Chapter 19: The Soul Suppressing Pagoda

Waiting for clues won't make them deliver themselves; after a brief discussion, the group decided to split up during the day to search for clues.

Shi Dali, Ke Long, and the third person remained in the manor to continue investigating, while Kuang Hongyi, Yang Xiao, and the other two left the manor to search for clues outside; everyone agreed to return here before dark to share the information they had gathered.

Yang Xiao and the other three followed their memories toward the manor gate; before long, servants from the manor caught up. Although they appeared polite on the surface, the moment they spoke, they claimed it was Liu Guanjia's order that they must follow them wherever they went, adding that it didn't matter if they wanted to leave the manor, as a carriage had already been prepared.

"Take us to the Laoniuwan Ferry," Yang Xiao said.

Upon hearing this, the fat servant behind them was stunned: "Laoniuwan Ferry?"

Kuang Hongyi couldn't help but frown: "What, is it inconvenient?"

"No, no, that's not it, it's just that the Laoniuwan Ferry is a long way off; after exiting the North City Gate, you still have to walk another ten-plus miles of mountain road."

"If we leave now, can we make it back before dusk?" This point was crucial.

The fat servant thought for a moment and finally gave a heavy nod: "It's possible with a carriage, but you cannot all ride in it, otherwise the horse won't be able to run."

"That's fine," Kuang Hongyi agreed, then turned to look at Yang Xiao: "Little brother, you come with me, Miss Xu, you and..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Xu Su. At this moment, Xu Su had changed from her previous icy attitude, her tone even carrying a hint of fragility: "Brother Kuang, it would be better if I went with Mr. Chu. You saw it yourself when we arrived; it's very chaotic around here, and it's ultimately inconvenient for us two women."

"Hmm, you are light, so the horse will be more relaxed running the mountain road." Before Kuang Hongyi could think of a reason to refuse, the fat servant agreed first.

Under the guidance of the fat servant, the group left the manor along the same path they had come yesterday, through the same side gate, where a carriage was waiting at the alley entrance.

Inside the carriage cabin was a cloth bundle containing some loose silver; the coachman explained that this was all arranged by Liu Guanjia, saying it was for the Lucky Guests to spend.

After distributing some silver to Kuang Hongyi and Su Tingting, while Xu Su was checking the carriage, Kuang Hongyi caught Yang Xiao's eye and beckoned him over, lowering his voice: "Brother Chu, keep your guard up along the way. This Xu Su might not be a good person either; don't get too close to her, beware of dealing with a tiger for its skin."

Yang Xiao agreed with a very serious face, but he didn't take it to heart at all. To him, whether it was Kuang Hongyi or Xu Su, they were all strangers; as long as their goals were aligned, they could cooperate.

Watching the carriage drive away, Kuang Hongyi's expression was complex. In the end, he had no choice but to take Su Tingting toward the other end of the street; they also had their own mission, which was to find out what the Feng Family's true reputation was locally and whether they had committed any evil deeds.

However, after checking several merchants in a row, everyone's story was surprisingly consistent: the Feng Family's local reputation was excellent; they provided disaster relief when there were disasters and emergency aid when there were emergencies, and many people had received the Feng Family's kindness.

Some poor families who could no longer survive, unable to bear parting with their sons, would arrange to sell their daughters. The Feng Family would also pay to buy the children and send them to the Nun Temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha's name; when they grew up, they would help them find a good family to marry into.

The locals had even wanted to build a Living Shrine for Master Feng to thank this great philanthropist praised by all in the surrounding ten miles, but Master Feng had politely declined.

"Could this Master Feng really be such a good person?" Su Tingting was also a bit confused, and looking at the sincere expressions of these people, it didn't seem like they were faking it.

Kuang Hongyi glanced at the Feng Family servants waiting not far outside the shop door and reminded her in a low voice: "Don't be blinded by appearances. Humans are the most complex and despicable creatures. A good doctor who performs charity and accumulates merit outside, even refusing to charge poor patients, might be a beast at home who abuses his wife and beats his mother. A teacher who has taught in the mountains for years might also be a disguised serial killer. Good and evil have boundaries, but people do not."

The sound of horse hooves clattered as the carriage traveled along the rugged mountain road, which was truly a torture for someone used to modern cars.

Yang Xiao lifted the curtain behind the carriage window; they had now left the city gate, and on both sides of the mountain road was a lush forest.

Just as Yang Xiao was admiring the rare scenery, the carriage suddenly began to slow down, and the coachman's somewhat nervous voice rang out: "Lucky Guests, from now on, do not speak, pull the curtains tight, and remember, absolutely do not look outside!"

Yang Xiao's heart tightened instantly, not entirely because of the coachman's words, but because he also felt it—a cold, chilling sensation in the vicinity.

The temperature inside the cabin seemed to drop several degrees suddenly; the curtains were blocked tightly, and the cabin immediately plunged into darkness.

Yang Xiao didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Just as he was wondering what was going on, a soft body leaned toward him, and a slightly cool hand slowly touched his hand, then bit by bit, gripped it tight. There was a tingling sensation in his ear; it was hair touching his cheek.

He could feel this body leaning against him trembling slightly. Yang Xiao didn't dare to move; after all, there were only he and Xu Su in this cabin.

Did that ghost follow us out from the old manor?

That's not right; even if it followed us out, there's no reason for it to find me. Su Tingting was the one possessed yesterday, and Kuang Hongyi was the one who ran out at night; I don't have any problems, do I?

This eerie atmosphere did not last long, perhaps only a few minutes. The cold, chilling feeling in the cabin slowly dissipated, and with a crisp crack of a horse whip, the carriage began to speed up, and the clatter of horse hooves became loud again.

"It's okay, Lucky Guests, we've passed it." The sound of the coachman letting out a sigh of relief came from outside the cabin.

Only then did Yang Xiao notice that the person leaning tightly against him was actually Xu Su. However, at this moment, Xu Su no longer had the cold aura she had when they first met; she was curled into a ball, leaning against the carriage wall on one side and against him on the other, and there were still faint tear stains on her pitiful face.

"Miss Xu?" Yang Xiao wanted to help her up, but Xu Su was still clutching his arm, not moving, and certainly not letting go.

A moment later, Xu Su seemed to have just come to her senses; she hurriedly let go, her cheeks flushing slightly, and she explained stumblingly: "I—I'm sorry, I was just... very scared. I thought I was going to die."

After comforting her with a few perfunctory words, Yang Xiao pulled back the carriage curtain, looked outside, and then asked: "What was that thing just now?"

"Oh, it's a pagoda," the coachman replied while driving; it seemed he was no stranger to that thing.

"A pagoda? Can a pagoda be this evil?" He had clearly felt a chill earlier, as if something had set its sights on him.

"You don't often travel this road, so it's no surprise you don't know. That's not an ordinary pagoda; it's a Soul Suppressing Pagoda built under the direction of a barefoot monk, and it's been there for many years."