As Li Banfeng stepped into the abandoned residence and looked around, he couldn't help but marvel inwardly, What a huge manor!

Seven courtyards stretched from south to north, while five crossed from east to west. The big and small courtyards were interwoven, twisting into one another like a maze.

After making two rounds of the place, Li Banfeng found no danger and no sign of anyone. He headed back to the front gate and called the others in.

No one there, not even Xiao Yeci, had ever seen such a large estate. As they entered the first courtyard, they couldn't help but look around in curiosity, and before long, a few of them had already wandered off toward the ornamental hanging-flower gate.

Beyond the gate was the second courtyard. Li Banfeng moved to stand before it, blocking the way. "Find somewhere to shelter from the rain," he said firmly. "Stay in the first courtyard. We leave immediately when the rain stops tomorrow."

Compared with the other courtyards, the first was not particularly large, but it had the most rooms.

The rooms here were known as gatehouse rooms. Because they all faced the shaded side, they were also called inverted rooms. There were more than thirty of them stretching from east to west, all meant for the servants.

Xiao Yeci looked around, clearly pleased. "There are so many rooms here. There's enough for each of us to take one."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "No. It can't be one person per room. It must be at least three people per room, and your rooms must be next to each other. That way, you can look after one another if something happens. I will go scout the surroundings. Be careful."

He said he was going to scout ahead, but he was really going back to his Pocket Dwelling.

"Wifey, I think I'm out of Vilefolk Hillock now, but I came across an abandoned estate in the middle of nowhere."

After hearing Li Banfeng's description, his wifey sang in a slow, lilting voice.

"Seven courtyards deep, five rows down, this must be a princely residence. Deserted through the years, with no one left to tend it. Husband, tell me true, have you arrived at the Old Land?"

They had reached the Old Land? Was that even possible? Apparently, it was.

Thinking back to what had happened on the way to Yuren City, Li Banfeng began to understand. Entering the Old Land wasn't random. It required following a certain route at just the right speed.

Over the past few days, they had been trudging through heavy rain, barely making progress. Yet that slow pace... had been steady. Consistent. Almost as if it had been just right.

Both Xiao Yeci and Lu Chunying were certain they hadn't taken a wrong turn. Yet an abandoned estate had appeared out of nowhere on the road to Greenwater Bay. It felt eerily similar to the time Li Banfeng had wandered into the Old Land without even realizing it.

Li Banfeng gave a slow nod. "I am worried we have entered the Old Land again. Earlier, there was still a clear day and night cycle. But by the time we reached this estate, it was already deep into the night. It's hard to tell what kind of place this is."

"The Old Land is far more dangerous than the New Land. Husband dear, don't go out tonight unless you must."

Li Banfeng pondered for a long time and said, "I have been to the Old Land before, so I know a bit more than the others. I was the one who brought them out of Vilefolk Hillock. If I don't help them now... isn't that the same as sending them to their deaths?"

The Gramophone sang, "Husbaaaaaaandd~ What you say makes sense. This dwelling has long been kind, long been gentle to you.

"You may go out and keep watch through the night, but be careful. Should danger stir, should even the faintest shadow rise, return at once, return without delay. Do not act in haste, do not act on impulse. Not in haste, not in impulse."

Li Banfeng agreed, took his enchanted artifact, and left the Pocket Dwelling.

Hongying murmured, "There are still princely estates left in this world?"

The Gramophone gave a cold, scornful laugh. "Shameless slut. Still clinging to dreams of becoming a prince's wife? Was that why you sold me out?"

Hongying fell silent for a long moment before replying, "Vicious woman, don't force me to speak of what I would rather leave buried. You must keep your word."

***

Late at night, in a small room, damp clothes hung over the fire to dry, filling the air with the faint smell of wet fabric. Xiao Yeci had already fallen asleep, leaning against the side of the bed.

The bed itself was useless. Its wooden planks had long since rotted, and whatever bedding remained crumbled into dust at the slightest touch.

Fortunately, the roof held. After trudging through the heavy rain all day, having a dry place to rest was more than enough for Xiao Yeci.

She had barely slept for two hours when Lu Chunying nudged her awake. "Mom, come with me to the latrine."

Xiao Yeci didn't even open her eyes. "There's a bucket in the room. Just make do."

If it had only been the two of them, Lu Chunying would have used it. However, Li Banfeng had insisted that at least three people stay in each room, and there was a young girl sleeping nearby as well.

Though she came from a poor background, Xiao Yeci had raised her properly. With others around, she couldn't bring herself to do something so improper, so she forced herself to step outside.

The rain was still pouring in heavy sheets, and she had no idea where the latrine was. She could only wander about, searching blindly in the dark.

It was not the thunder that startled her, but the lightning.

When the lightning flashed, she thought she caught sight of a figure standing in the courtyard.

"Who's there?" she called out, forcing herself to sound brave.

No one answered. In the darkness, there was no sign of anyone moving.

Did I see it wrong?

Even with her Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity ability, she sensed no danger. Yet she still felt she shouldn't stay in the courtyard for long.

Since she couldn't find the latrine no matter how hard she looked, she relieved herself in a corner by the wall.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

As she relieved herself, she thought she heard someone smacking their lips.

I must have heard wrong, Lu Chunying thought. It must be the sound of the rain.

She pulled up her pants and hurried back toward the room. After only two steps, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out behind her.

"Heh heh heh..."

Lu Chunying glanced around in a hurry, afraid to stay even a moment longer. She ran straight back. She reached the door, pushed it open, and was just about to step inside when she realized Xiao Yeci was gone. The young girl who had been sleeping with them was gone too.

Where did they go? Lu Chunying thought.

Inside the room, a woman in green sat before a bronze mirror, slowly arranging her hair. With her back to Lu Chunying, she sang, "Oh my, little sister, you are a young lady, yet you relieve yourself in someone else's courtyard. Do you feel no shame at all?"

Lu Chunying trembled from head to toe and staggered backward. She had no idea where the woman had come from, and she couldn't see her face in the darkness.

Crack!

Another thunderclap split the sky!

In the mirror's reflection, Lu Chunying saw the woman's face clearly. If she hadn't just relieved herself, she would have wet her pants on the spot.

The woman's face was deathly pale, whiter than snow. Her brows were ink-black, and the corners of her eyes burned a vivid red, like paint brushed onto a mask.

An opera performer?

Lu Chunying did not think further. She took two steps back and quickly left the room. The moment she reached the courtyard, the woman in green rushed after her.

Lu Chunying veered left, but the woman cut her off. She darted right, yet after only a few steps, the woman was already there, blocking her path again.

She's faster than me!

Lu Chunying did not panic. She stood in the courtyard and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Benefactor! Mom! There's an intruder in the courtyard!"

She shouted for quite a while, but no one responded. It was because the people inside the room could not hear her at all.

The woman in green glided forward with her long sleeves drifting through the air. Then she began to sing, each word slow and clear.

"Ah, hear me. As a woman, I offer you words of reprimand. Firstly, you have no sense of shame. Secondly, you do not understand what is proper and decorous. You have dirtied my courtyard, and today you shall leave your life here as punishment!"

Lu Chunying trembled. "It was just a bit of urine. Do I really have to pay with my life for that?"

"Heh heh, girl, once you enter my domain, you follow my rules. In my domain, there are rules. In my rules, there is no exception. If not your life, what else can you offer?"

Clatter!

As her words fell, three silver dollars clinked as they struck the ground at the woman's feet.

"This ingot of silveeerr... three taaels and threeee... I give to you, dear laaady... to preserve your dignity... Buy silks, make garments; buy gold, craft hairpins. Adorn yourself in fine attire, set your ornaments in place. While we are yet in our youthful years, you and I shall live together, live a few years as husband and wife!"

The woman in green froze for a moment. She glanced at the silver dollars on the ground as if she had suffered a great humiliation, then sang toward Li Banfeng,

"I do not waaant this silveeerr... I do not waaant it... Take it back, take it back to your mother as funeral money. Buy a burial plot, prepare the ground; make mourning clothes, dress in white. Buy white paper, paste the funeral banners; hang them high, let them be seen. Go, earn yourself a name, earn the name of a filial son and let it be known across the land!"

It was a line from Peking opera, "Wu Family Slope."

During this time, Li Banfeng had practiced singing extensively with his wifey. By coincidence, the lines he had learned matched the woman in green almost perfectly.

No one else could hear anything, so how did Li Banfeng know something was happening in the courtyard?

It was because Li Banfeng's level of cultivation was much higher than the others. As a level-five Wanderlust Cultivator, Li Banfeng could sense danger from within the room. The moment he stepped outside, he noticed Lu Chunying moving toward the houses on the opposite side.

A ghost had clouded her vision. What she pushed open was not the door to one of those gatehouse rooms, but the hanging-flower gate leading into the second courtyard.

Once she stepped into the second courtyard, no matter how loudly she called, no one outside could hear her. Fortunately, Li Banfeng had followed her in.

He glanced at Lu Chunying. Without a word, she understood and quickly slipped into a corner to hide.

Gongs and drums suddenly rang out from the second row of courtyards. Just as the performer was about to continue singing, Li Banfeng stepped forward and kicked her.

The performer flew into a rage. "How could you hit me?"

Li Banfeng said, "That was the singing and dialogue scenes. Now it's time for the big action scenes."

The performer snapped, "How can you actually fight for real in the action scenes?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "Listen to yourself. You just said that girl had to pay with her life. Weren't you planning to kill her for real?"

"Fine, then let's compare our skills and see whose foundation is stronger!" The performer pulled out a decorated spear from nowhere and thrust it at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng could dodge. He could fight back with his sickle. He could even rely on his speed to close the distance and counterattack. But no matter what he chose, he would end up at a disadvantage.

This was because he had examined her with Keen-Eyed Perception. The opera performer before him shimmered with a green glow. She was not human at all.

A ghost this strong could turn solid or intangible at will. No matter what Li Banfeng did, he would be fighting at a disadvantage.

Then there was no point in fighting. Li Banfeng suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, "WAHRARARA! Evil creature, die!"

The shout shook the performer to her core, leaving her limp as her soul nearly fell apart.

He had been able to do that because of the ability Deep Court Domain. The yelling at the top of his lungs wasn't just any kind of singing. This was the booming, thunderous style of a copper-hammer painted-face role[1] This was the style of singing that could rattle ghosts to their very core.

Taking advantage of her weakened state, the Blood-Drinking Pendulum shot forward. It could harm ghosts, and it struck her, carving a wound into her.

The performer flew into a rage. She flung the pendulum aside and rushed at Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng retreated, circling behind the rockery. The performer knew the layout well. She slipped through the rockery and quickly caught up to him.

By then, Li Banfeng had already unlocked his Pocket Dwelling with a key.

Seeing him standing there without moving, the performer shouted angrily, "You are not running, and you are not hiding. Are you waiting to die?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "You are hesitating to strike. What? Have you taken a liking to me?"

As long as she charged in, Li Banfeng was confident he could pull her into the Pocket Dwelling.

The performer flicked her spear and spoke in her true voice. "Hmph, you are just a man. Why would I like you?"

Uh... That is such a rough and deep voice... This opera performer is a man?

The door to the Pocket Dwelling remained open. Hongying lowered her voice and said, "Did you hear that? Does that sound like Prince Chun?"

The Gramophone let out a cold snort. "You shameless thing. Are you still dreaming of becoming a prince's consort?"

Hongying started trembling uncontrollably. "I wouldn't remember it wrong. It's him."

Author's Note:

PS: Hongying almost became the prince's consort back then.

1. A copper-hammer painted-face is a Chinese opera role featuring bold male characters with striking red, black, and white facial makeup that resembles a mask. They wear ornate robes or armor, elaborate headdresses, and long beards. Compared to other painted-face roles, this type emphasizes authority and vocal power, with a deep voice and commanding stage presence. Refer to Translator's Thought for the image. ☜