“No, what’s wrong with you two?”
“Did we say something taboo?”
Liu Chengfeng felt very puzzled by their sudden change in attitude, as if he had said something he shouldn’t have.
Tian Xun’s expression was dark and uncertain. After a long pause, he finally let out a heavy sigh.
“You two… are really unlucky!”
The two exchanged glances. Ning Qiushui frowned and asked:
“What do you mean?”
Tian Xun began explaining the terrifying mechanism behind the world of the Blood Gate:
“There are two types of ghosts inside the Blood Gate… One type is native-born. These ghosts are earth-bound spirits. No matter how powerful they are or how deep their resentment runs, once we complete the task and leave the Blood Gate, our grudges with them are over.”
“But the other kind… is more unusual.”
“Though they’re also bound by the rules of the Blood Gate, they aren’t confined to a single area. Once they’ve slaughtered all the local NPCs, they’ll move on to other places to wreak havoc.”
“These ghosts… have an outrageous amount of resentment!”
“Usually, if you encounter one of them in your previous Blood Gate, your next Blood Gate will also be connected to its story!”
“And the stories involving these ghosts are far more terrifying than regular Blood Gates — with a much higher death rate!”
After a pause, Tian Xun’s tone turned faintly sympathetic.
“I don’t know what kind of bad karma you two have… but to run into a ghost like that on your very first Blood Gate — no wonder only two of you made it out alive.”
“But I’m afraid this is probably as far as you’ll get. I’m not cursing you or anything… Just go home and write your will, settle your affairs!”
“Say a proper goodbye to your family and friends.”
Tian Xun sighed deeply, collected their bowls and chopsticks, and took them to the kitchen.
Only then did the two finally understand why their attitude had changed so drastically.
Because in their eyes — the two of them were already dead.
“Seriously? They look down on us that much?”
“If we could survive that monster the first time, we can survive a second and third!”
“They think we won’t make it through the next Blood Gate? Then we’ll live just to prove them wrong!”
Liu Chengfeng muttered angrily. Though he still tried to act dismissive, Ning Qiushui could hear the faint tremble in his voice.
After the dishes were washed, Tian Xun still led them to their assigned room in the haunted house.
Unexpectedly, this group didn’t live in that gloomy villa.
Instead, they lived in a bungalow behind the garden.
The environment there was quite nice — quiet, even cold — but still much better than that pitch-black villa.
Tian Xun handed them the keys, gave them a few instructions, and then headed back into the villa to watch TV.
Although their room also had a TV, the one inside the villa had a much bigger screen.
Since both Ning Qiushui and Liu Chengfeng were preoccupied, they didn’t take the shuttle back to the real world. They wanted to wait for the haunted house’s manager, Liang Yan, to return and ask him about the next red door.
But by nightfall, no one had come back to the villa.
With no other option, they decided to wait one more day.
In the middle of the night, Ning Qiushui couldn’t sleep, so he went outside to get some fresh air. That’s when he heard hushed whispers coming from inside the villa.
His eyebrows rose, and he quietly moved to the back door to eavesdrop.
Inside, he heard the voices of a woman and a calm, steady man.
Ning Qiushui recognized the man’s voice — it was Meng Jun.
But the woman’s voice… he had never heard before.
It probably belonged to Bai Xiaoxiao.
“Bai Xiaoxiao… are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?”
“What, you don’t believe me?”
“You know the connection between Yan and Mang, right? If Yan finds out that Mang’s death was caused by someone, he won’t let it go easily!”
Just as Bai Xiaoxiao was about to say something, she suddenly turned her head and looked coldly in Ning Qiushui’s direction:
“Who’s there?”
“Come out!”
Ning Qiushui stepped out from the darkness.
Seeing that it was the newcomer from their haunted house, Bai Xiaoxiao’s icy expression softened slightly.
She was wearing bright red lipstick.
Very red.
Like a phoenix in blazing flames—completely at odds with her delicate-sounding name.
“It’s late. Why aren’t you asleep?”
Ning Qiushui didn’t mind her cold attitude and simply replied:
“You’re not asleep either, are you?”
He sat down casually on the sofa, looking at the brazier in the center.
With his arrival, the conversation between the two immediately stopped.
“What’s your name?”
In the end, it was Bai Xiaoxiao who broke the silence first.
“Ning Qiushui.”
“So, how was your first Blood Gate?”
Ning Qiushui opened an unopened bottle of cold beer on the table and took a sip on his own.
“Honestly, not great.”
“Nearly died.”
Bai Xiaoxiao gave a distracted “mm” and offered a half-hearted reassurance:
“That’s the way the world behind the Blood Gate is. A moment’s carelessness and you could lose your life. But once you get through the first one, the rest should be a bit easier…”
Before she could finish, Meng Jun cut in coldly:
“There won’t be any ‘rest’.”
Bai Xiaoxiao came back to her senses, looking surprised.
“Meng Jun, what do you mean?”
Meng Jun stood up.
“Ask him yourself. I’m going to bed.”
Without another word, he left without looking back.
Bai Xiaoxiao turned to Ning Qiushui, and he began describing the story behind the first Blood Gate in detail.
Of course, Ning Qiushui omitted certain facts.
Specifically, the mysterious anonymous letter.
He only spoke about how they had stumbled upon the rules of death.
After hearing his account, Bai Xiaoxiao’s expression changed several times.
Her gaze became complicated.
There was admiration, sympathy… and even a hint of regret.
“Meng Jun and Tian Xun weren’t wrong. That red-dressed woman behind your first Blood Gate wasn’t just a typical earth-bound spirit—she was a very troublesome, terrifying vengeful ghost. Fortunately, it was your first instance. Her powers and killing rules were heavily restricted by the Blood Gate. And with your courage and quick thinking, you found a way to survive. Otherwise, there’s no way the two of you would have come back alive.”
“Also, your next Blood Gate’s story is likely to be connected to that female ghost.”
“If you can handle it properly, you might even bring back a ghost artifact from it.”
Ning Qiushui froze.
“Ghost artifact?”
Bai Xiaoxiao flipped her palm, and in her fair, delicate hand appeared a bloodstained wooden comb.
“Something like this.”
“Normally, nothing from within the Blood Gate can be brought out. But in some of the more difficult Gates, powerful items can appear. These are extremely valuable and all serve different purposes.”
“For example, this comb—if you run it through your hair, ghosts won’t be able to lock onto the combed person for one minute.”
“These ghost artifacts can drastically increase our survival rate behind the Blood Gates.”
Ning Qiushui thought of the blood jade he had brought back from the first Blood Gate and became thoughtful.
Nothing inside the Blood Gate could be taken out—
Except for ghost artifacts.
It seemed… that blood jade was also a ghost artifact.
Seeing Ning Qiushui like this, Bai Xiaoxiao thought he was frightened by the next Blood Gate. After a brief hesitation, she said:
“Forget it. Our haunted house doesn’t have many people left anyway. The last few batches of newcomers were just awful. They all got wiped out within the first three doors…”
“You’re entering the second Blood Gate next week. I’ll take you through it for free.”
“Besides… you both do show some real potential worth cultivating.”
As Bai Xiaoxiao finished speaking, Ning Qiushui suddenly remembered that Tian Xun had previously told them Bai Xiaoxiao sometimes took newcomers through the Blood Gates.
“Wait… you can take people through these?”
Ning Qiushui was a bit surprised.
Bai Xiaoxiao nodded.
“For a newcomer’s first six Blood Gates, they’re allowed to be guided by veterans.”
“There are even specialized ‘studios’ that provide this service.”
“But this kind of veteran-guided run usually comes with a hefty price tag. After all, we’re all human—no matter how experienced someone is, there’s still a risk of failure even in low-difficulty Blood Gates…”
Ning Qiushui nodded in understanding.
Since they were literally gambling with their lives to make money, it was only natural to charge more.
After all, money was external. Compared to one’s life, it didn’t matter nearly as much.
With that cleared up, Ning Qiushui spent the night resting in the haunted house and then boarded the bus, returning to the world outside the mist.
As soon as he got home, he turned on his computer.
A friend named “Mole” had sent him a message.
It was short—
[No trace. The post office has no record of that anonymous letter.]
[The postal worker told me the letter you asked about… doesn’t exist.]
[But don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye out for you.]
Ning Qiushui narrowed his eyes.
Mole was his friend.
Someone who was… very good at finding things.
“Even you couldn’t find it…?”
He muttered to himself.
Ding dong—
Just then, the doorbell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Startled, Ning Qiushui stood up and walked to the door. When he opened it, he found it was his neighbor—an older, plump woman in her fifties named Aunt Mu.
She was wearing a floral shirt, as if she’d just come back from shopping. Her forehead was a bit sweaty, and she handed Ning Qiushui a letter with a cheerful smile.
“Qiushui, a letter for you.”
Ning Qiushui took the envelope, and his expression changed dramatically.
“Aunt Mu… where did you get this letter?”
Aunt Mu pulled out her keys to open her door and answered offhandedly:
“From the mailbox downstairs, of course…”
“You silly kid, always so forgetful. Every time you come home, you really should check your mailbox…”
Saying that, she opened her door and went inside.
Ning Qiushui, still holding the letter, closed his own door.
He went to the living room and sat on the sofa, staring at the envelope on the coffee table, his breath growing heavier.
The second letter.
He opened it.
Sure enough, it was anonymous again.
But this time, there were no clues.
Only a photo.
And this photo made Ning Qiushui freeze in shock.
It was… a photo of Bai Xiaoxiao!
It was old and yellowed, clearly aged.
Yet the Bai Xiaoxiao in the photo looked the same age as the one he’d met!
Her smile in the picture was vivid, her red lips untouched by the passage of time—so vibrant, so striking.
“What the f*…”**
Even Ning Qiushui, who was usually calm, couldn’t help but curse aloud.
This… was way too eerie.
He slowly flipped the photo over.
His fingers were trembling slightly.
On the back of the photo, there was also a single sentence—
[She must not die in your second Gate.]
“Just as I thought…”
A chill ran down Ning Qiushui’s spine.
Whoever sent the letter… was watching him from somewhere!
But…
Why did they have these photos?
And why were they giving him these hints?
What exactly… are they trying to do?
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