Chapter 1 What Sound?

"What's that sound?" Jiang Cheng was jolted awake, sitting straight up in bed.

The fatty, dark circles under his eyes, perked up his ears, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Sounds like... sounds like a gong, but much duller than a normal gong."

The sound drifted from far away, definitely outside the house. It came in waves, and anyone could tell that the gong-beater was terrified. Jiang Cheng got out of bed, walked to the door, and pressed his ear against it. "Sounds like something's happening in the village."

"Should we go out and take a look?" The fatty was also getting nervous. If something happened in the village at this time, it was probably aimed at them, and these villagers didn't seem trustworthy either.

"Wait a moment." Jiang Cheng crouched behind the door, peering out through the crack. He saw Chen Hao and the others walking out of the side room. They must have been attracted by the gong sound as well, and were craning their necks to look in the direction of the noise.

It was already dawn outside. Worried about a trap, Jiang Cheng first called Chen Hao and the others to confirm that the people outside were indeed them before opening the door and walking out.

The fatty followed him closely.

"Doctor," the fatty asked curiously, "aren't we going over there?" He thought Jiang Cheng would discuss things with Chen Hao and the others.

This was a haunted house, after all. The wind blew through the area, rustling the leaves and weeds. The fatty felt a sudden chill, as if something sinister was hidden behind the trees and in the depths of the weeds.

The fatty seemed to smell danger, and his attitude suddenly became wary. "Doctor, do you think something's wrong with Chen Hao and the others? Are they... are they ghosts in disguise?"

"Whether they're ghosts in disguise or not doesn't matter. As long as we don't go over there, we won't be in danger." Jiang Cheng said in a low voice, "And even if they're people, if we go and stand with them, what will that old fox Yu Chengmu think when he sees us? He'll immediately realize that our two groups have formed an alliance, which will be detrimental to our next actions."

"I need Chen Hao and the others to attract the attention of Yu Chengmu's group, and then we'll hide in the shadows, appearing neutral but actually stirring up the water, confusing them and taking the opportunity to strike a fatal blow."

"Doctor, you always have such good ideas. Aren't you afraid when it thunders at night with all that scheming in your head?" The fatty spoke his mind, feeling that the doctor was indeed the chosen one. No one could withstand him.

"Tsk." Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at the fatty's face, his eyebrows twitching involuntarily. He knew that the fatty was praising him and had no malice, but the fatty had truly mastered the art of language.

The fatty hadn't realized anything yet and excitedly said, "Doctor, I suggest we deal with that Yu Chengmu first. That old guy is full of bad ideas, just like you."

Jiang Cheng was too lazy to argue with him, partly because it was pointless and partly because it was useless. He shook his head helplessly and said, "We can't attack Yu Chengmu. He can't die. Even if Chen Hao's group is wiped out, I need him alive."

"This mission seems to be related to folk taboos. When it comes to this area, Yu Chengmu is the expert. With him alive, we can avoid many detours." Jiang Cheng continued.

"But what if he doesn't cooperate?" The fatty asked.

"He's not cooperating now because he thinks they have more people and more experience, so they have the upper hand. Once we get rid of A Biao and the others and let him know our methods, do you think he'll dare to be arrogant?" Jiang Cheng's voice turned cold. "I'll make him scream for help with no one answering. By then, he'll take the initiative to ask us to cooperate, and that will be much more effective."

Looking at Jiang Cheng's cold face, the fatty couldn't help but swallow. He secretly rejoiced that he was on the doctor's side, or else he might die without even knowing how.

"Da da da."

A series of footsteps rapidly approached them.

Turning around, Jia Jinliang led A Biao towards them. Noticing that Jiang Cheng had spotted him, Jia Jinliang slightly bent his back and walked forward with a wary expression, greeting them, "Brother Jiang, did you hear that sound just now? I was sleeping and suddenly got scared awake." Jia Jinliang's tone carried a hint of barely concealed fear, as if he was truly frightened.

"We were also attracted by that sound," Jiang Cheng replied coldly, glancing at him before looking away.

Jia Jinliang wasn't embarrassed and turned his head to look at Chen Hao's group. After a moment, he said with a suspicious tone, "What's going on? How... how are there only 3 of them left? Where's the other little brother?"

The fatty cursed inwardly. This guy was putting on a good act. If Pang Xiaofeng knew he was being talked about like this, he would crawl out of his coffin to settle the score with them.

"Dead," Jiang Cheng said, holding his breath and slowly exhaling.

A Biao looked at Jiang Cheng strangely.

"Dead?" Jia Jinliang was still trying to get information from Jiang Cheng, putting on a surprised act. "We didn't hear Little Brother Pang's bell last night, so A Biao and I were worried for a long time, afraid something would happen."

Changing the subject, Jia Jinliang looked at Jiang Cheng with a smile. "But how did Brother Jiang know that Little Brother Pang had met with misfortune? I just thought that Little Brother Pang had resolved the matter in the ancestral hall and went back to rest."

Jiang Cheng turned his head and looked at Jia Jinliang with a puzzled expression. "Is that what Boss Jia really thinks?"

"Yes," Jia Jinliang said, a hint of pride in the depths of his eyes. He thought he had caught Jiang Cheng off guard. Even if Jiang Cheng and Chen Hao's groups were secretly colluding, he wouldn't be afraid, but he needed to confirm this.

"Then aren't you just brainless?" Jiang Cheng spread his hands. "Any normal person, even if they really resolved something in the ancestral hall, would ring the bell on their way out, right? That's what the night watchman emphasized."

Jia Jinliang was stunned by Jiang Cheng's words. He hadn't expected Jiang Cheng to be such a blunt fool. The smile he had been trying to maintain froze on his face, his face twitching as if he was about to turn hostile in the next second.

But he still endured it, taking a few deep breaths to adjust his emotions. "Hehe, Brother Jiang is right. I was wrong." Jia Jinliang gritted his teeth.

"You're very wrong!" Jiang Cheng earnestly educated him.

"Yes, hehe, you're right." Jia Jinliang planned to break all four of Jiang Cheng's limbs after dealing with Chen Hao's group and then feed him to the ghosts. He had already imagined the poses for Jiang Cheng.

Worried that Jiang Cheng would anger this seemingly kind but actually malicious Boss Jia, the fatty quickly interjected, "Look, they're coming over."

Chen Hao's group of 3 and Yu Chengmu's group of 3 were walking together, stepping on the gravel road, heading towards them.

Jia Jinliang warned in a low voice, "Brother Jiang, I'm not very smart, but I'm pretty good at reading people. This Yu Chengmu and Chen Hao over there are not ordinary people. You need to be careful. There are many bad people in this mission."