I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 119 - 97: Escape From Certain Death

No one knows how long this body has been soaking here, yet it looks lifelike, without any sign of bloating.

Ming Wanxi!

She was actually here. Sang Que stared at her, as if in a daze. Aside from the initial fright, she felt Ming Wanxi had a kind of sacred aura, nothing like the terrifying figure described in the storyteller’s tales.

The creature wandering in the Ming Mansion before — pale, decayed, covered in black branches — was not the real Ming Wanxi; it was a monster created by rumors.

Sang Que anxiously looked for Xia Chan and Xuan Yu. She tried to move away, but the strap of her bag was hooked by Ming Wanxi’s hand.

Sang Que thought for a moment, took out the copper mirror that sealed Huilan, and released it. The copper mirror sank, Ming Wanxi’s hand let go, and the body slowly sank into the Jade Liquid.

"Sister!"

Xia Chan’s voice came from above, and a cluster of black hair extended down. She raised her hand, letting the hair entwine her.

"Sister, I’ll pull you up. Don’t move around."

Sang Que was pulled up by Xia Chan. As she ascended, she gradually realized that the well was a giant wine jar, and they had crashed through its seal when they fell.

Just as Sang Que was about to reach the well’s mouth, an icy aura plunged into her body. The Yin Child had finally subdued the village resentment and returned.

At this moment, two figures emerged from the milky Jade Liquid beneath her feet: the white-clad Ming Wanxi hugging Huilan dressed in a bridal gown, both with a faint smile on their lips.

The cloth bag hanging on Sang Que’s waist felt heavier, as if something had been added.

Climbing out of the well, Sang Que was stunned. She was no longer on the hill’s back but in a spacious courtyard with Xia Chan, Xuan Yu, Kou Yushan, and Skinny.

"Sister, you scared Little Chan to death."

Xia Chan cried woefully. She and Xuan Yu had climbed out of the well into this courtyard, fearing she had lost her sister again.

"What on earth is this? Why are we growing grass on us?"

Skinny kept scratching at the sprouts growing on him, pulling them out forcefully with blood and flesh, but new ones would grow from the wounds.

"Let’s get out of the Ming Mansion first!"

Sang Que felt the Yin Child, well-fed, teeming with power. She spread the Evil Mist around them, attempting an Instant Teleportation with her companions.

The first time, she almost bumped into a wall, somewhat unfamiliar, but she quickly learned. After a few attempts, she could use it smoothly.

Instant Teleportation could only work within the range of the Evil Mist. Carrying three people and a cat was quite heavy, so each teleport was not very far.

Then Sang Que realized she was lost.

She clearly headed towards the Ming Mansion’s grand entrance, yet after two teleports, she ended up at the bamboo grove leading to the hill’s back.

This wasn’t the Nie God but a lingering side effect of using the key to open the Opera House; it required the sacrifice of an Evil Spirit.

While Sang Que was unsure what to do, the key’s side effects summoned ’misfortune’ again, and she heard children’s playful laughter.

"Play with me~"

Sang Que’s pupils trembled, an anger ticking in her mind.

"Come! Sister will play with you to your heart’s content!"

Sang Que used the Evil Mist to enclose the five children, blocking all sound from reaching others.

From earlier tales, Sang Que had deduced that if someone heard the children’s voices or saw their figures, they would be pestered and then taken away.

By shielding them with the Evil Mist, no one could see or hear them, preventing others from witnessing and accusing them, certainly avoiding harm from these children.

Sang Que commanded the Yin Child to charge into the midst of the children, and countless ghostly hands emerged from its belly, immediately grasping the five children’s necks.

"No more play—no more play—"

The five children cried in unison.

Sang Que raised her eyebrows in surprise; could they really be subdued?

The Yin Child indeed had grown much stronger, indicating that while these five children were deadly, they weren’t powerful themselves.

Sang Que took out the key, unsure whether these children counted as Evil Spirits or curses, as one entity or five, but as long as Old Tian was willing to take them, let it be!

The shadow of the Opera House flickered around, and the five children were sucked into a corner room on the ground floor, followed by the tricycle at the entrance disintegrating into ashes and disappearing.

Exchanging one for five, later these five would roam around, giving Old Tian plenty of trouble.

Afterward, Sang Que smoothly brought her companions back to the front courtyard’s reception hall, where they had taken shelter from the rain. After the downpour stopped, the water in the courtyard quickly receded.

Liu Tianyou had already fled the Ming Mansion, surrounded by many roosters, peeking outside. Besides this, Sang Que also saw He Shou’an being held by He Shouhui, the siblings sitting on the outer steps, crying.

They did not have the bizarre grass and flowers growing on them.

Sang Que’s eyes lit up. For one last Instant Teleportation, as they rushed through the Ming Mansion gates, the grass on them vanished into smoke and ash.

Seventeen of them had come here seeking shelter from the rain, yet in the end, only these people remained.

The two heavy gates of the Ming Mansion slowly closed on their own, and He Shou’an stood up, crying out to the door, "Dad—Mom—"

He Shouhui embraced He Shou’an’s shoulders, sobbing; if not for their parents, the two of them wouldn’t have made it out.

At this moment, through the door crack, Sang Que saw a tall, lean man in white, wearing a pure white mask, appearing in the front courtyard, holding a folding fan.

The storyteller!

Sang Que’s heart quivered. Through the mask, she saw the smiling eyes of the man and couldn’t help but walk forward.

Boom!

The doors of the Ming Mansion closed, and Sang Que stepped into the void. In an instant, the entire mansion disappeared without a trace, leaving only a wild field overgrown with weeds.

In the wilderness, He Baosheng and Qin Fangru knelt on the ground, trembling, holding each other tightly. Beside them, a cluster of white bellflowers swayed gently.

"Dad!"

"Mom!"

He Shou’an and He Shouhui were overjoyed and ran towards the couple.

[...Enduring countless hardships, the Returning Guest escaped alive, Huilan’s wishes were fulfilled, and the Ming Mansion sank into the Hidden Realm. In dire straits, fear wasn’t the strongest power—hope was...]

"What a cheesy ending!"

The storyteller glanced at the last sentence on the paper, shaking his head slightly. The matter of the Ming Mansion was resolved, but the issue with the Nie God was not over.

Nie God?

Or...Nie God!

There was much more to this story.