Consultation

Translator: Cinder Translations

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One by one.

Upon hearing this, some people's expressions slightly changed. After a while, Shi Liaozhi, with a stiff neck, tentatively asked, "Do we really have to go up one by one? If we all consult on the young master's condition together, we can discuss it."

"One by one," the middle-aged woman said like an emotionless repeater, "This is also Butler Zhou's intention."

Seeing that the woman had invoked Butler Zhou, everyone had no other choice. After all, the clues were still unclear, and it was unwise to conflict with NPCs at this time.

After a brief exchange of glances, everyone moved closer together. But before they could discuss what to do next, the middle-aged woman spoke again, "Which doctor will go upstairs first to check the young master's pulse?"

No one spoke. Jiang Cheng glanced casually toward the door, while Fatty simply stared at his toes.

"Let's start with this doctor," the middle-aged woman suddenly said.

Her eyes were fixed on You Qi, and something seemed to flash in her gaze.

"Why me?" You Qi, who had been singled out, was visibly agitated. Despite his burly appearance, the fear in his eyes was no less than Fatty's.

He immediately pointed at Qin Jian, who had just let out a sigh of relief, and loudly said, "He's dressed so appropriately, why don't you ask him?"

Qin Jian's originally pale face immediately turned green.

The middle-aged woman didn't argue but simply turned her head to look at a certain spot.

Everyone followed her gaze to where the costumes had been hung earlier.

You Qi's pink costume had been hung at the very front. It seemed that the order of the costumes determined the order in which they would go upstairs to see the young master.

You Qi must have regretted his choice deeply at that moment.

He took a deep breath, glanced at everyone, and then turned to go upstairs.

"Brother You," An Xuan suddenly called out.

You Qi turned around.

An Xuan quickly walked up to him and whispered something close to his ear. After a moment, You Qi's expression when he looked at An Xuan became somewhat strange.

At the very back of the room where the costumes were hung, there was a wooden staircase. The staircase was very narrow and quite hidden, not matching the grandeur one would expect from a wealthy household.

Moreover, the staircase was very old, visibly so.

Perhaps due to the heavy humidity, the wood was severely decayed, with cracks in some places and broken handrails in others, revealing sharp splinters.

Fatty even worried if it could support You Qi's weight.

But fortunately, the nightmare was rigorous enough. After a series of creaking sounds, You Qi's figure disappeared at the top of the stairs.

Everyone held their breath, listening intently.

"What did you say to him just now?" Qin Jian suddenly asked An Xuan, his black funeral attire giving him an air of solemnity.

This was something everyone was curious about.

"Don't rush," An Xuan said with narrowed eyes, "We'll know when You Qi comes down."

Qin Jian's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't press further. However, his expression suggested he had already guessed something.

A few minutes later, the sound of creaking came from upstairs, and You Qi reappeared on the staircase. His expression was very strange, his thick eyebrows almost knitted together.

It didn't seem like fear, but more like... he had encountered something he couldn't understand.

From the moment he appeared until he came down the stairs, everyone stared at him, but no one spoke to him.

Moreover, there was a hint of wariness in their gazes.

"That's enough, Brother You," An Xuan suddenly said, "Just stand there."

It was only then that You Qi seemed to snap out of it. He looked up and met the wary eyes of the group, especially Fatty and Jiang Cheng, who were standing by the door, ready to run at any moment.

"My name is You Qi," You Qi said, looking at everyone, "I'm from the Loess Plateau."

Hearing this, everyone's wariness eased slightly.

It seemed this was the previously agreed-upon code.

Everyone had to reintroduce themselves after coming out.

If there were any discrepancies, it would mean a ghost had infiltrated.

Although everyone knew that Shi Liaozhi was next in line, he still dawdled, unwilling to go. It wasn't until the middle-aged woman called him that he reluctantly went upstairs.

He seemed to be trembling, holding onto the handrail for support.

"Doctor," Fatty whispered, "Is this guy really a veteran player? He looks okay, but why is he so scared?"

"Could it be..." Fatty asked, "That just as a veteran player might pretend to be a newbie, a newbie might also pretend to be..."

"No," Jiang Cheng cut him off.

Just as Fatty was curious to know the doctor's reasoning, the doctor suddenly fell silent. Following the doctor's gaze, Fatty happened to catch a pair of eyes that had just looked away.

Zuo Jing was not far from them. Although her face was expressionless, Fatty had a feeling she had been looking at him, or perhaps the doctor.

He pretended to nonchalantly shake his neck and then said nothing more.

One by one, each person took their turn. Xia Meng was the first of the trio to go up the old staircase. Only now did she feel a slight sense of nervousness.

In her eyes, An Xuan's idea wasn't reliable. She suspected that a ghost might have already infiltrated them. If that were the case, what would she encounter?

Could there be more than one ghost in this mission?

Old mansions and abandoned buildings always gave rise to some bizarre stories. She hoped this mission wouldn't go awry. Taking a deep breath, she took the final step upstairs.

To her surprise, the upstairs was a completely different world from the downstairs. The sense of decay seemed to end at the staircase. Upstairs... was a rather elegant room.

Exquisite tables and chairs, delicate porcelain, small landscape rocks... separated by a screen painted with opera scenes, creating a refined sense of space.

Every detail was ingeniously designed.

It was clear that the owner of this room was a person of refined taste, and a true opera enthusiast.

The room's decor was mostly painted with characters from operas, along with some related carvings. On the dressing table by the window, in front of a bright bronze mirror, lay a phoenix crown.

The phoenix crown from the traditional bridal attire.

Round pearls were embedded in it, glowing softly under the light. Small, delicate beads were strung with silver threads inlaid on both sides.

Thanks to the exquisite design, it seemed as if light was flowing across it, with not a single flaw.

Her gaze gradually shifted until it stopped at the bed.

Behind a red curtain sat a slender figure. The figure was tall but very thin, giving the initial impression of a woman.

After a moment, the curtain trembled, and a hand slowly emerged from beneath it.

(End of the Chapter)

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