Chapter 257: Old Yang: The Divine Doctor
The spider unleashed all its terrifying ghosts, haunting Qiugang Village. These ghosts had crawled out of the Ghost Gate, only to be enslaved and controlled by the spider through some bizarre method. The downside? Their powers were diluted, and they could only follow their instincts, adhering to simple tasks—kind of like a ghostly version of a bad intern!
On the other hand, things were a bit different. The ghosts enslaved by the Gatekeeper went through a more elaborate process involving formations and rituals. With an evil spirit lending a hand, taking down a few dressed-in-red girls was hardly an issue.
Zhao Mingyue, sporting her backpack like a fearless adventurer, stepped outside with Lu Liangting.
Tonight, the moon was conspicuously absent, leaving the village shrouded in gloom. The only sources of light were a few street lamps at the village entrance and along the main road, flickering like they were auditioning for a horror movie.
In the dim glow, the world around seemed even darker and more sinister. It was as if an invisible gaze was upon them, waiting for the right moment to lure them into a trap.
People fear the unknown, and darkness embodies that fear. No one knew what kind of monsters lurked in the shadows, especially in a village where ghosts were practically a local commodity. One wrong turn, and they might just bump into a ghost—surprise!
Zhao Mingyue was already wary of such task settings, her traumatic memories from Eternal Life Village still fresh. The sheer vastness of the place, with its wide-open spaces, turned every house into a perfect blind spot.
She gripped her magic wand tightly—thank goodness for Bai Yu having her back—so danger was less likely. But let’s be real; even with that pep talk, walking in this eerily silent village sped up her heart rate.
This village was uncomfortably quiet.
Just as the villagers had claimed, no one dared to be out at night. And now, it was already half past eleven. Even in normal villages, nighttime was reserved for sleep—not like urban areas with wild nightlife.
“So, if the villagers are all accustomed to ghosts prowling around at night, how do they manage to k*ll people?” Zhao Mingyue pondered aloud while strolling down the concrete road towards the village center. “Do they just waltz into homes and slay folks? Haven’t heard that rumor yet… or are the villagers keeping secrets from me?”
Upon hearing her thoughts, Lu Liangting glanced at Old Yang. “Seen any ghosts?”
“None. Didn’t I tell you? Just because I’m a ghost doesn’t mean I have x-ray vision; if those guys hide away, I’m none the wiser,” Old Yang elaborated, preempting what Lu Liangting was about to say next.
Just as he finished his sentence, a ghost lunged out from behind a nearby house!
Its target wasn’t them; this ghost was tangled up with another, engaged in a tussle. The consumption of one ghost by another was way simpler than that of a red-clad maiden; they wrapped around each other, devouring with reckless abandon, creating a delightful chaos of black mist!
This behavior wasn’t out of the ordinary. Average ghosts had no real attack methods; their killing spree involved mental attacks. Even if they had been martial arts experts in life, it wouldn’t help now; they were just going about their spooky business based on instinct.
A pitch-black male ghost violently yanked off a female ghost’s ear, prompting her to shriek like a banshee. Her long, sharp nails swiped at his waist in retaliation.
The male ghost retaliated by clamping down on her throat, tearing into her flesh, and absorbing her essence with enthusiasm.
“Good grief,” Old Yang sighed, lifting a hand. His black suit was gradually being stained red with the bl**d of the female ghost.
This ghost? It had to go!
Just as he was about to jump in, Lu Liangting suddenly yanked on his sleeve. Old Yang turned to see a contorted figure bolt out from a nearby house, moving way too fast to be human.
It used all four limbs in a bizarre, rolling motion—definitely not the kind of creature you’d want to run into on a dark night.
With a low, beast-like growl, it dashed towards the grappling ghosts.
Getting closer, Zhao Mingyue finally recognized what it was—this was no ghost; it was a corpse! Dressed in a black and red shroud, dripping with dry bl**d, the creature’s skin was grey and shriveled, like an ancient tree with no moisture left.
The face was practically a skeleton, with the skin barely cling to the bones, and the eye sockets empty—either dried out or missing altogether.
This cadaver was notably old, its few strands of grey hair barely draping over bony shoulders. Hunched and twisted, it scurried across the ground towards the two battling ghosts, seeking to snack on them both.
With an indistinct aura, Zhao Mingyue couldn’t gauge its strength, but it definitely wasn’t weaker than the usual red-clad fiends. The two ghosts stood no chance, barely able to fight back against this culinary enthusiast.
Squatting down, the elderly horrible thing clawed at the intertwined ghosts, ripping off a chunk and stuffing it into its gaping maw like it hadn’t eaten in ages, effectively wolfing down a significant portion of the female ghost. Her mournful wail echoed as she vanished.
The male ghost tried to flee but got yanked back by a bony hand on its ankle!
As it struggled, a few strands of bl**d shot out and ensnared the creature’s body. Turning its hollow gaze towards Old Yang, the old lady tugged on the bl**d strands and—extra spicy—shoved a portion of it into her mouth!
Like a famished specter, she devoured anything in sight—humans and ghosts alike, all were fair game! The most unnerving part was her speed and strength, able to lay into the ghosts which couldn’t retaliate, as they were far too terrified.
Since she had no soul, she wasn’t scared of mental attacks. Physically, her body was tough as nails—gunshots? Pfft!—only limb loss could do her in.
“What the heck is that thing?! That’s a zombie, right?” Li Tianan arrived just in time, catching sight of Old Yang getting into a nasty tussle with this monstrosity.
Old Yang, recently buffed up, was holding his ground, but it was clear that putting this thing down would take time.
How do you deal with this nimble monster? Old Yang scratched his head—was grandma secretly a superhero with a steel-plated skeleton?
“A zombie?” Zhao Mingyue frowned, adjusting her expectations.
Not the clumsy, shuffling dead she imagined! Thought they’d be the kind you could just hold your breath to avoid!
But no, this zombie was like a wild beast on all fours, incredibly quick.
“Bind her!” Zhao Mingyue commanded, sprinting toward the zombie while gathering all her strength.
Old Yang quickly helped out by wrapping bl**d threads around the zombie’s ankles, hampering its movements. Zhao Mingyue charged forward, her magic wand raised like a golf club, aiming to swing it right at the zombie’s head with all her might.
With a resounding thud, the zombie emitted a low growl, and half its skull caved in!
But she wasn’t done! Zhao Mingyue swiftly raised her wand again, striking the zombie’s chin and smashing it to smithereens! The sheer force was so overwhelming, even Old Yang’s bl**d threads couldn’t hold it back as the zombie went flying.
And there was no rest for the wicked; as soon as the zombie hit the ground, Zhao Mingyue was there!
With bl**d threads wrapping the limbs, she slammed her wand right into the zombie’s face, exploding it like a rotten watermelon, foul-smelling guts spilling everywhere!
Even that didn’t end it; once free, the zombie lunged at Zhao Mingyue.
But she, instead of retreating, charged right back in! As the zombie tackled her, she used her shoulder to hit it square in the chest, slamming it back just in time to smash its arm off with another strike!
With such timing, any thought of retreating would’ve been futile. This was now the most efficient strategy! Even Bai Yu silently tiptoed in her mind, impressed by Zhao Mingyue’s rapid growth; she was like a jack-in-the-box of improvement.
“Ha!” she exclaimed again, smashing down the zombie’s leg before it hit the ground, then using her bl**d threads to drain the evil spirit within it completely.
Seeing this unfold, Lu Liangting and Li Tianan exchanged bewildered glances.
Was it just them, or was Zhao Mingyue a bit different from what they remembered?
As expected, the cuter they are, the more ferocious they fight!
With the zombie down, the sound of a flute echoed in the distance, sending shivers through the village. Every ghost, including the ones under the spider’s control, moved—zombies, ghosts, everyone reacting to that beckoning tune! Even Old Yang’s eyes shifted after hearing that melody.
“Wait! That thing is…” Li Tianan’s face paled as he shoved Lu Liangting aside just as he spoke.
Suddenly, Old Yang exploded with bl**d threads, locking onto everyone around, including Lu Liangting!
Clang!
Several bl**d strands snapped! Bai Yu stepped in front of Old Yang, swinging her tiny fists towards his face with a force that seemed to boggle the mind. In Old Yang’s eyes, her little fists appeared oversized, and he found himself completely paralyzed—his reflexes had nada on these fluffy contraptions.
Bam! The tiny fist collided with Old Yang’s face, twisting his head, sending him spiraling back!
Let’s just say Old Yang, on the ground, felt remarkably awake—like a hangover cure in one shot, thanks to that flute’s influence.
But before he could gather his bearings, the haunting tune echoed once more…
