Chapter 63: Summoning Life

"We have invited a few other experts; with them holding the line, as long as you Lucky Guests do as I say tonight, we can ensure there will be no mistakes."

"The three of you will pilot your boats in front to clear the way for the large ship—one person each to the front, left, and right, heading toward the center of the lake. The task for Lucky Guest Shi is much simpler; you only need to look after the Second Young Mistress in the cabin."

"The experts have calculated that it will likely only take the time of 5 sticks of Incense to finish tonight. To remind you of the time, we will prepare 5 drum beats on the shore."

"When you hear the first drum beat, you set off. The second drum beat means you have reached your positions and can stop your boats. The third drum beat is to tell the time and also to remind you never to approach the large ship. If all goes well, Xi Yao will appear on the large ship at this time."

"No matter what happens then, do not panic. You may return when the fourth drum beat sounds, but remember, you must return to the shore before the 5th drum beat, otherwise you will be trapped on the lake and never be able to come back."

As soon as Liu Guanjia finished speaking, Shi Dali's dissatisfied voice rang out, "Then what about me? They each have a boat, are you expecting me to pilot the Boxi Boat and return together with the Second Young Mistress?"

"Hehe, Lucky Guest Shi, please calm down, we naturally have preparations." Liu Guanjia soothed him with kind words: "We have tied a small boat to the back of the large ship. Once things are finished, you can pilot the small boat and leave together with the other three Lucky Guests."

"By the way, we have also prepared this for the four Lucky Guests." With a wave of Liu Guanjia's hand, several servants carried over two chests. After opening them, inside were several sets of Paper Clothes.

"What does this mean? Do you want us to dress up as Paper People?" Kuang Hongyi widened his eyes; the last time he dressed as a Paper Person left him with a very bad impression.

Liu Guanjia waved his hands and explained patiently: "The four Lucky Guests should not overthink it. These Paper Clothes are for your safety. They were all custom-made by several experts my master paid a high price to hire. As long as you wear them on your bodies, they can ward off Evil Spirits."

Yang Xiao took the Paper Clothes handed over by the servant. These Paper Clothes were very strange; Yang Xiao had never seen this style before. The inside was very soft and didn't feel like paper to the touch, while the outside was covered in countless paper strips of varying sizes pasted vertically. The strips hung down, and from a distance, they looked like talismans, but there were no characters on them, nor were there any ghost-drawn symbols; it was just a strange white set of Paper Clothes.

The Paper Clothes were of different sizes, taken out by the servants and handed over to Yang Xiao and the others one by one. It seemed every piece was custom-tailored.

Soon, the four of them, with the help of the servants, put on the Paper Clothes. After moving around a bit, it was fine; the Paper Clothes did not restrict their movement. Additionally, it saved the step of applying makeup from before. Recalling the Yellow Paper that had been sewn onto his face back then, Yang Xiao's right eyebrow still throbbed with pain.

Just at this moment, bursts of exclamations came from near the Boxi Boat. Shortly after, a middle-aged man with a tattoo on his arm ran over and urged in a clumsy tone: "Liu Guanjia, the master says it can begin now."

"Look, you all." Su Tingting looked toward the lake surface. White mist had risen from the pitch-black lake at some unknown time. The two colors mixed together, eventually turning into a gray, hazy feeling, as if it came from another world.

Clenching his fingers and keeping his gaze fixed on the lake, Liu Guanjia's breathing grew rapid, "Quick, the four Lucky Guests, get ready, it's about to start!"

"Wait! After the four drum beats end, how do we make sure we can find our way back to the shore?" This was the question Yang Xiao cared about most. After all, they had been tricked by the large red Lanterns last time, and tricked twice at that. It wouldn't be strange for any weird thing to emerge from this Ghost Mist.

"You can rest assured about that; it's already prepared. At the same time the fourth drum beat sounds, we will set up the Red Threshold and assemble the Wedding Gate to bring you back."

Following Liu Guanjia's finger, in another busy area on the shore, several people were squatting on the ground, tying things with rope, with several long pieces of wood piled up nearby.

Besides that, there were some hanging red cloths, red Lanterns, and red lotus flowers. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was a large red threshold; it was unclear where it had been dug up from, but it was currently placed behind the group.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The first drum beat, it had come.

The dull drum sound seemed to strike directly into people's hearts. Yang Xiao and the others no longer hesitated and immediately boarded their boats, while Shi Dali ran toward the Boxi Boat alone.

As the drum sound ceased, Yang Xiao and the three others piloted their boats toward the center of the lake. By now, the mist had grown thick, and visibility on the lake was getting worse and worse.

"Don't go too fast, wait for the large ship behind," Kuang Hongyi reminded them. He wasn't concerned about Shi Dali; after all, the Second Young Mistress on the large ship was the protagonist tonight.

At this moment, Yang Xiao also sighed inwardly. Truly, one with shallow fortune and a thin life should not cross the threshold of a deep mansion. Although he was unclear about the background of this Second Young Mistress, he imagined her origins couldn't be poor, yet he hadn't expected her to end up like this—a beauty with a tragic fate.

Su Tingting pushed the pole with force and looked back. She saw a large red boat following closely behind. Under the cover of the mist, it revealed a huge shadow. The large red Lantern hanging under the mast looked just like a monster's eye, coldly watching everyone.

In the gray, hazy mist, every second became extremely difficult to endure. Everyone had absolutely no sense of direction; they only knew to keep moving forward.

The damp mist slapped against their hands and faces, feeling cold and chilly. Su Tingting gritted her teeth, but she still couldn't stop shivering from the cold. She didn't know why, she just... just felt very bad, as if she were being watched by something, right there in the nearby mist.

But thinking about it a moment later, she felt she was just being too nervous. After all, it wasn't her first time on the lake, she had just arrived, and she hadn't done anything strange. There was no reason for everyone to be together and for her to be the only one targeted.

When Kuang Hongyi had previously explained the rules and traps experienced in past missions to Yang Xiao, she had also listened and remembered carefully. The experience she gained was to try to keep all her actions and behaviors consistent with Yang Xiao and Kuang Hongyi, if she could manage it.

The surroundings were extremely quiet, with only the sound of cold water remaining. Finally, they waited for the second drum beat, and the group immediately stopped their boats.

The drum sound came from a very far direction, dull but heart-shaking. But gradually, Kuang Hongyi's brow furrowed. He heard some strange sounds within this drum beat, somewhat sharp.

A moment later, Kuang Hongyi heard it clearly. It was a faint, intermittent sound of a gong. The gong sound was sometimes illusory and sometimes real, quite bizarre. The drum sound weakened, but the gong sound became clearer and clearer.

Listening to this gong sound, the hairs on the back of Yang Xiao's neck stood up. He didn't know why either, but he was certain that something had definitely gone wrong somewhere.

"Ugh..."

By the time Yang Xiao and Kuang Hongyi heard the sound and turned their heads, they saw Su Tingting clutching her stomach, kneeling on the boat in agony, her forehead covered in cold sweat.