Chapter 22: The Strange House on the Second Day

  I was lost in thought when a hand landed on my shoulder.

  That hand slowly moved along my shoulder to my neck, and I could clearly feel the chill of that hand.

  A chill ran down my neck and spread throughout my body, I mechanically turned my head, only to find a face resting on my shoulder!

  That was a face with an eerie smile, a pair of bright red eyes shining with light, teeth chattering and biting, and bursts of laughter coming from the mouth from time to time!

  I let out a loud cry and wanted to run away, but found that my body couldn't move at all!

  The little fox in my arms was already scared to the point of rolling its eyes, and my brain was spinning rapidly, thinking about what to do next while it was still relatively clear.

  That icy hand didn't give me any chance to think. Its fingers kept getting longer, and finally slowly wrapped around my neck, tightening up.

  Those hands' fingers lengthened and wrapped around my neck, tightening before I could think of a way out!

  A strong chill swept over me, followed by a sharp pain in my chest cavity.

  Do all these monsters and ghosts like choking people?

  I wanted to cry but had no tears, using all my strength to lift up my hands and bend those icy fingers.

  It was strange that its fingers stopped tightening at the moment I touched it.

  It suddenly slipped out from between my fingers and slowly moved to my back.

  I was wondering, that hand suddenly poked my back, a strong evil spirit instantly entered my body!

  Are you kidding me?

  Does it want to inject evil energy into my body?

  This evil spirit is surging inside me, and my whole body feels like it's fallen into an ice cellar.

  The little fox who was holding onto my leg saw my appearance and was frightened, constantly backing away.

  I lowered my head unintentionally and took a glance at my own hand, only to discover that my body was turning gray at a speed visible to the naked eye!

  And that skull was still laughing "heh heh heh" by my ear, almost making me laugh to collapse.

  I don't want to become like this monster myself!

  I desperately opened my eyes wide and searched for something in the room that I could use to protect myself.

  But looking around the entire room, apart from that umbrella which was still constantly hitting the boundary, there really wasn't anything else that could be used!

  The rain outside the house was still pouring down desperately, and it didn't seem like it would stop anytime soon.

  I felt a bit desperate and looked out of the Yunying Mountain Villa, wondering where Mr. Zhuo had gone.

  Tianyan looked around outside Yun Cong Mountain Villa and searched many places but couldn't find Mr. Zhuo.

  It seems I have no choice but to deal with this myself today.

  I shifted my body a bit and found that I could move, so I immediately moved towards the umbrella that was still hitting the boundary.

  I ran in front of the umbrella, and the umbrella was still hitting the boundary.

  I couldn't care about so much, both hands grasped the umbrella handle, wanting to hold onto the umbrella.

  But this umbrella was incredibly powerful and I couldn't hold onto it at all. The umbrella slipped out of my hands several times.

  That skull head moved towards me again, and I went to grab that umbrella, this time using all my strength, but still couldn't catch the umbrella.

  The skull stretched out its hand to attack my back, I rolled over and dodged the skull's attack by rolling on the ground, and my chest hurt again.

  My entire arm has turned gray now and I've almost lost all sensation in it.

  I know if I don't defeat this skeleton quickly, I'll really become a monster myself!

  Thinking of this, I rushed to the side of the umbrella and pulled it with all my might.

  This time the umbrella didn't slip out of my hands but instead pulled me along with it flying towards the sky, and before long it was charging at the boundary again.

  The rainbow bird, which had been watching the commotion all along, saw me in a sorry state and not only didn't come to help, but also sneered at me!

  I secretly vowed in my heart that once I've settled things here, I'll definitely pluck all the feathers off the Rainbow Bird!

  The umbrella took me flying into the sky for a while, and then fell back down to the ground.

  I refused to let go, gripping the umbrella handle so tightly that it was almost bleeding.

  But strangely, when I held the umbrella, that skull stood far away.

  It seems it's afraid of this umbrella!

  Then I will make even better use of this umbrella!

  As the umbrella fell to the ground again, I used force with my legs to push against the ground, and with the power of jumping, I grasped this umbrella tightly and opened it.

  As soon as this umbrella is opened, it starts getting bigger.

  Before long, the whole house was covered.

  But just now that skull disappeared in an instant when the umbrella grew bigger, and only those ghost faces on the ceiling stared at me with surprised expressions.

  My hands also returned to their normal form shortly after the skull disappeared.

  Just as I was feeling proud of myself, the enlarged umbrella burst through the ceiling and took me flying out of the house!

  The umbrella flew in the rain and soon flew over the roof, then blocked the rain on the roof.

  I was suspended in mid-air under an umbrella, looking down at the entire Cloud Manor.

  The rainwater was blown onto me by the wind, and in no time my clothes were completely soaked. I looked like a drowned rat, but more importantly, I was a dangling drowned rat!

  The more ridiculous I look, the more ridiculous I am, because my heavenly eyes see through the house and clearly see that seven-colored bird stealing a smile!

  It's just that I also saw those ghostly faces above the ceiling disappear.

  I helplessly sighed and began thinking about what had just happened.

  Just now I was too scared to notice, but now that I've calmed down, I realize that the skull looks exactly like the one in the dark fog!

  Even the laughter is the same!

  Is it just a coincidence?

  I don't think so.

  This house is really weird. Having an umbrella like this is already strange enough, and then all sorts of weird things appear when it's raining.

  I thought that the whole Cloud Condensation Villa only had that one house which was relatively safe, but now it seems that this house is actually the most dangerous place in the entire villa!

  I had been hanging under the umbrella for I didn't know how long, and my hands were a bit numb. Finally, Mr. Zhuo appeared at the gate of Yunyong Mountain Villa.

  Endless excitement surged in my heart, I wanted to shout loudly, but then I thought that even if I shouted here, he wouldn't be able to hear me, so I had no choice but to close my mouth and conserve my energy.

  Mr. Zhuo held a willow branch and walked slowly, so anxious that I wanted to urge him to hurry up.

  Just as Mr. Zhuo was about to see me, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed intently on the front with a faint murderous aura.

  My heart skipped a beat, and following Mr. Zhuo's gaze, I suddenly felt a sense of despair.

  The rain is still falling now, and the roads of Yun Cong Mountain Villa are not very clear, but on the half-mountain waist, a boundary has appeared!

  That boundary separates the worlds on both sides of us.

  Mr. Zhuo walked up to the boundary and tapped his finger lightly on it, frowning even more intensely.

  He pulled out a talisman from his bosom and stuck it on the boundary, while drawing symbols on the talisman with one hand and muttering incantations with his mouth.

  After Mr. Zhuo finished his incantation, he struck the seal with force. The seal shook slightly, but not a single crack appeared.

  Mr. Zhuo tried this method again in doubt, and as a result, there was still no crack on the seal.

  I'm at my wit's end, hanging under this umbrella for so long, I can barely hold onto the handle anymore.

  If Mr. Zhuo can't come in at this time, I won't be able to get down until the rain stops, and I'll have to fight that dark fog monster alone at night!

  I couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly at the Seven-Colored Bird who was already asleep inside the house.

  The rainbow bird was startled by my shout, looked at me with a puzzled face, and I said angrily: "If you don't come to save me again, when I get down there, I'll pluck all your feathers!"

  The seven-colored bird yawned and still didn't move half a step.

  "I shouted again: 'I made a deal with you for one day, I am your master! Mr. Zhuo is about to come back, aren't you afraid of his punishment?'"

  I found that Mr. Zhuo's title was really useful, the Rainbow Bird heard my words and its eyes contained a hint of fear, it hastily flew out of the house, its body grew larger and carried me down from under the umbrella.

  When I landed on the ground, I could hardly walk anymore, my legs went soft and my whole body was weak.

  I sat on the ground with a thud, my clothes were completely wet and stuck to my skin, and I shivered with cold as the wind blew.

  The rainbow bird bit me and dragged me into the house.

  There is no wind inside the house, I feel it's not so cold anymore.

  I closed my eyes and sat down, feeling all my strength restored, then slowly got up.

  The rain outside had almost stopped, and the umbrella finally fell from the roof of the house, shrinking as it flew into the room, turning into an ordinary umbrella.

  I looked at the umbrella and felt a deep sense of emotion.

  I never thought that I, Han Dong, would be tormented by an umbrella into this state today!

  I sighed and took an umbrella before walking out of the house.

  I rushed to where Mr. Zhuo was isolated and saw that Mr. Zhuo was still worried about the boundary, so I immediately took out an umbrella and smashed it towards the boundary.

  Although the umbrella looked very old, when it touched the boundary, the boundary still trembled a few times.

  I looked at this umbrella and thought it could break through the barrier, so I used all my strength to hold the umbrella and kept smashing it against the barrier.

  One time, two times, three times...

  The seal gradually showed signs of cracking.

  Mr. Zhuo was surprised to see me using an ordinary umbrella to hold up the boundary.

  I smashed for I don't know how long, and with a "pa" sound, the boundary was actually smashed open by me using an umbrella.

  Mr. Zhuo walked in disbelievingly and stared at the umbrella in my hand, asking "What's going on?"

  I told Mr. Zhuo what had just happened and finally asked: "Do you think this house has anything to do with that black fog monster?"

  Mr. Zhuo grasped the willow branch in his hand and said: "Perhaps, that black fog monster was sneaking out of that room on rainy days."

  This sentence scared me out of my wits.

  If it's really like that, every time it rains, such a monster will appear. In the future, won't the whole world be turned upside down by this monster?

  Mr. Zhuo was apparently worried about this too, looking at Liu Zhi's gloomy face in a daze.

  The little fox also rushed out of the house at this time, hugged Mr. Zhuo's thigh, and cried while saying: "Mr. Zhuo, you're finally back! What happened earlier was really strange!"

  Mr. Zhuo gently patted the little fox's head and pulled its hand towards the house at the top of the mountain.

  After we arrived at the house, Mr. Zhuo didn't rest either. He cut the willow branches into several sections of equal size, wrapped them with Taoist symbols, handed one to me and kept the remaining ones for himself.

  I didn't understand what Mr. Zhuo was doing, so I held up a Taoist symbol and asked him.

  Mr. Zhuo patiently said, "With this, the monster will not dare to approach easily. Even if the monster approaches you, as long as you throw this at its forehead, it will be purified."

  "Who would have thought there's something so convenient!" I exclaimed in surprise.

  The sky outside is getting darker, and tonight's test is about to begin again.