TEFSCBSS Chapter 76

Chapter 76: These Bones Are Pretty Tasty—Nice and Crunchy

Gu Qing watched Zhao Wen’s unusual enthusiasm and found it increasingly strange. However, he couldn’t figure out the reason behind his actions and decided to head down first.

Once the two normal players had left, Zhao Wen glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Then, he reached out and felt around the corner of the empty grave.

Earlier, when he was digging the grave, he had noticed something wrapped in a small paper packet. The label on it read, “Edible soil.”

This was likely the task item—soil infused with the remains of the ghostly woman—that he was supposed to eat.

He lowered his head and sniffed it. Apart from the exterior, which smelled as pungent as dried salted fish, the inside was just black sesame powder.

“Su Li is quite considerate, huh? She even made sure it was edible. Is she worried that some player might eat dirt? Who would be that dumb? Tch.”

Despite his complaints, Zhao Wen’s actions were honest—he quickly finished the entire packet. Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked into the underground cellar.

Hearing footsteps, Gu Qing turned back to look at him, his eyes filled with doubt and suspicion. “Why are you coming down so late?”

“Oh, I was worried someone might come by, so I waited a little longer.”

“Enough chatting! Look at this!” Wan Niang interrupted them. She took the paper lantern from Li Tiezhu’s hand and illuminated the entire cellar.

At first glance, the cellar didn’t seem much different from a normal one. In the center stood a large clay jar—so big that, aside from Li Tiezhu, it could easily fit another player inside. Around the edges of the cellar, there was also a door, and outside it, several old wooden crates sat in disrepair.

A clay jar?

“I remember your mission was to make a clay jar here, right, Brother Li?” Zhao Wen asked, looking at Li Tiezhu. The other man nodded.

Gu Qing examined the jar closely and took a sniff. “It reeks—worse than the dirt outside.”

That meant something was inside. Zhao Wen and the others stepped closer for a better look. The jar was covered in old, tattered talisman papers, and its surface was filled with ancient script—though the writing was even older and eerier than usual. Gu Qing couldn’t make out what it said.

Li Tiezhu stepped forward and motioned for Wan Niang to move the lantern away. Then, he reached out and unsealed the jar.

A thick cloud of black mist burst out, carrying an overwhelming stench of decay.

Once the mist dispersed, Wan Niang cautiously brought the lantern closer to inspect. Inside the jar lay a pile of white bones, stacked haphazardly, draped in rotting clothing that crumbled at the slightest touch.

“This…”

They all had a vague suspicion—the remains of the ghostly woman.

The villagers hadn’t even given her a proper coffin. Instead, they had stuffed her bones into a clay jar and sealed it away.

That was probably how they had suppressed the ghost—prolonging their fragile existence.

Zhao Wen examined the bones more closely. The left hand was missing a large section. Remembering Zhao Si’s earlier story, he suspected the bone he had been fed had come from here.

Zhao Wen frowned. “If her remains are here, then why were they carrying that coffin? It looked pretty heavy—surely it wasn’t empty.”

Wan Niang’s eyes flickered. She hesitated, debating whether to share her real experience.

She opened her mouth. “I—”

But before she could finish, Zhao Wen started giving orders again. “Nothing else to see here. Let’s check those crates and that door.”

He motioned for Wan Niang to bring the lantern over while Li Tiezhu swiftly walked ahead.

Sigh… I’ll explain later if there’s time. Wan Niang sighed in resignation and followed Li Tiezhu and Gu Qing.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wen lagged slightly. He discreetly broke off a small piece of finger bone from the remains and, making sure no one saw him, popped it into his mouth.

Hmm, surprisingly crispy… I should ask Su Li how she made this.

One look told him it wasn’t real bone—whatever it was made of, it only smelled awful. Other than the unbearable stench, it wasn’t too bad.

Yuck! He immediately covered his mouth. It was foul—worse than stinky tofu. No century-old brine could ever smell this bad!

Taking a few long strides, he caught up with Gu Qing. That guy was too sharp—Zhao Wen didn’t want to stray too far from the group.

The team examined the wooden crates. Though damaged and rotting in places, they were still intricately designed.

Fortunately, the locks had corroded over time, making them easy to open.

“Wow~”

“A treasure trove?”

Inside the crate, they found stacks of yellow ingots. Zhao Wen picked one up and weighed it in his hand—it felt a little too light.

It looked like gold on the outside, but in reality, it was probably made of wood.

Well, what was he expecting? Su Li is broke.

Sighing at his foolish hopes, he still sneakily stuffed a few ingots into his bag.

The group continued opening the other crates and the wooden door, only to find the same trick repeated—more “real gold and silver” treasures.

Li Tiezhu let out a regretful sigh. “The craftsmanship is terrible. Too rough!”

“There’s nothing useful here. Let’s head to the altar,” Wan Niang said, tossing aside the fake gold chunk in her hand. She was eager to regroup with the rest of the team and finally share what she knew.

This time, Zhao Wen, satisfied with his little haul, didn’t object. The four of them quickly followed their memories of the route and set off.

Unfortunately, the harder they tried, the more lost they became. Based on the path they had taken, they should have been close to the altar. But somehow, after following the same route, they ended up outside the Earth God Temple instead.

“What the hell?”

Zhao Wen was genuinely baffled. The last round, when he and Jiang Liang went through this, they had also experienced the same thing—leaving the Earth God Temple intending to reach the iron gate, only to end up at the ancestral hall.

Now, they had left the ancestral hall, aiming for the altar, but ended up at the Earth God Temple instead?

Gu Qing, for once, seemed intrigued. “Qimen Dunjia?”

Li Tiezhu crouched down and examined the ground. “It might not be that complicated.”

“Hm?”

“Look here,” he pointed out. “There are a lot of tracks embedded in the ground. I noticed them earlier. Those so-called ‘floating ghosts’ are probably just standing on wooden boards, sliding along these tracks. From a distance, it looks like their legs aren’t moving, but up close, they seem to float.”

“Also, check this out.”

“There’s a long, curved track here that’s different from the rest. It stretches so far that we can’t even see where it ends.”

“Some high-ranking officials used rotating tables—one layer stays still, while another can turn.”

“If I’m right, when Zhao Boss designed this village, he used a similar principle. That means when we try to leave, we might not be walking on the same paths we remember.”

“Add in the thick mist, and fear does the rest. People think this place is haunted just because of the eerie atmosphere.”

Li Tiezhu straightened up, clasping his hands behind his back, looking quite pleased with himself. “Too bad for them. When it comes to carpentry mechanisms, nothing escapes my eyes!”

“My ancestors worked in the Ministry of Works…”

Suddenly, he trailed off and shook his head. No point dwelling on the past.

Hearing his explanation, the other three crouched down to study the ground.

“Whoa, I didn’t expect her to be this skilled!”

Wan Niang’s eyes lit up with admiration. Zhao Boss was full of clever tricks. She had to build a better relationship with her and learn all of these secrets!

Just then, a weak voice called out from behind them—

“You… you’ve come to take me away, haven’t you?”