Tomb Raider: The man is in the Nine Gates, but the system insists it's the Primordial Era.

"It's thundering."

Upon learning that her childhood friend and confidant Su Mu was safe and sound, Huo Xian'er shook off her previous sadness and went out for a rare day of fun.

After spending the day shopping and eating with several other wealthy daughters of local businessmen, it was already dark when they returned.

What's even more unusual is that there are surprisingly few pedestrians on the streets tonight.

"Eek, yayah yayah yayah—"

On her way back, Huo Xian'er, who had not allowed her maids or servants to follow her, suddenly saw a tall, brightly lit stage.

The stage was erected in the middle of the road, and it was obviously simply set up during the day.

Born into the Huo family of the Nine Gates, Huo Xian'er was forced to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting from a young age.

Because her aunt was very fond of the Second Master of the Nine Gates, she was often taken along to watch plays at the Hong Family Pear Garden.

Looking at the performers' costumes on stage, Huo Xian'er blurted out, "Isn't this the Zhong Kui exorcising demons song that's only sung during the Ghost Festival every year?"

Looking at the serious and eerie makeup on the face of the person playing Zhong Kui, Huo Xian'er couldn't help but shiver.

The next moment, she suddenly remembered what had happened at Xiaowumen Railway Station in the city the night before.

This matter was suppressed by the government so much that ordinary people rarely heard of it.

Only she, a member of the Nine Gates, and a few others knew the inside story.

In the early hours of last night, a freight train without any train number suddenly entered Changsha Xiaowumen Railway Station.

After the freight train pulled into the station, it was immediately inspected by station staff.

What sent chills down the spines of the station staff was that there wasn't a single living person in the freight train that wasn't supposed to be arriving at this time!

After the incident, Zhang Qishan, the "Buddha" who was in charge of the defense of Changsha, led his men into the scene.

"Waaaaah, I want to go home! I'm lost! Do you know where my home is?"

Gollum~

Huo Xian'er swallowed hard, staring blankly at the hunched, dark figure standing in front of her.

The shadowy figure was indistinguishable in gender, its back covered in stone powder, its hair matted with clumps, and its face dripping crimson blood.

On the stage.

The male actor, dressed in Zhong Kui makeup, suddenly raised his voice: "Oh dear! Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor! Why are you bothering me, you little devil! Get out of my way, oh dear!"

Huo Xian'er's hands and feet were ice-cold and numb beyond her control.

As the actor playing Zhong Kui shouted in a loud voice, the ghostly figure turned into smoke and gradually dissipated. Huo Xian'er suddenly took off running towards her home.

"Su Mu, Su Mu, Su Mu, Su Mu, Su Mu, Su Mu..."

Huo Xian'er parted her red lips slightly, repeatedly murmuring the name that was the only one on her mind at that moment, while continuing to run.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that every house on the street had its doors tightly shut, and red lanterns with a rosy glow were hung uniformly along the roadside.

It was as if some kind of suffocating and eerie ritual was taking place throughout the city.

It's strange, really.

Huo Xian'er kept muttering Su Mu's name as she ran home, but she didn't see any more ghosts on the roadside.

"Are you crazy! Coming home so late! I don't know what happened last night! I had people searching everywhere for you!"

As soon as I entered, my aunt Huo Jinxi's scolding voice rang out.

Hearing that all-too-familiar scolding voice, Huo Xian'er finally managed to let out a sigh of relief, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground.

"Ghosts, there are ghosts everywhere outside..."

Huo Xian'er's lips were pale, and her eyes were vacant.

"Bring the young lady into the living room, light the brazier, and offer incense to the ancestors!"

Huo Jinxi was indignant, but considering her niece's young age, she couldn't help but think of a way to deal with the strange entanglement that plagued her niece.

"Miss, come, let me help you up."

"Listen up, you wandering ghosts outside! This is Miss Huo! You dare to harm my patriarch! Even if the entire Huo clan dies, we will not let you go!"

Like a shrew, the woman stood with her hands on her hips, shouting and cursing loudly at the closed door.

The crackling brazier was carried by servants to the front of the living room threshold, with women holding water-soaked willow branches standing on either side.

"The dead do not concern themselves with matters of the living; please do not blame my young lady for any offense caused."

"After crossing the fire pit, we will enter the mortal realm. May our ancestors protect us and keep away any wandering ghosts from haunting my young lady."

The old woman helped Huo Xian'er step over the warm brazier, across the threshold, and into the living room.

Incense had been burning all day in front of the ancestral tablets in the living room, its fragrance permeating the entire spacious room.

Huo Xian'er began to feel the chill in her body dissipate, and her hands and feet regained sensation.

Huo Jinxi stood by the incense table at the front of the living room. She glanced at the rapidly burning incense and candles and said, "You little brat, hurry up and come over to kowtow and offer incense to our ancestors. If it weren't for their protection, you would have at least witnessed the power of those vengeful ghosts tonight!"

Huo Xian'er walked forward blankly and began to offer incense and kowtow.

Seeing this, Huo Jinxi gritted her teeth and said, "Hasn't the funeral rites for Second Master and Eighth Master been completed yet?"

The maid outside the door replied, "Eighth Master said that it must continue for at least seven days to send away those tragically murdered souls. Tonight is just the beginning."

Streetside.

The drunken, ignorant man staggered and, rubbing his eyes, saw a gray, ghostly figure standing in the shadows at the street corner.

The moment he saw the ghostly figure, the drunkard suddenly felt an intense urge to vomit.

When he ran to a dark place and vomited up the wine in his stomach, he was surprised to find that his mouth was covered with strands of black hair.

The next moment, he rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

In front of a stage erected in the middle of the road, a mentally challenged child clapped and cheered as he watched the Zhong Kui exorcising demons play.

The next moment, his foolish eyes regained their normal clarity, and he tiptoed toward the courtyard where his family lived.

Like other residents in the city, the family members kept their doors tightly shut and trembled with fear.

The knocking sounded in a certain rhythm.

"Who?"

"How could you be so heartless as to leave my body outside without collecting it, leaving me as a wandering, lost soul, to wither away in the wind and rain."

"You...you...you didn't die on that train, did you? Buddha's men sent someone to deliver a message."

"Waaaaah, you're all so cruel! I'm going to kill you all, kill you all!"

The knocking on the door started to intensify.

Let's go back to noon today.

Hongjia Pear Garden.

Second Master Er Yuehong, who took over the position of head of the Peking Opera troupe from his father, stood on the high platform, his cold eyes pressing down on the members of the Hong family's Peking Opera troupe below.

"Listen up, all of you! If anyone makes even the slightest mistake while performing Zhong Kui opera these next few days, I won't let you off the hook, and the Hong family will no longer tolerate you. Anyone who makes a mistake, get out of here!"

"I think everyone knows how serious the Zhong Kui opera is. I, Er Yuehong, originally did not want to get involved in the affairs of the Nine Gates anymore, but this matter is different, as it concerns the entire city's people."

"Next, those whose names I call, go backstage to begin the facial rejuvenation process. From this moment until the end of your performance, if anyone dares to utter a single human word to me, I'll have Chen Pi cut out your tongues!"

Below the stage, the young man whose name was called stood up straight from the pillar.

The boy named Chen Pi had a half-smile on his lips as he looked at the group of Hong family actors who were about to go on stage to perform the Zhong Kui opera.