“The Blood Gate gives hints too?”
Ning Qiushui asked in surprise.
Bai Xiaoxiao, standing nearby, explained:
“Only the first Blood Gate doesn’t.”
“Because for 99.999% of people, the first Blood Gate is very easy. It’s actually quite hard for the ghosts to kill anyone—most of the time, they just give you a scare, they don’t really make a move.”
She paused, her eyes playful, and then teased the two of them:
“That’s why I say you two have rotten luck—first gate in and you already ran into that kind of ghost, and nearly got wiped out!”
“After the first gate, the difficulty of the second increases significantly. But in return, the Blood Gate also starts giving important hints.”
“And then there’s the sixth gate… but we’ll talk about that another time.”
“For now, your top priority is figuring out how to survive the second gate.”
“Because your second Blood Gate… is no joke.”
After Bai Xiaoxiao patiently explained everything, Ning Qiushui quickly committed the Blood Gate’s hint to memory:
“The kind shed their blood, becoming sweet rain; the merciful cut off their heads, bringing peace; the innocent close their eyes, praying for the arrival of sweet rain and peace…”
The hint was strange—eerie, even.
Before long, it was time to enter the gate.
The bloodstained wooden door slowly creaked open again, pushed by a pale hand—and the moment it opened, the consciousness of all three began to blur…
…
When Ning Qiushui regained awareness again, he found himself standing in front of a massive building.
The structure was old and decaying. The two white walls at the entrance were riddled with cracks and covered in musty green moss.
The ground was littered with stones and overgrown with wild grass.
On the right wall, painted in red characters, it read:
[Rain-Prayer Village Tourist Reception]
“Tourist group…”
“So this time, we’ve arrived as tourists?”
Looking around, Ning Qiushui saw there were fourteen people in total in the courtyard, standing in small groups.
As expected, they were probably all people from the Wraith Lodge outside the Blood Gate—just like him.
It didn’t take long for him to spot Liu Chengfeng and Bai Xiaoxiao.
But… both of their expressions looked off.
Ning Qiushui walked over and asked in a low voice:
“What’s wrong?”
Bai Xiaoxiao lazily gestured at Liu Chengfeng with her chin and said:
“Ask him.”
Ning Qiushui turned to Liu Chengfeng.
The latter was sweating, fear flickering in his eyes.
“My spawn point was at the base of the mountain behind that forest. I figured I’d follow the signs and go through the woods, but right in the middle of the forest—I saw someone…”
“…Someone without a head!”
Ning Qiushui’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re sure?”
Liu Chengfeng was breathing hard, a deep fear rising in his eyes.
“Yes!”
“I’m sure!”
“It… it kept walking forward, and then…”
Liu Chengfeng’s voice began to tremble mid-sentence.
“Hurry up, what happened next?”
Ning Qiushui pressed.
What Liu Chengfeng said next sent a chill running down Ning Qiushui’s spine.
“Then… it blended into the crowd and disappeared.”
Ning Qiushui:
“Disappeared?”
Liu Chengfeng nodded vigorously.
“Yes! That headless person… is hiding among the people around us!”
After he spoke, his eyes scanned the surroundings nervously, a deep breath betraying his anxiety.
Ning Qiushui turned to look at Bai Xiaoxiao.
“Sister Bai, what do you think?”
Bai Xiaoxiao shook her head.
“No need to panic—for now. This is only your second Blood Gate. The ghosts haven’t gone completely insane to the point of killing the moment they appear.”
“But… it’s still best to stay cautious.”
Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly came from outside:
“Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting!”
Everyone in the courtyard turned to look. A plainly dressed, dark-skinned middle-aged man was walking towards them.
“Let me introduce myself. My name is Hou Kong, and I’m the group leader from the Rain-Prayer Village Tourism Agency. I’m on duty for the next few days—you can usually find me in the main hall on the first floor. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!”
“If you enjoy your stay here, we’d really appreciate it if you could help spread the word. Thank you!”
As he spoke, he wore a friendly smile and handed each person a room key.
“There’s a free cafeteria next to the guesthouse. Once you’ve eaten and had your fill, feel free to explore. Rain-Prayer Village has quite a few interesting scenic spots…”
“In seven days, we’ll be holding the village’s annual Temple Festival. Everyone in the village will attend, and you’re all welcome to join too… I know most of you outsiders don’t really believe in this stuff, but hey, a little blessing never hurts.”
He briefly explained a few more things before leading the group to the guesthouse.
The entire time, the man named Hou Kong had a faint smile on his face.
It was subtle and calm… but to Ning Qiushui, it felt disturbingly eerie.
He only had to glance at it once for goosebumps to crawl across his skin.
“This is where you’ll all be staying. Electricity and hot water are available 24 hours a day. The village does have a few rules, though, so please try to follow them.”
“First: There’s a curfew in the village. Try not to go out between midnight and 6 a.m.”
“Second: The back mountain is home to the temple. Due to festival preparations, outsiders are currently not allowed near it.”
“Third: If you encounter anything strange in the village, you can go seek out Granny Ruan—the temple medium.”
After saying all that, Hou Kong didn’t bother to ask if anyone had questions. He turned and hurried downstairs.
Through the window of the guesthouse lobby, Ning Qiushui saw him walk into the dense black forest… and never come out again.
Coming back to his senses, he began inspecting his room.
The guesthouse looked old—cracks ran along the wooden floor and doors—but the room itself was surprisingly tidy.
Because Ning, Liu, and Bai had been standing together when they got their keys, their rooms were next to each other.
Inside, Ning Qiushui glanced at the clock ticking above.
3:00 p.m.
There was still time before dinner.
He walked around the room. The bed and floor were clean, the walls newly painted and white. But the air… carried a faint, constant smell of something burnt.
Like something had been on fire.
Then suddenly, he felt a slight warmth in his pocket.
Reflexively, he reached in—and pulled out the blood jade.
Lying in the palm of his hand, the blood jade was glowing faintly red!
It was a familiar sight.
Back in the first Blood Gate, whenever the red-dressed ghost on the third floor approached their room, the hanging blood jade would glow just like this!
In that instant, Ning Qiushui’s entire body tensed.
Could it be… something unclean was in his room?
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