Having completed the mission, they naturally went to find the shaggy - haired ghost to ask about the whereabouts of the evil spirit.
But the shaggy - haired ghost just gave them a cold look, said nothing, and simply waved his sleeve.
There was a sudden spinning sensation, and when the scene came into view again, it was still unfamiliar.
It was pouring heavily. Standing in front of Niannian and her two siblings was a charming woman with a submissive demeanor. The rain slid down beside her as if there was an invisible shield separating her from the outside world.
"Milords, could you please avenge me? As long as my injustice is cleared, I will surely fulfill whatever my benefactors ask of me," the female ghost said softly, her voice gentle and pleasant.
"Clear your injustice? Are you a wronged ghost?" Shen Weixun sized up the female ghost and asked.
"Yes, my name is Lu Yiyi. Milords can just call me Yiyi," the wronged ghost replied with a smile.
Wronged ghosts are one of the twelve common types of ghosts. They are formed from people who have suffered injustice and could not appeal during their lifetimes. They look no different from ordinary people but often hide their forms. They only show themselves or appear in dreams to state their grievances until someone comes to avenge them.
Wronged ghosts do not harm people. Their only purpose is to not die in vain. As long as the person who killed them is brought to justice, they will stop their entanglement.
"Why did we end up in front of you?" Zhang Zicheng stepped forward, staring warily at the woman.
The aura on this woman was extremely powerful, far beyond that of an ordinary wronged ghost.
That shaggy - haired ghost had deceived them after all.
He said he would tell them where the escaped evil spirit had gone, but instead, he sent them in front of an even more powerful ghost.
"I know what you gentlemen seek. The shaggy - haired ghost didn't deceive you either. The evil spirit you were chasing has fled to the deepest part of the scroll. If you can't fulfill my long - cherished wish, you won't be able to enter the deepest part of the scroll," the woman said.
They just wanted to chase the evil spirit, but somehow they ended up in a side - scrolling action game?
"What is the scroll?" Niannian asked in confusion.
"The exterior of this space is a painting scroll. Inside the scroll are sealed seven types of ghosts. We all have wishes to fulfill. If we can't let go of our grudges, we'll never be able to leave this scroll. Before, there was an external intrusion. We noticed it, but unfortunately, we were too weak to stop it. It seems to be very familiar with the laws of space, so we could only watch it flee to the deepest part of the scroll," the woman said with a gentle smile. The matter of the scroll was no secret.
Whether these three people wanted to leave or find the evil spirit, they had to fulfill her long - cherished wish and resolve her obsession.
Otherwise, they would be trapped in this space forever and eventually become her nourishment.
"Gentlemen, and this young master, have you made up your minds? If you're not willing, you still won't be able to leave this space," the female ghost said.
Since the female ghost had put it this way, they had no choice but to do it, whether they wanted to or not.
This space was very special. It wasn't formed by any formation, and there was not the slightest fluctuation of formation in it.
Nor was it an illusion. Everything they touched was as real as could be.
The current situation was a bit like the mural described in Strange Tales from a Lonely Studio.
There really wasn't a better way to deal with it.
"Sister, what injustice have you suffered?" Xiaotuanzi thought for a while and asked softly.
"I was the eldest illegitimate daughter of the Marquis Yuanbo of the previous dynasty. Due to the change of dynasties, the new emperor purged the court. Since my father was a high - ranking official of the previous emperor, our whole family was imprisoned. The men were beheaded, and the women were sold to brothels," Lu Yiyi said calmly, as if she were talking about a stranger.
"Since I was in poor health and never went out when I was young, hardly anyone had seen my appearance. In the brothel, I managed to gain a foothold with my beauty, but no one knew my true identity. They only knew me as Madam Yan, the top courtesan of Changchun Tower," Lu Yiyi paused here, frowning slightly as if in deep thought.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Sorry, I seem to have forgotten how I died," Lu Yiyi said with a bitter smile.
"It's okay. Big sister, do you still know where you died?" Niannian showed a faint smile and comforted Lu Yiyi.
"Yes, I died in my boudoir in Changchun Tower," Lu Yiyi nodded.
"Did you have any grudges or disputes with others?"
"Yes, and quite a few. All my legitimate and illegitimate sisters, regardless of their age, were sold to Changchun Tower. There was even a younger sister who was only three years old. In fact, she was my younger brother, the only bloodline of the Lu family. I protected him and worked hard to receive guests to earn money, just to secure a future for him. So many girls in the brothel had their guests snatched by me, and almost all of them had conflicts with me," Lu Yiyi lowered her eyes. Working in a brothel was a disgraceful thing, even if it was out of necessity. Even though she had a strong heart, it still felt a bit bitter to talk about it so openly.
"What about people outside the brothel?" Niannian continued to ask.
"Hmm? There should be some. There was a young master who often came to see me. He was always very generous and sometimes even brought imperial items. He seemed to be from the royal family. Once a girl came to me and told me not to bewitch this young master, saying that he was just using me for fun. I ignored her. That girl seemed to like that young master very much. I guess we could be considered as having a feud," Lu Yiyi recalled carefully.
Niannian nodded. Having a target was better than wandering around aimlessly.
"How long have you been dead? And where is this place? If you've already turned into a handful of loess, I might not be able to find out anything," Niannian said.
"Milord, you don't have to worry about this. I have too strong an obsession. This place was formed by the condensation of my resentment. It was created with my memories, resentment, and obsession. The causes and effects here are exactly the same as in the real past, and the people are the same too. They're just stuck on the day I died and won't be freed until the cause of my death is discovered," Lu Yiyi explained.
Niannian suddenly understood. No wonder this female ghost was so wronged but still so calm. Living in this cycle every day, she knew that the truth of her death would not be buried in the dust and time. It was like having a hope and a thought.
But she was even more surprised that this vengeful ghost could create a space. How much hatred must she have had when she died?
"We can help you find the truth, but we're strangers here. You have to accompany us," Shen Weixun said firmly, not giving an inch.
They were doing this out of helplessness. He could only feel a little more at ease if this ghost stayed within his sight.