"Now, please follow me.”
The butler said this with a smile, waiting for everyone to move.
Several players exchanged glances, clearly distrustful of the butler's words.
However, separating to rest seemed unavoidable as part of the dungeon's plot.
As everyone hesitated, Gu Zhan was the first to stand up.
As he pushed back his chair and stepped out, he almost tripped over the hem of his pants.
It seemed like these pants were a bit long.
Gu Zhan frowned slightly, walked up to the butler, and looked up at him: “Let’s go.”
With him taking the lead, the other hesitant players also stood up one by one.
Pushing open the grand door of the dining hall, the luxurious corridor astonished everyone.
They instinctively looked up at the walls.
Gu Zhan, however, noticed that the previously sunny weather had suddenly changed; the sky had turned quite dark, looking as if it might rain.
Sang Yue came to his side and quietly asked, “What are you looking at?”
“It looks like it’s going to rain outside,” Gu Zhan replied.
“Hmm?” Sang Yue was surprised and also looked outside.
At that moment, the visibility was insufficient; they could no longer see the walls and mountains outside, only the grass outside the villa.
She whispered, “When we woke up, people were already in the restaurant. That man in the robe said you would come out soon... We haven’t seen the weather outside.”
“Hmm.” Gu Zhan responded without offering any opinions on Sang Yue’s remarks.
Sang Yue’s gaze swept over Gu Zhan with curiosity, and soon she smiled, falling back a couple of steps to stand behind him.
At this time, the butler stopped at the front.
He stood at the door of a room, smiling as he said, “We’ve arrived at the first room. Who would like to stay here?”
For everyone, separating meant risk, and no one wanted to be the first.
Gu Zhan initially wanted to step forward, but the butler subtly blocked him.
Gu Zhan understood that due to his identity, he probably couldn’t choose a room.
Sang Yue noticed this small detail and stepped forward, saying, “I’ll take it.”
“Thank you, brave lady.” The butler smiled and stepped aside.
Sang Yue walked past Gu Zhan, glancing at him as she entered.
The butler said, “The script you wish to study is on the cabinet in your room. You can read it at any time. Before dinner, just head to the dining room. You may move freely during other times.”
Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder erupted outside, accompanying the butler's voice.
The thunder came so suddenly and loudly that the sound nearly overlapped with the lightning, shaking the gilded decorations on the walls.
Ma Xiaowen, already frightened, pressed herself against Wang Zhe.
Sang Yue glanced outside, raised an eyebrow, and entered the room.
The butler helped her close the door and turned to the others: “We can proceed.”
He was dressed in a splendid, elaborate tailcoat, standing in front of the empty courtyard. Heavy rain poured down with his smile, casting the outside light into deeper darkness, with only the candlelight from the corridor burning.
Occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the scene, casting an eerie glow on the butler's face, making his smile even more unsettling.
Ma Xiaowen suddenly regretted not being the first to enter the room!
Things outside were getting increasingly strange; perhaps not listening to the butler’s advice was putting them in danger.
The second room was right next to the first, and as the butler approached the door, Ma Xiaowen proactively said, “I’ll take this room!”
“Thank you for your trust, beautiful lady.” The butler stepped back, allowing her to enter.
She went inside.
At that moment, the rain outside intensified. Gu Zhan heard what seemed to be rustling sounds behind him…
He didn’t turn around but glanced over with his peripheral vision.
Unfortunately, the angle was limited, and he saw nothing.
The light outside had completely vanished, leaving only the rain and thunder.
Occasionally, lightning would flash, brightening the corridor for an instant, but it only made the shadows darker. In those moments of brightness, the inky black shadows seemed to writhe, struggling to escape their confines…
Aside from the sound of rain and thunder in the corridor, there were only a few footsteps…
And the nervous breathing of the big guy beside him.
After listening for a moment, Gu Zhan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
There were clearly three people present, but he could only hear two sets of footsteps!
Soon, they arrived at the third room.
“I’ll go, I’ll go!” This time, without waiting for the butler to speak, Wang Zhe volunteered.
The butler said nothing and opened the door for him to enter.
Only the butler and Gu Zhan remained in the corridor.
The butler looked at Gu Zhan and smiled, feeling there was something in that smile…
Gu Zhan did not show any signs of fear and calmly said, “What about me? Should I return to my room as well?”
The butler replied with a smile, “You are the master of the villa. I have no authority to interfere with your actions. Of course, if you are tired, you may return to your room to rest.”
Gu Zhan said simply, “I’m tired.”
The butler remained silent and continued walking ahead, with Gu Zhan following behind.
About five minutes later, he returned to the place he had left in the morning.
The butler stood at the door, waiting for him to enter. Just as Gu Zhan was about to step inside, he suddenly asked, “Is there a script in my room?”
The butler was taken aback. “Are you also interested in what they will be discussing? Of course, there is a movie script in the bottom drawer of your cabinet.”
“Alright.” Gu Zhan entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the butler with a meaningful smile outside.
He had asked about the script before entering, but he didn’t know if he hadn’t asked, would the script still be in his cabinet.
Once inside, Gu Zhan headed straight for the cabinet and indeed found the movie script in the last drawer.
It was printed on A4 paper, with the title “The Feast of Horror” on the cover page, but there were no names for the director or screenwriter. Upon opening it, he was greeted directly by Act One.
Scene 1-1 Daytime
Setting: Black Raven Mansion
Characters: Qing Yi, Head of the Peking Opera Troupe
Qing Yi was sitting in front of the dressing mirror, tidying up her makeup, while the Head of the Peking Opera Troupe stood behind her with a worried expression.
Head of the Peking Opera Troupe: “Qing Yi, you must give a good performance tonight. If you can win the mansion owner's favor, our troupe will be saved.”
Qing Yi remained silent, applying lipstick to her lips.
…
Perhaps because it was a movie script, it wasn’t very long.
Gu Zhan flipped through it and found that the story differed slightly from what Sang Yue had said.
It was an era of transition, where the old feudal empire had collapsed, and the newly established country had yet to find its way.
The entertainment of the populace mirrored this change, with new popular songs emerging alongside new forms of performance such as opera.
Traditional opera, once beloved, was under immense pressure and was on the brink of extinction. A renowned Peking opera troupe received an invitation from the local grand opera house, Ye Sheng Ge, to perform.
The reason Ye Sheng Ge’s owner invited them was that they wanted to promote a rising star named Xiao Xiu. They aimed to have new and old forms of performance compete against each other to see which was more favored by the audience.
At that time, Ye Sheng Ge was always packed, presenting a rare opportunity for the soon-to-be-obsolete opera troupe. Even if it meant merely being a supporting act for a singer, they had to participate.
On the night of the performance, several bizarre deaths occurred at Ye Sheng Ge, and even the troupe's Qing Yi was not spared…
But despite this, their performance still became a hit, and they received an invitation from a very prestigious mansion owner, requesting Xiao Xiu and the opera troupe to perform at his birthday party for the guests.
Even knowing that there was something fishy about this performance, the owner of Ye Sheng Ge still readily agreed for the sake of money…
On the day of the owner’s birthday, Xiao Xiu and the opera troupe went to the mansion… and it was here that a tragedy struck; everyone who attended the birthday party, including Xiao Xiu and the opera troupe… perished without exception.
At the end of the movie, the owner of the mansion trembles as he crawls up from the dead room. The late-arriving sorcerer explains the truth of the matter to him—Xiao Xiu had long been possessed by the female ghost. The people in Ye Sheng Ge and those in the mansion were all killed by her.
It was the mansion owner who personally invited the evil spirit into his home.
The final scene shows the sorcerer in a robe letting out a woman's delicate laughter before turning to leave the mansion.
This signifies that the female ghost has transferred from Xiao Xiu to somewhere else, vanishing into the world like a cow sinking into the sea, disappearing without a trace...
The filming location of the mansion in the movie is the Black Raven Mansion where they are currently.
Realizing this, Gu Zhan suddenly feels a chill run down his spine. The dampness outside seems to seep through the cracks in the walls, making the room colder than before. He adjusts his open collar and looks around.
Everything in the room seems normal; nothing has happened.
He sets down the script and decides to go for a walk.
The butler isn’t waiting outside the door, and everything in the corridor looks the same as before, with the wall lamps casting a dim light. However, the rain outside has intensified, enveloping the mansion in a heavy curtain of rain, with the sun nowhere to be seen and the sky dark as night.
As Gu Zhan stands by the corridor window looking outside, he suddenly hears footsteps behind him.
He whips around to see Sang Yue standing not far away.
Sang Yue stops in her tracks and doesn’t come closer. She asks Gu Zhan, “Have you read the script?”
Gu Zhan nods.
Only then does Sang Yue come beside him, frowning as they both look out the window. “I have some personal information too. The film ‘The Feast of Horror’ hasn’t been finished. Rumor has it that many people died during the filming process. The actors believe this script has been cursed by the female ghost and can’t be filmed any longer, so they disbanded.”
Gu Zhan replies, “Is this the filming location for ‘The Feast of Horror’?”
“Yes,” Sang Yue nods. “It’s said that this mansion meets the criteria.”
Gu Zhan says, “But in your version, the female ghost is in a green dress...”
Sang Yue frowns, “Didn’t you notice? In the movie script, the first person to die is in a green dress. At the end of the film, that female ghost transfers to the sorcerer, which means she isn’t fixed to a specific person; she can transfer at will. It starts with the one in a green dress, then Xiao Xiu, and finally the sorcerer. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
At this point, she suddenly pauses, her frown deepening, “So, the ghost we’re about to face might also be able to transfer to us?”
Gu Zhan remains silent.
Clearly, the plot of the instance hasn’t had time to unfold yet; discussing ghosts at this moment feels a bit premature.
Sang Yue seems to understand, saying nothing more after that.
The two stand side by side, watching the heavy rain outside.
Suddenly, Sang Yue’s voice trembles, “Look, isn’t that a person?”
Gu Zhan follows her pointing finger and sees a small black figure struggling to move in the heavy rain. The downpour is so heavy it knocks her down repeatedly.
Gu Zhan notices she’s wearing a rain jacket and long pants, dressed similarly to Sang Yue and the others—she’s likely a lost traveler.
“What’s going on? Is she an NPC or a player?” Sang Yue is a bit unsure.
Gu Zhan says, “Let’s find the butler.”
As he turns, he sees the butler standing at the other end of the corridor, smiling at him. “My master, may I ask what you need?”
Gu Zhan: “…”
This scene is truly chilling. Just as he was thinking of looking for the butler, the butler appears right in front of him.
Gu Zhan says, “There’s a person outside.”
The butler asks with a smile, “Do you want to save her?”
Save?
The butler used the word “save.”
Gu Zhan glances at Sang Yue, who looks troubled.
After a moment, she leans closer to Gu Zhan and whispers, “Actually, when I came in, I heard... this is a five-person instance.”
But there are currently only four players, and she has always wondered where the fifth person is.
They all have different identities: Gu Zhan is the mansion owner, they are members of the film society, and the other player, a lost traveler, also doesn’t seem out of place.
The other party must have logged in from a different location.
Since the plot hasn’t started yet, are they waiting for this last player?
Gu Zhan says, “Let’s save her.”
The butler bows, saluting Gu Zhan, and then leaves.
Ten minutes later, Wang Zhe and Ma Xiaowen arrive as well.
In the mansion hall, a woman soaked to the skin is sitting on the floor. Her hair is very long, spread out in the rain, and her dark hair falls down her shoulders, making her look like a ghost.
She lifts her head, her nose and ears frozen red, and she’s shivering all over.
Sang Yue brings a towel to dry her hair.
After tidying her up a bit, it becomes clear that she’s just an ordinary person with a terrified expression. She looks around, trembling, and asks, “Who... who are you?”
Sang Yue replies, “We are here for a seminar. This is the Black Raven Mansion, and this is the mansion owner.”
She points to Gu Zhan.
The woman shivers as she says, “My name is He Hui.”
Sang Yue and Gu Zhan exchange glances; it seems she is also a player.
Gu Zhan tells the butler, “Prepare a room for her and a set of clean clothes.”
The butler bows, “Yes, my kind master.”
He turns to leave, and as soon as the butler is gone, Wang Zhe immediately steps forward to ask, “Are you a player too?”
He Hui’s confused expression starts to clear up a bit, and she quickly nods, “Yes, yes, yes! Are you all players too?”
Wang Zhe sighs in relief, “This is a five-person instance, and I was wondering when the last player would show up... You’ve had it rough.”
He Hui whispers, “I was here for a vacation. Who knew it would start raining halfway... I got stuck outside for so long and saw this house, so I wanted to come in and take a look…”
She looked at the clean and refreshing crowd, tightened her towel, and whispered, “You don’t know, do you? This place... is quite eerie. The rain outside feels like cotton soaked in water, heavy enough that I could barely stand up. If it weren’t for that butler helping me, I would have drowned in the rain.”
Drowning in the rain sounds like an extremely strange thing to say.
But this is a copy, and anything could happen.
The butler quickly made preparations to take He Hui over.
He Hui looked very nervous, but Sang Yue reassured her, saying that everyone was in the same situation, each in their own room, and nothing strange would happen once they went in. He Hui finally felt relieved and followed the butler.
At that moment, the clock in the mansion suddenly chimed.
Gu Zhan suddenly understood, “It’s lunchtime.”
The butler had previously mentioned that they should stay in their rooms when it was time to eat.
Sang Yue immediately said, “I’ll head back.”
Wang Zhe and Ma Xiaowen also said, “We’ll go back too.”
Everyone returned to their rooms, waiting for lunch to be served.
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