It was a redwood coffin, covered in dust, facing Xue Lian. There were no inscriptions on the coffin, but it was still possible to see bloodstains on it—not just a few drops, but a rge, blotchy patch.

  Xue Lian was so frightened that she half-squatted on the ground, the candlelight trembling with the shaking of her hand. Leave, she had to leave! With that thought, Xue Lian hurriedly stood up, preparing to turn and leave. But... the mirror door had already closed.

  "No! No! I don't want to die here! No! Let me out! Let me out!" Xue Lian screamed frantically, her heart filled with terror.

  She didn't know how long she had been shouting, but she could feel her throat going hoarse, and still, no one responded. She colpsed to the ground, gasping for breath from the exertion of her cries.

  The coffin y there quietly, looking particurly eerie under the candlelight. Suddenly, Xue Lian felt an overwhelming urge to open the coffin to find out who was lying inside. Could it be her husband, whom she had never met? With that thought, she stood up and slowly walked toward the coffin.

  Xue Lian pced the candle on the table in front of the coffin, then extended both hands to steady the coffin lid, pushing with all her strength. The coffin made a horrible scraping sound, and Xue Lian felt her whole body tremble, but she still mustered the courage to look inside.

  A single cloth, already very worn and faded, barely revealing its original color, y over the body, which was faintly visible beneath. Xue Lian didn't know where the courage came from, but she extended her hand and pulled the cloth down to reveal the legs of the body. It was a complete corpse, though shriveled and nearly skeletal, with very little hair left, teeth protruding, and one rge front tooth missing. The clothing was so rotten that its original form couldn't be discerned, and it was impossible to tell whether the body was male or female or how old the person had been. However, she remembered that the two rooms she had visited earlier contained men's clothing. Could this corpse be her husband? Perhaps he had died long ago, but if he had, why would they have arranged for him to marry? Was she really married to a dead man? A chill ran through Xue Lian, and she didn′t want to think any further. She reached out again to pull the cloth down to the bottom of the body.

  Xue Lian was stunned, her mouth hanging open, unable to make a sound for a long time. The rest of the body's clothing had faded, even decayed to the point that its original form was unrecognizable, but the shoes were red. Bright red, identical to the embroidered bridal shoes, new, but there was only one.

  One shoe? She suddenly remembered that each of the five Xue Lians had died holding a single embroidered shoe... How could this be?! What was going on? She had thought this body might be her husband′s, but it was wearing bridal shoes—something only women would wear. But what about all the men's belongings in the two rooms? How could this body be here, instead of buried underground? Xue Lian felt like her mind was on the verge of breaking down. She couldn't stay any longer—she had to get out!

  She picked up the candle from the table and walked carefully to the mirror door, inspecting it closely. She had tried to calm herself down, believing that there must be a mechanism to open the door. Sure enough, in the top left corner of the mirror door, there was a protruding part, exactly corresponding to the spot on the right upper corner of the mirror. She hadn't noticed it earlier because she had been too terrified. Xue Lian reached out and pressed it, and the door opened. She quickly stepped outside….

  After leaving the "tomb house," Xue Lian finally let out a sigh of relief. She looked up at the sky, now clear after the rain, and felt her mood lighten considerably. However, she didn't want to stay there any longer and quickly ran away.

  Xue Lian smoothly returned to her courtyard and pushed open the door to enter. The yard was quiet, and it seemed that Xiao Dun'er had not woken up yet. She quietly entered the room and saw that Xiao Dun'er was still sleeping on the bed, occasionally letting out a snore. Xue Lian turned around, took out a new set of clothes from the cabinet, and changed into them. She then shoved her old clothes, along with the used candles and flint, under the bed. It was a safe spot, and no one would look there, not even when Xiao Dun'er was tidying up the room.

  At night, Xiao Dun'er was called away by Shen Ma to the Old Madam's quarters. She thought Shen Ma had discovered she had fallen asleep while working and was going to punish her. Meanwhile, Xue Lian couldn't sleep at all, her mind constantly occupied with the strange events from the day, especially the red embroidered shoe. She felt a chill run through her body every time she thought about it. The secret door, the men's belongings, the corpse, and that red embroidered shoe—everything about the "Tomb House" was eerie.

  Suddenly, Xue Lian sat up. She remembered that when she left the "Tomb House," she had forgotten to return the ntern to its pce, and the coffin had been left open. Panic washed over her—if the Gong family found out, would she meet the same fate as the other five Xue Lians? Would she die early too? She couldn't wait any longer. Without thinking about the fear of going out at night, she quickly put on her shoes and rushed to the gate of the courtyard.

  The door was, of course, locked. The first time Xue Lian went to the "Tomb House," the door hadn't been locked, but ever since then, Shen Ma had always made sure to lock it. Xue Lian, with no other choice, had to climb over the wall again. Thanks to her first experience, she quickly scaled the wall and got out of the courtyard.

  Suddenly, Xue Lian realized something: when she came back earlier, the courtyard gate was unlocked. Did Shen Ma come during the day? But why hadn't she mentioned it? It was as if nothing had happened. Perhaps Shen Ma didn't know she had been to the "Tomb House." Xue Lian decided it was best to go to the "Tomb House" first and restore everything to its original state. With that thought, she broke into a run, heading toward the "Tomb House."

  Xue Lian had forgotten to bring the candle. She was already standing outside the "Tomb House" courtyard when she remembered. However, since she was already here, she decided to restore the ntern first so that no one would notice it. She quietly pushed open the courtyard door, ready to enter, only to find that there was a light glowing inside and a shadow of someone moving...