Noble Academy's Mob Character: Reborn as the Campus Heartthrob - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: Terror in the Ancient Village

“Since you’ll only be staying a few days, just remember these two rules,” she said, her lips pressed shut.

She didn’t speak again until they reached the room’s entrance, her words clipped and economical:

“We’re here.”

“Here are your room keys, one for each of you.”

The old woman pulled a ring of keys from her pocket, squinted as she carefully picked out two, and handed them over.

Qi Yuan and Qi Meng each took a key, exchanging uneasy glances.

As the old woman turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something and added, “When you leave, remember to return the keys. If you want to explore tomorrow, find the Xia boy at the village’s edge. He charges a fair price and is a good lad.”

“Don’t mind my nagging, but never trust anything that’s ‘free.’ There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

This time, she truly left.

Returning to the main hall, she resumed her seat and continued her embroidery.

She hummed a faint, indistinct tune. If someone had been close enough, they might have caught a few words:

“Ghost Festival…”

“…hear human voices…”

“Knocking Ghost, don’t open the door…”

The siblings entered a room.

Qi Meng frowned. “Big Brother, I’m a little worried.”

Qi Yuan was worried too, but as the elder brother, he had to remain calm.

Two panicked people together were bound to make mistakes.

He thought for a moment. “It’s fine. We’ll sleep in the same room tonight and leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

Qi Yuan valued his life and had to be cautious. He hoped he and Qi Meng were just overreacting.

But since his body was sending warning signals, he couldn’t afford to dismiss them. Would they wait until something regrettable happened before regretting their inaction? By then, it would be too late.

“Okay,” Qi Meng nodded, her tense expression softening slightly, as if she felt a little reassured.

They locked the door and then moved a table to barricade it.

Now that it was dark, they had no choice but to spend the night here.

The room was quite large, containing a sofa and a bed.

Qi Meng, being smaller, would fit perfectly on the sofa. If Qi Yuan slept there, his legs would likely dangle off the edge, making it difficult to sleep and leaving him groggy in the morning. To ensure they could leave refreshed the next day, they agreed that Qi Yuan would take the bed and Qi Meng would sleep on the sofa.

The night was still, the room lit only by the soft glow of a small table lamp.

Qi Meng lay on the sofa, a light blanket draped over her.

She gazed at the ceiling.

The ceiling was quite white, though cracked in places, with no cobwebs in the corners.

“Big Brother,” she murmured softly, “I was actually quite happy today.” There was no hint of reproach in her voice for Qi Yuan having brought her to such a dangerous place.

Qi Meng’s thoughts drifted far away, as if she were back in those childhood afternoons, sitting on the floor with her brother, poring over a book together.

But she couldn’t read back then, so it was all just for show—she was really just tagging along. Mostly, Qi Yuan would read aloud, and she would listen.

“Big Brother, do you remember the adventure stories you used to tell me when we were little?”

“I still remember them so vividly. Every night after you finished a story, I’d dream of adventures, with you and me as the heroes.”

“Don’t you think we’re like the protagonists in an adventure story right now?”

Her voice was tinged with nostalgia, and the lingering worry and fear in her heart seemed to dissipate at that moment.

Qi Yuan certainly remembered, though the memory brought a touch of helplessness.

He teased, “Of course I remember. Back then, I just wanted to read my novels alone, but you were so clingy. You’d cry if I ignored you, so I ended up reading them aloud to you. That way you’d be quiet, and I could still enjoy my stories. A win-win, really.”

Qi Meng was stunned. Was that really how it happened? But my memory tells a different story.

She paused, realizing, So human memory really does have a ‘beautification’ function.

“I don’t even remember being so annoying back then.”

Sensing her embarrassment, Qi Yuan reassured her, “Qi Meng, it’s just a funny childhood memory. Besides, I never found you annoying. Don’t overthink it, okay?”

Qi Meng gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

The siblings fell silent again.

After a long while, hearing Qi Meng’s steady breathing, Qi Yuan knew she had fallen asleep.

Tossing and turning, he eventually drifted off too.

Just then, a knock echoed against the door blocked by the furniture.

Knock, knock.

Knock, knock.

The Ancient Village was shrouded in a thin morning mist.

Qi Yuan woke up and sat up in bed, his gaze immediately darting to the sofa where Qi Meng had been sleeping.

But she wasn’t there!

Even the table he’d used to barricade the door the night before had been returned to its original position.

Panic surged through him. He scrambled out of bed, grabbed his phone, and immediately called Qi Meng. If she didn’t answer, he’d go out and search for her, determined to find her no matter what.

Thankfully, the call went through.

“Qi Meng, where are you? Are you okay?”

He wanted to ask so many questions, but he settled on the two that mattered most to him.

Qi Meng didn’t answer. Instead, she mumbled groggily, “Big Brother, what’s up? It’s only 6 a.m.—we don’t need to wake up this early, do we?”

What did she mean by that?

Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned, unable to grasp what was happening.

Wait a minute.

Could this be… a dream?

Understanding dawned on him. To confirm his suspicion, he said, “Go back to sleep. I must have misremembered the time.”

Qi Yuan decided to placate Qi Meng first before confirming whether he had once again entered the Dreamscape.

Perhaps his unusual tone and questions had alerted the perceptive Qi Meng to something amiss.

“Big Brother, you’re acting weird.”

Qi Meng was clearly wide awake now.

Realizing Qi Yuan was trying to brush her off, she hung up immediately.

She got out of bed, threw on a light coat, and rushed over.

Standing at Qi Yuan’s door, she knocked persistently. Qi Yuan, staring at his phone after she’d hung up, heard the knocking and reluctantly let her in.

Qi Meng scrutinized him from head to toe, her relief palpable when she confirmed he was unharmed.

“Big Brother, did you have a nightmare?” she asked curiously, her eyes sparkling with amusement, as if watching a play. “What was it about? Share!”

At that moment, Qi Yuan was certain this was the Dreamscape.

Yet the Qi Meng before him was so vividly real, identical to her counterpart in reality, that it made him waver. He began to question whether this truly was a dream.

He shook his head, suppressing the absurd thoughts rising within him. I mustn’t let my imagination run wild or doubt myself, he told himself. Otherwise, everything will fall apart.

“Go back to bed,” he said, poking her forehead with his finger. “It was just a nightmare. I lost control of my thoughts when I called you.”

Qi Meng didn’t dodge the first two pokes, but she dodged the third, rubbing the spot with mild annoyance.

“Big Brother, are you really okay?”

“I’m fine,” Qi Yuan replied, his tone tinged with exasperation.

Qi Meng shrugged. If you don’t want to tell me, fine. You’re probably embarrassed and afraid I’ll laugh at you. I get it.

“I’m going to wash up now. You should tidy up too. Then let’s go hiking!”

“First, we need to find that Xia boy Granny Qin mentioned. He can guide us to the best mushroom picking spots. Granny Qin said this season is perfect—the mushrooms are plentiful and so fresh! We can ask her to cook them for us when we get back.”

With that, she hurried off to wash up.

Qi Yuan found it odd how familiar Qi Meng seemed with the guesthouse owner. The elderly woman in reality hadn’t struck him as particularly approachable, yet her warnings were undeniably well-intentioned. Hard on the outside, soft on the inside, he thought. But he couldn’t say the same for the other villagers.

Especially her final warning: Don’t trust anything that’s free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

He remembered the very first forum post he’d read, which mentioned free guides.

So, her warning must be about those so-called “free guides,” right?

And if they’re so worried we won’t heed the warning that they’ll find us a free guide tomorrow, then “no such thing as a free lunch” must mean this guide will likely lead us to some valuable treasure. All we’ll have to do is pay a small price to claim it.

These are just my guesses, but I bet they’re pretty close to the truth.

After washing up and changing, the siblings headed to the main hall.

In reality, Granny Qin had already woken up, and in the Dreamscape, Granny Qin was also awake. She had made porridge and called for the two of them to have some before going out to play.

The Ancient Village had no breakfast stalls, so they’d go hungry if they skipped it.

The siblings sat on low, backless wooden stools, aged and worn, each holding a bowl of white porridge.

They had similar tastes, both adding generous spoonfuls of sugar to their porridge and stirring it well before drinking directly from the rim of the bowl.

The porridge, cooked over a wood fire, carried a subtle smoky aroma that enriched its flavor beyond ordinary white porridge.

The siblings devoured large bowls, then gave Granny Qin enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

Qi Meng, ever sweet-tongued, smiled sweetly at the elderly woman and fawned over her.

“Granny Qin, your cooking is amazing!”

“I absolutely love your porridge! It’s such a shame I’m full, or I’d have another bowl!”

“We’re about to head out to play. Oh, Granny Qin, where exactly is the Xia family you mentioned, at the end of the village?”

“All the houses here look the same and are connected, so we can’t tell them apart at all.”

Granny Qin’s eyes crinkled with delight at Qi Meng’s flattery.

She clearly explained the route to the Xia family’s home: walk past a few houses, make a turn, and cross a bridge.

Qi Meng memorized the instructions perfectly.

Qi Yuan, listening beside her, also committed them to memory.

Their excellent memories allowed them to recall the directions almost verbatim after hearing them only once.

After washing the dishes, the pair walked to the entrance of the homestay.

Qi Meng waved to the elderly woman.

“Granny Qin, we’re off! When Big Brother and I return from mushroom hunting in the mountains, we’ll trouble you to help us prepare them!”

Granny Qin stood in the shadow cast by the building, watching Qi Meng. Mimicking her gesture, she waved back and replied, “Alright. I’ll make a feast with those mushrooms when you get back.”

They turned and walked in the direction Granny Qin had indicated.

After about ten minutes, they finally arrived at a house that stood out starkly from its surroundings. Compared to the two- or three-story buildings nearby, the single-story structure looked short and small.

Qi Yuan stepped forward and knocked on the door.

The first knock brought no response from within.

He knocked a second time, but there was still no sign of life inside, as if the house were empty.

Undeterred, Qi Yuan thought to himself, “Third time’s the charm. If no one answers after this, we’ll have to find another guide.”

On the third knock, a sound finally came from within.

The wooden door creaked open.

A tall, slender figure appeared before them.

He was a young man with skin even paler than Qi Yuan and Qi Meng’s.

His long hair obscured his brows and eyes, but through the gaps between the strands, one could glimpse handsome features, albeit tinged with melancholy.

He was bundled up tightly, despite the sweltering summer heat. Though the morning was slightly cooler, wearing so many layers would still make anyone feel hot.

Yet the young man seemed completely unaffected by the heat.

“What do you want?” he asked, his gaze fixed on Qi Yuan, completely ignoring Qi Meng beside him.

His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in ages, but the timbre was pleasant and melodic.

Qi Yuan studied him for a moment before cutting straight to the chase: “We need a guide. We want to go into the mountains.”

The young man’s expression remained unchanged.

“I charge for my services.”

“How much?” Qi Yuan asked.

“A hundred and fifty a day.”

“Agreed,” Qi Yuan nodded, accepting the price.

He’d expected a much higher fee, but a hundred and fifty was well within his budget.

Behind him, Qi Meng pressed her lips together and lowered her head.

Why does Big Brother sound like he’s negotiating with someone he’s paying to sleep with? she thought, stifling a laugh.