Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Calamity of the Seventh Night (Conclusion)

The hidden quest to lay the seven ghosts to rest was now 77 percent complete. As the Wind Ghost devoured the remaining four wisps of black energy, the system notification arrived right on cue. Meanwhile, Luo Hanya and Menghen Lige stood dumbfounded, utterly unable to process this dramatic turn of events. They could hardly believe that the Wind Ghost and Flame Tiger had actually stepped in and dealt with the shadow soldiers.

“Hehehe, little one, why are you staring at your big sister?” The Wind Ghost flashed a slight smile and threw a flirtatious glance at Menghen Lige, who dared not meet her gaze, lowering his head in a panic, his skin prickling with goosebumps at the sight of her fearsome visage.

Luo Hanya mustered his courage, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to both the Wind Ghost and the Flame Tiger, just about to speak when his mind was suddenly engulfed by a dizzying vertigo; everything before his eyes grew blurred. His last impression was of the Wind Ghost transforming into a peerlessly beautiful young woman, no longer bearing her previous terrifying features.

“What? What just happened?” Menghen Lige cried out in astonishment, glancing around, his face full of disbelief.

They now stood outside the gate, before a dilapidated courtyard entrance overrun with wild grass and creeping vines. It was nothing like the once grim but meticulously built and elegant mansion. Everything seemed as if it had all been a dream, and now, upon waking, nothing remained.

The current quest was complete. The main storyline, Escape the Cursed Mansion, was finished.

You will be automatically transported out of the scenario in 180 seconds.

Scenario complete. Calculating rewards...

You've received 16,000 experience points and 20,000 game coins.

No equipment items obtained.

Quest acceptance: 23 completed.

Special ending reward “Memories Like a Dream.” Please claim shortly.

Special and hidden quests completed: 11.

Your scenario rating entitles you to an extra reward. Please select one shortly.

Achievement points earned: 3,000.

Achievement bonus: 3,000 experience points, 9,000 game coins.

Scenario clearance reward: Shoes of Support.

Settlement complete. Please proceed.

You have reached level twelve. Maximum health increased.

Back in Login Space, Luo Hanya let out a long sigh, gazing at the modern surroundings with a faint sense of having lived through another era.

He shook his head, his expression complex, as though lost in thought.

A few minutes earlier, Luo Hanya and Menghen Lige had encountered a stone stele outside the ruined mansion, upon which the entire history of the place was inscribed.

Countless years ago, on the night of the Double Seventh Festival, the young lady of the mansion had secretly left home to meet her beloved. During the ritual, her absence was discovered, and the ceremony hastily concluded, seemingly angering the gods. Soon after, strange occurrences became frequent here, and most crucially, the young lady never returned.

Later, believing her dead, one of the household threw a grand funeral in her honor. Unexpectedly, during the very ceremony, the lady returned—her face pale as death—and brought with her a strikingly handsome yet heartbroken man.

What happened next was unclear, but the household eventually accepted this man. Oddly enough, with his arrival, the strange happenings ceased entirely—until decades later, when the mansion fell into decline and was purchased by another family.

Another Double Seventh Festival came. This time, a young woman failed to perform the ritual in accordance with tradition and was punished by the strict family head with the Wind Penalty. Soon, strange events began anew. The family head summoned a shadow priest to perform rites, but the disturbances only grew worse.

Eventually, they realized that the shadow priest closely resembled a figure depicted in a painting in the mansion’s study—the very same man who had arrived decades prior, unchanged by the passage of time.

The residents grew terrified and called upon a renowned shadow priest to save them.

According to later legend, this priest summoned seven shadow soldiers, forming the Seven Stars Formation to fight the man. The fierce battle raged for two days and nights, after which the mansion vanished completely. Rumor held that every Double Seventh Festival, young women would disappear from this place.

For many years, the locals lived in fear until a man in striking red robes appeared, telling them that if they performed rites for the two figures in the paintings, the place would remain safe. He then departed as mysteriously as he arrived.

Ever since, each year on the Double Seventh Festival, the residents performed the “Celestial Spirits Rite” for the man and woman in the paintings—the man clad in white, extraordinarily handsome and elegant; the woman in pale blue, breathtakingly beautiful, with grace and allure unmatchable. The people called them the Celestial Spirits, and peace and prosperity returned.

In recent years, however, as the old generation passed away, the young grew dismissive of these ancient rites, immersing themselves in the modern celebration of the festival as a lovers’ holiday. Thus, each year, young men and women began to disappear again on the festival night.

Luo Hanya frowned, deep in thought for a long while, finally piecing together a clear picture of the mansion’s tragic history.

It seemed that the zombies he had encountered within were the very residents who vanished with the mansion, all still atoning for a forbidden sin, their bodies unable to find rest.

The seven ghosts were the shadow soldiers summoned by the second shadow priest. The ancient locust tree was likely the key node that the mysterious man used to suppress all the mansion’s inhabitants, with the Flame Tiger and Wind Ghost acting as guardians.

The red-robed woman he’d seen earlier was probably one of those who had disappeared over the years, lingering for reasons unknown.

It all appeared to be part of some strange ritual.

After a moment of reflection, Luo Hanya stood up to claim his extra reward and the special ending prize. As he gazed at the items before him, his spirits lifted.

Name: Shoes of Support

Type: Special Item

Quality: Excellent

Effect: After a ten-second delay, teleport to the location of a chosen teammate. Cooldown: ten minutes.

Note: One of the Six-Piece Maple Set. Legend has it that collecting all six grants unfathomable powers. The set includes the Teamwork Gauntlet, Shoes of Support, Power of the Assist, Payment Dagger, Book of Friendship, and Ancestral Pendant.

Name: Gauntlets of Legendary Strength

Type: Weapon

Quality: Excellent

Attack: High

Attributes: None

Special: 30% chance to grant double attack power.

Note: Legendary dominion—every punch a critical hit! No brothers, no legend! What are you waiting for? Join us now!

Name: Invitation to the House of Passion’s Demon

Type: Special Item

Quality: ???

Effect: Grants access to the House of Passion’s Demon

Note: An invitation from the Passion Demon, inviting you to visit the House of Passion’s Demon in one month.

The Shoes of Support mentioned a six-piece set. Although he didn’t yet understand the function of the other components, Luo Hanya was filled with anticipation at the thought of one day assembling the legendary set from the company’s lore. Moreover, these shoes were extremely practical, drastically increasing his flexibility in future scenarios.

The appearance of the gauntlets delighted him even more. His broadsword had been badly damaged, and he’d been searching for a new weapon. This one had arrived at just the right time—a real lifesaver! The quirky description made the compulsive commentator in him itch to respond.

“Half a century, and the legendary ads are still this seamlessly woven in.”

“Why are the company’s ads so clumsy now? Back then, the product placements were natural as breathing—now it’s like forcing ginger down your throat.”

After venting his frustration, Luo Hanya turned his attention to the invitation before him. Before he and Menghen Lige had left the scenario, they’d both noticed a horizontal plaque above the mansion’s gate, though it was so weathered that the central character was unreadable—the first and last characters were “Passion” and “House.” Now he realized that the full name was “House of Passion’s Demon.”

He stared at the invitation for a while, growing only more cautious. A chilling suspicion crept into his mind: Could this game truly interfere with so much? The invitation before him, the clown’s earlier gift—were they both hinting at something deeper? Could this be the true secret at the heart of the game?