Immortal in Horror Game: She is the Fortune Teller!-Chapter 100 - 97: Forbidden Nightmare 4 (The Eccentric Old Lady)
Josh followed the crowd through a small grove to reach the ancestral hall.
The old Holy Daughter was sitting in the hall.
Josh discreetly observed this old Holy Daughter.
She looked to be in her sixties, with noticeable wrinkles and freckles on her face. Her hair was styled into two upward-pointing "horn buns," resembling crescent moons piercing through her head, with sharp tips exposed on both sides.
The horn buns were adorned with jingling silver chains, gemstones, and floral vines. She wore a black veil on her head, different from the other sacrificial girls, as her veil allowed others to clearly see her face.
Everyone was assigned work tasks.
Josh’s task was to visit the seriously ill elderly in the village.
This seemed a bit odd.
Wasn’t it said that sacrificial girls shouldn’t have contact with men?
Clearly, there were men on her list.
After receiving her task, Josh walked to Yue Xi’s side and asked, "Aunt, why is my task to visit the sick? Isn’t it said that we shouldn’t have contact with men?"
Yue Xi glanced at her impatiently, "The Holy Daughter has her reasons. Just do as you’re told."
Not just her, most others’ tasks also required contact with men.
Some had to collect the beards of several elderly villagers, while others had to help village men with cooking.
Josh thought for a moment but couldn’t figure it out and just shook her head.
She followed the main group to the area where the villagers lived.
This village was arranged in a straight-line, with the front being the residences of ordinary villagers and a hall in the middle.
The hall was long, like a city wall, separating the residences at the front from the boathouses at the back.
Behind the hall were the boathouses where the sacrificial girls lived.
Between the hall and the boathouses was an eerie grove of cobblestones.
Josh could feel the eyes of the surrounding people turning towards them.
Their gazes were numb and hollow.
Josh inexplicably detected a trace of dislike and indifference, as if they were looking at intruders or dead objects.
The villagers seemed to dislike the sacrificial girls.
Logically, the sacrificial girls were meant to inherit the mantle of the Holy Daughter. Even if not adored, they shouldn’t be disliked.
Unless there was something about the sacrificial girls that the villagers disliked.
Yue Xi brought them to the area where the villagers lived and coldly instructed, "I’ll say it again, do not have physical contact with men, and do not let them see your faces, understood?"
"Understood!"
The players dispersed to start their tasks, while Yue Xi and several women supervised from a clearing.
Josh approached a frail elderly man. When he saw her coming, he suddenly covered his face and moved away, "Stay back! You harbingers of disaster, you’ll end up killing an old man like me!"
She watched the retreating elder, frowning slightly.
She noticed the system prompt indicating task progress (1/8).
This meant she still needed to visit seven more elderly folks.
Was that considered a visit?
It seemed not too difficult after all.
Josh approached another frail elderly person. The man stared straight at her, a spooky smile on his face, "You’re doomed."
She smiled slightly, responding politely, "Thank you, you too."
The old man: "..."
Comments: [...] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
After visiting several more, she was unable to find one last person.
Josh looked towards the last unvisited house.
This house looked different from the others, with white paper lanterns and strips outside, clearly indicating a funeral.
As she was about to approach, a nearby girl cautiously pulled her back, "Do you have a death wish going into this house?! This place is cursed; anyone who approaches won’t meet a good end!"
Josie smiled slightly, "No worries, I’m resilient."
She avoided the girl’s touch and stepped forward into the house.
The door slammed shut, trapping her inside.
Inside, there was the sound of dripping water and the smell of blood.
The simple house was draughty, with a chilling wind sweeping through, creating a sinister sound.
Inside, someone coughed: "Who’s there... cough cough cough..."
Josh noticed another broken bamboo door inside, seemingly leading to an inner room.
Josh slowly approached, reaching to push the door, finding it locked from the inside.
The older woman’s voice sounded somewhat annoyed, "I asked who is it outside?"
Josh didn’t identify herself, but rather called out loudly, "The Holy Daughter sent me to check on you."
There was no response from inside.
Josh peered through the door crack inside.
Inside was a rundown bedroom, carrying a strong odor typical of a place inhabited by an elderly person for a long time.
However, the room seemed empty, the bed bare.
Sunlight seeped through the roof of the thatched house, casting speckled patterns like beams breaking through the fog. The dust in the room was so thick, it hardly seemed liveable.
Suddenly, she heard breathing close by her ear.
Josh was caught off guard, coming eye to eye with an old, clouded eye through the door crack.
Comments: [Holy crap! Scared me to death!]
[Ahhhh comments save me! Save me!]
[Damn, that old woman is terrifying!]
The old lady truly looked frightening; her deeply wrinkled face was already gruesome enough, but she also had a pair of cat eyes - the whites pale and pus-yellow, enclosing a less noticeable vertical slit pupil.
Josh glanced, realizing her task wasn’t complete; it seemed she had to go inside.
She knocked on the door, "I’m here to check on you."
The old lady cackled, amplifying the already eerie atmosphere, "Then come in."
With a creaking sound, the bamboo door was slowly pulled open.
Josh couldn’t help but chuckle softly as she entered the room.
The old lady frowned with displeasure, "What’s funny?"
Josh suppressed her laughter, looking at her, "It’s nothing, just found your laughter quite amusing."
The old lady: "..."
Besides the dust, the house corner was piled with paper figures. The clothes painted on the figures were typical of the Moon Clan attire, but they were expressionless, without eyes painted on.
Josh leaned in curiously, "You’ve got quite the craftsmanship; these are all your work?"
"Yes indeed..."
Josh reached out to touch the paper figures and found the material incredibly soft and delicate, almost like human skin.
She curiously asked, "What material are these paper figures made of? They’re so smooth and have such a strong musk scent."
"That’s a secret I can’t tell you..."
From behind, the old lady’s voice grew closer: "Young lady, best not to touch these things lightly; upset them and they’ll eat you."
Josh chuckled, "They have quite the temper."
Comments went wild: [Turn around already! Turn around!]
[I’m seriously losing it; that old woman doesn’t look remotely normal! What is Josh doing!]
[I can’t even look; that old lady’s tongue is almost dragging on the ground! She’s even drooling!]
