The two reached a consensus. Liu Yizhen judiciously took a step back, and Zhao Fusheng, knowing the gravity of the situation, did not force entry into the temple, unwilling to upset the existing balance of malevolent spirits. Both breathed a sigh of relief.
Under Liu Yizhen's half-defensive, half-vigilant escort, Zhao Fusheng cautiously advanced several steps, stopping before the knee-high threshold of the Fuzi Temple. She craned her neck to peek inside.
The temple's main hall was extraordinarily quiet, shrouded in utter darkness. In the darkness, a malevolent presence seemed to 'watch' her, sending shivers down her spine and instinctively making her want to retreat.
Zhao Fusheng suppressed the unease of being spied upon, widening her eyes to gaze inward. After a long moment, her eyes adjusted to the darkness, barely discerning vague shadows within. Deep within the hall, there was indeed a wall shrine, several feet above the ground, situated mid-air. Inside the shrine, a 'divine statue' was enshrined. The 'divine statue' sat cross-legged on an offering table, its body entwined with several coils of strange objects, and a strong, foul stench emanated from the hall.
In the darkness, the 'divine statue' met her gaze with chilling eyes. The malevolent ghost's face was indistinct in the gloom, its pale grey eyes sinister, malice assailing her with a bloody, violent aura, making her feel the most terrifying killing intent.
Zhao Fusheng confirmed the malevolent ghost's whereabouts and silently retreated several steps. It was only when she had returned to the light of the ghost lamp that the chilling sensation of being spied upon by the malevolent spirit completely vanished.
"I've seen it all." She suppressed the eerie chill and spoke.
Liu Yizhen was silent for a moment before asking, "What do you plan to do next?"
"I plan to act against it tonight." She pondered briefly, then decisively replied.
"So soon?" Although Liu Yizhen had vaguely grasped some of her temperament and personality from their few conversations, he was still surprised to hear her say this.
"This ghost is already at the malevolent (Sha) level—"
"It's fine. If you dodge the first day, you can't dodge the fifteenth. Dragging it out will only increase casualties." She had basically figured out the malevolent ghost's killing method and rules. Continuing to observe would be a waste of time, and the more people died, the more it would only increase the malevolent ghost's power.
"I don't want to delay any longer. Tonight, either it dies, or I perish!"
Liu Yizhen, hearing her speak this way, although still not optimistic about her actions, nonetheless nodded noncommittally. "In that case, I have other matters to attend to. I wish you success in advance."
Zhao Fusheng smiled. She couldn't glean any more clues from Liu Yizhen. He might know some secrets, but from his expression, he probably wasn't willing to say more. The ghost disaster in Yaofan Alley had progressed to this point, and Zhao Fusheng had already gathered a lot of information, enough for her to analyze many things. After this, it would be her confrontation with the ghost.
This wasn't her first confrontation with a malevolent ghost. The reanimated corpses of the Zhao couple had also been suppressed by her, but at that time, the Zhao couple had only just awakened, unlike this malevolent ghost, which was enshrined in Yaofan Alley and had reached the Sha level. But now, she had no room to retreat.
Zhao Fusheng lost the desire to wander and retreated to her previously concealed dwelling. The large door of the house next door bore traces of the malevolent ghost's entry and exit. The broken door, melted open by the ghost's shadow, couldn't conceal the horrific scene within. Blood was splattered everywhere, and the strong scent of blood irritated one's eyes. Although Zhao Fusheng knew that she would have to deal with ghosts in the future, and such a hellish scene would inevitably be faced again, it was definitely not at this moment.
She thought for a moment and decisively abandoned the idea of using this room, instead shifting her gaze to the adjacent house. The houses in Yaofan Alley were built close together, and the partitions between the walls were not very tight. Most of the lower parts were mud walls made of bamboo fences, while the upper parts were separated by woven bamboo curtains, merely blocking simple sight. Such walls should not withstand strong impacts.
The malevolent ghost patrolled daily to kill people, using 'one room' as a unit of measurement. If she dug open the partition between the rooms and darted between the two rooms when the ghost arrived, would it count as escaping the 'one room' rule?
Her life was at stake. Although such a conjecture had not been measured or verified, Zhao Fusheng still acted without hesitation. She picked up the carrying pole used to brace the door and weighed it in her hand. This object was useless for bracing the door, as a malevolent ghost entering a house didn't abide by martial ethics. However, it would be a good tool for smashing walls.
After controlling the ghost object, Zhao Fusheng's strength was much greater than the original owner's. Once she made up her mind, she didn't delay. Holding the carrying pole, she forcefully struck the adjacent wall.
Bang—
Under the heavy impact, accompanied by a large amount of sand and stone falling, the entire house trembled continuously.
"Ah—"
A terrified and desperate scream came from the next room. Zhao Fusheng hadn't expected that besides the unlucky left neighbor, there was also someone in the right house. She smashed the wall several times, creating a large hole. In the splashing dust, broken bamboo strips were revealed. She poked her head through and saw a terrified and bewildered survivor huddled in the corner of the room.
"My apologies."
She grinned: "I need this room. Go find a spot in the next one." Having experienced the fear of the malevolent ghost knocking on doors and killing people over the past two nights, she knew what such knocking sounds meant to survivors. But the survivor was more polite than her; upon seeing her speak and confirming she was human, they greatly relaxed.
A smell of urine wafted over. After a long moment, the survivor, who had been half-paralyzed with fright, gathered strength and silently opened the door, fleeing quickly.
"..."
Zhao Fusheng continued her work until she had smashed a large, passable hole in the wall between the two rooms before stopping. After that, she set up traps, even testing escape routes countless times, clearing away any debris or loose earth that might hinder her on her escape path. After all this was done, she began to rest and recuperate.
Time passed quickly. When the evening's alms-giving gong sounded again, she had everything ready.
Clang, clang, clang—
Liu Yizhen struck the gong. Zhao Fusheng remained in her house and did not move, nor did she go to receive today's gruel. The malevolent ghost killed people according to a 'book of lives' for alms, but it wasn't rigid in following the first name on the daily list; it randomly selected. Her name was already in one of the registers. She just needed to wait for the malevolent ghost to appear and find a way to intercept its steps.
This battle concerned her life and death. If she lost, eating this meal or not wouldn't matter; but if she won, she would save her appetite to enjoy the soup the old woman had promised her.
Although she had mentally prepared herself for a direct confrontation with the malevolent ghost, as time passed, Zhao Fusheng's nerves were still being tightened little by little.
The sound of the gong outside disappeared, replaced by the footsteps of the alms recipients, who then returned to their respective places.
Zhao Fusheng used this time to check the items she had prepared. Although her previous experience suppressing the reanimated malevolent ghosts of the Zhao couple confirmed what Fan Bisi had said: human brute force is useless against malevolent ghosts; only the power of malevolent ghosts can deal with malevolent ghosts. However, dealing with ghosts came at too high a cost. Zhao Fusheng only had one chance and had to be cautious.
Therefore, she still prepared wooden sticks, sharp spikes, and other items, and set up several small traps on the ground, attempting to impede the malevolent ghost's steps. In addition, the human skin lantern had been unfurled, and lamp oil had been placed inside. She had tested the tinder beforehand, and it was unaffected, capable of producing a flame.
After checking her preparations, she calmed herself and adjusted her state, quietly awaiting the passage of time.
On the street, the hurried footsteps of people gradually disappeared. They were replaced by successive sounds of doors closing and bracing, and before long, these sounds all returned to silence.
A moment later, the familiar oppressive feeling returned. Black mist permeated the air, and an eerie chill instantly enveloped the entire Yaofan Alley.
In the extreme quiet, Liu Yizhen, inside the Fuzi Temple, sat leaning against a black coffin, seeing a rustling movement finally coming from the shrine above. The enshrined malevolent ghost slowly descended from the divine platform on the offering table, crawling down the table to the ground.
Tap, tap went its footsteps as it walked out of the Fuzi Temple, beginning a new round of predation.
...
Inside the dilapidated wooden house, Zhao Fusheng had been listening to the sounds outside. When she heard footsteps approaching from the direction of the Fuzi Temple, she knew the malevolent ghost was coming. What was inevitable could not be avoided.
The malevolent ghost had killed two people already; she had personally witnessed that the house door simply couldn't stop the ghost's attack. Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng simply pulled open the door with a clang.
This sound echoed through the long street, causing everyone present to breathe a little heavier. In the black mist, the ghost's shadow could vaguely be discerned slowly emerging from the fog. Zhao Fusheng's heartbeat also began to accelerate, but she remained calm, staring into the distance, personally watching the ghost appear before her.
It was still that chilling and terrifying figure. The ghost wandered the street, searching for the person it intended to kill tonight. It did not turn its head because Zhao Fusheng had opened her door or was peeking, clearly indicating that the ghost had its own selection criteria for killing. Soon, it chose its target and was about to turn into another part of the alley when Zhao Fusheng lifted the human skin lantern and used a fingernail to pry open the lid of the lamp oil.
At this, something unusual happened.
The moment the lid was pried open, a foul odor surged out from the sealed oil lamp container. The lamp oil, without any flame to ignite it, poofed and spontaneously combusted. The lamp's light was a ghastly green, and tormented human faces immediately appeared on the human skin lantern, seemingly emitting desperate and painful screams.
This scream instantly drew the malevolent ghost's attention. The ghost, which had been about to turn, stopped dead in its tracks. It suddenly spun around, its pale grey eyes turning in Zhao Fusheng's direction. Then, as if changing its original intention, it strode rapidly towards her.
Zhao Fusheng was startled by this sudden turn of events.
"..."
As the ghost approached, a terrifying sense of suffocation assailed her. The unexpected self-ignition of the ghost lamp and the ghost's chain reaction took Zhao Fusheng by surprise, causing her to panic for a moment.
Paper Man Zhang had tricked her! She had been wary of Paper Man Zhang repeatedly, yet she never expected to stumble on the lamp. The human skin lantern for avoiding ghosts in the Demon Suppressing Division, and Zhang Chuanshi's words, had misled her to some extent. The ghost lamp he had given her was not a ghost-avoiding lamp, but a ghost-attracting lamp. Fortunately, she had already planned to confront the ghost tonight and hadn't placed all her hopes on the ghost lamp given by Paper Man Zhang. If she had truly believed Paper Man Zhang's nonsense, she might not even know how she died in the end.
The ghost came quickly. Zhao Fusheng cursed inwardly, yet was also relieved that she had exacted revenge earlier by burning Paper Man Zhang's house, otherwise she would feel even more unlucky now. She tried forcefully to blow out the lamp, but this green light was quite eerie; she blew several times, but it still wouldn't extinguish, and instead the foul odor grew stronger.
The malevolent ghost quickly climbed the steps. The closer it got, the brighter the light inside the lantern grew. A black wick inside the lamp oil burned fiercely, the flame roaring, illuminating the house in Yaofan Alley, as if guiding the malevolent ghost in the darkness, making it instantly aware of Zhao Fusheng's presence.
This was Paper Man Zhang's goal; he wanted to use the ghost to kill her!
Zhao Fusheng couldn't blow out the light, so she simply gave up trying.
A chilling, foul smell entered the room through the open door. The malevolent ghost walked to the doorway, its pale, greasy eyes fixing on Zhao Fusheng inside the house. It didn't step in immediately, but stood at the entrance, then it raised its hand and thump-thumped on the door.
Thump, thump, thump.
This action of the ghost made Zhao Fusheng pause. She had observed this ghost for two nights, and naturally knew that the ghost would always knock on the door before killing. But previously, the doors of those it killed were mostly tightly shut, so she couldn't pinpoint the ghost's intention, whether it was part of its killing rule or preparation before breaking in. It was only today, with her door wide open, that the ghost still knocked, confirming that this was one of the ghost's pre-killing rules.
She hesitated, then, holding the carrying pole, stood behind the house and called out: "Come in." Although she knew that even if she didn't say this, the ghost would certainly force its way in the next moment, once the words left her lips, she saw that the ghost seemed to not hear her at all, still raising its hand to knock twice more, then, as if completing a ritual, stepped inside the house.
Upon entering the house, the ghost's aura instantly caused the room's temperature to plummet.
The malevolent ghost's foot missed and landed into a trap, its body dropping halfway down, simultaneously stepping into a rope noose Zhao Fusheng had prepared. She threw the lantern from her hand. The lantern landed but didn't extinguish; the ghost's face on the human skin paper twisted. She tightened the grass rope and pulled hard—
Since she started controlling ghost objects, her physical strength had increased significantly. But this pull, however, did not budge the malevolent ghost. Instead, the carefully twisted grass rope snapped.
With one plan failing, she implemented a second. She swung the prepared carrying pole and brought it down forcefully on the malevolent ghost's head!
With a swish of rushing air, the carrying pole passed through the malevolent ghost's body. The ghost before her transformed into a black shadow and vanished. She had used too much force, and her body was carried by this momentum, shifting to the side.
Just then, the black shadow reassembled, reforming into the malevolent ghost's pale body.
Zhao Fusheng was horrified and quickly turned to flee into the other room. She had practiced this route countless times during the day, her body already adapted to flash away within seconds. But while her speed was fast, the malevolent ghost's movements were even faster.
The moment she moved, she felt a cold, foul wind sweep by. Goosebumps instantly rose on her skin. The malevolent ghost's two withered, pale arms, intertwined with green and purple, appeared eerily from nowhere and clamped around her neck. The cold ghost hand, like molding clay, choked her, lifting her body off the ground.
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