Chapter 47: The Bizarre Stone House (Part 2)

Chang Geyue gritted her teeth and cursed Feng Shang inwardly. Having fled for so long and soaked in the freezing pool for ages, her body had long since reached its limit, and she was relying solely on the power of her soul to sustain herself until now.

She bit her lip slightly and administered a few acupuncture needles to herself, making her physical condition feel marginally better.

With a faint sigh, Chang Geyue surveyed the tiny courtyard, which was no larger than the palm of a hand. At that moment, she felt just like a fly trapped against a windowpane: her future was bright, but there was a damn-to-it way out!

After letting out a few long sighs and lamentations, Chang Geyue gritted her teeth and walked over to the red jujube tree in the center of the courtyard. Glancing at the bench beneath the tree, she took a deep breath. "Thising is going to be the death of me."

With a plop, Chang Geyue collapsed onto the bench.

Sensing something poking uncomfortably into her through the seat, Chang Geyue stood up, only to find the bench smooth and flat without the slightest bump.

Chang Geyue pouted slightly. "Having too strong of a soul isn't a good thing either. You'd probably be woken up by a pea even if you were lying under ten layers of quilts."

So, gritting her teeth, she sat back down in her previous spot. Once again, something jabbed her. Pouting, Chang Geyue stood up once more and gave the spot that had poked her a fierce smack.

The stone courtyard suddenly shifted in color. The red jujube tree trembled instantly, and its trunk split open, revealing a stone door set within the massive structure.

Chang Geyue’s jaw dropped. "A secret chamber?"

If the person who originally built the secret chamber in the stone courtyard knew that one day someone would sit right on top of his most hidden mechanism, would they be so angry they'd pop straight out of their coffin?

Chang Geyue paused in her tracks. She was already trapped in this forsaken place; if entering this door led to a space barely large enough to lay down a bed, what on earth was she supposed to do?

Yet, the moment the stone door opened, Chang Geyue noticed that the sounds she had been straining to hear all this time became much clearer.

Frowning slightly, Chang Geyue gritted her teeth and stepped through the stone door.

The stone door immediately slammed shut.

Inside was a gloomy passageway, narrow enough for only a single person to pass through.

Flickering candle flames wavered, casting shifting light and shadow. Had Chang Geyue not been someone who had practically walked through the gates of hell, she would have found it truly spine-chilling.

Fortunately, the passageway was not long. At the end of it stood a half-open door, and Chang Geyue pushed it open and stepped inside.

The sight within the room startled her.

In the small room, a few beds were scattered about haphazardly. Several old men lay in the beds in tattered clothes, their complexions emaciated and their expressions listless.

Upon seeing Chang Geyue enter, they merely lifted their gazes slightly before closing their eyes and lying back down.

Only a man in white had a cold and detached gaze, yet he merely glanced at Chang Geyue before continuing to feign sleep.

An indescribable eeriness permeated the stone chamber.

Just as Chang Geyue furrowed her brow, a middle-aged man who seemed to have been snoring just a moment ago suddenly sprang up from his bed, staring at Chang Geyue with horrified eyes.

Unlike the numb indifference of the others, this man burned with a fervor that bordered on pathological. "A newcomer! A newcomer! Hhahahaha, a newcomer..."

With those words, he lunged at Chang Geyue like a starving wolf. Chang Geyue shifted slightly, dodging him with ease.

Her gaze was cold and laced with a murderous intent, but the man seemed entirely oblivious to the killing aura radiating from her. "The outside... the scent of the outside! Let me smell it, let me smell it..."

A fierce, ferocious look flashed in the man's eyes as he shouted, "The scent of the outside! Let me smell it!"

And with that, he lunged at Chang Geyue once again.