Chapter 421: Chapter 385: Closing In
In the public’s perception, it’s impossible for humans and ghosts to form a bond, only mutual exploitation is possible.
Cheng Ge did not doubt Sang Que’s words; if it were Cheng Ge himself, and sacrificing the Yin Child alone could solve the Earth Ghost, offering another chance at survival, he would do the same.
Moreover, Sang Que had also controlled a second ghost, which made the success rate very high.
As for the Yin Child, when she was the Five Spirits Saintess, she was respected, and if her sacrifice could benefit all the people of Yunzhou, everyone would allow her to sacrifice herself; this is considered a supreme honor in the minds of Yunzhou people.
However, Cheng Ge still felt it was too simple, so simple that he felt uneasy.
"You rest first, I need to think it over and give you an answer tomorrow morning."
"Preferably before the time of Chen; my current situation is a bit complex, and the Heart Lamp hasn’t reached the level where it can suppress two ghosts. During the day, I need to return to that coffin to ensure safety, or else the Yin Child could escape at any moment. She is clever and won’t willingly be sacrificed this way."
Cheng Ge frowned and nodded, "I understand."
Cheng Ge left with Xingzhu, and Sang Que breathed a sigh of relief. She needed to return to the modern era before daybreak, so she could only use this excuse.
At night, Sang Que released the Paper Macher to capture some wandering Evil Spirits near the village to replenish the cost of the Mountain Ghost Coin and also made five substitute Papermen.
The Evil Spirits transformed by the Paper Macher would turn into palm-sized paper pieces that could be folded and worn on the body. When needed as substitutes, they could be thrown out.
The next day, before dawn, Cheng Ge came alone to find Sang Que, agreeing to Sang Que’s terms. Last night, he borrowed the village altar to communicate briefly with the other village leaders.
Everyone felt that trusting Sang Que carried some risk, but since it was in their territory, risks could be minimized with advanced preparations.
Moreover, Sang Que personally going to sacrifice, directly facing the Five Spirits God, wouldn’t harm the Five Spirits God.
If the Five Spirits God was confident in dealing with the Earth Ghost, he would accept the sacrifice; if not, he would refuse, leaving the decision in the God’s hands, which would mean they weren’t breaking their promise.
If, by chance, the Five Spirits God refused to help Sang Que against the Earth Ghost, they could think of other solutions or use different terms to make Sang Que voluntarily hand over the Yin Child.
Actually, in Yunzhou, there are some Secret Techniques with enormous costs that could solve Sang Que’s problem. Cheng Ge hesitated to speak about them earlier, worried Sang Que might not accept the price, so he stayed silent.
At the entrance to the stilted building, Sang Que asked Cheng Ge, "How long from here to the altar dedicated to the Five Spirits God? From today, I have at most eighteen days."
Cheng Ge estimated the journey, "Fifteen days is enough to prepare everything."
"Good, during this time, I will stay inside the coffin made by the Ghost Vendor to stabilize my condition; the Yin Child won’t escape because of this. You all will take the coffin to the altar."
Along the way, Qiao Ling will help Sang Que watch over the coffin, not allowing anyone to open it until she gives the signal.
The Mountain Ghost Token, which signifies her identity as the leader of the Nine Songs, is still with her mother, so there’s no way to explain it to the Ghost Vendor. He hasn’t interacted much with Sang Que and may not trust Qiao Ling’s words easily.
Qiao Ling was also curious about why Sang Que wanted to stay in the coffin. Sang Que only stated she had her reasons; she didn’t explain, and Qiao Ling didn’t ask. Each person in the Nine Songs is very mysterious, and Qiao Ling herself has secrets she doesn’t want others to know.
At dawn, several people left the village. The Ghost Vendor was squatting under a tree, gnawing on a dry biscuit, with the cart carrying the coffin parked by the roadside, and five ghosts wearing big-headed doll masks were playing in the shade.
Sang Que intentionally disrupted her aura, feigning losing control, lying back into the coffin, and let the Ghost Vendor and Qiao Ling seal the coffin again.
Sang Que once again left through the opening at the bottom of the coffin. It was unclear whether the coffin was special or if stepping into the fifth layer changed the effect of the Open Gate, allowing her to pass through without actually opening a door, completely unnoticed.
...
Returning to the camp dormitory, Sang Que checked the front door; no one had come. She had just finished freshening up when the wake-up call sounded outside, and all teams began their morning training.
Sang Que glanced at the clock on the door, exactly six o’clock in the morning on July 15th.
After changing into sportswear, Sang Que went out for a run alone, practiced boxing and swordplay, had breakfast, and then reported to Qin Zhixian’s laboratory.
There was no official business; her primary role was as a mascot to maintain the atmosphere. After Qin Zhixian and his team collected base data from Jia Liang and Zheng Wujun, they started testing the limits of the Yin Walkers. If any signs of losing control appeared, Sang Que would need to suppress them.
Zheng Wujun and Jia Liang became the first Yin Walkers in Huaxia to enter modern times, a significant milestone that might one day be written in history books, textbooks, or even high school essays. However, the cost was also substantial.
To provide the laboratory with various data for research, allowing future generations to avoid risks, Zheng Wujun and Jia Liang had to continuously use the power of ghosts. Before reaching the Ghost Level, each use of ghostly power was significantly damaging to the body.
One advantage of modern times over ancient times is advanced medicine; the physical damage from the yin energy eroding their bodies and blood loss could be somewhat repaired through modern pharmaceuticals.
In truth, Sang Que could easily imprint the Mountain Ghost Seal on Zheng Wujun and Jia Liang; the ghosts inside them would behave. However, this would risk exposing the existence of the Mountain Ghost Coin.
Imprinting others with the Mountain Ghost Seal certainly isn’t without quantity limits; otherwise, a Witch could train an entire army of Yin Walkers, rather than struggling with just a few people in the Nine Songs.
If Huaxia eventually endeavors to cultivate a large Yin Walker force, how much could she really help?
Ultimately, riding ghosts should rely on themselves; she also needs to save some aces for herself.
Peace is built on absolute strength, and so is genuine cooperation.
As such, Sang Que settled into her routine role as a mascot. Whenever Zheng Xuan had free time, he would instruct her on firearms and weapon usage, taking her to the shooting range for practice. She would also spar with the active mobile team members, getting them ready for future instruction.
After staying at the Lishi Mountain Base for twelve days, with chickens missing from the mess hall every night caused by the Earth Ghost, Sang Que’s nape felt increasingly heavy and stiff, as if someone was perched on her neck, making her uncomfortable.
Sang Que couldn’t explain the Earth Ghost issue, but to prevent adding extra burden on the mobile team members, she confessed the missing chickens were her doing. The cafeteria stopped raising chickens later, yet the Earth Ghost still managed to get chickens every night, leaving chicken blood and feathers all over where she lived.
Initially, it was on the bed across, but in just ten days, the chicken blood and feathers reached her bedside, with the Earth Ghost’s shadow in her peripheral vision coming closer and closer.
Sang Que was anxious yet helpless, limited to waiting.
By late July, new members started arriving at the mobile team, with two young women in their early twenties joining Sang Que’s dormitory.
Sang Que finally awaited the day for processing paperwork and signing, officially joining the military‖service. However, before that, she had to undergo a physical examination and an interview review.
