Chapter 93: Mourning White Evil

Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Exterior.

A lone figure was wandering, holding a white lantern in one hand that bore a large black character meaning "offering", and an incense stick in the other.

The incense was burning, emitting a fragrance that lingered.

The white Lantern glowed in the dim surroundings, a pallid, eerie light, yet it could illuminate the road ahead.

"If I don't take it, I won't take it, okay? You'll never know I took it secretly."

Zhou Deng thought to himself, "I've been generous enough; I left a share of everything for you."

He didn't want to stay inside the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence.

Because the interior of the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence was perilous, and there was no way to search for treasure.

So when night fell the next day, Zhou Deng secretly took an incense and removed a white Lantern from the doorway.

The Lantern at the entrance of the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence had originally been red; shortly after they entered, it turned white, and the incense he took was from the incense burner in the back hall.

Holding the Lantern, he made no attempt to leave the residence, merely wandering around.

"Without a Spiritual Bus, there's truly no way out of this place," Zhou Deng said, as he followed a winding path into the Old Forest.

This path was not the same as the back‑door trail of the residence that led to the main gate.

"The former owner must have built this road here to make it easy to withdraw one day."

"Perhaps following this road will reveal a way out; if not, we might discover some treasure the former owner buried."

Zhou Deng's eyes darted around as he concocted more odd schemes.

Gradually.

He followed the path deeper into the Old Forest.

Along the way, Zhou Deng soon reached a fork.

"Hmm? Footprints here? What left them?" Zhou Deng said, looking at the footprints on the yellow‑mud Road.

From the number of prints, perhaps two or three people had passed, and the prints were fresh, likely made within the past few days.

"Such a ghostly place probably has no living people; could it be the old man who walked here before dying?"

"Or perhaps a Fierce Ghost passed through?"

Zhou Deng surveyed the direction of the Ghost's Walking steps at the fork, which led toward the Highway.

However, the path appeared endless, with no sign of the Highway in sight.

"Forget it, I'll ignore this side."

Zhou Deng quickly gave up on taking the trail toward the Highway.

Since a Fierce Ghost had come from that direction, it was hard to imagine whether other Fierce Ghosts awaited at the road's end.

Following the prints, Zhou Deng headed toward the other direction they indicated.

But Zhou Deng moved cautiously, constantly steering around the footprints as he advanced.

Because no one knows whether unknown curses linger on those prints.

Holding the white Lantern, he walked deeper, and the surroundings grew darker.

Soon.

The nearby forest was shrouded in darkness, leaving only a vague outline; only the yellow‑mud Road stretched ahead, seemingly endless.

"An unending eerie road? Should I turn back?" Zhou Deng frowned, pondering the question.

But after a moment, he shook his head and gave up the idea.

He chose to press on, because returning to the residence might not be safe; this ghostly place is perilous everywhere, and the outside could be even worse.

He had no sense of how long he had walked, unable to gauge the time.

He only knew that the old trees surrounding the yellow‑mud Road grew sparser, and soon he arrived at a clearing.

"Wooo—!"

As Zhou Deng approached, his steps halted.

He heard an extremely eerie Crying.

The Crying was uncanny, bearing an incomprehensible supernatural quality that inexplicably stirred a hint of sorrow in Zhou Deng.

"This Crying… could it be that the Red and White Double Evil are ahead?"

Zhou Deng's face darkened; he hadn't forgotten that the Red and White Double Evil also roamed near the residence, even stopping the Spiritual Bus.

"No, this Crying is too terrifying; I recall that the White Evil's Crying can be avoided through deafness, but it seems to have little effect on me."

Zhou Deng wasn't sure whether the Crying came from the Red and White Double Evil; if it were, he should have been attacked upon hearing it.

Zhou Deng frowned and looked at the Lantern in his hand.

"Is this Lantern shielding me from the effect? Or the Incense?"

"Maybe we should retreat."

Zhou Deng couldn't help feeling a slight urge to leave.

But he quickly abandoned the thought and kept moving forward.

Passing through the thinning trees, Zhou Deng soon reached a graveyard.

In the distance, Zhou Deng saw flames; as he drew near, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Red and White Double Evil!"

Zhou Deng was startled; he hadn't expected the Red and White Double Evil to have entered the Old Forest at some point.

"What are they doing?"

Zhou Deng looked ahead; the Ghost Bride representing Red Evil stood alone a short distance away, her hands flat on her abdomen, motionless like a standing stone, staring toward the distant White Evil.

At that moment, the White Evil knelt before a tomb, and behind him five Fierce Ghosts clad in Funeral Clothes knelt as well.

That eerie Crying emanated from the direction of the White Evil.

At this moment, Bai Sha was throwing paper copper coins into the copper basin to ignite them.

"What a waste of heavenly resources."

Watching the paper copper coins constantly being thrown into the copper basin, Zhou Deng widened his eyes.

He knew those paper copper coins were definitely some kind of Supernatural Artifact, and didn't expect them to be burned by Bai Sha like this.

Moreover, in front of Bai Sha there were several cups of wine, evidently also some kind of Supernatural Artifact.

"Hmm? No, that's a White Ghost Candle."

Zhou Deng's eyes suddenly widened; he realized that on the graveyard in front of Bai Sha, a White Candle was burning, emitting a pitch‑black light.

At this moment, Zhou Deng came to his senses and finally noticed that, at some unknown time, a series of eerie human silhouettes had appeared near this graveyard.

They were all drawn here after being ignited by the White Ghost Candle.

"Damn!"

Suddenly, Zhou Deng was startled.

At some point, several terrifying figures had already appeared around him; among them, a dead face mottled with bruises and smeared with earth showed up before his eyes under the white light.

Looking left and right, Zhou Deng saw that, at an unknown time, several ghosts had already gathered around him.

Fortunately, the light from the White Lantern shielded Zhou Deng from any Supernatural influence.

Hearing the movement, Zhang Hao, who had been in Mourning, slightly lifted his head toward the source of the sound and saw a figure holding a lantern and looking this way.

Staring inexplicably at the lantern, Zhang Hao felt a strong attraction urging him to approach.

"It seems the time is near; Yang Jian and the others have started to come out for Funeral Reporting, so let's begin our actions."

Zhang Hao turned his head to look at the portrait on the tomb; at that moment, the man's Gaze in the portrait also seemed drawn to the lantern.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao reached out to grab the bowl of Ghost Rice.

This time, when he reached for the Ghost Rice, he was not affected and smoothly collected it.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao sealed the few Fierce Ghosts wearing mourning bands nearby back into the Ghost Painting, then walked toward the Ghost Bride.

The Ghost Bride voluntarily took Zhang Hao's hand and immediately walked toward Zhou Deng.

Obviously, the Ghost Bride was also attracted by the White Lantern.

However, because Zhang Hao was still Mourning at Luo Qian's tomb and a White Ghost Candle burned beside him, she did not leave.

At this point, Zhang Hao had already approached, and the Ghost Bride immediately left this graveyard.

"Coming toward me?"

Zhou Deng sensed the situation here, and his complexion darkened slightly.

"Hope this White Lantern can prevent me from being attacked."

Zhou Deng can now only place his hope in this White Lantern, not knowing whether it can fend off such terrifying Fierce Ghosts.

Fortunately, Zhou Deng's worry was unnecessary.

After Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride reached Zhou Deng's vicinity, they did not attack him.

Zhang Dong left a terrifying Supernatural Artifact on this White Lantern; even Zhang Hao and the Bride lack the ability to pass through the lantern and attack a living person standing in the white light. Still, one can understand that the Fierce Ghosts imprisoned in this Old Forest are not simple.

In the original work, a group of people wielding White Lanterns cleared many trees and even drew out numerous Fierce Ghosts from an old mansion without being attacked.

Now, relying only on Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride, plus a few unexpectedly freed Fierce Ghosts nearby, how could they break the lantern's protection?

"It seems even the Red and White Double Evil cannot attack me inside the lantern; this lantern truly is a good thing."

Zhou Deng watched the Red and White Double Evil linger near the white light, soon swallowed by darkness and vanished; his eyes lit up, instantly feeling like he had found a treasure.

Being able to repel Fierce Ghosts of this level will give him more security when treasure‑hunting in the future.

After confirming he was safe, Zhou Deng immediately walked toward the tomb where Zhang Hao had been Mourning.

He first examined the portrait on the tomb; it was a man. "So handsome and dead here, what a pity."

"Luo Qian? What does this have to do with the Red and White Double Evil? Why is Bai Sha Mourning here?"

Zhou Deng whispered, looking at the items before the tomb.

In the copper basin lay Paper Money reduced to ash, and beside the tombstone a White Ghost Candle remained less than one‑fifth of its original length.

As for this White Ghost Candle, Zhou Deng naturally had no intention toward it.

The White Ghost Candle's ability is Ghost Summoning, and he had no intention of igniting it.

Zhou Deng surveyed the area and quickly spotted two cups of Blood Wine placed before the tomb.

"The Supernatural Artifact above is still active, good stuff."

Zhou Deng crouched, reaching out to take the two cups of wine.

However, as Zhou Deng bent over, the man's eyes on the tombstone turned eerily and followed his hand downward.

"Snap~!"

Zhou Deng suddenly withdrew his hand and slapped himself.

"Zhou Deng, Zhou Deng, you know this place is dangerous yet you reach out to grab things; if you provoke a curse and attract a Fierce Ghost, what will you do?"

He, like Zhang Hao before, suppressed his inner thought when handling the item, picked up the lantern again, and avoided touching the two cups of Blood Wine before the tomb.

As Zhou Deng withdrew his hand, the man's gaze in the portrait slowly returned, and everything seemed to return to normal.

"Looks like those two cups of wine now belong to Luo Qian."

"But there are only three bowls of Ghost Rice here; later will Yang Jian and the others need Ghost Incense to trade with Luo Qian for Blood Wine?"

Zhang Hao watched the scene, expressionless, yet his mind began to ponder.

Meanwhile, Zhou Deng continued wandering and arrived at the second tomb.

The second tomb belonged to Zhang Youhong; in front of it there was no Blood Wine, only a bowl of White Rice Bowl.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Zhou Deng this time dared not touch anything before the tomb.

"So beautiful and dead, what a pity; that Cheongsam looks nice, I wonder if it's buried inside."

After that he slapped himself again: "Zhou Deng, Zhou Deng, you can't do this; a beautiful lady like that, you dig other people's graves, try to strip a dead person's clothing—does that seem appropriate?"

He then walked around a few other graves and found another tomb also had a bowl of White Rice Bowl placed on it.

"Go back, go back, finding nothing is really a waste of time."

While Zhou Deng was complaining, just before leaving he inexplicably, as if guided by a spirit, arrived at the second woman's tomb and inserted that Incense Stick onto the grave.

"You're the most pleasing to my eyes; I'll light an Incense Stick for you before leaving, so my trip here isn't in vain, Zhou Deng."

He couldn't see anything special about this Incense Stick, and it seemed it would burn out soon, so keeping it in hand was useless; he simply discarded it.

He wasn't interested in such consumables; they were completely useless compared to the Lantern in his hand.

Carrying a white Lantern, Zhou Deng retraced his steps.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao wanted to intervene, but after thinking, he ultimately did nothing.

Zhou Deng seemed affected by some supernatural influence, and there were as many as six graves here.

If I were to interrupt Zhou Deng's actions, perhaps some unknown changes would occur here.

Not long after Zhou Deng left.

The Incense Stick standing on the tomb was burning rapidly, its ash falling in sections, and oddly the smoke didn't rise but drifted downward, sinking into that old grave.

The smile on the woman's portrait on the tombstone seemed to change, the grin widening.

Then the portrait gradually faded, its color lightening, until finally the portrait vanished, leaving only a blank space on the tombstone.

The next moment.

The old grave suddenly sank and collapsed.

A hand, painted with red nails and dazzlingly white, abruptly appeared; it rested on the tombstone, and with a gentle motion toppled the stone, burying it into the sunken old grave.

A turn.

A strange woman dressed in a Red Cheongsam, with a graceful figure and waist‑long hair, appeared in the middle of the clearing.

She exuded a fragrance, like the scent of the previously burned Incense Stick, yet also carrying another aroma.

However, the woman lacked any rotting, lifeless aura.

"Wah‑la‑la"

The nearby Old Forest stirred with wind; the trees swayed and rustled.

"Gah, gag‑gag." The woman let out a laugh.

The laughter echoed, with emphasis.

The swaying old trees instantly returned to calm.

The woman left, walking along the yellow‑mud path toward the ancient residence.

Under the Red Cheongsam were a pair of red high‑heels, vivid as blood, and an embroidered handkerchief hung at her waist—elegant yet eerie.

But Zhang Hao and Zhou Deng could not see any of this.

Zhou Deng kept going forward, through the path, and after a long while finally arrived at an ancient residence.

In the darkness that Zhou Deng could not pierce, Zhang Hao, holding the Ghost Bride, followed Zhou Deng all the way.

The Old Forest was vast, and some incomprehensible supernatural presence made it impenetrable; no one could guide them, and Zhang Hao could not pinpoint the exact location of the ancient residence.

At this moment, Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior.

Yang Jian and the others had just repelled a wave of incoming Fierce Ghosts, were temporarily safe, and were resting while discussing what to do next.

"Everyone wait a moment; there's movement outside."

Suddenly, Yang Jian waved his hand, indicating, and looked toward the back door.

The back door was half‑closed; through the crack he could faintly see a pale, mournful light flickering in the distance, slowly drifting toward them.

When it drew near enough, he confirmed it was a person, carrying a white Lantern along the path from the Old Forest.

"It doesn't look like a ghost; it looks like the missing Zhou Deng earlier—yes, indeed, that Zhou Deng fellow." Someone else saw it and immediately clenched their teeth in anger.

"That guy isn't dead yet?" Fan Xing was also surprised.

Earlier the ancient residence was shrouded in darkness, danger descended, and except for the back hall, all other areas were extremely perilous.

Even if Zhou Deng had been nominated captain, in this environment he couldn't possibly survive.

Creak!

The back door was pushed open.

Zhou Deng, his feet covered in yellow mud, entered the back hall and, somewhat surprised, said, "I saw someone inside just now, so I came to check; I didn't expect you all to be here. What happened just now?"

"Where did you go before?" Yang Jian examined him and asked.

"Of course I was just wandering around here to see if there was any danger," Zhou Deng replied.

Yang Jian said, "And the result?"

Zhou Deng said, "This place is indeed not simple; that forest has several old graves, the White Evil of the Red and White Double Evil is still there Mourning, I sensed something wrong, left an Incense Stick and left."

"Did you take that Lantern from the front door?" Yang Jian asked, looking at the familiar Lantern.

"It's dark outside; I took a Lantern to light the way, that shouldn't be a problem," Zhou Deng said.

"I even deliberately searched elsewhere, only to find there's no other way out; the only place to stay is this ancient residence, and I plan to go around the front again."

Fan Xing immediately said, "Don't act recklessly, Zhou Deng; this place isn't as simple as you think. The ancient residence was the only safe spot, and if you mess up and break the Balance, you'll endanger us all."

"Also, you shouldn't have taken that Incense Stick; the incense here is special, with a bizarre effect, and it's extremely important to us."

"I didn't notice anything special about that Incense Stick," Zhou Deng frowned.

"Hey, everyone, can we stop discussing that Incense Stick? I want to know whether only one person entered just now, Zhou Deng."

Suddenly, someone immediately pointed out, then indicated the footprints on the ground.

The others looked.

At the back door, there was a scattering of disordered footprints of varying sizes, as if lingering right beside the door.

The back door, which had been perfectly still, now moves on its own without any wind, swaying slowly back and forth.

(End of chapter)