Chapter 1 Stranded

Jiang Cheng wasn't sure what the woman was going to do, and he didn't dare move a muscle. The woman's body was very soft, and water dripped from her constantly, soaking Jiang Cheng completely.

He resisted the urge to shiver, worried that he would offend this ghost bride if he didn't perform well.

"Tss--"

After what seemed like forever, the huge bus shuddered and then slowly came to a stop.

As the bus stopped, the ghost bride slowly disappeared.

Badly shaken by the ghost bride, Jiang Cheng's legs were trembling. Seeing the ghost bride disappear, Fatty immediately stood up, grabbed Jiang Cheng's arm, and tried to run, "Doctor, what are you doing? Run!"

"I'd run if I could!" Jiang Cheng replied, sitting in his seat. "My legs aren't working. They seem... they seem frozen. I can't stand up."

In the end, Fatty jumped out first, then pulled Jiang Cheng up, and finally helped him off the bus.

Outside was a dilapidated road, the kind that was nowhere near any villages or stores.

Fatty supported Jiang Cheng, and they both shivered in the cold wind.

This time, they had arrived in this world in the dark of night.

After a long while, Jiang Cheng's legs regained their sensation. "Doctor," Fatty couldn't help but ask, "Why is this time different from before? There was no one to give us clues. We were just dropped off."

Jiang Cheng also came to his senses at this moment, looking around and panting, "This time is indeed different from before. I think it might be punishment for our previous mistake. After all, last time, that... that ghost bride didn't catch us."

Fatty thought for a moment and understood. Last time they didn't get caught, so this time she was waiting for them on the seat. It made sense.

"Rustle--"

A very faint sound floated over with the wind. Jiang Cheng immediately gestured to Fatty, and they quickly hid behind a patch of bushes by the roadside, warily watching the direction from which the sound came.

Slowly, figures approached, not one, but many.

"Huh?" The man at the front looked around. "I clearly saw figures here just now. How did they disappear so quickly?"

"Couldn't... couldn't you have been mistaken?" Another timid voice sounded. "There's no one in this desolate place. It's more likely to be ghosts." This was also a man, with a fair and clean appearance. The more he spoke, the softer his voice became.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Someone scolded.

"Cough cough."

After listening for a while, Jiang Cheng stood up from behind the bushes, and Fatty followed.

This startled the approaching group. "Who's there?"

"One of us," Jiang Cheng said, walking up to them as if he knew them.

"You... you also got off that bus?" the leading man asked, as if confirming. "A... a weird bus?" The man paused, as if searching his brain for a suitable adjective for the bus, but he obviously failed, and in the end could only use the word "weird."

"Yeah," Jiang Cheng nodded, looking past them. "Is it just you guys?"

There were only 4 of them. Including Jiang Cheng and Fatty, there were only 6 people.

Jiang Cheng felt that the number was too small. This mission was probably related to the ghost bride. With only 6 people, they wouldn't even last a few deaths, so he judged that there were still teammates who hadn't joined them.

"Let's wait a little longer. There should be more people," Jiang Cheng advised, while looking at the three who had arrived. The fair and clean man seemed to resist Jiang Cheng's gaze, and his eyes kept darting away.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before another group of people came from another direction, walking along the dirt road.

This time there were 3 people.

Like them, they were all men.

A skinny old man in rough clothes, a burly middle-aged man, and a young man who looked about to be an adult. The young man was supporting the old man, looking at them warily.

"Alright," the man who had been sitting on the roadside rock stood up, dusting off his clothes. "It seems everyone is here this time."

Fatty had sharp eyes and saw two figures in the distance, walking in the same direction as the previous 3. He pointed and said, "Hey, there are more people coming!"

When everyone gathered together, they were all a little confused. All 11 people present were men.

"Not a single woman?" The old man in rough clothes stroked the goatee under his mouth, revealing a meaningful expression.

But before they could think about it, a light appeared on the other side of the road.

It was a group of people walking towards them with torches.

Before long, a group of villagers appeared in front of them, men and women, about a dozen in total. The leader was a bare-chested man, his skin faintly red in the torchlight.

Seeing Jiang Cheng and his group, the man quickly stepped forward, "You masters have been waiting for a long time. Our village is hard to find. Outsiders generally can't get in. I'm really sorry for letting you get lost in the mountains!"

Because they didn't know their identities in this world, Jiang Cheng and the others had to go along with what the man said, probing for information.

"Quick, give each of the invited masters a torch!"

Under the arrangement of the leading man, Jiang Cheng and the others each received a torch. The man turned around, leading the way while asking with concern, "It's cold in the mountains, especially at night, near the river, the cold is heavy. Don't catch a cold."

After speaking, the man slapped his forehead and couldn't help but mock himself, "Look at my brain. You masters are all capable people. How could you be afraid of a mere cold? I misspoke. Please don't be offended."

After walking for about half an hour, the mountain road twisted and turned. The man and his group led them to a village.

Because it was dark at night, they couldn't see anything clearly, so they followed these people and were finally led to a seemingly grand courtyard. "Uncle Lao Hei," the man raised his fist and knocked on the door, "Uncle Lao Hei, I've brought the people you invited!"

After a moment, the old wooden door opened from the inside, and an old man leaning on a cane stood behind the door. Seeing Jiang Cheng and the others, his cloudy eyes lit up. "Quick, masters, please come in. With you here, our... our whole village will be saved!"

Jiang Cheng didn't want to hear such words at all. From the old man's words, he could judge that this village hidden in the deep mountains was probably haunted by a fierce ghost.

There might even be something more evil than a fierce ghost.

"Hehe, old man, you're too polite. Since we're here, we're here to help, but we need to understand the whole story before we can help you," Jiang Cheng said with a sense of duty.

The old man slammed the ground heavily with his cane and sighed. "Alas, it's all because of that big river! The water floaters on it are very evil. Otherwise... otherwise, why would we have gone to such lengths to find you masters?"