Forbidden Land – CH 084

Outside, curiosity and anger completely overcame his fear, and Zhang Chao strode inside.

But after taking a few steps, standing in the center of the waterside corridor, surrounded by tall trees that blocked the streetlights, a vast darkness enveloped him. Moreover, he could clearly feel that the temperature here was much lower than outside…

Zhang Chao couldn’t help but shiver, and his pace naturally slowed.

He stopped and listened; all was silent, without a sound.

Sometimes, sound could be frightening. But absolute silence, the oppressive feeling of absolute stillness, was even more likely to stir one’s nerves.

Zhang Chao carefully stared at the pitch-black environment inside, pondered for a moment, and then slowly stepped forward, continuing to walk further in.

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Turning at the corner of the corridor, a small courtyard came into view.

The courtyard wasn’t large, probably less than 100 square meters, but at this moment, its emptiness was unsettling. In the center of the courtyard, the moonlight cast a pale, eerie glow, while every corner was pitch black.

Where was the woman in black?

Was she hiding in some dark corner, silently watching him?

Or perhaps she’d appear suddenly beside him when he was least alert, letting out a sharp, long, piercing shriek in his ear?

A startle ran through him. He took a deep breath, took a few more steps, and carefully scanned his surroundings.

But the courtyard was nearly a hundred square meters; apart from the central area, everything else was pitch black.

And in front stood two ancient Ming Dynasty buildings, deep and silent.

On the rooftops of both buildings hung two pairs of red lanterns, though they were currently unlit, adding to the eeriness.

An occasional night breeze stirred, causing the four red lanterns to sway gently, sway…whoosh, whoosh…

Zhang Chao cursed inwardly, “What idiot came up with the idea of ​​hanging red lanterns here!”

Actually, during the day, seeing red lanterns here wouldn’t seem strange; in fact, it would give off a festive feeling. Especially when Nanhua Garden held tours, the lit red lanterns added to the antique charm. But now it was night, and the place was deserted. The four lonely lanterns seemed to transport one to a scene of an abandoned village or ancient house.

What to do? The woman in black was gone. Where could she have gone?

Nanhua Garden only had one exit, surrounded by swamps. She couldn’t have swum out, could she?

His heart sank. He decided to find her and get to the bottom of things. He slowly circled the garden, his eyes fixed on the scenery around him, his senses heightened to an extreme.

Passing through every dark corner, his heart tightened. It seemed that in the darkness, there was always a pair of eyes silently watching him. After walking around the entire courtyard, Zhang Chao couldn’t find the woman in black.

He turned his gaze to the two Ming Dynasty buildings beside him.

Could she be inside?

He stopped, his eyes fixed on the ancient building before him.

The carved wooden door was slightly ajar, and he slowly peered through the old-fashioned wooden lattice window.

His gaze swept around the room, finally settling on a dark patch at the far end.

That patch of darkness was pressed against the wall, huddled in shadow, motionless.

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Was it a pillar or a sculpture?

Just as he was thinking this, the shadow suddenly moved!

Zhang Chao instinctively jumped back, his heart pounding. When he looked again, the shadow had vanished, and the wall was still a wall.

Was the woman in black really inside?

Zhang Chao desperately suppressed the surging blood in his veins, gritted his teeth, and slowly walked forward. Standing in the doorway, he hesitated for a long time before finally gently pushing the door open.

Creak…

With a melodious sound, the door slowly opened, and moonlight shone through, illuminating a section of the floor in front of him. His shadow was stretched extremely long, trailing across the floor.

Zhang Chao glanced into the room but didn’t see the woman in black.

He slowly took three or four steps, then looked around to the right—nothing.

But just as he was about to look to the left, he suddenly realized that the shadow on the ground in front of him wasn’t just his alone.