Mysterious Awakening

The tranquility that blanketed the village during the night was incomparable. Its sparse population seemingly vanished entirely as twilight fell, and the sleepy elderly residents withdrew into their dreams, leaving behind a peaceful, deserted settlement that almost felt as though it existed in a different dimension. An eerie calm pervaded the surroundings, its stillness teetering on the edge of discomfort.

However, on the outskirts of the village, an anomaly shattered this serene tableau.

A solitary house stood out, its door yawning open, and the radiating warmth from within sliced through the cool stillness of the night. The heart of this house, its main hall, was dominated by a red lacquered coffin, positioned with meticulous precision. Its presence was accompanied by a couple of dwindling white wax candles, their flickering light casting eerie shadows that capered across the walls, filling the space with an indescribable sense of gloom.

Adjacent to the coffin, a table held up a portrait of a young man. Shrouded by the thick, night-time mist, only a vague silhouette was visible. A perturbing aura seemed to seep out from it, permeating the entire space.

“Where have all the villagers disappeared to? Isn’t it customary to have someone standing vigil through the night at a funeral?” The group of visitors stood at the threshold, peering inside with expressions of unease after absorbing the chilling scene.

“Since our arrival, this village has been puzzling. A ghost roams freely at night, and yet, the villagers seem to live their lives unfazed,” remarked Zhang Yiming, his tone grave, “I sensed this anomaly even during daylight hours. Everything seemed excessively normal.”

“Exactly, the extraordinary ordinariness of this place is downright disturbing,” Zhang Han concurred.

Their initial skepticism about the existence of a ghost had led them to question the villagers’ nonchalance. But the events unfolding that night had confirmed the spectral presence.

Any rational individual would have fled from a house haunted by a spirit. Even the oldest villagers, tethered to their roots, would be hard-pressed to tolerate such a haunting.

“Let’s momentarily ignore the puzzling behavior of the villagers and concentrate on the issue at hand. If the specter indeed haunts this house, it makes our task easier. We can handle it. And once it’s taken care of, all other problems will evaporate,” proposed Ye Jun.

“We shouldn’t let our guards down just yet. One person’s already dead, and he was a ghost tamer. Any of us could be next if we aren’t careful,” Ouyang Tian rebutted, his face grim.

Zhang Yiming cut in, “True, complacency isn’t an option, but neither is inaction. Now that we’ve decided to stay, we must proceed with our investigation.”

Their hearts weighed down by apprehension, the group’s gaze inevitably returned to the coffin, ominously stationed before the shrine.

Miles, meanwhile, opted to hang back as they ventured inside. Under the circumstances, maintaining a low profile seemed like the wisest course of action.

Before long, the group was huddled inside the main hall.

Perhaps it was a trick of their nerves, but it seemed like the temperature dropped dramatically as soon as they crossed the threshold. A frigid cold washed over them, making them shudder involuntarily.

“Let’s avoid the coffin for now, considering it may be cursed. We should explore the rest of the house first. If nothing suspicious turns up, we’ll regroup here. The house is small; it’s improbable that one of us could be attacked without the others getting a chance to react. If anyone is attacked, scream for help, and the rest of us will rush over,” Zhang Yiming suggested, his voice barely above a whisper.

The group was plunged into uncertainty, with no concrete proof that the ghost they sought actually resided within this house. Should it indeed be present, they would then have to strategize and devise an efficient plan to capture it.

“I agree with that approach. But let’s ensure we don’t wander off too far,” Ye Jun added his approval with a firm nod.

Meanwhile, Miles finally voiced his thoughts as he watched the coffin: “I second Zhang Yiming’s plan as well. The peculiar positioning of the coffin here strikes me as unusual. It doesn’t make sense to any rational mind, hence it’s wise to maintain distance for now. We can revisit this matter once we’ve ensured the surroundings are safe.” His words marked the start of their exploration as they each set off to different parts of the house.

In a situation fraught with danger, it was given to proceed with caution, but it was equally important not to shirk responsibilities. Solidarity was key if they were to weather this ominous storm.

The house sprawled across three floors, each level comprising three to four rooms. It was a rudimentary layout, commonplace in countryside dwellings. If searched collectively, it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

However, just as they were about to disperse from the main hall, a flicker from the candlelight seemed to stir a sinister transformation in the portrait by the coffin.

The man’s face depicted in the portrait started to fade into obscurity on one side, his mouth twisting into a horrifying, eerie smile. At the same time, the surrounding candlelight weakened noticeably, its flames sputtering, struggling to hold onto life.

Oddly enough, none of these unsettling transformations caught the attention of the ghost tamers.

“Any luck?” Zhang Han emerged from a room to quietly check with Miles in the corridor.

A pair of spectral eyes had manifested on the back of Miles’s head, providing him with a complete field of vision.

“Nothing. Not only is there no trace of the ghost, but there’s also no sign of any night watchers for the funeral. If my intuition serves me right, this house is utterly deserted. What happened to all the people we saw earlier in the day? Zhang Yiming hit the nail on the head; there’s something uncanny about this village. We should rendezvous downstairs and prepare to examine the coffin. If it’s true that the house is devoid of inhabitants, it’s plausible that the coffin is empty too, potentially housing a ghost rather than a body.”

However, just as Miles was about to pivot and head downstairs after his statement, a sudden…

“Oomph, oomph.” A barely audible cough, eerily resembling a death rattle, echoed from the room behind them.

An icy wave of horror coursed down Miles’s spine. He found it hard to believe since he had thoroughly searched that room just moments ago.

“Miles~!” Zhang Han swiftly spun around, his features contorting into a grimace as his body began to convulse, standing on the brink of unleashing his powers. “Leave this to me.”

Without wasting another second, Miles too whirled around, kicking the partly closed door wide open for Zhang Han. He quickly scanned the room for the ghost, utilizing his aura and spectral vision. Yet, it was empty.

“It’s… it’s vanished…” Miles murmured to himself.

“Damn it, did it make a fool out of us?!” Zhang Han’s voice simmered with fury.

The ghost was undoubtedly close, possibly within an arm’s reach, yet they had let this golden opportunity slip through their fingers.

“Unless…” A chilling realization hit Miles, his body stiffening, “unless… this ghost has a ghost domain.”

This capacity would empower the phantom, known as the “Sick Ghost,” to manifest anywhere within the confines of the village.

“Tap, tap, tap~!”

Suddenly, the hollow sound of footsteps descending the stairs reverberated through the gloomy hallway in front of them.

“In the corridor!” Zhang Han’s face contorted in fury as he sprinted forward, leaving Miles behind. Backing down wasn’t an option anymore. In such perilous circumstances, they had to act decisively, or fear would only accelerate their demise.

In a house of three stories, the staircase was comparatively brief. Therefore, Zhang Han managed to bridge the distance within seconds.

“This can’t be happening.” A chorus of gasps filled the stairwell, their tones saturated with sheer disbelief.

The figure they ran into was not a specter but rather Zhang Yiming and the others.

While they had been scanning the lower floors, the second group was drawn by an unusual sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. They were just about to probe further when they collided with Zhang Han who was sprinting downwards.

This scenario seemed eerily similar to a previous event they had experienced in the village.

“Everyone, keep calm, it’s just us,” Zhang Yiming responded quickly, shouting to dispel the escalating tension.

“We’ve experienced this before. We were lured here by the sound of the footsteps,” Miles caught up, his face contorting into a grimace when he suddenly sensed something amiss, “Hold on, where’s Ouyang Tian, the one who normally keeps a low profile?”

Ouyang Tian?

Everyone glanced around in a sudden panic, a chill running down their spines when they realized he was indeed absent.

“Retreat!” Zhang Yiming’s command echoed sharply as he turned on his heels to dash downstairs.

The rest of the team quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. After all, He Sheng had met an inexplicable fate just a while ago.

However, at that moment, the candles casting a faint glow over the memorial hall had been extinguished long ago, plunging the entire area into oppressive darkness.

The memorial photograph stationed on the altar was swallowed up by the encompassing darkness, undergoing a cryptic transformation that bore an eerie resemblance to Ouyang Tian.