Chapter 138: Exploration of the Ancient Mansion

"You are the immortal, your whole family is composed of immortals..." What kind of talk is that? Lu Liang was even more speechless. He wiped his face and said irritably, "I wasn't even scolding you. The fact that you could turn the word 'immortal' into an insult is something I have to admit you are quite talented at. But aren't you afraid of divine retribution for being so disrespectful?"

Liu Ping spread his hands and said, "Apologies, but you were the one who asked such a strange question. Are you... really alright?"

"What could possibly be wrong with me!" Lu Liang's dark face turned almost blue with suppressed rage. What was with that look this guy was giving him, as if he were looking at a patient? But upon reflection, his own question did seem a bit odd...

Beside them, Wang, observing that the two were on the verge of an argument, quickly interjected, "Brother Liu, you misunderstood Brother Lu. In fact, I just remembered—Brother Lu must be referring to what happened a few days ago..."

The other students, who had been looking on in confusion, suddenly recalled the incident and nodded. "Oh, so it was that matter..."

Hearing this, Liu Ping was baffled. He frowned and asked, "That matter? What matter?"

Wang explained, "It was before the Dragon Boat Festival. We were out boating on the river, reciting poetry and drinking, when a thick fog suddenly descended and covered the entire surface of the river. Then, Brother Lu took out a telescope, seemed to see something, and was so startled that he sat down hard on the ground."

Liu Ping understood, though he kept a look of confusion on his face and asked, feigning ignorance, "And what did he see?"

"He said he saw you riding on the head of a dragon."

"So that’s why he asked if I was an immortal?" Liu Ping chuckled.

"That is exactly it."

Lu Liang looked solemn as he added, "Although the fog was quite thick that day, I saw clearly through that special telescope. It really seemed to be you."

Liu Ping thought for a moment and nodded. "That's right, it was me. I am indeed an immortal. Why haven't you knelt down to worship me yet? Where are the silver offerings and the young boys and girls?"

"Pah! Can you stop being so shameless, Brother Liu?" The other scholars could no longer hold back. "You looked so confused just a moment ago, and now you have the nerve to admit it and tell us to kneel? We aren't idiots."

Lu Liang also frowned, looking at Liu Ping with half-belief and evident confusion.

After chatting a bit more, Liu Ping prepared to take his leave, but Lu Liang kept insisting, pulling him back.

"What are you doing?"

Lu Liang said, "We are planning to explore an old residence and would like to invite you to join us."

"Not interested, I have other things to do..."

Liu Ping shook his head in refusal, but Lu Liang did not give up. After repeated entreaties, Liu Ping finally agreed to go explore the old mansion with them.

***

Dusk faded, the sky turned gloomy, and the earth was gradually swallowed by darkness. Liu Ping, Wang, Lu Liang, and four other students—seven in total—made their way through a dark, narrow alley.

The doors and windows on both sides of the street were tightly shut, and the area was deserted. Suddenly, a chilly wind picked up, causing the trees to rustle. The night, which had retained a hint of warmth, instantly turned cold.

The group shivered and hunched their shoulders. They looked at each other, but no one spoke as they continued in silence.

The atmosphere was eerie. The group felt their breathing tighten and their hearts pound incessantly. Before they even reached their destination, some were already thinking of turning back.

The surroundings were deathly quiet; not even the sound of insects could be heard. It was suffocating. Perhaps due to their own imaginations, everyone felt as if someone were watching them from the shadows.

Liu Ping, however, remained quite calm, walking briskly. Finding it a bit boring, he asked, "What is the story behind this old residence? And where is it?"

Hearing someone finally speak, the others let out a sigh of relief. Lu Liang said, "We are here."

Liu Ping was surprised and looked around in disbelief. "This is it?"

Lu Liang nodded. "Don't let the closed doors and windows or the desolate appearance fool you; people still live here. But strictly speaking, our destination isn't this spot, but the large mansion in the very back. As for the history of that place, you probably won't believe me if I tell you."

"So you aren't going to tell me?"

"You asked, so how could I not?"

Liu Ping was speechless. Just as he was about to make a snide comment, he saw Lu Liang continuing, so he closed his mouth.

"The old residence we are going to belonged to a prominent family. It occupied tens of acres, with buildings connected in rows. In its heyday, it was incredibly prosperous." Lu Liang sighed slightly as he began the tale.

Though the others had heard it before, hearing it again against the backdrop of their current surroundings made it feel chilling.

"The clan was surnamed Wu. This entire area was their estate, and they were very famous throughout Zhang Prefecture. They had an abandoned warehouse that was packed with countless rats. Even a strong man, if surrounded by that swarm, would be devoured until not even bones were left in an instant."

"It was an eerie affair. The head of the family didn't dare touch it, which inevitably became a laughingstock; people mocked them for not even daring to kill a few rats."

"Those rats often came out to cause trouble, giving the whole family a headache. They even raised many cats, but all were eaten by the rats."

"In fact, they used many methods to exterminate the rats, but the results were poor. The more they tried to eradicate them, the greater the plague became. It wasn't until they began to worship the rats that the trouble slowly subsided."

"Later, the family head was replaced by a strong-willed man. He was hot-tempered and had been deeply dissatisfied with this situation since childhood. Once he held power, he prepared to deal a heavy blow to these rats."

"The rats seemed to know that disaster was imminent. An elder rat transformed into an old man and told the family head’s concubine, 'Please tell Patriarch Wu that we do not wish for enmity. Give us three days, and we will lead our entire family away.' When the family head heard this, he said nothing."

"The next day, the patriarch resolutely used explosives and kerosene to flatten and burn the warehouse. The fire raged for three days and nights, killing an unknown number of rats. After that, there was a period of peace. But soon, strange phenomena began to occur. It seemed the vengeful spirits of the rats were making mischief, leaving the Wu family in constant turmoil. Even after hiring many monks and Taoists to perform rituals, it was to no avail."

"The Wu family suffered heavy casualties, and the patriarch himself was burned to death by fire. Those who remained fled the place in a hurry, and no one lived there again. As time passed, it became overgrown with weeds and mugwort. It was always gloomy, and even in broad daylight, no one dared to enter."

As the story ended, Lu Liang’s voice cut off abruptly. Seeing Liu Ping's still-calm expression, he felt a moment of frustration.

"Should we... maybe forget it? There doesn't seem to be anything worth seeing there." A traitor emerged from the group, officially calling for retreat.

Lu Liang glared at him. "You were the one who agreed most enthusiastically at the start, and now you're the first to back down."

Liu Ping pondered the story, shaking his head. Parts of it were likely exaggerated, but he suspected there was some truth to it!

If it were indeed true, there might still be rat demons haunting the Wu estate...

However, Liu Ping was not worried. They were all scholars of the Great Xia Dynasty, and since there was no enmity between them, those rats would never dare to touch them.

Soon, the seven arrived at the entrance.

The gate was dilapidated and left ajar. They could faintly see firelight inside. Several of them exclaimed in surprise, "There's actually... someone inside?"

Lu Liang was the boldest, and at this moment, he sounded quite excited. "It’s probably not a person; it’s likely those rat demons... Let’s go in and take a look."

With a creak, the gate was pushed open. Looking inside, where was the firelight?

The bright moonlight poured down, and they could vaguely see the courtyard. It was indeed a scene of desolation; long sedge grass obscured the path, and mugwort grew as thick as hemp. After fumbling around for a while, they found nothing, which was a great disappointment.

Lu Liang muttered to himself, "There's nothing here..."

There was a tone of regret in his voice, leaving the others speechless. Wasn't it better that there was nothing?

Liu Ping couldn't help but yawn. He had actually seen a few small rat spirits scurrying away in a panic, clearly frightened by his presence, but of course, he wouldn't tell the others.

However, it was at this moment that Lu Liang made a suggestion that shocked the rest of them.