Chapter 94: Entering the Old Mansion (Extended Chapter)

At everyone's reminder, Zhou Deng quickly recalled that he had previously encountered the Red and White Double Evil in that graveyard.

However, the moment Zhou Deng turned the Lantern, everyone immediately saw a scene that made everyone's spines chill.

As the white light of the Lantern enveloped the back door, a red and a white figure appeared before the crowd.

Although those two figures stepped back a step and vanished into the darkness after the white light covered them, they were still noticed by everyone.

"Red and White Double Evil!"

Yang Jian stared intently at the White Evil; at this moment the Red and White Double Evil were less than three meters from the old mansion's entrance.

It seemed that the presence of the white light from the Lantern blocked the two ghosts from entering the old mansion.

"Zhou Deng, you actually lured the Red and White Double Evil here," Yang Jian said, his eyes cold.

It was his first time facing someone who bore no malice toward him, and a strong urge to kill the other surged deep within him.

Not only Yang Jian, but the other Ghost Tamer and Ghost Courier also stared fixedly at Zhou Deng.

"This Lantern seems to have the ability to isolate and attract Fierce Ghosts, causing those Fierce Ghosts to follow yet unable to attack the people inside, though we don't know how long it can hold," Yan Yan said in a deep voice.

"If other ghosts appear, we can ignore them; now that other ghosts appear it doesn't matter, as long as the Balance isn't broken, the Ghost won't dare to step into this old mansion lightly."

The old eagle looked at Yang Jian and asked, "If the Red and White Double Evil get inside, we might all die here, right?"

"Almost," Yang Jian said calmly, nodding.

"Red and White Double Evil, even I wouldn't dare face them; once they enter the house Ghost's Killing, we cannot stop them."

"If the Ghost comes from that Old Forest following me, then I'll be responsible for leading the Ghost away," Zhou Deng said from outside the door.

He then lifted the Lantern and left.

He seemed to circle toward the old mansion's main gate, unsure whether he truly intended to lead the Ghost away or had some other plan.

The others watched Zhou Deng leave in silence; given the situation, having Zhou Deng lure the Fierce Ghost away was now the best solution.

"That Zhou Deng is a complete madman, wandering around with a Lantern, basically courting death," someone cursed, clearly dissatisfied with Zhou Deng.

"I'm sure he'll be attacked by a Ghost out there today; I don't believe he's that lucky, always turning misfortune into fortune."

Zhou Deng left the old mansion, and Zhang Hao, drawn by the attraction, immediately followed.

Time passed bit by bit.

Zhou Deng aimlessly led Zhang Hao and the others wandering through the Old Forest near the old mansion; the supernatural influence clouded Zhou Deng's senses, making him unable to discern direction.

"Tap! Tap tap!"

No one knew how long they had been wandering, when a sound of Footsteps came from the distant woods.

Zhang Hao turned toward the source; it was a woman.

She wore a red flag on her body, red high‑heels at her feet, vivid as blood, and a rusted handkerchief hung at her waist as she slowly walked toward them.

"That's... Zhang Youhong!"

In the darkness, Zhang Hao stared fixedly at her; the Cheongsam woman's appearance was eerie.

She looked human, but walked with Ghost's Stiffness, appearing more like a Fierce Ghost, her facial expression a strange numbness.

As she approached, the woman seemed to notice Zhou Deng inside the Lantern.

She raised her hand stiffly, and several Wooden Puppets that resembled living people suddenly appeared there.

Aside from some wooden joint marks, those Wooden Puppets looked indistinguishable from living humans.

Zhang Hao observed the Wooden Puppets; their forms were exactly the same as the Seven Elders he had seen in his youth at that graveyard.

Only compared with the Seven Elders on the Black and White Portrait, they had extra gaps on their faces.

The Wooden Puppets, once appeared, launched an attack on Zhou Deng.

"Dong! Dong dong!" A bizarre, terrifying knocking sound rang out, as if a human heart were being hammered.

Even Zhang Hao, hearing the sound, couldn't help feeling dread.

At the same time, the Ground's soil began to stir at that moment.

The soil, as if seeped with blood, turned a crimson rot, and after being lifted, it started swirling toward Zhou Deng.

The previously white Lantern that had prevented Zhou Deng from being attacked by Zhang Hao offered no resistance against this foul, blood‑red Grave Soil.

"This Liu Qingqing, possessed by Zhang Youhong, actually ignored the white Lantern's protection,"

Zhang Hao watched the scene, feeling a bit surprised.

But he quickly recovered, realizing he couldn't ignore it, because in his perception he considered himself a Ghost.

Now that Liu Qingqing is possessed by Zhang Youhong, her identity remains human, still alive, though affected by Zhang Youhong's supernatural influence.

Therefore the white Lantern's ability to attract Fierce Ghosts and prevent them from attacking the living inside is ineffective for Liu Qingqing, who is still alive.

Just like Yang Jian, although he is an Abnormal, in his mind he is still human, so he can freely use the supernatural within the white Lantern.

This is a behavioral difference brought by identity.

A Fierce Ghost's identity lets Zhang Hao command other Fierce Ghosts without suffering Ghost Erosion, and likewise makes his actions subject to Fierce Ghost instincts.

"Damn! Is that the woman beside Yang Jian and his group?"

Zhou Deng's complexion changed; he hurriedly took out a Human Skin Mask, put it on his face, and dropped the white Lantern.

With that, the living aura around him vanished, and he looked indistinguishable from a Fierce Ghost.

At that moment, Liu Qingqing also seemed to lose her target, and the Wooden Puppets disappeared.

However then, she looked toward Zhang Hao's direction.

No, more precisely, she looked toward the Bride's direction.

Although Liu Qingqing looked at the Bride, there were no signs of launching Ghost's Killing.

Liu Qingqing's current state is strange; she seems to possess a living consciousness, yet her behavior resembles a Fierce Ghost.

Now, because no one is holding the white Lantern, the surrounding Fierce Ghosts also manifested.

At some point, there were a dozen terrifying Fierce Ghosts near the white Lantern, each with a high Terror Level.

This made Zhou Deng, who was wearing a Human Skin Mask to disguise himself as a Fierce Ghost, jump in fright.

He looked at the nearby area, where Liu Qingqing seemed to be in some conflict with the Red and White Double Evil; seeing this, he hurriedly pretended to be a Fierce Ghost and wandered outward.

After Zhou Deng left, the white lantern seemed to lose its ability to attract Fierce Ghosts when no one was carrying it.

The surrounding Fierce Ghosts began to wander off aimlessly, and Liu Qingqing, as if she had fixed her eyes on Zhou Deng, also left this place, her gait Ghost's Stiffness, following the direction the other went.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao walked to the white lantern and stored it inside the Ghost Domain.

This item can attract Fierce Ghosts; perhaps I can use it later, so I'll put it away for now.

At the very least, when the funeral is held later, having two ghosts carry the white lantern can draw more Fierce Ghosts close.

After securing the lantern, Zhang Hao had no further plans of action.

Although there is nothing to use for timing, judging by Zhou Deng's appearance, it seems that inside the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior it is only now the period for Funeral Reporting.

There are still at least a day or two before Yang Jian opens the Red Room.

Zhang Hao and the Ghost Bride stood still where they were, motionless, waiting quietly as if they were two dead bodies.

After an unknown amount of time had passed, Zhang Hao finally heard voices in this Old Forest.

From a distance, a faint attractive white light appeared within the Old Forest, and the voices came from there.

Zhang Hao immediately led the Ghost Bride toward the source of the sound.

"A corpse in black clothing, isn't it?" As soon as he got close, Zhang Hao heard that voice.

When he approached, not far from the side of the ancient mansion, sparse sounds were emanating.

A group of people, holding lanterns, followed a black, strange old tree and dug into the soil, and it seemed they had been digging for a while.

A pit gradually appeared before them.

The soil in the pit was also black, emitting a putrid smell, as if mixed with some bloodwater and then rotted.

The soil was loose and messy; the crowd could easily dig with simple tools, and after digging down about a meter or so,

A twisted corpse outline emerged; the corpse was rotting and foul, wrapped in tree roots, as if the tree had drawn nourishment from the body to grow.

The corpse was bizarre, and the tree grew in a very strange way.

It seemed that after judging the unearthed item was not what they wanted, those people continued to work, refilling the soil they had painstakingly dug out.

"Are they digging for Funeral Clothes?"

Zhang Hao's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly understood the current situation.

Yang Jian and the others are probably digging under these big trees near the Ghostly Mansion for Fierce Ghosts, searching for Funeral Clothes among them.

Looking at another tree that Yang Jian and the others were excavating, a half‑exposed edge of a white garment emerged from the soil; though stained with filth, it was still clearly discernible.

However, the garment was heavily torn, rotting into numerous holes, as if it could oxidize and shatter at any moment; no one knew how long the clothing had been buried beneath the old tree.

"It really is just as Zhou Deng said, a white garment," Fan Xing said, looking somewhat astonished.

He had not believed it before, but with the evidence now before his eyes, he could not deny it.

He continued to dig the soil beside it.

Only then did the crowd see what lay beneath the soil.

A decayed, blackened skeletal corpse, without flesh, only a skeleton remained, gender indiscernible, and it was not wearing a white garment.

Instead it was wrapped in a White Cloth, like a burial shroud, though this white shroud had rotted considerably, perhaps altered after burial.

Watching Yang Jian and the others' actions, Zhang Hao did nothing, just observed.

He wants Funeral Clothes; they can be made easily in large numbers, but he cannot help Yang Jian and the others.

All he can do is wait as much as possible, and try not to affect Yang Jian before the Red Room is opened.

Time kept flowing, and because there were more people, Yang Jian and his group unearthed more Funeral Clothes than in the original story.

"Woo! Woo!"

At night, suddenly, the wind rose.

The cold wind brushed the treetops of the Old Forest, shaking the whole woods, and produced a whooo sound, as if something were weeping within the forest.

It sounded much like the Mourning that Zhang Hao emitted, but it was more ethereal, lacking that sense of sorrow.

"Bang!"

The next moment.

A strange old tree, blown by the wind, lost its Balance and fell straight to the ground.

Then the third, fourth, and fifth trees, one after another, were blown down by the wind.

Those old trees were undoubtedly the ones Yang Jian and his group had previously unearthed; regardless of whether they had moved the corpse beneath, they were all falling.

This Old Forest was out of control, and the Fierce Ghosts inside were crawling out.

"Waaah!"

Another row of trees fell, and at that moment the Old Forest echoed with a baby's wail.

Yang Jian's gaze darkened: "Stop wasting time, retreat to the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior; we cannot stay out here… the third day's Funeral Reporting is over."

Soon, the group left the Old Forest and returned to the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior.

Zhang Hao walked to the ancient mansion gate, saw the lantern that Yang Jian and the others had left at the entrance, and picked it up.

It seemed that because he had expended too much energy defending Yang Jian and the others from the supernatural, the white light on the lantern had become much dimmer.

Just as Zhang Hao stood before the main gate, a strange figure smeared with mud suddenly appeared beside him.

The thing, as soon as it appeared, immediately began slamming the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior's main door.

Soon after, another Fierce Ghost appeared at the doorway.

Zhang Hao could even see that Liu Qingqing, who had left with Zhou Deng earlier, was now also here.

"It seems it's already the Fourth Day, huh? Then it's about time for me to go in as well."

Zhang Hao had no intention of letting Liu Qingqing enter the Red Room ahead of him; who knows if her early entry would cause some incomprehensible changes in the Red Room.

Moreover, that room clearly contains many Supernatural Incidents; if Liu Qingqing were to go in first and take some things from the red room, Zhang Hao would have further trouble.

Soon, the main door was forcefully slammed open.

Immediately, the Fierce Ghosts outside the door surged in and entered the room.

The countless Fierce Ghosts, even Zhang Hao and the Dry Corpse Bride here, could not help but feel their own supernatural being suppressed.

There were too many Fierce Ghosts, and the Fierce Ghosts here, once they appear in the outside world, constitute at least an A‑level Supernatural Incident.

Amid countless supernatural clashes, all Fierce Ghosts instinctively contracted their own supernatural presence, Zhang Hao and the Dry Corpse Bride included.

At this moment Zhang Hao released a Ghost Domain, adjusting its size to just enclose himself and the bride, avoiding contact with other Fierce Ghosts that could cause confrontation.

After all, whether it is Ghost Summoning or a Ghost Domain, both are forms of supernatural influence.

When you use supernatural influence on other Fierce Ghosts, they will instinctively oppose you.

A few Fierce Ghosts are manageable, but with so many, if too many engage in confrontation, even Zhang Hao and the Dry Corpse Bride cannot withstand it.

Following the corridor, Zhang Hao and the Dry Corpse Bride quickly entered the Ghost's Zhang Dong's Ghost Residence's Interior.

At this point, the arrangements in the Ghost Residence that could prevent Fierce Ghosts from entering had been almost exhausted, and the only thing that still made Zhang Hao wary was the red wooden coffin that Yang Jian and others had moved to the main hall.

It was terrifying; even though Zhang Hao could sense that the old man inside the coffin had not yet revived, he still felt an aversion to approaching.

However, while Zhang Hao kept his distance, the other Fierce Ghosts would not share that hesitation.

For a moment, various eerie sounds rang throughout the Ghost Residence.

Near the coffin in the main hall, Yang Jian, at this moment dressed in filthy, tattered mourning clothes, wielding a cracked Long Spear, had a Ghost Eye opened, staring intently at an unborn baby.

Unconsciously.

The Ghost Eye regained its sight.

The suppressive feeling of the Ghost Residence vanished; he could even now employ the Ghost Domain.

"This thing left here is a disaster; if it were to grow like a Ghost Baby, it would be catastrophic. Eliminating it now might preemptively snuff out a terrifying Supernatural Incident."

Yang Jian's arm holding the Long Spear twitched slightly.

Suddenly.

The Ghost Eye's Ghost Domain manifested instantly.

Without any reservation, the Six-Layer Ghost Domain was directly activated.

The lion fights the rabbit with full force.

The Ghost Domain instantly spread over several approaching Fierce Ghosts within the Ghost Residence, and everything around seemed to pause repeatedly.

Yet at that moment, Yang Jian's pupils snapped shut, and the red light abruptly dissipated.

The Ghost Eye closed, because while the red light enveloped him, Yang Jian saw a horrifying figure.

It was the Dry Corpse Bride; just as the Ghost Eye released a Ghost Domain, he inadvertently saw the Dry Corpse Bride.

In an instant, Yang Jian felt a pair of pale Ghost Hands appear in his memory, as if a terrifying bride were stepping out of the mental image.

"Captain, what's wrong with you!"

Yan Yan saw this and hurried forward to ask.

"I accidentally saw the Dry Corpse Bride just now, triggering the Killing Rule," Yang Jian forced his memory to suppress.

Having the headless Ghost Shadow's ability to control memories, cutting off the suddenly appearing memory images in his mind was still very easy for Yang Jian.

What worried him was whether the Dry Corpse Bride would attack him at this moment.

Perhaps because his Ghost Eye closed proactively in time, after Yang Jian swiftly cut off the memory images in his mind, he did not attract the Dry Corpse Bride's attention.

"From now on I'm afraid I can't use the Ghost Domain; the Red and White Double Evil have entered the room."

"My Ghost Domain, if mishandled, would trigger its Killing Rule; everyone be careful."

Yang Jian impaled a Ghost with his golden Long Spear, then said to the others.

"Understood," Zhou Deng nodded. "That Red and White Double Evil is indeed terrifying."

"To think it even brought such influence, never mind, let's stay farther from the main hall."

Zhang Hao, seeing Yang Jian's Ghost Domain being suppressed, immediately led the bride toward a bottomless long corridor deep within the Ghost Residence.

If Yang Jian were to die because he could no longer use the Ghost Domain, that would be troublesome; perhaps the Balance would go out of control and Zhang Dong would have to revive as a result.

Entering the deep corridor of the Ghost Residence, Zhang Hao soon saw Liu Qingqing's figure again.

Obviously, Liu Qingqing, whose lingering consciousness was controlled by Zhang Youhong, was also waiting for the red room to open.

Zhang Hao did not hesitate, immediately leading the bride to attack Liu Qingqing together.

When we were outside before, attacking the opponent had no meaning.

But at this moment, we cannot let Liu Qingqing stay here any longer.

The Puzzle does not possess uniqueness.

If Liu Qingqing were to enter the red room and command some of its contents, that would be a huge problem.

(End of Chapter)