I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 13

From breakfast onward, Baldie was nowhere to be seen. Qi Yan had a strong premonition that something had happened to him, they might never see him again, or the next time they did, he might already be.

After breakfast, Sister Hong announced in the dining room that today was a free activity day. “The fog outside hasn’t cleared yet, so it’s not suitable to enter the Final Mountain. For now, you’re free to do as you please stay indoors if you like, or go out for a walk. I’ve arranged for a shuttle bus; the driver is waiting outside Cuilan’s house. If you want to go out, take his ride. Just a heads-up: because of the heavy fog, many places in town aren’t accessible. Only the Folk Culture Street is an exception.”

Once again, it circled back to the Folk Culture Street. Then again, this place had three key attractions, which likely meant it was an important part of this script’s story.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Qi Yan decided she would visit the Folk Culture Street again today.

Once Sister Hong finished announcing the day’s arrangements, she left without a sound, no one even noticed where she went.

There was another person missing in the house: Baldie. After breakfast, as Qi Yan was about to head out, she happened to see the couple and Huo Zheng in the courtyard. The three of them were deep in conversation, with Huo Zheng looking serious while the couple appeared terrified and uneasy.

Spotting Qi Yan, Huo Zheng quickly waved her over, his expression grave, signaling for her to join them.

Having teamed up briefly the day before, Qi Yan trusted Huo Zheng enough to approach.

“That Baldie went out last night and probably never came back,” Huo Zheng cut straight to the point, sharing the information with Qi Yan.

Qi Yan froze, her eyes widening in surprise. “How do you know?”

Huo Zheng tilted his chin toward the couple. “They saw it.”

Cao Jian nodded nervously. “Yeah, last night, wasn’t it freezing in the room? We woke up from the cold, and since we were too scared to fall back asleep, we thought about checking if there were any extra blankets… Then, when I passed by the window, I happened to see a figure pushing open the courtyard gate and leaving under the moonlight. That shiny bald head, it had to be him!”

Among everyone staying at the guesthouse, Baldie was the only one with that distinctive feature. No mistaking him.

Qi Yan asked, “Did he go out alone?”

Cao Jian nodded. “Yeah, just him!”

What was he doing going out in the middle of the night?

No one knew why Baldie had left on his own. Ever since entering this script, he had been erratic ever since that bus driver scared him into a mental breakdown. He refused to communicate with the other players, always acting alone. No one knew what he had been up to yesterday.

Qi Yan didn’t dwell on Baldie’s situation any further. “I’m planning to go out,” she said.

Huo Zheng was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to be so bold. “Where to?”

“Just revisiting the same places as yesterday. A whole day has passed, and we still know nothing.”

She didn’t plan to invite them along. The couple seemed mentally drained, and as for Huo Zheng and Tang Shanshan? Even though they had teamed up yesterday, Qi Yan didn’t consider them permanently bound together. Today was a free activity day, no one knew whether wandering outside or staying in the guesthouse was safer. On the surface, staying put seemed the safest option, but who knew what dangers lurked outside?

Especially that couple—they were terrified by the old man in the ancestral hall yesterday and nearly fell off the suspension bridge. They’ve endured so many frights that they now see this guesthouse as a safe haven.

“…Are we really going out again?” Song Yu was visibly panicked. “But… it’s too dangerous out there!”

Qi Yan glanced at her, tempted to ask if this place was any safer. But she didn’t want to meddle, so she kept silent.

Huo Zheng thought for a moment and offered, “I’ll go ask Xiao Tang to see if she wants to come with you.”

Since he’d volunteered, Qi Yan didn’t refuse. “I’ll wait outside and check the shuttle bus Sister Hong arranged for us.”

With that settled, Qi Yan stepped out of the courtyard and saw the shuttle parked nearby, its driver in a gray T-shirt. Hearing movement, the driver turned his head, but upon seeing only one person, he silently turned back.

The drivers here were all a bit odd. Qi Yan greeted him politely and quietly took a seat.

About ten minutes later, Huo Zheng and Tang Shanshan emerged together. Tang Shanshan still looked uneasy.

Qi Yan studied her and said, “If you’re scared, you can stay here.”

Tang Shanshan shook her head repeatedly. “This place isn’t safe either. If you and Brother Huo both leave me behind… I’d feel safer sticking with you. As for Cao Jian and Song Yu, well, they’ve been acting strange too.”

Qi Yan had noticed it as well after yesterday’s events, the couple’s condition had visibly deteriorated.

Without further discussion, Qi Yan told the driver they were heading to the folk culture street.

Without turning around, the driver asked, “No one else coming?”

Qi Yan replied, “No.”

“Alright, buckle up.”

The fog in the town was still thick, but the folk culture street was different, as if shielded by an invisible barrier that kept the mist at bay. It was the only place unaffected.

Sitting behind the driver, Qi Yan casually asked before getting out, “Why does the fog clear around the folk culture street? The rest of the town is still covered.”

She hadn’t expected an answer, but the driver obliged. “The folk culture street it’s special, very special! It’s protected by the gods! Not like the rest of our town!”

Qi Yan straightened up. “Protected by the gods? Because of the bronze deer altar there?”

“Deer altar? That’s not a god, it’s a sacrificial platform for praying to the gods for blessings!” The driver’s thick local accent marked him as a native of Baishui Town. His speech resembled Cuilan’s, though her accent wasn’t as strong. Sister Hong, on the other hand, clearly wasn’t from Baishui she had no trace of the local dialect.

The story’s setting was meticulously crafted, and even these subtle dialect differences likely held meaning.

“So because the altar is in the folk culture street, the gods protect it and keep the fog away?”

The driver gave a low hum. “Probably. We ordinary folks don’t know the details, but that’s how it seems. Every time the fog rolls in, the folk culture street stays untouched! Nothing happens there, the altar stands, and the gods and ancestors need that street.”

Not just the gods ancestors were mentioned too.

Qi Yan immediately thought of that ancestral hall. She turned to exchange glances with Huo Zheng and Tang Shanshan, seeing the same surprise and contemplation in their eyes.

There must be many clues on the folk culture street. They hadn’t searched thoroughly enough yesterday perhaps they should ask around. The people in this story world were like NPCs in a game; surely there were some who played crucial roles in advancing the plot.

After dropping them off at the entrance of the folk culture street, the driver asked, “Should I wait for you?”

He must have only taken on Hong Jie’s job today. Qi Yan nodded and said, “Thank you for your trouble. We might take a bit longer to look around.”

“No problem.”

The three of them entered the folk culture street together. Just like yesterday, it was still bustling, with other tour groups arriving as well.

Since it was free time and Hong Jie hadn’t given them any specific tasks, they could explore as they pleased.

Qi Yan was still very curious about the sacrificial altar from yesterday and planned to go there first. She asked Huo Zheng and Tang Shanshan if they wanted to come along.

Since the three of them had come out together, it was best not to split up. Huo Zheng suggested sticking together for safety and mutual support, and Tang Shanshan agreed.

With that settled, they decided to head to the altar first. But before that, they planned to gather some information by talking to the NPCs on the folk culture street.

Qi Yan acted like an ordinary tourist, stopping by each stall to look around and striking up casual conversations with the vendors.

After visiting a few stalls, Qi Yan noticed that they all seemed to be selling bronze deer figurines of various sizes, all resembling the deer on the sacrificial altar.

Picking up one of the figurines for a closer look, Qi Yan felt it was a perfectly scaled-down version of the bronze deer on the altar.

“This deer is quite lovely. It looks exactly like the one on the altar.”

The stall owner was a kindly old woman who smiled and said, “This deer is our local totem and guardian spirit. For us, it protects homes and brings peace. For visitors from outside, it’s a symbol of good fortune, wishing everyone smooth sailing in the future.”

The old woman was articulate and friendly, so Qi Yan seized the opportunity to ask more questions.

“I noticed there’s a Lu Family Ancestral Hall here. Is this totem related to everyone sharing the surname Lu?”

The old woman replied, “Yes, the original townsfolk all have the surname Lu, while some outsiders don’t.”

Qi Yan recalled that Cuilan didn’t seem to have the surname Lu was she an outsider?

“Are there many outsiders in town?”

“Oh yes, there used to be a lot. The non-Lu surnames in town are all from those who settled here in the past. The Zhongshan mountain range is vast, with many villages and towns scattered throughout. It wasn’t uncommon for people to move from one village to another. But not anymore young people with ambition all leave. Who would stay? And certainly no one new would come in.”

Qi Yan blinked, putting on the lively and endearing expression unique to young girls. “I heard from the shuttle bus driver that the folk culture street is under the protection of a guardian spirit. You just mentioned this bronze deer blesses the townspeople is it the guardian spirit?”

The old woman chuckled and shook her head, giving the same answer as the driver. “No, the deer is the Lu family’s totem, not Zhongshan’s guardian spirit. The one protecting the folk culture street is the Zhongshan God. The bronze deer has nothing to do with it, it’s just the medium the Lu family has used since ancient times to make offerings to the Zhongshan God.”

Qi Yan wore an adorable smile on his face, but the gears in his mind were already turning furiously. Both the driver and the stall owner had mentioned that altar could communicate with the Zhong Mountain deity, it seemed the crucial information was still hidden within that altar.

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