Chapter 298: Yang Bin Visits

The thatched hut was dimly lit.

But compared to outside, this place could already be called a haven of light.

Because he was the last to enter the coffin, and because he had beaten the pale ghost, Wu Xian unsurprisingly was the last to return; the other five were all inside the thatched hut.

Jian Lingyu still wore large sunglasses at this late hour; if one looked closely, one could see a massive black eye circle on her left eye, clearly from being punched by the pale ghost.

This suggested her ability was indeed unrelated to close combat.

Du E had a blank expression, even appearing somewhat dejected, but Wu Xian felt she was happy—she must have gained some special benefit, as her tiny frame showed not a single scratch.

Su Xuan kept yawning; without alcohol for days, his craving had surfaced. With the small dagger in his hand and the training he'd undergone, dealing with a ghost the same size as himself posed no problem.

Jiang Chun crouched in the corner, silently weeping. She prided herself on being strong, but the battle with the ghosts had exceeded her limits; her body bore multiple tears and bruises, five deep scratches marred her left cheek, still oozing blood, proving she had just survived a life-or-death crisis.

Wen Chao comforted her nearby, his eyes faintly tinged with anger.

If this had been before tonight, Wu Xian would have thought the old man merely kind, but after hearing Du E's words, Wu Xian strangely sensed another undertone in his anger.

Time had passed, though no one knew how long.

Everyone felt drowsy.

Occasional moonlight spilled in; shadows flickered before the window—likely the green-clad monsters Wu Xian had seen—but they merely wandered, without disturbing.

Perhaps they knew disturbance was useless.

Finally.

A man's figure appeared at the window.

"Is anyone inside? I'm Yang Bin. Thank you for cremating me today—I came specially to thank you. If no one's here, I'll come back later."

Everyone burst into laughter.

They all thought this guy's appearance was absurd.

They had indeed been waiting for Yang Bin—but not for a monster pretending to be Yang Bin.

So Su Xuan yawned and asked: "How can you prove you're real?"

Yang Bin was overjoyed.

"So there really are people inside!"

"Then I'm coming in!"

A puff of smoky dust, speckled with sparks, drifted in through the door crack.

Then, under everyone's gaze, the dust coalesced into a grotesque figure—somewhat resembling Yang Bin, but his clothes and body were riddled with cracks; parts of his human flesh were missing, replaced by the bodily structure of a wild boar.

His sudden appearance.

Made everyone's hair stand on end; all simultaneously adopted combat stances.

But Yang Bin showed no sign of panic.

"Don't be nervous—I truly came to thank you."

"Without you, my fate would've been to suffer in the wilderness, torn apart by wild dogs, unable to resist, unable to die, the agony lasting forever…"

"Now… I have at least found peace."

As he spoke, Yang Bin's shattered face gradually twisted into a monstrous snarl.

"But down here is so lonely—can you please die soon and join me?"

The further he spoke,

the quieter Yang Bin's voice became, until Wu Xian heard clear knocking.

Knock-knock-knock, knock-knock-knock…

Wu Xian opened his eyes and realized all six of them had fallen asleep; in his hand, he still clutched a bamboo tally, on which was written the second thing he needed.

A red paper dog! The others also woke one by one, each holding the information they desired.

It seemed the Yang Bin they'd just seen hadn't truly entered the room—he'd merely delivered his thanks as a dream.

The knocking outside continued.

"I'm Yang Bin, here to thank you—open the door and let me in!" Wu Xian first burst into laughter.

Those green-clad monsters really loved such clumsy imitations.

Next,

Wu Xian fell into deep thought.

The monster under the moonlight had first struck by impersonating Li Juxian, who hadn't returned.

The second time, based on prior intelligence, it still impersonated Li Juxian.

Today was the third time—it impersonated Yang Bin, who had just appeared in their dream.

Each time was not random; it gathered intelligence first, then lured the people in the hut at the right moment. Had it not been for the glaring flaw of the moonlight, they'd all have been fooled long ago.

Yet the monsters Wu Xian and Du E had seen earlier were sluggish, lacking any sign of intelligence.

Perhaps…

Those monsters with blossoming heads were merely puppets; something else truly controlled them.

And then there was Yang Bin.

Yang Bin's kindness was unexpected—he'd given six pieces of intelligence at once, triple what Wang Popo had offered yesterday, but unfortunately he provided no Chongxiang or divine statues…

Thinking of this,

Wu Xian suddenly had a flash of insight.

Wang Popo's reward had been two divine statues, two Chongxiang, and two bamboo tallies—the total number matched exactly what Yang Bin had given!

Perhaps the burial rule was this:

As long as a person was buried, six rewards were fixed—but the categories and methods of acquisition differed.

If the burial was done correctly and the deceased had a good relationship with the living, the deceased would not attack the living, and all rewards would be intelligence.

If the burial method is incorrect and the relationship between the deceased and the living is hostile, the deceased will attack those who organized the funeral; after killing the attacking deceased, one will receive the statue and the curse incense as rewards.

As for Wang Popo from yesterday, she may have been somewhere in between, so the reward she gave contained everything.

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes and looked toward the main house.

"If that's the case, tonight will be tough over there…"

……

Creak…

The door opened, and Gao Fushuai stumbled into the room, gasping for breath.

Thus.

The five people and one dog in this room had all passed the Pale Ghost's trial.

Being suddenly transported into a coffin and forced to brawl with a ghost sounds terrifying, but as long as one doesn't panic and has the deity-offering item obtained in the morning, surviving is actually very simple.

Among the blessed lands Wu Xian had experienced, such a gentle attack was rare.

Therefore, all five here had luckily escaped from the coffins or urns.

Wei Hengbo wiped his long blade with a soft cloth.

He had heard about Wu Xian's group's experience last night and knew that Miao Dama would come for them tonight, but they had waited until now without seeing any sign of her.

The two most fearful among the five were Ran Qiuhua and Gao Fushuai; both were newcomers and each held only one deity-offering item.

Wei Hengbo and his sister were Lotus Juanren, and Li Juxian had additionally received one more deity-offering reward.

All three of them maintained a calm mindset.

Yet even with such confidence, facing Miao Dama's prolonged absence, they couldn't help but feel a creeping unease…

Knock knock knock! Moonlight spilled outside, and the door was simultaneously knocked on—they also heard Miao Dama's voice…

But what sent a chill through the bones of all five was:

Miao Dama's voice came from inside the room! (End of Chapter)