CHAPTER 374: CHAPTER 387: SINKING DEEPER AND DEEPER

This room looked like an abandoned shrine. In the center of the room stood a Buddha statue, and around it were decorations of bright yellow silk. Perhaps it hadn’t been cleaned for years, as the silk and the beams were covered in spider webs.

On the table in front of the Buddha statue, there were several offering plates, all covered in dust. The candles on the candlestick had been distorted by high temperatures beyond recognition.

On the floor of the room lay a dusty prayer cushion.

An Ran huddled in the corner, staring in terror at everything before her. The merciful face of the Buddha statue had a layer of dust on it, giving it an air of melancholy. The tattered silk draped down from the beams, occasionally fluttering slightly with the breeze coming in through the windows. The bright yellow...

"Calm down, calm down, An Ran, you can do this. Don’t be afraid. Instructor Mu will be here soon. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

Although she was terrified, An Ran kept encouraging herself. She couldn’t disgrace Instructor Mu.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

A low squeaking sound completely shattered the silence. A rat scurried out from the corner and jumped onto the offering table.

"Ah—"

Like the last straw that broke the camel’s back, An Ran screamed.

"Crash—"

The rat, startled, jumped off the offering table, knocking the candlestick to the ground.

Just as she was about to break down, the lights in the room were turned off. The room was engulfed in darkness, and even the light coming through the windows grew dim. Not only the room, but the courtyard lights and wall lamps were also extinguished one by one...

"An Ran, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Instructor Mu will be here soon, very soon..."

An Ran murmured softly, trying to cheer herself up, but her heart sank deeper into the darkness...

In a corner of the banquet hall, Feng Jingjing was pulling Shen Mengya into a conversation. The young girl was clearly getting impatient.

"Jingjing, if you have something to say, hurry up. I need to find Sister Ran."

"Ya, you’re always thinking about Sister Ran. Don’t forget, we’ve known each other for a long time. There are so many important guests at tonight’s banquet, but apart from you guys, I don’t know anyone. Can you really bear to leave me alone here?"

Feng Jingjing said this with a look of grievance on her face.

Shen Mengya frowned her pretty little brows and finally said, "Fine, I’ll stay with you a little longer, but once I finish this ice cream, I’m leaving."

"I knew Ya cared about Jingjing the most."

Feng Jingjing said happily, but a calculating gleam flashed in her eyes.

Just now, she had called Shen Mengya over, intending to use her to give the spiked drink to An Ran. Unexpectedly, An Ran was called away by a servant before she could make her move.

Looking at the people playing cards not far away, all of them were still in the hall. At this moment, calling An Ran away meant that she didn’t even need to take action to see a good show.

However, this little girl was always with An Ran. If she found out An Ran was gone, she would definitely look for Mu Xingfeng and the others, which would ruin the show. So, she had to find a way to stall this girl.

Looking at the drink in her hand, Feng Jingjing’s lips curled into a mysterious smile. Ah, poor Qu Dazhuang.

Mu Xingfeng kept feeling uneasy while playing cards. He looked back but didn’t see that girl’s figure.

"Three of a kind. Second Brother, what are you looking at?" Chen Yankun threw down his cards and nudged Mu Xingfeng with his elbow. "Your turn."