Chapter 002: My Cabinet Moved! I’m Done Playing!
Flecks of ghostly green light floated outside the door, casting a shadowy figure. The figure had limbs and seemed to drag something large in its hand. Where the neck should be, there was a clean cut— he was headless.
"Did you hide my head?" The sobbing voice resounded again, this time sounding as if it were right at the door gap, alarmingly close, as if it could enter any second.
The ornate, aged glass door began to quiver. A crimson liquid seeped in, filling the room with the stench of blood. Amid this terrifying ambiance, even the red-clothed female ghost subdued her restlessness. She stopped trying to crash into the mirror and, driven by fear, attempted to hide inside a cabinet.
Chi Shen turned on the light first.
It's unclear whether...
Era.
Due to its age, the room's lighting was dim, emanating from an old-fashioned incandescent bulb. Under this muted light, the flowing red liquid and the trembling door became even more pronounced.
"Come in," Chi Shen's voice was impeccably polite. In such an antiquated setting, one might half-expect him to offer a hot cup of tea to his guest.
The shaking door abruptly stilled, suggesting a momentary perplexity in the headless ghost outside.
"Heh-heh."
A soft chuckle echoed, followed by the door slamming open. Chilling winds carried joss paper into the room. A burly male corpse stepped towards the entrance, blood dripping steadily from his severed neck, each step leaving a bloody footprint behind.
"Scrraatch—"
As he moved, the massive axe he dragged made a crisp noise on the stone floor. Layers upon layers of dried and fresh blood covered the axe's wide blade, concealing its original hue, save for the gleaming edge.
"Have you seen my head?"
The voice of the headless ghost seemed to emanate from all directions. Despite lacking a head, his words felt piercing, as if attempting to burrow into one's soul.
"If you can't find it, yours might just do."
The headless ghost, raising his enormous axe, filled the room with his cold, mirthless laughter.
Only when the ghost brandished his weapon did Chi Shen snap to attention, darting towards a cabinet.
The headless apparition seemed elated, his laughter taking on an even more gleeful edge. He delighted in chasing hapless mortals who wandered into the haunted mansion, savoring their expressions of terror before testing if their heads suited him. He leisurely pursued the seemingly frail man before him, anticipating a taste of prime fear.
"Is this the head you're looking for?" Chi Shen pulled out a disheveled female ghost's head from the cabinet.
The female ghost mumbled incomprehensibly, her swollen tongue trapped in her mouth. In her urgency, she signaled the headless specter with her eyes, seemingly urging her 'neighbor' to flee.
"Hahaha, reduced to this after violating the 'Dead Ground', you pathetic creature!" The neighbor missed her silent plea, laughing from every direction. "A mere human controls you? Don't worry, I'll soon devour you and rid you of this disgrace."
"It seems this head won't do," Chi Shen remarked with feigned regret, releasing the female ghost's head. It dropped to the ground, and she swiftly slid under the bed using her remaining hand.
The headless ghost grew impatient. He relished the sight of fear, but this man remained eerily composed, showing no hint of terror. The ghost resolved to make his final move and see if the man's head was a suitable match for his own body.
The enormous axe swung again, creating a gust that caused joss papers to flutter in like snowflakes.
"You may be mistaken about something," Chi Shen, watching the approaching axe, extended his right hand. "This young lady didn't fall to the so-called 'Dead Ground'; I'm the one who decapitated her."
As the massive axe descended, a haughty laughter echoed from the headless ghost: "Is that... my head on your neck?"
The wind suddenly stilled, even the drifting paper money vanished.
The laughter that seemed to squeeze one's heart from all directions ceased.
Everything felt as if it had been paused.
The slender young man in the room raised his right hand, gripping the axe that was wider than any man. Blood trickled down his palm, not from his own wound but from the blood already on the axe.
Black mist, reminiscent of snakes, slithered out from Chi Shen's sleeve, twining around the massive axe. The axe shuddered before shattering to pieces, and still the mist wasn't sated, spiraling around the body of the headless ghost.
The omnipresent voice in the room shifted from dominance to terrified screams.
"Excellent," Chi Shen gave a small smile, "even brought your powers into this game. The game is quite generous to its players."
The red-clothed female ghost, with one hand gripping the bedpost, sneaked a peek from underneath the bed. The one visible eye, not obscured by hair, showed a look of sympathy. She dared not linger and quickly retreated back.
"Even if you kill me, you won't leave this house! There are ghosts far more formidable than me everywhere!" The headless ghost was entirely ensnared by the serpentine black mist, with snake-like heads emerging from the mist, biting and consuming his form.
A fear he'd never known since his death overcame the headless ghost, his voice trembling. If he'd been killed with a single stroke, he wouldn't have been so afraid. Watching his form being consumed bit by bit, the sensation of his ghostly existence fading, made him deeply regret challenging this man.
If only to survive... just to survive...
"Who said anything about killing you?" Chi Shen gestured, and the black mists retracted their biting heads, merely swirling around the ghost.
"Huh?" The headless ghost, about to threaten, paused, hope surging within. He quickly proposed, "If you spare me, I can mediate with the elder ghosts for you..."
Chi Shen smiled, "Help me?"
"No! I'll inform those elder ghosts of your prowess, let them know you're not to be trifled with!" the headless ghost hastily responded.
"I'm not your 'big brother'," Chi Shen beckoned him closer.
The headless ghost immediately bowed, "Mas... Master! What would you have me do?"
Chi Shen pointed to the ground.
The headless ghost obediently sank half his form into the floor, "You want me to go below?"
"No," Chi Shen sneered, "Pick up every piece of that spirit money. Wipe away every drop of blood. And as for your bleeding neck, if you dare to stain the floor again, you won't need to worry about finding your head."
The headless ghost's neck healed instantly. He even made a point to catch the blood on his clothes, fearing it might drip onto the floor.
"Newcomer…" A young boy, dressed in burial clothes and cheeks painted with bright red blush, suddenly appeared at the door. Leaning into the room, he peeked in and said, "Come play hide and seek with me..."
His voice halted abruptly upon seeing the headless ghost mopping the floor and he quickly took a step back.
"Don't run," Chi Shen noted the fleeing clue and quickly pursued, "Weren't we going to play hide and seek?"
The boy dashed around a house corner. He knew this mansion like the back of his hand. There were vengeful spirits everywhere, and the man wouldn't dare chase him too far. Still, to be safe, the boy ran into a room he frequented, hid inside a cabinet, and shut the door.
Through the cabinet slits, he saw no one following and finally let out a sigh of relief.
But then, he felt something was off inside the cabinet. There seemed to be someone else besides him.
"It's quite cramped in here, don't you think?"
Chi Shen illuminated the space with his phone's flashlight. Under its pale glow, his face appeared eerily sinister, and combined with his malevolent grin, he seemed even more terrifying than the boy in burial clothes.
The menacing young man reached out, smiling wickedly, "Gotcha."
"Ahh!!!"
The cabinet door burst open. The boy screamed and tumbled out in a panic. Chi Shen casually grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up and leisurely exited the room, heading towards his own quarters.
As he walked down the corridor, Chi Shen glanced towards the main hall of the mansion, noticing the seal tape. It seemed ordinary, but the young ghost had intentionally avoided it earlier.
What's inside the main hall?
Is it the "dead zone" the spirits spoke of?
——
Outside the Bai family's old mansion, two young men stood by the entrance. One looked hesitant and fearful, while the other, with a fierce expression, mocked, "With that level of courage, how are you even serving the Bai family?"
The timid one replied, "Let's come back tomorrow to retrieve the body. There are too many ghosts inside the mansion; it's not safe now."
The bolder one retorted, "The young master said not to let him die on the first night. That would be letting him off too easy. We're going in to let those ghosts torment him a bit, not to collect a body."
The timid one shrank back, "It still sounds too risky."
The bolder one scoffed, "What are you scared of? We have the Bai family's protective talismans. Those ghosts won't dare touch us."
——
The clock in the room steadily ticked its way to midnight.
The bedroom floor was immaculately cleaned, so much so that one could see their reflection on it.
Chi Shen was questioning the newly acquired ghost.
"Do you know Bai Ran?"
The little ghost trembled and shook his head.
Chi Shen then asked the headless ghost, "How about you?"
Unable to shake his head, the headless ghost's voice echoed in the room, "I don’t."
Due to a portion of his body being consumed by the black mist, the headless ghost's voice wasn’t as resonant as before. It was neither loud nor soft and carried a hint of weakness.
Not disheartened, Chi Shen stood up, "Then let's visit the others. As a newcomer, I want to establish a good relationship with the neighbors. I'd love an undisturbed sleep, and while I'm at it, I might as well inquire if they know the young master of this mansion."
Chapter 002: My Cabinet Moved! I’m Done Playing!
Flecks of ghostly green light floated outside the door, casting a shadowy figure. The figure had limbs and seemed to drag something large in its hand. Where the neck should be, there was a clean cut— he was headless.
"Did you hide my head?" The sobbing voice resounded again, this time sounding as if it were right at the door gap, alarmingly close, as if it could enter any second.
The ornate, aged glass door began to quiver. A crimson liquid seeped in, filling the room with the stench of blood. Amid this terrifying ambiance, even the red-clothed female ghost subdued her restlessness. She stopped trying to crash into the mirror and, driven by fear, attempted to hide inside a cabinet.
Chi Shen turned on the light first.
It's unclear whether...
Era.
Due to its age, the room's lighting was dim, emanating from an old-fashioned incandescent bulb. Under this muted light, the flowing red liquid and the trembling door became even more pronounced.
"Come in," Chi Shen's voice was impeccably polite. In such an antiquated setting, one might half-expect him to offer a hot cup of tea to his guest.
The shaking door abruptly stilled, suggesting a momentary perplexity in the headless ghost outside.
"Heh-heh."
A soft chuckle echoed, followed by the door slamming open. Chilling winds carried joss paper into the room. A burly male corpse stepped towards the entrance, blood dripping steadily from his severed neck, each step leaving a bloody footprint behind.
"Scrraatch—"
As he moved, the massive axe he dragged made a crisp noise on the stone floor. Layers upon layers of dried and fresh blood covered the axe's wide blade, concealing its original hue, save for the gleaming edge.
"Have you seen my head?"
The voice of the headless ghost seemed to emanate from all directions. Despite lacking a head, his words felt piercing, as if attempting to burrow into one's soul.
"If you can't find it, yours might just do."
The headless ghost, raising his enormous axe, filled the room with his cold, mirthless laughter.
Only when the ghost brandished his weapon did Chi Shen snap to attention, darting towards a cabinet.
The headless apparition seemed elated, his laughter taking on an even more gleeful edge. He delighted in chasing hapless mortals who wandered into the haunted mansion, savoring their expressions of terror before testing if their heads suited him. He leisurely pursued the seemingly frail man before him, anticipating a taste of prime fear.
"Is this the head you're looking for?" Chi Shen pulled out a disheveled female ghost's head from the cabinet.
The female ghost mumbled incomprehensibly, her swollen tongue trapped in her mouth. In her urgency, she signaled the headless specter with her eyes, seemingly urging her 'neighbor' to flee.
"Hahaha, reduced to this after violating the 'Dead Ground', you pathetic creature!" The neighbor missed her silent plea, laughing from every direction. "A mere human controls you? Don't worry, I'll soon devour you and rid you of this disgrace."
"It seems this head won't do," Chi Shen remarked with feigned regret, releasing the female ghost's head. It dropped to the ground, and she swiftly slid under the bed using her remaining hand.
The headless ghost grew impatient. He relished the sight of fear, but this man remained eerily composed, showing no hint of terror. The ghost resolved to make his final move and see if the man's head was a suitable match for his own body.
The enormous axe swung again, creating a gust that caused joss papers to flutter in like snowflakes.
"You may be mistaken about something," Chi Shen, watching the approaching axe, extended his right hand. "This young lady didn't fall to the so-called 'Dead Ground'; I'm the one who decapitated her."
As the massive axe descended, a haughty laughter echoed from the headless ghost: "Is that... my head on your neck?"
The wind suddenly stilled, even the drifting paper money vanished.
The laughter that seemed to squeeze one's heart from all directions ceased.
Everything felt as if it had been paused.
The slender young man in the room raised his right hand, gripping the axe that was wider than any man. Blood trickled down his palm, not from his own wound but from the blood already on the axe.
Black mist, reminiscent of snakes, slithered out from Chi Shen's sleeve, twining around the massive axe. The axe shuddered before shattering to pieces, and still the mist wasn't sated, spiraling around the body of the headless ghost.
The omnipresent voice in the room shifted from dominance to terrified screams.
"Excellent," Chi Shen gave a small smile, "even brought your powers into this game. The game is quite generous to its players."
The red-clothed female ghost, with one hand gripping the bedpost, sneaked a peek from underneath the bed. The one visible eye, not obscured by hair, showed a look of sympathy. She dared not linger and quickly retreated back.
"Even if you kill me, you won't leave this house! There are ghosts far more formidable than me everywhere!" The headless ghost was entirely ensnared by the serpentine black mist, with snake-like heads emerging from the mist, biting and consuming his form.
A fear he'd never known since his death overcame the headless ghost, his voice trembling. If he'd been killed with a single stroke, he wouldn't have been so afraid. Watching his form being consumed bit by bit, the sensation of his ghostly existence fading, made him deeply regret challenging this man.
If only to survive... just to survive...
"Who said anything about killing you?" Chi Shen gestured, and the black mists retracted their biting heads, merely swirling around the ghost.
"Huh?" The headless ghost, about to threaten, paused, hope surging within. He quickly proposed, "If you spare me, I can mediate with the elder ghosts for you..."
Chi Shen smiled, "Help me?"
"No! I'll inform those elder ghosts of your prowess, let them know you're not to be trifled with!" the headless ghost hastily responded.
"I'm not your 'big brother'," Chi Shen beckoned him closer.
The headless ghost immediately bowed, "Mas... Master! What would you have me do?"
Chi Shen pointed to the ground.
The headless ghost obediently sank half his form into the floor, "You want me to go below?"
"No," Chi Shen sneered, "Pick up every piece of that spirit money. Wipe away every drop of blood. And as for your bleeding neck, if you dare to stain the floor again, you won't need to worry about finding your head."
The headless ghost's neck healed instantly. He even made a point to catch the blood on his clothes, fearing it might drip onto the floor.
"Newcomer…" A young boy, dressed in burial clothes and cheeks painted with bright red blush, suddenly appeared at the door. Leaning into the room, he peeked in and said, "Come play hide and seek with me..."
His voice halted abruptly upon seeing the headless ghost mopping the floor and he quickly took a step back.
"Don't run," Chi Shen noted the fleeing clue and quickly pursued, "Weren't we going to play hide and seek?"
The boy dashed around a house corner. He knew this mansion like the back of his hand. There were vengeful spirits everywhere, and the man wouldn't dare chase him too far. Still, to be safe, the boy ran into a room he frequented, hid inside a cabinet, and shut the door.
Through the cabinet slits, he saw no one following and finally let out a sigh of relief.
But then, he felt something was off inside the cabinet. There seemed to be someone else besides him.
"It's quite cramped in here, don't you think?"
Chi Shen illuminated the space with his phone's flashlight. Under its pale glow, his face appeared eerily sinister, and combined with his malevolent grin, he seemed even more terrifying than the boy in burial clothes.
The menacing young man reached out, smiling wickedly, "Gotcha."
"Ahh!!!"
The cabinet door burst open. The boy screamed and tumbled out in a panic. Chi Shen casually grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up and leisurely exited the room, heading towards his own quarters.
As he walked down the corridor, Chi Shen glanced towards the main hall of the mansion, noticing the seal tape. It seemed ordinary, but the young ghost had intentionally avoided it earlier.
What's inside the main hall?
Is it the "dead zone" the spirits spoke of?
——
Outside the Bai family's old mansion, two young men stood by the entrance. One looked hesitant and fearful, while the other, with a fierce expression, mocked, "With that level of courage, how are you even serving the Bai family?"
The timid one replied, "Let's come back tomorrow to retrieve the body. There are too many ghosts inside the mansion; it's not safe now."
The bolder one retorted, "The young master said not to let him die on the first night. That would be letting him off too easy. We're going in to let those ghosts torment him a bit, not to collect a body."
The timid one shrank back, "It still sounds too risky."
The bolder one scoffed, "What are you scared of? We have the Bai family's protective talismans. Those ghosts won't dare touch us."
——
The clock in the room steadily ticked its way to midnight.
The bedroom floor was immaculately cleaned, so much so that one could see their reflection on it.
Chi Shen was questioning the newly acquired ghost.
"Do you know Bai Ran?"
The little ghost trembled and shook his head.
Chi Shen then asked the headless ghost, "How about you?"
Unable to shake his head, the headless ghost's voice echoed in the room, "I don’t."
Due to a portion of his body being consumed by the black mist, the headless ghost's voice wasn’t as resonant as before. It was neither loud nor soft and carried a hint of weakness.
Not disheartened, Chi Shen stood up, "Then let's visit the others. As a newcomer, I want to establish a good relationship with the neighbors. I'd love an undisturbed sleep, and while I'm at it, I might as well inquire if they know the young master of this mansion."
