Why am I, a cook, always involved in cases?

In front of the majestic gate of the palace, a palace maid, with an indescribable grace,

She slowly sat down on the carefully arranged embroidered cushion, as if she had become the guiding soul of this mysterious ceremony, shouldering the sacred duty of leading everyone into a secret land full of fantasy.

"Dear ladies, have you woven the stories in your hearts, ready to shine brightly in the darkness of tonight?"

She asked softly in a gentle and magnetic voice, gently shaking the stick holder woven from delicate bamboo threads in her hand. Each stick seemed to contain the deep meaning of fate, waiting to be revealed.

"Tonight, let us immerse ourselves in the thirteen heart-pounding and chilling stories, and let our hearts fly freely in the interweaving of fear and curiosity."

Her smile flickered in the flickering firelight, with a hint of mysterious weirdness, foreshadowing the ghostly feast that was about to unfold.

According to a carefully designed layout, the participants sat in the four directions of east, west, south and north, like stars in the night sky. A listener was cleverly arranged between every two people, forming a beautiful picture of staggered and harmonious coexistence.

Lin Zhiruo covered her face lightly with a plain cloth, trying to hide her frequent yawns due to fatigue, but it was difficult to conceal her lively beauty.

The first narrator seemed a little incoherent due to nervousness, and what he told was just trivial gossip circulating in the harem, which failed to stir up any ripples in the hearts of the audience.

When the second narrator was about to appear, someone on Lin Zhiruo's right gently touched her arm, while Susu sat quietly on her left, like a quiet painting of a lady, exuding a faint fragrance.

"The night is deep. I hope your story can illuminate the haze in my heart like the bright moon."

The other person's voice was like a spring breeze, carrying a hint of imperceptible tenderness and comfort.

"May your story be like the twinkling stars, lighting up my path forward."

Lin Zhiruo responded softly, with a hint of smile in her voice, like the first light of dawn, warm and bright.

There was a childlike innocence and purity in the other person's words, as if childhood memories were whispering in his ears.

Lin Zhiruo finally recognized the mysterious person with his face covered with a cloth. It turned out to be the usually lively, cheerful, lively and lovely Hu Lan'er.

In the dim light, she was unable to recognize her long-lost friend.

Hu Lan'er quietly handed Lin Zhiruo a few pieces of fragrant dried squid and said softly, "I prepared this specially for you. I hope it can explain the sea flavor you smelled earlier."

"Then I would rather obey your orders than be respectful."

Lin Zhiruo answered softly, savoring it carefully, afraid of disturbing this rare tranquility and harmony.

Although the second narrator's story was dull, her rhythmic and emotional way of telling the story cleverly created a creepy atmosphere, which made several listeners shudder involuntarily.

Susu also covered her head with a cloth, and covered her face from time to time while listening, as if she was afraid that the ghosts in the story would see her fear and curiosity.

However, Susu's fear seemed to coexist with her enjoyment of the story.

She held Lin Zhiruo's hand tightly, with such force that Lin Zhiruo could hardly breathe.

But Lin Zhiruo knew very well that this was a reflection of Susu's fear and obsession with stories. She was afraid of those creepy stories, but could not resist their charm and temptation.

(Her heart was full of contradictions and struggles. She longed to explore the unknown world of stories, but was also afraid of being swallowed by the fear within.)

This is not surprising. Since Susu invited Lin Zhiruo to come together, it must be because she did not dare to attend such a party alone.

Lin Zhiruo thought to herself that such a gathering might not be an ideal choice, but in this boring life in the harem, it seemed to be a rare comfort and sustenance.

After all, Caiwei had already given her approval, and Hu Lan'er was also included.

With Hu Lan'er's straightforward, honest and daring personality, even without permission, she would definitely sneak over to join in the fun and have fun.

In this way, the stories were told one after another, and after each one was told, a candle in everyone's hand was extinguished, and now only half of the candles were left.

When it was the seventh narrator's turn, Lin Zhiruo listened inattentively while chewing delicious dried squid.

The narrator let the firelight shine on her slightly pale face and began her creepy narration.

This story takes place in the narrator's hometown, where there is a mysterious forest that has been regarded as a forbidden area since ancient times.

It is like a huge maze, devouring the souls of all creatures who dare to step into it.

According to legend, once you step into the forbidden area of ​​this forest, you will be entangled and tortured by the curse, and your soul will be devoured and destroyed by endless ghosts.

However, some people dared to challenge the authority and power of this taboo.

That year, the weather was not good and the harvest was poor.

Although the disaster did not lead to catastrophic consequences such as famine, one family suffered an unfortunate blow.

The pillar of the family unfortunately passed away, leaving behind a mother and son who depended on each other to struggle in difficult circumstances.

The villagers were unable to lend a helping hand and could only watch the child struggle painfully in hunger and despair.

Finally one day, the child mustered up the courage to step into the forbidden forest, just to find a glimmer of hope and light for survival.

The child returned home with a lot of delicious fruits in his hands.

He excitedly told his mother: "There are countless treasures and miracles hidden in that forest."

However, although the mother was worried about her child's safety, she could only helplessly tell him to keep it a secret.

But it was too late. After learning about it, the village chief sternly warned them not to set foot in the forbidden area again, otherwise they would be excluded and isolated by the villagers.

Therefore, despite the abundant food and resources in the forest, they had to reluctantly give up this tempting forbidden land.

However, strange things happened one after another.

That night, someone saw a ball of light floating towards the home of the mother and son.

The faint light was as strange and mysterious as a ghost, which made people shudder.

The next morning, mother and son fell ill.

Their condition deteriorated rapidly, as if they were invaded and cursed by some evil force.

The villagers were afraid of being implicated and affected by the curse and did not dare to approach them.

In the end, the mother and son died tragically in illness and loneliness.

Their deaths made the villagers even more convinced of the horror and weirdness of the forbidden area in the forest.

It is said that when the child was about to die, the mother said with a strange smile: "Hey, I have a secret to tell you."

However, she died before she could finish her words.

Her death buried the secret deep in her heart forever, and no one knew what secrets and truths she wanted to convey.

The forest is still considered an inviolable forbidden area.

As long as anyone dares to violate the authority and power of this taboo, a ghostly fire will float into that household that night, mercilessly taking away everyone's soul and life.

(So ​​that’s it! The truth behind this is so shocking and amazing!)

Lin Zhiruo listened to this ordinary story, but seemed to have insight into the mystery and profound meaning behind it.

Although there was no horrifying ending or twist, everyone was trembling with fear after listening to it.

This may be due to the depressing and tense atmosphere on the scene, which made everyone immersed in this mysterious and strange story world.

Lin Zhiruo had just swallowed the softened dried squid when another new portion of dried squid was handed to her at the right time.

She looked up and saw that it was Hu Lan'er who was looking at her with a smile.

"You look so focused and profound, as if you have some understanding of this story."

Hu Lan'er said in a low voice.

Like Lin Zhiruo, she did not seem to be frightened by these strange stories. Instead, she was full of curiosity and courage to explore the unknown.

"That's it."

Lin Zhiruo answered vaguely, but in her heart she was thinking about how to explain her discovery and understanding to Hu Lan'er.

"What's going on? Tell me quickly."

Hu Lan'er asked curiously, with excitement glittering in her eyes.

"I'll tell you more later."

Lin Zhiruo felt that revealing the answer at this moment would ruin this rare atmosphere and rhythm, so she answered like this.

She knew very well that the rumors in the world had their roots, and at this moment she was immersed in these stories, trying to find the truth and mystery in them.

The stories were told one after another, and Lin Zhiruo listened indifferently.

Su Su, who was sitting on her left, held her hand tightly, and whenever she heard something scary, she would hug Lin Zhiruo tightly for comfort and courage.

Lin Zhiruo felt Susu's fear and dependence, and an inexplicable warmth and sense of responsibility surged in her heart.

As the story progressed and deepened, it was finally the turn of the person next to Lin Zhiruo to tell the story.

Lin Zhiruo rubbed her sleepy eyes and felt lazy and listless.

Not only was the room packed with more than a dozen people, making the air a bit stuffy and oppressive, but everyone also lit incense to cover up body odor and purify the air.

Lin Zhiruo had a keen sense of smell and was extremely sensitive to smells. She felt dizzy and drowsy from the strong fragrance.

Hu Lan'er put down the cloth covering her head and held the lamp in front of her eyes, looking at it carefully.

She is not short but has a baby face with regular and delicate features, and is as beautiful as a fairy walking out of a painting.

Under the flickering firelight, her face revealed a strange charm and brilliance that made people fall in love and be fascinated by her.

"This is a mysterious story."

Hu Lan'er lowered her slightly childish voice and began to tell the story.