Chapter 1 Yuriko's Clothes

You Qi sized up Jiang Cheng, his expression gradually turning strange. He couldn't see how Jiang Cheng's clothes could be considered expensive.

Some edges were frayed, with loose threads, and the workmanship was questionable.

"Do we need to change into clothes from the mansion?" Zuo Jing, who had been observing, asked. Her voice was magnetic and distinctive.

Based on the information they had, Young Master Huang likely suffered from a type of hysteria. Such patients were often wary of strangers. Approaching him in the mansion's clothing to avoid startling him made sense.

"Something like that," said Zhou, the butler, his mustache twitching slightly. "I have matters to attend to. I'll have her take you." He gestured to the middle-aged woman standing behind him.

With that, Butler Zhou left, flanked by the fierce-looking man and the young woman.

"Esteemed doctors, please follow me." The middle-aged woman's ambiguous voice rang out again.

After navigating several more courtyards, everyone gained a new appreciation for the Huang mansion's vastness.

Courtyards adjoined each other, connected by crescent-shaped arched doorways, paired with ubiquitous latticework, creating a sense of spaciousness without feeling oppressive.

Almost imperceptible carvings of unnamed mythical beasts adorned some areas, presumably for warding off evil spirits.

As they walked, these carvings became more frequent.

"If you ask me..." Shi Liaozhi, craning his neck, muttered softly, "Could this young master already be dead, and turned into a ghost? That's why he only comes out at night, and during the day..."

He stopped abruptly.

In fact, many had considered this possibility, but thinking it was one thing, saying it aloud another. The atmosphere in the group immediately became tense.

If that were the case, they were walking right into a trap.

Hearing this, Tang Shirou, the most timid, nearly lost her footing. After all, she was the only one who had seen the young master's "true form."

Fortunately, An Xuan supported her, unconcerned that she leaned on him.

"Don't be afraid, Miss Tang," An Xuan said softly, "I'm here."

"Th... Thank you, Mr. An."

"Just stay close to me." An Xuan nodded with a smile.

But some risks were unavoidable in nightmares, like this one. If they didn't go, they couldn't see the young master and unravel the mystery.

And it was better to go willingly during the day than to have the young master come looking for them at night.

Weighing the options, everyone decided to bite the bullet, change clothes, and visit the young master.

"We're here."

After pushing open a dilapidated wooden door, a uniquely decorated three-story building stood before them. The windows and doors were tightly shut, and there was no sound.

The walls and pillars were adorned with paintings of beauties singing opera, their slender fingers and graceful postures.

But coupled with what had happened last night, everyone felt a chill.

"The young master... lives here?" Shi Liaozhi asked in an unnatural voice.

"Yes."

"Aren't we supposed to change first?" Fatty blinked. "Why did we come straight here?"

The middle-aged woman didn't answer, but instead stepped forward and pushed open the door on the first floor. With a creak, the door... opened.

Sunlight streamed in, adding a touch of warmth to the building that hadn't been properly aired in a long time.

The middle-aged woman turned around, fixed her gaze on them, and said in her monotonous voice, "Please change your clothes."

The moment she stepped aside, something flashed in everyone's eyes, and their breathing quickened.

The room behind the woman... was filled with opera costumes of various colors.

White, green, blue, azure... but the most striking was the crimson costume hanging squarely in the center.

The costume was blindingly red, like a sea of blood splashing in their faces.

The instant she saw the crimson costume, Tang Shirou froze. Then, her mind went blank, and she fainted.

It seemed... that the "thing" Tang Shirou saw last night was wearing that crimson costume.

"Do we... still have to change?" Fatty asked hesitantly.

Before he finished speaking, several figures rushed into the room, not bothering to conceal their actions as they stripped off their own clothes and began to change into the opera costumes.

A moment later, Fatty suddenly understood. Although there seemed to be many costumes, most were only partially finished. Only the ones at the back were wearable.

And he counted, there were exactly 9!

But there were 10 of them!

An Xuan reacted the fastest. He dropped the unconscious Tang Shirou, rushed inside, and grabbed an azure costume, as if afraid someone would snatch it from him.

Just as Fatty was worrying that he wouldn't get one and was about to rush over to grab a costume, someone pulled him back. He instinctively turned around and saw that it was Doctor.

Doctor appeared calm and composed, not in the least anxious.

And he was squinting in the direction of Xia Meng, who had already changed into a light blue costume. Her fair skin made her look even more attractive in the costume.

"Doctor," Fatty asked anxiously in a low voice, "Aren't we going to grab a costume?"

"What's the rush?" Jiang Cheng said calmly. "Isn't there still her?"

Following Jiang Cheng's gaze, Fatty saw that Tang Shirou was lying on the ground, half of her face covered by her hair, the other half revealing her closed eyes, looking very pained.

Swallowing hard, he understood the Doctor's meaning. As long as Tang Shirou didn't wake up, there would be enough costumes for everyone.

And when she did wake up, she would face a dilemma: either go without a costume, or wear the crimson costume hanging in the center that no one dared to touch.

The one that the "young master" wore last night.

Staring at the young woman, Fatty sighed softly.

"Pity her?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"A little," Fatty didn't deny. "But my pity is useless. Maybe I've been deceived too many times. I keep wondering if she's faking it, but now it seems..."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter whether she's faking it or not," Fatty suddenly became frank. "If she's not faking it, she's doomed. If she is faking it, then she must have some means and leverage that we don't know about, and she's probably after Captain Tu. So either way, she's definitely not an ally."

"Treat those who aren't allies in the mission as enemies," Fatty said coldly, staring at Tang Shirou. "Once you suspect them, don't give them a chance to draw their guns."

"You taught me that," Fatty said, looking up. "Doctor."