In the dimly lit and silent cemetery,
a group of people had gathered around an old grave, now staring at the tombstone before them with a variety of expressions.
Some were fearful and unsettled, others curious and expectant.
But for Yang Jian, it was a slight relief.
He felt itâthe curse seemed to have taken effect, the clearest signal being the cessation of the tapping sounds echoing through the cemetery.
âIs it over?â Sun Rui withdrew his gaze from the tombstone and looked towards Yang Jian.
âCanât be sure, but it should be over. We should still wait a bit longer, though. If thereâs no tapping within three minutes, no, within five, then we can confirm that the ghost from before has been successfully buried alive by the tombstoneâs curse.â
As he spoke, Yang Jian was attuned to the changes within himself.
Just now, he had used the eerie Firewood Knife to inscribe on the tombstone and was potentially susceptible to the curse of this supernatural object, just as in previous uses of the Firewood Knife.
However,
things seemed to be a bit beyond Yang Jianâs expectations.
He was unaffected.
Yang Jian did not succumb to the curse of the Firewood Knife.
âCould it be that merely inscribing does not affect oneself? Or is it because the target was a tombstone, not a fierce ghost or a living person, and thus the curse did not activate?â
His gaze shifted slightly as he weighed and pondered in his mind.
Although he didnât understand why, not being subject to the curse was good news.
âIt should be over. If the ghost kills by carving names, then our engraving names should have some effect,â Li Yang said, scanning the surroundings.
This stretch of graveyard still exuded a sinister presence, but at least the tapping had not resumed.
But Yang Jian was right; to be sure, they should wait another three minutes.
After a ghost finished inscribing a name, there was a gap of time before it moved to a blank tombstone. This could be deduced from the death of Luo Su Yi and the members of the supernatural forum.
Only, this interval of time wouldnât be very long, probably just a minute or two.
âLetâs wait then, and hope everything is okay,â Sun Rui said, his expression no longer so tense.
He believed that Yang Jianâs actions had been effective.
The continuous deaths at the hands of the ghost had been curtailed.
However, just then,
a sudden scream rang out, full of boundless panic.
âSister!â
It was the cry of Liu Yuanâs son, Liu Haw, the teenager of about sixteen, who suddenly seemed to be dragged down by something clutching at his feet, sinking into the ground like a person drowning, instinctively grabbing at his sister Liu Xinyue beside him.
But the immense force was not something a young woman could withstand.
Liu Xinyue was pulled down to the ground in an instant, and Liu Hawâs legs had already sunk into the soil.
âBrother.â
Liu Xinyue was immediately panicked. She held her brotherâs arms desperately, hugging tightly in a futile attempt to stop everything.
âHold tight to your sister, donât let go, donât let go for goodnessâ sake, help, someone please save my brother, I beg youâŠâ
Liu Haw was in trouble.
His name had been carved on the tombstone, the eerie graveyard intent on swallowing him, burying him into the grave.
The people nearby, frightened, hurriedly moved away, afraid of being drawn in.
âSister, I donât want to die, I donât want to dieâŠâ Liu Haw cried out, calling for help. Already timid by nature, he was now completely breaking down.
âJust another unlucky soul,â Sun Rui said coldly, observing from the sidelines, unmoved.
It wasnât that he was unwilling to help, but simply that he couldnât.
Luo Su Yi, a ghost controller himself, hadnât been quick enough to rescue, let alone a regular young man.
But before Sun Rui could finish, he felt Yang Jian next to him rush out with a stern face.
âHm?â
Sun Ruiâs expression shifted as he looked on.
He found Yang Jianâs actions strange. He knew Yang Jian wasnât a pushover; the way he had dealt with a member from the supernatural forum earlier showed he could be far more ruthless than Sun Rui. It seemed unlikely that he would rescue an ordinary person.
Yet before he could contemplate further,
Yang Jian had already dashed over and grabbed Liu Hawâs arm, pulling with all his might.
The boy who had been sinking into the ground was now forcefully lifted by Yang Jian, halting the cemeteryâs curse.
âSaved him? How is that possible?â
Sun Ruiâs face changed dramatically, incredulous at the sight of Liu Haw being lifted by Yang Jian.
But soon he noticed something.
Liu Hawâs legs were gone.
A dark, eerie shadow flitted beneath Yang Jianâs feet. Ghost Shadow actively detached Liu Hawâs legs, lifting the upper half of his body from the ground, severing the spread of the curse.
âJust as I thought,â
Yang Jian said coldly, holding Liu Haw with one hand and staring at the ground that had swiftly returned to calm.
Within the soil, Liu Hawâs legs were devoured, buried here.
But such attacks did not further occur.
Just like the dead manâs arm Yang Jian had earlier, holding it in hand would forestall an attack, but once dropped and contacting Grave Soil, the curse would continue.
âCaptain Yang, have you found a way to break the curse of these tombstones?â
Li Yangâs eyes widened, looking at the rescued Liu Haw, somewhat elated.
Yang Jianâs first attempt to save Luo Su Yi had failed.
The second time, he managed to save only an arm.
But on the third try, he had successfully saved an ordinary person, forcibly interrupting this seemingly unsolvable method of killing.
âIf the ghost had already killed two or three people beside me, and I still hadnât found a solution, then that would mean I am incompetent,â said Yang Jian.
Sun Ruiâs expression flickered slightly.
To be honest, he really hadnât figured out the reason.
Yang Jian continued, âGrave Soil, the grave soil weâre standing on is the key. To isolate the curse here, the only way is to stay away from the ground and avoid contact with the Grave Soil. The ghosts in the Grave Soil wonât leave the ground to kill people, so like this person, who Iâm holding in my hand, they will be safe.â
âAnd since Iâm not the target, the curse wonât transfer to me, and the cursed person can survive easily.â
âI see.â Realization dawned on Sun Rui.
He then remembered how, after Yang Jian had failed to save someone from the supernatural forum and only saved an arm, he observed for a while before throwing the arm away.
The discarded arm was immediately swallowed by the Grave Soil and disappeared.
From that moment, Yang Jian had already thought of something, but now he had thoroughly verified it through the attack on Liu Haw.
âSo you amputated his legs to remove him from the curse, successfully helping him escape this peril?â
Sun Rui said, âBut you were really quick to act, if you had been a step slower, and the amputation had been below the waist, he wouldnât have been saved. This method isnât very practical; it still comes at a cost.â
âYouâre mistaken,â Yang Jian said expressionlessly. âIâve found a way to reduce the cost so that even ordinary people can bear it.â
âEven without my help, as long as they know the pattern, ordinary people can survive because there are places here where you donât need to touch the Grave Soil.â
Having said that, he carried Liu Haw to the tombstone they had just been by and set him down on it.
âSit here, and donât fall or youâre done for. You better come over and hold him; heâs lost his legs but at least heâs still alive.â Yang Jian glanced at Liu Xinyue.
At that moment, Liu Xinyue sat on the ground in shock, her expression filled with fear and confusion, her tears swirling in her eyes.
Just a moment ago,
She was on the verge of collapsing, about to watch her own younger brother die in front of her.
Unexpectedly, the cold-hearted Captain Yang had actually intervened to help.
Although her brother lost his legs, at least he was still alive.
Wiping away her tears, Liu Xinyue quickly stood up, steadied Liu Haw, who was seated on the tombstone, and hugged him, comforting, âItâs okay, itâs over now, weâre safe.â
Liu Haw clung to his sister, crying.
Both felt a trembling throughout their bodies.
It was fear, it was anxiety.
âThe tombstone is the key to breaking the game.â
Sun Rui remarked with a sense of awe, âI got it, as long as you sit on the tombstone when the knocking comes, staying off the ground, you can block the ghostâs attack. Under such circumstances, even ordinary people can survive.â
Li Yang nodded, âYes, thatâs right. If someone is targeted, then let others carry them out.â
âSo how do you know if youâve been targeted by the ghost?â
Yang Jian said expressionlessly, âItâs simple. Throw something from your body out there; if it gets swallowed by the Grave Soil, that means youâre targeted. Maybe just a lock of hair will be enough.â
Hearing this, the two fell silent.
They hadnât expected that Yang Jian could neutralize such a terrifying supernatural event in this manner.
The ghostâs pattern of killing hadnât yet been confirmed, but relying on the method of the killings and the assaults on ordinary people, they had found a way to live.
With such clear intelligence,
Even if the knocking sounded again, they wouldnât have to be as worried.
âWhat a gap,â Sun Rui felt at that moment as if he were useless.
Apart from retreating, he was of no help.
Yang Jian paid no attention to how the others felt; after his successful attempt, he had also resolved a worry for the future, glanced at the time, and said, âNearly three minutes have passed, and the knocking hasnât started again; the previous plan to carve names was probably successful, but we should wait a couple more minutes.â
âAfter seven minutes, if everything around is still normal, weâll dig up this grave; it should contain the buried Mrs. Liu, and then our mission to deliver the message will be over too.â
Finishing, he pointed at the grave before them.
It didnât matter where Mrs. Liu was buried; once she was buried, she would definitely appear in this grave here.
Just as with Luo Su Yi.
With a precedent, they could avoid a lot of detours.
Hence, while the previous attempt to dig the grave and save Luo Su Yi had not been effective, it had yielded an important piece of information.
Without this information, Yang Jian would not have dared to take such action.
The previous seemingly meaningless rescue efforts were the same.
Every piece of information was important.
Yang Jianâs deciphering of the curse over the graves was not an arbitrary phenomenon, but also involved gathering information and on-the-spot analysis.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
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