GM Chapter 2

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The car arrived and stopped at the village entrance.

The driver said that cars weren’t allowed inside the village, so they had to get out and walk to the ancestral hall.

The only woman in the group asked the driver, “Why are we staying in the ancestral hall? Isn’t there a hotel?”

The driver replied, “Where would you find a hotel here? This is a remote, rundown place. Be grateful you have somewhere to stay.”

The woman complained, “That’s not acceptable. How can people stay in an ancestral hall?”

The driver chuckled. “The hall houses the ancestors. Are you afraid the ghostly ancestors will drag you into the ancestral well to strengthen their lineage?”

The woman retorted, “They’re not my ancestors! They’re not my ghostly ancestors!”

The driver said, “Then sleep in the car for the night.”

The woman didn’t argue anymore, just mumbled a few words before being pulled aside by the man next to her.

There was a local taboo—cars stopped outside meant a funeral was taking place in the village. If a car drove in, it might take the soul of the deceased away. The ancestral hall housed ghostly ancestors who protected their descendants.

But these travelers were outsiders, not part of the village. Some remote mountain villages had legends that if outsiders spent the night in the ancestral hall, the ghostly ancestors would capture them to fill the well, ensuring prosperity for the villagers.

Of course, such stories were only found in villages with declining populations or frequent deaths. Taking human lives was a serious matter, and no one dared to believe it completely.

Fang Guo got out of the car, pulling his luggage. He instinctively glanced at the man beside him, who was still standing there—silent, like a shadow. Yet, his presence gave Fang Guo a sense of security.

The group walked forward in silence. The village was eerily quiet—no voices, no lights.

Fang Guo felt uneasy. The sun had just set; it shouldn’t be this silent.

The three men ahead also noticed something was off. One of them asked the driver, “Can’t we just sleep in the car? This place feels too quiet.”

The driver grew impatient. “Why are you guys so talkative? Haven’t you been here before?”

The man replied, “I’ve been here… but never stayed overnight.”

A village surrounded by mountains, cut off from the outside world, could be hiding many dark secrets that outsiders would never know. Who knew what kind of deity they worshipped here?

This man was also from a remote mountain village, so he understood the outdated beliefs some villagers held.

Besides, this village did seem eerie.

No one in sight, even though the sun had just set. It was unnaturally silent.

The driver waved them off. “I’ve been to this village dozens of times, and I’ve never seen anything happen at night. Just don’t wander out of the ancestral hall… and don’t get any funny ideas.”

Fang Guo also asked, “Did something happen in the village? It’s just after sunset, but it’s completely silent.”

The driver replied, “Probably a ‘white funeral.’”

“White funeral?”

“Enough! If you’re so scared, go back and sleep in the car. But if something drags you away in the middle of the night, don’t blame me. Stop whining—I don’t have time for this.”

Seeing that the driver was truly annoyed, Fang Guo and the others fell silent.

He walked side by side with the man next to him, trailing behind the group.

Fang Guo whispered, “My name is Fang Guo. What’s yours?”

The man didn’t answer—just kept walking quietly.

Fang Guo assumed he didn’t want to talk. Feeling a little awkward, he scratched his nose and didn’t press further.

They walked for another ten minutes in silence. The night grew darker until there wasn’t a single trace of light left. Yet, the driver still forbade them from turning on their lights, saying it would attract something.

One of the other men, short-tempered and already irritated by the driver, cursed under his breath and turned on his phone flashlight. The driver, unable to stop him, sighed in frustration.

The driver warned, “Just stay inside the hall tonight. If you’re still fine by sunrise, you can leave.”

Fang Guo hesitated. The driver seemed to know something.

But he couldn’t leave in the morning—he was here for Wei Ran’s funeral. According to his class monitor, he’d have to stay for two or three days.

But in a village this eerie… he wasn’t sure if he could last that long.

For some reason, in that brief moment when the flashlight turned on, Fang Guo caught something in the corner of his eye—a shadow flickered past a nearby alley. A soft rustling sound, like a swarm of rats scurrying by.

A shiver ran down Fang Guo’s spine. He turned his head, but the alley was already pitch-black. He saw nothing.

Yet he couldn’t shake the feeling that something—or someone—was standing there in the darkness, silently watching them pass.

“We’re here.”

Fang Guo snapped out of his thoughts and looked ahead.

A traditional-style building stood before them. The plaque above the entrance bore four characters: X Clan Ancestral Hall.

The first character was too worn to read, likely the village’s surname. Given Wei Ran’s surname, it was probably Wei.

Wei Clan Ancestral Hall.

The entrance was desolate. Normally, ancestral halls had two stone lions at the door, sometimes a small shrine for the Earth God.

But this place had none of that—only two red lanterns hanging at the entrance, glowing a deep red, like they had been soaked in blood.

Fang Guo felt uneasy. This didn’t feel like an ancestral hall… it felt more like a place where corpses were stored.

The driver walked ahead and pushed open the door. “Come in.”

As Fang Guo stepped over the threshold, a thought struck him.

Ancestral halls were sacred to their clans. In ancient times, even accidental fires would alarm the whole family, fearing they had angered their ancestors.

They were strictly off-limits to outsiders—who knew if they would desecrate the hall?

Why was this village so casual about letting travelers stay here?

In remote villages or in ancient times, the only places open for travelers to rest were usually… mortuaries.

“Young man, why are you standing there? Get inside.”

The woman in their group called out to him.

Fang Guo shook off his unease and turned to the man beside him. “Let’s go in.”

Then he stepped inside.

As he passed the woman, she suddenly asked, “Were you just talking to someone?”

Fang Guo was confused. “Huh?”

The woman looked a little embarrassed. “It’s just that… I saw you talking to thin air a few times along the way. I was wondering who you were talking to… But hey, young people like to talk to themselves, right? Haha, talking to yourself.”

She didn’t think much of it, just assumed Fang Guo was a little odd.

Fang Guo stiffened. He whipped his head around.

At the doorway, a dark figure stood still.

Its features were obscured, like a humanoid mass of mist.

It hadn’t followed them inside.

It just stood at the entrance, watching him.

It had been with them the whole journey, sitting silently beside him.

A ghost… had been following them all along.

Fang Guo’s face turned pale.

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