Chapter 212: The Vanishing Ghost Curse (Guaranteed First Update)

【I am Fang Yue. A Black Grade mid-level eerie once blocked my escort team's path, then died under mysterious circumstances.】

【I'm confused—what happened?】

【It turns out all of this was caused by my Unknown Ghost Curse.】

【It protected me? No… the situation is far more complex than I thought.】

【But I arrived safely at Mo Cun!】

【I'm safe.】

【I don't know what this means, but it seems unrelated to me.】

The parchment clearly knows something!

"Explain in detail! Don't give me fragments."

The pressure of the client's authority!!

【…】

The parchment fell silent, then slowly formed two characters.

【Causality.】

What?

Fang Yue was bewildered.

"What causality?"

【I am Fang Yue, desperately seeking information about the Unknown Ghost Curse.】

【But I didn't know that something in this world exists called Causality.】

【Causality—cause and effect. It is the most mysterious and unfathomable thing in the world.】

【Many beings lack the ability to perceive Causality.】

【But some beings can comprehend Causality and trace back to the Origin. To become entangled in Causality invites endless trouble.】

【The Unknown Ghost Curse is a being of this kind.】

【Not knowing, not delving, not probing—severing Causality—is how one survives longer.】

【Even the great Parchment Master is merely an observer of Causality, a bystander, daring not to interfere deeply.】

【Now, do I still want to ask about the Unknown Ghost Curse? Do I want to become entangled in Causality with it?】

【I asked myself—and received no answer.】

Causality?

Causality observer?

Fang Yue's expression shifted, his thoughts roiling.

The parchment's predictions were all consequences drawn from my own actions, stemming from this cause, and presented to me as outcomes.

In doing so, it could only observe and reveal; to some extent, it altered Causality—but the actor was not it, but myself, the original cause.

No no no, this is not the time to ponder what the parchment is.

The point is, the Unknown Ghost Curse is terrifying to this extent?

Even the parchment dares not touch Causality, which is why it never mentioned it.

And if I keep asking, I might become entangled in Causality—and face danger?

If I ignore it completely, will nothing happen, as the parchment predicted?

"But… when did the curse attach itself to me? Why did it choose me? Could it be because… you?"

【I am not, I did not, don't make things up!】

"Then why?"

Fang Yue frowned tightly—he was certain that when he killed 【Memory-Erasing Eerie】, no curse had appeared.

The exact time seemed to be after he killed Ma Ling'er'er.

Wait! Ma Ling'er'er!

The Wu Yu tribe—descendants of the Origin of Ghost Curses!

Ma Ling'er'er!

The clues seem to connect.

Fang Yue's expression darkened visibly.

This wasn't him getting entangled in Causality—it was Causality he himself had created.

"Parchment, this isn't me refusing to let go—I didn't choose this. The Unknown Ghost Curse came for me. I can't escape it!"

"The curse came for me—it came for you. You and I are grasshoppers tied to the same string. Neither of us can abandon the other."

"So tell me now—how do I deal with this Unknown Ghost Curse!"

【…I am Fang Yue. I am approaching Mo Cun.】

【But the Unknown Ghost Curse has been troubling me, causing me great concern.】

【But when I reached Mo Cun, the Unknown Ghost Curse vanished.】

【I am safe.】

【So my worries were unnecessary—it was this simple all along.】

Huh?

Fang Yue froze.

He suddenly remembered—the parchment had repeatedly said that once he reached Mo Cun, he would be safe.

So… was he actually safe?

Upon reaching Mo Cun, the curse simply vanished on its own?

Is there such a thing as good fortune?

Fang Yue found it hard to believe.

But the parchment offered no other solution, so he could only temporarily follow its advice.

After giving a bit of Black Ember to feed the parchment, Fang Yue stepped back into the formation.

"What's wrong? Any discoveries?"

The Blood Hunter immediately asked with concern.

"Nothing."

Fang Yue shook his head slightly; if the parchment wouldn't reveal the curse, it was better not to tell the Blood Hunters.

He looked up at the cloudless sky far above, but still saw nothing.

Yet, inexplicably, a suffocating feeling rose in his chest—as if something were watching him from high above.

Taking a deep breath, Fang Yue ordered the team to speed up and reach Mo Cun sooner.

Although a sudden death of a Xiao Guiyi on the village path had caused minor chaos earlier,

in reality, aside from the Blood Hunter and Fang Yue, everyone else assumed it was merely a Xiao Guiyi blocking the road and paid it little mind.

Their moods were all excited and eager.

After so many days of travel, Mo Cun was finally approaching!

The escort team chattered excitedly about what they'd buy, who they'd visit, and what they'd do upon reaching Mo Cun, their spirits high.

"Ye Ge, Ye Ge! I heard the flower skirts in Mo Cun are especially beautiful, especially the Ghost Silk skirts—both shock-absorbing and textured!"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu ran over excitedly to discuss it with Fang Yue, who shot her a glare and shut her up.

"Fine, don't talk… like I'm going to borrow small change from you to buy a little skirt…"

Fang Yue noticed that after retreating into the formation, this one was rubbing her hands together in the ranks, eagerly waiting for Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu to return with news.

After hearing a few words from Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, her hopeful expression instantly turned to utter disappointment—the word "POOR" was practically carved into her forehead.

She cautiously stole two glances at Fang Yue, then quickly looked away the moment she noticed he was watching—afraid he'd lecture her.

Fang Yue didn't have much Silver either; otherwise he wouldn't have thought of feeding Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu buns to save expenses.

Of course, "not much" still meant he was definitely richer than these two girls.

"Clothing…?"

Fang Yue looked at his own plain Deputy Captain's attire… hmm, very practical; no need to buy new ones.

"Aba aba!"

Niu Niu logged on right on time.

Niu Niu usually logged on at night, but last night he'd asked when the team would reach Mo Cun and timed his login accordingly.

"Ye Ge, lend me money!"

His first message upon logging in was this.

Fang Yue paused—he'd thought this guy had pride, insisting on solving his financial problems himself to pay for his sister's medical bills.

Why was he suddenly asking for money?

Had he finally broken down? But his tone… didn't sound like someone desperately begging for help.

Fang Yue thought for a moment and asked: "How many ten thousand? Remember to write an IOU."

Lending money means repayment—it's only right to write an IOU. No matter if I become a millionaire, debt must be repaid; that's natural law, regardless of whether I have money or not!

"IOU? Ten thousand?"

Niu Niu seemed stunned, then quickly sent another message.

"Ye Ge, misunderstanding! I'm asking to borrow some Silver as startup capital—I'm going to make a fortune in Mo Cun, earn cash to pay for my sister's hospital bill. You don't know, my savings have been draining away like water… it hurts so much. The surgery's in a few days—I must make a big score in Mo Cun!"

Borrowing Silver…

Fang Yue scratched his head—he didn't have much of that either.

"How much do you need?"

"Just give me a hundred taels of Silver."

"What?!"

Fang Yue's eyes widened.

"Do you think I run a bank? A hundred taels? Go rob someone!"

"Huh? Ye Ge doesn't have that much cash? Then fifty taels? How about thirty?"

"Get lost! Five taels, and earn the rest yourself!"

"Five taels?! That's too little…"

"Do you think Silver grows on trees? Think about your pitiful salary!"

Fang Yue rolled his eyes and told him to write an IOU.

"Huh? An IOU for five taels?!"

"Of course. Even brothers must keep clear accounts. And add interest."

"What?! Interest too?! Ye Ge, this…"

"Not borrowing? Then forget it."

"Wait! I'll take it!"

Grinding his teeth, Niu Niu still borrowed the money and wrote the IOU.

The interest was low: five cash per day, doubling after a month. After all, this guy had solemnly sworn he'd repay before leaving Mo Cun.

After completing the "massive" cash transfer, a massive village outline was faintly visible ahead.

Its scale was less a village and more like a county—its area even more sprawling than Man Shui Cun.

He guessed that Mo Cun was the wealthiest village in this region.

Hmm... it's said that when Chaoyue Village hadn't yet declined, its scale was even more impressive—it had once reached its peak.

Fang Yue looked up at the sky again and opened his attribute list to check the status bar.

"Status: Ghost Curse 【Back of Hand】, Ghost Curse 【Unknown】."

It hadn't disappeared—the Ghost Curse was still there.

Fang Yue's mood grew tense and uneasy.

The closer they got to Mo Cun, the more pronounced this feeling became.

What if the Ghost Curse still hadn't vanished after entering Mo Cun—what should he do?

"Ye... ye..."

A weak voice behind him interrupted Fang Yue's thoughts.

"Divine Doctor An!"

Fang Yue immediately spurred his horse forward.

"You're not lying on the cart—why are you out here?"

"It's nothing... I've finally come home—I wanted to see it."

Between life and death lies great terror.

Even Divine Doctor An, who had endured many life-threatening crises, couldn't help but marvel again at the fragility of life after being saved by Divine Doctor Luo.

His homesickness suddenly grew even stronger.

Seeing the silhouette of Mo Cun now, he felt emotionally stirred.

"Finally... finally!"

"Divine Doctor An, don't get too excited—we still have some distance to go."

"It's nothing, nothing—I'll just ride my horse, follow slowly. Besides, with my old face in Mo Cun, I'm more useful than any Document."

That was true—Divine Doctor An was famous far and wide, and he was a native of Mo Cun.

Who in Mo Cun wouldn't know Divine Doctor An?

Clip-clop.

The Blood Hunter also rode his horse forward, drew near, and sighed.

"What a long journey."

"Yes, this trip was full of danger—but thank heavens we made it."

After a pause, Divine Doctor An said: "But once we reach Mo Cun, we'll be safe."

"Safe?"

Fang Yue sharply caught the key point.

The parchment said: once you reach Mo Cun, you're safe.

Divine Doctor An, who was from Mo Cun, also said you're safe once you reach Mo Cun.

Mo Cun... could there be someone like Lord Han or Blue Lord protecting the village?

Fang Yue lowered his voice and asked, puzzled.

But Divine Doctor An shook his head slightly.

"Naturally not. It's said that long ago, Mo Cun did indeed have someone like Lord Han of Gu Yue Cun or Blue Lord of Man Shui Cun—someone who protected the village. We generally called him Lord Mo."

"But many, many years ago, that Lord disappeared."

"Some say he's already dead."

"Some say he broke through his realm and left."

"Others say he merely went into hiding, never showing his face again."

"Regardless, Mo Cun hasn't had any news of that Lord for a very long time."

Ah...

Fang Yue was stunned.

This wasn't at all what he'd expected.

Without someone like Lord Han, Fang Yue truly feared the Unknown Ghost Curse would kill him—with no one to turn to for help.

"Then... how has Mo Cun stood here for so many years?"

"Well..."

Divine Doctor An suddenly smiled mysteriously; the Blood Hunter smiled knowingly at the same time.

"This kind of thing—you have to see it with your own eyes to truly feel the awe. If I just told you, it wouldn't mean anything. But Yeye, rest assured—I guarantee that once we enter Mo Cun, no ghostly evil will dare act up! We'll be perfectly safe."

Even so, Fang Yue still felt uneasy.

After all, his life was at stake.

He hesitated—should he tell Divine Doctor An about the Unknown Ghost Curse? Maybe through Divine Doctor An's connections, the higher-ups of Mo Cun could help him resolve the problem.

But just then...

"Woof! Woof!"

"Woof! Woof!"

The Blood Hunter's 【Blood-Headed Colossus Dog】 suddenly bristled, bared its fangs, and barked wildly at the surroundings—but soon it looked around confusedly, as if unable to find a target.

Fang Yue's heart tightened.

"Alert!!"

The 【Blood-Headed Colossus Dog】 was far more perceptive than humans.

Last time, it was the 【Blood-Headed Colossus Dog】 that first detected the Memory-Erasing Ghost.

So Fang Yue would not overlook any reaction from the 【Blood-Headed Giant Hound】.

But the crowd tensed up and immediately stood guard on the spot, and nothing happened.

And at that moment, Fang Yue's body suddenly stiffened.

"System notification: 【Unknown Ghost Curse】 status has been removed."

Fang Yue:?!!!

Wha…

His pupils contracted, and Fang Yue's movements instantly froze.

Removed?!

Gone?

The Unknown Ghost Curse is gone?

Fang Yue was a little dazed.

He opened the status panel, and sure enough, only the Sheep Void Ghost's curse remained.

The look on his face visibly shifted to joy.

Fang Yue could not help but break into a smile.

Wonderful!

That's great!

This damned thing actually really disappeared!

Too wonderful!

Mo Cun, truly a god!

Fang Yue's mood instantly turned sweet, and he closed the status panel right away.

As for the Sheep Void Ghost's curse still remaining on the status, Fang Yue did not take it to heart at all.

Not to mention the Sheep Void Ghost was no longer his match.

Even over the past few days, he had not seen the Sheep Void Ghost make any move.

He figured either the Sheep Void Ghosts were scattered, so the curse's effect was not strong,

or the Sheep Void Ghost had sensed that its strength was inferior to his and did not dare come looking for trouble.

Whichever it was, the Sheep Void Ghost's curse had long ceased to be taken seriously by Fang Yue.

But the Unknown Ghost Curse had actually really vanished!

Fang Yue still remembered the Unknown Ghost Curse's description — powerful, unknown, terrifying, death approaches!

Something like that was far more dangerous than the Sheep Void Ghost.

Still, after thinking it over and over, Fang Yue still could not figure out what on earth was going on.

And just then, the words on the parchment suddenly and abruptly surfaced in his mind!

【Run!!】

1 more update today

(End of this chapter)