Chapter 1074: Chapter 739: Wooden Wedge_2
No one paid her any attention. Yang Xiao drew circles centered around the residences of five people. Soon, he found a spot quite a distance from all five residences, located in the woods to the north of the village.
In the afternoon, Yang Xiao casually probed the villagers, saying the chair in his room was unstable and he wanted to find a carpenter to fix it.
This was a straightforward request, yet the usually accommodating villagers asked him to wait another day, saying they’d find someone to fix it at dawn.
When he heard this, Yang Xiao knew his suspicion was correct, there was a carpenter in the village, and tonight was their last chance, they couldn’t wait until dawn.
Shortly after nightfall, the final temptation came. This time it was a male student from Professor Yuan’s team. He whispered to Yang Xiao, revealing his identity as the son of a prominent figure. Now, Professor Yuan wanted to harm him, and if Yang Xiao could protect him and help him leave safely, once outside, his father would help Yang Xiao enter politics, rise through the ranks, marry a rich, beautiful woman, and reach the pinnacle of life.
Sex, money, power... Yang Xiao shook his head helplessly, thinking these old tricks would persist. But despite being old tricks, the temptation was strong; only he had seen through their schemes long ago. If it were an average person, they might not be able to resist.
Last night when Professor Yuan came, he brought real gold and silver, saying that if Yang Xiao agreed, these would be his welcome gift, showing his sincerity. The crisp sound of the gold bars clashing was intoxicating.
Yang Xiao remained silent, not wanting any mishaps at this critical moment. After the male student left, Yang Xiao packed his gear, grabbed his backpack, and in the blink of an eye, appeared in Tong Han’s room.
Similar to Yang Xiao’s experience, Tong Han was also harassed tonight. Another male student came, claiming to be the offspring of an official, passionately confessing to Tong Han through the door with a series of awkward pick-up lines, insisting he would marry her and swearing to elevate her to a life of luxury.
"Who taught him these things...?" Yang Xiao shivered as he listened to Tong Han recount the student’s cringy confessions.
Utilizing the abilities of the Soul-Capturing Mirror, Yang Xiao brought together Cen Fengyang and Lina, and the four headed to the woods east of the village.
However, Yang Xiao did not use the Soul-Capturing Mirror to teleport directly near the woods; he walked the last stretch. After their previous encounter, he was wary of this ghost, fearing it might steal his abilities again.
If the Soul-Capturing Mirror were taken, they would have big trouble; they’d be tossed into the Mirror World, trapped for hours. By the time they’d get out, everything would have already turned cold.
Sure enough, in the dense woods on the east side of the village, Yang Xiao discovered a dilapidated courtyard surrounded by stakes forming a circle. The broken courtyard gate was half-open, revealing a small wooden house inside.
"There’s someone lying in a rocking chair in the house, looks like they’re asleep," Lina gazed towards the wooden house, a strange dark red glow faintly flickering in her right eye, eerily in the night.
This was her ability, nearly devoid of combat attributes, but exceptional for scouting.
"What kind of person?" Yang Xiao asked.
"Can’t see clearly, he’s facing away from me, should... should be a man, tall and skinny," Lina spoke without much confidence.
"Tall and skinny?" Yang Xiao frowned, this didn’t match his expectations, "Are both of his legs intact?"
"Yes, both are there."
From Lina’s description, the figure in the wooden house was not the same as last night’s Black Robed Ghost.
Yang Xiao also drew out the Human Bone Staff to sense, but perhaps due to the distance, he failed to detect any sinister intent.
"Sir, what should we do?" Ever since learning Yang Xiao’s true identity, Cen Fengyang had been completely obedient.
"The target should be correct, it’s here." Yang Xiao trusted his judgment, assigning tasks to the four. Cen Fengyang and Tong Han would probe while he provided support from the side, ready to act at any moment.
If the Source Ghost was confirmed to be present, the less capable Lina would withdraw from the battlefield to monitor movements within the village.
With a maximum of an hour and a half until dawn, they must resolve the issue with the Source Ghost within this time frame.
Yang Xiao led the group to the courtyard, where the gate bore no sign, the wooden door loosely closed, giving way with a push.
"Squeak—"
The old door hinge emitted a piercing sound, alarming the house’s occupant. Shortly, a faint light flickered from inside the wooden house, followed by the door opening. A tall, slender man wearing a gray cloth long coat from the Republic era and worn cloth shoes stepped out.
The man’s face was pale, about forty years old, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his face, his gestures embodying the aura of an old-school intellectual, a tattered book bag hanging from his waist.
Upon seeing Yang Xiao and the others, the man’s expression was slightly surprised, "Who are you? Why are you visiting my residence so late?"
"Doesn’t the gentleman recognize us?" Yang Xiao refrained from acting impulsively, searching for the man’s flaws.
The man adjusted his glasses thoughtfully, "I understand now. You’re guests of the village; the villagers mentioned you during the day. But guests have their etiquette, and this is no reason to trespass my home. Please leave immediately."
"Don’t rush, sir. We’ve come to ask for a favor—we need help repairing our broken table and chairs," Cen Fengyang spoke sincerely, gesturing to invite the man for a visit.
"Nonsense!" The man’s face darkened, shaking his robe heavily. "I’m the village’s teacher, not a carpenter. How could I repair furniture?"
"Then you might as well die!" Cen Fengyang released his long-prepared magic artifact—a net.
The net unfurled in the wind, rapidly enveloping the man known as the teacher. But a moment later, the book bag at the teacher’s waist released black sand, quickly swirling into a Black Sandstorm centered around the man.
The net got caught in the storm, vanishing from sight, as the figure of the teacher was fully obscured by the storm.
A green ghostly light beamed into the storm, revealing a bizarre silhouette—indeed the teacher. But now his appearance was grotesquely altered, his eye corners peculiarly lifted in a dead man’s form, and a half-body Black Robed Ghost clung behind him.
Yang Xiao instantly understood that the teacher once served as an Angel Envoy, but had fallen victim to the Black Robed Ghost, crafted into a Puppet with the bizarre wooden wedge.
The eerie Black Sandstorm was the Angel Envoy’s former ability, now stolen by the Black Robed Ghost.
This wooded cottage was undoubtedly the Black Robed Ghost’s lair.
The sound of drums filled the air, pounding with urgency and speed. A shadow, several feet tall, charged forward, swinging a massive hammer into the Black Sandstorm.
The strike boasted terrifying power, though it didn’t directly hit the teacher and the Black Robed Ghost, the force made the shadow stagger, weakening the storm significantly. Seizing this opportunity, Cen Fengyang managed to retrieve the suppressed net.
Tong Han took action. With the rhythm changing, the summoned City God shifted attack strategies; Yang Xiao hadn’t anticipated Tong Han mastering this magic artifact in merely half a year.
Simultaneously, under Yang Xiao’s supervision, Cen Fengyang diligently utilized the opportunities created by Tong Han, repeatedly trying to attack with the net.
And Yang Xiao held the Ghost Lantern in one hand and the Human Bone Staff in the other. The ghostly glow from the Ghost Lantern continuously suppressed the figure in the storm, guiding the two teammates. The Human Bone Staff struck whenever possible.
The three occupied sections of the courtyard, forming a triangular siege around the Source Ghost. After several moves, Yang Xiao discerned the sheer might of the sandstorm—it seemed to have the power to isolate spiritual power.
The offensive capability of the Human Bone Staff was greatly diminished, and the City God summoned by Tong Han suffered severe erosion from the storm. The first arm was severed, the second half-face destroyed, now it was the third one. Judging by the weakening drumbeats, it seemed Tong Han was struggling to sustain as well.
