Chapter 498: The House That Eats People
"That house eats people."
Old Chen’s voice trembled as he spoke.
The deep bell rang again.
Dong!
This time, movement came from the surrounding houses.
Doors opened and closed. Feet shuffled across the dirt paths, moving in the direction of Chief Gao’s residence.
The villagers did not speak.
Their silence made the situation even more unsettling.
"What do you mean the house eats people?" Lu Tao asked.
Old Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Every traveller brought into the village is asked to stay there. At first, Chief Gao treats them well. He gives them food and water, then waits until they fall asleep."
"The water contains something," Leng Pan said.
Old Chen looked at her in surprise.
"You know?"
"We discovered parasites inside it."
"Parasites?"
Old Chen appeared genuinely confused.
He had known the water was dangerous, but he didn’t know why.
"Continue," Lu Zhen ordered. "What happens after the travellers fall asleep?"
"Chief Gao and his people carry them into that house. By morning, they are gone."
"Gone where?"
"I don’t know."
Old Chen’s breathing became uneven.
"At first, I thought they were killed and buried outside the village. But several months ago, I was returning after waiting beside the road. I passed the house late at night and heard scratching beneath the floor."
"What kind of scratching?" Blaze asked.
"As if something was dragging itself across stone."
Old Chen hugged his arms, recalling the sound.
"Then I saw blood flowing from beneath the door. It disappeared through cracks in the courtyard before morning."
"Did you investigate?" Ouyang Jin asked.
"How could I? Chief Gao already suspected Xiaoyu knew something about the well. If I approached that house, he would have killed us both."
Old Chen looked towards the entrance.
"The house is always clean the next morning. There is never blood or any sign that someone stayed there."
"But our vine searched it and found nothing," Lu Tao said.
Old Chen looked at the green bracelet around Leng Pan’s wrist.
He still found it difficult to believe it was a living plant.
"Maybe the house only becomes dangerous at night," Su Yan suggested.
"Or the danger isn’t inside the house," Sonny replied.
His voice came from the dark corner.
"It could be beneath it."
The floor.
The mutated vine had inspected the rooms, walls, furniture, and surroundings. It had found nothing suspicious because the visible structure was ordinary.
But if a hidden chamber existed below a sealed stone floor, it might not have discovered the entrance.
Especially if the entrance could only be opened using a mechanism inside Chief Gao’s house.
"Why is the bell ringing early?" Leng Pan asked Old Chen.
"I don’t know."
"What normally happens when it rings?"
"Chief Gao gathers everyone in the courtyard."
"For what?"
Old Chen hesitated.
"Sometimes, he distributes water. Other times, he chooses people to guard the village."
"Is that all?"
"No."
He lowered his voice.
"When travellers are present, the bell means everyone must remain inside their homes, no matter what they hear."
"So why are the villagers coming out now?" Janna asked.
Old Chen turned towards the window.
Shadowy figures were moving between the houses.
"That isn’t normal."
His fear deepened.
"Chief Gao must know I came here."
As soon as he spoke, several loud knocks came from the wall beside the doorway.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Guests, are you awake?"
It was Chief Gao’s voice.
Old Chen staggered backwards.
Leng Pan immediately wrapped him in mist and concealed him behind a section of the broken wall.
The barrier distorted the light around his body. Unless someone touched him, they would not notice he was there.
"Remain quiet," she warned.
Old Chen nodded repeatedly.
Lu Zhen signalled for everyone to hide their weapons.
Leng Pan opened a narrow section of the barrier.
Chief Gao stood outside with the same broad smile he had worn during the day.
However, more than thirty villagers stood behind him.
Some carried machetes, hoes, and wooden poles. Others held empty buckets.
The young woman who had warned Janna was among them. A large man gripped her shoulder, preventing her from moving away.
"Chief Gao, what brings you here so late?" Leng Pan asked.
"I came because I was worried about you."
"Worried about what?"
Chief Gao glanced at the dark sky.
"The temperature will fall tonight. This house has no doors or windows, so it will become unbearably cold."
"We have warm clothes."
"Warm clothes will not be enough."
His eyes swept across the room, counting everyone.
"We prepared the house beside mine. It has beds, blankets, and a stove. You should sleep there."
"There is no need," Lu Zhen replied.
Chief Gao’s smile tightened.
"You are our guests. How can we allow you to suffer?"
"We are not suffering."
"The village traditions require us to take care of travellers."
"We appreciate your traditions, but we will remain here."
Chief Gao stopped smiling.
For several seconds, neither side spoke.
The villagers behind him tightened their grip on their weapons.
"Perhaps you misunderstand," Chief Gao finally said. "I am not asking."
Lu Tao almost laughed.
Did this village chief truly believe thirty malnourished villagers could force them to do anything?
Before he could speak, Lu Hao elbowed him.
They still needed Chief Gao to expose what was beneath the house.
Starting a battle now would alert the hidden enemy.
"Why are you so determined to make us stay there?" Leng Pan asked.
"Because it is safer."
"Safer from what?"
Chief Gao looked towards the well.
The movement was so quick that an ordinary person might not notice it.
Leng Pan did.
"Some mutated creatures wander through the village at night," he replied.
"What kind of creatures?"
"You don’t need to know."
"If they are dangerous, we should know what we are facing."
Chief Gao’s patience appeared to reach its limit.
"I have protected this village for more than a year. You arrived today, yet you question every decision I make."
"We are not members of your village," Lu Zhen reminded him. "Your decisions have nothing to do with us."