Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 12 B&Bs and Ancestral Halls

"Bad guy!"

Jiang Jin easily dodged the old lady's rolling pin and caught her at the same time, preventing her from falling to the ground due to inertia.

Then Jiang Jin turned around and retreated, only to see that the old woman with a full head of silver hair had a strange anger burning in her cloudy eyes.

Her thin wrists gripped the rolling pin tightly, and she suddenly shouted, "You bad person! You're going to scoop up those pools of water!"

Her spittle almost landed on Jiang Jin's face, carrying a hint of the bitter taste of aged herbs.

Jiang Jin communicated with Deathstroke telepathically and was able to confirm that... this old woman was not a ghost, nor was she possessed by one.

Just then, a hunched old man jogged along the wet stone path ahead, followed by a middle-aged woman.

The old man was the one who had told Jiang Jin that the bronze mirror could ward off evil spirits; he could also be considered Jiang Jin's savior.

The old man grabbed the old woman's waist, while the middle-aged woman snatched the rolling pin, her movements so practiced it seemed she had done it countless times.

"I'm so sorry, young man... Oh? It's you?" The old man was panting heavily. He recognized Jiang Jin. "My wife is often confused. Please don't take it to heart..."

"I'm not confused!" the old woman suddenly shrieked, her withered fingers stabbing at Jiang Jin's heart. "He just asked me about the pool water; he's going to fetch some!"

The middle-aged woman gently patted the old lady's back: "Sister-in-law, look carefully. This gentleman looks unfamiliar. He's from out of town and knows nothing about the pool."

Her voice was gentle and soft, but Jiang Jin noticed that the nail beds of her five fingers, which were patting the old woman's back, were also covered with a strange black substance, just like the old woman's.

"Who said that!" the old woman shouted. "That guy named Xiaoming from before, he's also from out of town! He wanted to fetch water from the pool too!"

"Alright, Azhi, stop talking," the old man took out his handkerchief and wiped his wife's sweat. "Didn't you love singing opera the most? I haven't heard it in a long time. Sing some more for me."

Suddenly, the old woman fell silent, a strange light shining in her cloudy eyes. She pushed her husband's hand away, straightened her clothes, and began to sing Cantonese opera in a clear and resonant voice:

"Fallen flowers fill the sky, obscuring the moonlight; let us offer a cup of wine on the Phoenix Terrace—" The aged voice suddenly rose in pitch, and then, at the turning point of "the princess offers incense with tears in her eyes," it surprisingly sang with the poignant charm of a professional opera troupe.

Jiang Jin recognized the lyrics as those from the Cantonese opera "The Princess Changping," as he had previously watched a Hong Kong drama of the same name.

Taking the opportunity, Jiang Jin pressed further, "Is Xiao Ming, whom you mentioned earlier, also from out of town?"

"Young man!" the old man suddenly interrupted sharply, barely straightening his back. "Don't ask around. Find a guesthouse to stay in. Outsiders shouldn't wander around the village." He gripped his wife's wrist tightly with his age-spotted hands and pulled her away quickly.

Jiang Jin suddenly regretted it: Why did I dodge just now! That rolling pin won't kill me! If the old lady had really hurt me, wouldn't I have a reason to blame this family and ask about the tourist rules and the soul-suppressing ritual?

Jiang Jin was considering chasing after her when a fragrant breeze wafted by. He turned around and saw a smiling young woman in a floral dress approaching him. She looked him up and down. "Sir, you look unfamiliar. Are you here for tourism or to explore ancient architecture? My guesthouse just had its bedding changed, and it's nearby. Would you like to take a look?"

"No, I..."

"My name is Ahui." The young woman had already grabbed Jiang Jin's hand, her name tag waving back and forth. "What's your name, sir? Did you come alone?"

Her nails were neatly trimmed and clean, without any black residue.

Jiang Jin thought that perhaps he could find a breakthrough by using this woman, given her outgoing personality.
"Then let's go take a look first. My name is Jiang Jin."

"Oh, Mr. Jiang, okay, come with me."

The rain had just stopped, and the bluestone pavement gleamed with a damp light, the air filled with the scent of earth and vegetation.

Ahui walked ahead, her floral dress swaying gently with her steps, water droplets still clinging to the ends of her hair. She glanced back at Jiang Jin every now and then, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Is this Mr. Jiang's first time visiting our village?" Ah Hui's voice was clear and crisp, with a hint of deliberate enthusiasm.

"Yes, I came here on a hiking trip to check out some guesthouses. The scenery in this village is really nice."

“Then you’ve come at the right time. It’s the end of the rainy season now, and the mountain mist is especially beautiful.” Ah Hui turned her head, her eyes curving into crescents. “But, it’s best not to go out at night.” Jiang Jin asked, “Why? Didn’t you say there’s a night patrol performance in the village?”

Ah Hui's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal: "Oh, it's just a regular reminder. Tourists, safety comes first. As for the night patrol performance, our village had a well-known Cantonese opera troupe back in the Republic of China era, and that's where this tradition started. But... you'd better not watch it, young people aren't that interested in this stuff these days."

Just as Jiang Jin was about to press further, Ah Hui suddenly changed the subject: "Mr. Jiang, do you have a girlfriend?"

Ah Hui's tone was light and cheerful, as if she were simply curious.

Jiang Jin was taken aback, then replied calmly, "No."

"Really?" Ahui covered her mouth and chuckled. "You're so handsome, you must have a lot of suitors."

Jiang Jin didn't reply, but Liu Yan's face involuntarily appeared in his mind.

That was five days ago.

"I got promoted." In the coffee shop where she and Jiang Jin had their first date, she said calmly, "My boss wants to cultivate me, and my next goal is to go to the European headquarters."

Jiang Jin had already understood the implied meaning and nodded: "Congratulations."

"Let's end it here for the two of us..." Liu Yan paused for a moment, ".

"Mr. Jiang?" Ah Hui's voice pulled Jiang Jin back to reality. "Why are you daydreaming? Could it be... you're thinking about your ex-girlfriend?"

Jiang Jin glanced at her: "You're quite good at guessing."

Ahui chuckled: "It's a woman's intuition. Oh, our guesthouse is just ahead."

Jiang Jin suddenly asked, "Are there many tourists in the village?"

“Not many.” Ahui shook her head. “Our place is remote, so most of the people who come here are photography enthusiasts, or… solo travelers like you.”

Jiang Jin noticed that her tone subtly changed when she said "lone traveler".

"Someone like me?" he pressed on deliberately.

Ahui stopped talking and quickened her pace: "We're almost there, my guesthouse is just ahead."

at this time……

The old woman was being half-supported and half-carried by her husband as they passed through the gate of the ancestral hall. Suddenly, she began to struggle violently, pushing away her husband and sister-in-law.

Then, the old woman stared wide-eyed at the ancestral hall gate in front of her.

"Wait! Where...where am I?"

“Sister-in-law,” the middle-aged woman said hurriedly, “this is our village’s ancestral hall. It’s been there since the Republic of China era. We’ve known it since we were little…”

"No!" The old woman pointed her withered, twig-like finger straight ahead. "No, what is this? When did our village ever have an ancestral hall???"

At this point, her voice stopped abruptly.

The air behind the three of them suddenly distorted, producing static-like noise like television snow.

At this moment, all three people froze, completely still.

A blurry figure gradually emerged from the noise, then became clearer as a person in an orange sanitation worker's uniform...

　Another alliance leader has been added today!
　　An extra chapter will be added tonight!
　　Please continue reading! Please recommend! Please add to your favorites!
　　

(End of this chapter)