Chapter 146: Lost Yang Jian, Awakened Memories

"Pfft!"

The sound of the Coffin Nail piercing flesh and blood echoed.

But just as Yang Jian had just pulled the Coffin Nail out, his movement suddenly halted.

"Wooo!"

For no apparent reason, Yang Jian suddenly heard a strange Crying.

It seemed not to be the Crying of the Funeral Clothes Ghosts outside, but a Crying emanating from a deeper, more secluded place.

The sound was eerie, like a Fierce Ghost sobbing, laden with intense sorrow.

"No! The sound seems to be resonating in my mind."

Suddenly, Yang Jian's complexion tightened; the music that had been lingering in his mind vanished unnoticed, replaced by an eerie Crying.

That music residing in Yang Jian's memory was the Music Box music he wielded when he became Abnormal.

That music was both cursed and capable of protecting a person from death for a certain period.

Under normal circumstances, that lingering music could also protect Yang Jian's consciousness to some extent.

But just now, that music disappeared, indicating that, unnoticed, the Music Box's protection over Yang Jian had been broken.

"Was it invaded by that eerie Crying?"

Yang Jian's face turned grim; he should have blocked out the Crying during the fight, yet the Crying still manifested in his mind.

Accompanied by the Crying, the images in Yang Jian's mind grew increasingly vivid, and a memory that never existed began to replace the Reality World scene in his Gaze.

Yang Jian tried to use his own Supernatural Incident to resist this Ghost's Invasion, but now he couldn't even speak, let alone employ any supernatural power.

A completely impossible Supernatural Incident was emerging from the depths of his memory, supplanting him.

Yang Jian's body was even clad in a drenched, pallid Funeral Clothes, his face showing sorrow, his body turning a ghastly white.

However, because Yang Jian's true form is now a Ghost Shadow, he hasn't truly been replaced even in this state, and can briefly hold off this unknown Supernatural Incident.

But, the next moment.

Yang Jian's vision suddenly went completely black, and his blurred Gaze, at some unknown moment, presented another pitch‑black scene.

He didn't know whether that was a picture seen by his eyes or by his brain.

Staring at the sudden darkness before him, and at the eerie spirit hall emerging from its depths, Yang Jian halted all movement, daring not to act rashly.

The spirit hall, appearing in the Red and White Double Evil Supernatural Incident, was exceedingly eerie.

"Wooo!"

The eerie Crying echoed through the darkness; even though Yang Jian strained to keep himself from acting, hearing the Crying inexplicably sparked a strong curiosity within him.

He advanced along the darkness; despite its extreme eeriness, only the spirit hall ahead was visible, the surroundings completely obscured.

Yet each time Yang Jian moved forward, he seemed able to step precisely on the Ground.

Step by step, Yang Jian soon arrived outside the spirit hall.

"Whose spirit hall is this?"

With this curiosity, Yang Jian cast a glance around the spirit hall.

Then a strange scene unfolded.

What had seemed desolate—a lone mourning spirit hall—suddenly filled with individual silhouettes.

"So familiar..."

Yang Jian looked at the silhouettes, his eyes thoughtful; he seemed to have seen them, yet also as if never.

"Right. That's Wang Shan."

Deep in his mind, a distant memory surfaced; as he scrutinized one face, he suddenly recalled the person's identity.

"And this one is Lao Ying, this is Liu Chuang, this is Wang Meng."

As Yang Jian's eyes kept shifting to each silhouette, carefully examining their features, he quickly recalled their identities after seeing their exact appearances.

"We once seemed to be very close, but why were we close? What brought us together?"

Yang Jian gazed at the silhouettes around the spirit hall, a hint of doubt arising within him.

He could feel that these people were so close to him that they were indistinguishable, yet he couldn't recall what relationship he actually had with them.

It was as if this closeness was inexplicable and pure, mutually intimate.

Yang Jian glanced at the silhouettes outside the spirit hall, and his Gaze quickly fell upon the figure in the hall who had his back turned.

"Whose family member died?"

A question rose in Yang Jian's mind, but he soon inexplicably uttered a few words: "Red and White Double Evil, Zhang Hao?"

After seeing the mourning figure in the hall with his back turned, Yang Jian suddenly noticed the surrounding silhouettes becoming clear.

It was as if, at this moment, he truly perceived the world's appearance, fully merging into the pitch‑black realm, the darkness no longer obscuring his sight.

Instinctively, Yang Jian wanted to step into the spirit hall to see whose funeral it was.

But before entering, he suddenly turned back to glance at those behind him.

Yet, with that glance, Yang Jian was stunned again.

Those silhouettes were not living people at all, but huge Black and White Portraits.

The Wang Shan and Lao Ying he had seen earlier were merely figures within the Black and White Portraits.

"I see, yes, they're all dead; I'm here to give a funeral for my best brothers."

Yang Jian seemed to remember; he looked toward the interior of the spirit hall, where a Black and White Portrait stood.

The portrait's image was initially vague, resembling a young man, but as Yang Jian examined it closely, he quickly realized it was his own portrait.

"Right, we're all dead now."

"We were all together; we are a group, and every member of our group died at the same day, same minute, same second."

"They died so terribly that no bodies remained, so I alone must give our group a funeral."

Yang Jian seemed to have thought of everything; when he opened his eyes again, everything before him had already changed.

The person kneeling before the Coffin didn't know when they had become Yang Jian; he wears pale Funeral Clothes, kneels before the Coffin, and his mouth continuously emits Crying.

Tears, unknowingly, have already soaked Yang Jian's body.

And behind the Coffin, there are densely packed Black and White Portraits.

Yang Jian, Old Eagle, Wang Shan, Liu Chuang—each Black and White colorless portrait is neatly arranged behind the pitch‑black Coffin, looking especially eerie.

These portraits, including Yang Jian's own, show everyone with cold expressions, but their Gaze is strangely focused on the Mourning Yang Jian.

As these people stare, the Mourning person also continuously changes.

Sometimes the Mourning person is Yang Jian, sometimes the kneeling person before the Coffin is Old Eagle, sometimes it becomes Wang Shan.

"What's going on?"

Reality World.

With the combined effort of the captains, although it took some time, dealing with these Funeral Clothes ghosts was still no problem.

After dealing with the Funeral Clothes ghosts on the Square, just as Han Mo was about to deal with the last Funeral Clothes ghost, everyone finally noticed Yang Jian's abnormality.

"Unclear! Maybe he was attacked by the Source Ghost?"

Cao Yang walked around Yang Jian; Yang Jian now wears pale Funeral Clothes, his skin oddly lost its color, and he was almost taken for a Funeral Clothes ghost by Han Mo a moment ago.

If they hadn't noticed the golden Long Spear in Yang Jian's hand, he would have been attacked at that moment.

"Look over here! Maybe it's because of Ghost Lake."

Liu San discovered a wet Funeral Clothes lying on a puddle of standing water.

Upon hearing that, everyone exchanged glances and couldn't help feeling solemn.

"Yang Jian has mastered forty percent of Ghost Lake's supernatural, the remaining sixty percent should be mastered by the White Evil."

Cao Yang spoke in a deep voice; he is relatively familiar with this Supernatural Incident.

"The corpse water on those Funeral Clothes ghosts just now was formed from Ghost Lake's Lake Water."

"If so, with the two kinds of Ghost Lake's supernatural contacting, isn't Yang Jian now being invaded by Ghost's Invasion?" Liu San's expression grew solemn.

Although he hasn't fought Ghost Lake often, the terror of this ghost remains fresh in his memory.

"That's not the worst; if Yang Jian is also controlled by the White Evil, he might become a new Funeral Clothes ghost that attacks us."

He Yiner examined Yang Jian's condition and reached this conclusion.

"What a joke? The enforcement captain Yang Jian becoming a Funeral Clothes ghost? This conclusion is absurd to anyone, yet after careful observation, we cannot deny that it might happen."

"Then, should we act to restrain him? After all, Yang Jian has truly revived; that would be hard to deal with." Li Leping said gravely.

"Or wait a while longer; I don't think Yang Jian will fall so easily." Liu San shook his head at that moment.

"Back then when we faced Ghost Lake, we also encountered a case where Yang Jian was invaded."

"At that time Shen Lin, due to some special reasons, was controlled by Ghost Lake and invaded Yang Jian, but in the end Yang Jian experienced nothing notable."

"Indeed we can wait." Li Jun nodded in agreement.

"I just noticed that a Da Lang Gou was following Yang Jian, and that wolf dog has now disappeared."

"Perhaps giving Yang Jian some time will resolve this trouble."

Hong Jie watched the others' conversation without speaking, just watching.

Regarding the big black dog situation, Hong Jie of course knew exactly what it was.

"Didn't expect Ghost could still be so mastered, indeed, Zhang Dong was right; letting later generations walk their own paths truly can lead to different roads."

Hong Jie thought this internally, and suddenly seemed to discover something, her expression turning cautious.

At this time, the other captains also seemed to sense the surrounding change, halting their observation of Yang Jian.

"Something's approaching, is it the Red and White Double Evil?"

He Yiner held a stick of Incense, ready to light it at any moment to begin Soul Summoning.

Cao Yang held a lit Red Candle; the flame on the candle burned fiercely, representing the current danger.

In the dim, colorless city, the Crying had, unknown when, become sparse, only occasional one or two wails could be heard, and they vanished immediately.

Yet in this seemingly tranquil situation, the fierce burning of the Ghost Candle indicated hidden danger.

Beside Hong Jie, at an unknown time, four Wooden Puppets appeared.

Though these Wooden Puppets looked lifelike, they merely stood dumbly in place, seemingly lacking some crucial element.

"Ding‑dang!"

In the empty silent city, the sound of a metal piece hitting the ground rang out.

Everyone at that moment was drawn by the sound, looking toward its source, which was the direction where Hong Jie stood.

"Is that… a copper coin? What use does it have?"

All the captains' eyes showed puzzlement.

Yet at that moment, a strange scene unfolded.

At an unknown time, a person suddenly appeared beside that copper coin, bending over to pick it up.

The person's skin was pale and colorless, dressed in Funeral Clothes, head covered with a Face-Covering Cloth, holding a white bone staff.

His appearance seemed to darken the surrounding environment, making it harder to see the figure.

Nevertheless, everyone instantly recognized the identity.

"It's… the White Evil of the Red and White Double Evil!"

"Act!"

Though no one knew why this ghost appeared now and bent to pick up the coin,

these captains have grown step by step to the present, naturally they would not miss the timing.

Ghost Fire of a haunting green hue surged from Li Jun's face, spreading to the white silhouette ahead.

At this moment, a gale rose, trying to lift the White Evil who was bending to pick up coins, extending the time it needed to collect the copper coins.

Accompanied by a faint corpse stench, incense appeared at this moment; He Yiner lit the first Soul Summoning Incense and began the soul summoning.

Black smoke billowed from Li Leping, and he suddenly appeared behind the White Evil that was picking up copper coins ahead.

On the Ground, strange indistinct silhouettes emerged, each bearing an unknown curse as they lunged toward the White Evil ahead.

Countless Paper Persons emerged from all corners of the city, poised to strike the White Evil ahead.

In a brief moment, these captains had already unleashed dozens of attacks, each targeting the White Evil.

At the same time, the four Wooden Puppets beside Hong Jie suddenly and oddly turned into eight.

The chilling gale made Zhang Hao, who intended to pick up the copper coins, pause for an instant, and in that moment the eerie green Ghost Fire ignited his body.

Then a Certain Death spirit emerged from behind and acted upon Zhang Hao.

This is Li Leping's spirit: the ghost seeks a person, and being found means Certain Death.

Next came those strange indistinct silhouettes; each lunged at Zhang Hao, each representing a terrifying attack.

Then the Paper Persons approached, stacking together to form a dreadful spirit that, at a single instant, launched a coordinated attack, beginning to erode Zhang Hao's body.

Under the barrage of attacks, Zhang Hao, who had just picked up the copper coins, became motionless, as if he had lost all movement.

"Successful?"

He Yiner stared ahead, her gaze filled with startled doubt.

This was an attack launched simultaneously by six captains; the combined effect was obvious.

"Although I'd like to say we've suppressed them, judging from the current situation, it seems not; the Red Evil hasn't appeared, and the White Evil hasn't Restarted."

Liu San's voice carried weight.

Unlike He Yiner, who spent half a year in Chenhu, He Yiner knows little about the Red and White Double Evil.

Although later He Yiner harbors great hostility toward the Red and White Double Evil, she has never actually fought them.

And Liu San, during the early emergence of the Red and White Double Evil, had already struck at them together with Han Mo.

He knows clearly that the hardest part about the Red and White Double Evil is their mutual Restart.

The Restart spirit has not yet been deployed; the White Evil cannot possibly be truly suppressed.

Whether White Evil or Red Evil, each possesses a powerful spirit and its own Restart method.

With these spirits' Restart effects stacked, the Red and White Double Evil can truly be called Infinite Restart.

Sure enough, at the instant his words fell silent,

The White Evil's skin turned even paler, and that black-and-white colorless spirit began to invade everything around in a manner incomprehensible to the onlookers.

This invasion was far more terrifying than the invasions elsewhere in the city.

If other places were invaded by the Black and White Ghost Domain, losing color and falling into a peculiar state,

then the area around the White Evil, when invaded, fell into an even stranger condition.

The eerie green Ghost Fire still burned fiercely on the White Evil, as if intending to use the White Evil as fuel for its flames.

But the next moment, the eerie green Ghost Fire began to turn gray and decay.

It was as if a non-existent spirit, at that instant, tinted the eerie green flames of the Ghost Fire into gray‑white flames.

The raging, corpse‑stinking wind continued to blow, trying to lift the White Evil.

Yet at this moment the White Evil stood still, as the wind swept over its Funeral Clothes, and the sound of the wind grew increasingly eerie.

It seemed that within the gale, a group of invisible strange silhouettes were crying in the wind, their intermittent cries echoing through the air.

Behind, Li Leping grasped the White Evil, but on the Palm of Li Leping that touched the White Evil, a strange spirit was invading his body.

As Li Leping's hand turned black‑and‑white, half of his body became a monochrome mass.

A memory that did not belong to him surfaced in his mind.

That memory seemed buried deep in his consciousness, a recollection that Li Leping lost after becoming a Ghost Tamer for some reason.

In that memory, Li Leping even recalled his own name.

Li Leping was merely an alias he adopted after becoming a Ghost Tamer.

Because he mastered the Forgetting Ghost, he forgot his past and gave himself the name Li Leping.

It signifies "joyful peace of destiny, a lifetime of safety."

A rare hint of bewilderment appeared in Li Leping's eyes; that memory was something he had experienced and the reason he became a Ghost Tamer, but he had forgotten it out of sheer desperation.

It was a memory of a funeral; Li Leping met the Forgetting Ghost at that funeral, which led him to become a Ghost Tamer.

As the memory sharpened, Li Leping's gaze shifted between strange and normal, like a man who had already gone mad.

He muttered continuously, his clothing being replaced by white Funeral Clothes, half of his body now covered by a damp half‑garment of Funeral Clothes.

"I remember now, I remember everything; my original name is... Zhang Hao!"

(End of Chapter)