Chapter 19: The Infant Tower of Xitu Lanya
As soon as the dungeon quest was triggered, someone at the back of the group gave a soft exclamation. Everyone turned to look—it was the comedian, Tian Mingjie. In his hand, a bundle had suddenly appeared.
It was an old, faded blue cloth bag, washed so often that the fabric had almost turned white. On its surface was drawn the symbol of a Bagua.
Tian Mingjie was visibly excited, but before he could open it to check the contents, Zhao Luan casually walked over and took the bag: “Let me have a look.” He pulled out a tattered old book. On the cover were the words: Master’s Handwritten Notes.
Judging by their identities, this was clearly a prop provided by the dungeon instance.
Zhao Luan put the book back into the bag and slung it over his shoulder. “Let’s move.”
Tian Mingjie: “…”
His expression was complicated, but in the end, he said nothing.
Chi Yi nudged Li Zhi with her elbow, shooting her a glance that said, “See? Just as expected.” Li Zhi responded with a reassuring smile.
The NPC didn’t seem to notice this little drama. He walked ahead, leading the way, and introduced himself, “My surname is Chen. Just call me Butler Chen.”
After his introduction, he sighed. “The midwife says that my master’s wife will give birth in three days. For these three days, I must trouble you all. No matter what happens, you must ensure that she gives birth safely. She can’t endure another tragedy.”
“Another?” Zhao Luan asked, “Something happened before?”
But Butler Chen only shook his head. “Wait until we arrive. The Master will explain everything. I’m just a servant—I shouldn’t speak out of turn.”
Qingyu Town looked like a place steeped in history. The cobbled streets were lined with ancient buildings, staggered in height yet maintaining a quaint elegance. The stone lions at the entrances of the courtyards looked weathered with age. The whole town felt like one of those untouched, undeveloped old towns—beautifully preserved in its rustic, ancient form.
The long alleys were mostly empty. The rain-slick stone roads glimmered with a cold sheen. Occasionally, a passerby would cast wary and disgusted looks at their group.
As they passed between the closed doors of the courtyards, Li Zhi couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. She glanced back several times, always sensing unseen eyes peering at them from behind those tightly shut windows and doors.
Butler Chen explained, “Our little town is conservative and wary of outsiders. Please don’t take offense.”
As he spoke, they arrived at a large estate. Judging by the ornate gates and the imposing stone lions, it was clear that the Jin family was the wealthiest household in Qingyu Town. Butler Chen stepped forward and knocked using the iron knocker, and soon a servant came to open the door.
Inside, the estate felt serene and elegant. The players felt like they’d accidentally wandered into a scenic ancient garden. They passed through a corridor, arriving at a pond filled with blooming lotuses. Lotus leaves swayed on the water, pink and white blossoms flourishing in full bloom. One of the players whispered, “So beautiful…”
It was beautiful. If they had their phones, Li Zhi would’ve taken a few photos. This Jin family was indeed well-established. In ancient times, this would’ve been a powerful official’s residence.
Butler Chen led them to the main hall, where a middle-aged man sat on the seat of honor, his face shadowed with deep worry, wrinkles creasing his features under the dim lamplight.
“Master, the distinguished guests have arrived,” Butler Chen announced, stepping aside respectfully.
The head of the Jin family stood up abruptly, almost stumbling in his eagerness. “You’re finally here! Great masters, I beg of you—please save my daughter-in-law and my unborn grandchild!”
Zhao Luan supported the man, steadying him with a calm voice, “Old Master Jin, we’ll do everything we can. But please, tell us what exactly is going on.”
The Master’s expression shifted, fear flashing in his eyes. He swallowed hard, glancing nervously at the door, clutching at his chest—pressing against something hidden there, as though trying to steady himself. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh. “It’s my family’s cursed fate…”
“To be frank, the woman about to give birth is my second daughter-in-law. Before her, my son had already married once. They were loving, very much so. And soon after she entered the household, she became pregnant. That would have been the Jin family’s first grandson! Everyone was overjoyed, careful to tend to her, hoping she’d give birth safely. Who could’ve expected… who could’ve guessed…”
At this point, the old master’s eyes filled with tears. Butler Chen stepped in to continue, his tone heavy: “Who could’ve guessed she would give birth to a stillborn. The physician said that her constitution was weak, that her body couldn’t provide for the child in the womb, leading to its death before birth. She was devastated. The whole household was devastated. But life had to go on. After careful recuperation, she was pregnant again a year later.”
This time, the household was even more cautious—treating her like a living Buddha. The best doctors, the finest medicine, nothing was spared.
But unbelievably, the second child was also stillborn.
The old master was both furious and grief-stricken. “I don’t know what terrible sins we committed for such tragedy to strike my family again and again! That poor woman… under the weight of it all… that very night, she took her own life by drowning in the pond!”
A sudden gust of wind howled through the hall, sending the curtain flapping wildly. The old master’s eyes bulged in terror as he slapped a hand over his mouth.
The players flinched at the eerie gust, huddling instinctively closer together.
Butler Chen’s face darkened with dread. “She gave birth to two stillborns and then drowned herself… Her resentment is bound to be deep. After she died, we invited monks to perform rites, gave her a grand burial. We thought that would be the end of it. Six months later, my master arranged a new marriage for the young master.”
Chi Yi couldn’t hold back, blurting out, “Only half a year after she died, and you were already rushing to remarry?!”
The old master gritted his teeth. “She chose death! Should I have let my son’s life be ruined for it? If she wasn’t so frail, my grandson would already be alive, playing by my knees! And we gave her a proper burial—more than enough compassion! But she’s not content! Even in death, she wants to bring misfortune! She couldn’t have children, so now she won’t let this new daughter-in-law have one either!”
Butler Chen’s voice lowered further, almost a whisper. “You asked earlier if anything had happened before? This is already the second pregnancy. Last year, Madam was pregnant once, but… just like the previous one… another stillborn.”
The old master slammed the table. “I saw it clearly with my own eyes! That child looked exactly like the last stillborn! And during labor, my daughter-in-law screamed that she saw a malicious spirit forcing a ghost child into her belly! What does she want?! Tell me—what does she want?! She wants the Jin family wiped out, that’s what!”
Outside, the cold wind howled again, rustling the leaves and shaking the courtyard trees.
The players exchanged nervous glances. Somehow… they all felt that she was outside, listening, watching them with eyes full of hatred.
The old master slumped in his chair, his anger spent, now deflated like a broken sack. “We’ve already tried finding priests to perform rites. Nothing worked. Now my daughter-in-law is close to giving birth again, and I know she won’t give up. I won’t even ask you to resolve this entirely—I just want you to keep that hateful spirit away from my family. Just protect my daughter-in-law and help her give birth safely!”
He looked hopefully at the players. “With so many of you, surely you’re capable.”
The players: “…”
Everyone was starting to get nervous.
Once again, Zhao Luan stepped forward. “We understand the situation. Rest assured—we won’t let you down.”
The old master finally smiled with deep gratitude. He turned to Butler Chen. “Take our honored guests to their quarters. Are the guest rooms ready?”
“All prepared. Please follow me.”
Knowing now that this estate was haunted by a bitter, vengeful ghost, the formerly peaceful surroundings now felt oppressive and eerie. The players followed closely behind, all on edge.
As they walked, Li Zhi suddenly asked, “Master Jin, where exactly did your former daughter-in-law drown herself?”
The old master let out another heavy sigh. “In the lotus pond you passed by earlier.”
Everyone involuntarily shuddered as they remembered that beautiful lotus pond, suddenly finding it far less picturesque.
Luckily, their path to the guest rooms didn’t pass by the pond again. The estate was large and winding. Li Zhi tried to memorize the route, but the endless turns and corridors were confusing—it would be easy to get lost without a guide.
Butler Chen showed them to the rooms. “You can pick whichever you like. If you need anything, call a servant.”
Six rooms. Twelve people. Two to a room.
After Butler Chen left, Zhao Luan spoke up. “Let’s form teams first.”
Chi Yi instantly clung to Li Zhi like a lifeline. It wasn’t paranoia—after the last dungeon, Li Zhi’s exploits had gone viral online. Of course people wanted to partner with someone competent. Compared to Zhao Luan, who was rumored to throw teammates under the bus, Li Zhi was the obvious choice.
But Li Zhi was already “claimed,” and the others reluctantly paired off. By the end, Zhao Luan was the only one left without a partner.
No one wanted to share a room with him.
Comments in the live stream scrolled by furiously:
【Seriously? Ostracizing him now?】
【Cowards. Don’t come begging for Zhao-ge to carry you later.】
【He’ll solo-clear this dungeon and take MVP. Just wait.】
【Isn’t that Li Zhi supposed to be amazing? Haven’t seen her do anything yet.】
【MVP belongs to Zhao Luan, obviously.】
Li Zhi ignored the petty drama. She was studying the layout of the rooms. Chi Yi whispered, “Zhi-zhi, what are you thinking?”
“These rooms are oddly arranged,” Li Zhi replied. “Old houses are usually symmetrical, but these are staggered and uneven. It breaks the harmony of traditional architecture.”
Chi Yi’s eyes widened. “Is that… bad?”
Li Zhi casually chose a room and walked in. “We’re here already. Might as well stay. Maybe the designer liked asymmetry.”
Chi Yi: “…”
They didn’t have much of a choice anyway—they couldn’t exactly sleep outside. The room interior was thankfully ordinary, no creepy decor. Chi Yi lay on the bed with relief, pulling out her blessed kitchen knife and giving it a few practice swings.
With a weapon in hand, she felt much safer. After a moment of thought, she asked, “Do you think this blessed knife will work on the ghost? If so, all we need to do is guard Madam during childbirth, and we win, right?”
“It’s probably not that easy. Otherwise, the system wouldn’t have given us that other item.”
“Oh! Master’s Notes!” Chi Yi sat up in excitement, face scrunched with indignation. “What’s Zhao Luan’s problem anyway? That item isn’t his alone. Why’s he acting like he owns it?”
Just then, knocking came from outside their door.
It was Tian Mingjie, leading others to Zhao Luan’s room. “Zhao Luan, let’s all take a look at Master’s Notes. That’s not your personal item.”
Chi Yi’s eyes gleamed with interest. “Let’s go watch the fun.”
Moments later, Zhao Luan opened his door with a cold face. “Come in.”
A dozen people crowded into his room. Li Zhi glanced around—the layout here was the same as her own. Nothing unusual stood out.
On the round table sat Master’s Handwritten Notes.
Since they were supposedly disciples of a great master, this book must have belonged to that master, filled with techniques for exorcising evil spirits. The players eagerly flipped to the first page—and sure enough, written there was: Rain Summoning Technique.
Li Zhi stared at the handwriting on the page. Something about it felt oddly familiar.