Chapter 21: Luck Only Works Once…

[Here’s a joke: “How Could a Genius Like Me Possibly Be Afraid?”]

[Hahahahaha, Ji Jingchuan’s mouth is the toughest part of him.]

Ji Jingchuan: o‘^’o

Shang Que looked up and saw his expression. She swallowed back the sarcasm on the tip of her tongue and changed her words instead.
“Forget it, you hold on then.”

Ji Jingchuan: o’v’o

Immediately, the corners of his lips curled up, and he quickly stepped forward, following Shang Que over the high threshold. Just then, someone suddenly tugged at the corner of his clothes.

Ji Jingchuan turned around. “What are you doing?”

Jiang Yizhe chuckled sheepishly. “I wasn’t scared at first, but after hearing what Sister Shang Que said, I started feeling a little creeped out.” He glanced at Shang Que’s other coat sleeve and hesitantly asked, “If you don’t want to be pulled along, then can I—”

“No.” Ji Jingchuan’s face showed an expression of absolute refusal. He turned sideways to block Jiang Yizhe’s view and reluctantly said, “But you can hold onto me. Just don’t tear my clothes.”

“Got it!” Jiang Yizhe breathed a sigh of relief and grabbed onto Ji Jingchuan’s sleeve again.

Lin Jinyi silently followed, clutching onto the fabric of Jiang Yizhe’s shirt from behind.

“I don’t want to be the last one,” Ning Sheng muttered, stepping past Lu Zhixu to stand behind Lin Jinyi. In a small voice, she asked, “Can I hold onto you?”

Lin Jinyi was wearing a tight-fitting dress without anything convenient to grab. She pressed her lips together, then extended her hand backward, signaling for Ning Sheng to hold her wrist instead.

Seeing this, Lu Zhixu reached out and grabbed the hood of Ning Sheng’s hoodie, calmly taking the rear position.

[This looks like a game of eagle catching chicks.]

[The little bird has turned into the mother hen!]

[Hahaha, this is so heartwarming! Suddenly, it’s not scary anymore.]

Like a small train, the group walked into the house one after another.

Directly in front of the entrance was the front hall. They walked through the overgrown courtyard, pushed open the dust-covered wooden door, and were immediately confronted with the sight of a coffin.

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

[AHHHHHHHH!]

[Who said this isn’t scary? Who said it isn’t scary?!]

[Damn it, I just thought their train formation was cute and wanted to take a screenshot, but as soon as I zoomed in, I saw this! Production team, you owe me emotional damages!]

[I’m so scared, sobbing.]

The rest of the group also screamed in fright, huddling together in panic. After a long moment, Lin Jinyi’s trembling voice broke the silence.
“When we step inside, nothing is going to jump out of that coffin, right?”

A chill ran down everyone’s spines, and the silent air was filled with the sound of people sucking in deep breaths.

“It won’t.” Shang Que pushed the door completely open and reassured them, “The coffin is locked with iron chains. Don’t be afraid.”

“That makes it even scarier, okay?!” Lin Jinyi immediately retorted.

Jiang Yizhe nodded in agreement. “Under normal circumstances, who locks a coffin with iron chains? I’ve only seen that in zombie movies. But usually, those chains don’t work—eventually, the zombie still jumps out.”

Lin Jinyi shot him a glare. “Can you not say that?”

His words made everyone hesitate at the doorway. But since Shang Que had already stepped inside, they had no choice but to follow to avoid breaking their “train formation.”

Once inside, the entire hall’s setup came into full view.

At the center stood a heavy black wooden coffin, tightly wrapped several times with thick iron chains, secured with a large, rusty iron lock that made it impossible to pry open.

On the wall directly opposite the coffin, a large white double happiness character was pasted. Below it stood a ceremonial table, symmetrically flanked by two candle holders, with nearly untouched white candles that gave off an unpleasant smell.

Ning Sheng couldn’t help but ask, “Is this for a funeral? It looks just like a mourning hall.”

Even the sheer drapes hanging from the ceiling beams were white. Motionless, they hung eerily, making the whole scene feel particularly sinister.

“But there’s a double happiness symbol on the wall…” Jiang Yizhe thought for a moment before concluding, “So, it must be a joyful funeral.”

[?????]

[Hahaha, don’t copy Shang Que’s way of speaking.]

Lu Zhixu commented, “That was even colder than the joke Shang Que told earlier.”

“Oh right, where’s Shang Que?”

Hearing Jiang Yizhe’s question, the group finally realized two people were missing. Turning their heads, they saw Shang Que had somehow made her way to the coffin and was using a hairpin to try and pick the large lock on the chains. Behind her, Ji Jingchuan was still gripping onto the corner of her coat.

[AAA, Shang Que is now a professional locksmith in the entertainment industry.]

[??? Is this a skill that celebrities should have?]

[No, but if it’s Shang Que, anything is possible.]

[Shang Que: By the time you guys finish talking, I’ll have already opened the coffin lid.]

[The action-oriented little bird and her loyal puppy accessory.]

[Hahaha, so accurate! Who was it that said he wasn’t scared at all? Now he won’t even let go of her hand!]

[Teacher, this isn’t the Ji Jingchuan we know! Our fearless dinosaur Chuan Chuan must be closely supervising Shang Que’s lockpicking, not clinging to her out of fear.]

The next second, Ji Jingchuan frowned on camera and urged, “Are you done yet?”

“Nope.” Shang Que pulled out the broken hairpin and sighed. “The lock is too big. I can’t open it.”

Lin Jinyi was stunned. “Wait, so you were really trying to pick the lock?”

“I was just giving it a try. It didn’t work anyway,” Shang Que said as she glanced around. Her tone held a hint of disappointment. “Looks like we’ll have to find the key.”

[I suspect she was actually scanning the room for other tools, but unfortunately, no one else brought a hairpin.]

[Hahaha, that’s highly likely.]

There were corridors leading to the backyard on both sides of the hall. To save time, the group decided to split up in search of clues.

Lin Jinyi and Jiang Yizhe stayed in the main hall, Lu Zhixu and Ning Sheng took the left passage, while Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan went right.

Stepping out of the dark corridor, they arrived at a covered walkway. The backyard was U-shaped, with an abandoned courtyard in the center. Shang Que waved to Lu Zhixu and Ning Sheng across from her before watching them enter the first room.

“Let’s start searching too.” She pulled her coat away from Ji Jingchuan’s grip. “It’s safe here. Walk on your own.”

“Oh.” Ji Jingchuan hesitated before reluctantly letting go. He pressed his lips together and followed closely behind her.

The door of the first room had an old-fashioned brass lock—intricately designed but incredibly sturdy. Without a key, there was no way to break in.

Shang Que abandoned the idea of forcing it open and continued forward. At the next room, she pushed the door, but it didn’t budge. It seemed to be locked from the inside.

There were only two rooms on the right, both locked. That left only the room directly facing the main hall.

The two of them turned around the corridor and arrived at the entrance of the building. Above their heads, a plaque bore four large characters: “Zhang Family Ancestral Hall.” Pushing open the main door, they were greeted by the sight of an altar dedicated to worship. Behind it, a long table displayed dozens of memorial tablets in an orderly row, while a statue of Buddha loomed above, its features taking on a sinister expression in the dim, eerie light.

Ji Jingchuan felt a chill run down his back and instinctively reached out to grab onto something, but his hand grasped only empty air. Lowering his head, he realized that Shang Que was already standing before the incense table.

He swallowed hard and quickly caught up, asking uncomfortably, “Why are we here?”

“Looking for clues.” Shang Que suddenly halted in front of one particular tablet. Unlike the others, which bore titles like “Honored Ancestors and Parents,” this one had only a simple inscription: “Memorial Tablet of Zhang Family’s Second Son, Youcheng.”

“What is this?” Ji Jingchuan heard her read it aloud and leaned in to pick up the tablet for a closer look. “This family’s second son’s memorial tablet? He died this early?”

【??? Isn’t Ji Jingchuan afraid of ghosts? How does he have the guts to just grab someone’s memorial tablet like that?】

【Because he has no respect—for people or for ghosts.】

“Ji Jingchuan,” Shang Que suddenly called his name.

“What? Am I not allowed to pick it up and look?”

“You can. In fact, you did an excellent job.”

Ji Jingchuan was startled by her unusual tone. “Wait, if I messed up, just scold me. Don’t be so passive-aggressive, Shang Que.”

“Why would I scold you? You just made a great contribution.”

The spot where Zhang Youcheng’s memorial tablet had been originally placed revealed a hidden square-shaped hole. From within it, Shang Que retrieved a box and remarked, “Good thing you have no respect. If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t have casually picked up a memorial tablet.”

【Hahahaha, honestly, only Ji Jingchuan would do something like this.】

【Did the production team do this on purpose? Who even hides clues under a memorial tablet?】

Ji Jingchuan couldn’t tell if Shang Que was praising or mocking him. Putting the tablet back in its place, he looked at the wooden box in her hands. “What’s inside?”

“A mechanism.”

“Traps? Poisoned needles?” Ji Jingchuan immediately tensed up, quickly taking the box from her hands and warning, “Be careful! Why are you getting so close?”

Shang Que blinked. “I meant there’s a puzzle lock on the outside of the box. It needs to be solved to open it.”

“…”

The box, made of huanghuali wood, was intricately carved with elaborate patterns. At its center was a square indentation containing several wooden pieces of different shapes that could be moved.

Shang Que handed him a wooden tile. “You know how to solve a tangram puzzle, right? This works the same way. Move the other wooden pieces to clear space, then fit this square piece in. That should unlock the box.”

“Wait, you want me to solve it?”

“Yeah. I’m going to look for more clues.” Shang Que narrowed her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve never played with a tangram before?”

“Of course I have!” Ji Jingchuan snatched the wooden tile from her hand. “It’s just a small puzzle. How could it possibly stump a genius like me? Go look for clues.”

Half-convinced, Shang Que turned away under his impatient shooing, heading toward the cabinet on the other side of the ancestral hall where the wills were kept.

The cabinet wasn’t locked. Names of deceased family members were engraved in order of seniority from bottom to top. Zhang Youcheng’s will was at the very top. Shang Que took it out, flipped it open, and saw the words: “I want to take a wife.”

Shang Que: …

…

【Wait, bro, you’re already dying, and you’re still thinking about getting married?】

【Hahaha, I thought this ancestral hall was eerie, but this will just made me laugh.】

Shang Que rummaged through the cabinet some more but didn’t find any useful clues. When she returned with Zhang Youcheng’s will in hand, Ji Jingchuan was still struggling with the puzzle lock on the box.

“Why isn’t this working?” Frustrated, he suddenly crouched down, placed the wooden tile over a slot that was clearly too small for it, and then flipped the box over, banging it against the ground in an attempt to force the piece in.

The tile shot out unexpectedly, ricocheting off his forehead before rolling away across the floor.

Ji Jingchuan’s expression darkened. He took a few deep breaths to suppress his irritation, just as a foot suddenly kicked him, sending him tumbling onto his rear.

“Idiot,” Shang Que bent down and snatched the box from his hands. “This is what you meant when you said it wouldn’t stump you?”

【Oh no, did she just hit him? Are they gonna fight now?】

【I almost forgot they were supposed to be rivals after watching them get along so well lately.】

【Oh yeah! They’re from opposing teams! Alright, let’s go! Fight to the death! I’m betting on Shang Que to win.】

【Why is everyone just here for the drama? Hahaha. But honestly, Shang Que does look really fed up with Ji Jingchuan.】

Shang Que picked up the wooden tile from the ground and said coldly, “Come here.”

She hadn’t kicked him hard—just enough to make him lose balance and sit down. Ji Jingchuan got up, dusted off his clothes, and walked over with a stiff expression.

“This piece can only fit in the upper right corner. Move it over first, then find the wooden plank that matches it…” Shang Que slowed down her movements, teaching as she went. The previously messy wooden planks became surprisingly obedient under her hands. Soon, a square-shaped gap appeared in the middle of the groove. Shang Que placed the extra square piece into the gap, twisted it in the opposite direction, and with a soft “click,” the box opened.

She turned her head and said, “See? If you encounter this kind of mechanism next time, solve it like this.”

Ji Jingchuan obediently responded, “Oh, got it.”

【???】

【Did… did the box just open so easily?】

【Wait, was Shang Que actually teaching Ji Jingchuan just now?】

【Ji Jingchuan is acting way too well-behaved. He got kicked earlier and didn’t even get angry.】

【Ah, so you two weren’t going to fight after all?】

Once the box was open, an old brass key shaped like a spring clip appeared inside. Shang Que took it out and placed it together with the will they had found. “Alright, let’s go.”

Ji Jingchuan let out another “Oh” and then silently grabbed the hem of her clothes.

As the two exited the ancestral hall, they happened to run into Lu Zhixu and Ning Sheng walking in from the other side of the corridor.

“You’ve finished searching here? Then let’s summarize our clues,” Ning Sheng took the initiative to share first. “Lu Zhixu and I found a booklet about ghost marriages in the first room over there, which was the bedroom of the Zhang family’s parents. It had the birth charts of Xiao Man and a man named Zhang Youcheng written on it, and at the bottom, it even said something like ‘a match made in heaven.'”

Ji Jingchuan was stunned when he heard the name. “Zhang Youcheng?”

“Yeah,” Ning Sheng pulled out a wedding invitation from her backpack, looking confused. “But the groom’s name on the invitation is clearly Zhang Youquan. So who is Zhang Youcheng?”

Shang Que and Ji Jingchuan exchanged a glance before suddenly saying, “He was the second young master of the Zhang family.”

“He’s already dead.”

【Holy crap, a ghost marriage.】

【So Xiao Man was originally supposed to marry the eldest son of the Zhang family, but instead, she was given to the second son for a ghost marriage?】

【No wonder Zhang Youcheng wrote in his will that he wanted to take a wife.】

【The more I think about it, the creepier it gets.】

【Quietly pulling my feet back under the blanket.】

After Shang Que showed them the items they had found in the ancestral hall, everyone fell into silence.

Ning Sheng shivered. The ghost marriage booklet in her hand suddenly felt like a scalding hot potato. In a panic, she threw it into Lu Zhixu’s arms, then immediately distanced herself and clung to Shang Que instead. With a nervous heart, she asked, “What do we do now?”

Lu Zhixu let out a helpless laugh and suggested, “How about we check out Zhang Youcheng’s room first?”

Shang Que had the same idea. She took out the key, walked to the first room, and unlocked the brass lock hanging on the door.

Pushing the door open, they found the interior arranged exactly like a wedding chamber. On the table, there was a candle stand with a half-burned white candle, two cups of wedding wine, and a bowl of raw meat. Beside it, a bowl of white rice had two chopsticks stuck upright in it—a traditional offering for the dead.

The room had no windows. The walls and the headboard were all covered with white paper cutouts of the character for “joy” (囍). Ning Sheng swallowed hard and forced a joke, “There aren’t going to be embroidered wedding shoes or something, right?”

“The show’s production team wouldn’t be that cliché,” Shang Que analyzed seriously. “It’s more likely that when you’re searching the bed, you’ll suddenly look up and see Xiao Man in her wedding dress staring at you from the ceiling.”

“Ahhh! Stop talking!” Ning Sheng instantly fled from her side and ran back to Lu Zhixu.

【Damn, Shang Que, you’re the real nightmare here.】

【I just imagined it, and now I’m curled up under my blanket.】

【Shang Que should join the show’s production team and design escape rooms. She’s scarier than them.】

【Give the others a break. Ning Sheng’s face is probably pale by now, hahaha.】

Because of Shang Que’s words, Ning Sheng absolutely refused to go near the bed. In the end, it was Shang Que who approached it.

“Well? Is there someone… or something up there?”

“No. Do you want to come take a look?” Shang Que stood by the bed, looking up. There was nothing there.

Ning Sheng was skeptical. “No need. I’ll just search over here.”

The two bolder members of the group were put in charge of rummaging through the furniture, while Ning Sheng and Ji Jingchuan searched for clues only in visible, safe areas—ensuring that nothing terrifying would suddenly appear in front of them.

Having a companion slacking off alongside her made Ning Sheng feel much more at ease. She took the opportunity to ask, “By the way, how did you guys find the key to this room?”

“It was hidden inside the altar table. When I lifted Zhang Youcheng’s ancestral tablet, I saw it underneath,” Ji Jingchuan answered casually, as if he were merely picking up a bottle of water, a bun, or a stone.

But lifting an ancestral tablet… That’s such a niche move!

Why was she the only one truly slacking off here? Ning Sheng felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

Shang Que finished searching the bed, then turned around and, noticing Ning Sheng’s expression, thought for a moment before offering some comfort. “It’s fine. Luck tends to come—”

Before she could finish speaking, Ji Jingchuan suddenly tripped over a chair leg and fell forward onto the table, knocking over the candle stand.

With a long, creaking sound, a hidden door in the wall slowly swung open.

“—more than once.”