I, the screenwriter, have experienced a resurgence of inspiration.

Huang Facai led Su Ya and her group deeper into the village. After walking for about ten minutes, he stopped and pointed to a dark, large courtyard ahead:

"We've arrived. This is the village's ancestral hall, specially prepared for your film crew. It's spacious inside and convenient for storing equipment."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing, and their hearts skipped a beat:

The ancestral hall is an old-fashioned brick and wood structure with upturned eaves and a black tile roof.

The door was ajar, with only a faint candlelight leaking through the crack.

Two broken stone lions stand at the entrance; one is missing an eye, and the other is missing half a body.

Even the door god images pasted on the wall have faded and turned yellow, and the curled edges are brittle.

The entire courtyard had a strong smell of incense ash, the kind of smell you only hear when burning incense at a temple.

The most eerie thing is that sharp, piercing cat meows can be heard from time to time near the ancestral hall.

Anyone who has heard a cat in heat knows that the sound is not the usual cute and affectionate meow.

The cat's meow was drawn out, like a baby's heart-wrenching scream.

……

"Living in an ancestral hall?"

One player frowned, instinctively feeling a bit repulsed. "This place is pitch black and full of memorial tablets for the dead. How creepy is that?"

The thought of sleeping in a place filled with memorial tablets made her feel uncomfortable all over.

"That's right."

Another player quietly agreed, "The ancestral hall...it's filled with eerie energy. Aren't there some small Western-style houses in the village? Can't we stay there?"

The ancestral hall was dark, with memorial tablets placed inside, while a two-story villa was lit by warm yellow lights.

Even a fool knows which option to choose, right?

"Wasn't I considering that you wanted to film folk culture?"

Huang Facai's smile remained unchanged as he readily agreed:

"Staying in a small building is fine too, there are plenty of empty houses in the village, you can stay wherever you want... it's just that..."

He dragged out his words, not continuing.

"What is it?" Lin Jianguo pressed.

"It's nothing," Huang Facai waved his hand. "It's just that some of the smaller buildings haven't been inhabited for a long time, and we were worried you wouldn't be used to living there. The ancestral hall has been specially cleaned up, so it's safe."

These words only fueled the already apprehension of those who were already afraid of the ancestral hall.

"Even if no one's lived here for a long time, it's still better than an ancestral hall," Chen Man immediately chimed in. "At least it has windows and lights inside, so we can sleep with the lights on at night—"

It's better than sleeping in front of a bunch of memorial tablets.

After all, it's not her ancestors sleeping in there, and they won't protect her.

"I also think the small building is better," a player quickly whispered in agreement. "The ancestral hall is too eerie. What if something happens at night?"

The two of them chimed in, and the remaining new players agreed, nodding in agreement.

All eyes were on Su Ya.

Along the way, Su Ya was the only one with dungeon experience, and everyone subconsciously regarded her as the backbone.

Su Ya frowned and didn't speak immediately.

Suddenly having to take responsibility for the lives of so many people made her inexplicably nervous.

Logically speaking, the accommodations assigned by the instance are likely to be default safe zones, just like the bus before, which are temporarily safe.

But this ancestral hall does look ominous, and it's filled with memorial tablets. Who knows what might be hidden inside?

Suya was just an ordinary person who had experienced one instance of dungeon raiding, not some omniscient and omnipotent veteran, so she couldn't be sure which choice was right.

"Uncle Lin, what do you think?" Su Ya subconsciously sought advice from Lin Jianguo, who was about the same age as her father.

Lin Jianguo pondered for a few seconds: "I suggest living in the ancestral hall."

"Why?" Chen Man immediately protested, "The ancestral hall is so scary, what if someone dies again at night?"

She pronounced the last few words very softly, but everyone understood what she meant.

Huang Facai acted as if he couldn't hear their conversation and went to push open the door of the ancestral hall.

The wooden door latch fell off, dust tumbled down, and two or three small wild cats suddenly darted out from inside.

"Meow—"

"Meow!!"

Upon closer inspection, each cat had a mouse in its mouth, and the mice weren't quite dead yet, emitting pitiful "squeak squeak squeak" sounds.

Everyone's nerves were already on edge, and the slightest disturbance could easily cause them to break down.

Especially after experiencing the live broadcast, many people shudder at the sight of a rat.

……

"Let's stay in the ancestral hall instead."

Lin Jianguo said confidently, "This place might be like the bus, a safe zone arranged by the instance, which is just scary to look at."

If we randomly change locations, no one will be there to cover for us if something goes wrong.

Suya nodded and added, "I agree. We are now a film crew shooting a folk documentary."

"Staying in an ancestral hall is reasonable for filming a documentary, but staying in a villager's home might not be appropriate."

Perhaps because of her profession as an architect, Su Ya always felt that those small villas and two-story houses were flashy but impractical and had weak foundations.

Like a castle in the air, it will crumble at the slightest touch.

This statement is reasonable and well-founded.

"I also think it's better to live in the ancestral hall."

Yang Hexuan quickly followed up on Su Ya's words, saying, "At this point, who has time to care about comfort or discomfort?"

"Let's all squeeze in at night and try to stay together so we can look out for each other. Separating is too risky."

Didn't you see that in horror movies, it's always the lone person who dies?

He had absolutely no desire to die here.

"I wasn't concerned about whether the accommodation was comfortable or not; I was afraid of dying."

The player who spoke first muttered something, but then stopped commenting.

No matter how dark the ancestral hall was, at least all ten of them were there.

Even if the ghosts in this instance are the most ferocious, they can't possibly kill them all in one night, right?

……

……

The ancestral hall courtyard is not large. The main hall is directly opposite the gate. It is dark inside, with a few candles lit.

The candlelight flickered, and one could vaguely see a dense array of memorial tablets.

The offerings were stacked from the altar all the way to the roof beams, layer upon layer, so many that it was impossible to count them all.

The courtyard has side rooms on both sides, one side is a storage room and the other side is an empty room with dry straw on the kang (heated brick bed), which looks like it used to be the place where the shrine keeper lived.

"You will stay in the west wing."

Huang Facai led everyone towards the west wing. "It's been cleaned up, but there are a lot of cats in the village, and it's very noisy at night."

There's a pile of miscellaneous items in the east wing; don't touch them. And don't wander into the main hall either; the ancestors are there, and it wouldn't be good to offend them.

Huang Facai spoke casually.

Everyone silently kept it in mind:

The east wing and the main hall are forbidden areas.

The group followed them into the west wing, which was more spacious than they had imagined.

The walls were made of mud bricks, and the floor was paved with blue bricks, all damp. Against the wall were several old wooden plank beds and a pile of dry straw, clearly hastily prepared.

"If you don't like living here, go live in a Western-style house. It's quiet there, and there are no cats to bother you."

Huang Facai took the key to the small villa next door and gave a few more instructions:

"I almost forgot about the important matter."

He pulled several paper packets from his pocket:

"This is quicklime. Before you go to sleep, sprinkle it around the doorway and window cracks."

There are many stray cats and dogs in the village, as well as some unclean things; the lime can keep them out of the way.

He added, "Also, when you sleep, remember to sleep with your head facing the door—we have a custom here that if your feet face the door, it will attract unclean things."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room tensed up.

As expected, there are taboos.

Thankfully they stayed, otherwise there would have been a real problem.

The dungeon is truly fraught with danger; the slightest lapse in concentration will lead to death.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me, Village Chief Huang." Su Ya replied earnestly and put away the bag of lime.

Huang Facai gave a few more instructions, "Don't run around or touch anything," and then yawned and left.

He said he had to go back to prepare for the birthday banquet and would come to pick up the film crew early tomorrow morning to go to the funeral.

……

……

By the time the group finished packing, it was already past midnight.

The door to the west wing was bolted and propped shut with a thick wooden stick.

The windows were bolted shut from the inside, and the gaps were stuffed with rags.

Yang Hexuan pinched some quicklime and sprinkled it around the threshold and under the windowsill.

The thin white marks spread out like a warning line.

Ten people were crammed into a small room. The sounds of breathing, turning over, and suppressed coughing mingled together, which made it less eerie.

The ten people agreed to take turns keeping watch over the next few days.

Lin Jianguo and Yang Hexuan were assigned to the first night shift. The two were sitting on small stools by the door, speaking in hushed tones.

Suya and Yang Asha slept on the edge of the wooden bed near the door.

A girl not much younger than her was sleeping inside her, right next to Su Ya.

But Yang Asha was no longer afraid; her eyes sparkled, and she looked as excited as if she were having her first late-night chat with her girlfriends.

"Sister Suya, do you think... something might really come at night?"

Yang Asha leaned close to Suya's ear and whispered.

"It's hard to say."

Suya shook her head honestly, "This village is very strange, don't be afraid, there are many of us."

I don't know what happened to the other two teams, but seven of them were wiped out all at once.

"Mmm," Yang Asha responded, squeezing closer to her.

After a while, she whispered again, "Sister Suya, you're so kind. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Su Ya didn't take it to heart, and instead patted the other person's head:

"Go to sleep and get some rest; we have tasks to complete tomorrow."

"it is good."

Yang Asha closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became even.

Suya, however, was not sleepy.

She opened her eyes and stared at the dark roof beams.

……

I don't know how much time passed, but the room was very quiet, and everyone else was asleep.

Breathing sounds rose and fell.

Everyone was clearly exhausted.

The wind outside was a bit stronger, making the grass in the yard rustle.

Yang Hexuan seemed preoccupied and hadn't said much. Suddenly, he twitched his ears and whispered as he nudged Lin Jianguo:

"Uncle Lin, listen, it sounds like a cat meowing."

Lin Jianguo held his breath and listened carefully.

Sure enough, a faint chirping sound was carried on the wind.

"Meow—"

First came a thin, high-pitched, drawn-out cry, like the cry of a baby, delicate and pitiful, exceptionally clear in the still night.

Then one after another, the shrill tones stretched out even longer.

The voice carried an indescribable resentment, like a woman crying and a child laughing at the same time; it was enough to send chills down one's spine.

Most strangely, as if to drown out the cat's meows, the sound of suonas and gongs in the village suddenly became much louder.

"Dili dili la—dili dili la—"

"Dili dili..."

The piercing sound of the suona carried far into the night, but the cat's meows grew more and more mournful, as if the owner of the sound was searching for something.

Yang Hexuan's palms were sweaty.

Lin Jianguo also straightened his back.

The two could sense something lingering outside the door.

Back and forth, walking and stopping, rustling and whispering.

It looked like something was looking for a crack, trying to squeeze in.

Can lime lines really block it?

Neither of them was sure.

They could only stare intently at the crack in the door, silently praying, "Don't come in, don't come in."

After an unknown amount of time, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The cat's meows gradually faded into the distance.

The footsteps in the courtyard also disappeared.

They both exhaled, feeling a chill run through their bodies—their backs were already soaked with cold sweat and sticky.

The first night passed without incident.

……