Chapter 625: Rick
Once Lana knocked on the door, it slowly opened, and a little maid standing on the other side looked her up and down with a cautious, scrutinising gaze.
"You must be Miss Lana."
Lana nodded calmly. "Yes. Please step aside."
The maid hesitated for a moment before moving out of the way and allowing Lana to enter.
The moment Lana stepped inside, she saw a little girl who looked to be no more than a decade old lying on the bed.
Her face was unnaturally pale, and she was sleeping quietly, almost as though she had fallen into a deep fever.
Her small body looked fragile against the large bed, and there were faint signs of injuries on her skin, making her appear even more vulnerable in the gloomy surroundings.
When Lana saw her condition, her heart softened. ’She is still so young.’
For a brief moment, sympathy filled her eyes. Then she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
In the next instant, Maya appeared beside her.
Lana glanced at her and said, "Go and search for the source of this black aura."
Before coming here, Lana had assumed that the black aura was originating from the little girl herself.
However, after entering the room and carefully sensing the surrounding energy, she quickly realized that this was not the case.
The black aura was coming from somewhere else. ’There is something else inside this mansion.’
Lana turned toward the maid. "I want to know about all the strange things that have been happening in this house."
The maid’s expression became stern as she nodded.
"All right. I will begin with the strange activities that happen at night. Once the clock strikes twelve, we start hearing strange footsteps, as if someone is walking through the house. Those footsteps always move toward the kitchen."
She swallowed nervously before continuing.
"Once they reach the kitchen, we hear the strange clattering of utensils. It sounds as though someone is cooking something. However, whenever we enter the kitchen, there is no one there. The moment we enter, everything becomes completely silent."
Lana listened carefully.
"The sounds disappear exactly at twelve-thirty in the morning. Then, at exactly one o’clock, we begin hearing the sound of someone washing clothes. The sound continues for half an hour without stopping."
The maid’s fingers tightened nervously around the fabric of her uniform.
"After that, at around two in the morning, we start hearing laughter coming from the garden. We have even gone there several times to check, but there is never anyone there. There is only a swing that keeps moving by itself."
Lana nodded thoughtfully. "Have any of you ever been attacked?"
The maid immediately nodded.
"Multiple times. We have been attacked more times than I can count. Sometimes it feels as though invisible hands are wrapping around our throats and choking us. Some people have even been pushed down the stairs. One of the maids was injured so badly that she fell into a coma."
Lana’s expression became serious.
"Other than these incidents, have any of the maids experienced possession or felt unusually uncomfortable while staying here?"
The maid paused and thought about it. "That is not something we have investigated until now."
Lana nodded.
"Then investigate it. Check whether any of the maids have strange markings on their bodies, unexplained bruises, or anything else unusual."
The maid nodded and turned around to leave. However, after taking a few steps, she stopped.
She glanced back at Lana, and the fear in her eyes became visible. "Miss Lana, will our child be all right?"
Lana paused before turning toward her. A gentle smile appeared on her face. "Don’t worry. She will get what she wishes for in the end."
The maid seemed relieved by those words and finally left the room.
Once she was gone, Lana walked over to the bed and sat beside the little girl. She gently placed her hand on the child’s forehead and closed her eyes.
She attempted to look into the girl’s past and future. However, there was nothing. Everything was completely blank.
Lana frowned and slowly opened her eyes. "This is strange."
She was about to stand up and leave when suddenly, a small hand clasped tightly around hers. Lana froze.
She looked down at the little girl.
The girl’s eyes were open now, but they were completely pristine white, without even the slightest trace of a pupil. The sight was eerie enough to send a faint chill down Lana’s spine.
The girl stared directly at her. "I want to leave."
Her voice was soft and weak.
The moment she finished speaking, her eyes closed again, and her small hand loosened its grip before falling back onto the bed.
Lana stared at her for several seconds.
’Was she exhausted from being possessed for so long? Is that why she said she wants to leave?’
There were too many unanswered questions. Lana eventually left the room and began walking downstairs.
As she passed through the corridor, she glanced at several portraits hanging along the walls. However, when she passed one particular painting, she suddenly stopped.
Her eyes widened. She turned around and stared at it carefully. ’This person...’
She had seen him before. To be precise, she had once helped him. It was Rick.
If her memory was correct, Rick was the man she had advised not to take a shortcut when she had first awakened her powers.
Lana stared at his portrait for a moment, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia. ’I wonder if he is still alive.’
She could not help but wonder whether Rick had survived or had eventually died.
Just as Lana reached the lower floor, she suddenly heard the sound of an argument.
A mature young man’s voice echoed through the hallway.
"I don’t care what kind of cultivator you intend to invite. I only know one thing, and that is that this isn’t working. I know it won’t work. My daughter won’t be able to survive like this."
There was a tremor in his voice. Lana followed the sound and entered the room.
She immediately saw the familiar head maid standing in front of the same man whose portrait she had just seen.
Rick.