Companions

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"What... what kind of dish?" You Qi, who was closest, stared at the large food box on the table, his seemingly robust body trembling uncontrollably.

In contrast, Chen Qiang, the newcomer, although pale-faced, managed to steady himself.

He pursed his lips, looking at the food box on the table, and remained silent.

No one answered You Qi's question, or more accurately, no one paid him any attention. The cold-faced young woman seemed to only understand the middle-aged woman's words.

"Creak—"

The lid of the box was slowly lifted, veins appearing on the young woman's forehead, indicating how difficult it was to open the lid, requiring both her hands to barely move it.

Upon seeing the contents of the food box, everyone's expressions changed, and a chill ran down their spines.

Inside were bowls of blood!

But not the bright red kind; it was more of a brownish color, clotted, resembling tofu.

There were nine bowls in total, arranged closely together, four in front and five at the back.

"Drink it while it's hot," the middle-aged woman's voice was flat, devoid of any emotion. "The young master is obsessed with opera and knows that this is the best thing to soothe the throat."

"This was specially prepared by the young master for all of you doctors. I hope you won't disappoint his kindness," the middle-aged woman coldly stared at everyone.

Seeing the bowls of blood, everyone couldn't help but recall the gruesome scene they had just witnessed.

Tang Shirou had been skinned, her body a bloody mess.

The pristine white paper sedan chair was soaked in blood, with blood still dripping from the bottom.

And now...

"Gulp." Shi Liaozhi swallowed hard. In front of them were bowls of steamed blood.

The origin of this blood was almost certain.

It was Tang Shirou's blood.

Seeing that no one moved, the middle-aged woman's face began to show signs of displeasure.

She roughly pushed aside the young woman who was in the way, reached into the food box, took out a bowl, and placed it directly in front of You Qi.

"Eat," the middle-aged woman said with a fierce expression, her eyebrows raised exaggeratedly. "This is the young master's kindness. How can you disappoint his kindness!"

She grew more and more agitated, seemingly genuinely believing that these doctors were ungrateful for the young master's goodwill.

Poor You Qi was at a loss for words, looking at everyone with pleading eyes.

"Brother You," Qin Jian looked at You Qi with pity and whispered, "Maybe... maybe you should try a little, otherwise..."

He glanced at the middle-aged woman standing beside him, clearly hinting at the consequences if he didn't eat.

Under everyone's gaze, You Qi picked up a spoon, trembling as he scooped a small piece, then slowly put it in his mouth, his expression more pained than if he were eating poison.

"How is it?" Shi Liaozhi was the first to ask.

"It's not..." You Qi suddenly looked up, his face filled with relief, "It's not human..." He stopped mid-sentence, then changed his words, "It's duck blood, it's duck blood!!"

Duck blood?

Everyone's tension eased slightly.

Next, under the middle-aged woman's direction, the young woman carried the large food box around the table, and each person took a bowl of duck blood.

The middle-aged woman, like a diligent zookeeper, kept a close eye on everyone until they had all finished their bowls of duck blood. Only then did she smile with satisfaction and leave.

The young woman followed her closely, step by step, like a puppet.

Before leaving, the middle-aged woman instructed that there were no arrangements for the morning, and they were free to move around the mansion, but not to wander too far to avoid any trouble.

As for what kind of trouble, the middle-aged woman didn't say, and everyone tacitly didn't ask.

It was unclear if they would be called to attend to Young Master Huang in the afternoon, so they needed to return by noon.

According to the time in this world, they had about an hour and a half left.

Not too long, but not too short either.

Once the middle-aged woman and the young woman had completely disappeared, everyone gathered again to discuss the next steps.

The eeriness of this scenario was beyond imagination, so they decided to use the daytime to search for clues. After all, as the middle-aged woman had said, Young Master Huang didn't go out during the day and only performed opera on the lake at night.

"The abandoned house where the sedan chair is parked, the opera stage, and Young Master Huang's residence," An Xuan looked up and continued, "These places might have clues. We'll probably have to check them one by one."

"And the servants in the Huang mansion," Xia Meng added, looking in the direction where the middle-aged woman had disappeared. "They're also very strange."

"Four places in total," Chen Qiang said. "Checking them all might be too time-consuming."

An Xuan turned his head and looked at him, "Actually, it's not four, but three. The abandoned house and the opera stage are close enough. If we hurry, we can make it back and forth in time."

Time was pressing, so they skipped the pleasantries. Since Xia Meng had pointed out that the Huang mansion servants were suspicious, the three of them followed the direction where the middle-aged woman had disappeared.

Logically, since Tang Shirou was dead, the remaining two groups of three people each could take one direction.

But at this point, they had a disagreement on where to go.

An Xuan wanted to investigate Young Master Huang's residence, but You Qi was firmly against it.

Qin Jian didn't speak, but his expression betrayed him. He had been targeted there before, and he didn't have the courage to go back.

Moreover, the way he looked at An Xuan had subtly changed. Tang Shirou was dead, and An Xuan no longer had a scapegoat.

"Mr. An," Qin Jian suddenly said, "Last night near the opera stage, I thought I saw something strange," his tone and expression were serious. "I want to go back and confirm."

An Xuan raised his eyes, a playful look in them, and after a moment, said, "Since Mr. Qin has his own thoughts, I won't force you."

Qin Jian remained expressionless.

"But it's not appropriate for me to go alone, is it?" After a moment, An Xuan turned to the three people in Zuo Jing's group, his meaning clear.

Everyone knew that An Xuan's choice of location was not without reason. As Young Master Huang's residence, it was only natural that there would be clues there. It would be strange if there weren't.

But... the danger there was also obvious.

After all, it was almost certain that Young Master Huang was a ghost, and wandering around his residence without permission would be like visiting a haunted house, with real ghosts.

Most importantly, it would be with someone who had ulterior motives.

An Xuan's actions were clear to everyone. Brazenly tying the newcomers to himself, a large part of the distrust towards him stemmed from this.

Going with him would be like making a pact with a tiger.

"I'll go with you," someone suddenly said.

(End of the Chapter)

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