Chapter 77: Plan Failed, Qin Lao Mobilizes

With Liu San's help restraining the Fierce Ghost, the pressure on Li Jun's Ghost Domain lessened considerably.

Soon, Li Jun, with Xiong Wenwen and a few others, successfully arrived at the Village entrance.

However, at that moment, Li Jun turned his head and glanced back.

He saw that the Paper Person Liu San had earlier created had already become motionless; the murky sewage had soaked the Paper Person, even the painted eyes on its face turned terribly clouded from the soaking.

"Leave."

Chen Yi said in a deep voice, "The time Liu San barely secured must not be wasted because of these few moments."

Li Jun nodded; the pale green Ghost Fire turned into a long strand, swiftly passing through the Village.

"Phew, finally escaped."

Xiong Wenwen, still trembling, looked at the Village flooded by sewage.

Strangely enough, that Village seemed to have an invisible wall, causing the sewage, even though it submerged the Village's buildings, not to flow outward.

The group observed outside the Village for a while, then quickly left the dangerous area.

They passed through an old, dilapidated forest and soon arrived at a retro-style street.

"Look, over there ahead."

Chen Yi pointed to the end of the street, where a Republic Era Courtyard stood.

In front of the Courtyard hung red banners, lanterns and streamers, looking very lively.

Inside the Courtyard, figure after figure walked about, as if a family were holding a wedding, setting up a banquet in front.

However, recalling that this place was the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting, Li Jun and the others felt a chill rise in their hearts as they watched the scene.

"Could that be the bride ahead?" Chen Yi frowned.

He hadn't forgotten that not only the Ghostly Servant was trapped in the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting, but the Red and White Double Evil were also confined inside.

The commotion caused by the Red and White Double Evil in Dajing City was still vivid, and watching this scene inevitably reminded one of that.

"It shouldn't be; the Red and White Double Evil stay together with each other."

"If it were the Red and White Double Evil, both a White Affair and a Red Affair would exist simultaneously, yet we only see a Red Affair now."

Li Jun shook his head, gazing at the Courtyard with an inexplicable unease, though he couldn't pinpoint the cause.

"Xiong Wenwen, do you think the source of the Ghost Painting might be inside?"

Li Jun looked at Xiong Wenwen beside him and asked; in such multiple‑choice situations, Xiong Wenwen often selects the correct answer.

"It should be there; I think it's very dangerous inside."

Xiong Wenwen stared at the Courtyard draped with red banners, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes.

Originally, the Fierce Ghost within him had already begun to revive and erode him, and after three consecutive Precognitions, his condition had deteriorated greatly.

"Regardless, we have to try; at least we need to confirm the information."

"Li Yang, protect Xiong Wenwen; if you notice anything amiss, immediately take Xiong Wenwen to find a house to hide in."

Li Jun's body ignited with pale green Ghost Fire as he walked toward the Courtyard.

Upon entering, Li Jun immediately noticed the courtyard's bizarre situation.

None of the people moving in the house were living; their demeanors were strange, eyes hollow and lifeless, some even exuding a corpse stench.

Li Jun looked at a figure by the doorway; that person's eyes were milky, pupils invisible, and a tiny red slit ran across the neck.

"Its head has probably been removed," Li Jun judged.

Li Jun then looked at another person.

That person stood in the courtyard center, holding an old mobile phone, pacing back and forth.

It looked as if they were photographing the festive scene on a bustling wedding day.

However, when Li Jun inadvertently glanced at the phone's content, his expression changed.

The phone displayed the Courtyard's scene, but it was more than just this Republic Era Courtyard.

In the phone's image, behind the Courtyard, beyond a fence, there was a spirit hall.

Inside the spirit hall lay a Black Coffin; nearby, several people in Funeral Clothes knelt before the Black Coffin, continuously emitting wailing Crying.

Seeing this, Li Jun felt a booming thud in his head.

"Damn! Retreat!"

Li Jun had just entered the Courtyard and, with almost no hesitation, his Ghost Fire surged outward toward the exit.

However, just as the Ghost Fire reached the courtyard gate, it suddenly halted.

The sky darkened abruptly at that moment, and even the Ghost Fire seemed unable to ignite, leaving only profound darkness.

The Ghost Fire's Ghost Domain was suppressed, began to contract, and could not pass through the darkness.

"Tap tap tap!"

Without the Ghost Domain's protection, stiff Footsteps immediately sounded around Li Jun and the others.

The Fierce Ghosts standing in the Courtyard attacked them.

An unseen figure seemed to approach rapidly.

"Bang!"

Almost the instant the Footsteps drew near, Li Yang's body suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"He's dead!" Xiong Wenwen was startled; he looked at Li Yang, who no longer breathed.

Immediately, Xiong Wenwen's face showed terror; it was his first time seeing someone die so vividly before his eyes.

"Li Yang is dead; will I also die?"

A child, facing death for the first time, Xiong Wenwen immediately showed signs of collapse.

The previous few times, the deaths were within Precognitions; he said they weren't real deaths, so he could stay rational.

But now, he truly cannot maintain rationality, because someone actually died.

"Calm down, Xiong Wenwen, stay calm."

Li Jun shouted loudly; Xiong Wenwen still has a great role, and if it collapses now, that would be trouble.

However, even though he said that, Li Jun soon could not stay calm.

Because in the darkness, deep in the Courtyard, under the glow of eerie green fire, a familiar person appeared before his eyes.

It was a woman in red clothing, her hands placed flat before her abdomen, wearing a Red Cap, like a newlywed bride.

"Red Evil!" Chen Yi said the two words with a grim expression.

"No, that's not right, that's not Red Evil."

Li Jun's pupils contracted sharply, because the moment the red‑clothed woman appeared, he felt a pair of pale Ghost Hands flash in his mind.

It was as if a woman were about to walk out of his memory alive.

"Ghost Painting! That Wedding Dress bride has mastered the Ghost Painting!" Li Jun said with an extremely grim face.

Xiong Wenwen, hearing this, lifted his head and also saw the red figure.

At that moment, he seemed stunned by fear, unable even to keep a collapsing expression on his face, as if his mind had entered a dead machine.

What is a Ghost Painting, what is the Red and White Double Evil, and what are Ghostly Servants?

As a Ghost Tamer, even though Xiong Wenwen is just a child, he has certainly heard of such information.

At this terrifying moment, appearing directly before him, Xiong Wenwen dared not even cry, fearing to attract the Fierce Ghost's attention.

He may be small, but not foolish; he hasn't forgotten that among the Red and White Double Evil, the White Evil's Killing Rule is Crying.

After the red‑clothed woman appeared, she simply stood still in place, launching no attack on Li Jun and the others.

However, in the pitch black, the Courtyard suddenly echoed with a strange Crying.

At the same time, Paper Money and some burnt paper ash began to fall from the sky.

"White Evil has also emerged!" Li Jun felt his heart grow heavier.

"Thump!"

Yet the sound beside him made his already uneasy heart even more uneasy.

Because Chen Yi could no longer bear it, his face was already covered with tears, his knees collapsed to the ground, and he knelt wildly before the great Courtyard.

At the same time, Xiong Wenwen also produced an old Camera.

As Xiong Wenwen pressed lightly, a "click" sounded, the camera fell to the ground, leaving a Photo to drift slowly.

In the Photo, a child wore a terrified expression, eyes full of tears, as if frightened into crying.

"Xiong Wenwen, and Chen Yi."

Li Jun looked at his teammates already dead, and his face involuntarily showed anger.

At that moment, anger seemed to outweigh his dread and fear of the Red and White Double Evil.

Li Jun recklessly unleashed his own Ghost Fire; the eerie green Ghost Fire ignited everything around, and some nearby Fierce Ghosts became fuel for the Ghost Fire.

"All in!" With nourishment, the Ghost Fire's Terror Level surged at this moment, faintly beginning to ignite that darkness.

But unfortunately, Li Jun is not Abnormal; the ghost within his body doesn't even have a dead machine.

As the flames surged, Li Jun himself was burned to charcoal, and after the Ghost Fire successfully passed through the darkness, he soon fell to the ground, having lost control.

"Dead?"

At this moment, Zhang Hao stepped out of the darkness, with the body of a Ghost Bride beside him.

He gazed at the Ghost Fire burning in the street, his eyes showing no flicker.

He could clearly see everything Li Jun and the others did in the Ghost Painting world.

After all, the Painting World is essentially assembled from individual paintings; Zhang Hao only needs to be in the room storing the portraits to observe any location in the Painting World through those portraits.

Meanwhile, in Dajing City, an elderly man seemed to sense something and let out a faint sigh.

"Alas, it has finally come to this step."

Qin Lao slowly stepped out of the dim room and found Wang Xiaoming.

"What? You mean Li Jun and the others are dead?"

Wang Xiaoming's expression changed, though he had anticipated that this team was likely to fail.

But dying before any information could be transmitted still surprised him.

"This matter has already exceeded the scope you can resolve; I will now intervene."

"However, I have only this one chance to act, so afterwards you must figure out how to deal with each team leader's problem yourselves."

"Also, regarding Li Jun, I will find a way to bring him back."

Qin Lao's tone was low; although he had long foreseen this day, actually reaching it still left him somewhat sighing.

"Qin Lao… could it be that…"

Cao Yanhua thought Qin Lao intended to gamble by reviving the Fierce Ghosts to resolve this Supernatural Incident.

But if Qin Lao revives them, who could then solve it?

"Rest assured, I will not revive them."

"After living so many years, I'm not like those youngsters who only worry about matters before death and disregard what follows."

Qin Lao saw through Cao Yanhua's thoughts, let out a low laugh, and eased the two's minds.

"While there's still some time, go and do what you need to do."

"I must set off, otherwise if that thing takes the Ghost Fire, I'll be in trouble."

After Qin Lao said that, his figure suddenly vanished on the spot.

"Professor Wang, what should we do next?" Cao Yanhua's face was full of worry.

Having lost Qin Lao, the anchor, the nation will now find it troublesome to keep those team leaders in check.

"Rest assured, since Qin Lao said so, he shouldn't die in this Supernatural Incident."

Wang Xiaoming said calmly, "At least after he returns, he won't die immediately."

"However, from now on, if Headquarters faces a similar crisis again, I'm afraid there will be no way out."

Cao Yanhua fell silent, paused for a moment, then hurried away.

On the other side, the Painting World.

Zhang Hao stared at the dim green Ghost Fire for a long time, then suddenly walked toward it.

Qin Lao uses the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting, limited by this Ghost Fire; in other words, if he takes away this Ghost Fire, Qin Lao can no longer restrict the Ghost Painting. Moreover, after handing the Ghost Fire to a Ghostly Servant, the servant could turn the Ghost Fire against him.

A Ghostly Servant who has lost Wei Jing also loses the ability to wander, but that does not mean the servant cannot seize a Fierce Ghost.

As a Ghostly Servant of Huanggang Village, if Zhang Hao truly threw a ghost in front of the servant, he would still be able to control it.

However, the Ghost Servant's control of a Fierce Ghost offers no real benefit to Zhang Hao.

After all, a Ghostly Servant before Zhang Hao is merely a Supernatural Artifact; it does not actually control anything.

Yet, the moment Zhang Hao approached the Ghost Fire, a cough sounded.

At the instant the cough appeared, Zhang Hao's body strangely kept retreating to the Republic Era Courtyard, back to the moment he was staring at the Ghost Fire.

"Restart?"

Zhang Hao, after a brief daze, realized what was happening.

He had been subjected to a range‑wide Time Restart.

If it weren't for the Ghost Bride's presence, Zhang Hao would have barely reacted to being restarted.

Zhang Hao looked toward the Ghost Fire, and before he knew it, an old man stood beside it.

"Qin Lao!"

Zhang Hao muttered two words in his heart; having met the old man under Jiang Shangbai's identity, he held a deep impression of him.

After Qin Lao appeared, he said nothing, but surveyed the courtyard, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.

It's unclear whether he misses this courtyard or the style of architecture.

"Everything was calculated perfectly—so this is the uncertainty of the supernatural?"

Qin Lao stared at the Republic Era Courtyard for a while, murmuring softly.

"Yang Jian, Hungry Ghost, bus, everything is proceeding as planned, yet I don't know how a ghost like you emerged from it."

Qin Lao looked at Zhang Hao; in the future he had conversed about, this crisis should involve only the Ghostly Servant and the Ghost Painting.

But for some reason, a new Red and White Double Evil appeared—a ghostly contraption.

And that bizarre newspaper agency inexplicably began moving half a month ago; its sudden emergence disrupted Qin Lao's plan.

Clearly, the future he had conversed about half a month earlier was very stable, yet everything changed abruptly half a month ago.

The sudden change upended all of Qin Lao's arrangements, leaving him no time to reconfigure.

The future has shifted, and he cannot, through future dialogue, reach an even farther future version of himself.

All the information he could obtain through dialogue now only extends to half a month ahead.

According to Qin Lao's plan, after he makes his move, he must seal himself.

However, in the original plan, after sealing himself he could emerge again, allowing him to converse with a farther future self.

But now, after sealing himself, there seems to be no chance to emerge from the Gold Statue.

Unable to foresee a farther future, he dares not act lightly, fearing a misstep would worsen the situation.

Because he knows that when the Red and White Double Evil appears, Headquarters' Guo Fan and Tong Qian are already dead; those two deaths seem insignificant yet have huge repercussions.

Not to mention the Ghost Newspaper Agency had already resurfaced then; these changes had long disrupted the future.

"I don't even know what you are, your sudden appearance has messed up all my arrangements."

Qin Lao seemed to be talking to himself, but he was certain that the figure in white Funeral Clothes before him could understand his words.

After learning of the Red and White Double Evil's emergence, Qin Lao also foresaw the future where he would directly strike it.

But that outcome would not be better than the present unknowable future.

When the Red and White Double Evil appeared, he acted immediately against it, and had to seal himself because he employed the supernatural.

Although the Red and White Double Evil's influence is gone, the subsequent plot seems to have returned to normal.

But without Qin Lao, the trouble caused solely by the Ghostly Servant and the Ghost Painting would be enough to wipe out Headquarters' elite.

At that time, Qin Lao could only locate the one trap that Zhang Hao had left for him.

In that future, this trap could capture the Ghostly Servant, the Ghost Painting, and the Red and White Double Evil all at once.

However, in that future, the Red and White Double Evil also successfully controlled the Ghost Painting and obtained the Ghostly Servant.

Some might wonder why Qin Lao didn't act as soon as the Red and White Double Evil formed.

But don't forget, Qin Lao's current age no longer allows him to constantly engage in future dialogue.

On Yang Jian's side, after imprisoning the Hungry Ghost as his precognized plot dictated, Qin Lao felt relieved about Yang Jian's growth trajectory. Who could have thought that within less than ten days—from Yang Jian boarding the bus to the Red and White Double Evil reaching Daji City—so many incidents would occur.

When Qin Lao in Daji City noticed the Ghost Bride and Zhang Hao inside the Red and White Double Evil, it was already too late.

Zhang Hao watched Qin Lao muttering to himself, and slowly retreated back to the Ghost Bride's side.

Facing this dangerous old man, he dared not confront him alone.

Although Zhang Hao thought that even Qin Lao might not be able to interrupt his Restart.

But he knew that the terror of these Republic Era people could never give the opponent a chance.

If his wisdom were erased, that would be trouble.

Qin Lao also seemed to notice Zhang Hao's movement; he stopped muttering, struck his golden cane hard a few times, and the gold's outer layer peeled away, revealing what lay inside.

It turned out to be a cane forged from white bone, with a skull at its tip.

(End of Chapter)