After an hour of collaborative cooking experience, the MCs set up a BBQ in the castle.
Jing Jiujiu finished taking notes and was now leaning on the railing, his nose twitching slightly and eyes narrowed.
The little robot asked, "Can you smell it?"
Jing Jiujiu: "No, I can't."
"Then why are you sniffing so intently?"
"It's because I can't smell it that I have to try harder," Jing Jiujiu said, pausing before murmuring, "In my lifetime, when will I be able to smell food again?"
The little robot fell silent for a moment, wanting to say that he was already dead.
"Don't you think they're being disrespectful? Having a BBQ in a haunted castle, and maybe even karaoke after dinner..."
"A little bit," Jing Jiujiu said.
Jing Jiujiu moved a set of table and chairs from the small dining room on the third floor. He set the table with a tablecloth, dishes, cutlery, and even a candlestick on the side.
Food soon appeared on the plates.
It was M12 grade Australian Wagyu beef steak, perfectly grilled, with exquisite-looking side dishes.
Downstairs, everyone began to enjoy their dinner.
Upstairs, Jing Jiujiu also began to cut his food methodically, just like the scene the little robot had witnessed from the chandelier the day before.
The young man before him had received a good education in life, and his series of movements were pleasing to the eye.
As the little robot stared blankly, Jing Jiujiu put down his knife and fork.
The little robot looked at the cut steak on the plate: "You're not eating?"
"It's all fake, ghosts don't like to eat."
The little robot was stunned again.
It realized that not only could it not understand humans, but it couldn't understand ghosts either.
Why do people maintain such a high level of ritual after death when they can't eat? What's the point?
"As long as you can leave this place, you'll be able to eat food again someday," the little robot quickly regained its senses. "You can scare them now."
"Mm, I'm waiting."
"Waiting for what?"
"Waiting for that Bai guy to be alone. It's most terrifying to scare him at this time!"
The little robot thought about it and felt it made some sense, so it patiently waited with him.
By now, the people downstairs were almost done eating.
Yun Xin said, "Why do I feel like it's getting colder even with the fire?"
Jing Jiujiu upstairs: "Indeed, if I don't blow some cold wind for you, what if a fire breaks out and burns down my house?"
Little robot: "..."
"Haven't moved the suitcases upstairs yet? I'll go get you a jacket," Kong Xiangqi said as she stood up.
The others also shivered involuntarily and got up to put on their jackets. Only Bai Yuhuai remained as he was when he got out of the car, sitting there steadily without moving.
Everyone couldn't help but think of the movie he had just won an award for.
In the movie, Bai Yuhuai was engaged in a life-and-death struggle, his white shirt soaked through. As the camera zoomed in, the muscle lines underneath were revealed, not exaggerated, but seemingly containing extremely powerful strength.
... Bai must be in great physical shape.
Everyone thought in unison.
At this time, the production team handed out the task sheet for the first segment.
Old Cao took it and read: "Tell ghost stories around the fire?"
"Let's do it then, who wants to go first?" "I will, I used to watch 'Thrilling Story Club' a lot when I was young!" "Alright, Yu Shaoguang, you go first."
Unfortunately, their storytelling skills were really not that great. The ghost stories turned into jokes, and for a while, the castle was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Until the end.
"Bai, why don't you tell one too?"
Bai Yuhuai didn't refuse. He lifted his eyelids slightly, and his cold voice resonated in the overly spacious and somewhat empty hall: "There's a saying that you shouldn't pile up clutter under the bed. When there's too much messy stuff, a kind of ghost will inhabit the space under the bed. After people fall asleep at night, this ghost will quietly climb onto the foot of the bed, grab the ankles exposed outside the blanket, and gnaw with its ghostly teeth, making rustling and creaking sounds. People will only feel their ankles tightening and itching, and the soles of their feet getting cold."
His storytelling was terribly cold, not as emotionally rich as when he was acting.
But it was precisely this style that made people's hearts unconsciously chill when he told ghost stories.
"Tsk—"
"Bai's story is a bit scary."
"Too frightening, I'll have to cover myself well with the blanket tonight."
"How can Bai tell ghost stories so seriously?"
Everyone curled up a bit and moved closer to the fireplace.
"Want to hear more?" Bai Yuhuai asked.
Everyone swallowed: "Well, m-maybe one more."
Upstairs, Jing Jiujiu suddenly flew into his bedroom and crawled under the bed.
"Phew, there's no such ghost under my bed," Jing Jiujiu said with relief.
The little robot followed in: "..."
Little robot: "You ran too fast and knocked a picture frame off the wall."
"What was that sound?" Yun Xin downstairs was startled and grabbed Ji Meng's sleeve.
Bai Yuhuai looked up at the third floor and said calmly, "Maybe the wind blew something off." He stood up and said, "I'll go check."
The others sighed in relief upon hearing this and didn't try to make him stay.
Lest the award-winning Bai tell a couple more ghost stories, they really wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Someone's coming upstairs," the little robot said in the room.
Jing Jiujiu nodded and said, "Then I'm off."
The little robot followed him out of the room, then quietly jumped to the first floor, wanting to help Jing Jiujiu keep an eye on these people, to prevent them from coming up midway and ruining the scary atmosphere.
After going downstairs, the little robot hid in the kitchen.
Suddenly there was a light "ding" sound from the kitchen sink. It looked over and saw that the used dishes and cutlery had been neatly placed in the dishwashing sink.
... Quite particular.
Even while going to scare people, they didn't forget to put the tableware in the sink first.
Meanwhile, Old Cao told another folk tale from the countryside, and Yun Xin was so scared she broke a glass.
"Don't move, I'll go get a broom."
Kong Xiangqi cleaned up the broken pieces and walked to the kitchen.
She raised her hand and threw the fragments into the trash can. But when she turned to the side, she suddenly froze.
"Xiangqi?"
"Why are you standing there? Come out quickly. It's your turn to tell a story."
"You're not trying to skip this round, are you?" others laughed.
Kong Xiangqi's throat tightened, and she managed to squeeze out a voice: "There's an extra set of tableware in the kitchen sink."
"Huh? Did you miscount? There's nothing strange about that."
Kong Xiangqi didn't dare to look closely again and ran back to the hall: "It's true! That set of tableware doesn't belong to any of us. It's European style, made very beautifully and exquisitely, with rose patterns printed on it. All of ours are ones we brought ourselves, and none of them look like that set."
With these words, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Finally, Old Cao laughed dryly and said, "Oh, maybe it's the production team's arrangement to scare us on purpose."
The production team staff members exchanged glances and said softly, "It wasn't us..."
Old Cao was also shocked: "Really? Are you guys tricking us?"
"Otherwise, let's go check together? It might just be placed by the production team. Maybe it's related to our next task clue," Kong Xiangqi comforted herself.
"Alright, let's go together then. After all, according to horror movie rules, you only die when you're alone. With so many of us, what's there to be afraid of?"
"Wait, isn't Bai alone now?"
"There's a cameraman with him!"
"Oh right!"
Everyone quickly reached an agreement.
When they entered the kitchen, they indeed saw the exquisite set of tableware Kong Xiangqi had mentioned, truly beautiful.
So beautiful that it stood out from what they had brought, instantly distinguishable.
A thin layer of goosebumps rose on their skin.
As they got closer, Old Cao crouched down first and carefully examined the tableware: "There seems to be some engraving on it?"
"Ha, I told you, it must be a clue from the production team! What's engraved on it?"
"...Jing."
"What?"
"Jing, as in the 'Jing' from 'Young Master Jing'."
The chill on everyone's bodies instantly reached its peak.
"Ha... ha, isn't this kind of a crude intimidation method?" Kong Xiangqi laughed awkwardly.
Old Cao mumbled, "Do you think, when we were sitting there eating just now, there was an invisible person sitting with us, quietly enjoying the food? And when we got up to put the tableware in the sink, he followed suit and put his in too."
"Holy crap, Old Cao, don't scare me like that!" Yu Shaoguang, the loudest voice in the MC, shouted.
"Back to the main hall, now!" Old Cao decided quickly.
The little robot watched as the group began to panic and hurry away.
... This was truly an unexpected blessing.
It seems he hadn't chosen the wrong ghost after all.
Meanwhile, Bai Yuhuai had just reached the third floor when he noticed the footsteps behind him had disappeared.
Bai Yuhuai's cameraman only felt his vision blur for a moment. When he shook his head and looked back into the camera, there was no one in the frame. Did he run that fast?
"Bai?"
"Bai, are you on the third floor or the fourth?"
The cameraman called out as he continued walking forward.
Faint voices could be heard from downstairs.
"What's going on? What's the cameraman saying?"
"Sounds like he's calling for Bai."
"Bai's gone missing?"
"Oh come on, seriously? Director, director! Tell us clearly, is this part of your plan or..." Before Yu Shaoguang could finish, a series of thundering footsteps rang out.
"Holy shit!" The cameraman came flying down the stairs, gasping for breath. "Bai suddenly... suddenly vanished! I ran quite far forward but couldn't find the end, so I quickly came back down." He said, catching his breath as he put down his camera. The look of horror didn't leave his face. "Isn't this... isn't this what they call a ghost trap?"
"Did we... really encounter a ghost?"
The air in the hall fell silent for a moment.
"What about Bai? What's going to happen to him?" Yun Xin cried out in alarm.
Upstairs, Bai Yuhuai looked back.
Not only was there no sign of the cameraman, but even the scene downstairs seemed to be covered in a dark haze, unclear.
His expression remained unchanged as he steadily walked forward.
The stairs of this ancient castle were well-maintained, making no creaking sounds when stepped on. There was no horror movie atmosphere at all.
But that was precisely what was strange.
An abandoned castle of several years, yet still as if someone lived here, kept in good condition.
Just as Kong Xiangqi had said.
A young master of a wealthy family, not yet of age, dying tragically here would harbor the heaviest resentment. Such a young ghost with an immature mind, if it became vengeful, would be the most troublesome kind.
"Bzzt—" The corridor lights above suddenly made a sound of poor contact.
Then a ghostly wind rose out of nowhere.
Bai Yuhuai looked towards the end of the corridor.
The darkness there was as thick as spilled ink.
Under the dim, unclear light, a slender shadow slowly walked out from there.
Bai Yuhuai frowned imperceptibly.
When Kong Xiangqi was passing around her phone, he had no interest in looking at the photos. Because no matter how good-looking someone was in life, they would become hideous and grotesque after death. The more vengeful the ghost, the uglier it would be.
He could almost imagine how stomach-turning the face of this little ghost coming out would be...
Bai Yuhuai pinched his fingers, forming a hand seal.
What others had to struggle with, using hand seals, drawing talismans, and chanting spells, for him it was just this one simple gesture.
The ghost slowly walked towards him, quickly drawing near.
Bai Yuhuai's steps faltered.
A... vengeful ghost?
It was an extremely beautiful youth. He had a straight nose, red lips and white teeth, and a pair of particularly beautiful eyes - watery and bright, with slightly upturned corners adorned with a pink tinge. His pupils were clear and transparent like precious gems.
The youth wore a well-tailored small suit, walking gracefully as if heading to a ball.
His whole being exuded an exquisite and breathtaking beauty.
Bai Yuhuai had never seen anyone more beautiful.
It was as if he had been hidden away in a box for many years, only now seeing the light of day, untainted by any worldly pollution.
Jing Jiujiu was still confused.
Why isn't this person afraid of me?
Am I not scary enough?
Jing Jiujiu's eyes slowly shed two lines of blood tears.
The blood stained his eye corners and cheeks, not looking like the gruesome appearance of a vengeful ghost, but more like carefully applied, eerie yet beautiful makeup, accentuating his snow-white skin and making him look even more stunningly beautiful.
Bai Yuhuai's gaze flickered slightly, but his steps didn't falter.
Jing Jiujiu walked faster now, sticking out his blood-red tongue: "Boo!"
Then "thump."
He tripped and fell.
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
Jing Jiujiu shook his head, a bit dazed.
The carpet was wrinkled, it needed straightening...
No, wait, he had been walking like a human for so long that he momentarily forgot he could float!
But before Jing Jiujiu could float up, Bai Yuhuai had already walked up to him.
The youth lay on the deep black carpet, looking even smaller against it.
Bai Yuhuai's eyes were cold and deep as he reached out a hand, catching the youth's waist and half-lifting him up. The youth was so light, probably because his frame was already slight to begin with, and after death, he became even lighter. So light that it gave the illusion of fragility, as if the slightest force would shatter him.
Bai Yuhuai's other hand was still forming the hand seal.
If this seal were to be applied—
The youth would indeed shatter.
The kind of shattering where all three hun and seven po souls would break along with it.
Little did he know, at this moment Jing Jiujiu was feeling nervous.
This man was a bit scary.
Probably because he looked so cold, even colder than a ghost like me.
First-time ghost scaring must always be this frightening, Jing Jiujiu reassured himself.
Since this person had already caught him, it would be too embarrassing to get up now! So he decided to pretend that he had fallen on purpose to lure him over, and then climb onto his back. He would surely be heavy and cold, and clinging to him would definitely scare him.
So Jing Jiujiu quickly reached out his arms and hooked them around Bai Yuhuai's neck.
Bai Yuhuai's body stiffened for a moment.
Jing Jiujiu breathed a sigh of relief.
See?
He's scared now!
I just need to try a little harder... Huh?
Bai Yuhuai picked him up with one arm.
"Which room do you live in?" Bai Yuhuai asked in a cold voice.
Jing Jiujiu: "Huh?"
"I'll take you back."
Jing Jiujiu: ?
Bai Yuhuai dispersed the hand seal he was forming and instead supported Jing Jiujiu's waist, almost carrying him horizontally.
Jing Jiujiu: !!
The youth blushed from his cheeks to his ears.
How frustrating, the dignity of being a ghost was gone!
Bai Yuhuai lowered his gaze, a glint of cold light escaping his eyes: "If you don't tell me, I'll take you to my room."
Jing Jiujiu: ??
Wait! Look carefully, I'm a ghost!