Ch 12: Demonic Mayhem
Si Ming pushed open the large door; a wave of decaying air, heavy with damp coldness, washed over him, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
Perhaps due to prolonged vacancy, or perhaps for other reasons, the house was very damp; droplets of condensation were visible on the floor, making a plink-plink sound underfoot.
Passing through the entrance hall, one faced a circular staircase leading to the second and third floors; corridors leading to other rooms branched off from either side of the stairs.
The interior of the house was mostly composed of white marble tiles; the suspended staircase was encircled by an exquisitely carved bronze handrail featuring lion heads.
Several oil paintings, sealed in vacuum frames, hung on the walls; these were famous reproductions, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, suggesting that the house’s Master had a fondness for Da Vinci’s work.
In short, the entire house had the air of a European noble’s residence; simply entering evoked a feeling of luxurious superiority.
However, Si Ming didn’t linger on the room’s decor; he scanned the floor, finding nothing dropped, and the spot where the sound had originated was completely empty.
This convinced Si Ming that something unclean was definitely inside.
An ordinary person might be apprehensive in such a place, but Si Ming was not; on the contrary, he was excited.
The more unusual the house was, the more it confirmed that he was in the right place; the Ghost Artifact, the “Taisui Coffin,” was likely here!
He recalled the intelligence regarding the Taisui Coffin.
The Taisui Coffin was an earthbound Yin object, so it couldn’t possibly be on an upper floor; this significantly narrowed his search area—he only needed to find the basement.
He picked up the floor plan he’d obtained from the Sales Department.
Si Ming quickly found the basement door at the stairwell’s corner.
After pushing open the basement door, a deep, dark passage appeared before Si Ming.
He tried pressing a nearby switch; the wall lamps in the basement flickered a few times before illuminating.
Seeing this, Si Ming went down the stairs.
Unlike upstairs, Si Ming could distinctly feel the temperature difference upon entering the passage.
A penetrating chill, almost bone-chilling, permeated the air; in May, this temperature was exceptionally low.
Pulling his clothes tighter, Si Ming braved the cold and entered the basement; however, he didn’t notice that as he passed through the basement door, the figures in the oil paintings on the stairs all slowly turned their eyes towards the direction he disappeared.
Whether it was the Mona Lisa or Jesus’ disciples, their lips curved upwards in a ghostly smile.
Fine beads of blood oozed from the eyes of these painted figures, tracing crimson trails down the portraits before dripping onto the stairs.
Then, these blood droplets seemed to come alive, seeping into the floor and vanishing without a trace.
Si Ming was completely unaware of all this.
Si Ming was still inspecting the basement’s clutter.
But the basement was small; after searching everywhere, Si Ming still couldn’t find the Taisui Coffin.
This caused Si Ming to frown.
Not here? Impossible?
This basement being this cold in May definitely meant something unclean was present.
Could there be a secret compartment?
Thinking this, Si Ming decided to check the walls.
“Escape~~~”
Suddenly, a faint voice reached his ears; it sounded like a voice strained to its limits, instantly making Si Ming vigilant.
He sharply scanned his surroundings—no one, nothing!
But Si Ming heard it clearly; someone had just whispered “escape” in his ear.
Although the voice was soft, it was undoubtedly a warning!
“Who are you? What do you want to tell me?”
Possessing the “Ghostly Chatter” ability, Si Ming attempted to communicate with the ghostly being.
After Si Ming spoke, the voice suddenly rang out again.
“Quick~~~escape, the blood……the blood will~~eat people~”
This time, Si Ming understood; it sounded like an old man’s voice, issuing a warning!
Although he didn’t understand what was happening, his past life’s experience told Si Ming that the voice’s owner meant him no harm; it was desperately trying to warn him.
“Above~~~head~, escape~~~~”
“Above?”
He abruptly looked up at the ceiling; this casual glance instantly caused Si Ming’s expression to change drastically.
On the ceiling above him was a horrifying expanse of bloodstains!
This mass of blood was deeply embedded in the cement; it pulsed and spread, with the dark blood forming several grotesque, distorted faces.
These faces seemed to be in agonizing struggle, trying to escape the blood’s control, but the bloodstain was like a demon’s hand, firmly gripping and kneading these distorted faces together.
Furthermore, a drop of dark blood was forming above him, about to fall.
Seeing the grotesque bloodstain about to drip, Si Ming’s pupils constricted, and he leaped backward.
The instant Si Ming moved, the drop of blood fell, landing where he had just been standing.
As the blood dripped, the floor spread out a large stain, like a bowl of water into which black dye had been dropped.
This terrifying sight made Si Ming’s scalp tingle; if he hadn’t dodged, the consequences of being hit by that blood would have been unimaginable!
However, this characteristic reminded Si Ming of some information about the Taisui Coffin from his past life.
Legend had it that a ghostly being called the Blood Taisui was born alongside the Ghost Artifact Taisui Coffin.
The Blood Taisui lived off the Taisui Coffin, preying on any living thing that came near; could this be the Blood Taisui?
Understanding this, Si Ming didn’t hesitate—one word: Escape!
The Blood Taisui was a B-class ghostly being in his past life.
Although the terror hadn’t fully revived, judging from the bloodstain, the Blood Taisui clearly already possessed the ability to hunt humans.
This made Si Ming realize a serious problem.
That is, the ghostly beings in this house may have prematurely revived because of the Taisui Coffin!
If that were the case, he would have no chance of winning against a B-class ghostly being with his current strength!
Understanding this, Si Ming didn’t stay to fight; with a few strides, he dashed out of the basement.
As soon as he burst from the basement, Si Ming saw the oil paintings on the walls displaying their chilling smiles, and the once quiet house was now filled with various creaking sounds.
The sounds of metal clashing, porcelain shattering, and other strange noises came from all directions, like demons dancing!
Seeing this, Si Ming immediately pushed open the door and ran out of the house.
He ran towards Manager Wu Xiuping’s car; the manager was standing beside the car, looking at West Suburb Manor House #3 with a terrified expression, clearly having heard the commotion inside.
“Si…Sir Si, did you hear the noises from the house?”
Seeing Si Ming running back, Wu Xiuping quickly asked.
“I did.”
Si Ming nodded impassively.
Honestly, the situation at West Suburb Manor House #3 was far more complicated than he’d imagined.
He’d initially thought the haunting was due to the Ghost Artifact Taisui Coffin, but it now seemed that there was not only the Taisui Coffin but also a large number of ghostly beings attracted by it!
This was rather troublesome!
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