Monk Shi took a few deep breaths and said, "Brother, can we, with just the three of us, defeat a nightmare? This is really a life-threatening business."
"I've tried everything, but I have to give up." It would be a lie to say that I didn't regret it at all. Before I came back, I didn't expect that I would run into a nightmare.
Now that we are back, there is no possibility of retreating again. The higher the level of the ghost, the less they allow anyone to challenge their dignity. The red-clothed female ghost did not kill me at the beginning because she was leaving room for me and clearly did not want to confront me head-on. But now that I am back, it is a fight to the death, and there is no room for easing.
Monk Shi gritted his teeth and said, "Let's do it! I don't believe in this evil anymore."
Ye Jin was much calmer than Monk Shi: "Wu Zhao, I just heard you say 'strange'. What are you wondering about?"
"Don't you think the red-clothed ghost's behavior is a bit strange?" I asked back. "The ghost never thought of killing Guan Xingyu from beginning to end, but repeatedly wanted to remind him of something. Especially the two times the ghost appeared, it was completely replicating a certain scene. These may be things that Guan Xingyu experienced personally."
I looked at Ye Jin: "Since the red-clothed female ghost is an evil nightmare, she has the ability to enter other people's dreams at will, and even manipulate their dreams. Isn't it easier for her to make Guan Xingyu dream about those things? Moreover, she also has the ability to make dreams more real. Why did she kill people?"
Monk Shi said, "She is an evil spirit! Evil spirits are filled with resentment and are bloodthirsty. Isn't it reasonable for them to kill people?"
"No!" I shook my head and said, "Look carefully at who the female ghost killed?"
I pointed at Jiang Yan: "None of Jiang Yan's bodyguards died, so we can say that we are unscathed. But why did so many people die in the drama club?"
Shi Heshang said: "Maybe she thinks that the people in the drama club are close to Guan Xingyu, and killing them will make Guan Xingyu anxious."
"Don't be anxious!" I pointed at Guan Xingyu, "Look at how cowardly he is. His own sister is about to be stabbed and killed, but he doesn't even dare to fart. Ask him to be anxious? I think he won't be anxious even if his own father dies in front of him just to save his own life."
Guan Qingyan couldn't bear to listen any longer: "Mr. Wu, please be careful with your words. Everyone has their own fears, and it is not shameful to be cowardly in the face of extreme fear. Please don't judge everyone by your own courage."
I replied in a cold voice: "I am just stating a fact. Miss Guan, there is no need to be so excited. Besides, if Guan Xingyu really had the guts, he would not have kept the secret from the female ghost and watched his companions being killed with peace of mind."
Guan Xingyu finally couldn't help but yelled, "They were the ones who betrayed me first! When we were by the South Lake, none of them cared about me, and they just ran away! What's wrong with me seeing them die?"
"Xiao Yu, shut up!" Guan Qingyan knew that if she didn't handle it properly, the situation that had just been calmed down might get out of control again, so she could only yell at Guan Xingyu to shut up.
I continued to say to Monk Shi: "The speculation you mentioned cannot be true. This is what I have never understood."
While I was talking, Jiang Yan and the others had finished their examination: "Mr. Wu, there is nothing wrong with us, we guarantee it."
I turned to the five remaining members of the drama club and asked, "How are you guys?"
The third brother cried, "We...we have something on our bodies, right under our necks."
I held the flashlight close to the third brother and saw a thin red line under his neck. At first glance, it looked like someone had drawn a circle under their neck with a red pen.
Head fracture mark
The "decapitation mark" was not originally a term in Taoism. It means that when the executioners were apprentices, in order to be able to decapitate the prisoners with one blow, they would feel the bone joints on the prisoners' cervical vertebrae in advance and then mark the red marks on their necks. When the actual execution was carried out, they would just cut towards the red marks.
It is not known when it started, but some ghosts would mark their prey with this kind of severed head mark. This is to show others that this is their prey and no one is allowed to touch it; it is also to warn passing sorcerers not to interfere at will. Once the severed head mark falls, the fight will not stop until one is dead.
I looked at him for a long time before saying, "Do the people in the drama club have a grudge against the ghost? The red-clothed female ghost won't let anyone go. Jiang Yan, take your people and leave. The female ghost will definitely not look for you."
Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "Mr. Wu, we'll meet again. I didn't bring anything with me this time. When you return triumphantly, I'll host a banquet to make amends for you."
Jiang Yan nodded to the bodyguard closest to him, who came over a few steps, shielding others' sight with his body, and quietly handed me a package: "This is a little gift from the young master, I hope Mr. Wu can use it."
I reached out and touched it. There should be a pistol and a bundle of * in the package.
The things are indeed good, but unfortunately I don't know how to use any of them. I was about to push the things back, but Ye Jin next to me reached out and took the package: "Brother Jiang, thank you. I'll buy you a drink when I get back."
Jiang Yan didn't respond to Ye Jin's words, but instead looked at me eagerly. I took off a string of ghost-killing coins from my body: "Each of you will get a big coin, hang it on your body and climb up the mountain. Once you get on the road and wait until dawn, everything will be fine. As for the bus overturning, you guys should find a way to deal with it."
Jiang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry, Mr. Wu, I promise to handle it properly."
Jiang Yan handed me the gun that he had never dared to use easily, and I asked Jiang Yan to deal with the cleanup. In fact, we were sharing a secret.
The control of guns in the country is extremely strict. Even a local tyrant like the Jiang family will get into trouble if they are reported for illegally possessing guns.
Several people died on the bus, and one of the bodies had my knife marks on it. If I don't handle it properly, I'll be in trouble.
Now that I know the Jiang family's weakness, Jiang Yan has also grasped my weakness, which means that we both know each other's secrets. Although this relationship is not reliable, it is at least an alliance, so Jiang Yan dared to leave without worry.
Not long after Jiang Yan left, I also took out the compass and started to locate: "Monk, can you search the map online to see where our destination is?"
The monk held the phone and I held the compass, and compared them. Finally, we determined that our destination was not far away on the other side of the river. We were supposed to take a bus down the mountain road and then enter the village from the front, but now we rolled down the mountain directly, which was much closer to the village than taking the bus.
I looked towards the other side of the river and said, "Get ready to get in the water! Wade across the river and walk a little further, and you'll almost be there."
"Go into the water?" Guan Qingyan twisted her fingers and said, "We just walked through the water. If we continue like this, will we..."
"This river should be fine." I explained, "The female ghost led you to the river to suppress the yang energy in you. That way, the breath of you living people will not affect the ghosts. Otherwise, she won't be able to get you into that wedding."
I finished my words and waded into the river first. Ye Jin walked in the middle, protecting the Guan siblings, while Shi Heshang led the last five members of the drama club to cover the rear, and walked into the river step by step.
I had just reached the waist-deep water when I heard a rush of water rushing towards us. I flashed my flashlight upstream and immediately saw five V-shaped waves coming towards us from upstream.
"Don't move!" When I grasped the hilt of the knife behind me with one hand, the five water waves instantly stopped two or three feet away from me, and five strands of water waves like algae also flipped to the surface of the water.
"There's someone underwater!" Guan Xingyu was so scared that he stepped back repeatedly, but Ye Jin grabbed him back and said, "Stand still!"
After I shone the flashlight into the water twice, five clumps of hair slowly floated up from the water. A moment later, five wet ghosts stood side by side beside us, raising their hands together.
"A ghost asking for money?" I turned to Monk Shi and shouted, "Do you have yellow paper? Burn two pieces."
Monk Shi took out a few sheets of yellow paper from his backpack and threw them into the air. As the glowing yellow paper swirled in the air and fell toward the water, each ghost had a bunch of big money in his hand.
The five ghosts bowed to us and then dived into the water and disappeared. I just shouted "keep going" and the river started to splash, as if a large school of fish was surrounding us from all directions.
"Oh no! Get ashore!" I took the lead and ran to the other side, but the people behind me panicked. Someone turned around and ran back, and Shi Heshang didn't stop him, so he let the person run back to the shore.
Monk Shi reached out and grabbed the two students who followed him and said, "Get to the other side, quickly!"
When Shi Heshang called out to a few students, I had already rushed to the shore and could jump onto the shore with just one leap. But before I could put my foot down, I heard Guan Qingyan's scream from behind me: "Help—"
I turned around suddenly and saw Ye Jin pulling out his machete and pointing it at the water. I hurriedly shouted "Don't do it" and rushed to the place where Guan Qingyan fell into the water, and touched the bottom of the water with both hands. When I grabbed Guan Qingyan's hands, she was lifted into the air by more than ten hands that stretched out from the bottom of the water. Guan Qingyan, who was still in shock, screamed and threw herself into my arms, hugged my neck tightly, and refused to let go.
At this moment, countless ghosts stood up from the water one after another. In just a moment, the river of nearly 200 meters from top to bottom was completely blocked by ghosts with their hands raised. Looking around, what you see is not the flowing river, but the ghosts swarming around.
I cried out in my heart: This is bad! (To be continued)