Chapter 14: 14 Black Spider Villa

14 Black Spider Villa

"Clang," the water basin overturned.

Tang Zhao retreated several steps, his face turning pale; he almost sat on the ground.

Wei Zhangle jumped up after him and asked, "What is it?"

Tang Zhao, still shaken, pointed at the overturned basin and said, "There was a spider inside... such a big one... crawling in the water..."

Wei Zhangle took a deep breath, looked around, picked up the candlestick from the table, and said, "Let me see."

Although they were of similar age, Wei Zhangle was not as easily startled as Tang Zhao. Having traveled a long way, he had seen all sorts of insects—spiders, bedbugs, centipedes, scorpions... he had seen plenty, both poisonous and harmless, so he went up to check.

Tang Zhao also felt he had overreacted. If the spider hadn't suddenly appeared in the washbasin, he likely wouldn't have been like this. Although he usually feared insects, he wouldn't easily let others see it. He gave a light cough and added, "It was huge! Be careful."

Wei Zhangle walked over step by step and cautiously pried the washbasin open a crack.

No insect crawled out.

He pried it open bit by bit until he lifted the basin entirely, but he did not see the shadow of a spider.

Tang Zhao was also puzzled and suddenly realized, "Maybe it's clinging to the basin!"

Wei Zhangle hurriedly flipped the basin over completely. Upon looking inside, he let out an "Ah" of surprise, followed immediately by an "Eh."

Raising his head, Wei Zhangle smiled and said, "Want to take a look?"

Tang Zhao was astonished. He went over to look and saw, painted on the bottom of the basin, a black spider the size of a palm.

This spider was painted vividly; its eight legs were spread out, and the fine hairs on its legs were clearly visible. Tang Zhao knew it was fake, yet he still couldn't help feeling disgusted. Furthermore, feeling embarrassed and angry, he blurted out, "Is this sick? Who would paint a spider inside a washbasin?"

Then he heard a delicate voice behind him say, "Sick? Who is sick? Let me see which doctor is writing prescriptions here?"

Tang Zhao was startled and turned to look.

The door was already open. A woman in black leaned against the doorframe, squinting her eyes with a smile playing on her lips.

This woman was only in her twenties, with a beautiful face and a pair of lively eyes. She looked quite charming when she smiled, but Tang Zhao always felt a sense of eeriness, as if danger were hidden within it.

This was the person who had sneered outside the window earlier. Tang Zhao had been too shocked just now and had forgotten she was still there, so he couldn't help feeling a bit awkward. He cupped his hands in apology and said, "This student spoke out of turn. I meant no disrespect to your estate. I hope you will forgive me, Sister."

Wei Zhangle also stood up and bowed, his face returning to that awkward smile from when they first met in the temple.

The woman's gaze swept over Tang Zhao's face, and her smile gradually faded. That eerie feeling dissipated quite a bit, and she became normal, saying lazily, "Forget it, I won't bicker with a child. You're a little Scholar, aren't you? Buried in books at home, no wonder you have so little experience."

Tang Zhao said, "I am not even a Scholar..."

The woman leaned in closer and said, "You were afraid when you saw the spider in the basin, so what about when you see me?"

Tang Zhao was puzzled. As he looked up, he saw a pitch-black spider clinging to the woman's temple, with several strands of white silk hanging from the spider's mouth, resembling a dangling bead.

Tang Zhao felt goosebumps rise all over him and said, "A spider-shaped... hair ornament?"

The woman smiled and said, "You could say that. It was a little treasure of mine while it was alive. It's a pity it died by accident. I made it into a hairpin to wear. Pretty, isn't it?"

Tang Zhao wanted to smile, but he couldn't manage it at all.

The woman rolled up her sleeve, revealing half of her fair wrist, and said, "How about this?"

He saw that on her snow-white arm, she wore a string of dark beads. Looking closely, they were actually tiny spiders.

Tang Zhao felt even more goosebumps all over his body. The woman casually touched his face and said, "Stunned? These are sandalwood beads. My little treasures are nice, but they are too rough and bad for the skin if worn directly against it. Silly boy, this is Black Spider Villa, after all."

She pulled back her hand and crossed her arms, saying, "I am here to tidy... oh, to take care of you two. Follow me, I'll take you to a good place."

Tang Zhao felt very resistant to going with this woman. Wei Zhangle pulled him and whispered, "Let's not offend her."

The two followed the woman outside. By now, the daylight was bright, but the villa used black decorations extensively, so it remained dark and gloomy under the sunlight. Thinking of the name Black Spider Villa, Tang Zhao kept feeling that groups of spiders were lurking in the shadows of the corners.

The woman in black said with a smile, "My name is Yuan Qing. What is yours?"

Tang Zhao replied, "This student is Tang Zhao." He paused, and finding that Yuan Qing did not continue to Ask, he introduced, "This is Wei Zhangle."

Yuan Qing gave a nonchalant "Hmm" and said, "You don't look like a relative or friend of that Lord Xing."

Tang Zhao said, "How could I have such good fortune? We were all caught by him."

Yuan Qing nodded and said, "That's right. It's not strange for him to catch anyone. Widows, three-year-old children, seventy or eighty-year-old men, the blind, the lame—he catches whoever he wants. What scruples does he have?"

As they were speaking, the three arrived in front of a large house. The house had a dome and was pure black, looking like a black pot turned upside down on the ground.

The entire black house had only one small window, which was half-open and emitting wisps of white steam.

A man in black at the entrance stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Sister Yuan Qing, everything has been prepared according to your instructions."

Yuan Qing's gaze flickered, and she smiled, "Hmm, remove this pot and replace it with clean water."

The man in black was slightly stunned, then immediately said, "Yes." He hurried inside.

Yuan Qing turned to Tang Zhao and said, "That Lord Xing, he came knocking brazenly, not being polite at all, ordering this one and that one around, and then with a twist of his mouth, he told me to have you two take a bath, hehe. It's just that I see you are innocent and look decent, so I softened my heart. Wait here, someone will call you in a moment." Having said this, she turned and left.

Tang Zhao thought carefully about her words, and his whole body went numb. Wei Zhangle whispered, "Does she mean the water was originally spiked?"

Tang Zhao rubbed his head, still feeling a lingering fear.

Don't let the fact that Yuan Qing was always pleasant-looking fool you; she was a woman who wore a spider on her head. Tang Zhao even felt that her smiling was more dangerous than not smiling.

After a while, someone called them inside.

This room was probably originally a bathroom; the walls were thick, likely for the sake of warmth. In the center was a square pool containing half a pool of water. The stones used to build the pool were not black, but Luse, making the pool water look emerald green. At each of the four corners of the pool, a lifelike spider was carved, as if all the water in the pool were the poisonous saliva flowing from the spiders' mouths.

Even though Tang Zhao knew the water had been replaced with clean water, he still couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle.

A man in black nearby shouted, "Get in quickly, don't dawdle."

Things having reached this point, Tang Zhao had no choice but to take out the odds and ends from his bosom, place them at the very bottom of the bamboo basket nearby, fold his clothes on top, and finally take off his Glasses and place them on the very top.

The moment he took off his Glasses, he felt a bit uncomfortable, as if a support had been removed, leaving him feeling somewhat at a loss.

He thought of what Chen Zong had said before: after wearing Glasses for decades, suddenly not wearing them always made it feel like something was missing, and he would often make the motion of pushing up his Glasses. Presumably, it was the same for him?

But are Glasses that magical? He had only worn them for half a day and already couldn't do without them?

The water temperature was very comfortable, and the delicate, smooth water waves washed against his skin; Tang Zhao relaxed almost instantly.

Turning his head, he saw two young servants in black taking away both Tang Zhao's and Wei Zhangle's clothes. Tang Zhao hurriedly said, "Wait, what will we wear after we finish washing?"

The man in black chuckled and said, "Naturally, there will be something for you to wear. What, do you think we covet your clothes? These rags of yours are only fit to be used as firewood."

Tang Zhao stared at the two servants, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them take away only the clothes and not touch anything else.

Other things were fine, but the Glasses were his essential items and must not be lost.

Even without relying on them, he truly loved the world he saw after putting on the Glasses.

It was a clear, distinct, and sparkling world; his eyesight had been declining for some time, and the brilliance of this world captivated him at once, immediately being enthralled by the Glasses.

Chen Zong seemed to have said back then that the glasses suitable for each person were different, but these Glasses seemed especially suited to him; he did not know if it was luck or if there was some mystery within it.

He had always felt a vague sense in his heart that he had seen a true fairy in the well.

Although the fairy did not give him both gold and silver glasses as in the stories, she gave him the most suitable and most desired ones; Tang Zhao was both grateful and shocked.

At this moment, the Glasses were his most important possession, combining both sentiment and practicality; if someone had taken them away, Tang Zhao would certainly have crawled out of the water naked to stop them.

Fortunately, these few servants were clearly well-trained; apart from doing the work at hand, they did not look aside, not even glancing twice at such a rare object as the Glasses.

Come to think of it, he had worn the Glasses the entire way, and the style was somewhat strange, yet no one had shown any curiosity.

Could it be that he had too little experience, and in this world, there were already many people who wore glasses? Was everyone already accustomed to it?

Soaking in the water, Tang Zhao felt his whole body warm and cozy, wishing he could just sleep in the pool like this; as the heat steamed up, his brain also fell into a stupor, all his thoughts gradually dissipated, and time solidified in the mist of the water vapor.

"Time to come out. You'll be steamed cooked if you stay any longer." A voice exploded.

Tang Zhao was dazed and startled, only to see the man in black by the pool staring at him with wide eyes; the two of them stared at each other for a moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Tang Zhao climbed out of the pit and saw two basins placed nearby, each containing a set of black clothes.

Black clothes?

Tang Zhao flicked his hand to unfold the clothes, and sure enough, he saw a large black spider embroidered on the corner of the garment.

He couldn't help but look up; the man in black had been waiting for him and said, "What? Are you still being picky?"

Tang Zhao took a deep breath, wiped himself dry, and hurriedly changed into the clothes. Regardless of anything else, the material of this outfit was truly excellent; it felt light and very smooth when worn.

After putting them on, Tang Zhao only felt that he had merged into one with the pitch-black Spider Villa.

Just as he came out, he saw Yuan Qing.

Yuan Qing was under the large mulberry tree in the courtyard, conversing with another woman.

That was a younger girl, wearing goose-yellow clothes, as fresh and tender as the rapeseed flowers of spring.

Spider Villa lacked other colors too much, and Tang Zhao couldn't help but look a few more times.

The girl might not have fully grown, as she was shorter than Yuan Qing; from Tang Zhao's angle, he could see half of her face, and he only felt that she had a round face like a dumpling, with delicate and small features, except for a pair of eyes that were curved as if she were smiling, squinting so that her pupils were invisible, looking lazy.

Besides her goose-yellow dress, the belt at her waist was eye-catching; the orange-yellow striped belt was knotted behind her waist, tied into a large single-sided butterfly bow, and seen from the side, that bow was exaggeratedly large, impossible to ignore no matter what.

After looking a few more times, the girl seemed to sense it, turned her head, and smiled at him.

This smile could not be called stunning, but it was very kind and had strong infectious power; Tang Zhao couldn't help but smile back.

At this time, Yuan Qing also noticed him, her eyes lit up, and she cheered, "Not bad, what a handsome kid, you actually suit wearing black so well."

She left the girl and walked over, looking very satisfied, and said, "How is it? How does this outfit feel to wear?"

Tang Zhao said, "It's quite good. It feels very light to wear, but it's still quite warm."

He truly felt this way; although he had only ever worn fine cloth clothes at his best, he imagined that the best silk would be just as soft and light.

Yuan Qing said, "Of course it's light, it's blended with spider silk."

Tang Zhao exclaimed, "This clothing is made of spider silk?"

Yuan Qing tutted and said, "You wish. Our Black Jade Spider Silk here is so precious that even ten times its weight in gold couldn't buy it; do you think you are our Manor Master? It's already not bad that it's blended with a little bit."

Tang Zhao touched his sleeve; if he didn't think about the appearance of a spider, he could really feel the preciousness of this outfit.

Yuan Qing said, "The more I look at you, the more you suit this set; perhaps wearing a set of pure spider silk would be even better. If you have the chance... if you can survive this time. Follow that woman; be bold, just treat it as breaking into the King of Hell's palace."