A faint heartbeat tugged at Chen Qiang's nerves. He hadn't expected Pan Du, who seemed as good as dead, to still be alive.

Even more bizarre, Pan Du's eyeballs twitched suddenly.

"Although he still has a heartbeat, he's already lost consciousness," Linghu Yong said, looking at him. "He's not responding to external stimuli either."

"I know that. I used to be a caregiver," the fatty said, staring at Pan Du on the bed, nervously swallowing. "Basically, he's in a vegetative state."

"But a person in a vegetative state wouldn't have such a low body temperature," Jiang Cheng said, withdrawing his hand. He could feel a clear difference from his own just by touching Pan Du's body.

Based on Jiang Cheng's experience, Pan Du's body temperature was like that of someone who had died a few hours ago. Although there was still some warmth, it was much lower than a normal person's.

"And there's this." Jiang Cheng lifted Pan Du's clothes, and everyone could clearly see purplish-red blotches on the latter's skin.

"Corpses get those but not living people," he continued.

"So, is he alive or dead?" the fatty asked.

Before Jiang Cheng could answer, a calm voice rang out, "His body is dead, but his spirit is trapped in another place."

It was the man named Luo He who spoke. Whether it was an illusion or not, everyone felt a sudden sense of calm when the voice sounded.

"So… he's still dead?" Pi Ruan seemed to have the same question as the fatty and was very dissatisfied with Luo He's cryptic attitude.

"I don't know," Luo He said, looking up at Pi Ruan. "But I think it depends on how quickly we resolve this paranormal event."

"If we're fast enough, and his body doesn't rot, he might have a chance to come back to life."

Luo He's attitude was inscrutable, but everyone could clearly sense his indifference to life.

That's right, Pan Du was just a stranger to him. They just happened to meet at a fixed time, with no prior connection.

No one dwelled on his attitude. They were only concerned with whether what he said was true.

Zhao Xingguo thought for a moment and nodded. "Mr. Luo is right. Pan Du was in the room with us all last night. If a ghost attacked, there's no reason it would only attack him."

"He was targeted by the ghost for a reason…" He paused, then suddenly looked in one direction. "I think the reason is at the altar."

The first scene they encountered where someone had been attacked by a ghost was at the altar set up by the Celestial Master Taoist, and the Taoist's body was there at the time.

"Could it be that we touched something we shouldn't have in the altar and angered the ghost?" Pi Ruan asked softly, casting his gaze at Jiang Cheng at the same time.

Jiang Cheng was thinking about the connection between these events. He brushed off Pi Ruan's request for help with a perfunctory, "You can think of it that way."

It was dawn, but there was no point in just huddling in the room and thinking. They needed to go out and look for clues.

As for Pan Du, everyone thought it was best for him to stay in the room. Since the ghost hadn't killed him on the spot, it was unlikely that it would settle accounts later.

In other words, he would remain like this until the end of this paranormal event.

Not long after walking out of the building, they followed the corridor to a place that looked like a dining hall. Liu the Cripple had taken them past here before, so everyone remembered it.

The black wooden door was open, and inside there was a long table and several wooden benches, enough to accommodate more than a dozen people eating at the same time.

The dining hall was dark and sparsely furnished. The table and the floor were covered with years of accumulated stains.

Some looked like dried blood stains, and others looked like mold.

This was clearly not where the Feng family ate. It was more like a canteen for servants.

At the moment, a black pot was placed on the long table, with many sets of bowls and chopsticks arranged crookedly along the table.

Before they could get closer to observe, they heard a strange sound of footsteps coming from deep within the dining hall. Then, a dark curtain was lifted, and a figure leaning on a crutch walked out.

"You've come at the right time. Come and sit down to eat," Liu the Cripple greeted. "I cooked porridge this morning. Make do with it."

He took the initiative to lift the lid of the pot, and a rich aroma instantly spread, filling the entire room with its enticing scent.

"It smells so good!" Someone couldn't help but swallow and exclaimed in admiration.

"Damn, what smells so good?" Pi Ruan's eyes were fixed on the black pot. He hadn't eaten anything since coming to this world.

Even worse, he hadn't eaten before entering this world.

However, the fatty seemed to see through the trick. His thick eyebrows furrowed, and he said with a questioning tone, "It seems… it seems like the smell of snake meat soup, but this is too fragrant."

Hearing this, Fu Fu curled her lips. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Anyway, I'm hungry. Suit yourselves."

With that, she was the first to walk over and sit down. Liu the Cripple immediately ladled her a full bowl of porridge, looking at her with a face full of wrinkles.

Luo He was the second to walk over. It was obvious that Zhao Xingguo had intended to dissuade him, but under Liu the Cripple's gaze, he was half a beat too slow.

"She's right. When in Rome, do as the Romans do," Jiang Cheng said. "If someone wanted to poison us, it would be difficult to avoid it."

With Jiang Cheng's words, the others reluctantly walked over, but this attitude disappeared as soon as they drank the first mouthful of snake meat soup.

It was too delicious.

The group quickly emptied the pot of snake meat soup. In the end, Pi Ruan occupied the pot, repeatedly scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon.

It was hard to imagine what kind of delicacy would make a person of his status do something like this.

"I'm full," Fu Fu said, wiping her mouth with satisfaction, revealing a strange smile.

Jiang Cheng swallowed the last mouthful of rice, put down his chopsticks, and said to Liu the Cripple, who was clearing the table, "We want to walk around the Feng manor today. Is there anything we need to pay attention to?"

"The situation around here is not peaceful," Liu the Cripple said, opening his one eye. "People in the town know about the matters of the manor. If you insist on going out for a walk, then remember not to say that you came from the Feng manor."

"Also," Liu the Cripple's tone suddenly became harsh, and his aura changed. His originally hunched back seemed to straighten up a lot. He stared at Jiang Cheng's face and said solemnly, "Remember to be back before dark."

"Is there a reason for that?" Pi Ruan asked weakly when no one responded.

"Once it gets dark, the manor gates will be closed, and no matter who calls, they won't open," Liu the Cripple said, looking at Pi Ruan with a sinister tone. "No one can open the gates of the Feng manor at night."