Translator: CinderTL
Two Ancestor Yamamotos.
No, every generation of Great High Priests was called Ancestor Yamamoto.
Just like the title "Great High Priest," "Ancestor Yamamoto" was merely a title. The previous Great High Priest had chosen this child as his successor.
As if struck by a sudden realization, Pi Ruan's breathing quickened. "Inheritance..."
It was the inheritance of the Gate!
No Great High Priest in the Shinto shrine had ever truly possessed the Gate. They were merely its holders, pitiful souls burdened by its Curse.
Pi Ruan was no stranger to this process, having just completed it himself.
The Gate within him had been stripped away, and a woman named Wan Yuanning had inherited it. She was also the sister of No. 3 Luohe, hailing from the Luo Family of the Thirteen Watcher Families.
But clearly, the dead could not inherit the Gate. Therefore... the child was not dead. He was merely in a state of suspended animation.
It was strikingly similar to Wan Yuanning's condition after being struck by backlash, clinging to life by a thread.
Yet this raised another question. Ordinary Gates could not be inherited. Only bizarre Gates like his could be passed down.
Damn it!
The previous intelligence was wrong. This Gate was far more complex than they had imagined. It was a Gate of the Bizarre, and the entity within was not a Ghost, but an Abnormality!
These were two entirely different concepts. They knew all too well how terrifying a Gate of the Bizarre that had endured for who knew how long could be.
With such a Gate, the title "Great High Priest" was truly fitting for him!
"I obtained these two photos from the photography studio," Luo He said. "I visited the scene. When Boss Sang died, these photos were right at his feet."
The Abnormality within this Gate of the Bizarre possessed abilities somewhat similar to Luo He's, creating subtle, unseen influences between them.
Pi Ruan had previously wondered why Luo He was so wasteful with his abilities, appearing almost every night.
Now, it was clear that Luo He had long sensed the opponent's Abnormality. With him present, at least a few of them could be kept safe.
Otherwise, even he, or even No. 8 and No. 10, could easily fall prey to the enemy's schemes.
This was why the opponent had gone to such lengths to separate No. 3 Luohe from the rest. They had sensed his danger.
Pi Ruan was forced to sit down seriously and consider how to break the deadlock. Before, with No. 3 Luohe and No. 8 present, he hadn't felt much urgency.
But now it was different.
Their opponent was on the same level as them, and they were fighting on home turf. Ultimately, they held no advantage.
"No one else can die. Otherwise, things will only get worse." The Abnormality behind this Gate had already consumed too much despair. Each additional death here would only make it stronger.
"Is there anything we can do?" Pi Ruan asked earnestly.
"We could try knocking them unconscious," Luo He suggested, outlining his previous idea. He couldn't enter the dream of someone completely unconscious, so the Abnormality in the Gate likely couldn't either.
But Pi Ruan looked hesitant. Because of Chen Qiang's death, Huai Yi already suspected him. If he were to suddenly knock him unconscious now...
He changed his approach, turning to Luo He. "Is there any other way?"
After a moment of thought, Luo He nodded. "Then we'll have to drag both No. 8 and Huai Yi into my dream. They'll be safe there for the time being."
Each additional person entering his dream would exponentially increase Luo He's energy expenditure. But if they did nothing, the consequences would be dire.
Against an Abnormality with such power, their chances of survival were already slim.
"Let's begin then," Pi Ruan nodded.
"Hoo..." Luo He spread his hands, opened the black-covered book in his hands, and placed his palms on it. In the next moment, a faint blue ethereal light slowly emanated from the book, gradually enveloping his body.
Luo He sat upright, his expression serene and devout.
Next, Huai Yi, who had been lying on the communal bed, twitched his fingers, slowly opened his eyes as if surveying a brand-new world, and finally sat up.
From Pi Ruan's perspective, this was an utterly fantastical scene, one that should only exist in fantasy novels, yet it was unfolding right before her eyes.
It was like an out-of-body experience.
"Don't worry," Luo He's voice reassured her. "He's in another dream. You won't appear in his dream, and he can't see you."
"Then how do you explain me being able to see him?" Pi Ruan felt as if she were wearing an invisibility cloak.
Huai Yi had now stood up and was looking around in confusion.
But as No. 3 Luohe had said, Huai Yi truly couldn't see her.
"You occupy different positions. Here, you exist only because I allow it," Luo He said in a perfectly calm tone, uttering a line that was both arrogant and yet impossible to refute.
Next up was No. 8. Pi Ruan was curious to see how she would react to being drawn into a dream.
Given her temper, she was likely to cause a huge scene.
Perhaps even...
Under Pi Ruan's amused gaze, No. 8 slowly sat up in bed with a "Hehe." Pi Ruan deliberately scanned her body with a lecherous look, flashing a knowing, lewd grin. "Tsk tsk tsk, this is serious business. No. 8, have you been eating truckloads of papayas? Are you planning to secretly develop and then shock us all at the perfect moment?"
But to Pi Ruan's confusion, the atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
No. 8 seemed to ignore him completely, walking straight out of bed, heading to the Gate, and yanking it open before stepping out.
She didn't say a word the entire time, leaving him completely ignored.
"What the hell?" Pi Ruan crossed his arms, complaining to the Gate. "No. 8, you're becoming less and less adorable. There's a saying back home: the bigger the temper, the smaller the chest!"
"No. 3, aren't you going to do anything about her? She's even daring to do this in your dream." Pi Ruan turned to complain to Luo He.
But in the next moment, he saw Luo He staring at the Gate, his lips pale and his pupils trembling uncontrollably. "That wasn't my dream! Something else took her away!"
"What?!" Pi Ruan's expression immediately changed.
Da da da
The shoe struck the old staircase with a series of dying thuds as Fu Fu descended, a man leading the way.
"No. 3, are you confident in your guess?" Fu Fu asked.
The man ahead turned his head, revealing a calm, composed face. "If you don't trust me, you can go back."
The strangeness of Feng Manor was plain for all to see. Though ghosts rarely kill repeatedly, choosing to investigate Feng Manor at night and raid Crippled Liu's hideout so soon after the incident seemed too reckless to Fu Fu.
"Then let's hurry," Fu Fu said, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
The surroundings were shrouded in a thick mist, and nearby furnishings and objects seemed veiled in a layer of gauze.
"Though this isn't the first time I've seen you use your ability, it's still pretty impressive," Fu Fu sighed, shaking her head. "What a pity."
They had reached the shop's gate. All they needed to do was push it open to leave. Luo He stepped out first, turned back, and asked in his usual cold tone, "What's a pity?"
Fu Fu stopped half a meter from the gate, tilted her head, and studied him for a few seconds. Then her eyes curved into crescents, her lips curled into a foxlike grin. "It's a pity you're a fake, you big idiot."
(End of the Chapter)
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