The selection of children... Forbidden forest...

Speaking of which...

Beichuan Si seemed to have thought of something, he tucked the gray-white bound book under his arm and rummaged through his backpack.

It was a tattered white cloth strip, with slanted handwriting on it.

'The nursery rhyme of falling cherry blossoms.'

It mentioned a forest of a thousand cherry blossoms behind the Mouchi Main Family mountain, where people were said to be killed and buried under the cherry trees to suppress man-eating little ghosts in the forest.

And coincidentally, this broken book on ritual planning also mentioned the 'forbidden forest.'

Could it be that the ceremony just now was to select children to suppress the little ghosts of the forest of a thousand cherry blossoms?

"..." Beichuan Si.

Intuition told Beichuan Si that the matter regarding the 'forbidden forest' definitely wouldn't be so simple.

Just as Beichuan Si was thinking this, a haunting voice suddenly called out from behind him—

"Brother..."

This voice was filled with longing, yet it was full of sadness.

"Who's there?!"

Shenzhu Shihui and Magong Yongshi heard it this time too.

They both looked back.

But behind them was nothing but the broken sliding door and a cracked gray-white wall.

Returning to the corridor, no one was in sight.

It was as if the voice just now was completely imagined.

But—

"This is definitely not an illusion."

Beichuan Si was the first to conclude.

However, gazing at the empty corridor, he frowned.

Not only could he not sense it, but neither could Shenzhu Shihui... or Magong Yongshi.

If it were to be converted into a vengeful spirit level...

It must at least be higher than the advanced medium level, right?

Moreover, the most important thing is...

Beichuan Si looked towards the dark corners of the mansion.

From just a moment ago, it seemed a purely malevolent gaze had been grazing his neck from these dark spots.

As if slender, pale fingers traced down his neck.

But if you walk over to look, you'd find that apart from dirty cushions or round tables stuck to the walls, there's really nothing else.

This was the same feeling Beichuan Si experienced when he ventured into the Magong family alone when his abilities weren't particularly strong.

But in fact, Beichuan Si's abilities had improved significantly.

The occurrence of this sensation only indicated that something particularly horrifying was indeed hidden within this mansion.

Beichuan Si focused his attention on the surrounding environment, ready to wield Jian Ding concealed in his sleeve at any moment.

Currently, the main task was to find clues to solve the Red Seal, as after all, that was the most important reason for Beichuan Si's visit to this ancient house.

If the forbidden forest matters could be investigated as well, it would be prudent to do so, as it might involve secrets between the 'present world' and 'hidden world,' likely tied to various entanglements.

Once determining his objectives, Beichuan Si did not linger in this area further.

He set aside the two notebooks, left the room, and continued deeper into his exploration.

The ceiling of this mansion was very low, barely reaching 2.7 meters upon rough inspection. This dusty low ceiling pressed down, as if weighing upon one's heart, making it hard to breathe.

The faint flicker of candlelight swayed slightly, caught in the airflow produced by Beichuan Si's movement.

The floor beneath creaked with each step, and occasionally Beichuan Si could spot damaged wooden holes.

Beyond these sounds, there was nothing else.

It felt as if this place was isolated from the world, everything utterly silent.

"There's a door ahead."

Shenzhu Shihui spoke up.

Just as she said, there was a severely damaged paper sliding door in the direction Beichuan Si was facing.

Through the gaps in the paper sliding door, one could vaguely see something on the other side.

Beichuan Si quickly approached the sliding door, placed his hand on it, and attempted to pull it aside with force.

Maybe because the sliding door was broken, it didn't budge.

However, a stairway up was hidden to Beichuan Si's right. Perhaps by going upstairs and looping around, he could find a way into this room in front of him—

Bang!!!!!

Lifts a foot.

Kicked it open with one blow.

The paper sliding door groaned under strain and then fell apart along with the door frame with a crash.

Amid the scattering dust, Beichuan Si kicked away the obstructing door frame, and entered the room without a word.

This resembled the Magong family in many ways, with a ceiling opening to a skylight and a hearth set in the middle.

This should be the large heating furnace provided for the Mouchi Main Family to use during winter.

Animal pelts hung on the walls in the corner.

Due to age and being tainted by dirty water, they emitted a foul, rancid stench.

To the left, a staircase opened that led to the second floor.

Rooms without doors were on either side of the staircase. As viewed from here, it was clear that these two rooms were likely canteens or dining areas.

Aside from that, directly facing Beichuan Si was a pair of double doors leading to the central courtyard corridor.

Beichuan Si planned to first go to the central courtyard corridor to assess the situation.

After all, going to the central courtyard would allow for a rough understanding of the mansion's layout and help determine the next direction for exploration.

Moreover...

"Just over an hour left."

Beichuan Si took a quick glance at the time.

He walked and paused intermittently, investigating suspicious areas along the way. To still have over an hour left was already quite an achievement.

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