothes embroidered with copper coins, matching the top of his head. The hanging red lanterns are simply scarier than ghosts.

The old woman's eyes swept over the people present one by one, from head to toe, her eyes were cold and emotionless. Yang Xiao had a very strange feeling. It seemed that these people were not human beings, but chickens and ducks in the market.

After looking at her for about a full minute, the old woman pinched her throat and said, "Do you know why I came to you?"

Xiang Fengchen smiled and cupped his hands, and said politely: "I'm here as a filial guest to bring blessings and longevity to the Shou family."

"Not bad." The old woman's tight mouth relaxed, her heavy eyelids raised, and she gave Xiang Fengchen a warning look, "She is a person who knows the rules, so I won't say anything. You guys should wash up and change clothes now. Don't miss me. It’s an auspicious time for my ancestor’s birthday.”

"Yes." Everyone imitated Xiang Fengchen and bowed to the old lady.

A pale-faced, thin maid came up with a lantern and led Yang Xiao and his group to wash up and rest. The maid walked in front. Yang Xiao could see clearly. There were tiny steps under her skirt, making her walk silently. Breathless, as if floating.

Along the way, I never felt that the house had the festive atmosphere that a birthday party should have. Yang Zerun, who was walking in the middle of the team, complained in a low voice, saying that this scene was not a birthday party, but even a funeral, some people believed it.

"Who will be buried in it?" Chang Chuchu, who entered the school, sneered, not knowing whether he was asking Yang Zerun or himself.

Soon, under the leadership of the maid, they walked through the corridors and came to an attic in the backyard. The attic was divided into two floors. It was quite large. The thin moonlight shone on the eaves and corner tiles, reflecting the phosphorescence. , just like the water surface, it is quite interesting.

The maid who led the way turned around and saluted everyone, "Dear guests, please bathe and change clothes here. The gentlemen are downstairs, and the ladies go upstairs. All the clothes that need to be changed temporarily are ready for bathing. Everything has been prepared, and the auspicious clothes for birthday celebrations will be sent out in a while. "

"No one has been here for a long time, and some rooms have not been cleaned. Don't be curious when you see a locked room."

After the maid finished speaking, she turned around and was about to leave. Seeing this, Lou Huiyang walked a few steps quickly and stopped her, "We are the only ones here to bathe by ourselves, right?"

The maid turned around, saluted Lou Huiyang, and said in a faint voice: "If the distinguished guest needs it, I can help you bathe."

This sentence made Lou Huiyang frown and wave his hands repeatedly, "No, no, I mean...we are the only ones here, right?"

"Yes." The maid nodded, "Steward Wu has made a special trip to explain that all of our distinguished guests have important matters tonight. Washing and bathing are the top priority and must not be disturbed."

"How long does it take for the person who sent you the auspicious clothes to arrive?" Nalan Shuo asked the key.

"Half an hour later."

After sending away the maid, Xiang Fengchen walked up the stone steps and pushed open the ajar door of the attic. What was exposed to everyone was a spacious hall. But strangely, the hall was empty, and there were heavy objects being dragged on the ground. Traces, I think this place was once filled with furniture and other objects, but for some unknown reason, it was later vacated.

There is a door on the left and right sides of the hall. The door on the left is slightly open. Through the gap, you can see the water mist box inside, which also emits a faint red light.

Nalan Shuo stepped forward and slowly pushed the door open. He saw several large wooden barrels placed side by side against the wall in the room. The barrels were separated by tall and heavy wooden boards. There were also wooden barrels in front of each barrel. A small curtain was hung to form a fairly private space.

The thick water vapor was emanating from the wooden barrel. Nalan Shuo stepped forward and opened the curtain. In addition to the wooden barrel filled with water, there was also a set of clothes for changing, a pair of shoes, and clothes. On the bottom, shoes on top, neatly placed in front of the barrel.

Stretching out his hand, Nalan Shuo stirred up the water. The water was still warm, and the comfortable temperature slightly dispelled the chill along the way.

"There are seven barrels in total." Zhang Songde, a bald man, patted the barrel with his hand, turned his head and looked at the crowd, "There are exactly seven of us."

According to what the maid said before, men bathe below and women go above. It seems that the upper floor should be equipped with four wooden barrels. In other words, the people in Fushou Village knew something about them before they came. .

Just as everyone was hesitating, Xiang Fengchen stood up first, "Don't waste time, take the time to bathe and change clothes, but don't do it all together, leave a few people to stand guard."

"Let's go upstairs and have a look." Chang Chuchu, the teacher, left a word, then turned around and walked out the door, intending to take a look upstairs.

"Wait a minute!" It was the hot Yuan Ruoqi who said, she stopped Chang Chuchu, and at the same time turned to wink at several men present, "Does any handsome guy like mixed bathing?"

"It's a pity, I'm a serious person, otherwise I would just play with you." Zhang Songde shrugged, and as he grinned, the scars on his scalp twitched. He didn't look like a guy to be trifled with.

Suddenly, Yang Xiao noticed Yuan Ruoqi staring at him with a smirk on her face. This moment gave Yang Xiao a bad premonition.

"You, and you, we won't forget what happened so quickly, right? You two owe us, Miss Jiang, a favor." Yuan Ruoqi stretched out her finger and pointed out Yang Xiao and Fang Zhou, "Just you two It’s easier for you.”

Seeing that no one objected and his own director didn't stop him, Yang Xiao instantly showed a kind smile and said, "I'll go, I'm a fat guy to help a few beauties guard the door."

Fang Zhou looked like he wanted to shirk. It could be seen that Yang Xiao had compromised first and he couldn't insist on it. He nodded immediately and said, "Miss Jiang's favor must be repaid."

The matter was settled. Xiang Fengchen and the other five people were downstairs, while Yang Xiao, Fang Zhou and four other women went upstairs. The two sides agreed that the women would wash together, and Yang Xiao and Fang Zhou would watch over them. After the women finished washing and changed their clothes, they would come down together, and then Yang Xiao and the others would wash.

A wooden staircase was hidden in the corner behind the hall. The staircase had been there for a long time, and when you stepped on it, it made a harsh "creaking" sound.

The layout of the upstairs was completely different from that of the downstairs. The huge space was divided into three rooms. The door of the largest room was open, and there were four wooden barrels inside, as well as clothes and shoes for replacement, while the other two doors were locked.

"We are watching outside the door, you guys hurry up." Yang Xiao looked at the two closed doors, and the uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger. He turned his head and whispered, "Don't close the door, safety first."

"Then you have to control yourself and don't peek at your sister." Yuan Ruoqi smiled as she stretched her body.

"I won't even look at you if I want to." Yang Xiao looked her up and down, then looked away again. It was better to keep a distance from this woman.

The people present were all veteran players, and they didn't have so many taboos. Yang Xiao and the other two turned slightly to the side. After checking that the room and the wooden barrel were fine, several women changed their clothes and jumped into the wooden barrel full of water. For safety reasons, they didn't even pull down the curtains for blocking. In this way, no matter inside or outside the door, if there was a problem on either side, the other side could find it as quickly as possible. In front of being able to survive,

face was worthless.

Yuan Ruoqi, who immersed her body in the water, breathed a sigh of relief. The temperature of the water was just right, not too high or too low. There were fresh petals soaked in the water. The instantaneous comfort gave her an illusion that this was not a mission, but a bathtub at home.

There was a chair for bathing in the wooden barrel. She sat on the chair and slowly leaned back. Inadvertently, a hairpin used to tie her hair after washing fell into the water.

Yuan Ruoqi leaned down and touched the bottom of the bucket with her hand. Suddenly, she touched something cold, a hand.

The next second, before she could scream, her wrist was grabbed by her backhand, and a huge force pulled her down. She was instantly submerged in the water. She continued to sink while struggling. The bucket, which was originally half a person's height, seemed like a bottomless pit at this moment, and there was an inexplicable darkness below.

A strong sense of suffocation came over her. Yuan Ruoqi struggled desperately, but it was useless. The hand holding her was like an iron clamp. In the struggle, she vaguely saw a human figure under the water with a little bit of dim light. In the last second before losing consciousness, she suddenly saw a terrifying ghost face that was dug out by a knife and concave.