Chapter 96: Deal with the Red Room, the Awakening of Zhang Youhong

To ensure that it was the bride who completed the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room, and not that the bride became part of the room.

Zhang Hao immediately chose to retrieve the mirror on the dressing table and the Ghost Scissors.

After reclaiming those two items, Zhang Hao could see that the room, which had previously become bright, was now much dimmer.

However, the dense Hong Bai Shuang Sha light in the air at this moment had almost solidified, making the whole room look as if it were flooded by a layer of blood.

The Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored light, like blood, makes the room, though clearly under Hong Bai Shuang Sha illumination, oddly feel dim.

The Ghost Mirror and Ghost Scissors Zhang Hao took out activated the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room's instinct to complete the puzzle.

But her later retrieval of the Ghost Mirror and Ghost Scissors was equivalent to snatching away a puzzle piece of the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room.

Fortunately at this moment, the Ghost Cabinet was summoned by the bride.

The Ghost Cabinet appeared on a vacant spot in the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room that was just right for placing the Ghost Cabinet.

The Ghost Cabinet differs from the Ghost Mirror and Ghost Scissors.

Although these are all puzzle pieces of the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room, the Ghost Cabinet is now controlled by the bride.

But the Ghost Mirror and Ghost Scissors have no controlling relationship with the bride; once given to the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room, they become its puzzle pieces.

Since the Ghost Cabinet is already controlled by the bride, once it appears, the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room's attempt to complete the Ghost Cabinet will inevitably grant the bride a controlling Medium.

With the Ghost Cabinet's appearance, the light inside the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room brightened again.

The semi‑transparent Ghost Cabinet began to solidify in the room, as some invisible force acted upon it, reshaping its wooden husk.

Soon, a brand‑new Ghost Cabinet appeared in the room.

The Ghost Cabinet was coated with a layer of blood‑like Hong Bai Shuang Sha paint, with blood seeping through, repainting all the other furniture in the room that had become dull from age.

"That is the Ghost Blood on the bride's body."

Zhang Hao only glanced and made a judgment.

After linking with the Ghost Cabinet, the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room is using the Ghost Cabinet to borrow the blood of the corpse within the bride to refurbish the room's furniture.

However, Zhang Hao could also feel it.

Those pieces of furniture that seemed repainted with fresh blood now have a faint connection with the Ghost Bride.

Although not yet to the level of control, these furnishings have already been tainted with the bride's Medium.

After all, the blood within that female corpse is itself a special Medium and curse, so the furniture now drenched in blood naturally retains that Medium and curse.

"By the way, I recall there seems to be a Hong Bai Shuang Sha bracelet in the room."

Although the other items in the room cannot currently be controlled by the bride, that bracelet can now be worn by the bride.

Zhang Hao hurried forward and opened another drawer of the dressing table.

Soon, Zhang Hao found a pair of Jade bracelets inside.

The Jade's color was black, yet its interior was vivid, as if blood had seeped in.

Zhang Hao lifted a bracelet, examined it carefully for a moment, then placed one on his own hand.

Then Zhang Hao walked to the Ghost Bride, who was temporarily immobilized for some reason, and put the other Jade bracelet on her hand.

As the bride's blood permeated the furniture of the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room, she now seemed to form some connection with the room, becoming embroiled in a confrontation.

"What a pity, perhaps I should find the Ghost Makeup, let the bride use it to successfully apply makeup, then let the bride attempt to control this Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room."

Zhang Hao watched the motionless bride and could sense that her condition was not good.

Even the current Ghost Bride finds it too difficult to wrest control when facing the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room.

Zhang Hao went to the side of the Ghost Cabinet, took out a sheet of drawing paper, wrote a line, and placed it inside.

"Let the bride become the room's dominator."

The Ghost Cabinet's rule is a transaction; previously Zhang Hao had used the Ghost Cabinet to trade with Luo Qian's relic.

Now Zhang Hao intends to test whether he can make a deal with this Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room.

Otherwise, if this confrontation continues, the bride will inevitably become a puzzle piece of the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room.

This Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room can be called a ghost, but it can no longer be simply termed a ghost.

It is essentially a small, special Spiritual Realm.

"Within a year, help me complete all missing things in the room, and then I will let the bride become the dominator."

Soon, inside the Ghost Cabinet, a sheet of paper soaked with blood was handed out.

"Okay, but first resolve the confrontation with the bride." Zhang Hao had no objection to this condition.

He himself also wants the bride to control the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room.

"The condition to free the bride is: give me the Ghost Mirror, Ghost Scissors, and the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored Ghost Stool."

Seeing this note inside the Ghost Cabinet, Zhang Hao did not immediately agree.

If he now gives the Ghost Mirror, Ghost Scissors, and the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored Ghost Stool to the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room, it will surely make future control even more troublesome.

Nevertheless, Zhang Hao looked at the bride and ultimately chose to agree.

At least this Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored room cannot leave here, while he and the bride can wander outside and continue to grow stronger.

"Okay, but the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored Ghost Stool is with the bride; after I give you the Ghost Mirror and Scissors, I will first release the bride." Zhang Hao placed the note into the Ghost Cabinet.

Perhaps because the bride is now the Ghost Cabinet's controller, the transaction's rules still favor Zhang Hao.

After both parties reach the deal, Zhang Hao does not act first and then the other party fulfills it.

Instead, Zhang Hao first obtains what he wants, then proceeds to do what the other side wishes to achieve.

After noticing that the control over the bride had vanished, Zhang Hao retrieved the previously reclaimed Ghost Mirror and Ghost Scissors and placed them on the dressing table.

"Bride, bring out the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored Ghost Stool." Zhang Hao said as he approached the bride, who had regained free movement.

The Ghost Bride heard this and quickly took out the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored Ghost Stool.

Zhang Hao took the stool and placed it beside the Hong Bai Shuang Sha-colored stool already in the room.

Having completed the first transaction, Zhang Hao took out the drawing paper again and rewrote the previous deal on it.

Let the Ghost Bride become the room's ruler.

Within a year, help me restore all missing items in the room; after that I will let the Ghost Bride become the ruler, but until then I can only grant the Ghost Bride the right to use the room's items.

This red room, unlike the last time, doesn't first give the items in the conditions to Zhang Hao; instead, he must first complete the room.

Although the Ghost Cabinet was tamed by the Ghost Bride, the red room now clearly also has a connection to the Ghost Cabinet.

This red room lacks intelligence, yet it can still comprehend the trading rules via the Ghost Cabinet.

If the Ghost Bride has already become the room's ruler, then it is already a subordinate of the Ghost Bride, so how can it still trade with Zhang Hao?

Zhang Hao collected the slip of paper and then looked at the Ghost Bride.

Although he failed to tame the red room, and even lost the Ghost Mirror, the Ghost Scissors, and the red Ghost Stool, it looks like a loss.

But in fact it isn't a loss, because after the Ghost Bride's blood was used by the red room to coat the furniture here, those items formed some connection with the Ghost Bride.

Even if those items remain in the red room, future Ghost Brides can still freely draw upon part of the room's supernatural effects.

Items such as the Ghost Scissors and the red Ghost Stool can later be taken out of the room by the Ghost Bride at any time.

By the way, Zhang Dong is about to revive; we still need to leave a Medium that can return to this place.

"Ghost Bride, bring a derivative painting and place it here," Zhang Hao said to the Ghost Bride.

The Ghost Bride, hearing Zhang Hao, immediately took out a painting and handed it to him.

Zhang Hao took the derivative painting and hung it on that easel.

Thus, from now on the Ghost Bride can enter this room at any time and take out its contents for use.

Just as Zhang Hao finished everything and was about to leave,

suddenly a slender figure appeared at his feet, its shadow stretching from the doorway.

When Zhang Hao looked toward the doorway and prepared to use the Ghost Domain to attack, the figure abruptly vanished.

Then, in the room, a person suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

It was a woman in a Red Cheongsam, sitting back‑to‑back in front of a dressing table; because the dressing table could not reflect the Fierce Ghost's image, Zhang Hao could not see the front of this red figure.

However, judging from the Cheongsam she wore, Zhang Hao immediately made a determination.

It is the Cheongsam belonging to Liu Qingqing.

"Is it Liu Qingqing or Zhang Youhong?" Zhang Hao, holding the Ghost Bride, stared intently at the figure seated before the dressing table.

The silhouette is somewhat similar, yet carries an indescribable strangeness, as if another eerie figure were layered upon her.

A vague shape overlapped the back view before him, as if a double image had formed.

But this double image was discordant, as if possessed by an illusory Ghost.

With the woman's appearance, a scent of Incense Stick filled the room.

Zhang Hao recognized the scent; it was the Incense Stick that Zhou Deng held while circling outside with a white Lantern.

At that moment, the woman in the Red Cheongsam before the dressing table suddenly turned around.

It was a blurred face—no, not blurred, but a face formed by two overlapping faces.

Although the two faces were highly similar, they were distinct; one was familiar—Liu Qingqing's, but her eyes were closed.

The other face was the one Zhang Hao saw of Zhang Youhong in that cemetery.

Zhang Youhong was beautiful, flawless, with jet‑black, bright eyes that even rivaled those of a Ghost Painting.

Yet her face lacked any spark, appearing lifeless like a corpse, devoid of any aura.

A Ghost Painting, being a painting, also has cold, soulless eyes, yet it conveys an exquisite beauty.

"Red and White Double Evil? Or perhaps Moon Lotus? But now you should be called Ghost Bride, right?"

A stranger woman's voice sounded; Liu Qingqing whispered to the Ghost Bride.

"I never expected that after you died, we painstakingly dismembered you, and now you have returned here again."

Liu Qingqing looked at the mirror on the dressing table; strange shadows flickered within, yet it could not reflect her or the Ghost Bride's forms.

Beside the dressing table, a blood‑red cabinet had appeared at an unknown time.

On the easel in the corner, a painting was also hung, and a red Ghost Stool appeared beside the table.

These items were the ones she had paid a great price to bring out of this room, and unexpectedly they have circled back here.

"To prepare for emergencies we left a few Incense Sticks, but I didn't expect that the one who woke up this time would be me."

"Liu Qingqing" said, "I originally thought it was too early; I shouldn't have awakened so soon."

"But now I should be glad I woke up a bit early."

Perhaps because she had been silent for too long, Liu Qingqing kept talking to herself.

While speaking, several eerie dolls suddenly appeared behind her.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao became alert.

"Ghost Bride, act!"

Zhang Hao immediately launched an attack on Liu Qingqing; the current Liu Qingqing was being controlled by Zhang Youhong.

If the opponent truly stacked supernatural effects, I wouldn't even have the ability to retaliate.

A black‑and‑white Ghost Domain appeared, turning the room's red light into a dim glow.

However, this black‑and‑white Ghost Domain did not strip color from everything around.

Because the entire red room is part of that Ghost, it cannot be easily affected.

"Hm? It still possesses intelligence?" Liu Qingqing looked at Zhang Hao with surprise.

"I see, it's a person controlled by the Ghost Bride, the exact opposite of a Ghost Tamer—a Ghost Controlling Human."

While Liu Qingqing stared at Zhang Hao, the attack had already arrived.

The lethal supernatural effect targeting females activated; the moment Zhang Hao seized Liu Qingqing, a terrifying supernatural force acted on her, intending to kill her.

However, at that moment, the bright red Cheongsam Liu Qingqing wore became even more vivid.

Cheongsam blocked Zhang Hao's attack, causing Ghost Seeking Kin's female‑targeted ghostly power to fail to truly affect Liu Qingqing's body.

However Zhang Hao's target is not Liu Qingqing; he knows clearly that Liu Qingqing, possessed by Zhang Youhong, is not someone he can deal with now.

While Zhang Hao assaulted Liu Qingqing, the Ghost Bride also launched an attack.

Paper ash fell throughout the room, and within that ash, one by one, brides wearing Wedding Dresses emerged.

The current Zhang Hao and the Bride are not the same as when they just left Ghost Fire and arrived at Da Dong City.

As the Ghost Painting Ghost Domain covered all of Da Dong City, the Ghost Bride created countless derivative portraits.

At this moment those newly derived portraits continuously attacked the four Wooden Puppets behind Liu Qingqing.

"It seems that after being mastered, the remaining wisdom is still considerable; it even knows how to try to stop me from stacking ghostly power."

Liu Qingqing let out a light laugh, seeming completely indifferent to them.

When each Ghost Bride stepped out to attack those four Wooden Puppets, Liu Qingqing merely waved a finger, and soon the original four puppets turned into eight.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A bizarre, terrifying knocking kept echoing, and Zhang Hao instinctively felt a desire to just sleep through it.

Soon after, Zhang Hao lost his ability to act and Restarted beside the Ghost Bride.

It was two Wooden Puppets, each bearing Luo Wensong's six layers of ghostly power, that attacked Zhang Hao and, in an instant, suppressed him.

Zhang Youhong's ghostly power indeed requires stacking; that is indisputable.

But Zhang Hao overlooked one point: each stacked ghostly power of Zhang Youhong is actually Six‑Tenths of the Ghostly Power of the Seven Elders.

And Zhang Hao's current strength cannot contend with the Seven Elders' Six‑Tenths of ghostly power.

Not only Zhang Hao; at this moment even the Ghost Brides that keep emerging to attack those puppets are continuously being suppressed.

The terrifying Grave Soil leaves a series of grave mounds in the room, each mound representing a Ghost Bride that stepped out of the painting and has been suppressed.

"Trouble," Luo Qian's Grave Soil seems to possess the ability to block Restart.

After Restart, Zhang Hao noticed those grave mounds and felt a sudden heaviness inside.

Even the Ghost Bride's Derivative Bodies can be Restarted through their derivative portraits.

However, against Luo Qian, these Derivative Bodies of the Ghost Bride, once buried, have no chance to Restart even with a painting frame.

Meanwhile, in the room, at an unknown moment, a strange black shadow appeared; wherever the shadow covered, the Ghost Brides seemed to be controlled in reverse.

These Ghost Brides covered by the black shadow oddly turned around and attacked the other Ghost Brides that were emerging.

"That is Li Qingzhi's Ghost Shadow, how terrifying—something Yang Jian could never fully manifest."

Yang Jian's Ghost Shadow can only manipulate living people's memories, whereas Li Qingzhi's Ghost Shadow can even affect a ghost's consciousness.

"Bride, you hide inside the painting first."

Zhang Hao told the Ghost Bride, allowing her to enter the world within the Ghost Painting.

Under these circumstances, the original Ghost Bride, source of the brides, is no longer suitable to stay here.

If a Ghost Bride gets suppressed, everything is essentially over.

Against Luo Qian, Restart has no effect.

The instant the Ghost Bride entered the Ghost Painting world, Zhang Hao felt a terrifying old woman appear in his consciousness.

No, that's not right; it's more than one.

It seems that in every day, every minute of his past memories, an old woman is appearing.

Those old women residing in each of Zhang Hao's memories are now stepping out from the depths of his mind, as if to replace him.

As the images of these old women in his memory become clearer, one terrifying, bizarre old woman after another begins to appear in the room.

And Zhang Hao's body, at this moment, also turned black and white, losing color, like a person stepping out of a television. "Oh? So that's it—you've mastered the ability of the Black and White Portrait of the Black and White Ghost Domain?"

Liu Qingqing looked at Zhang Hao with some surprise; although his body had lost color and old women kept emerging around him, Zhang Hao showed no sign of being replaced.

No matter how many old women emerge, they can never truly get out.

Because after losing his color, Zhang Hao did not lose his ability to act.

Having mastered the Black and White Portrait, Zhang Hao, even though all his color faded, was still not suppressed.

Or rather, after mastering the Black and White Portrait, Zhang Hao's body had already lost all color.

When he walks outside, the reason he isn't black and white is because the Ghost Bride used the Ghost Painting's power to color him.

(End of Chapter)