One by one...

Upon hearing this, some people's expressions changed slightly. After a long while, Shi Liaozhi, with a stiff neck, tentatively asked, "Must we go up one by one? If we all examine the young master together, we can discuss things..."

"One by one," the middle-aged woman said, like an emotionless repeating machine. "This is also Butler Zhou's intention."

Seeing the woman bring up Butler Zhou, everyone had no other choice. After all, the clues were still unclear, and it wouldn't be wise to clash with the NPCs at this time.

Everyone's eyes met briefly, and they moved closer to each other. But before they could discuss what to do next, the middle-aged woman spoke again, "Which doctor will go upstairs first to examine the young master's pulse?"

No one spoke. Jiang Cheng glanced seemingly casually towards the door, while Fatty was even more direct, staring at his toes.

"Let's start with this doctor," the middle-aged woman suddenly said.

Her eyes were fixed on You Qi, and something seemed to flash in her pupils.

"Why me?" You Qi, who was singled out, exploded. Despite his burly appearance, the fear in his eyes was no less than Fatty's.

He immediately extended his arm, pointing at Qin Jian, who had breathed a sigh of relief, and said loudly, "He's dressed so appropriately, why don't you ask him?"

Qin Jian's originally pale face immediately turned green.

The middle-aged woman didn't argue, but turned her head and looked at a certain spot.

Everyone followed the woman's gaze. It was the place where the opera costumes were hanging.

You Qi's pink opera costume was hanging at the front. It seemed that the order of the costumes determined the order of going upstairs to see the young master.

You Qi must have regretted it to the core.

He took a deep breath, glanced at the crowd, and turned to go upstairs.

"Brother You," An Xuan suddenly said.

You Qi turned around upon hearing this.

An Xuan quickly walked up to him and said something very close to his ear. After a moment, the look in You Qi's eyes changed strangely.

The innermost part of the room where the opera costumes were placed had a wooden staircase. The staircase was very narrow and the location was relatively hidden, which did not match the grandeur that Fatty thought a wealthy family should have.

Moreover, the staircase was very old, visibly so.

Perhaps due to the heavy humidity, the wood was severely decayed. Some places had cracks, and several sections of the handrail were broken, exposing conspicuous splinters.

He even wondered if it could withstand You Qi's weight.

But fortunately, the instance was still rigorous enough. After a series of "creaking" sounds that seemed about to give way, You Qi's figure disappeared at the end of the stairs.

Everyone held their breath and listened carefully.

"What did you say to him just now?" Qin Jian looked at An Xuan and suddenly asked. Dressed in black funerary clothes, he exuded a sense of solemnity.

This was also the question everyone was curious about.

"Don't worry," An Xuan said, squinting his eyes. "You'll know when You Qi comes down."

Qin Jian's eyebrows twitched, and he didn't ask any further, but judging from his expression, he seemed to have guessed something.

A few minutes later, "creaking" sounds came from upstairs. You Qi's figure reappeared on the stairs. His expression was very strange, and his thick eyebrows were almost squeezed together.

It wasn't because of fear, but rather... as if he had encountered something he couldn't understand.

From the moment he appeared until he came down the stairs, everyone stared at him, but no one spoke to him.

Moreover, there was a hint of wariness in their gazes.

"Okay, Brother You," An Xuan suddenly said, "Just stand there."

Only then did You Qi seem to suddenly react. He raised his head and met a group of vigilant gazes, especially Fatty and Jiang Cheng. The two of them were standing by the door, looking like they were ready to run at any moment.

"My name is You Qi," You Qi looked at everyone and said, "From the Loess Plateau."

Hearing this, everyone's vigilance eased slightly.

It seemed... this was the previously agreed password.

Everyone had to reintroduce themselves after coming out.

If there were any discrepancies from before...

It probably meant that a ghost had mixed in.

Although everyone knew that the next person in order was Shi Liaozhi, he was still reluctant to go. It wasn't until the middle-aged woman called his name that he reluctantly went upstairs.

It felt like his legs were shaking, and he could only exert strength by holding onto the handrail on one side.

"Doctor," Fatty said softly, "Is this really an old player? He looks alright, but why is he so timid?"

"Could it be..." Fatty asked, "that just as old players pretend to be new players, new players also pretend to be..."

"No," Jiang Cheng interrupted him.

Just as Fatty was curious to know the doctor's reasoning, the doctor suddenly shut up. He followed the doctor's gaze and happened to meet a pair of eyes that had just moved away.

Zuo Qing was not far from them. Although her face was expressionless, Fatty had a feeling that she had just been looking at him, or the doctor.

He pretended to shake his neck nonchalantly and then stopped talking.

One after another, everyone took about the same amount of time. Xia Meng was the first of the trio to go upstairs along the old staircase. At this moment, she felt a little nervous.

An Xuan's idea didn't seem reliable in her eyes. She suspected that a ghost had already mixed in, but if that were the case, what would she see in a while?

Could it be... that there was more than one ghost in this mission?

Deep mansions and abandoned buildings always give rise to some absurd stories. She hoped that nothing would go wrong with her mission this time. She took a deep breath, and took the last step onto the stairs.

To her surprise, upstairs and downstairs were completely two different worlds. The dilapidated feeling downstairs seemed to stop at the staircase. Upstairs... was a rather elegant room.

Elaborate tables and chairs, exquisite porcelain, and small rockeries... were separated by screens painted with opera scenes, creating a delicate sense of space.

Every detail was ingeniously conceived.

It was clear that the owner of this room must be a refined person, and... a fanatical opera lover.

The room's scenery was mostly painted with figures from operas, as well as some similar carvings. Near the window, on the dressing table, in front of the clear bronze mirror, lay a phoenix coronet quietly.

The phoenix coronet from the bridal headdress.

Round pearls were embedded on it, reflecting a soft light under the dim light, and some small and delicate beads were strung with silver threads, lined up on the left and right.

Thanks to the brilliant design, it seemed as if light was flowing on it, with no impurities in every detail.

Her gaze gradually shifted until it stopped at the position of the bed.

Behind a red curtain sat a thin figure. The figure was relatively tall, but very thin. At first glance, it felt like a woman.