The backdrop can also be propped up.

Chapter 236 The Cat-Faced Old Man with Nearsightedness Sings "Angel"

"Although we expected that surviving this instance would allow us to go home, it might be a lie, but we're still not entirely happy when we find out," Bai Xingyi sighed.

“It’s alright, we still have a day and a night, we still have a chance, we can make it in time.” Gu Huayang was the first to sort out his thoughts and said.

“We know for sure that we are all likely to be sacrifices, since we can all read.” Gu Huayang tapped the table as he began to explain, “Fang Cheng’s situation may be even more dangerous, because she can not only read, but she can also see the red line.”

“We still don’t know when the ritual will begin,” Bai Xingyi frowned. “It might be tomorrow morning.”

"We have to get a clue about that cat-faced old woman tonight," Bai Xingyi suddenly stood up. "I'll go to the kitchen and get some charcoal now. Before we start work, I'll go check out the third floor of the lobby."

Bai Xingyi left the place where the players had gathered.

“I’ll go plan out an escape route,” Wang Jianhua said. “Although I know how to leave this world, it’s still a bit too nerve-wracking to think about sending people to their deaths.”

“I’m a deliveryman, and I go to the tea shops every day. I know the routes.”

"Alright, I'm not of much use, so I won't cause any trouble." Li Hongying said, finishing her dinner. "I'm going to continue washing clothes; there are still two basins to go."

Gu Huayang also stood up and said, "Then I'm going to work too. Just call me if you need anything."

Fang Cheng nodded to indicate that he understood, then quickly finished his meal and ran to the tea garden to pick tea.

Arriving at the tea garden early again, Fang Cheng found it completely empty. There was nothing there—no white shadows, no black smoke.

When the bell rang, the gate to the tea garden opened, and Fang Cheng entered the tea garden. This time, there was no hindrance to his tea picking.

Fang Cheng successfully finished picking the tea leaves and left the tea garden after the allotted time had passed.

Before leaving the tea garden, Fang Cheng looked back as before and found that the black mist had reappeared, and there were some red and yellow things shining in the black mist.

A foul smell wafted over, like something was burning.

Before long, the black fog dissipated completely, and the green tea trees in the entire tea garden disappeared, turning into black charcoal.

Fang Cheng stopped looking at the tea garden and turned to go to the kitchen.

After entering the kitchen, Fang Cheng put down the tea basket, found a small teapot to get firewood, lit the fire in the small stove, filled the teapot with water, and began to brew tea.

The cat-faced old woman reappeared. As usual, she first appeared in front of the stove and watched Fang Cheng boil water.

Having survived the cat-faced old woman's nighttime intimidation, Fang Cheng's mental fortitude has improved considerably. She's now simply waiting for the cat-faced old woman to come and see if she'll whisper any clues in her ear.

After the water had boiled halfway, the cat-faced old woman indeed got up from the ground and walked unsteadily to Fang Cheng's side. Fang Cheng felt intermittent airflow in her ears again. She took a deep breath to calm her wildly beating heart and then listened carefully to what the cat-faced old woman was saying.

"Sigh...Sigh...Sigh...Sigh..." The cat-faced old woman kept hissing, without saying a word for a long time.

Fang Cheng was still wondering whether he should use the clues on the third floor to find the cat-faced old woman when he heard her speak.

"The two of them...will live and die together."

What does the sentence "The equation keeps replaying in my mind" mean?

"Twins are a treasure...and their longevity...is extended to their bodies..."

“A red thread guides the way… a bell points the way…” came another sentence from the old woman with the cat-like face in her hoarse voice.

Knowing that the old woman with the cat face hadn't finished speaking, Fang Cheng listened while boiling water.

The system WQBYRZM recorded every word spoken by the cat-faced old woman.

The cat-faced old woman was still saying something that was hard to understand, something like, "She'll be of great use..."

"Within these three hours... three cups of tea... the soul stabilized..."

"Death...the soul reappears..."

"Red thread... talisman... something I love..."

"Offering table...tea offering...sacrificial offerings..."

"I hate it so much... I hate it so much..." Suddenly, some cries of injustice came from the old woman's voice, which sounded like a broken gong.

“The eldest daughter of the Li family… betrayed her promise… I… kindly tried to stabilize her soul, but she… ordered her men to skin me alive and dismember me… then pushed me into the stove, causing me… to be burned alive… and sealed my soul here…”

"Before I died... I put on... women's clothes so that outsiders... wouldn't recognize... that it was me who died."

"After I was burned to a crisp... they dragged me out of the stove and took me to the third floor to seal me away."

"Waaaaah...wa ...I hate it...waaaah...waaaah...waaaah...I hate it...waaaah..."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng realized who the cat-faced old woman was—it was Zhang Tianshi, Zhang Xiying.

Judging from what he just said, he must have discovered that something went wrong with the ritual—Master Li died after the ritual, but his eldest daughter woke up.

In order to stay at the tea shop, Zhang Tianshi may have told Li Yin about the sacrificial ceremony—because Master Li had died, and Li Yin had become the person in charge of the tea shop.

Li Yin probably needed to learn from Zhang Tianshi how to resurrect her sister Li Yue, so she left Zhang Tianshi behind.

After obtaining the method to revive her sister from Zhang Tianshi, Li Yin did not hesitate to sacrifice Zhang Tianshi.

After Zhang Tianshi sent it, his soul was trapped in the stove and could not be reborn.

He deserved his fate. Fang Cheng thought to himself, then heard the sound of the teapot.

The water is almost boiled, but the old woman with the cat face... no, I should call her Zhang Tianshi, is still crying, and it has evolved into 3D surround sound.

Fang Cheng was actually getting annoyed by the crying, but she didn't dare to lay a hand on Zhang Tianshi, fearing she would be beaten up by him.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Tianshi stopped crying and started to laugh.

The laughter was sharp and piercing, and with the occasional crackling sounds, it sounded even more like the banging of a broken gong.

"However... that little girl... didn't expect this, did she? I... didn't bring her... her younger sister back to life. The second young lady... only her soul was... pulled back."

"The two... even made a pact not to meet again... If one of them is awake... then... the other... must be... unconscious... If... one... walks in the sunlight... then the other... can only... live in... a dark corner..."

"If these two people... appear at the same time under the same circumstances... then the second young lady, being a spirit, will... immediately... have her soul fly away and her spirit scatter!"

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-"

A shrill laugh echoed in the empty kitchen, the sound hitting the walls and bouncing back.

Fang Cheng felt her limbs go numb from the noise. As soon as the teapot stopped beeping, she immediately picked it up, not caring whether the handle was hot or not.

After quickly brewing the tea, Fang Cheng immediately carried the tray of tea towards the young lady's room.

At that moment, a sharp scream came from the kitchen: "My soul is dissipating! My soul is dissipating!"

"ah--------------!"

Fang Cheng got goosebumps and quickened his pace away from the kitchen.

Throughout the journey, Fang Cheng kept an eye on her back to prevent the Second Miss from suddenly appearing without his notice.

Fortunately, the second young lady did not appear.

However, the equation did not show Gu Huayang.

Maybe he's patrolling somewhere else? Fang Cheng comforted himself as he carried the plate upstairs.