Nightmare Assault

Everyone was interested in Fatty’s story. A truck driver who was not an orphan… that just sounded intriguing.

“Alright.” An Xuan sighed, “That should be everyone. If no one has any objections, we should go out and take a look around.” Then, as if remembering something, An Xuan frowned and added, “I’ve had some simple conversations with the people here. The way they talk is weird.”

That grabbed everyone’s attention.

“What do you mean?” Someone asked.

“Hmm… It’s their tone and choice of words,” An Xuan thought about it, “And their structural logic in sentences. It’s different from what we’re used to.” The group left the room and went down the stairs. The wooden stairs groaned from their weight. Tang Shirou looked around. She expected everyone to instantly focus on them due to their attire, but people milled around them like normal. No one paid them any attention.

“Dear guests!” Just as they were about to walk out of the inn, a man with a black tablecloth slung over his shoulder came to block them.

The group shared a look with each other. In the end, it was An Xian who asked, “Yes?”

The man smiled charmingly. “This morning, the butler from Elder Huang Mansion sent people over. At the time, dear guests were still sleeping, so we didn’t dare to impose on you. The people told me to guide you to the mansion when the guests are awake.”

Everyone’s eyes shifted. This man before them should be the NPC. His purpose was to stop them before they left the inn and guide them to the next mission location.

“Elder Huang?” You Qi asked, “Which Elder Huang?”

“Dear guests, you must be joking.” The man bowed lower, “In this town, other than the great kind man, Elder Huang, what other Elder Huang is there?”

An Xuan didn’t waste time. He glanced out the door and said, “Please lead the way then.”

Following the man’s guidance, the group left the inn. Once they left the front door, everything opened up. They were in a classical town. People in classical attire walked around the streets. Shops like inns, rice shops and restaurants lined the roads. There were also many stalls that sold smaller items.

A hawker selling Tang Hulu was arguing with a hawker who sold Chui Tangren. A crowd formed around them to watch the show. The two hawkers’ clothes were tattered and old. Their skin was sallow. It looked like they hadn’t eaten in a while. They fit into the setting perfectly.

Chen Qiang, who was beside Fatty, blinked his eyes as he studied everything. His eyes glowed. “Song Dynasty,” He uttered.

“What dynasty?” Shi Liaozhi, who had good hearing, grumbled, “All the ancient dynasties look the same to me.”

“That’s false,” Chen Qiang explained to him, “The Song Dynasty is unique in its architectural design. There are a lot of protrusions along the roof spines and corners. It is not as imposing as the buildings in the Tang Dynasty and not as simplistic as the buildings in the Yuan Dynasty.” Chen Qiang sounded a lot more confident when he talked about these.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

“What major are you in?” Xia Meng suddenly asked.

“Architecture, mainly historical architecture.”

The group eventually reached a giant manor. The front door was locked. No one walked to knock on the door. Instead, they walked along the yard wall. Then, the group turned into a small alley. Deep inside the alley was a wooden door. The door was not huge, and it was just about enough for two people to walk through at the same time.

There were three people standing beside the wooden door. One male and two females.

The man looked around forty. He had large eyes and bushy brows. He was dressed in cotton shorts and a shirt. He stood there like a statue.

The two women looked normal. Their expressions were dull. The older among the two held a paper fan. She didn’t use the fan. The other woman just stood there silently. Her eyes were hollow, like her soul was gone.

The strange thing was once the group got closer, the three people’s pupils focused as they turned to the travellers. “Butler Zhou has been waiting for a long time,” The woman with the paper fan said flatly. Her eyes wandered among them, “Dear Dafu, come with me.”

Dafu… That was the term for doctors in Ancient China. That was probably their role in this mission.

Nothing said anything as they followed the woman into the manor through the side door. The scenario kept changing from pagodas to ponds. If not for the nightmare mission, this was a good place to unwind.

“We’re here.” The middle-aged woman stopped. “Dafu, please stay here for now. The young master is still resting. We will send people to get Dafu to check his pulse later.

“Everything you need is inside the rooms. They are arranged based on your preference. Someone will come to get you during meal times.” Then, the woman added in her even tone, “The old master prefers silence. Not all the rooms are occupied. Stay in your rooms at night and don’t go anywhere in case you disturb the others.” Then, the woman turned and left.

“Wait.” An Xuan reached out to grab the woman’s arm. He smiled, “What about Butler Zhou? We just arrived. We don’t want to let the masters wait.”

The woman stared at An Xuan like he was dead. An Xuan quickly lowered his hand with a smile.

“Butler Zhou has something to attend to. He won’t be here temporarily.” The woman’s tone was flat, like a recording machine.

“I’m so sorry then.”

After the woman left, everyone took in their surroundings. They were near a pond, which was the size of a lake. That showed how wealthy the owner of the place was. Elder Huang was either a big merchant or related to the royal family.

They were at the deeper parts of the manor. It was secluded and quiet. Only birds could be heard. In other words, even if something did happen there, the outside world wouldn’t know about it.

“You were too anxious earlier,” Qin Jian walked over. He stared at An Xuan with worry and blame. “Do you know who that woman was?”

“It was my fault. I wasn’t thinking,” An Xuan apologised for his actions.