CHAPTER 615: CHAPTER 615: SOFT AND SQUISHY

While Bai Daoyan was wandering around with the carpenters and workers, letting them note down where renovations were needed, Zhi’er took small steps and walked toward the depths of the courtyard along the corridor.

It must be said, this entire mansion is really too big.

Zhi’er thought it could compare to two Imperial Gardens.

Just now, she heard the old housekeeper mention that the main family’s ancestors were once Second rank Officials in the former dynasty, a noble family with official status.

If it weren’t for the change of dynasty, losing their official status, and the haunting within the mansion, it would have been absolutely impossible to abandon such a large property and return to live in the countryside.

The pavilions and towers retained their former grandeur and magnificence.

As Zhi’er walked, she counted on her little fingers: "One, two, three... eighteen..."

Just from the entrance to the middle courtyard, she saw eighteen elegant courtyards.

It was probably even more than that.

The paths were complex, with one Gate leading to another, almost causing the little one to get dizzy.

Such a big area would be quite suitable for an academy.

Zhi’er was calculating in her mind.

Hmm, at that time, a large Koi Garden must be specially set up.

She wanted to plant many, many fruit trees and raise a pond full of koi!

Zhi’er walked deeper and deeper. In the old, neglected mansion, no one had trimmed the gardens and branches. Besides the weeds growing wildly, the deep courtyard vegetation grew wantonly.

Looking around, it was a gloomy green.

The summer heat didn’t seem to affect this place.

The inner courtyard of the mansion exuded an eerie silence; occasionally some unknown insects would chirp twice, but quickly fell silent.

Zhi’er blinked her big round eyes and looked around curiously.

Indeed there’s a haunting, but this aura doesn’t feel like a resentful ghost.

The mansion has a problem, so, let’s solve this problem!

Zhi’er followed the aura and arrived before a tightly locked door.

A thick layer of dust had settled on the doors, windows, and steps.

The little one reached out and pushed, but aside from a cloud of dust, the large door didn’t budge.

"Cough cough, ptooey, ptooey, it’s suffocating baby," Zhi’er waved her small hand.

Seeing the door wouldn’t open, she could only lift her small foot and kicked with a "thud."

The iron lock fell with a clatter.

Zhi’er clapped the dust off her little hands and stepped over the threshold to enter.

"I wanted to enter in a graceful way, but that lock was such a hindrance!" she pouted, cheeks puffed.

After entering, the little one looked around.

It was an ordinary room, with the brass mirror covered in dust, making her reflection vague and mottled.

The carved bed hadn’t been slept in for a long time, and the wooden lattice was filled with cobwebs.

The little one put her hands on her hips: "Come out, I can see you, don’t hide!"

Her words fell into a long silence.

Though Zhi’er was bluffing, she didn’t actually see anything, but she knew there must be something unusual in this room.

Just as she was looking around the room, suddenly she heard a hissing sound from behind.

The little one whipped around, reaching out instinctively and caught something by feel.

This texture...

It was cold, soft, and sticky.

Zhi’er tightly held on to whatever it was, her big watery eyes wide open.

She saw clearly that she was holding—

A thick, black snake!

Her small hand could only grasp half of the snake’s neck.

Its tongue flicked threateningly at her, and it opened its mouth wide, trying to bite Zhi’er’s chubby wrist.

In that critical moment, Zhi’er shook it vigorously while grabbing its neck.

"You must not bite people!"