I have a ghost diary

However, neither of them was able to go inside, and Chu Jiang could only request an audience outside the courtyard.

As a result, he received no response whatsoever, but standing outside the courtyard, Chu Jiang heard a few chilling coughs.

The sound seemed to come from someone seriously ill, "cough, cough..."

Upon hearing the sound, Chu Jiang instinctively felt a fear of the illness itself, as if the fear and dread that humanity has held for thousands of years has become a common mark, superimposed on Chu Jiang, pushing him into a bottomless abyss.

It wasn't until Lin Mohua patted his shoulder that Chu Jiang, whose forehead was covered in cold sweat, seemed to wake up from a nightmare and took a step back.

Chapter 169 The Dust-Washing Banquet

Lin Mohua said in a low voice, "We can't listen to the old lady's cough. Let's go."

Chu Jiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, nodded, and left with Lin Mohua.

He had a premonition that the ghost inside the old lady's body, no, even the old lady herself, was very likely an S-class vengeful ghost.

The instinctive fear you felt just now transcended individual emotions; it was a collection of negative emotions from countless people over countless years, imprinted on you in an instant.

If someone's will is not strong enough, just hearing that cough will immediately overwhelm them with fear and terror, turning them into a dead person, or even a crazy dead person.

Only after leaving that courtyard for a long time did Chu Jiang silently sigh in his heart. He had truly entered a "ghost realm." The Lin family members were all terrifying, especially those of higher seniority.

Unable to see the old master, Chu Jiang could only go back to rest and wait for the birthday banquet three days later.

......

As night fell, even though Chu Jiang was in his room with a kerosene lamp lit, he still felt the entire Lin residence rapidly becoming gloomy and cold.

A faint whistling sound came from outside the window, like the wind, or perhaps the wailing of something.

In addition to these wailing sounds, there were also some rustling sounds in the darkness, the source of which was unknown.

This reminded Chu Jiang of what Lin Mo Hua had said before: that many evil spirits lurked beneath the Lin family mansion...

Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Mr. Chu, your family has been eager to host a small welcome banquet for you after learning of your arrival. Would you be willing to join us?"

It was Lin Mohua's voice. She sounded somewhat reluctant, as if she hoped Chu Jiang would refuse.

Chu Jiang thought for a moment, "Who are the people at the banquet?"

"It's just our Lin family members; we have no other guests besides you."

"Then I'll go there. After all, I'm eating and staying at your place, so it's not right for me to stay here and refuse to see anyone."

Lin Mohua was somewhat disappointed, but she still agreed and waited for him to come out.

Chu Jiang's idea was simple. On the one hand, he wanted to understand why this ghost realm was so special. In this way, learning more about the Lin family would help him discover the secrets behind it.

On the other hand, if Chu Jiang really has to escape from the Lin family in the end, then the Lin family will be his opponents, and he needs to learn more about his enemies.

After quickly tidying his clothes, Chu Jiang went out the door.

There was only Lin Mohua outside the door, carrying a white lantern with a large character "奠" (meaning "offering sacrifice") on it.

To be honest, this scene was a bit creepy: a pale-faced woman in a red cheongsam carrying a lantern meant for the dead, the kind you only see at funerals.

Chu Jiang remained calm as he closed the door and asked, "Where is your maid?"

Lin Mo Hua responded calmly, "None of the servants are allowed to leave their rooms at night, no matter what happens. This is the Lin family rule, so we can go there ourselves."

"Mm." Following behind Lin Mohua, Chu Jiang went with her to the main hall of the Lin family.

"The food is all prepared, don't worry, it's all hot. The family is all seated and waiting for your arrival."

As Chu Jiang agreed, he looked around the Lin residence as night fell.

The more he looked around, the more special he felt this place was. For example, Lin Mohua's route was a bit strange. Sometimes she would walk under the corridor, and sometimes she would lead Chu Jiang over the railing, across the garden, and walk through a quiet pavilion.

The surroundings were shadowy, and a cold, waning moon hung in the sky, its light pitifully weak; only the white lantern in Lin Mohua's hand could illuminate a little of the path ahead.

Suddenly, Chu Jiang heard the sound of opera singing coming from his right.

Unlike the small theater I encountered before, it wasn't a solo performance by a woman.

Instead, it sounded like a theatrical troupe performing on stage, with singers, reciting lines, gong players, drummers, clappers, erhu players, pipa players... a lively and colorful array of sounds.

But amidst all this lively noise, one voice was conspicuously absent: the voice of the audience.

No one cheered, no one struck up a conversation, and no one applauded.

It was as if no one was in the audience; it was cold and deserted, a troupe of actors performing in a desolate, desolate place.

Seeing that Chu Jiang had slowed down, Lin Mohua reminded him, "After nightfall, whatever you hear, see, or smell outside, don't believe it easily, and don't get caught up in it."

"Only those who carry white lanterns like me are true members of the Lin family."

"Understood." Chu Jiang replied, keeping up with the other person's pace.

During the rest of the journey, some unusual things happened, such as something emerging from underground and grabbing Chu Jiang's ankle.

But when he stepped on it, there was nothing there, so he had to keep going.

......

The main hall of the Lin family's house was very large, but as soon as Chu Jiang stepped in, his eyes were completely drawn to one thing.

It was a coffin, or more precisely, a large black coffin. It sat in the center of the main hall, entirely black, with a golden character for "offering sacrifice" above the head, surrounded by a ring of circular patterns.

Upon seeing the coffin, Chu Jiang felt a sense of unease, as if something extraordinary lay inside.

Even the Blood Hand Ghost and the Left Hand Ghost inside him were somewhat restless, and this was still inside, before they came out.

Moreover, black coffins do not conform to local customs. Red coffins are mostly used for burials here, symbolizing a peaceful death and considered a happy funeral.

Black coffins are generally used only for those who die young, commit suicide, or die in battle.

Not only was there such a conspicuous coffin in the main hall, but in front of the coffin, there was also a table of fine wine and food.

Eleven people sat around the table, five men and six women. They were all pale-faced, dressed in old clothes, and wore eerie smiles as they looked at Chu Jiang as he entered.

Moreover, as if to entertain the deceased, a bowl of white rice was placed on the ground in front of the coffin, with three incense sticks stuck in front of the rice.

Seeing that Chu Jiang had stopped at the entrance of the main hall, Lin Mohua said in a low voice, "Mr. Chu, please don't be offended. My father has not yet found a burial site with good feng shui, so he can only stay at home for the time being."

Chu Jiang nodded and stepped into the brightly lit main hall with Lin Mohua, which was even more gloomy than the outside.

The people sitting around the table were led by a woman who looked to be in her forties. She was dressed in fine clothes and wore gold and silver jewelry. She stood up first when the guests came in.

A young man wearing a Zhongshan suit and glasses got up with her.

"Please forgive me for not being able to greet you properly since you have come from afar." The woman spoke politely, but her eyes, one black and one white, darted around erratically, making her look rather frightening.

The man cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "The Lin family's situation is somewhat special, but everyone who should be here is here. Please, Mr. Chu, take a seat."

Chapter 170 Each with their own ulterior motives

Chu Jiang spoke politely as he sat down in the seat prepared for him.

According to the principle of male-female kinship, Lin Mohua should not have sat next to him.

But after she approached and gestured, the somewhat timid boy who was sitting next to Chu Jiang immediately stood up and gave up his seat for his older sister.

The woman who spoke just now was the First Madam. To her right was a woman of about thirty-four or thirty-five, with a somewhat worried expression; this was the Second Madam.

To the right are the third, fourth, and fifth concubines, each younger than the last, especially the fifth concubine.

Her attire was quite trendy; she wore a cheongsam, just like Lin Mohua, but in a different color—a white cheongsam embroidered with magnolias.

Moreover, the fifth concubine was very beautiful, with fair and delicate skin, arched eyebrows, a delicate nose and small mouth, and red lipstick on her lips. Her phoenix eyes were charming and alluring, as if they could seduce people.

Ever since Chu Jiang came in, her eyes have been fixed on him.

Fifth Concubine also has a great figure, which allows her to carry off the cheongsam very well, something Lin Mohua can't match.

The ladies' clothing was mostly plain white, making it seem as if they were still in mourning, and it was unclear how long their husband had been dead.

The seat to the right of the fifth concubine was empty; it was originally reserved for Lin Mohua.

To the right of the empty seat was a somewhat quirky-looking girl. She wore a blue top and black bottom, a typical modern school uniform from the Republican era; her hair was styled in two braids, and she looked at Chu Jiang with great curiosity.

This is the second young lady; she's still studying.

The seat to the second young lady's right was originally the fifth young master's seat, the one with the timid and hesitant look in front of him. He looked very young and was also wearing a school uniform, but it was all black.

To the left of the First Madam sat her biological son, who was also Lin Mohua's older brother. It was he who had just gotten up to greet her; this young master seemed very kind.

To the left of the eldest young master are the second young master, the third young master, and the fourth young master.

The second young master was Lin Xingfeng, whom I had met before. The third young master next to him looked sickly, with deep dark circles under his eyes, and he also had a lingering smell of opium.

The fourth young master looked to be about the same age as Chu Jiang. He was wearing an old-fashioned long gown and mandarin jacket, and his expression was somewhat cold as he stared intently at Chu Jiang.

Chu Jiang sat to his left.

As soon as the guests were seated, the young master greeted Chu Jiang warmly and introduced the identities of everyone present.

Chu Jiang nodded in agreement, and that was how the two became acquainted.

Although he appeared completely natural on the surface, what Chu Jiang was thinking in his heart was:

Do these people from the Lin family want to eat me? Or have I, a member of their bloodline, eaten something highly nutritious?

It's no wonder that Chu Jiang had some unusual thoughts.

After all, Lin Mohua cared so much about him, which could be loosely described as her being in love, but the fact that this whole family of ghosts was staring at him like that really put Chu Jiang under a lot of pressure.

Moreover, after seeing the real person/ghost, Chu Jiang was no longer sure if he could escape the mansion if a fight broke out.

After all, these people were all ghost masters, and each of them was suspected to have more than one ghost inside them. If you include themselves, that would be three or four ghosts. It was as if Chu Jiang was eating with a whole bunch of ghosts.

"Come, come, have some drinks and food. These are just some country dishes, Mr. Chu, please don't mind them," said the eldest young master, Lin Xingtian.

Of course, this was just self-deprecation; the dishes on the table were quite plentiful. Although they weren't exactly delicacies, they included all the rare and precious seafood delicacies. There were also several Western dishes, such as roasted beef and lamb chops and cream of mushroom soup.

While eating, Chu Jiang was thinking about a question: Where did all these top-quality ingredients come from in the Ghost Realm? Or rather, what exactly was he eating?

Despite thinking this way, Chu Jiang did not stop eating. After all, the true master of the Ghost Realm was the old master, and the old master would not need to use such methods to kill him.

Seeing that Chu Jiang only knew how to eat in silence as soon as he sat down at the table, the others couldn't help but find it a bit boring.