Chapter 863: Chapter 630: Evil Technique
However, now was not the time to ponder these things. Taking advantage of the moment when the other party fell, Yang Xiao turned and ran towards the direction of the sounds that had followed them.
And the thing that made the noise, upon detecting the footsteps of Yang Xiao, had its first reaction to also run, which further solidified Yang Xiao’s judgment.
This was a human.
Moreover, on the ground he ran past, Yang Xiao also saw scattered bloodstains and some incomplete, bloodied shoe prints.
This person seemed to be injured and could not run fast; Yang Xiao quickly caught up and only then did he realize that the person was actually Xiang Fengchen!
However, the current Xiang Fengchen had long lost his previous master’s demeanor. Half of his face was covered in blood, his forehead gashed open with a large wound, and his left eye blinded. His messy white hair was dyed red with blood, sticking to his forehead in strands. His clothes were torn in several places, presenting a picture of complete disarray.
Furthermore, one left leg was slightly raised, unnaturally supporting his weight, as if injured.
"It’s really you..." Xiang Fengchen struggled to swallow his saliva and slightly relaxed, "My risk in saving you wasn’t wasted."
"What exactly is going on here?" Only now did Yang Xiao notice that he had chased Xiang Fengchen for at least 20 meters without any hindrance or obstacles. But this distance had already exceeded the limits of this room.
Up to now, Yang Xiao’s mind was still muddled; he was fine when he went to sleep, only to wake up and find himself in such a ghostly state, as if he had not woken from a nightmare.
"We were all calculated against. That Ancestor isn’t as simple as we thought. I don’t know the specific reasons, but... but it might have some sort of ban on its body, specifically countering Magic Artifacts like the Divine Turtle Shell. Once one uses its Dragon Energy for divination, they will be backfired upon." Xiang Fengchen was out of breath, obviously not accustomed to taking such a heavy loss, "There’s an expert in the Earl Mansion. I underestimated him. The fake sanctum I set up didn’t fool him; he was just waiting for me."
"He’s coming for you?" Yang Xiao’s heart grew cold.
"Mm." Xiang Fengchen wiped the blood on his face with his torn sleeve, nodded, and took responsibility for the matter, but then he said, "My death wouldn’t be good for you either. Without me, no one can use that thing; you can’t beat him."
Although it was not pleasant to hear, the logic was indeed true; they could not afford to give up this old man unless absolutely necessary.
"Where is Director Nalan?" Yang Xiao suddenly asked.
"He... he’s fine, should still be alive. I bumped into him not long ago, but he was frightened and didn’t trust me." Xiang Fengchen shook his head helplessly, pointing to his shredded clothes, "These... these injuries were made by him."
Hearing that the Director was still alive gave Yang Xiao some peace of mind, "What should we do next?"
"This place... is no longer our room. We’ve been taken to the Sleeping Gold Pavilion. First find Nalan Shuo, then... then we’ll leave together." Xiang Fengchen was quite righteous in this respect.
"I thank you on behalf of the Director."
Yang Xiao knew it was not out of sentiment but because Director Nalan was still useful. If it were someone useless, such as Chang Chuchu, Xiang Fengchen definitely wouldn’t bother rescuing them, as saving someone also meant taking risks.
"If not for you, I and that old man Nalan Shuo would have already left. If you don’t leave, he won’t agree to leave." Xiang Fengchen sighed, struggling to get up and walked out, "Stay close to me."
Soon, under the guidance of Xiang Fengchen, they found a door, and a faint "rustling" sound could be heard from inside.
Yang Xiao recognized this door; he had seen it in the Sleeping Gold Pavilion. It seemed like a second-floor door. Indeed, after seeing the door, Xiang Fengchen led him to turn left and soon they saw a second door. Now he was sure they were indeed on the second floor, one room was a study and the other a bedroom.
Seeing Yang Xiao’s confusion, Xiang Fengchen explained in a low voice, "There’s something strange in these two rooms. I lost this eye in the bedroom."
"What’s inside the rooms?" Yang Xiao asked softly.
Hearing this, Xiang Fengchen tightened his lips and just shook his head, seemingly very reluctant to recall that experience, or perhaps it was useless to say.
After walking a while longer, a wooden staircase leading downward appeared in front of Yang Xiao. Under the enhancement of the fog, the Sleeping Gold Pavilion became even more eerie. The orientation here hadn’t changed, but the area had increased by many times. The same route now required them to walk much farther, and it took them a full half-minute to go from the bedroom to the staircase.
"Stay close to me, be alert."
Xiang Fengchen supported himself on the handrail, slowly walking down the stairs, and Yang Xiao imitated him. To Yang Xiao’s surprise, the stairs under his feet didn’t make the cringe-worthy creaking sound, which made him realize that although this place looked like the Sleeping Gold Pavilion, it was not the real Pavilion, but rather a mirror space of some kind.
This also meant that even if they eventually escaped, they would not appear outside the actual Sleeping Gold Pavilion, which was very important.
As they moved, the fog seemed to shift with them, drawing out two nearly overlapping paths through the air. If one were to step back and observe, they’d notice the mist swirling leisurely, carving out walkways for the figures within.
As Yang Xiao walked, the fog at his side was brushed aside. Near the staircase, less than a meter away from him, the fog thinned significantly, revealing a pair of boots clinging close to the ground.
After Yang Xiao descended the stairs, the boots moved as well, following behind him, keeping a subtle distance.
Since there were no sounds, neither of the two men ahead had any clue they were being followed.
Once downstairs, a blanket of grey mist met their eyes. Leading the way, Xiang Fengchen paused only briefly before identifying the direction, and continued forward, whispering a warning, "This floor is teeming with ghosts, quite a few of them. They were drawn out by Nalan Shuo and me. Stick close to me."
Walking through this dense fog, with visibility terribly poor, Yang Xiao’s doubts grew. How did Xiang Fengchen determine their direction, or the so-called positions of these ghosts? Could he... actually see them?
He was human, not a deity, and besides, Yang Xiao was still a step ahead with his eyesight. With this thought in mind, he began to question his earlier judgment.
Soon, however, he understood how. Xiang Fengchen stopped and lifted his left hand, scanning the area as if trying to discern their location.
Moreover, since the moment Yang Xiao had set eyes on him, Xiang Fengchen’s left hand had never relaxed from its clenched fist.
Noticing Yang Xiao’s gaze on his fist, Xiang Fengchen seemed to come to a realization belatedly, "I’d forgotten you’re different from me; you can’t see those ghostly things."
"You can see them?" Yang Xiao inquired.
"I couldn’t before, but after they caught me off guard once, I figured out a way," Xiang Fengchen explained. He pulled out a stack of Paper Money from his chest and shoved it into his bloody, blinded left eye socket. Gritting his teeth, he smeared it around and then pulled out the blood-soaked Paper Money, "Close... close your eyes!"
Yang Xiao closed his eyes, soon feeling something warm brush over his eyelids. Then his left hand was pried open, and a squishy object was placed in his palm, after which his fingers were closed around it.
"Keep a tight grip, and don’t let go, or it’ll bring you fatal harm," Xiang Fengchen said, letting out a breath, "Alright, you can open your eyes now."
When Yang Xiao reopened his eyes, the scene before him had changed. Although still enshrouded in fog, something felt utterly different. With focused attention, he could make out vague figures moving through the mist.
Like wandering ghosts amidst the haze, their forms varied, and the stiff, lifeless air about them left no doubt in Yang Xiao’s mind—they were certainly not living beings.
Visibility hadn’t improved, but he could now see the ghosts in the fog, which explained why Xiang Fengchen had moved so cautiously all along.
Looking at the clenched object in his hand, Yang Xiao’s opinion of the Magician grew; his presence was truly beneficial.
"This is an unorthodox method, it won’t last long, and it has severe limitations. It not only harms me, the Host, but the ghosts can sense you when you see them, so don’t stare for too long," Xiang Fengchen elaborated to Yang Xiao.
"This can only detect ghosts, not people, right?" Yang Xiao pressed.
"Yes, the reason I noticed you was because I saw a ghost moving oddly, not just wandering aimlessly, so I came closer to investigate," Xiang Fengchen clarified.
After a pause, he added, "Your actual vision is better than mine now. I’m blind in one eye, and the other is nearly gone. That’s the backlash of using an Evil Technique. You’d better find Nalan Shuo quickly before we have to give up on him."
One by one.
Two by two.
...
Yang Xiao kept tally of the wandering ghosts he observed. Some resembled little ghost maids, while others were dressed as male servants. Yang Xiao compared notes with his teammates and confirmed these were Ghost Substitutes previously captured by the Ancestors.
In this area, he found six bodies, and adding the one from upstairs, there were exactly seven—a number that matched the count.
Just as he thought to bypass the last ghost maid, she suddenly turned around, and in the next instant, Yang Xiao froze in his tracks as if struck by lightning.
Not because he was discovered—the distance was safe enough—but the ghost maid unexpectedly had a man’s face!
The man looked to be in his mid-forties, with noble features. His eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly ajar in what appeared to be shock, all of it grotesquely affixed atop a woman’s hairdo.
Crucially, it was Nalan Shuo’s face!
