The Villa

40.The Room of Heads

　　Around nine in the morning, three figures stealthily entered the village.

　　Just like when Ning and his companions had first arrived, the villagers eyed them with a mixture of guilt and apprehension.

　　Their gazes darted away the moment they met the newcomers' eyes, as if ashamed to be caught staring.

　　They would quickly busy themselves with whatever task they had at hand, pretending to be engrossed in their work.

　　Ning knew these villagers were in cahoots with the shaman.

　　Otherwise, there was no way the shaman could have arrived at Milana's house so quickly the previous afternoon.

　　Someone must have alerted her.

　　As expected.

　　Hidden near the shaman's residence, Ning and Liu watched as a figure dressed in coarse hemp clothing rushed out from the village entrance.

　　They followed the figure to a grand residence situated beside a temple in the west of the village.

　　The residence was even more imposing than the temple itself, its entrance guarded by two exquisitely carved stone lions with fierce expressions.

　　Not long after, the villager and the shaman emerged from the residence, walking briskly towards the village.

　　Ning couldn't be sure if it was his imagination, but the shaman's back seemed even more hunched than before, her steps a little unsteady.

　　Once they were certain that the shaman and the villager were out of sight, Ning and Liu stealthily made their way into the residence.

　　The moment they stepped inside, a wave of icy cold washed over them, accompanied by a strange, pungent odor.

　　Ning recognized the smell - it was the same one that clung to the shaman.

　　It was difficult to describe, a mixture of decay and a hodgepodge of other unpleasant scents.

　　The shaman's residence was surprisingly spacious.

　　Standing in the courtyard, Ning whispered, "We don't have much time. Let's split up and search."

　　"Got it!" Liu nodded, and they each went in opposite directions.

　　They quickly scoured the rooms the shaman frequented, but their search yielded little.

　　"It's all just talismans for warding off evil spirits and some strange Buddhist scriptures," Liu reported, panting slightly as he rejoined Ning ten minutes later.

　　He was getting anxious, his eyes darting towards the entrance every now and then, as if afraid someone might walk in.

　　"Damn it, I haven't felt this guilty in ages! The last time I felt like this was eleven years ago when I stole a sip of my master's wine...!"

　　Ning rolled his eyes.

　　Just as he was considering whether they should leave, his gaze fell upon a secluded corner of the courtyard.

　　It was in the southwest corner of the garden, concealed by dense overgrowth.

　　At first glance, one would easily mistake it for a shed used to store junk and discarded items.

　　"Let's check that room," Ning said, pointing towards the inconspicuous structure.

　　They hurried over to the nondescript room.

　　Unlike the other rooms, this one was locked.

　　"That's strange... She lives here alone, why would she lock this room?" Liu wondered aloud.

　　With practiced ease, he pulled out a piece of wire and began picking the lock.

　　As he worked, he muttered to himself, "Almost... almost there... Yes, that's it... Got it!"

　　A click echoed through the air as the lock yielded to his efforts.

　　Ning shot him a strange look.

　　Liu, oblivious to his companion's bewilderment, asked, "What? What's with the look, bro?"

　　Shaking his head, Ning pushed the door open and stepped inside.

　　The room was pitch black, almost impossible to see.

　　The air was thick with that strange, pungent odor - the shaman's scent.

　　Ning fumbled around until his hand found a switch.

　　Click —

　　The light flickered on, and he froze, his blood turning to ice.

　　The sight that greeted them sent chills down their spines, making their skin crawl.

　　Three rows of shelves lined the walls of the otherwise empty room.

　　Large glass jars were neatly arranged on each shelf.

　　And inside those jars... were human heads!

　　Preserved in some unknown liquid, their eyes were wide open, staring back at the two intruders with a mixture of horror and despair.

　　"Holy shit..." Liu's legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

　　"Wait!" Ning's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the heads in the jars.

　　A gasp escaped his lips. "These heads... they're still alive!"

　　Liu's eyes widened. "What?!"

　　A wave of cold fear washed over Ning.

　　He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

　　These heads were severed from their bodies, how could they possibly be alive?

　　Yet, they blinked. Their eyes followed their every move.

　　And then... they started to speak.

　　"It hurts..."

　　"Sob... please get me out of here... It's so dark... Where am I?"

　　"Has someone come to save us?"

　　"Please, someone, anyone, help us..."

　　Terrified cries and desperate pleas filled the air, bouncing off the walls of the dark room, their voices a chorus of torment that hammered against their hearts.

　　"Bro, turn off the light!!" Liu yelled, his face ashen.

　　But Ning raised a hand, silencing him. "Shhh—"

　　Seeing Ning's serious expression, Liu quickly closed his mouth.

　　Ning strained to listen, his eyes scanning the room.

　　He moved to a corner, pulled away a dusty cloth, and lifted a pristine glass jar from its hiding place.

　　Liu's eyes widened in horror.

　　No sound escaped his lips.

　　Because inside the jar, staring back at him with vacant eyes, was the severed head of... Bai!