Once inside, their courage faltered slightly, and they were hesitant to move around freely.
In the end, the four of them discussed it and decided it was best not to venture too deep. That way, if anything happened, they would definitely be able to escape.
Thus, they decided to stay near the entrance, on the first floor of the haunted house ruins.
It was quite spacious there.
The spaciousness was understandable, as that area was originally the lobby of a hotel, designed to accommodate many guests. It was, therefore, the most expansive part of the building.
The group huddled together and walked to the center of the lobby, sat down cross-legged, and began their long-prepared Ouija board game.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping, along with Ding Yijie, arrived at the village early in the morning. As usual, they encountered Old Master Cui, who was out for a stroll. Old Master Cui greeted them and curiously asked why they were out so early.
The three of them were somewhat anxious.
Nie Chongyang briefly explained to Old Master Cui about the other young people's reckless behavior and then asked if Old Master Cui had heard any commotion in the village the previous night.
Old Master Cui was greatly surprised by Nie Chongyang's words.
He truly hadn't expected these young people's audacity to reach such a level.
They had just been frightened the day before, yet they dared to go out adventuring and courting death that very night. It was truly a case of the doomed being beyond saving.
However, in this situation, Old Master Cui's stance was similar to Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping's. Since they knew about it, they couldn't just ignore it. After all, these were several young lives. Even if these individuals didn't cherish their own lives, they couldn't completely turn a blind eye.
Therefore, Old Master Cui told Nie Chongyang that he hadn't heard anything unusual during the night. However, he speculated that these people were likely well-prepared and might have slipped in cautiously, thus avoiding detection.
He also mentioned that he would mobilize other villagers to see if they could help.
Nie Chongyang thought for a moment and then told Old Master Cui not to approach the haunted house. If something truly happened, the villagers might not be able to handle it and could be in danger.
It would be better for them to go and check the situation first.
Old Master Cui hesitated upon hearing Nie Chongyang's suggestion, but he eventually agreed.
Moreover, Old Master Cui knew that the village was mostly populated by the elderly, weak, and infirm. If anything were to happen, these people wouldn't be able to run fast and would only slow Nie Chongyang and the others down. It was better not to argue with Nie Chongyang and the others on this matter.
Thus, Old Master Cui asked Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping to be careful and pay attention to their safety.
He also asked if Ding Yijie should stay behind and not accompany them on this risky venture.
Ding Yijie stated that the other four were his companions, and he couldn't stand by and do nothing. Furthermore, he was young and strong, and if anything happened, he was sure he could handle it, which would be much better than burdening Old Master Cui and the other elders.
Seeing Ding Yijie's firm attitude and acknowledging the validity of his reasoning, coupled with the fact that it was perfectly normal for Ding Yijie to care about his companions, Old Master Cui didn't try to persuade him further.
After parting ways with Old Master Cui, Nie Chongyang and the others hurried towards the haunted house ruins.
Upon arrival, they didn't detect anything unusual from the outside. However, if something had happened, it wouldn't be apparent from the exterior. They would have to go inside to determine the situation.
At this point, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping paused for a moment.
They asked Ding Yijie if he wanted to consider waiting outside instead, as the inside might be quite dangerous. If Ding Yijie waited outside, he would at least be much safer.
However, Ding Yijie was worried about the situation and asked hesitantly if there was truly no way to bring him along.
He truly cared about his companions' situation and couldn't bear to wait alone outside, feeling uneasy.
Seeing Ding Yijie's state, Nie Chongyang and the others thought about it and finally agreed to bring Ding Yijie into the ruins. Before doing so, they took many precautionary measures for Ding Yijie.
This would make things much safer.
Furthermore, they cautioned Ding Yijie to stick closely to them, not to get separated, and to obey their commands. After Ding Yijie agreed, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping finally led him into the ruins together.
Upon entering the first-floor lobby, they noticed some new traces.
In the first-floor lobby, there were some scattered items. Upon closer inspection, they found that the items left behind were essential tools for playing the Ouija board game. They were scattered haphazardly on the ground, indicating that they had been discarded in haste.
Then, looking at the traces within the house, they could tell that those few people might have encountered something and fled in panic. They could also see very messy footprints on the ground, and it was even evident that these young people had run off separately.
This was utterly irrational.
In a place like this, encountering danger and then splitting up to run – wouldn't that further reduce their chances of survival?
Following these footprints proved to be increasingly difficult.
Looking at the messy footprints on the ground, it was clear that these people had likely encountered something like a "ghost wall" and had run back and forth, leaving behind too many messy traces to distinguish clearly.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping were both quite troubled.
The situation was indeed not optimistic.
Despite this, seeing Ding Yijie's anxiety, they refrained from voicing the possibility that those individuals might have already met with misfortune and were beyond saving.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping recalled their agreement with Ye Tiancheng and the little fox to meet at a certain time. With this incident occurring, even if they managed to meet, they probably wouldn't have time to chat.
Therefore, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping went up to the floor where Lin Yanqin's room was originally located. They asked Ding Yijie to wait in the corridor, explaining that the place they were going was where a murder occurred a hundred years ago and might be extremely dangerous, advising Ding Yijie not to enter.
Ding Yijie had promised to follow instructions beforehand and understood that the scene of the incident was likely the most dangerous place, so he had no objections and remained in the corridor.
However, he felt a bit uneasy seeing Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping suddenly disappear in the corridor after separating from him.
But he thought that Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping had at least the ability to protect themselves. If he ran around randomly at this moment, not only might he encounter danger, but if Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping returned to find him, they wouldn't be able to locate him.
Therefore, he dared not move and could only stay put, waiting for Nie Chongyang and the others to return.
The reason Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping disappeared in the corridor was that they didn't want to expose certain things, so they were the ones who caused it, not some supernatural event in the ruins.
They also knew that Ding Yijie might become worried and scared seeing this, and they feared Ding Yijie might run around recklessly. Thus, they didn't delay too much.
After reaching the old spot, they left a note briefly explaining the situation and rescheduling their meeting for the next few days. Then, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping quickly left the area and returned to the corridor.
Fortunately, Ding Yijie was quite sensible and didn't move an inch.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping were quite relieved. Compared to those troublesome individuals, Ding Yijie was so much less of a worry.
As soon as Ding Yijie saw Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping return, he rushed towards them anxiously, asking them what had happened earlier, why they had suddenly disappeared in the corridor, and if they had encountered any danger.
In response, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping explained that it was due to the extreme danger of that place, a special spatial aura that caused such an effect whenever they went there.
They claimed it was an uncontrollable phenomenon, but they had the ability to protect themselves, so nothing happened.
Then, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping informed Ding Yijie that they hadn't seen his companions in that area, so perhaps they hadn't come this way.
To be precise, they definitely hadn't.
Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping hadn't completely removed the barrier they had set up there. So, while the "air wall" was gone, if someone truly tried to pass through, they would still encounter the "ghost wall."
However, it wouldn't be life-threatening.
If these people had indeed entered this "ghost wall," it would have been for the best. At least nothing would have happened to them, and other entities wouldn't have been able to enter this magnetic field to threaten their lives.
But Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping had sensed it and knew that their "ghost wall" had not been triggered. Therefore, if those people encountered a "ghost wall," it must have been truly created by some unclean entity.
... Their lives were truly in peril.
Then, they searched the entire ruined house, checking every room, but they couldn't find any trace of the four people. At the same time, they didn't see any bloodstains.
This was very strange.
Could it be that the four people were actually fine and had already left?
Ding Yijie also held onto such a hopeful thought.
So, Ding Yijie said to Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping, "Is it possible that my companions have already left safely? Perhaps they didn't encounter any accidents. Why don't we go back and check?"
"Maybe those people were already on their way back, and we just missed each other, which is why we haven't met."
Regarding this point, Nie Chongyang and Liang Ping were definitely not that optimistic, but they didn't want to dampen Ding Yijie's hope, so they didn't say anything. They told Ding Yijie that they would go out first to ask the villagers if they knew anything.
The village was truly small, and if there were any clues, they would likely be discovered easily.
When Nie Chongyang and the others went out, they encountered Old Master Cui and a few unfamiliar villagers guarding the entrance. They had seen them a few times but hadn't spoken much.
As soon as they saw Nie Chongyang and the others emerge, they observed and realized that things didn't seem to be going smoothly.