Chapter 27: Night Stroll in Yin Village 25

Chapter 27: Night Stroll in Yin Village 25

It wasn't that Qin Fei was overreacting; it was simply that the female ghost and the ghost infant looked incredibly alike, from their eyebrows to their noses – every contour was identical.

They were like two replicas, big and small, with not a single difference between them.

However, his surprise was fleeting. Soon, Qin Fei regained his composure.

The ghost infant had managed to create its own domain within the chaotic burial ground and even resist the main rules of the instance dungeon. Undoubtedly, it was a pivotal character in the scenario, so it was reasonable for new plotlines connected to it to emerge.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes and gazed at the female ghost's head.

A bright red notification bar was clearly visible.

"Ghost Woman of Many Years Deceased: Affection? ? ?"

An affection level marked with question marks.

Given its connection to the ghost infant, this female ghost was likely an important character as well. Qin Fei didn't dare to be careless and waited patiently for her to speak.

The ghost infant, upon catching sight of the female ghost, immediately revealed its entire form.

The plump little creature stumbled towards the female ghost, diving into her embrace.

Xiao Xiao's face turned ashen at the sight of the ghost infant suddenly appearing out of thin air.

"Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it... ?" Xiao Xiao was utterly stunned. "When did this thing start following us?!"

He still vividly remembered the terrifying display the creature had put on back at the mass grave.

Now, there was a ghost child and an adult ghost – they seemed to be a family – it was as if the heavens were plotting their downfall!

Qin Fei remained unfazed. "Don't make such a big fuss; it's always been here."

He just hadn't mentioned it to them before.

Always?

Xiao Xiao's eyes widened in surprise.

But he had never seen it before.

Xiao Xiao asked, "Has it been following you all along?"

Qin Fei replied, "Mm-hmm."

The young man raised his hand and pressed on his shoulder with a calm expression. "It's sitting right here."

Xiao Xiao: "...."

Could he not say such chilling words with such a benevolent expression?

So, this terrifying ghost child had been staying by Qin Fei's side the whole day, and Qin Fei could still talk to other players and explore the dungeon without showing any sign of discomfort as if nothing was amiss?

Xiao Xiao's goosebumps rose.

He suddenly recalled a Thai horror movie he had once watched.

In the movie, the protagonist was tormented by a ghost but couldn't locate it no matter what. He searched every corner of his house, but his efforts were in vain.

Right until the end of the film, the camera panned to the protagonist's back, revealing that the ghost had been sitting on his neck all along...

Xiao Xiao shivered and looked at Qin Fei with admiration in his eyes.

Truly a big shot!

Qin Fei's bravery was something he could only aspire to.

Not far away, the ghost infant giggled as it climbed onto the ghost woman's lap, affectionately stretching out its two arms.

If one didn't see the ghosts' mottled, pale faces, the scene would have been rather heartwarming.

The ghost woman's expression softened, and she held her child securely in her embrace.

After soothing the ghost infant, she crossed her arms and cast a scrutinizing gaze upon Qin Fei's face:

"You're the one who released my brother?"

So they were siblings, Qin Fei realized.

No wonder they look so similar.

Qin Fei's gaze intertwined with the ghostly maiden's, their eyes slowly descending until they rested on her right hand, adorned with bright red nail polish.

If he recalled correctly, this hand should be the one he saw inside the coffin.

With this realization, Qin Fei finally understood why the ghost infant had shown an unusually affectionate demeanor towards him last night in the chaotic burial ground.

Perhaps it was because it sensed the aura left behind by the Ghost Hand on him.

Today's hand was different from that night; it was now properly attached to the ghost woman's wrist, without its own unique affection meter hovering above. It appeared no different from any ordinary hand.

The ghostly maiden regarded Qin Fei with an exceedingly unfamiliar gaze, as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

Perhaps, her heart and her hand don't share the same intent.

Qin Fei silently withdrew his gaze.

As Qin Fei observed the female ghost, she was also studying him intently.

The young man before him was slender, his attire disheveled and stained with blood. However, his exposed skin was translucently pale, creating a striking contrast that didn't make him appear unkempt but rather, bestowed upon him a captivating, battle-worn allure that invoked pity.

He stood rooted to the spot, his spine straight, and his eyes clear and gentle. Even without speaking, he exuded an extraordinary grace and approachability.

The female ghost blinked leisurely.

Then, Qin Fei noticed the relationship bar above her head shift.

"Ghost from years past: Affinity 8% (She finds your appearance very pleasing, and is reluctantly willing to listen to you)."

His affinity had increased solely due to his good looks, not because of his help to her brother...

Qin Fei suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and nodded slightly at the ghost, offering a smile that seamlessly blended politeness with warmth.

His deliberate attempt at endearment resulted in the affinity meter ticking up just a notch.

He looked back at her with an innocent expression, raising a hand to touch the tip of his nose.

Silence enveloped the room.

The female ghost in white, who had served as their guide, left after escorting the two players inside, gently shutting the door behind her.

Now, the room contained only Qin Fei, Xiao Xiao, and the two ghosts, all silently observing each other.

Xiao Xiao was so nervous that he was sweating profusely but dared not utter a word, his eyes fixed intently on Qin Fei, who was engaging the ghostly woman in a subtle exchange of glances.

After a long while, the ghostly woman finally spoke again.

"I'm grateful for your help to my little brother," she said, gently stroking the soft hair on the ghost infant's head. "You can make any request you like, or ask any question."

Her tone carried an air of haughty superiority, yet the words she spoke filled Xiao Xiao with sudden joy.

Any request can be made?

What a fortunate turn of events!

Their mission was to find the Xu family's "Ghost Controlling Technique." According to the zombie on the right, it was highly likely that the book was hidden within this building, perhaps even in this very room.

The Ghost Maiden was the ruler of this abandoned building; who could be more familiar with its surroundings than her?

Wouldn't the Art of Ghost Control be within easy reach then?

Xiao Xiao's entire being instantly basked in bliss.

A sudden stir also occurred in Qin Fei's heart.

But he didn't let his guard down too quickly.

Despite having spent less than five minutes together, Qin Fei's professional instincts had already kicked in. From the moment he entered the room, he had been silently analyzing the Ghost Maiden's personality, psychology, and behavioral logic.

It was evident that the Ghost Maiden and the Ghost Baby had a great sibling relationship. However, she didn't show any special favor to Qin Fei just because he had saved the Ghost Baby.

She had developed a favorable impression of Qin Fei due to his appearance, but it wasn't a significant increase.

In short, the Ghost Maiden was not someone who could be easily won over.

Arrogant.

Rebellious.

Capricious.

That was Qin Fei's judgment of the ghost's temperament.

From Xiao Xiao's perspective, Qin Fei had merely been staring at the female ghost for a few seconds in a daze.

In reality, however, the young man's mind had already gone through countless scenarios, imagining the potential outcomes of various conversations.

"Helping the ghost baby is my honor," the youth spoke softly after a moment, his gaze filled with kindness as he looked at the infant, "May I ask, why did he choose me?"

Qin Fei had already guessed the answer to this question with great certainty, but he still asked it anyway.

The reason was simple – questions related to the ghost baby's choice were always a safe starting point.

The ghostly woman lifted her head slightly.

"He likes you."

The Ghost Maiden didn't hide anything and frankly explained, "You carry my scent on you, as to how it got there—"

She glanced at Qin Fei sidelong, her slender fingers subconsciously making a grabbing motion in mid-air, "You should be more aware of that than me."

A hint of contemplation flickered in Qin Fei's eyes.

Seems like he had really guessed correctly.

Even the Ghost Maiden herself might not be fully aware of Ghost Hand's actions.

Before Qin Fei could ask further, the Ghost Maiden continued, "You saw the talisman on his head, right? It was written with the blood of a closest family member. Naturally, only the blood of that same family member can remove it."

Coincidentally, Qin Fei possessed that.

When the Ghost Maiden left a message for Qin Fei on the coffin, she must have cut her hand, leaving her blood on him in the process.

"Ah, I see." Qin Fei nodded repeatedly, appearing enlightened.

"No wonder he picked me out from among so many people at first sight. It turns out it's all because of his love for his sister."

He didn't hold back in his flattery, each word he spoke more sticky than the last, causing both Xiao Xiao on this side of the screen and the audience on the other to don masks of discomfort.

But the Ghost Maiden's attention wasn't focused on that at all.

After hearing Qin Fei's words, she was clearly taken aback, "So many people? How many?"

Qin Fei raised an eyebrow, "About ten."

Was there a problem?

"About ten."

The Ghost Maiden softly repeated Qin Fei's words as if talking to herself, "That many, there should be enough people... Didn't those underground ghouls come out to find you?"

She looked into Qin Fei's eyes with suspicion.

This young girl seemed to know quite a bit.

Qin Fei smiled warmly, "It did trigger, and quite a few teammates died. It's just that we were lucky enough to escape."

"Is that so?"

On the other side, the ghost maiden's terrifying yet exquisite face revealed a hint of surprise.

Her gaze also became more solemn: "Then you do possess some ability."

Qin Fei blinked: "How so?"

The ghost maiden raised one eyebrow higher than the other: "Don't you know yourself?"

She began to speak in a language that Qin Fei couldn't understand.

"There is 'Its' aura upon you," the ghost maiden looked down at Qin Fei from her elevated position.

Qin Fei: "Its?"

"Yes."

When mentioning 'It,' a yearning, almost fanatical glint could be seen in the ghost maiden's beautiful apricot-shaped eyes, which were tinged with blood.

"‘He’ is the supreme entity in this world, the origin of all creations."

"You travelers, leaping and rushing through countless worlds, are never truly beyond ‘His’ gaze."

"You, me, all creatures existing within these rule-bound realms, are ‘His’ subjects."

This description sounds akin to a system.

However, the subsequent words of the Ghost Lady clearly refute this conclusion.

In the language of you players, 'It' would be referred to as the 'Source of Corruption.'

The Source of Corruption.

Qin Fei had only heard this term during the nocturnal discussions at the mortuary when Sun Shouyi, while sharing his dungeon-clearing experiences with newcomers like Lin Ye and Ling Na.

The so-called "Rule-bound Worlds" were essentially worlds that had been corrupted.

The System collected and interconnected these corrupted worlds before casting players into them, initiating one live broadcast after another, filled with blood, violence, and excitement across different dimensions and planes.

In each instance, there existed a source of corruption that could take the form of a flower, a tree, a person, or even a memory.

In essence, the source of corruption was the initial point of deviation for the world's abnormal transformation.

Theoretically, if players were to destroy the source of corruption, they could fundamentally resolve the issue in this rule-bound world – contamination would be eliminated, and the world would return to normal, thus ending the live broadcast naturally.

However, since the beginning of the live broadcast, no player had ever successfully eradicated a source of corruption in all these years.

Most sources of corruption tended to appear in the most perilous core zones of the instance worlds or at the final stages before completion, making them areas players avoided at all costs.

The closer one got to the source, the more severe the contamination around them became. Even a mere glimpse could potentially deplete one's sanity points instantly.

This was not something ordinary players could withstand. Even A-rank, S-rank, or even higher-ranking legendary figures found it challenging to contend with the sources of corruption.

According to Sun Shouyi and Xiao Xiao's understanding, each instance world had its unique source of corruption.

But judging from the Ghost Lady's words, 'He' seemed to refer to a specific individual.

"You carry the scent of 'He,' which is a fatal allure to those lesser ghosts."

Ghoul Maiden's Path.

"Didn't those zombie ghosts chase you when you were at the mass graveyard?"

Certainly, that had happened.

Qin Fei himself didn't even want to recall the horror of that time.

The young man nodded reluctantly and asked curiously, "Do all ghosts find me attractive because of my scent? What if it's... something more... advanced?"

He searched for the right term, "Something on a higher level?"

The Ghoul Maiden scoffed at the question. "Yes, as long as they are 'His' subjects, they will be involuntarily drawn to the scent on your body."

She bit her lip, a barely perceptible glint of greed flickering in her eyes. "Including myself."

After saying that, the Ghoul Maiden lazily leaned back with her hands behind her head, staring intently at Qin Fei's face as if trying to read his next reaction.

Unfortunately, she was disappointed. Qin Fei didn't show any sign of fear.

Perhaps the Ghost Lady was indeed telling the truth.

But so what?

She couldn't possibly devour him.

—If she intended to, she would have done it already, not engage in such a futile exchange of words with him here.

Seeing Qin Fei not falling for her ploy, the Ghost Lady seemed somewhat displeased and let out a soft sigh.

"I know who you want to ask about. You're thinking of that old man in the yellow robe, right?"

A hint of disdain laced the Ghost Lady's words.

"He's not the real Lam Ching-Ying; he's merely a fragment behind that door. Essentially, there's no difference between him and those zombies in the mass graveyard — they're all mindless undead driven solely by primitive desires."

"Without a doubt, he wants to devour you. Attacking and consuming humans is his only means," the Ghost Lady declared with certainty.

"But there's no way it could have consumed you."

"Although there's just a faint trace of 'Him' on you, even that is not something an ordinary ghost could offend with ease," the Ghost Lady concluded.

Not an ordinary ghost could offend him easily?

Qin Fei was taken aback. "Are you saying that ghosts can't harm me?"

That couldn't be right; his body was already riddled with wounds.

"That's not what I meant," the Ghost Lady chuckled, covering her mouth as if Qin Fei had said something amusing. The ghostly voice in his body swayed along with her laughter, wrapping its arms around her waist.

"Didn't those zombies in the mass graves give you a hard time?" Qin Fei nodded in agreement. "Indeed, they did."

"The ghosts that would harm you will still do so, regardless of this change."

The ghost lady was quite patient as she explained to Qin Fei step by step.

"On the contrary, because you carry an allure that provokes their desires, you'll be their primary target among everyone."

In simpler terms, no matter how many players or NPCs were present, Qin Fei would always be the one attracting the most ghostly animosity.

Qin Fei's temples throbbed as he listened.

Could it be that this so-called "It" had a grudge against him...

"The reason Lin Shouying couldn't consume you is that he didn't just want to devour you."

The ghost lady continued, "He wanted to refine the sacred aura within your body, but that's beyond his capabilities."

In other words, Qin Fei's escape from death was purely a stroke of luck.

If what had been chasing Qin Fei was a mindless flesh-devouring zombie or beast, he would have met the same grim fate.

"Alright."

With all the questions answered, Qin Fei let out a weary sigh.

He just wondered when that enigmatic "It" had left its mark on him. How come he had no recollection of it at all?

As the Ghost Lady spoke to Qin Fei, Xiao Xiao stood by, his eyes wide and round, completely lost.

"I only see your mouths moving," the pitiful Taoist lamented. "I can't hear a thing. Have I suddenly gone deaf?"

Had he become deaf all of a sudden?

The Ghost Lady nonchalantly lifted her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I deliberately blocked his hearing."

She looked at Qin Fei with a faint smile. "I assume you wouldn't want others to know about your connection to 'It'."

For someone connected to 'It', she was willing to give them this small favor.

Of course.

Qin Fei nodded, expressing his gratitude to the ghostly woman.

At the same time, on the other side of the screen, the spirits were huddled together, discussing animatedly.

"What's going on? Why did the live stream suddenly turn into a bunch of snowflakes?"

"Could it be a bad signal?"

"Are you kidding me?! I've been watching live streams for years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a signal issue!"

"Let's check the other streamers. Switch to their channels."

"Cheng Song and Scarface's feed is still fine."

"Sun Shouyi and the others are clear as well."

"xiao Xiao's feed is also blurry! Could there be something wrong with this room?"

Countless words ultimately condensed into a single phrase.

"System? Where's the system?! I need to report an error, come here quickly!"

...

This attempt at reporting an error proved fruitless. It was as if the System knew what the viewers intended and deliberately avoided them, suddenly vanishing in a mysterious manner. No matter how the spirits called out, it refused to make an appearance.

As Qin Fei's conversation with the ghost maiden about "It" came to an end, the live stream's clarity gradually returned.

In truth, Qin Fei still had more questions, but no matter how he tried to probe indirectly, the ghost maiden remained tight-lipped, refusing to divulge even half a word.

She shook her head. "It's not that I don't want to speak, but 'It' is not an entity we can casually discuss. My words end here."

Xiao Xiao, who had been silenced for a while, finally regained his hearing. Confused, he reached out to pat his own ears.

Glancing at Qin Fei, then at the ghost maiden, he seemed to grasp something and didn't ask further.

"Did you inquire about her connection to the Art of Ghost Conquest?" Xiao Xiao asked hopefully.

After Qin Fei had chatted with that female ghost for so long, surely they should have started discussing serious matters by now.

Unfortunately, the conversation hadn't progressed that far. Qin Fei shook his head honestly.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help feeling anxious.

Instead of blurting out his concerns, he gently tugged at Qin Fei's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Brother Sun and Lin Ye are still running around outside. I bumped into them on my way here earlier."

And Ling Na—no one knew where she had gone after entering or how she was doing now.

Qin Fei squeezed Xiao Xiao's fingertips as a sign to stay calm.

The reason he didn't immediately ask the ghostly woman for the Ghost Control Technique was due to the lingering doubts in his heart.

Before these doubts were completely dispelled, Qin Fei needed to gather as many clues as possible from the female ghost.

Rushing into it might only backfire.

However, it seemed that he might have to ask directly now.

The others couldn't wait too long.

Moreover, despite the ghost lady's claim to give him face after their lengthy conversation, there was no sign of her favorability increasing towards him at all.

Qin Fei suppressed the slight irritation in his heart and maintained a calm expression. He spoke gently, "Dear Miss Ghost Lady, I have one final question for you."

"Ask away," the ghost lady replied generously.

Although her favorability hadn't increased, her attitude toward Qin Fei was still quite amiable.

"There's an heir from the Xu family who told me something," Qin Fei said with great restraint, choosing his words carefully. "I've heard that this old residence hides a very precious 'Art of Ghost Control.' This person wishes to obtain it but is unable to come here personally."

"So they entrusted me to seek your help," Qin Fei looked up, meeting the ghost lady's gaze. "May I ask, Miss Ghost Lady, where is this book? Would you be kind enough to tell me?"

"So that's your plan," Qin Fei remarked.

As his words faded, the ghostly woman gave a wry smile, her gaze fixed on him.

"It's impressive that you know such a secretive matter. Yes, this book is indeed hidden within this room," she sighed, her eyes fixated on an invisible spot in the air, as if reminiscing.

She rose to her feet and slowly approached Qin Fei.

"Do you know how I ended up in Guardian Yin Village?" Qin Fei shook his head.

The ghostly woman lifted her hand, gently caressing Qin Fei's cheek with her sharp, long nails tracing his skin inch by inch.

Xiao Xiao, standing by, felt his hairs stand on end just from watching, but Qin Fei didn't even flinch, his expression relaxed as if he were enjoying a leisurely Sunday afternoon breeze on a park lawn.

"In truth, I was driven here as a corpse by them."

The Ghost Maiden spoke casually, seemingly unaware of the chilling nature of her words.

She had died at the tender age of 17, far from home, and her parents had passed away a few years prior. Her only surviving relative was her three-year-old younger brother.

"At that time, funeral customs were still very traditional. The deceased had to be laid to rest in their hometown. So, some friends of my parents arranged for a corpse transporting team to bring me back."

The Ghost Maiden's voice was ethereal, resonating with an eerie echo that sent shivers down one's spine.

Accompanying the Ghost Maiden was a Ghost Infant.

Back then, the Ghost Infant was still an energetic little boy. With no relatives to care for him in the foreign land, he joined the corpse transport team as well, preparing to return to his ancestral village and seek refuge with his kin.

However, nobody could have predicted what was to come.

After a difficult journey through mountain paths, they arrived at Shadowguard Village only to encounter a zombie outbreak.

"When my brother and I arrived, it was precisely ten years after Lin Shouying's death."

Lin Shouying was the last true master of corpse transportation in Shadowguard Village.

Back then, the necromancy lineage had already declined, and Lin Shouying, determined not to let his ancestors' legacy fade away, single-handedly struggled to keep the entire village functioning normally.

But life is subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death.

After Lin Shouying passed away, the already crumbling edifice finally collapsed entirely.

The younger generation in the village either left or scattered, leaving only amateurs behind.

These half-baked amateurs exploited the village's former reputation, swindling their way through life by pretending to be legitimate necromancers.

"Some of them secretly transported corpses using vans and flatbed trucks, pretending to be part of the authentic necromancy tradition, while many others didn't even bother with appearances."

"In any case, with the vast mountains and long rivers, communication was difficult. They brought those corpses to Shadow Guard Village and hastily buried them in the mass graves."

"Ah!"

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but draw a sharp breath at this point.

That was far too casual an approach. Dealing with the dead was no simple task.

Sure enough, these fake necromancers eventually met their downfall.

They blended in for one year, two years.

Three years, five years passed.

And then, a sudden upheaval occurred in the tenth year!

Improper practices led to an overflow of yin energy in the village. One day, the corpses piled outside the ancestral hall suddenly came back to life as zombies.

The corpses in the mass graves also crawled out, their bones thirsting for blood as they wreaked havoc within the village.

Qin Fei mused, "Is the world behind this door the day when the zombie outbreak occurred?"

The ghost girl gave him a meaningful glance. "That's right."

The massacre lasted through the entire night.

When the sun rose the next day, the zombie horde with green faces and fangs returned to being motionless corpses once more.

However, the villagers were terrified.

Once such an incident occurred, there was no guarantee it wouldn't happen again.

Someone suggested digging up all the bones and burning them, or reburying them elsewhere.

Fortunately, there were still rational minds who immediately rejected this proposal.

Those bones, having been deceived by them, were already filled with resentment. If they made another mistake, it could lead to irreparable consequences.

Suppression was the only solution.

The villagers invited a master, who, after hearing the entire story and assessing the village's feng shui, said, "Suppression is feasible, but it requires a skilled expert and a living guide."

At this point, the ghost maiden's facial muscles twitched violently. "That living guide was my younger brother."

A three-year-old boy, innocent in body and mind, an outsider with no relatives or friends — there was no one more suitable than him.

The ghost infant didn't even understand what was happening when it was skinned, drained of blood, and buried in the heart of the mass grave with unspeakable cruelty.

That "master" referred to Lin Shouying.

The villagers used the blood of the ghost infant as a sacrifice to subdue the wandering souls in the graveyard. They then dug up Lin Shouying, who had been dead for many years, and sacrificed him as an evil spirit to protect the land and its waters.

Xiao Xiao was stunned. "This is just… monstrous."

They were even worse than beasts.

"Their actions are not just those of ungrateful descendants," the ghost girl gritted her teeth. "They're a pack of devils!"

Back then, she was a newly deceased young maiden. Due to her lingering attachments, her soul hadn't dispersed, and she had followed her younger brother all the way. However, she never expected to witness, after death, the tragic sight of her little brother's corpse mutilated beyond recognition.

Her overwhelming resentment transformed the ghost girl into a vengeful spirit.

But at that time, the village's protection had already taken shape. Although the Ghost Lady was filled with resentment, she had only been an ordinary girl in life and was no match for the ghostly Lin Shouying.

To conserve her strength, she had no choice but to hide within this small building belonging to the Xu family.

The building belonged to the villagers, and Lin Shouying would not harm anyone or anything inside without cause. Moreover, the Xu family had arranged a gathering Yin formation within, making it the perfect place for the Ghost Lady to recuperate.

"If what you're saying is true, then Lin Shouying should be protecting the villagers," Qin Fei pondered over an odd point. "Then, what about when I was in the ancestral hall...?"

In the ancestral hall, he had clearly witnessed Lin Shouying slaughtering the villagers.

Furthermore, it was the collective decision of the villagers to worship Lin Shouying as their protective deity.

Now, however, it seemed that maintaining Lin Shouying's protection required sacrificing a portion of the villagers each year.

Qin Fei intuitively sensed there were more issues at play; the villagers couldn't possibly have agreed to a proposal that guaranteed annual loss of life, with the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.

"That all happened later on," the Ghost Lady said, seemingly uninterested in delving into that part of the story.

"What I'm trying to say," she continued with a slight curl of her lips, "is that the Xu family turned their ancestral home into a haunted mansion, providing shelter for wandering souls, but they didn't do so for free."

A jolt went through Qin Fei's heart, and he immediately sensed danger.

Sure enough, his prediction came true.

He dragged Xiao Xiao back hastily with one hand.

But it was already too late.

The massive door behind them had been sealed by the female ghost in white, pressing their backs against the cold wall. Not far ahead, the bloodstained canopy bed suddenly extended like a blade shimmering with icy light, charging straight at the two men!

"What the hell? ? ?"

It was only then that Xiao Xiao realized what was happening.

He couldn't wrap his head around why the female ghost, who had just been chatting and laughing with Qin Fei, would suddenly turn hostile.

The ghostly woman laughed, her giggles as clear as ringing silver bells, identical to the laughter of a ghostly infant, "The Xu family left us a message, asking us to protect their ancestral assets, especially that 'Ghost Control Technique'!"

Why did things take such an unexpected turn?? Xiao Xiao was utterly confused.

Their eyes met, and an unspoken understanding passed between them.

You go left, I'll go right, charging towards opposite ends of the room!

The Ghost Lady showed no concern. With a flicker, she duplicated into two identical versions of herself.

"The master of the Xu family has decreed that anyone who harbors thoughts about that book cannot leave this place alive!"

Qin Fei ran while glancing back.

Though the room extended deeply, nearly encompassing the entire second floor corridor, it was still an enclosed space. The irregular obstacles and corners made running very inconvenient.

The Ghost Lady leisurely pursued them, occasionally launching surprise attacks.

This sensation was different from when Qin Fei was being chased by zombies in the burial ground. Qin Fei's intuition told him that the Ghost Lady wasn't using her full strength.

The tiny room didn't afford her much room to maneuver, and at this moment, she was deliberately holding back.

It was as if a cat was toying with two rare mice, simply enjoying the game.

A metallic tang of blood reached his nostrils, and behind him, Xiao Xiao's footsteps faltered.

The Ghost Lady was indeed playing for keeps.

In a nearby corner, the Ghost Baby hung upside down from the wall near the ceiling like a gecko.

It watched its 'sister' chase and attack the two players with a joy that surpassed Qin Fei's nephew's excitement when watching Peppa Pig cartoons.

Qin Fei's face turned ashen. This little fellow truly lived up to the title of an unfeeling example; before entering, he had been clinging to Qin Fei endlessly, but the moment his elder sister appeared, he immediately forgot about Qin Fei.

From behind, a gust of force approached. Qin Fei spun around barely managing to dodge it, attempting to use his rhetorical skill to dissuade the Ghost Lady from her murderous intent. "I'm not an outsider. I've really been sent here by a member of the Xu family!"

He leaped and dodged, utterly embarrassed, yet his eyes remained clear and bright, filled with sincerity. "Just step outside and see for yourself. That member of the Xu family is in the space beyond this door. If it's inconvenient for you, I can bring them here!"

The Ghost Lady showed no sign of being moved. "I know that person. They're a complete waste of space. Compared to their ancestors, they aren't even fit to be called garbage."

She sneered. "Do you think that just anyone, as long as they're an offspring of the Xu family, can take this book?"

If that were the case, why would Grandpa Xu leave the book in the ancestral home? He could have just taken it with him.

"A worthless descendant is no different from one who has no offspring at all." The female ghost leaped forward, her nails grazing Qin Fei's face, leaving a deep bloody scar on his right cheek. "This is for such disobedient offspring!"

Qin Fei: "..."

He truly wished he could thank Xu Yangshu's entire family!

There was a wall corner in front of him.

And the advancing female ghost behind him.

The wound on his face should have been painful, but under such immense pressure, it only felt numb and slightly itchy.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes, looking at Xiao Xiao across from him.

Just like him, Xiao Xiao's situation wasn't any better.

It seemed the female ghost had had her fun and was now preparing to finish them off.

The distance between the man and the ghost gradually narrowed.

"I was hoping that, as someone connected to 'It,' we could establish a good relationship, perhaps allowing me to rely on you in the future," the Ghost Lady said with a tinge of regret. "But alas, there's no chance now."

Qin Fei's heart raced wildly.

He stepped back, then stepped back again, until there was nowhere left to retreat.

The eerie chill unique to ghosts hit him head-on, making Qin Fei feel as if he had been locked inside an ice cellar, with his flesh and blood on the verge of freezing solid.

It seemed like a hopeless situation.

There was no way he could ever outmatch the ghost maiden; she was entirely unlike those mindless ghosts lingering in the chaotic burial ground.

A cold hand clasped Qin Fei's neck, the pressure seeping through his skin and constricting his airway. Tears welled up in his eyes, a physiological reaction to the strain.

No chance of survival.

But is that truly the case?

Qin Fei's gaze descended, resting upon the ghost lady's pale hand, which faintly revealed a bluish-purple tinge.

Suddenly, he opened his mouth and said something that no one could have anticipated.

"Hey~"

The young man's eyes curved, and his clear voice held a soothing smile. "Do you remember me?"

"If you don't, it's alright. I won't forget you."

Despite being on the brink of death, he somehow found the strength to say these unrelated words. "After all, you have the most beautiful hands I've ever seen."

The ghost maiden froze in place.

Her hand seemed to freeze along with her.

In the next second, her expression turned rigid.

As if disobedient, her right hand contorted like an octopus out of water, its fingers twisting as they forcibly detached from Qin Fei's neck.