"Those are your people. I remember her name was Lu Qin."

"Why was she there? After you left last night... did you go back to the mourning hall?"

Faced with General Yuwen's aggressive questioning, Jiang Cheng remained calm. "General, you've misunderstood. Although Lu Qin came to the manor with us, she's not one of us, and we're not familiar with her."

"That's right, we all came at the Marquis's invitation," Yao Shunyu said, seizing the opportunity.

"Last night, we were all busy stealing the embroidered ball. Where would we have time to go back to the mourning hall?"

Everyone chimed in to support Jiang Cheng, as General Yuwen's posture made it clear he was trying to make an issue out of it.

Seeing that this wasn't working, General Yuwen changed the subject. "Forget it. The person is dead, so I won't pursue the matter. Our Marquis's estate will still pay her share of the reward. I'll trouble you masters to bring the money to her family."

"The General is generous," Jiang Cheng said, feigning respect with a cupped fist salute.

General Yuwen waved his hand, his gaze becoming subtle. "Masters, how did your mission go last night? That embroidered ball..."

The Fatty, quick-witted, took out the embroidered ball hidden in his package and handed it to General Yuwen through Jiang Cheng's hands.

Having been mended by the Fatty, the embroidered ball showed no flaws. The Fatty's needlework skills had certainly given everyone a pleasant surprise.

General Yuwen held the embroidered ball, examining it carefully before handing it to the soldier beside him. He nodded to Jiang Cheng and the others with a smile. "Very good. With this embroidered ball, I believe the Marquis's illness will soon improve. Thank you, masters."

"The General is too kind. It's our duty."

Being under someone else's roof, one had to bow one's head. The experienced Zhang Qizheng handled the social graces perfectly.

General Yuwen's lips curved upward, seemingly very satisfied with them. "The Marquis is unwell and unable to see you. I'll convey some words on his behalf. The Marquis hopes you will go to Spring God Lake today to investigate the truth about that haunted building."

Upon hearing this, everyone inhaled sharply, thinking, 'Here it finally comes.' Li Bai asked, "When do we depart?"

"The sooner the better. Food and water pouches have been prepared for the masters. You can leave at any time."

He pondered for a moment and verified, "General, Spring God Lake is dozens of *li* from here, and the mountain road is rugged and difficult to travel. Even if we leave now, I'm afraid it will be difficult to arrive before dark."

General Yuwen reassured him, "Please rest assured, masters. We have already made arrangements. On the way to Spring God Lake, you will encounter a village. You can rest there briefly and, after you are well-prepared, go to Spring God Lake to investigate."

"A village?"

"Yes, a fishing village not far from Spring God Lake. No one is more familiar with the situation at Spring God Lake than they are. You can ask them any questions you have," General Yuwen said casually.

Hearing that they would be spending the night in a desolate village, the Fatty subconsciously panicked, which stirred up some bad memories. "What... what is the name of this village?"

"Daotou Village."

The moment these three words were spoken, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept across the open space, the wind whistling through the gaps in the branches and leaves, creating a sharp sound like a ghost wailing.

"Daotou Village..."

General Yuwen completely ignored everyone's varying expressions and took out a piece of paper and a black wooden plaque from his chest.

"This paper marks the route to Daotou Village. As for how to find Spring God Lake, the villagers there will tell you."

"You must keep this wooden plaque carefully. It represents your identity. The wooden plaque has our Marquis's seal on it. When the villagers see it, they will know your background and will not dare to disrespect you."

General Yuwen handed the two items to Jiang Cheng, and then the sound of horses' hooves rang out not far away. Before everyone could react, several horses were led over by servants.

General Yuwen stroked the lead brown horse. "The journey is long, so please ride these horses. It will save you some energy."

Seeing that there were only eight horses, and there were only eight of them left, Tang Qisheng quickly asked, "General, are only the eight of us going? The mountain road is rugged, and without someone familiar with the terrain to lead the way, we are afraid that we will..."

Before he could finish speaking, General Yuwen interrupted him with a smile, "This master is worrying too much. These are all the Marquis's arrangements, and there will be no mistakes. That Daotou Village is easy to find."

Since things had reached this point, everyone didn't say much. The group took their belongings and led the horses away. After walking a long distance, Jiang Cheng looked back and saw General Yuwen and the others still standing there, motionless, watching them leave with stiff expressions.

The person leading the way took them all the way to the Marquis's mansion gate. At this moment, the Marquis's mansion gate was wide open, and outside the gate was the stone-paved street.

Seeing this situation, Jiang Cheng's expression changed involuntarily. He whispered to the soldier leading the way, "Is this the main entrance of the Marquis's mansion? Are you sure we are leaving from here?"

The soldier leading the way didn't turn his head and simply nodded his big head, answering in a muffled voice, "That's right, this is all General Yuwen's arrangement."

No more than a few dozen meters from the Marquis's mansion, they heard a strange sound. Turning their heads, they saw the gates of the Marquis's mansion gradually closing behind them. With a "bang," the last trace of a gap disappeared.

Tang Qisheng's face darkened. "Instead of taking the side door, he insists on leaving from the main gate. He's certain that we won't have a good ending."

The Fatty also felt strange and habitually looked at Jiang Cheng, who explained, "In ancient times, when a great general went to war, if he knew that this trip was unusually dangerous, he would arrange for someone to drag a coffin behind his horse, and leave the mansion through the main gate, implying 'burning the boats.' If he didn't win a triumphant return, he would be buried and return."

"Over time, everyone began to avoid this custom, and leaving from the main gate also gained the meaning of 'never returning'."

The Fatty listened in a daze, thinking that the people in this Marquis's mansion were really evil to the core. No wonder General Guo's late wife wanted to kill them all. They really should be killed; not one of them is good.

Following the map, the group quickly left the relatively lively streets and arrived on a rural dirt road. The road became more and more rugged, and the nearby vegetation grew astonishingly. Even if someone was hiding inside, they couldn't be seen at all.

Tang Qizheng had quite a bit of knowledge about horses. On the way, he commented that the horses they were riding didn't seem tall and mighty because they weren't known for their explosive power. They were good at endurance and were very obedient.

The journey was very peaceful. The road became more and more remote, and eventually there was almost no road left. Jiang Cheng and Yao Shunyu repeatedly checked the map and found that there were no problems; this was indeed the direction.

Unknowingly, the mountain forest nearby became damp, and then a vast fog rose from all directions and enveloped them.

There was a rustling sound in the fog, as if something was approaching quickly.