Chapter 86: The Person Searching for the Ghost Painting

"Nie Yingping, is it really no problem for us to go straight into the Ghost Domain of that ominous painting?"

In the outskirts of Da Dong City, a group of seven were Ghost's Walking toward this already colorless city.

"Regardless of whether there is a problem or not, we must go now."

Nie Yingping looked at the grayish mass in the sky, like dense storm clouds constantly shedding paper ash, his eyes heavy with gravity.

"That bride, for reasons unknown, actually fled the Spiritual Realm, making the people we previously sent to search unable to find her."

"A short while ago, I heard that it appeared in Dajing City, and the ghost painting also haunts there; if we don't investigate now, we may lose the chance later."

Nie Yingping's party are Republic Era second-generation Ghost Tamers; after becoming Abnormal, their families and friends have essentially perished, leaving them without purpose.

Later they befriended Zhang Xianguang; perhaps sharing the same aspiration to secure a safe environment for humanity, or perhaps simply idle, they devised a scheme—the Peach Garden Plan.

And the ghost painting's Ghost Domain that can replicate the Reality World is the key, indeed the core, of the Peach Garden Plan.

"Indeed so, but thinking that the bride has already come into contact with the ghost painting, I can't help feeling uneasy."

A young man said in a deep voice; he was not a Ghost Tamer from the Republic Era second generation.

His name is Ye Yan, an early Ghost Tamer of the New Era; later, after meeting Zhang Xianguang and others, he voluntarily joined the plan due to shared ideals.

In fact, many Ghost Tamers of the New Era are in contact with Zhang Xianguang and others, even including some Ghost Tamers attached to Headquarters.

After all, this era has become as bad as it can be; given that, even if Zhang Xianguang's plan is rather crazy, it is still a viable way to preserve the nation's spark.

"Don't worry, I can't claim we can defeat them, but I am confident we can survive and lead the team out alive."

Nie Yingping sensed that after entering the Ghost Domain, everyone's mood was somewhat low, and he immediately said.

In truth, he also had little confidence in being able to leave when confronting the ghost painting, but some matters, if left unsaid, would only cause more trouble.

"Rest assured, Nie Yingping is one of the top Ghost Tamers of our time, equivalent to a captain in your era, a pillar figure in the circle."

Du Hong spoke at this moment: "In our era, besides Old Zhang, only a few Ghost Tamers such as Shepherd of Ghosts, Soul Summoner, and Ghost Dream Yang Xiao could contend with him."

Upon hearing Du Hong's words, the younger men in the team relaxed their previously solemn expressions slightly.

Nie Yingping is the pillar figure among second-generation Ghost Tamers; having lived so many years, his strength is likely far greater than the current captains.

Having such a powerful and experienced leader at the helm indeed prevents problems for the team.

A few sharp-eyed members even noticed that after Nie Yingping's brief words, the team's low morale quickly recovered.

"Wait! Something's off."

Reaching a crossroads, Nie Yingping suddenly raised his hand, signaling everyone to halt their forward steps.

"What is it?" someone asked.

"It's too quiet here," Du Hong explained: "Da Dong City was just under Ghost's Invasion, so logically..."

"When a city suddenly loses its color, the ordinary citizens should be thrown into chaos, not..."

"Yet in this place, not a single sound emerges; that's very odd."

In a Supernatural Incident, silence is the norm, but that refers to places where the incident has been ongoing for some time.

In a freshly emerging Supernatural Incident, the city should be chaotic, not silent.

When they first headed toward Da Dong City, they were still in the outskirts, where occasional fleeing crowds could be seen; now that they've reached the urban area, it has become quiet.

"Perhaps all the living here have already been subjected to Ghost's Killing?" Ye Yan speculated.

"If so, the problem is even bigger."

Du Hong said gravely: "A Fierce Ghost does not kill without cause; if everyone here has been killed, it means a terrifying Fierce Ghost dwells in this area."

"The ghost painting can kill living people by invading their images to create replicas; if someone died here, perhaps a derivative ghost painting exists in this region," Nie Yingping looked around, trying to spot the Fierce Ghost's movement.

Unfortunately, in this crumbling black-and-white city, everything is a wash of gray, making any sign of a Fierce Ghost impossible to see.

"Let's keep moving; if that ghost appears, we'll take it down, and if not, we'll proceed to the Ning'an Mansion."

Nie Yingping and the others were still unsure of the ghost painting's location, so they planned to head to the Ning'an Mansion first.

It is the tallest structure in the city; from the top floor of the Ning'an Mansion, one can easily see everything in the city.

Ye Yan followed the team forward, but suddenly at this moment, the corner of his eye caught a striking Hong Bai Shuang Sha.

It was only a flash, yet that single glance gave him a chill down his spine.

It was a window of a second-floor room in a four-story building not far away.

Amid the gray, a vivid Hong Bai Shuang Sha flashed; when Ye Yan looked closely, he only saw the lingering edge of a red cloth.

"Ye Yan, any discovery?"

Someone behind noticed Ye Yan's sudden halt and asked.

"Just now I saw a flash of vivid Hong Bai Shuang Sha," Ye Yan replied honestly.

"Hong Bai Shuang Sha!" Nie Yingping and Du Hong exchanged a glance.

"Where? Lead the way, we'll go check it out," Nie Yingping said immediately.

In this faded city, the only thing that can retain a vivid Hong Bai Shuang Sha might just be the ghost painting, right?

Although a Fierce Ghost may not be affected by this desaturation of the Supernatural Incident, when a discovery is made, action is inevitable.

Under Ye Yan's lead, the group turned the corner and entered a residential complex.

"Longyang Community, Area A Unit 6."

The seven stopped in front of a four-story apartment building.

"This must be it," Ye Yan said, pointing to the second floor.

"Just now I saw a flash of Hong Bai Shuang Sha at the second window on the second floor."

"Alright, Du Hong leads, He Ying covers the rear, and I take the central support," Nie Yingping arranged.

Du Hong and He Ying nodded, having no objections to the arrangement.

Nie Yingping, being the strongest, is safest in the center, while He Ying and Du Hong, both second-generation Ghost Tamers, can ensure the team's safety by leading and covering the rear respectively.

The party entered the building; perhaps because the complex is older, the apartment layout does not feature the usual immediate sight of stairs or elevators.

After entering the apartment, the first thing that appears is a long hallway, and in the middle of the hallway there is an opening, which should be where the stairs are.

Tap! Tap tap!

Just as the group headed toward the stairs, a footstep sound of leather shoes striking the ground came from upstairs.

Be careful!

Remember, if a red‑clothed Female Ghost appears later, do not look at her face, and do not think of her in your mind.

Nie Yingping, listening to the Footsteps, reminded the group.

"Don't worry, we remember," Ye Yan nodded.

Strangely enough, perhaps an illusion, the Footsteps from upstairs seemed to appear immediately after they entered, and the Footsteps oddly moved in the same forward direction as they did.

They were walking toward the first‑floor stairs, while the Ghost seemed to be walking toward the second‑floor stairs.

Du Hong once tried to stop, but the Ghost upstairs also stopped at that moment.

"That Ghost has its eyes on us; Du Hong, get ready."

Nie Yingping gave a reminder to Du Hong, who was leading the way.

"I know, I'm not one of those inexperienced youngsters," Du Hong chuckled, as if joking.

However, hearing his words, the few New Era Ghost Tamers, whose hearts had slightly sunk at the prospect of encountering a Fierce Ghost, felt some relief.

Du Hong quickened his steps toward the stairs.

Meanwhile, the Ghost upstairs also quickened its steps.

Soon, the group arrived at the stairwell.

"The Fierce Ghost is upstairs; everyone, stay alert and strike at any moment," Ye Yan warned.

He said this not to Nie Yingping and the others, but to the few New Era Ghost Tamers who were like him.

Although they had only mastered one or two Ghosts each, there were still four of them.

After reminding them again, Du Hong led the team upstairs.

"Tap! Tap tap!" The sound of leather shoes on the staircase was dull and eerie.

In a situation where reaching a stair corner would immediately encounter a terrifying Fierce Ghost, everyone inevitably felt a suppressed, heavy sensation.

Quickly, as Du Hong lifted his foot onto the stair corner, a red figure appeared before the group.

It was a bride wearing a red Wedding Dress, a Red Cap on her head, and embroidered shoes on her feet; her hands rested flat before her abdomen, each step exactly the same length, like a young lady about to leave her boudoir.

Seeing the bride clearly before his eyes, Nie Yingping's complexion changed dramatically.

"The Cap on her head is a real Fierce Ghost, the Wedding Dress is a real Wedding Dress, and the embroidered shoes are not merely painted."

"Du Hong, prepare to retreat!"

With just one glance, after seeing the bride's appearance, Nie Yingping had no intention to go further.

However, at this moment, the group was clearly being stared at by the bride; it wasn't that easy to withdraw.

As the bride halted, Du Hong also froze; his facial skin turned bluish‑black at that moment.

That Footsteps carried a Certain Death curse; even though Du Hong had taken precautions, after contact he still suffered this fatal supernatural assault.

Fortunately, Du Hong himself is one of the few Ghost Tamers from the second generation who survived to this era, and his strength is not weak.

Facing this Certain Death attack, he could still resist briefly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Segments of drum beats echoed.

Nie Yingping took out a clapper drum, swung it rapidly, and struck the bride with it.

Bang!

The clapper drum hit the bride's Red Cap, and the gust it raised blew open a corner of the Cap, revealing a pale, delicate, exquisitely refined chin.

Although only half a face was seen, everyone's complexion changed.

At the instant the Red Cap of this eerie bride was lifted, a pair of pale Ghost Hands inevitably flashed in everyone's mind.

The image of a bride resurfaced deep in their memory, as if it were about to step out of the recollection.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dull clapper drum sound seemed to carry a mesmerizing, eerie power; as it rang, everyone was startled and regained composure.

"Fortunately, the bride from our memory almost stepped out."

Ye Yan, still shaken, glanced at the bride in the corner, but the moment he saw the embroidered shoes, he turned his head in deep aversion.

He dared not look at the bride standing in the corner.

"Attack! Suppress it!"

From behind the hall, He Ying stepped forward, leapt over the four and rushed toward the bride.

Her black hair at that moment seemed to come alive, each strand reaching toward the bride.

The moment the hair touched the bride, a layer resembling oil appeared on the strands, dripping onto the bride's Wedding Dress.

At the same time, a few strands from He Ying shot toward Du Hong, continuously pouring oil into his body.

The oil on those hairs seemed to possess a protective ability; Du Hong, who had been immobilized by the Footsteps, lifted his head again.

After scanning the scene a few times, he also attacked the eerie bride before him.

Meanwhile, Ye Yan and the other three each employed their own methods.

For a moment, a strange dripping sound echoed in the stairwell, with droplets falling from the Ceiling as if resonating in people's minds.

Simultaneously, an incomprehensible blue‑gray smoke rose from the stairwell, staining the surrounding walls a bluish‑black.

Ye Yan, eyes closed, let thick, rotting water flow from both hands and, relying on his memory, punched toward the bride's location.

With the combined effort of seven, the bride before them was instantly rendered motionless.

However, as one person approached holding the Golden Box, the bride's vivid color suddenly dulled to a gray.

The bride, once brightly colored with smooth, delicate skin, now looks like a painting on fire, her body parts turning into pieces of paper ash that fall.

"Retreat!"

Nie Yingping glanced, and was not surprised by the bride's transformation.

"The bride and the Ghost Painting have now merged into one, complementing each other; unless the frame and the bride are confined together, this ghost cannot be restrained."

"And the ghost bride we now face is merely a ghost bride that has emerged from a derivative painting."

"Even if we were to restrain her, it would be meaningless."

Nie Yingping finished his drawing and immediately headed out of the apartment.

The others exchanged glances and promptly followed Nie Yingping's steps.

Just this ghost bride that stepped out of a derivative painting is already so hard to handle; if they truly encountered the original ghost bride, they would be unable to stand a chance.

Yet at that moment, the previously tranquil city seemed to experience some sort of accident.

The street outside the apartment, once peaceful, suddenly began to be filled with falling Paper Money and paper ash at an unknown time.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hao and the ghost bride, after deciding not to continue attacking Yang Jian and the others, entered the Ning'an Mansion and found a red Bench.

That red Bench has the ability to force someone to sit, and only after sitting can one see the Source Ghost.

Moreover, besides its main body, the Bench can continuously generate more Benches; after Zhang Hao realized this ability, he recognized that it suited the bride.

Regardless of whether this Bench is the one from the red room, the mere ability to force someone to sit and to endlessly spawn red Benches can serve as a Puzzle piece for the ghost bride.

After a brief confrontation, Zhang Hao smoothly summoned the Source Ghost from within the Bench.

Facing the ghost bride and Zhang Hao, this Bench naturally had little resistance.

Zhang Hao and the ghost bride easily suppressed and controlled this Bench.

Unfortunately, perhaps because the bride has not yet completed the red room, she cannot wield the Medium of this Bench.

At most, she can sit on this Bench as a Supernatural Artifact and then use its ability.

Like the Ghost Coffin, allowing Zhang Hao remote control, it still cannot appear beside the bride at any time like the Paper Flower Sedan.

Finally, Zhang Hao decided to first place the red Bench inside the Flower Sedan Chair, taking the Bench with him, waiting until he later masters the red room.

However, just as Zhang Hao was about to do something, the bride who had been sitting on the red Bench inside the Flower Sedan Chair suddenly stood up.

"What happened?"

Zhang Hao noticed the ghost bride's unusual movement, looked up at her and asked.

However, it was clear that although the ghost bride's cognition improved after mastering the Ghost Painting, she could now understand more of Zhang Hao's words.

But expecting the current ghost bride to communicate her intentions to Zhang Hao was unrealistic.

After standing, the ghost bride walked straight to Zhang Hao's side, and Zhang Hao then, after a long time, felt his body lose control.

To say the least, since the bride completed the Ghost Painting, she seemed to inherit some of the Ghost Painting's Republic Era Moon Lotus instincts.

For example, she likes to paint, and likes to hold or pull Zhang Hao.

However, most importantly, the bride now resembles a true ancient bride, possessing the instinct of the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, which once again elevated Zhang Hao's standing on the ghost bride's side.

In the past, the bride would often suddenly control Zhang Hao's actions.

After mastering the Ghost Painting, the bride, unless in special circumstances, basically follows Zhang Hao's commands.

For instance, when they appeared in Da Dong City this time, the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain had already covered the entire city.

If this situation had occurred earlier at Caesar Grand Hotel, the ghost bride would probably have already killed all the living people in the city.

However now, it is Zhang Hao who began killing in order to let the Ghost Painting spawn new images.

Just as Zhang Hao wondered whether something was wrong, pieces of paper ash began to fall around.

In the next instant, Zhang Hao and the ghost bride arrived at a location in the outskirts of Da Dong City.

This place was a residential complex, and within it a line of oddly‑looking people were continuously running outward.

Chongyang Festival, something at home, Chapter Two will be posted later (this chapter ends).