I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords-Chapter 74 - 073. Have you prepared dinner_1

Chapter 74: 073. Have you prepared dinner?_1

Chapter 74: 073. Have you prepared dinner?_1

Hai Family Mansion.

Lu Ban found it hard to describe how a building could emanate such a sinister feeling.

The two long-lasting red lanterns at the entrance emitted a faint glow, giving the door a touch of blood-red color. Lu Ban and Cui Siter followed behind the servant, who walked so lightly that he made no sound; that’s why he’d been able to appear behind them so silently earlier.

Under the dim light of the lanterns, Lu Ban could only see the man’s thin shadow, like a vestige left by light penetrating a sheet of paper.

This kind of mansion usually has a smaller side door next to the main gate.

They entered the Hai Family Mansion through that side door.

“The master has instructed us, the two of you are our distinguished guests, and he wishes to host you both to rest at our home tonight.”

The servant’s voice also seemed ethereal, as if coming from a jar.

As they entered the mansion, the first thing that caught their eyes were some decorative trees.

However, these trees didn’t resemble the welcoming pines or fortune trees one might expect, but were twisted and sparse, seemingly long neglected.

On the branches, there seemed to be traces of rope that had wound around and damaged the bark, as if someone had once hanged themselves there.

The path was somewhat damp, feeling like soft sand underfoot. Lu Ban lifted his foot to look; it hadn’t rained, but the ground was wet and marked with water trails.

“Have you cleaned the house today?”

Lu Ban immediately asked.

“The wedding is upon us; the whole family is very busy,”

the servant replied, without elaborating.

Yet, contrary to his words, Lu Ban and Cui Siter didn’t see any other servants around.

Dusk fell, and within the mansion, only scattered red lanterns lit the paths. Other than that, the place was empty and silent, not resembling a home inhabited by living people.

Lu Ban looked towards the sides of the path, searching for the traces of the “seal” mentioned by Black Queen Mother.

Soon, almost effortlessly, he spotted it.

It was all too conspicuous.

In the center of the mansion, there was a pond, and in the middle of that pond stood a tower.

It was a tower of an indescribable architectural style. Counting from the bottom, it had six levels, each less than a meter in height, painted entirely black with some inscriptions on its surface. Chains were wrapped around it, connecting it to the surrounding trees—an unquestionably ominous sign.

“What is that tower?”

Cui Siter, having thought the same as Lu Ban, asked.

“The mansion is very large; be careful not to get lost,”

the servant avoided the question again.

Just as Cui Siter turned his gaze back to the front, he suddenly saw, beside the Lake Heart Tower, what seemed to be a woman in a red wedding gown.

In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared, leaving only the lonely tower standing in the desolate courtyard.

The servant led the two to a separate courtyard.

From a distance, they could see dim yellow lights illuminating that courtyard. As Lu Ban and Cui Siter entered, they saw two people sitting in a room arranged in a traditional Chinese style.

On the wall facing the door hung a painting, but it wasn’t a traditional landscape or birds-and-flowers. It depicted the sea.

However, that sea was tumultuous, its waves hiding creatures Lu Ban had never seen before, overturning boats, attacking humans, and encircling the painting’s center, where two distorted human bodies writhed—giving off an indescribably eerie feeling.

The two sitting in the chairs were stranger still.

On the left sat an elderly man with skin paler than paper, yet his lips were bright red, giving off an unnatural, morbid appearance—making him seem more like a corpse than the servant.

On the right was a middle-aged woman; her makeup was almost identical to the man’s, except for the eyes. The man’s pupils were pitch black, while the woman’s eyes had an amber, cloudy look.

The pair gave off a vibe as if paper effigies used in rituals had come to life. Just looking at them once was incredibly unsettling.

It was as if some monstrous beings were forcefully disguising themselves as humans.

“The two of you have come from far away, it must have been tiring,”

the man said with a hollow voice, like a terminally ill patient.

“I am Hai Wei, and this is my wife,”

he introduced briefly.

Lu Ban and Cui Siter introduced themselves as well, but before Hai Wei could continue, Lu Ban suddenly raised his hand.

“Mr. Hai, look, my friend and I spent the day at the beach, and we haven’t had dinner yet, have you prepared dinner for us?”

“?”

Cui Siter was half a beat slow to react.

Hai Wei and Madame Hai’s movements also froze.

After a moment of hesitation, they exchanged glances and called over a servant.

“Prepare the meal.”

“Fantastic!”

Lu Ban seemed as if the weight he had been carrying in his heart had finally been lifted, revealing a brilliant smile.

The same servant who had come earlier brought over tables and chairs, and as the four of them sat down at the table, they exchanged a few pleasantries before the servant served the dishes.

Steamed fish, vegetables, meat, rice, crabs—although it wasn’t particularly lavish, it looked very delicate.

“I’m starved.”

Lu Ban picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat the fish.

Cui Siter picked up his bowl and chopsticks but did not start eating.

That was because the two Hai Family People sitting opposite them did not even show the willingness to pick up their chopsticks; they just stared straight at Lu Ban and Cui Siter.

“The flavor is really good, the fish by the sea are indeed fresh.”

Lu Ban ate heartily, completely ignoring the eerie atmosphere around them.

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“I heard that Ah Yu found you today?”

Hai Wei, looking at Lu Ban eating, asked in a flat voice.

“Yes, that’s right, he took us to the sea to play, a very nice person.”

Lu Ban lied without a change in expression.

“I understand that Ah Yu is not very satisfied with this marriage. He loves his sister the most, which is normal, so please do not take it to heart if he said anything.”

Madame Hai, though polite in words, spoke with a tone lacking in emotion, like a heartless answering machine.

“We understand. We came here to witness the union of the couple and would definitely not do anything to harm the wedding.”

Lu Ban took another bite of meat, its texture quite peculiar, unlike that of pork, beef, or lamb, but exceedingly delicious.

“That’s good, our greatest wish as a couple is to see our son get married.”

Hai Wei said in a slow voice.

“Yesterday’s hospitality was inadequate; tonight, both of you should stay the night in the mansion, and the wedding will start early tomorrow morning.”

“No problem, this mansion is so impressive, I’m quite curious to look around.”

Lu Ban replied.

Cui Siter, sitting beside them with a deathly pallor, watched the harmonious conversation among the three, finding the dinner conversation unsettling, as if he were the only one who sensed this discordance.

In the end, Cui Siter did not touch his food either.

After they finished eating, the servants led them to a secluded courtyard, which was said to be their lodging for the night.

Cui Siter inspected the room; the furniture was exquisitely made, and the bedding and sheets appeared to be new.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Lu Ban sent the servant away, waiting until the figure disappeared around the corner before silently returning to the courtyard.

“Something’s weird about this situation, just now…”

Cui Siter was about to exchange words with Lu Ban when he saw Lu Ban walk to a corner of the courtyard and bend over.

Ugh—

He stimulated his stomach, vomiting out everything he had eaten that evening.

“Are you okay?”

Cui Siter patted Lu Ban on the shoulder.

“I’m fine.”

Lu Ban glanced at his vomit and then uttered two sentences.

“Hai Wei and Madame Hai, they’re not human.”

“Tonight’s dinner, so disgusting.”

*

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